20.) [video.]

[ijustlivehere]

[Neil is hanging out at the fountain, Hands shoved into his pockets, looking around warily.]

So uh... no one try to eat me today, okay? And we'll be good.

[ooc: Open to everyone and everything! Come and get him!]

Comments

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

Nah, thankfully not. I got away before anything bad happened.

You should uh, probably stay away from any tall chicks with long dark hair and eyebrows like this. [He presses his pinkie fingers against his forehead to indicate pointy, angry eyebrows.]

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

[Arya doesn't look convinced.]

I don't think anybody has eyebrows like that.

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

[This little girl is somehow intimidating for a little girl.]

Well, something like that, anyway.

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

I'll watch out for her. If she tries to eat me, I'll make sure she wishes she didn't.

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

[...Okay yeah, definitely intimidating.]

Uh... s-sure. Don't get yourself hurt, or whatever.

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

I won't.

[She sounds almost offended by the warning, but that doesn't stop her making an offer after a pause.] If you wanted, I could probably protect you. You'd just have to tell me what she looks like, since I don't know.

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

[Blink. Blink. Stare.]

...Protect me?

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

[She sighs, looking put upon. Sorry, Neil. She thinks you're kind of dumb.]

Do you need me to explain that to you?

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

I know what it means. [The way he's pouting, he looks like way more of a child than she does.] I just... don't think that'll be necessary, uh, little girl.

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

I'm not little. I'm 12. [Lies. But if he's going to call her out on it, he'd better hope he's right about not needing help.]

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

12 is pretty little. [But suddenly something occurs to him, because this whole thing seems very familiar.] Wait, what's your name?

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

[Arya's been handing out fake names all day. Bran's here, though. She knows that now. She bets he doesn't use fake names. She chews her lip for a while, trying to decide what name to use.]

Arya. Of House Stark. Who are you?

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

[Whoa. Did she say what he thinks she just said]

Dude! Friggin' Arya? No kidding?

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

[She wasn't expecting her name to be recognised here. She immediately regrets sharing it, narrowing her eyes at him.]

No. I made it up. I'm Lommy. I'm from King's Landing.

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

N-- ah, no, it's fine. You're safe here. This is just kind of blowing my mind.

I named my dog Nymeria because of you.

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

Because of me? [She looks more confused than honoured by that. She doesn't understand how he can know about Nymeria. She doesn't think that many people know about her direwolf.]

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but my roommate kept calling her Nym for short and now she won't answer to anything but that stupid nickname.

[NEIL IS WAY TOO DENSE FOR THIS, but he kind of catches on to the fact that he's confusing her.]

Oh, uh, this is kinda complicated, but where I come from your life is kind of a book instead of like, a real thing. It's this whole big weird different-worlds sort of thing. [Not... explaining this very well. But he's trying.]

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

Nym's a stupid name. I like Nymeria better. It's better for a wolf than a dog, though.

[Yeahhhhhh, not really helping, Neil. Arya's face is set in a stubborn scowl.]

No, it isn't. My life is real. No one writes books about me.

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's dumb. I dunno how to fix it now, though.

[Neil combs his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out how to make it make sense.]

Well, yeah, no, I mean... yeah, your life's real. In your real world. But sometimes stuff's weird in different worlds, like say this one. Everything's all different. And in the world I came from, you're a book. I dunno, there might be worlds where I'm a book too, for all I know.

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

Don't call it her. If she's clever, she'll learn.

That's stupid. Why would any of us be in books? Unless it's a history book, but I'm too young for that.

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, maybe. If I can get my roommate to call her the right name, too.

I... I dunno why. It's confusing.

[needleofmyown.livejournal.com]

You should make him. If he doesn't, you should hit him. Or I could, if you don't want to.

[Despite herself, Arya's curious. She can't help but ask.] Are they good books? The ones that I'm in.

[illgrowoutofit.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone needs to hit 'im... [But he smirks a little because the idea of little Arya hitting Stephen is really funny.]

Dude, er, girl-dude, they're amazing. They're like... [he almost says 'like crack,' but that wouldn't make sense, so...] ...like some kinda food that you can't stop eating because it's so frakkin' good.