Tornadoes & Constellations

there was never a day that jon wasn’t grateful for ned and cat. they went out of their way to care for them, never made them feel like a burden, never made them feel like they were other. and while lyanna and rhaegar will always  ( sometimes painfully, if they were to be honest )  be their parents, uncle ned and aunt catelyn raised them like they were their own. jon had sought shelter, comfort and advice from them both in their teen years so showing up after a particularly Bad™️ week wasn’t too out off the ordinary. 

they wait silently in her office for her to return, fiddling with a pen they plucked from her desk. ever since the wedding, jon had been restless. work had been a nice distraction, but the times in between caring for patients and doing paperwork were spent thinking about the fear and the horror they felt when the lights went out. hopefully catelyn can shed some of her infinite wisdom.  ‘ aunt cat, it’s fine, ’  jon insists, getting up from their seat to help her with some of the papers.  ‘ i ate a little before i came over. ’  they had a granola bar and a coffee on the way over to be precise, but she didn’t need to know that. 

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She had a soft spot for all her family, this much was undeniable. She’d even kept one for her sister despite Lysa being, well, Lysa. There were no such thing as favourites with her, they all received the same undying loyalty from her and the same will to see them all thrive. But there were some that she kept a closer eye on, worried about that little bit more. Jon was one of them, despite her knowing that they were all grown up and more than capable of looking after themselves. But their sweetness, demonstrated in the easy with which they got up to help her with her armful, just made her all the more protective. “Thank you.” 

Brows rose at their admission and without hesitating she quickly turns their words into something that works better for her agenda, even if it is one that she thinks is good for them too. “Just a little? You’ll have plenty room to help me with this food when it comes then.” She never had been able to take no for an answer but it held especially true when it came to doing what she thought was best for her family. It was something she had always been unable to shake - that conviction that she simply knew best. “How’s work been for you?” 

He didn’t want to be there. In fact, the very last place he wanted to be was mingling with King’s Landing’s elite. How pathetic this whole thing was, so soon after the murder of his mother and they were all pretending like nothing had changed. Just another ordinary evening in King’s Landing, another boy orphaned without a second glance. As he sipped from his complimentary glass of champagne (slowly, he wasn’t willing to give money to anyone or anything that he couldn’t completely trust) - he let his eyes wander the room. Enemies, all of them. Unless someone could prove themselves a friend.

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While she had stopped and spoken to a few of those who she deemed important enough, for the most part she’d avoided everyone else. Fully intent on spending time with as few people as possible, though her nephew would always be an exception. “You shouldn’t let it show so much.” There was always a sternness to her words, a slight hardness in her tone that she’d never managed to remove. Nor had she ever really wanted to. But they’re still soft, a characteristic reserved for family only, and well intended rather than chiding. Weakness was so easily exploited and while grief was understandable, there were bound to be countless that would want to take advantage of the young Arryn’s clear apathy for the event. “Come on, let’s go to the bar. I need another drink even if you don’t.”

admittedly,      she  doesn’t  really  want  to  be  here.        would  much  rather  to  have  spent  yet  another  night  curled  up  in  bed  as  opposed  to  mingling   -   but  it  was  for  charity,     and  margaery,     and  really,      could  she  have  truly  passed  up  the  opportunity  to  slip  into  one  of  the  few  designs  she’d  held  onto  for  herself?        fingertips  wrapped  daintily  around  the  stem  of  her  champagne  glass,      absentminded  and  only  nodding  to  the  voices  bubbling  around  her,      sansa  doesn’t  come  to  until  her  mother’s  gentility  floats  through  the  void.        “     mom.      ”        a  wide,      warm  red  smile  stretches  across  her  features  and  is  subsequently  followed  by  a  smattering  of  laughter.        “     right,     because  i’m  the  child  you  should  be  lecturing  about  sensibility.      ”        once  upon  a  time,     maybe   -   just  maybe,     but  with  the  rest  of  the  stark  brood  bound  to  be  out  and  about  tonight,      sansa  was  fairly  certain  she  should  be  the  least  of  catelyn’s  worries.        “      i  promise  not  to  do  too  much  damage  to  my  bank  account   -   i  wasn’t  really  planning  to  stay  long  anyways.        ”

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Rare smile settled on her lips. “There’s a first time for everything.” She was right though, of all her children she was perhaps the one she was least concerned with keeping an eye on. Or least that had been the case up until recently. Now she paid more attention, concerned mother’s gaze always glancing towards her. “Good, there’s better things to spend it on. Don’t let them convince you otherwise.” Perhaps it was too cynical of her to deem the foundation only a front for the Tyrells’ business but she found it hard to believe that the foundation existed solely to do good in the world. She hadn’t gotten this far in life being trusting and she wasn’t about to start now. “Go home whenever you like, love, you’ve already fulfilled your responsibility.” In truth just seeing her out and about was enough for Catelyn, after her having been reclusive in recent weeks. It was a small step in the right direction.

it  was  tedious  waiting  for  good  news  .  cersei  waved  the  waitress  down  for  a  refill  on  her  coffee  ,  before  biting  into  the  warm  slice  of  apple  pie  .  had  the  events  of  the  last  few  days  not  have  passed  as  they  had  ,  she  would  have  simply  ordered  takeout  ,  rather  than  ever  be  spotted  at  the  diner  ,  it  was  simply  not  a  place  she  would  risk  staining  her  clothes  .  but  it  was  important  for  her  to  be  seen  ,  to  keep  anyone  wanting  to  grab  for  power  in  check  .  she  was  not  a  superstitious  woman  ,  usually  ,  but  cersei  was  anxious  to  receive  the  phone call  passing  on  the  condolences  that  robert  had  passed  ,  so  perhaps  something  sweet  in  her  mouth  would  bring  about  the  sweet  news  she  was  desperate  for  .  

she  had  once  married  robert  ,  stars  in  her  eyes  ,  with  hope  for  a  future  where  the  reigns  of  power  would  be  in  their  hands  .  it  had  taken  him  just  a  few  hours  after  the  exchange  of  their  vows  ,  for  her  to  realize  that  things  would  always  be  cold  between  them  .  she  had  also  realized  one  other  thing  that  day  ,  with  the  utmost  clarity  .  cersei  did  not  want  to  share  power  ,  not  ever  .  despite  the  reigns  of  the  lannister  syndicate  being  in  her  hands  ,  her  thirst  for  more  had  her  eyes  set  on  her  husbands  now  .  although  no  stranger  to  how  leaders  were  chosen  ,  she  would  be  damned  if  she  let  someone  steal  what  belonged  rightfully  to  her  son  .

it  was  the  sound  of  the  bell  ringing  as  the  diner  door  opened  ,  that  pulled  her  from  her  thoughts  .  the  practiced  look  of  exhaustion  spread  across  her  face  with  ease  ,  as  she  raised  her  coffee  cup  to  greet  .  “  please  don’t  tell  me  your  hoping  for  a  quote  for  a  newspaper  or  what  not  ,  i’m  afraid  i  will  have  nothing  new  to  tell  you  .  if  roberts  condition  had  changed  for  the  better  ,  you  would  have  found  me  screaming  it  from  a  rooftop  .  ”  before  she  tossed  his  body  off  .

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While she’d often thought that counting on luck was an ineffective way to live life - the most successful made their own luck, made things happened the way that they wanted - it didn’t stop her from cursing her own whenever something went wrong. Seeing the woman that she held responsible for the death of her sister the moment she walked in The Diner was one such occasion. But it was nothing she showed past a tensing of her jaw though she longed to do more. Instead she settled for an obviously fake smile and dangerously light words. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

There had been times that she had been far from fond of her husband’s relationship with the Baratheon. Robert was more than just a slightly flawed man and there was a part of her that had felt relief when their friendship came under strain after the affair became public knowledge. But in that moment she was almost glad of it, if only because it gave her the opportunity to potential rub salt into what she could only imagine might be Cersei Lannister’s wounded pride. Or at least, her own pride would be smarting should her own husband have so publicly refused access to her on what could well be his death bed. “Ned has been keeping my updated.” 

With measured but still purposeful movements, she took a seat on the table next to the other woman rather than joining her. She had no want for them to seem kindred spirits nor as though she was reaching out to comfort her. They simply happened to both be there at the same time and she’d never been one to back away from a challenge. “But how are you holding up? It mustn’t be easy to have to wait for news from the sidelines.”

brandon let himself into his brother’s house as if he owned the place, whistling some jaunty tune as he went. steps light, expression relaxed, he was clearly in a good mood – of course, he usually appeared as such, and it just as often meant danger, but the thing was it hadn’t meant danger since his grand retirement. “you look tense,” brandon said in lieu of a greeting as he sauntered into the kitchen, taking in catelyn’s appearance in an exaggerated once-over. ned might kill him for it, if he ever saw, but brandon didn’t mean anything by it; brandon didn’t mean anything by most of his actions, often serving no purpose beyond a game to see what rise he could draw, besides – he’d like to see ned try. cat was perhaps more threatening, but she hadn’t killed him over his antics yet, so he considered the point moot.

a lazy, teasing grin crossed his face as he leaned backwards against the counter. “worried, cat? what could i have possibly gotten up to?” brandon put no effort into looking affronted, grin only growing. “i’m a remade man now, not a criminal bone in my body. couldn’t do anything wrong if i’d tried.” sure, he’d come from some seedy bar with seedier company and left with a woman who’s name he hadn’t bothered to learn, but the wind from the back of his motorcycle had blown off the lingering smell of perfume, so it didn’t really count.

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As much as she liked to pretend otherwise - it was all part of the fun really -  she had always rather respected Brandon. He had a way of getting things done and even if she liked to think that she had better methods, they were more similar than she liked to admit. The same ruthlessness ran through them, she just liked to believe that she handled hers better. She’d grown used to curbing her tongue and softening herself around others despite wanting to ensure that no one forgot where she came from or who she was now. But there’d never been any need for blunting her sharpness around Brandon and she’s grateful for it when she relishes in any opportunity to let loose. Dry, pointed words slip from her lips with ease in reply to his comment, not caring whether they have any impact or not when she’s simply glad she can say them. “Your presence tends to do that to me.”

Lips purse and for once the displeasure on her features is only mostly for show. “I think the more accurate question is ‘what wouldn’t you have gotten up to’?“ In her younger years she might have rolled her eyes at him and the temptation was very much still there though she did manage to resist. “The problem is you don’t have to try.” Pointed look was given his way to serve as a reminder that he would have to try harder than simple distraction to get her to drop a topic. She was far too persistent to give up on something so easily. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

don’t be suspicious. don’t be suspicious. don’t be suspicious. the ridiculous, and yet classic, melody played through her head as she did her best to move throughout the house without making a sound. there have been times when arya has fallen out of a window — perhaps breaking a bone or two — simply because she didn’t want to get caught sneaking out. this time, she could have sworn that her mother was out for the night and that would be a perfect time to get out of the house. maybe she’ll go burn the letter. speaking of which, who the fuck writes letters anymore? just send a text. since receiving it, she’s been carrying it around in her bag, letting it weigh down whatever morals she has.

and of course, nothing is easy and she’s caught. really, she was so close to the door and now, she spins around, a fake smile on her face. “ i was just getting a drink of water, is that a crime now? ” an immediate lie for defense. someone give this girl a reward as she’s ready to chuck herself out a window. she turned towards the kitchen, clearly forgetting that she was carrying her shoes and had a backpack strapped on. curiosity peaked her interest as she called out to her mother, if she asked a question perhaps she’ll get out of this mess, right? “ why are you up? ”

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She’d heard all the arguments under the sun about nature versus nurture and she’d chosen to subscribe to a mixture of the two. There was no way that her daughter had ended up sharing so many traits with her out of pure fluke, somewhere along the lines she’d managed to rub off on her. But Arya’s stubborn streak was so impressive that she supposed some of it had to have been woven into her from the very beginning and her example had only encouraged it to grow wider and deeper. Most of the time she was incredibly proud of her daughter ( make that all the time even if she would rarely admit it ) but that didn’t mean that she didn’t find herself in a state of almost constant exasperation with her. Perhaps simply because it was a reminder of just how difficult she herself could be to deal with and she never had liked seeing a reflection of herself all that much. 

The defensive reply was one that wouldn’t have sounded out of place coming from her lips and so a smile tugs at them briefly. “No but if it was I’d hope you’d be more convincing or subtle about it.” Her words are dry but she does mean them. She has no problem with her children getting involved in the family business but if they’re going to they might as well be flawless at it. Seeing one of them behind bars or worse was nothing that she wanted. “Work.” It was the easier answer than grief for an estranged sister. “You can look if you’d like.” She was half ( or maybe fully ) expecting her offer to be turned down but she still pushes the papers slightly towards her daughter when she’d never been able to resist an opportunity to engage with her children. 

Still for all she tended not to care what people thought of her, she had never been one for unnecessary rudeness and the Martell had never done anything to her. That she knew of. So in spite of her awkwardness a small smile is place on her lips, trying to make her voice warmer than she feels as she lifts a hand to catch the other’s attention. “Elia, why don’t you join me?”

Sharp gaze lifts, flickering over her brother in law as lips purse. “Do I want to know where you’ve been?” Brow raised slightly though her displeased mask never shifted as she fell into the familiar sparring that the two of them called a conversation. “Actually, I don’t want to but do I need to know?”

Slipping into the seat next to them a question left her lips with reasonable softness though her tone gently demanded answers. “When was the last time you ate? I have takeout on the way that we can share.” It was an old habit of hers, to always order more than needed. She’d long since learnt that her family had a habit of coming out of the woodwork whenever food was involved. 

Lips pursed in a disapproval that was only half meant, the rest her usual dry humour. “We’ll just have to make do with each other.” She supposed there were far worse people to spend lunch with but it was hardly a well kept secret that she held her sister in law in much higher regards.

Almost empty glass of wine in her hand, she’d been putting the world to rights before she quickly drained it and signalled for another one. The pause in her speech gave her a moment to truly appreciate the time that they were spending together and she leaned in towards her sister in law. “I missed this.” Even though the two had kept in touch having Lyanna back in King’s Landing was infinitely better than having to their catch ups over the phone. 

Keen eyes flicker over the younger woman searching for some short of clue or answer as to where she was stealing off to in the middle of the night. “It’s late to be going somewhere.” Despite there being no question in her words, there was no denying the silent demand for an explanation from her daughter. Even though she knew fine well that Arya could take care of herself ( something that she had been keen to make sure of for all her children ) it would never quiet the worry and concern that had woven its way into her very being. It was something she had long learnt to adjust to - that being a mother meant being in a state of almost constant anxiety over her children’s wellbeing. Perhaps she was overbearing but she had no plans in adjusting that any time soon.