entranceway | (first gallop) | accidental video + action

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(first gallop) | accidental video + action

...Benjen? [ when lyanna stark pushes herself into a sitting position a few twists and turns away from the maze's centre, her instinct is to call for one of her brothers: the youngest, first, and with a lilt of concern. with a groan, she brushes detritus off her palms and straightens her skirts (simple; in the northern style). and she tries to figure out why she might have been preparing her palfrey to ride in one moment, and sitting in dirt the next.

not that she minded the dirt -- not really. but she did mind the conspicuous absence of her kin. panic mounts: ] Brandon? Ned?

[ she scrambles to her feet and finds the strange small brick only a few feet away. lyanna picks it up and can now be seen peering suspiciously at its every angle. ] You're a funny thing. [ she mutters, tapping it gently and fingering (but not pressing) the buttons. but then she holds it loosely in her fist and raises her voice. ] By all the named gods and the unnamed gods -- Brandon Stark! If this is some trick or a mummer's game, I will have your hide. And without it, you can hardly hope to woo any pretty --

[ she stops abruptly because the brick chirrups like some odd precise bird. surprise catches the breath in her throat and she's forced to ask -- staring straight at the device: ] ...Are you alive, little brick?

[ grab her attention on the funny little brick-bird or else find her wandering the maze and the gardens. ]

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It's a mansion. It's also where everyone stays here. You'll be able to find a room for yourself, and decorate it however you like.

[Pepper just holds off on the part where that's going to be done via magic rather than currency.]

Alright. I'm sure I'll run into you somewhere in the middle. If I don't see you soon, I'll use the phone to call you. That's what we're talking on now, by the way.

[ here she strides. lyanna did not bother to say a goodbye; why should she? she doesn't understand phone etiquette. instead she drops the phone to her side without even terminating the call -- seeing as how she also doesn't know how to do that.

but she does walk. she can walk. and she is a long-striding figure in skirts of muted colours. creams and browns, because she'd been about to go riding before arriving here. and only fool would wear her best dresses in the saddle. ]

[Well, that's--sudden. Pepper goes from seeing a person to having the camera obscured by darkness without so much as a word from the woman. But considering what they're starting with, it's probably to be expected. So Pepper simply walks a bit faster, unhindered by the stiletto heels, dressed in a comfortable but still stylish black pantsuit. It's her compromise between casual and business attire in a place that has no need for the latter, outside of her own habits.

It doesn't take too long, thankfully, before she sees the person who had unintentionally broadcast herself over the network. Pepper smiles, altering her course so she approaches the lady.]

Excuse me. I believe we were talking a little bit ago?

Pepper.

[ still an odd name -- she speaks it almost as a question. and then (as an afterthought) manages to fall into a bobbing curtsey. a brief one, because soon she's standing straight with her palms perched on her hips.

this woman is wearing trousers. lyanna peers at her, curious. ] You are Pepper, yes?

[From Pepper's perspective, it's as if the woman stepped straight out of a history documentary. Given what she knows, it isn't too surprising then that she earns an odd look. But Pepper takes it in stride, nodding and tempering a grin as the other lady curtsies.]

Indeed I am. I'm afraid I haven't gotten your name yet, however.

Lady Lyanna Stark. [ and then because she thinks she needs to add it in this strange land. ] Of Winterfell.

[She isn't wrong, although the place ultimately has no meaning for Pepper. She's more interested in the name, a faint hint of amusement crossing her features as she silently wonders if she hasn't found some ancestor of Tony's.

Probably not, but it's still funny to think about.]

Right; I heard you asking for some people named Stark earlier. I hope the replies you got weren't too confusing in that regard. [Or irritating; Pepper knows Tony had piped in, which no doubt led to an interesting conversation.]

Those who knew the name seemed to know it poorly.

Let me guess; one of them said he was named "Stark" too? [Because if Tony isn't one of the ones Lyanna means, Pepper would truly be surprised.] Please don't take it too harshly; we're not exactly used to there being more than one Stark around.

Apparently it is impossible that there should be other Starks! Or so it was claimed. And yet I am full flush with a family of them. Brothers and a father all.

[Good job there, Tony. Pepper still smiles regardless; she's at least practiced in smoothing over his mistakes.] That might make a little more sense when you consider where we are--at least for a certain definition of "sense."

[In general the term has to be loosely applied when it comes to Wonderland.]

How much have you heard about this place so far?

About its mirrors and it's apparent lack of exit roads. None of it I like, honestly.

Ah. [Which unfortunately leaves a great deal left for Pepper to explain, that will probably have Lyanna thinking she's absolutely insane. While Pepper's certain Wonderland itself will prove her claims, the question is how much she can get out before the other woman dismisses her outright.]

There is a great deal not to like, unfortunately. One of the things that bothers me most is how irrational and unrealistic so much of it seems. I really do want to help you, but I know you're not going to believe a lot of what I say. I didn't believe it either. But please, if you will, just listen for now, even if it seems impossible?

[ her mouth flattens into a line. indeed, she is not a young woman given to sudden faith. certainly not in strangers nor in strange lands. but pepper asks her so politely.

the very fact that she asked! ] I'll certainly try.

That's all I can ask. [Pepper has to trust that she can hold Lyanna's attention long enough to convey the information--enough at least, so that her words can be proven by Wonderland's capabilities.]

You've been brought to a different world than your own. The places and the people you know aren't here. This is a world called Wonderland, and you've been brought here by very powerful magic--just like I have, and just like almost everyone else you'll meet.

Wonderland. What a strange name. I wonder why they chose it.

[ ...har. clearly, she's more keen on cracking a joke than trading honestly in her panic over this predicament. coping mechanisms aplenty. ]

[Pepper manages a small grin, recognizing Lyanna's attempt for what it is. She can hardly blame the woman; Pepper had been in a similar state herself when she arrived. Honestly, if she thinks about it too much, she might get there again.]

Where I'm from, there's actually a couple of books written about it. I wish I could say I was more familiar with the story than I am. [But however lightly they try and make this all sound, there's still more that has to be dealt with.] The magic that brings us all here is capable of drawing people from different places, and also different times. From the looks of things, I'm from a point that could be considered your very distant future--centuries distant, even.

What -- you believe you're from a Westeros of the future? [ ...laughable, certainly. ]

Actually, I'm from a place called Malibu, California. I've never heard of Westeros. [But since Pepper isn't exactly an expert on ancient history, who's to say that it didn't exist in some remote part of Europe?] In terms of time, I'm from the end of 2013 AD. And the person who has caused a lot of the confusion over the Stark name, Tony Stark, is from the same place, but about seven months prior in time.

So you know him, do you? This Lord Stark.

I do, yes. [Probably better than anyone else in Wonderland, though she doesn't say as much yet. There's still more about Wonderland that Lyanna needs to know, but the change in topic might give her time to absorb what she's already heard.

It's only fair, since Lyanna's just given Pepper something to laugh at.] Oh, please, don't call him that. I know it's probably polite where you're from, but if Tony heard you call him Lord...

[Pepper doesn't even want to think about what his ego would do with that.]

Every Stark is a lord. Else she is a Lady. Our blood is noble, and it flows with the same blood as the First Men.

Where you're from, I'm sure. But in our time, very few people are addressed by Lord or Lady. Those are titles of utmost respect reserved for royalty, which Tony definitely isn't.

Aye. Royalty. And the Starks were Kings in the North. And Wardens ever after. But -- [ her eyes narrow. ] If you insist.

The Starks you know of. Tony's from a different family, even if you do share the same name. [Or born far enough in the future that it amounts to the same thing. Regardless, Pepper could only imagine how Tony would live up being called Lord. It's better for all of them to avoid it entirely.]

We got a little sidetracked though. [She goes over the prior conversation in her mind, about different worlds and times, then nods to herself as she decides where to go next.] My point is that things you are familiar with are going to be foreign to others here, and things others are familiar with will be foreign to you. Like the way we're dressed, or how we address other people--or how to use the phones.

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(first gallop) | accidental video + action

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