045 VIDEO LIST NINETEEN + TEXT LIST FIVE

[deadliestviper]

[When she appears on the feed Beatrix wears her usual cool expression, but has the haunted look of someone who's not slept well in days, too deeply stuck in uncomfortable thought. Since returning to the Barge she'd struggled to come to terms with what had happened and how she'd left things, the buried doubts nagging at her until she came to one unfortunate conclusion.]

I've got some news.

While here, knowing what's happening back home, it's difficult to rest easy. It's hard to wait when there are people there who need to be stopped. [Who need to be punished remains unsaid, but those who know her well will likely infer it.] So I'm leaving, again.

…I'm sorry. While a lot of you believe this Barge is nothing short of Hell and I don't entirely disagree, I was lucky enough to find people I love who made it worth it. That was never something I expected. You've done the impossible. [She gives a small, sad smile.] There's no doubt some wisdom or inspiration to impart, but no one needs to hear that from me. Suffice it to say, I found something precious here, and I'm sad to be leaving it.

This is goodbye, for now.

[Filtered to friends (if you think you're on it…)]
You've done more for me than any of you know. I can never thank you enough.

If you aren't hurt by my going, if you have time before I leave, please let me say goodbye in person.

[PRIVATE]

[Abigail and Anya, separately]
Keep up your studies, your progress is remarkable. Potential teachers: Bond, Riddick.

[Arthas]
[No message here; simply a bastard sword wrapped in cloth delivered to his door.]

[Arya]
Persevere. You'll come out on top.

[Ben]
If you have Please
I love you.

[Ellie]
Of all the people I'm sorry to leave, I'm sorriest about leaving you. You've got every right to hate me.

[Iris]
Make sure Rorschach stays out of trouble. Please tell him I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye myself. Raise a glass for me when I'm gone, all right?

[Riddick]
Got a minute for some tea?

[Rorschach]
Thank you.

[Sylvanas]
Fight them.
Just be wary of which deserve to be fought.

[Vin]
I know you'll make sure she stays strong.

[Zane]
You should know something about Sylvanas.

Comments

private

[deadliestviper]

[She knew it was going to happen, that her leaving would betray those that she valued here, but she regrets it nonetheless. And perhaps she can do something to lessen it.]

While I have no right to ask, would you grant me a favor?

private

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[She doesn't want to be sad. She doesn't want to be kind. It feels like being a mouse again.]

I don't owe you anything.

private

[deadliestviper]

No, I owe you something.

private

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[...]

What?

private

[deadliestviper]

Let me come to your cabin and I'll explain.

private

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[She almost refuses, but curiosity wins.]

You can have 5 minuets.

private

[deadliestviper]

That's all I need. [She's there within three.]

spam

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[Nymeria is right at the door when Arya opens it. Not growling, she likes Bea well enough, but Arya is angry. She doesn't step back to invite Bea into her cell, just stares up at her.]

spam

[deadliestviper]

[Arya has every right to be angry, just as Bill had been when she'd run from him. It's not something that can be undone by words, and likely isn't going to be undone by action. But still she pulls her sword and sheath from the harness at her back, offering it out to Arya.]

Will you hold this for me until I come back for it?

spam

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[It takes Arya aback, and for a moment she is still and speechless, staring at the sheathed blade. She has one that Jesse made for her, to practice the way Bea fights. But this is Bea's sword.

She looks up sharply at the other woman.]

How long?

spam

[deadliestviper]

Until I come back.

[She meets Arya's eyes, and her own are serious and sad. There's no other answer she can give. Just that promise, going both ways.]

spam

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[If she comes back. If. That makes all the difference. She thinks about saying no, but that isn't what she wants to do.

In Bravos, the kindly man told her to abandon the things that connected her to her former life. Here, she wants things to link her to other lives.]

I'll keep it safe.

spam

[deadliestviper]

[Bea takes Arya's hand gently - a small gesture - and lays it on the sword's hilt, passing it into her grip.]

I trust you to.

spam

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[Needle hangs at her side. It's her brothers. It's her mother and father. It's even her sister. Needle was Jon Snow's smile. It is Winterfell and its godswood, it is the summer snows and the north wind that rattled her windows. Needle is her sword. This means something.]

Does it have a name?

spam - sry feel free to ignore ;_;

[deadliestviper]

[It's the Bride's blade, the Black Mamba's blade, Beatrix Kiddo's sword. The blade of a mournful mother. Beside its craftsmanship, its sharp brutal edge, a name has never been necessary.] No. It has a story.

[She pulls it partway from the sheath, showing the razor-sharp edge of folded steel.]

The swordsman and smith Hattori Hanzo trained my master - my daughter's father. When he tried to kill me, Hanzo felt for me and created this blade.

It's been tempered with many of my enemies' blood. Now I'll go on without it; just keep it for me. Train with it the way I showed you.

And make sure you don't forget me.

spam <333

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[Had Lady Catelyn Stark been less of a lady, this could have been her sword. The mother who lost three sons. Arya wonders, sometimes, if she thought she lost her daughters, too. Maybe she mourned all of them, by the end. It makes her sad. Her hand tightens on the hilt, watching as Bea pulls the sword free.

It's sharp. It's strange and beautiful. And when Arya looks up at Beatrix, she is still angry. There can be no pack, no when your pack abandons you. But it's easier, now, not to hate her too. She nods.]

I won't forget.

spam <3

[deadliestviper]

[It's not right that she should give a girl as young as Arya a responsibility like this. Although it's hard to think of her as so, she's so young she's almost a child. She's just younger than the girl Beatrix is going home to avenge.

But she owes Arya so much that her favored weapon is the least she can do to repay that debt.

Arya makes the promise and Beatrix nods, placing hr hands together in front of her and bowing.]

I'm in your debt.

spam

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

Yes, [she says, watching Beatrix bow. For a moment, she stands still. Then she bows over the sword, not imitating Bea's style, but displaying her own.

She doesn't curtsy. She's not a lady.

Beatrix is in her debt, and Arya will uphold her end.]

Good luck.