The owner of the public house Arya was working in was a big fat man, exactly the type she disliked. Foul breath and sweaty all over his face, he enjoyed shouting "boo" at her when she didn't expect it and laugh over her spilling the water or jumping in the air.

Nevertheless, she stopped complaining and rather followed Jaqen's advice and observed the people. Within one night in Dragon's Head she saw more weird people than during her entire life. She was naming them after their unusual features.

There were two friends, Eye and Bone. Eye was insulting Bone everytime Bone wasn't there, other times he acted like his best friend, except he rather played with crumbles on the table than look him in the eyes.

A bearded man "Grumble" brought a whore with him one night, his friend Big Nose wanted to buy her. He paid for her but Grumble eventually refused to give her to him. They were both drunk and started laughing but when Grumble turned his back on him, Big Nose stuck a knife in his back.

Or two brothers telling stories about women they raped, secretly touching each other under the table. A young mother with a child, trying to sell the child to have money to buy wine. Sailors provoking everybody just to beat the shit out of anyone. Old man with blisters on his face, coming late when everybody was drunk, looking for whores and taking them out with him. Creepy father with a young daughter, evidently selling her to men for money.

"People are disgusting," she said one evening, when she was sitting outside the house waiting for Jaqen. He had much more work here than he had in Tuzzah and she saw him even less than before. She was suspicious, though, that he wasn't just "working," as he was calling it, but she knew asking him about that would be useless.

"Quite often," he replied.

"They make me sick," she continued. "If I killed them all, who would miss them?"

"These people are one of the lowest," Jaqen agreed. "But you can see on them how regular people would act if they didn't have to control themselves. It's actually very educational."

Jaqen stopped and when he saw how morose she was, he sat down on a stone in front of her.

"A girl hadn't known what people are like before?" he asked curiously. "Men are usually all the same. Some of them just don't smell so bad."

"My father and my brothers were kind. They weren't like this."

"Do you know why?" Jaqen asked. Arya shot him a look.

"Because they were better."

Jaqen smirked.

"Were they born better?"

Arya opened her mouth to argue but actually had nothing to say.

"Or were they lucky, because they were born to such parents?"

Arya frowned.

"So you think I should have understanding, right? Poor people, it's not their fault they're getting drunk every day, sell their children for whores and have absolutely no purpose to be alive…"

Jaqen laughed bitterly.

"Life is full of choices," he said. "It's up on all of us to make them. It'd be easier to blame our upbringing, of course, but I'm afraid it's not that simple. Although for some people making good choices is less difficult than for others. That's all I'm saying, lovely girl."

Arya watched his blue eyes looking back at her and she saw the truth and rationality in them.

"What about you?" she asked. "And your upbringing?"

Jaqen remained silent.

"Why don't you tell me? It's not such a big thing…"

"A man has no past," he said finally, his voice flat. "He has no memories like that."

"I think you're lying," Arya said. "It's in your voice. You're so calm and wise all the time but you won't say a word about yourself."

Jaqen narrowed his eyes a little, his hair casting dark shadows on his face.

"You learn fast, wolf-girl."

Arya grimaced at him.

"Fine, have your secrets. I'll make you talk one day," she said, ignoring the annoyed expression he put on.

Among the working, practicing, language teaching, horse riding and other things Arya was doing as a part of her training, she befriended a boy named Leif who was also working in Dragon's Head. He was very shy and it took Arya nearly two months to get him to speak but he was a funny company. She asked him to talk to her simpler so she could understand. Jaqen added Tyroshi as another language for her to learn, as her Braavos was getting better. Fortunately the two languages were quite similar to each other.

"Cyra," he whispered, pointing his finger at a man secretly pissing into the cup of his friend.

"Oh no…" Arya said when the friend came back and drank it.

"Still better than the wine," Leif uttered.

"Hey, boy!"

Arya turned around; spotting the old man she was calling Blister.

"Another cup," he ordered and Leif nodded, taking his cup. When he came back, Blister grabbed his arm.

"Drink, boy," he said. "The wine is good."

Leif was too timid to not obey, so he lifted the cup to his lips. Arya approached them.

"I need your help, Leif," she said. The old man looked at her.

"Why don't you let him have some fun?" he asked.

"I don't think he'd like this kind of fun."

Blister shot her a glare but Arya knew his ways. People didn't like him much and he wouldn't want to get into trouble. She took Leif away, telling him to keep away from Blister. Leif was astonished.

"You're good. How do you know all that?"

"I watch," Arya said. "That's enough."

Leif walked her home after they finished, evidently a gesture of gratitude for saving him from Blister. Arya wanted to part in front of the house.

"My father likes his privacy," she said.

"I understand," Leif said. "What does he do?"

"He… Well, he's a…He works…"

"Hard."

Arya turned, startled, when Jaqen emerged from the shadows.

"It's not safe to stand here at night, girl," he said and the unusual sound of his voice made Leif raise his eyebrows.

"This is Leif," Arya said quickly. "Leif, this is my…father, Torsten."

"Nice to meet you, sir…" Leif said nervously, obviously sensing the odd and dangerous aura that was embracing Jaqen all the time. Jaqen wasn't making it any easier, quite the opposite. He was looking down at him with piercing eyes, reflecting great displeasure, practically making him flee without a goodbye. Jaqen hadn't spoken until they were inside the house. Arya was looking at him taking his armor off, noticing creases on his forehead.

"A man thought a girl was smarter," he said without looking at her, his voice bitting. Arya shook her head.

"It's just a boy."

"A boy?" Jaqen repeated with disapproval. "He's at least two years older than you. You are thirteen and you have already killed."

"He's harmless," Arya objected but Jaqen disagreed.

"You cannot know that. You barely know him."

"Are you telling me I can't have any friends?" she asked and Jaqen shot her a glare.

"You can't," he said and evidently meant it. "If you want to have friends, you shouldn't have come to me. You chose a path where friends are either a burden or traitors. Danger in both cases."

Jaqen looked away then and added: "Get rid of him. I don't want to see you two ever again."

Drop a comment, please, so I know I'm writing it for someone.
I'd welcome your opinion on their relationship, will appreciate it a lot!
And thank you for reading :-)