what's in a name?
"Well," he spits into his cupped hand and tossed a small, glimmering object in the air, catching it in one hand. "Thanks for the diamond,"
Cat grabs her ears. One earring was missing.
The guy is already halfway to the door. "Move!" she barks as she shoves a couple in her way.
Masks became of blur of color as she stomped towards the exit. She wobbled a few times on the stupid heels, but it didn't slow her down. She wouldn't give two fucks if he'd taken one of Jaqen's cuffs, but what he took came from Anguy. In this whole swirl of emptiness that was her life now, Anguy was the only thing that felt like anything. She would get that earring back and kick that idiot's ass for being such a humongous imbecile.
Two hands smack he doors open and the air outside slaps her nearly naked body, sending a shiver deep into her bones but she ignores it. The jerk was turning a corner.
"Hey!" her stride quickens to a jog. She takes the corner and there he is, cutting through a maze of trimmed hedges, white with snow. "Hey," she calls again.
She chases him out of the maze and yells out once more. This time he stops and turns to her, with a grin and what might have been a sigh of relief. He opens his mouth, but before he can speak, Cat slams her fist into his throat.
A ghastly, wet wheeze escaped his twisted lips as he gasped and fell to his knees, clasping at his neck.
Cat pushes him on his back, sending a cloud of snow dust into the air. She crouches closer to his body and pressed her heel under his collarbone. "Who are you?" she demands.
His lips part but he only manages a breathless whimper.
The earring was still in his hand and she reaches down and takes it."Relax, you'll live," she tells him, and turns to leave, but he grabs her ankle and manages two syllables.
"What?" she tugs her leg free.
"Ah-rah" he twists on his side, falling into a coughing fit.
Cat takes a step back as a chill runs down her bare back. "Did you say Arya?"
Bloodshot blue eyes snap to her, glaring behind tears.
"Did you? You did, didn't you?" she doesn't know why she's crying, but she has not time to think on it. A man's voice carries through the distance. When she looks up, she sees large form running towards her. In the pale dark, she could make out the scars on his face. Without a last glance to the guy on the floor, she sprints for the building.
That name. It came up, over and over again. Bobbing up to the surface no matter how hard she tried to drown it.
The trail of tears was frozen cold on her cheeks, clinging no matter how hard she tried to rub at them.
"Miss Cat,"
She turned to Jaqen's driver. He had her coat in hand.
"We must leave immediately. Unforeseen change in plans, Miss. Jaqen requested I take you to alternative hotel. Reservations have been made. Come, Miss. We must be quick."
"Where is Jaqen?" she took the offered coat and followed the man to the car by the curb.
"He is gone."
"And Anguy?"
"Mr. Espino is not my concern."
Cat stepped inside the car and the driver slammed the door.
As the car moved forward and the dim light of street lamps bled through the tinted windows over and over again, the small diamond blinked up at her from her palm and the entire night's events played over and over in her head until she couldn't think anymore.
She took the other earring from her ear and slipped both into a small hidden pocket in her coat. Then she pulled off both bracelets from her wrists. It was snowing again; the large, fluffy flakes racing across the car windows. She rolled down her window a bit, gaining a confused glance from the driver through the rear view mirror, and flung the bracelets through the small crack. A swirl of flakes flew in. A few stuck to her shoulders and bangs, and one to the inside of her cat mask. She forgot she still had the damned thing on. She ripped it off and it too went out the window before she rolled it up.
"I... I don't know your name," she called out to the man behind the wheel apologetically.
"Miss?"
"Don't take me to the hotel just yet?"
"Jaqen has ordered..."
"Jaqen left me there to save his own ass. If he cared so much about what happened to me, he would have been here himself to make sure I made it there safely. Look, you aren't disobeying him. We are simply making a quick stop somewhere else first."
It took the man a moment to finally speak. "Where to then, Miss Cat?"
xxxxxxxxxx
There was fire surging up his throat.
Arya was gone and the crunch of snow nearby let him know someone was near.
"Gendry," Sandor came into view, looking in the direction Arya had left. "What happened?" he took Gendry by one arm and pulled him to his feet easily.
He tried to speak, but he could already feel the inside of his throat swelling, making it difficult for him to both breath and speak. Instead, he moaned and shook his head, hoping to convey his physical and emotional defeat.
"Let me try and track her down," Sandor offered, but Gendry caught his arm and shook his head.
A static voice came from the radio tucked in Sandor's belt.
"Clegane?"
It was one of Dany's men. Sandor took the radio and spoke into it.
"What?"
"Jaqen slipped through our fingers. It was as if he was expecting us. Where's Gendry?"
"With me."
"Meet at rendezvous."
"We'll be there. Have one of your medics ready, he's been hurt."
"Out."
"Let's go. You don't look too hot," Sandor grumbled, and Gendry could only nod and follow.
The burning in his throat was the last thing on his mind. Arya was gone. Actually gone. It was pointless now to try and get that girl back. She wasn't Arya anymore.
xxxxxxxxxx
The warmth in the room should have been a lovely contrast to the bitter cold outside, but as Anguy walked in, it simply felt stuffy and annoying. He tugged at his scarf and flicked the light on.
He was a little buzzed and quite ravenous.
"My," he fans himself as he picks up the phone and dials room service. Perhaps they could whip him up a nice omelet, and bring some strawberries or whatever fruit was in season in this godforsaken area. But before anyone picks up on the other end there's a soft knock at the door. He hangs up.
"Yes?"
No answer.
Who the hell could that be?
He pulls his coat off and crosses to the door. Another set of soft knocks follow.
He still has his gun tucked safety in its holster against his side. He grabs it, clicks off the safety and stands besides the door.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
Knock knock.
He rolls his eyes and opens the door carefully, expecting Jaqen. He sighes out dramatically when he sees Arya.
"Cat?" he clicked the safety back on and placed the gun in it's holster.
She didn't wait to be invited in and when the door closed she took him by the lapels, swirled him around and pushed him against it, knocking the wind out of him. He let out a grunt.
"Cat?" he whimpered in a small, whiny voice.
"Anguy."
He chuckles nervously. "Cat."
Her heel digs into his shoe.
"Whoa, stop," all playfulness is gone from his voice, "These are one of my favourite pair, they're Italian leather and... could you not..." he hisses out as her heel digs in deeper.
"Anguy... That man tonight... who is he?"
"What man?" Gendry, what did you do, you idiot?
"Stop that!" She twists the heel.
"Arya, my shoe!"
She steps away at that and smacks his arms and shoulders, swinging her palms at his face but not being able to reach. "That name! That bloody name! It keeps coming up! Stop! Stop! Just stop!"
Anguy catches her tiny arms and holds them tight in his hands.
"YOU STOP! You stop! It keeps coming up because it's your name, and you know that. You know it! Stop!"
Arya's face twists and he realizes she is crying. He releases her arms and they fall limp at her sides. The sight of her like that is absolutely gut wrenching. He reaches out to hug her but she snaps out of it and shoves him away, hard.
"Don't touch me."
Anguy straightened against the door, but doesn't dare to try and touch her.
"Why is it so bloody hot in here?" she claws off her coat, lets it fall on the bed and begins to fidget with her heels until they're off too. "He knows me."
Anguy doesn't need to ask who.
"He's your friend. When I met you, you were traveling with him. I helped him find you tonight. Jaqen... he, well he asked me to finish him after he was in an accident. That was that week I disappeared. I couldn't though. I don't know why. Instead, I helped him get here. So he could take you home, where you belong..."
Arya held a hand up and he stopped.
"I don't want to hear anymore."
"Fine."
"Will he be back?"
"Probably."
"He can't."
"I went behind Jaqen's back once for him. I won't do it again. It's beyond my control now."
"No, it's not."
Anguy's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't follow."
"You will make sure he doesn't."
The small smile that curled his lips turned into a snort. "No offense, love, but I work for Jaqen. I don't take orders from you, no matter how cute I think you are."
"Jaqen likes me at the moment. Imagine if he found out from me about how a certain someone came to be here... to find me...with the help of a certain ginger. I am sure you won't simply fall out of favour. I have seen what Jaqen does to those who betray him."
The floor moved under him as Anguy tried to steady himself against the door. Who the hell was this girl?
"Are you... threatening me?"
Arya's defiant stance fell and she crossed the room to him to gaze up at him sincerely.
"No," the word fell dead from her lips, and Anguy could tell she meant it. "I don't want to threaten you. I really, really don't want to see you hurt. I just want to be left alone. No more Arya. I need to let her go."
Without thinking, he reached up to place a hand to her cheek. To his surprise, she did not flinch or pull away, and thankfully, she didn't smack at him.
"Why?"
"I don't remember anymore."
His hand fell from her face. Now he was the one that needed to cry. He hated Jaqen. Hated him for what he did to this poor girl.
"You're asking me to... what? Get rid of Gend... your friend? Any traces of your past?"
"I am asking you to work for me," her hands grabbed his wrist.
"I work for Jaqen."
"I don't trust him. I don't trust anyone . . . I trust you, though."
Anguy smiled. "I am not anyone?"
"Find that guy. I need to see him one more time. I am not asking you to get rid of my past, just to let me get rid of it myself. Don't get in my way again. Also, be there if I need anything. Keep me updated on any of Jaqen's plans. I want to be privy to any hidden agendas. You know, that sort of thing."
Anguy felt insulted at her demands for about a second, then he just filled with thrill. This girl was something else. If he was being completely honest with himself, he was getting rather bored with Jaqen. The money was great, but the man no longer was. This girl, though... damn. She really was something else.
"What you are asking of me... if I get found,"
"You won't."
He rolled his eyes and grinned. "Shit, Arya."
"Cat."
"Cat," he bowed at her dramatically.
"We have a deal then?" her hands slipped from his wrist to his hand, and he took them without a second thought.
"Deal."
"Thank you, Anguy."
"You're insane, you know."
She smiles a little as he crosses to the mini bar.
xxxxxxxxxx
AN
This may or may not be the shortest chapter I have written for this story in a while. I apologize.
I am really having so much fun with this fanfiction again. It had been a while. But I really like where the writing is taking me. I have no idea how many more chapters are left. Back when I started this fic a few years ago, I remember taking 9 chapters to introduce and develop the characters and relationships. Then I hit you all with the murder of Ned Stark, and the scattering of the rest of the Starks. Well, I feel like this chapter is like those 9 chapters. It is a "filler" to help me get to where I need to.
Also, If I am honest, It was much easier to get out with less POV sects.
I still hope you enjoy and would really appreciate feedback, concerns, comments, and questions.
thanks for reading!