What if Arya is Still in Faceless Man Training?

[aeverett]

I was rewatching some of Season 6, and it occurred to me that back in Season 2, when Jaqen H'ghar is confronted with his own name from Arya as to the third life owed to the Red God, he freaks out and asks her to change her choice.  If that wasn't his real name, if he were really 'No One' why would it upset him to hear the name?  From what I can tell, that is his real name when he's not being 'No One', so it appears that a Faceless Man doesn't completely abandon his or her name after all. 

Meanwhile, the Waif seemed perfectly content to have no name beyond 'No One' and doesn't really cling to anyone or anything.   This could be why Arya went through her training much faster than the Waif and why she defeated her, even though she appeared a stronger fighter in general and Arya was wounded when they had their final duel.  Arya had an identity to live for.  The Waif didn't.  

Putting this all together, I'm thinking that Arya did not, in fact, leave training.  She believes she did so, but that might be a necessary part of the training, to reconnect with her identity, while still retaining and utilizing her skills (face-changing, fighting, poison creation, killing, etc) that she learned at the Temple of Black and White.  If so, then Arya would still be in the process of becoming a Faceless Man, even if she doesn't know it.  It could be some sort of internship/student-teaching phase, where she completes her own unfinished business, allowing her to better serve the Many-Faced God and be 'No One' when she reaches the end of her list.   

[Megorova]

I don't think that she's still in training, and it's not likely that Arya defeated Waif, because of their identity crisis.

When Arya named Jaqen H'ghar as her third target, he freaked out not because it was his real name. He is a No one, he has no name. But it doesn't matter whether the name is real, or not, because the 'identity' IS real. While he was wearing mask of Jaqen H'ghar, and while he was impersonating him, he WAS Jaqen H'ghar. Thus when she said his name, he was supposed to kill himself. Doesn't matter whether he's a No one, or Jaqen H'ghar, or Clark Kent, or Cinderella, he will have to REALLY KILL HIMSELF, he will have to REALLY die. That's why he freaked out. Doesn't matter who he really is, he will have to die.

And real person with name Jaqen H'ghar is long dead, while his face and identity is used by Faceless Men. The man who is Arya's friend, is using Jaqen's mask more often than others, though he also used Waif's mask at least once, and that old black man from The House of Black and White episode, and another man from episode when he gave iron coin to Arya.

Real Jaqen H'ghar is already dead, thus that No one can't kill Jaqen H'ghar, so instead he will have to kill himself, because while he is wearing Jaqen's face, he is Jaqen.

[Kajjo]

On 26.10.2017 at 2:20 AM, aeverett said:

why she defeated her, even though she appeared a stronger fighter in general

The reason Arya defeated the Waif was that Arya lived through her punishment as blind girl and knew how to fight in complete darkness. When finally confronted with the waif she flicked out the candle with her sword and killed the Waif in darkness. 

On 26.10.2017 at 2:20 AM, aeverett said:

If so, then Arya would still be in the process of becoming a Faceless Man, even if she doesn't know it.

Well, yes, she could. Jaqen lured and recruited her with the promise she could kill all names on her list. Later on Arya got punished for killing Meryl Trant. This is still somewhat troubling me as it appears inconsistent. So, yes, maybe Arya is doing now what Jaqen wants her to do. Killing people on the list.

On the other side, Arya left the temple and went home. Personally, I believe your theory to be wrong. Arya already has the ability to use faces.

[jcmontea]

1 hour ago, Kajjo said:

The reason Arya defeated the Waif was that Arya lived through her punishment as blind girl and knew how to fight in complete darkness. When finally confronted with the waif she flicked out the candle with her sword and killed the Waif in darkness. 

Well, yes, she could. Jaqen lured and recruited her with the promise she could kill all names on her list. Later on Arya got punished for killing Meryl Trant. This is still somewhat troubling me as it appears inconsistent. So, yes, maybe Arya is doing now what Jaqen wants her to do. Killing people on the list.

On the other side, Arya left the temple and went home. Personally, I believe your theory to be wrong. Arya already has the ability to use faces.

Also, i would add in addition to using faces its pretty clear she completed her training. 

In 6x03/6x04 she actually drinks water from the reflection pool that would have killed her had she not truly become no one and set aside her identity. And in 6x08 Jaqen seesm to be impressed with her surviving and sees it as another rite of passage. 

I think what is being communicated is she became no one and makes a decision from that point of returning to her identity as Arya Stark and the next stage in her arc is figuring out what it means to be Arya Stark again. At that point the one thing she knows is that Arya Stark does not kill people who don’t deserve to die even if they request it from the many faced god which is the lesson from lady crane. 

[A Ghost of Someone]

The show seemingly has her leave scot-free from the House of Black and White, no repercussions that we can see but somehow I do not think we have seen the last of Jagen Haegar.