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Who: Robb Stark & People at the Blue Fish and the Vanquish :) (and some closed logs)
Broadcast: n/a
Action:
When: backdated 28th of February to the 1st of March

Action – The Blue Fish
[Anyone who wishes to drop by is welcome to do so. Robb has sent a polite message to everyone on the ship with the question if they are interested to learn to shoot with the weapons available on this ship.

He has cleaned up one of the cargo holds to create a sort of shooting range, the targets all made from scrap iron. All he truly knows of shooting ranges are those in Winterfell and Riverrun. Made for archery practice instead of shooting with these space guns. Still, Robb figures that it must do for now.

He decides to wait for a couple of hours, slowly chewing on a piece of bread. If no one should come...well, at least he tried.]

Action – SS Vanquish
open
[Robb does not like to fly these small ships and it shows in the way how it shakes and wobbles when it approaches the ship. It also shows in the way he docks the tiny ship and how he stumbles out of it. Space is something he can understand a little, weapons are also not a problem, but flying, no...Robb Stark is not made for flight.

A sigh of relief escapes his mouth when he sets foot onto the vessel, glad to feel something solid underneath his feet again.

Not every ship is the same, he knows that by now and he enters it slowly, calling out to someone who might hear him.]

closed to Hermione
[After a deep nod he smiles. He is not sure if he truly wants to learn magic. His wolf dreams are already one thing he does not wish to go into, but actual magic...it makes him feel a little uncomfortable. Yet, he does not want to decline such a kind offer. Lady Granger means no harm. She is kind and warm and the color of her hair reminds him of Jeyne.]

Let us start at the beginning. [He hopes his voice sounds neutral enough. That he is able to hide his wariness. She is not going to harm him but it is not for a king to become a sorcerer. His men would turn from him. They would whisper worse things than ‘half wolf-half boy’.] Or you can show me first. [And then he can decide to politely decline or not.]

Action – Closed to Dany
[Now his chambers aren’t the most neutral place for a conversation like this and he has been fussing over whether he should don his crown or not. Or the clothes he came with. For once he wonders if all of this has a place in space. And, of course, there is the worry that they are recording everything. They are watching his every move because, apparently in modern societies, it is something amusing and entertaining.

So without crown and without his Westerosi outfit he waits for her by the docking station, sometimes moving his fingers through his hair or touching his chin to determine he has stubble there or not.]

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[Robb leans forward a little, hands resting in his lap. He cannot help looking a little wary, as if only seeing it might burn his bloody eyes out.]

Aye, very well. [Where she is giddy he is a little uncomfortable and it shows in how he keeps shifting in his chair and how his eyes narrow.] Just a small...spell. Worry not, it is not easy to scare me. [Only sometimes it is.

When she fishes out a piece of parchment he dares to relax a little. This will not hurt him. Not that a knight waving a battle hammer around could not hurt him, but that was different. That was not something like sorcery. Just war.

The paper disappears so fast that it makes him blink a couple of times. Oh, that truly was sorcery. Very harmless but there definitely was no explanation why the parchment suddenly disappeared.]

Well done, lady Granger. [Robb tries his best to make his voice sound light and amused but he wonders if he is able to lose the tense undertone.] You have placed it in your bag again, I take?

[ It is rather charming, she thinks, how valiant he is being - she knows that his world has a kind of magic that isn't as simple and easy as her own and she would never force someone to witness it or see it - but she also wants to show what she can do. She wants to prove herself to be useful, a benefit, and she softens as Robb speaks. ]

Oh, I'm sure very few things could scare you. [ And she knows that from experience, from the Direwolf that hangs around her neck, a gift from a Robb that knows nothing about her. She misses the pack and the man she knew, but she's also glad she gets to see him again - somewhat happier, with his family.

That was a worthwhile trade, even if they'll never share the same connection again.

Moving her bag around she shifts and opens it so that Robb can take a look inside. The enchantment that makes it practically neverending has been taken off for now, at least until she needs to use it, so it just looks like an empty bag. ]

It's just gone. That's what the spell does - it makes it go away.

[Robb keeps rubbing his hands a little after everything is said and done. The paper has vanished to gods know where and he has a hard time to properly place it. Yet it does not show on his face. It would not be polite to look odd at this while she is doing her very best to make him understand.]

Heh...well, there is no shame in being scared of something. Being scared is not a weakness. [His lord father told him that once. And every time he felt scared of what was to come he remembered those words. It had not helped what Sansa told him. About the lies in King's Landing, about the promises made and broken, about his father.]

Where did it go then? Isn't there some place? Can you make people disappear and reappear somewhere else? [Like, for instance, Westeros?]

[ The only thing stopping Hermione from outright comforting Robb as she stands before him is the fact that she already knows, at least with a good guess, what is going through his mind - it had been the same the first time she had shown the Drabwurld version magic of her world, even though he was a little more accustomed to the kind that had been there. Obviously it's not something that has come up particularly often here on the Fleet and a part of her is sorry for it.

Tilting her head up, she smiles softly. ] Fear can make you stronger, you're right. Especially if you know you're scared but you keep fighting - because you have something to fight for. [ She knows that, too; being a Marchioness, a daughter, a friend, an ally - all of it meant she understood the risks. Being a leader only added to the weight of responsibility and she feels it even now, far away from all the lands that she had come to know. ]

You can apparate and disapparate, but only to places you've seen before and, really, only in places in that world. I could probably disappear and reappear back on my ship if I wanted but it would be incredibly dangerous. I couldn't just hop home if I wanted to either.

[Robb smiles at her answer. Because that is exactly how he sees it as well. Gods, he has been scared when he raised his banners and marched for war. And he has been scared when his men named him their king. But he has never turned away from his responsibilities because of that. Fear should not become a weakness.]

Aye. It is as you say. [He silences briefly and leans back a little, debating if he should tell more or not.] Exactly as you say. [A soft chuckle escapes his mouth.] I could not lead my men into battle if I would shake like a leaf. Gods be good, the stories they would tell.

[Robb listens carefully to her words.]

Does it burn then? If it is dangerous to return it to another place... [Finally he points at the table.] Can you get the parchment back here? Mayhap it is... it could be something like...that you put on a table like this...and you put a spell on it to will it to another place and then you take it back again?

[If he could be home for just a little while it would be enough. He could send out men to fetch Bran and Sansa at the least.]

Is it less dangerous then? [Am I making any sense?]

[ There are some fears that those that haven't lead warriors to battle will never know - the fact that they're trusting your judgement and guidance, that they're following you, putting their faith in you and your orders... It's dangerous, and it's awful, and above all it is terrifying. There's no escaping that, and Hermione had never really felt entirely prepared for the warmongering side of being a Marchioness. ]

They might even write songs about it, which isn't the kind of legacy anyone might really like. [ She fights back her smile, lifting her eyes to watch Robb for a moment before she shakes her head. Honestly, she is completely overwhelmed with how glad she is to be standing with him again, knowing him, even if she feels somewhat out of her depth - knowing too much and too little all at once. ]

It is quite a lot like that, honestly. You can send it away to somewhere else and bring it back with different kinds of magic. The basic one is a summoning spell, accio, which summons something that you voice when you cast it - like this. Accio feather pillow.

[ She pauses for a moment and, from around the corner, a pillow comes flying and would've hit her in the face if she hadn't raised a hand to grab it fast enough. ]

It's not dangerous, exactly, at least not with non-human things. Apparating and disapparating can lead to splinching if it's done wrong - which is where a part of your body is left behind in the place you left and never makes it to where you wanted to be.

[Robb produces some sort of snorting sound. He knows some songs but not many, after all, his lord father rarely allowed bards to enter Winterfell.]

Gods forbid. The stories they tell of me are already quite ridiculous. [He was a half wolf, half boy. He could change into a wolf. He rode a wolf to battle.] They should keep it at that. [No one has ever called him craven but there were times when lord Karstark’s words kept on going and going inside his head. The King who lost the North. And at some times, the more he thinks about it, the more he feels that the old man had been right about that.

But that is not something the lady Granger should know of. Instead he smiles a little and focuses on the magic that she just had performed.]

Anyone could say those words? Even people who are not sorcerers? [Maybe he could accio himself to Riverrun, or the Twins, or anywhere but here.] Can... [He stops talking when a pillow comes flying out of nowhere, looking at it as if he has just seen a ghost.

It also takes a long time to regain his cool a little.]

So that is when you die, I take?

[ The laughter makes her brighten, her smile widening as she looks up at him. ]

Oh, they told stories about me as well, and not very nice ones to say the least. Honestly, some of the rubbish people come up with is just completely out of hand - as if any of it could be true! [ Alright, she could turn into a lioness and, yes, she was becoming rather dangerous with a sword, but that didn't mean half of the lies and slander the Unseelie court seemed entirely stubborn about were true. The only real truth was the bounty on her head, and she was more than glad to leave that behind.

It's easier to focus on Robb, to tilt her head up and listen as he speaks. ] Well, I suppose a little bit of magical talent would help. Wands can be used by muggles, or people without magic, especially since magical power is passed through the bloodline, but the problem is controlling the magic. Wands belong to people and they choose their owners and don't really take kindly to strangers waving them around willy-nilly. Muggles can't perform magic themselves - they're stuck with whatever reaction the magical object gives them.

[ And now she feels like she's stuck in some kind of awful lecture mode and she grips the pillow, holding it against her chest and breathing out. ]

You can't actually die from splinching, but the wounds you get from it... Those can be quite lethal.

[Robb snorts and shakes his head.]

Now I find that hard to believe. What sort of abominable stories could they possibly tell about you? Mayhaps they are jealous of the fancy silks you wear as a sorcerer. [Sorcerers came with fancy silks, did they not? Probably. Robb is not sure but maybe they did. Like maesters wear their chains.]

[Wands choosing owners sounds kind of odd. And exactly what he’d expect from sorcery or magic. That is far out of the ordinary. Robb pulls a bit of a face but regarding this.]

As you say it only talented people can. Or magicians...sorcerers. [While talking he thinks of the rumors around his good mother’s family. Witches and potions and what not. And Jeyne truly believed in her mother’s drinks, telling him that she is sure to be pregnant soon.] So the muggles cannot. But what if a muggle man or woman has a magical talent? Or what if the sorcerer has bedded a muggle person and passes that talent through blood?

[Robb does not mind lectures like this. It beats the complaints of some of his men. And talking of magic provides a good distraction.]

But if one part of a body is somewhere else? That does not make sense. [If it were mere wounds... Robb had taken an arrow to the arm once, he can handle wounds and the fevers that come from them.]

[ Fighting back her laughter, Hermione shakes her head. ]

Not really. I don't go out of my way to wear too many silks - I have to use a sword too, you know, and they're not the most protective of fabrics in the world. I'd much rather have my armour, or at least some thick leather. I think they just liked to sing about how I was a lioness on the battlefield. [ ... Literally. She's not sure if Robb really knows that she means it literally, but she's not going to push the matter.

Instead, she goes back to the lecture at hand. She does try to take it slowly, as much as she can, because the idea of magic can be overwhelming - it had been that way for her when she was eleven. Coming from a world where magic might not always be the most supportive thing... It might be worse for Robb. ]

It's just witches and wizards where I was born, but the world I was in before now called me a sorcerer. I suppose any word fits, as long as we all know what we're talking about. [ She smiles, crossing her arms. This is a good, intelligent discussion and she feels a wave of affection for Robb - because she remembers their time together, how strange he found the Drabwurld, and this one seems so... Proud and curious. ]

Then it gets passed down through the family. Think of it like eyes, or hair colour - your family probably has the same kind of hair as your parents, and your grandparents before them. It's genetics, and magic works in the same way - it's in your blood. Then a person who doesn't have magical parents can be born with magic, like me.

[ She nods, fighting back her grin. ]

It's a bit of magic to fix it, most of the time, but it never really ends in death if you're quick enough.

[While she talks he looks at her with a bit of a studious look on his face. At least the Mormont ladies had shoulders broad enough to wield a battle axe and succeed. But the lady Granger...well...it would definitely not be a greatsword or anything like that. That would simply be too heavy to carry.]

It would be folly to rush into battles while only wearing a dress made of silk. Leather would be better but iron would be best.. [It was comfortable, though, and if you were able to be quick and avoid blows with swords and spears the leather could help a great deal.] When I go out to battle I wear armor...and a shield. Like ser Rodrik taught me and it helps that I strike better when riding a horse. [His eyes narrow a little when she mentions being a lioness on the battle field. He cannot help but to associate that with house Lannister.]

I know lions can be fierce.

[And that is all he has to say about the matter.

He listens carefully and pulls his knees up. It is difficult to form an opinion about witches and magic at a point a like this. He is not used to it, except for the history of the Spicers, old stories from far away pasts, it has never been a part of his life. And even if it would be that way he’d not acknowledge it.]

So you were what you called a muggle first? Until you discovered...your magic?

[ Not a greatsword, not, but she had learned knives and daggers, had been forced to learn swordcraft and how to use a rapier, had been dangerous in hand to hand when put to the test and properly trained. Now she feels as though she's over trained for the ships, too much energy inside of her and no release for it. ]

A friend of mine used to fight in just her clothes. Cotton shirt, breeches, leather trousers... She was amazing, really, she was. If I was half as good as her I'd be more than just a little bit dangerous. [ She smiles, softly, tilting her head up and looking Robb over, once and then twice. ] I had a set of gold armour in the Drabwurld, with my lioness cloak. It wasn't really good for actual fighting, but when I was supposed to be out making a different or showing people I was there before I went to fight it looked the part.

[ She doesn't want to dwell on what he means by that, just accepting it as she does most other things. Hermione is used to the strangeness of the world now and she accepts it for what it is with a nod of her head.

Still, there is something curious, something more to him. He's so much like the Robb she remembers but she never had a chance to get to know the other Robb personally; he felt too much like he was indebted to her, as if he owed her something even though he didn't. This is nice; refreshing. ]

That's right. The headmaster sent me a letter when I was eleven inviting me to school and came to talk to my mum and dad to explain everything to them.

If you have confidence in your abilities... [Robb speaks the words slowly, trying not to disagree too much. Even if he himself had confidence in his abilities he still wouldn't want to be taken unawares when only wearing breeches and a linen tunic.] Gold? [Well, compared to that his own armor is rather plain.] Does gold truly protect you better than iron does? [When she speaks of gold and lioness cloaks he thinks of Lannisters.] It is iron that you need. Gold might be lighter but... [He chuckles softly.] ...all you can truly do is being a blinding presence when the sun shines down upon you.

[The magic seems to be done for now and it shows that Robb relaxes more and more. He moves to rest his arms on top of his knees.]

Then muggles are not necessarily muggles, not? Or would they still call you a muggle even though you understand... [He gestures with his hands a little.] ...sorcery?

She was just ridiculously strong - it's hard to describe. She had a gift, I think, that just made her amazing. [ And Hermione misses her. She misses so many people in the Drabwurld, but at least she has a few of them here. She can't miss Robb too much when he's standing right in front of her, after all, and she's glad for that - glad that she gets to see him alive and well, to see him flourish and smile again. ]

Gold is rubbish at keeping you safe, of course, but it was the colour of the side I was on - the Seelies. When I was actually fighting I had some armour that let me move a bit more, let me use my magic and my rapier properly. Unfortunately, blinding my enemies was never a tactic I got to use.

[ When she had to fight, of course, and when she wasn't a lioness. At least she can revel in his laughter, her expression soft before she hums, thinking. ]

I'm not a muggle anymore because I have magic, but I suppose until I found out people would have thought that I was. It's a little complicated, isn't it?

Some women are strong, aye. [A gift...well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But he knows women can be strong like a man can be strong.] I would not underestimate them. [Still, he comes from a traditional household. Women participating in battle isn’t a common thing.]

Hah, you should’ve chosen yellow as the color of your house, my lady! Much less complicated. [Robb chuckles at his own sort of jape. Gold reminds him of Lannisters and he does not like them much.] I am sure you were a formidable opponent. If there will ever be a chance we could spar with one another. Ser Rodrik has always told me I have strong arms. [The idea to be able to spar and train still makes him happy. He has not been able to do it much since they crowned him king. Ever time he had to pick up his sword it was for real. To injure.] And please do not blind me. I would like to keep my sight.

It is. Because if you always have had magic you were no muggle person. Then you were a sorcerer like the others. But then again...I wear a crown, yet I have not been born a king. It is a same sort of thing.

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