♖ 004.

[summerschild]

Who: Bran Stark and YOU
Broadcast: N/A
Action: The Starlight and the Blue Fish
When: 3/8 - 3/10

ᴀ. ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴀ ᴅʀɪғᴛᴇʀ, sʜᴀᴘᴇsʜɪғᴛᴇʀ ((sᴛᴀʀʟɪɢʜᴛ))

[Ever since Christmas, there's been a tiny white shadow aboard the SS Blue Fish, following Bran Stark around wherever he goes. But today, something is different. All throughout the station, Beca can be seen roaming alone, with a bit more curious energy than the shy creature normally exhibits. Instead of riding around on Bran's lap, she's out exploring the station with puppy-like vigor, sniffing out dropped food and trailing after shoelaces. She'll immediately run up to greet anyone Bran knows, almost as though she has an exciting message for them, but strangers are just as interesting and delightful to her.

You may notice, however, that she seems just a tad too intelligent for a fox pup. It's almost as if she knows what you're saying to her - and was that a nod?

Feel free to encounter Beca anywhere on the Starlight throughout Tuesday and Wednesday. But meanwhile, on the Blue Fish...]

ʙ. ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋ sᴏ ᴡᴏʀɴ, sᴏ ᴛʜɪɴ ((ʙʟᴜᴇ ғɪsʜ))

[Bran has been asleep for two days, curled up and breathing deeply beneath his fur blanket. Though he occasionally makes a small twitch, nothing can be done to wake him throughout Tuesday and Wednesday.

Finally, on Thursday morning, Bran stirs. It starts with a wiggle of the nose, and then a sleepy blink up at whomever has been keeping watch. Then - a small whine, not unlike a noise that his pet fox would make. He immediately flushes, realizing that he's back in his human body, and pulls the blanket up to his chin.]

How long was I...?

[No more secrets, then.]

Comments

[summerschild]

No, I'm back.

[His face turns a little red, and he looks away from her.]

... I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I thought I wouldn't be able to do it.

[bolder]

Good. I was gonna start missing you if it lasted too long. And I hate doing that.

[Toph stays where she is for the time being, giving him some space.]

It's fine. Everyone's allowed some secrets.

[summerschild]

[He wipes at his eyes, determined not to let any tears fall today.]

Robb says I can't do it. He's ashamed of me.

[bolder]

[Ugh, screw space. Toph rarely does anything like this, but Bran's a special case. She quietly walks over to him and sits on his bed beside him. There's only a small pause before she reaches over and pulls him into a hug.]

Your brother's a jerk. I knew that already, but he's clearly an idiot too, if he's ashamed of you for any reason.

[summerschild]

[Bran sniffs, holding still for a moment. He doesn't want to be weak right now, afraid that Robb would only be more ashamed. But Toph's words somehow hit through all of his fear, and he finds himself hugging her back tightly, a sob catching in his chest.]

He's different now. I wish he hadn't been king.

[bolder]

Being nobility is dumb anyway, it's too restricting. It's part of the reason I ran away.

[Toph's never really mentioned her home life to Bran before, but she can relate on some level. She lets one arm drop from the hug, but the other one remains around him.]

Bet you'd never peg me as one, would you?

[summerschild]

[He starts to shake his head, but then thinks of his sister Arya, and how much Toph reminds him of her. He thinks of Meera Reed, with her muddy hands and her frogs. Nobility isn't what he was led to believe as a child, all knights and manners and grandeur. Nobility is a promise, an obligation to your people.]

I think you would be a better Lord than me.

[bolder]

[Toph can't help it, she snorts at that, squeezing him a little with a one armed hug.]

No way. A good ruler is someone who stays true to who they are no matter what's happening. I didn't have the courage to do that until I met Aang, Katara, and Sokka. We helped Zuko to do the same.

But you're doing it now, standing up to own brother with no one else here to encourage you. No one made you tell him, right? You did that on your own. That's pretty amazing.

[summerschild]

[He shakes his head.] I didn't want to hide it. There is already too much I can't tell.

[bolder]

[She listens, already disliking Robb more than she thought possible. Still, this wasn't about him, not really.]

You know you can tell me whatever you want, right?

[summerschild]

[He nods, even though that thought hadn't quite occurred to him. It just comes naturally to tell her things.]

... He thinks I'm safe with Jon, and that he'll get to see me again. But Robb's dead, and our home is burned, and I'm going north to learn how to be a warg better.

[bolder]

What's that mean, anyway? How can you do it better?

[She does want to know. But getting used to talking about it and being comfortable is an added bonus.]

[summerschild]

[He still lacks some comfort about it as well, if he's honest with himself. Half of his mind still sounds like Robb and Maester Luwin, doubting that any of it is real at all.]

I don't know. But we're going to look for someone who can tell me.

[bolder]

Wargs aren't common, are they?

[She'd tell them both to stuff it given the chance.]

[summerschild]

[He shakes his head.]

I don't know of any others.