driftfleet | 003; video

Who: Theon Greyjoy
Broadcast: Fleetwide, video
Action: S.S. Paisley
When: Thursday morning

[ A dark haired boy, no older than nine or ten, sits somewhere on the bridge of the Paisley. He's managed to figure out the device relatively quickly, and he sits staring at it apprehensively, head cupped in his hand.

Although he does his best to keep an even and stony expression, he can't hide the fact that he looks absolutely miserable, as if everything he ever knew and loved has just been taken from him. Which, in fact, it has. This boy wears a black cloak, emblazoned with golden krakens. If that isn't enough of a clue that this is a young Theon Greyjoy, nothing is. Clearly, someone's augment has malfunctioned.

In an uncertain voice, he finally asks: ]

Is this Winterfell?

[ On top of being unhappy, he seems incredibly suspicious of his surroundings. Everything is so strange and unlike anything he's ever seen, but all he's ever known is the Iron Islands. For all he knows, Winterfell is this strange place where they use these strange devices rather than ravens to deliver messages. On the other hand, Lord Stark frightens him, and Theon wouldn't put it past him to leave him somewhere strange and even farther away from home than he anticipated. ]

I don't remember arriving. [ His eyebrows knit together, his face scrunching up in frustration, but he tries very hard to put some semblance of forcefulness into his nervous voice. ] Where is Lord Stark?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He nods, but he still doesn't lift his head. ]

I don't want to look out there again.

[ Theon shares his older self's emotions when looking through those windows: sick and utterly alone, as if he's been set him adrift at sea with no hope of rescue. An adult, even one as unstable as Theon, can handle it, but it's a little too much for a child. He sits with his back to the windows, not wanting to catch sight of the endless blackness again. ]

How long do I have to stay here?

[ Winterfell would be preferable in this moment. At least he's supposed to be there. His father or mother or Asha might send a raven, and then he'll at least know that home is still there waiting for him to return someday. ]

Fair enough.

[He's not gonna force a poor kid to look into the void again if they don't want to. Stefan may be a lot of things, but needlessly stupid isn't one of them. That question makes him falter, because - because well? If he had a choice? He wouldn't be here.

But kids have incredibly great senses of perception, so Stefan's going for the truth.]

I wish I knew. Atroma - the people who brought us - haven't told us. Some of us haven't been here very long, while others have been here for a few months. [He pauses] Are you hungry? I've got fresh cookies in the oven.

[ He sighs deeply, clearly put off by the honest answer, but it seems like he's going to be staying pretty tight-lipped on his complaints and concerns. From everything he's gathered, there will be no going home. ]

No. Thank you.

[ He couldn't force himself to eat even if he tried. His stomach has been in knots since he left Pyke. ]

If this is a ship... [ Doubtful. ] Then what do I have to do while I'm here?

Nothing. [The answer comes too quickly, but Stefan's determined to let a kid actually be a kid. None of this child labor nonsense.] Well, uh, I'm the captain, Kirito and Meera are our engineers, and I'm sure you'll see Loki and Trucy...

[Huh, now that he thinks about it, he hasn't seen Theon today. He'll worry about that later.]

But we're not going to make you do anything. The kitchen's a lot more comfortable. Do you wanna go there and uh, play cards or work on a drawing or... I don't know, what do you feel like doing while you wait?

[ When Stefan offers him a choice, he truly doesn't know how to respond. He grew up a relatively lonely child, with brothers too old and too drunk to pay him much mind and a sister whose role and interests were far removed from his own at that point in time. Much of his time was spent alone, forced to entertain himself. He was never bored, though. It was easy then, when Pyke was there for him to explore. He hesitates. ]

I may not know your card games.

[ He's already had to question so much, it seems easy to assume that he'll be unfamiliar with card games as well, but that is an answer of some sort. ]

That's okay. You can teach me yours, or I can teach you one of my favorites.

[He doesn't have a deck on him right now, or he'd pull it out and show the kid. Stefan can sense that hesitation too, and honestly? It's breaking his heart. He can't imagine what the guy went through, considering that even Salvatore had an older brother who looked after him and doted on him (when no one else did).]

I don't know any.

[ He frowns and struggles to recall one, but he comes up blank. His brothers played card games, often cheating their way to a winning hand , but Theon was never invited to join in. He was too young, particularly when a game was likely to erupt in an axe or two being thrown. ]

I'm sorry.

[Stefan's expression softens, though concern's written all over his face as he finally rises to his feet.]

Ah, no, don't worry about it. [beat] I'll show you how to play War, then, or maybe Spoons, but that'd be fun with more people...

[Of all the times to not know where Trucy is!!]

Or, um... Crazy Eights. Yeah, let's go with that one.

003; video

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action