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[Bran's smile is only a little wan--and that is only because he is distracted, because Summer is distracted. The great direwolf is sitting at his feet, but Summer has grown large enough that he is still visible in the video feed. Something is ailing the direwolf, making him skittish. He huffs a whine as the video begins, and Bran looks down at him, and lays a hand atop Summer's head.]

Be still.

[Summer's ears flick, nervously; he blinks, and whines again. Bran looks to his device, his hand still resting atop his direwolf's head.]

I am looking for paper--perhaps twenty or thirty sheets of paper, that is not being used. Most things on this ship are written by typing, but there must be some paper somewhere. I can make a trade for it, if it is necessary. And I will need tape-- [That is a new word, but he says it smoothly.] --and scissors, with which to cut. They must be able to do fine work, I think.

[Restlessly, Summer raises his head. The video jars a little, and Bran quickly reaches to steady it, as he gives his direwolf a slightly anxious look.]

In Westeros, great tourneys are often held, where knights prove their merit in the lists. That means a joust, though there is sometimes melee fighting as well. I have never seen a tourney, only heard tales of them--and we have very few knights here. So we are going to let our direwolves race instead, and have a feast, just as if it were a true tourney. [Summer whines again, more plantively. He shrugs out from beneath Bran's hand, turning in a tight circle.] Summer, quiet. It is only a shadow.

There must be a prize, at the end, and I have been trying to think of something good. I have ideas, but they aren't very good, so I thought--

[But what he thought is never realized, because Summer moves quite sharply then, twisting away from Bran and the video with a sharp growl. Bran's face pinches in worry, and he grabs hastily for his device, to steady it again, before he shuts it off. It is an ungainly end to the message, but his concern trumps his good manners.]

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[Magic. Once Bran would have been more uncertain, more willing to disbelieve than to believe. There was magic in stories, but he was growing older--too old for stories, maybe, or at least that sort that were full of magic.

But now he knows differently. What was only story can sometimes be true. Maester Luwin had meant well, when he had told Bran that all magic was trickery. But he was wrong. There was true magic in the world--in Westeros, and here.

So he only nods--cautiously, maybe--when Scott speaks that word. Magic.]

Were they spells? Or-- beasts, that were raised by magic? [And because Scott has trusted him, he offers, in return:] There were no shadows like this, in Westeros. But the world was changing. And there were--other things. Some of them good, some of them bad.

You must be worried, for your home.

[ oh. well, about that— ] Spells. [ another beat, then, echoing his previous uncertainty: ] Kind of.

And there were beasts, but I don't think they were raised by magic. [ someone could probably make an argument for it. there's obviously nothing scientific about how werewolves work, but it's just easier to keep them separate. ] Beasts being controlled my magic, maybe. And human sacrifices.

[ if this weren't so grimly real, he'd feel completely stupid saying it. it's still surreal to think any of it applies to his life. as for bran's last comment, the answer is basically yes, always, but it's not what scott says. ]

It'll be okay. Things were okay when I left this time, and they should stay that way until I get back.

[ which sounds weirdly arrogant. he's mostly just saying it as fact, seeing as that's how it's worked every time he's gone back. ]

Is that what you had? Beasts raised by magic.

[Once, maybe, those things would have been more surprising too, save for in tales. Westeros is a harder land than most, and the north hardest of all--and its stories and its past are proof of that, if nothing else. In stories, spells worked with blood are strong and potent. The surprising part would be how real it is--

But so much of the world has changed, just as Bran had said. So he only nods, again.]

I am sorry your home is so threatened. [Even if it works as they say it does, that time stands still--it is still a distraction. Bran knows that well. He looks down at Summer again, running his fingers through his direwolf's fur.]

They weren't raised by magic. But there are old things in the world, that everyone thought dead, or untrue. And they weren't. They were only sleeping.

[Dragons, they whisper of dragons. But all of the dragons were dead. And wargs, and direwolves--]

There are very few direwolves in the world. Those that live, live beyond the Wall. It was still summer when we found our wolves, and they were far from the Wall. Sometimes I think maybe they brought something with them. As if there were a gate that they opened, and magic came back to the world. But I know that is wrong. There was always magic, and danger, and beasts only whispered of in stories. They were only asleep. Greendreams, and wargs, and the children of the forest. And dragons, and prophecy--and darker things, too.

[ bran's wording registers some familiarity — old things being asleep, waiting, forgotten. deaton had said they'd woken something up when they saved their parents — opened a door. it wasn't a decision scott would ever take back, but there's no denying the weight it's added to everything.

the notion of the wolves bringing trouble with them is almost funny, but there's no trace of amusement in scott's tone. he just sounds curious, thoughtful. any questions about dragons are easily derailed by the terms that make no sense, and scott ends up focusing on those. ]

Greendreams and wargs?

[Bran hesitates, studying Scott. There are so many here that have strange powers and gifts, so that things that must be kept secret at home are less secret, here--but Bran still feels uncertainty when asked to speak of them.]

Wargs were men that could wear the skin of a wolf. And there were skinchangers, too, in the stories. They could wear the skin of any beast that they liked, and walk the world in four paws, or fly above it with wings, or swim beneath it in the deep places of the seas. And greendreams come with the gift of the greensight. A man with the greensight might sleep and dream as other men do--but sometimes his dreams will tell of the future, and what is to come.

They were only in stories. But they were true, once. And I think they might be true again.

[He drops his hand onto Summer's head, off-screen, gently combing his fingers through his direwolf's fur.]

[ there's a familiarity in the way bran studies him. the hesitance there is one scott knows well enough. he hasn't told many people what he is (not deliberately, anyway), but he's had enough experience with juggling other kinds of secrets.

there's no hiding the surprised recognition at bran's explanations, even if it's subtle. and now it's scott's turn to weigh his response, though there's something more open in it — like it's not so much a question of trust as a question of wording. ]

I think we have wargs, too. [ a beat, then: ] Or skinchangers. [ he's not completely clear on the difference between them, though the mention of a wolf is what gets his attention. the curiosity's obvious in the next question, as is his uncertainty; he's not quite sure if this is a normal question to ask, or if he wants to know the answer. ] You said there were good and bad things. Which one are they?

[Summer had looked at Scott differently, and Bran had not known why. But if there are wargs and skinchangers--perhaps he had smelled them on Scott. Perhaps he knew. Bran wonders, if he wore Summer's skin, what he would learn of Scott then.]

They are men.

[He says it firmly, as he bunches his fingers in Summer's fur.]

They have a gift, if they can change their skin. But they are still men. They can be good or bad. A man makes his own choices. His gifts do not make him one thing or another. Only he can do that.

[He hesitates, again, but adds--boldly--]

The one that I know is good.

[ there's something bizarrely comforting in the response, like it's some kind of reminder — the shift reflects a person's true self. peter had been a monster because that's what was inside him, but scott—

on some level, he knows it's ridiculous to think he could ever be like peter hale. but he also knows what it's like to struggle with the shift, with the full moon, the surge of power. those are the moments he's not so sure, and it doesn't matter how brief — they're still slips, mistakes.

it's obvious he's distracted by something in bran's words, and there's still a trace of it in his tone when he responds. ]

Is he here?

[ it's probably far more direct than bran was expecting. but direct or not, it's a deeply unsure question; scott's aware it may be overstepping a line, knows he's only asking because he'll take all the guidance he can get. derek had tried, but there's still a disconnect there, derek trusting scott in ways that scott can't even trust himself. the possibility of there being someone else on the ship who knows something about that kind of power is one he's got to at least ask after. ]

[It is direct, far more direct than he would have asked. But he catches that uncertainty, and he catches, too, the distraction that comes with it. And perhaps that softens him, a little, makes him more inclined to answer with any truth at all.

Because he knows what it is to be uncertain, to seek some answer to a question one should perhaps not ask. To need to know.

There is a pause, and then he answers, quietly, simply:]

Yes.

[ if this weren't video, it might be easy to assume scott had dropped the call; as is, it's obvious he's weighing that response, trying to figure out what to do with it.

he'd been plenty direct before, but there are limits. he can tell by the simplicity of the answer that bran's not eager to share, and it's enough for him to backpedal slightly. ]

Sorry. I shouldn't have asked. [ another beat, and the sincere apology's still in his tone, edged in sympathy. ] He has to hide, right? Because of the bad ones?

[Because of the bad ones. Because his ability is too close to the wolf dreams, the wolf dreams that the others share. Because he does not know what it means to have anything that is not secret, to believe in magic in a way that does not feel silly, or childish--or, worse yet, dangerous.]

Because of the bad ones.

[He echoes that, in agreement.]

And when you have lived with a secret for a very long time, it is-- hard, not to make it secret. In Westeros, there is no more magic. But it is there, even if people say that it is not. And a skinchanger is not welcomed. He would be--strange, to people.

[He pauses, again.]

Do you know a skinchanger? Is that why you ask?

Trust me, I know the feeling.

[ despite the occasional debate with derek about hiding what they are, for all his bravado, scott's not entirely sure he could make the leap - confess to the entire ship, actually own it. he's accepted what he is, maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that he'd still rather be human.

the question shouldn't be surprising, but scott still manages to look caught slightly off guard by it. ]

More than one. [ there's nothing wary in that answer, and it's the truth without touching on his own. ] One of them is— [ and here he stumbles slightly, unsure of continuing. ] Scared. He's afraid of what the power might turn him into.

[ it almost sounds stupid, laid out so plainly. and yes, he is absolutely pulling the "i have this one friend", hopefully that's not a super common cheat in westeros. ]

[And um sorry Scott it's a super common cheat everywhere. But it's one that Bran is pulling as well, truthfully--and though he notices the stumbling, he thinks perhaps it is because Scott is wary of betraying some trust. (And perhaps there is some part of him, some very small part, that wonders-- but no. He will not pry.)

If there is more than one, then are such skinchangers common, where Scott is from? But that question seems unimportant, after the second part of what he says. There is a pause, as he thinks on it.]

Is your friend a good man?

[ well that's an intensely awkward question to answer about yourself. the easy answer would be yes, obviously; scott knows he's not a bad person, knows he does what he can with what he's got, but that goes hand in hand with the crippling worry that it's never enough. ] He tries to be.

[ there's a heavy pause, but before bran can respond: ] Have you heard of werewolves?

[ not at home, presumably, but he knows bran's been here a while, knows that there are others less concerned about staying hidden on the ship. ]

Yes.

[That is an easier question by far, one that Bran can answer without much thought.]

They are like wargs, but they are compelled to wear the skin of a wolf. And it is not borrowing, it is something that takes hold of them. For some it is painful, and it makes them dangerous. But I think that there are many different kinds.

My friend Remus Lupin is a werewolf, but he has since gone from this ship. He was very kind to me. [And he taught Bran much, about understanding wolves. Even if it was not the same as borrowing Summer's skin, it was still good to know. But Scott's question was too direct, too quick, for all his pause.] Your friend--is a werewolf?

[ it's the mention of being remus' friend that does it, though there's still a heavy pause while scott gets up the confidence to give up on the act. it isn't even that he's afraid to be truthful; more that he knows derek is wary of it, and he's reluctant to break that agreement. ]

Not my friend. [ the implication is there, though he doesn't manage to say it outright. still, the next sentence kicks that implication up to confirmation. ] I knew Remus, for a little bit. He was part of our pack.

[ back when there was a coherent pack on the ship. he didn't really appreciate it at the time, but now that it's imploded... ]

[Pack. Bran knows of packs. He thinks, suddenly, of running on four paws in the soft dirt of the godswood, his brother by his side. He thinks of the distant howling of the little grey wolves, the cousins that greet him warily. No. They greet Summer, not Bran, and shy away from his path--but Bran is Summer, sometimes. He thinks, too, of sitting beside the hearth, Arya's chin digging into his soft belly. His mother in her chair with Rickon in her arms, and his father by the window. Jon and Robb playing at soldiers. Sansa combing out her hair, giving Arya dirty looks. A pack.

And he knows without being told so directly, what Scott has just told him. It is secret. A skingchanger. A warg, a werewolf. They are like cousins too.]

Then you are the good man that you spoke of.

[He must make certain--but he knows he is right.]

And it is a secret. A secret I will keep. I swear it. You have my word.

[ the reference to him as a good man is a bit awkward, but scott just focuses on the second part. ]

Thank you. [ sincere gratitude, though he still feels the need to explain a beat later. ] I don't think it actually matters much here— I mean Remus told people, and he was okay. But it isn't just about me.

[ and there are hunters. he's aware of that, though he honestly thinks he could handle them if he needed to. ]

I know.

[Or, well. he knows what it is to still want to keep the secret of the truth. The ship might be welcoming, in its way, and its people good and kind--but a secret can be hard to confess, when you are so used to keeping it quiet--and there might yet be danger. That feeling is hard to shake, too.

And Bran knows, too, what it is to consider others in what you confess to and what you do not. He would not endanger Arya or Robb or Jon, or his mother. He looks down at Summer, as he considers what Scott has said, and smooths his direwolf's ear between his thumb and forefinger, gently.]

A secret is not so easy to tell. But I thank you, for trusting me enough to tell me. [He hesitates, then, a moment, but asks--] Have you always been so?

Not always. [ that answer's easy enough, but he leaves it there; getting into the details, a corpse in the woods and peter hale— that's personal, and for some reason it seems to complicated, when the concept of werewolves isn't one bran grew up with.

the question that follows is honestly curious, though it's also a subtle deflection. ] But it's possible to be born a werewolf. Is that how it works with wargs and skinchangers?

One man in a thousand is born a skinchanger.

[And one skinchanger in a thousand is born a greenseer, but he does not say that part, not yet.]

He learns to use it, but it is not as a man learns to wield a sword or use a spear. Anyone could learn those things. Wearing the skin of an animal is a gift that a man must be born with.

A man who is a warg might have wolf dreams when he is a boy--dreams where he walks as a wolf. He would be wearing the wolf's skin and not know it. That is not like your werewolves, I think.

[ the pause this time is thoughtful, but it's not nearly as heavy as before; the comment rings a bell, actually. not the same, but similar. ]

Not always. Sometimes you don't— we don't— know what we're doing. It's like sleepwalking. [ waking up in the woods, waking up with memories of violence, having no idea how to piece it together. scott realizes that sounds a bit ominous a beat later, offering a quick reassurance. ] But only before I knew what was happening. Now I'm in control.

[ ........ mostly. ]

[The violence done as wolf does not make anyone a killer. Bran thinks--hopes--that this is correct. He is no murderer, nor is Summer. If he has fought, he has fought for the Starks, for his own life.

But he knows what it is to be in and out of control. Before Jojen taught him what it was to wear the skin of the wolf--told him of skinchangers and greenseers--it was easy for him to slip into Summer's skin without knowing. So he nods, as Scott speaks, entirely free of any judgement.]

It is better to be in control. Before--

[He hesitates, biting at his lip, uncertain. But Scott has trusted him with so much. Surely he ought to do the same?]

I am not a warg. [Again, a little hesitation, but--] I thought I was. But my friend Jojen--he has what we call the greensight. It means he has green dreams, and he sees what the future will bring, even if he does not always understand it. He came to Winterfell, and he told me-- much.

[Not all of it is for Bran to say, so he only bites at his lip again, as if this will help him to hold his silence.]

I can wear my direwolf's skin, if I want to. I used to have wolf dreams--sometimes I still do. But it is better to know what it is that I do--to understand it.

[tl;dr bonding over wolf stuff]

[ warg, wearing a direwolf's skin— it's all still vague ideas without much solid understanding to back it up, but scott doesn't really need to understand the details to know that it's a return of his trust.

which doesn't mean he doesn't want those details, man. there's a slight pause, maybe out of respect, but there's just acceptance and maybe a hint of genuine curiosity in his expression and tone. ]

What's that mean, exactly? Wearing Summer's skin. [ because it's clearly not a literal statement, thank god. although a beat later— ] Can you see what he sees?

It is like falling asleep. Or it was, before, but I have learned more of it now, and--

[He stops himself again, but this hesitation is less about caution and more because he does not know how to explain. He wishes, not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, that Jojen was here. Would Jojen have wanted him to tell Scott of his ability? He could at least have offered his counsel. Bran bites at his lip. He misses both of the Reeds very much in this moment.]

When I open my eyes, I open Summer's eyes. I walk on his legs, and I am not a boy any longer. I am somewhere else, and it looks as if I am sleeping. [Maybe a little scarier.] I don't see what he sees. I am him, and he is me.

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video; private

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video; private hfuffff late

video; private no shh never no such thing

video; oh okay tags you a year late

video; well no the world has ended by then but i'll try to tag back

video; yeah you'd better

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video; private oh no i ate our private too i'm just eating all the privates these days!!

PRIVATE VIDEO 4EVER before you eat these privates too

wink

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omfg this thread started in january cee

i didn't even get you a 3 month anniversary present!!!