ataraxionlogs | twenty-sixth jump;

CHARACTERS: Any and all.
LOCATION: Gravity Couches and beyond.
WARNINGS: Maybe some swearing, or even some violence, and more than likely some implied (and possibly explicit) nakedness.
SUMMARY: Another month, another jump, another round of new faces.
NOTES: Your average, run-of-the-mill jump—except some characters don't seem to be waking up from stasis like they should.

Don't worry.

THEY NEEDED THE REST.

You wake up in darkness.

There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

You are not alone.
There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. Others have much less amiable plans. Some are merely alien and inexplicable, but there are always those who might mean you harm.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Tom is not alone in examining the pods. Once Bran has found out what has happened, once he is dressed and has his robotic legs strapped on once more--then he does not go up to his room, but turns back to find Robb, and Alayne, and Mother. Even if he cannot help them or free them, he does not want to leave them alone. Perhaps he should have gone with Jon, or found Arya--and he might, later. But this is important.

He is standing by his mother's pod when he sees someone else, someone he does not know. The ship is large, and people keep to themselves sometimes--and Bran has been very quiet as of late, content to sit with his mother and with Alayne, to work with Arya, and find Robb and Jon as often as he can.

Summer is crouched beside Mother's pod, but at the sound of footsteps, he stands. The direwolf has grown to be very, very large--nearly the size of a pony--and he does not growl. That means this person is not a threat--if he were, Summer would know.]

Who do you look for?

[Bran's voice is quiet, in its sadness. But perhaps this person needs help.]

[Tom pauses at the voice, a sudden feeling of guilt passing over him even though he's done nothing to be guilty about except, perhaps, his inability to just push Hal to the back of his mind. What would his Dad think of him wallowing all over a missing vampire?]

Jus' seein' who is still sleeping. Kinda weird ain't it?

[He glances over at the boy and his eyebrows raise at the sight of his legs. It's rude to stare, so suddenly he's looking anywhere but at the legs]

You got anyone still in the pods?

My brother Robb, and-- my friend, Alayne. And my mother, too.

[He presses his hand against the side of his mother's pod. She only looks as if she is sleeping, but Bran knows the depths of sleep well. It might be more than sleep.]

This happened before. But I think-- maybe there are more that sleep, this time.

[Or maybe he only feels the loss of his family more keenly. Who can say?]

[Tom can't help looking concerned. He knows what it's like to be alone and wouldn't want the boy to feel that lonely]

You ain't got no one ta look after you?

[He moves to the pod that the boy is near and looks at the woman]

This your mum?

I don't need looking after. I am nearly a man grown.

[But he shifts aside so the young man can peer into the glass surface of the pod--at least enough to see Mother.]

My lady mother, Catelyn Stark. And down there is Robb--his direwolf sleeps, too--and Alayne Stone is over there.

[He points them out. Summer crowds closer, pressing against the side of Bran's leg, as if to offer comfort--but he does not need comforting. He will be strong just as a true lord.]

My brother Jon and my sister Arya are awake, so I am not alone. Do any of your friends sleep?

I meant so you ain't lonely.

[The words are quiet as Tom's busy looking at Catelyn]

Bet she's a good mum.

[And suddenly he's imagining what she's like as a mum. He can imagine her smile and even her voice and it creates a hollow feeling inside him.

Tom physically pulls himself away from the pod and looks down at the boy]

Nah, well, some, but I mostly stay in the gardens anyway. You work on the ship?

She is the best mother.

[He says it softly, and a little sadly. When Bran woke, his mother had ridden south, and she had not returned. It was more than he could have hoped for, to see her, here--for all that he worried for her, there was a touch of selfishness to him, one that made him glad she was here. To be without here, even only by sleep--it is difficult.]

I work with my sister, Arya. She is showing me how to work in the shuttle bay. She is very clever, so she has learned quickly--and I am learning too. Do you work in the gardens? Summer and I are often there.

[Summer's ears prick a little, at the sound of his name. He considers this stranger with quiet yellow eyes.]

You means she drives them things?

[Not that they actually go anywhere as far as Tom knew, but he also figured you had to be pretty smart to learn to fly those things]

Yeah, well, an' the kitchen at dinner, but that's cause Jenna said she needed help an' it ain't so hard.

Mostly I clean up 'round the garden. Folk like ta use it so I like ta keep it clean.

[He grins down at Summer and wonders if he's related to the other large wolves he's seen around the ship]

Bet ya like runnin' round there, yeah? Sometimes you can here them elf folk singin' which is nice.

I don't think they have shown her how to drive them. She would have told me if they had. [At least, he hopes that Arya would--though she might not. She is fond of secrets. The misgiving makes his nose wrinkle a little, thoughtfully.] There are other tasks that she helps with, and I help her. I am going to help her in engineering, too. There is much to do, with so many people asleep.

[The truth of that reminds him of his sadness, and he touches his hand against his mother's pod again--but Summer is a quick and easy distraction. The direwolf is enjoying Tom's attention, and he moves a little closer, sniffing carefully around his feet.]

The gardens are Summer's favorite place--and they are kept very well. You do good work. Do you know the elves? I have made friends with their people, and others from their world. Their songs are beautiful.

[Tom blushes lightly at the compliment. It's always strange for him to be complimented]

Thanks.

[He squats down so that Summer can have a better sniff and maybe get a pet or two]

I ain't talked to them none, but I like to listen to their songs.

[The elves seem on a different level to Tom. Better and cleaner than himself]

You should talk to them. I do not know them well, but they have always shown me kindness--and my sister has made good friends with them.

[Summer permits the petting without any protest, moving hearer so that he can sniff more closely at Tom. Bran watches, but without any worry. Summer is no tame dog, but he does not attack without reason. He knows people better than anyone.]

I'm Bran Stark.

twenty-sixth jump;

pods!

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dw decided i didn't need your tag :c

dw was WRONG!!!

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