Application: Robb Stark, A Song of Ice and Fire

[awoooo.livejournal.com]

((App is okay'ed by all ASOIAF muns, God help them. Here there be HUGE SPOILERS for A Storm of Swords -- you have been warned!))


Although Robb Stark had once upon a time been a perfectly normal boy, there was nothing normal about the creature that now stood in the middle of the Sorting Room, peering about dazedly. From the neck down he was a teenage boy, stocky, about sixteen -- relatively average, if your definition of 'average' included 'riddled with arrow holes.' The wounds covered him haphazardly, small black holes caked with dried blood; the skin surrounding them was pale and greyish.

None of this really compared, though, to what lay above the shoulders: instead of a boy's head there sat a wolf's, shaggy and huge, stained with more blood around the fringe of fur at the neck. The eyes stared about, somehow both empty and piercing at the same time.

Robb's memories -- or maybe they were Grey Wind's -- were a little fuzzy, as were his thoughts. There had been... a party? Celebration? And then... pain. And strangeness. And now he was here, in this big stone room, far from his pack. Family. Mate. He sniffed the air and whimpered in confusion, scratching at his neck and shoulders. Only boring smells: building smells, library smells. He padded forward and squinted down at the table in front of him, at the parchment and ink. The words were meaningless squiggles, although he thought maybe once they might have meant something.

The quill tapped meaningfully. He stared at it blankly, then threw his head back and howled.

"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The application seemed to take the hint and started to speak aloud.

1. What is your favorite cheese? Why is it your favorite?

Robb cocked his head to the side and barked. Cheese?

2. Who would you kill first, Barney or Carrottop?

Kill. That was a word he knew. A word that made red heat shoot through both his human body and his wolf brain. He narrowed his eyes and growled, pulling his lips back against his teeth.

3. What time is it where you are?

Settling back on his haunches, Robb sniffed and looked around uncertainly. Time? It was... hazy, like so much else. It felt like night, maybe. Like hunting time.

4. If you were Albus Dumbledore returned from the dead, which member of the Order of the Phoenix would you sexually harass? How would you harass them? If you are Albus Dumbledore, please answer as if you were Sirius Black.

None of this question made any sense to him; he ignored it in favor of exploring his surroundings.

5. If you are pushing to be in:

A. Slytherin - please state the clever, witty name of the bar in which you bartend, in the dark.

'Bar' was a word he'd never known, in this particular context, and he certainly had no grasp on it now. He scratched uncomfortably at his ear with too many fingers and whined.

B. Gryffindor – Debate whether Harry should ultimately end up married to Fred or George. Use examples from a variety of world mythologies to bolster your argument.

Married. Married? It sounded like something he should know, but... Oh! Mate! He stood up sharply and looked around, but when nothing else appeared, he let out a wolfish huff and crouched down again.

And why were his knees backwards?

C. Ravenclaw – You guys are supposed to be smart. Explain why my desk is inundated with paperwork at all times, even though I’m constantly disposing of it.

He reached up a hand and batted at the paper. Not because he was answering the question -- just because he was starting to get bored and annoyed.

D. Hufflepuff – Prove you are not useless.

As a human, Robb had been Lord Stark and the King of the North. As a wolf, Grey Wind had killed dozens of men protecting Robb. 'Useless' wasn't a word anyone would have used to describe either unless they were a particularly bitchy Greyjoy, and something in him bristled even if he didn't completely understand. He snarled again, his fists clenching at his sides.

6. Offer a bribe to the members of this community so that they will not squib you. Items used in bribery do not necessarily have to belong to the person offering the bribe. Do not threaten us rather than offering a bribe. A threat indicates you either don't really want to be here, or don't have enough sense to answer the question properly. The hat will automatically squib you, regardless of other votes, if you do.

Robb hesitated, then shuffled forward slightly, tongue hanging out as he panted. Again, he was confused, but the gist of the question had sort of slightly gotten through. Unfortunately, he was empty-handed/pawed/what-have-you.

He held up his hands and barked.



"I have read the hogwarts_hocus faq, and understand it is a crazy, cracktastic sorting community and RPG. ___RS_________
I have read the hogwarts_hocus rules and agree to abide by each and every one of them. ____RS_______.
I agree to be a good sport and not get my knickers in a bunch. _____RS______.
One day, marmalade will rule the world. ___RS__________"

Comments

[ex-ladyston.livejournal.com]

Truly horrifying as her son looked, he was still her son, and she took his hand automatically, without even thinking about it. Catelyn had looked as bad--or worse--when first she arrived, and the hospital wing had helped her. Even if it could not help Robb, he was here, and he was alive, after much the same fashion as she herself.

Being what she was, she couldn't cry. She didn't need to eat, she couldn't sleep, and she couldn't cry. That didn't mean she didn't want to.

[awoooo.livejournal.com]

Robb laid his other hand atop hers, squeezing it briefly. He knew it was her. It had to be, no matter what. Her face... they had done something to her, too, like what they'd done to him. A snarl welled in his throat. He surpressed it and leaned close, touching his muzzle to her cheek.

They were both back broken, damaged. But they were together. And they had Arya, now, and maybe the rest of their family... somehow they'd get by.

[ex-ladyston.livejournal.com]

Catelyn's own hands were cold, as was her cheek--in certain ways she could pass for truly alive, but in others she could not. She was as grateful for Arya as he--one by one, all her children were finding their way here, and whatever their form they were still hers. Even her hatred for the Freys could not outweigh the odd sense of relief she felt, in spite of the surface horror of the situation.

"You are here," she said, half to reassure herself that he was real. "You, and Arya, and Sansa, and Jon." She had not seen Jon since her Sorting, but she had softened immensely toward him--he was of home, and he had been looking so well after Arya. One by one they were all finding their way here, and if some of them were broken, it was no matter--they were together, and that was what counted.

[awoooo.livejournal.com]

Robb, too, was cold. His condition was much like hers had been when she'd first arrived and, like her, he was generally pretty much dead except for the part where he wasn't. His muzzle was warmed by his fur, but his hands on hers were cool and pale.

He wasn't bothered by her touch, though. He was too busy focusing on her words, on the list of names. Sansa! Jon! So it wasn't just Arya, here. More family. And more, still, might come. Maybe even Jeyne... well, in his current state, perhaps not.

Still, his lady mother was here, and three of his siblings, and perhaps even more. The Robb part of him couldn't help but hope, grimly, that here they would outnumber the Lannisters and any other enemy that might have followed. He squeezed his mother's hand again and whuffed softly, nuzzling into her.

[ex-ladyston.livejournal.com]

Now that Cersei was popcorn, the only Lannisters left were Jaime and Tyrion. Sidney Reilly had told her Jaime was sworn not to harm them--for however much Jaime's promise might be worth, and she had her doubts about that--but with Robb here they easily outnumbered the Lannisters.

"This place has become my home, and now it may be yours." She could not pretend his appearance didn't disturb her--for it did--but given how long she had spent looking like a half-rotted corpse, it was only a minor thing. "We are all safe here--nobody can die. Arya, Sansa, Jon--nothing may hurt them here, and you and I, I think, need not fear harm on the grounds or off." It was one advantage of being dead already--what could anyone do, kill you again?

[awoooo.livejournal.com]

That was a shocking bit of news. He pulled back and stared at her, his eyes opening wide. To hear that no one could die -- no one... He looked down at himself, then back at her. Was that how they had...? Why they were... the way they were?

He whined softly and pulled at her hand, bringing it to one of the wounds that were scattered across his body. He hoped she would understand the question.

[ex-ladyston.livejournal.com]

Catelyn did not know how Robb had come to be resurrected--if someone like Lord Beric had done to him what he did to her.

"We are...an exception," she said. "Most who return from the dead do not return as we did. We cannot be killed again, though--not us, not Arya and Sansa, not anyone. We are safe here." Not that that meant much, for her and Robb. To them, the damage had already been done.

[awoooo.livejournal.com]

A powerful wave of emotion swept over Robb, too much there for him to even begin to process right now. Shock and amazement, relief for his family, envy that he and his mother could not be so lucky as the others, and so much else... too much.

He shuddered and closed his eyes, his hand tightening on hers. It was too much for one boy to handle, and too much for a wolf to think through, but he'd rather not think about it at all right now. He pulled back suddenly and threw back his head, letting out a howl.