bright lights, big city

[theladyofwinterfell]

WHO: Sansa Stark + baby James
WHERE: Coruscant - surface levels; a diner + a network post
WHAT: shock, awe, annoyance
WHEN: 24 March
WARNINGS: TBD

Sansa has been to a few planets in her time both in the Fleet and on Agra 10 but this one has to be the busiest one she's ever seen. She feels like she's in the midst of everything and no one can hear her at all over the noise of speeders and the crush of other beings. She holds James close, not wanting his curiosity to have him touching anything he shouldn't, and calls out for someone she might know.

"If the Agra are doing this, you ought to give me a direction. I cannot help you with whatever task you have if I don't know where you are or where I am," Sansa shouts. A few aliens look her way and shrug and the overall feeling she gets is one of indifference. Seems she isn't the only lost person around here.

Thinking inside would be better than outside, she ducks into what turns out to be a restaurant and settles in one of the booths. The menus are in runes she cannot read and she ends up pointing to what she wants; the staff at least speaks common. While she waits on her food, she jiggles James a bit to try and quiet him.

"We're going to find out where this is," she says, sing-songing. "Mother has to help the Agra again, she thinks, and you're a big enough boy to help too."

***

( Somehow, the communicator had ended up in her pocket without her noticing and Sansa thinks she ought to have tried this first. Of course, she has it now so there's no use in beating herself up over it. )

Fleet! It is Sansa Stark and I have no idea where we are right now. I don't know this planet but I hope some of you still know me. I can send coordinates?

Comments

[kyley_b]

oh just a little guy! yeah, i'll make sure to grab him some appropriate stuff. and james is a great name.

ok just hang tight, i'm on my way! probably be like half an hour!

[theladyofwinterfell]

Thank you so very much. I'll find a way to repay you once I've got my feet again. I always settle my debts.

[kyley_b]

aw don't sweat it, i truly don't mind. see you soon!


[Indeed, in a little over half an hour Sansa is likely to spot Kyle approaching - he's six foot two and has a ridiculous mop of curly red hair, and he's clearly looking around for a human mother and child.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

Kyle, I presume? It seems we have something in common. ( Sansa points at her hair, utterly amused. There's not many redheads in Westeros and the few there are...well. They're special. )

You've been a gift from the gods, truly. The Agrii don't have the best timing, I'm afraid.

[kyley_b]

Hey! Hi! [He beams.] Whoa, hey, ginger solidarity. See, I had to help."

He hefts a bag. "Got you some clothes, some stuff to eat - it's not poison to humans, I checked - and some stuff for the little man, too. Can't have a kid stuck on an alien planet without stuff for diapers."

[theladyofwinterfell]

You truly thought of everything. Now I really do owe you something in return. I can't let a debt like this go unpaid. You know, where I come from, redheads are lucky. You've certainly been lucky for me.

( And a great relief, truly, because she hasn't got to track all these things down for herself. )

[kyley_b]

Really? Where I'm from it's kinda the opposite.

But really, it's nothing. I had a little brother growing up, that's all, so I know they need supplies. [He does peek at the infant.] Dude, he's so cute.

[He looks at Sansa with slightly more serious eyes.]

So you've done this before? Judging by your message. And hey, we can get you guys settled properly while we talk.

[theladyofwinterfell]

I was here before, yes. I was also in the Fleet before, if you've heard people talk about that - where the ships are from? So I know my way around. They just happened to drop me on this planet I don't know and that threw me for a surprise.

( Sansa laughs softly. )

Redheads are called "kissed by fire" where I come from. I'm one of the few in my whole kingdom. We're really not common. Just James and I at Winterfell.

[kyley_b]

A little. I actually just arrived like, right before the Agrii sent us here. They're kinda dickheads, huh?

[Kyle smiles.] Wow. That's actually super poetic sounding. I like it. Back home, gingers are considered unattractive and potentially soulless.

[Wait, did she say 'kingdom'?]

So, wait, what's Winterfell like? Do you guys have spaceships and stuff like they do here? 'Cause that's a great name, it sounds like it ought to have castles and elves and stuff.

[theladyofwinterfell]

Actually, Winterfell is a castle. It's my castle. I'm the Queen in the North - but don't go calling me that here. One of the good things about being here is that I don't have to wear a crown or make laws or settle disputes. I can simply be myself.

( That is actually very important to her, something that has made her time in space precious to her even if Winterfell is her legacy and responsibility. )

And we don't have elves. Just people like me, I'm afraid.

[kyley_b]

No shit! [He looks a bit star struck.]

Sorry, I just, whoa, you're a queen? No offense, you just look kinda young?

Wow. I have officially bought diapers for a prince. That's something I never thought I'd say.

[He nods his head decisively.] But here you're just Sansa Stark, regular mom.

[theladyofwinterfell]

I'm two and twenty. That's plenty old enough to be a queen, I promise you. I was crowned at twenty. But here, I am just Sansa. I like that people don't treat me differently here.

( Everyone bows and curtseys to her at Winterfell and while it is a necessary show of courtesy, it is quite lonely. There is no one who is truly her friend there, only servants and liege lords. )

James is going to be a squalling prince if we don't go sit somewhere, though. He's getting restless. Will you show me somewhere?

[kyley_b]

Sansa, I'm almost twenty-four and I assure you I couldn't run a kingdom. I was still a student, back home.

Oh, yeah! Come on, you can come on the ship I came here in, if you want, it's safe and it's warm. [He falls into step beside her, toting the bags happily.]

It's not a really pretty ship? It's the Bloodsport, which is a pretty hilarious name. You can get settled before you check out the city. It's pretty wild. A bunch of us checked out this ancient museum and stuff? And there's a Jedi Temple, which was pretty awesome.

[theladyofwinterfell]

We could go to a museum. So long as they didn't mind James being less than quiet, it might be nice to see something about this place. And I don't mind the ship being the Bloodsport. I've been on board it before. Not all the ships are the fanciest.

( The Twin Roses was home, though, and she half hoped she'd be back on that ship. )

[kyley_b]

Oh, no, this one you gotta avoid - it's waaaay below the city, and it's got monster cat things, and cannibals. Well. One cannibal, for sure. Anyway, it's kinda dangerous. Lots less risky stuff up here on the surface.

[The ships thankfully aren't too long of a walk, and soon enough Kyle is fumbling open the entrance to the Bloodsport. He leads Sansa to the galley so she can sit at the table. ]

After you, please make yourself as comfortable as you can.

[He sets the bags down and pulls out what he's managed to find: cloth diapers, an extremely plain but long dress, a bottle, and an assortment of food of various (and not all recognizable) types.]

I didn't think to ask if you've got dietary restrictions, sorry.

[theladyofwinterfell]

I don't think I have any. There's never been anything that makes me sick when I eat it except when I eat too much.

( That, she laughs at, because it's been a long time since she's worried about eating herself sick at anything. It's been a long time since she's feasted at King's Landing and her court tries to avoid anything southern at all. )

Lemons are my favorite, though. I used to stuff my face full of lemoncakes when I was a little girl and would eat them until I was sick.

[kyley_b]

Okay, cool. Not that it's easy to tell anyway. For all we know alien monster milk is fine for people who are lactose intolerant.

[He plunks himself down on a seat at the table.]

Oh man, kids are so dumb that way. Just no sense of moderation at all. In theory adults are better at it, but... yeah.

I'll have to keep an eye out for lemon looking things while we're here, then. I don't think there's any back on Agra but I'm not sure. Have to ask Tommy, I guess, I feel like he's trying to feed the whole city.

[theladyofwinterfell]

Children tend to put anything in their mouths if you let them - even the older ones.

( When Kyle mentions Tommy, Sansa cannot help but smile. Knowing he's still around and still doing his best to help people warms her heart because she'd gotten close to him and has a special friendship. )

You know, Tommy calls me his Aunt. It's complicated, in a way, but I'm close friends with one of his relatives so I fill that role for him. If you think I'm young to be a queen, I might be very young to be an aunt to someone so close to my age.

[kyley_b]

True.

[Uh oh. They're friends. Kyle should definitely not mention that he has frequent strong urges to pummel Tommy into the ground.]

An aunt? Yeah, no way, you guys are practically the same age! It's good you're close, though, I think that's really important in this sort of situation. He's a great guy.

[A pause.]

I kinda wanna smash his stupid perfect teeth out, sometimes.

[Whoops.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa does laugh at that admission, surprised Kyle has even told her considering her revelation. There's something to be said for honesty, she thinks. )

He has a strong personality at times. I'm surprised you don't get along with everyone - we're getting on just fine.

[kyley_b]

He's really great, honestly! I admire all the work he's doing, and he's pretty funny.

[Kyle leans forward slightly, looking from side as if the man himself might materialize out of thin air.]

I think it's because he's from New Jersey. Which is like... a kingdom where everyone is a douchebag.

[theladyofwinterfell]

New Jersey must be like King's Landing. I had enough of that place to burn it to the ground.

( Yes, after multiple stays in the Fleet, Sansa has picked up on modern slang even if she doesn't use it. She understands the flavor of douchebag even if she'd never say it herself. )

Where do you hail from, then, if not New Jersey?

[kyley_b]

Yeah, it's like... not a good place.

[Kyle sighs.]

Well. I was conceived in Jersey. It's a whole thing - we can like, sense our own, and it has bad effects, like it makes us super aggressive.

But I grew up in Colorado, which is like... mountains. There's always snow.

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa smiles at that. Snow, she knows, and Winterfell will always give her happy memories of that. )

There's always snow where I'm from, too. Winterfell is in the North, the capital actually. The first time we went to a place with an ocean and beaches I was blown away.

[kyley_b]

Really? So then you know all about sledding and skating and stuff, right?

Oh man, yeah, it's utterly foreign! The air even smells different! Dude, you get it. Even if your home has castles and mine has trailer parks. I guess nature is relatively consistent across worlds.