(no subject)
Robb lies on Johnny's bed, curled on his side, one arm draped around Grey Wind's neck. The wolf had been annoyed with him for a minute, because he'd pulled a little too hard at the fur of his ruff, but it didn't take a partly-empathic direwolf to figure out something was bothering Robb that would be helped best by snuggling against something silent, nonjudgemental, and furry.
He's not even sure exactly what he's upset about, other than the embarrassment of having been first rejected and then talked to like a child. The first by itself, he thinks, would have been all right, but he's still stinging with the shame of having to sit there and make a whole discussion out of why he'd done something terrible--and he still doesn't understand why it was so bad, though he's certainly not inclined to try it again anytime soon. And Johnny's explanation, rather than helping matters, just made him feel trapped and confused until the only thing he could do was run away. And even that reprieve will be over soon.
Of course, as he'd hoped, the longer he lies there, the less upset he is, the more the frustration and humiliation fade. He just needed to let it pass, sort out how he felt about it, and not feel quite so put on the spot to defend himself. (What he's come up with: He still disagrees that anything he'd been about to do was going to lead to the destruction of innocence. He'd been trying to be adventurous and playful, however, which is not something that comes naturally and resulted in disaster, so he won't make the attempt again. He is still confused about what he did wrong and wants to ask Johnny about it again, but not until later when he thinks he can deal with the answer. He will protest all and any attempts to call him too young for anything, and he thinks he hates the Yankees.)
And inexplicably, he feels better, and yet somehow still quite wretched. Grey Wind nudges Robb with his head, his tail whisking against one leg, as he hears the floor's remaining other occupant approaching.
He's not even sure exactly what he's upset about, other than the embarrassment of having been first rejected and then talked to like a child. The first by itself, he thinks, would have been all right, but he's still stinging with the shame of having to sit there and make a whole discussion out of why he'd done something terrible--and he still doesn't understand why it was so bad, though he's certainly not inclined to try it again anytime soon. And Johnny's explanation, rather than helping matters, just made him feel trapped and confused until the only thing he could do was run away. And even that reprieve will be over soon.
Of course, as he'd hoped, the longer he lies there, the less upset he is, the more the frustration and humiliation fade. He just needed to let it pass, sort out how he felt about it, and not feel quite so put on the spot to defend himself. (What he's come up with: He still disagrees that anything he'd been about to do was going to lead to the destruction of innocence. He'd been trying to be adventurous and playful, however, which is not something that comes naturally and resulted in disaster, so he won't make the attempt again. He is still confused about what he did wrong and wants to ask Johnny about it again, but not until later when he thinks he can deal with the answer. He will protest all and any attempts to call him too young for anything, and he thinks he hates the Yankees.)
And inexplicably, he feels better, and yet somehow still quite wretched. Grey Wind nudges Robb with his head, his tail whisking against one leg, as he hears the floor's remaining other occupant approaching.