Devotion to Duty - Owl and Closed RP - Brienne and Simon, with special guest appearance by Dumbledor

[maid_brienne]

Even Brienne realized the utter futility of keeping a vigil on the popcorn room in case one of the handful of people she wanted to see should emerge from that state of being. Which wasn't to say she wouldn't, if she had to. After all, they were all gone, all those to whom she was bound by duty. Lady Katelyn. Sansa Stark. Ser Jaime Lannister,

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[superfraternal]

Simon Tam had decided he needed to get his bearings

[superfraternal]

"Oh. I'm sorry," said Simon, feeling this was rather an inadequate reply on his part, but not knowing what else to say. "That's got to be rough." Even more inadequate, just digging himself deeper. "I mean, I'm really sorry. We weren't in a war, River and I, just wanted by the interplanetary government. Um. Were you a neutral party in the war?"

[maid_brienne]

Brienne was never able to deal particularly well with sympathy so she just shrugged. "I suppose it makes no matter. All that is home, and I'm... not there anymore. But I don't think I was neutral. There were those I swore oaths to, and sometimes they fought on different sides, but they were all good people, in their own way, and I guess in a situation like the one I was in, the best you can do is try to figure out whatever is right, and how to not break your oaths, and do that, even if it's difficult." Wow, she was being philosophical all of a sudden. That probably would have amused those who knew her.

[superfraternal]

"We call that a conflict of interest," Simon murmured thoughtfully, walking alongside Brienne and trying to imagine the wartorn landscape that had produced the person beside him. "I can't say I ever swore an oath except the Hippocratic Oath, which all doctors take. Primum non nocere: first do no harm. That's the rule. I don't consider myself to have broken it yet, but I may have stretched it a little

[maid_brienne]

"First do no harm." Brienne mulled the words over for a moment, then she nodded. "That seems... much easier said than done. Much like being chivalrous, I suppose. It's a far easier thing to profess to than to actually do." At his question, she frowned, shaking her head. "As far as I know, I am not entirely alone. One of the girls I swore to protect is here, though she seems to hide from the world most of the time and has suffered more grievously than I can even imagine. I do what I can for her, as I should, but I fear that isn't much... And then there's the Imp, but he is no friend. It's small comfort that he isn't an enemy either, I suppose." She knew she was saying too much, and she should really find a safer topic, but, yet again, actually doing so was harder than it should have been. "I apologize, ser," she said. "I shouldn't burden you with my troubles, especially as we've only just met and there isn't anything that can be done for them anyway."

[superfraternal]

Simon realized he might have created a much rosier picture of himself than was deserved or warranted. "It's not like chivalry," he assured Brienne. "The Hippocratic Oath is specific to what I do professionally, as a doctor. I'm afraid in every other aspect of life I'm free to hurt people and say really inadvisable things, and just blunder around in general. My sister's trying to break me of the habit, I suspect." He offered another of his self-deprecating half-smiles. "In terms of how the Oath works, it's actually pretty easy to follow. There are a few people who do become doctors for the money, but most of us really care about the profession or we wouldn't have stuck with it long enough to succeed. We know our job is to heal people, and that's what we want to do. The Hippocratic Oath only codifies what we already would have done

[maid_brienne]

"Well, we are only human," Brienne opined. Then she realized that she didn't even know if Simon was, and hastened to add, "Well, some of us are, anyway. I think we all do our fair share of bumbling. And the comparison still seems appropriate to the knights I've known. I think most of them start out wanting the right things--to protect the people, to serve their king faithfully, that sort of thing. But then life happens, and they... don't, which is a shame because there are those who would gladly swear those oaths and keep them, but they can't, for whatever reason." Such as, for a hypothetical example, they happened to have been born the wrong gender. Not that this was a sore subject at all

[superfraternal]

Ill-used could mean a multiplicity of horrors. Simon winced. "Anything a doctor might be able to help with?"

[maid_brienne]

Brienne shook her head. "The last time I saw her she was fine, physically. At least, she'd get that way if she ate regularly."

[superfraternal]

"Dietary supplements might be a possibility," Simon suggested. "If they exist here, that is. There were nutrient powders and fortified milkshakes we could give to the malnourished, where I was from."

Reserved for the people on the Core planets, who could afford such things, while people starved in the rim worlds.

"I'll probably have my hands full taking care of River, but if there's anything I can do for Arya, please don't hesitate to let me know."

[maid_brienne]

"Thank you," Brienne said with genuine grattitude. "I'll certainly do that." It was a relief to know that Simon seemed like a competent healer, and she probably would see if she could manage to finagle Arya to see him.

At some point in their meanderings, they had reentered the castle and arrived at the library. Brienne left Simon to his work and she headed back to her common room, her mood strangely lightened.