BRAN
Bran literally had the best week ever. The day before his sister, Arya had dragged him to a party he didn't wanna go to, but in hindsight, he was very glad he did.
You'll thank me for dragging you along, Arya had said. And he might have to do just that.
He spent the entire party by Meera's side and it was…wonderful. Meera is super nice and easy-going and she has this confidence and energy that makes everyone around her feel good about themselves. But the real tea is the twinkle in her intense green eyes and her contagious warm smile. Like whenever she smiles, you can't help but smile back.
And he was also very thrilled that Meera agreed to his plan of a week-long movie marathon, and that way it won't be able to interfere with her work and his school stuff on the following days.
Tuesday morning he woke up in the pull-out mattress with a renewed energy and his dog, Summer beaming at him. Summer was literally in his face with his tail wagging playfully. I'm hungry, let's eat, he seemed to say.
"Good morning, buddy," Bran greeted as he stroke Summer's hide.
On the actual bed, his sister Arya was still snoring. But by her feet, Nymeria was already awake and she was also wagging her tail when she saw him get up.
"Hello, Nym." He said as he scratched her chin. "I know you're both hungry. But I need to take a bath and get ready for school. And by then, I'll you guys something to eat. That okay?"
Both Nymeria and Summer barked in excitement. Yes! Food! They seemed to say.
Their barking woke Arya up and she cussed. Nymeria lunged at her and licked her face.
"Alright, I'm up." She said, gently pushed Nymeria out of her face.
"They're hungry." Bran pointed out as he grabbed his bath towel.
"Ya think?" She groggily said as she got up and fixed the bed before heading out of the room, calling out to the dogs. "Come on, guys."
Bran then took a shower to freshen up, put on his clothes before heading downstairs for breakfast.
The two dogs, Summer and Nymeria, were already munching on their feeders. Beren was sitting on one of the barstools by the island counter, holding a glass of milk (which meant he was hangover again), while Arya was cooking breakfast on a pan.
He also noticed that the coffee maker was on the island counter. Hmm, it was typical, because Arya was there and she was the only one who always, always, used the coffee maker. She basically lives off coffee. But what pissed him off was the milk carton next to it.
"Arya," Bran shrieked. "You put milk in the coffee maker? What the fuck?"
Putting milk, whether it being fresh, powdered, or skim, in the coffee maker is a big no-no. That's one of the things the salesman in the supermarket had said when they had bought it. Putting milk will mess up the coffee maker, making the coffee taste and smell bad and unhealthy to drink, and it will be impossible to completely remove the milk residue.
Arya gave him an annoyed look. "No, I'm not fucking stupid." She said. "That will destroy the coffee maker. You think I want that to happen?" She stated, then proceeded to take plates from the cupboards.
"Why is the milk there then?" He asked.
"I only add the milk with the coffee when it's in the mug." She explained. "So calm down, okay?" She said as she went back to cooking.
Bran took a deep breath before speaking again. "So, you're drinking milk again," He said as he sat across Beren by the island counter. "I don't have to guess that you were drunk last night."
Beren shrugged. "Just a little tipsy."
"No, no, no, no, I was tipsy," Arya disagreed, turning to them again. "You were dead arse drunk." She corrected as she pointed the spatula at Beren. "Wex literally had to half-drag, half-carry you up here last night. And you slept on the fucking couch."
"Again?" Bran turned to Beren.
Arya's eyes widened. "Is that a normal thing?"
"Oh, yeah," He said casually. "I've gotten used to it. But it mostly happens on the weekends, not in the middle of the week."
Arya shook her head in disgust. "Seven hells, Beren." She said. "Look, all I can say is, if you want a second date with Talia Forester, get your fucking shit together!"
Beren turned red in embarrassment. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"Oh, don't give me that look," Arya smirked. "I know. Gwyn Whitehill is a journalist, which means she's very much into details. And she's also the girlfriend of Asher Forrester—Talia's brother."
"Okay, I get it." Beren sighed. "Godsdammit!" He cursed under his breath.
"Well," Bran said, trying to lighten up the mood. "At least you didn't break anything, so that's good news." He called out to Arya. "So, sis, what are we having for breakfast?" He asked.
"Eggs in the seven hells." She answered.
"What?" Both Bran and Beren exclaimed in unison.
Arya huffed. "Basically, it's shakshouka."
"Oh, okay." Bran nodded in understanding.
On the other hand, Beren still looked confused. "What the fuck is a shakshouka?" He asked.
"Poached eggs cooked in tomato sauce." Bran clarified. "By the way, where did you get tomato sauce?" He asked.
"There's a half-empty opened pack of tomato sauce in the fridge," Arya replied as turned off the induction stove. "Might as well put it to good used."
"This is the weirdest breakfast menu ever," Bran chuckled. "Coffee with milk and eggs in the seven hells."
Arya placed the dishes on the island counter. "Here you go." She said. "Bon appétit."
And they ate.
"Hmm, this is good." Beren said between bites.
"You don't have to act surprised, Tallhart Number Four." Arya said, matter of factly. "Of course, it's gonna be that good."
"Anyways, when are you going back home to Winterfell?" Bran asked his sister.
Arya narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "You seemed very excited to kick me out of this place." She noticed. "Probably before lunch or after lunch. And the dogs are coming with me."
"No!" He protested. "Summer is staying with me."
"I won't be here anymore." She reminded him. "No one's gonna watch over him."
"You had said it yourself, Arya," Bran insisted. "You bought automatic feeders. And I won't be long in school I'll be home after lunch. I'll just ask Lya to write my name on the attendance sheet in Taxation class."
"Fine," Arya sighed. "I won't leave until you come back."
"Lucky you, man," Beren spoke up. "You get to be home by midday and I get to be out with Kyle Condon and Roose Ryswell and we'll be busting our arses off finishing the final drafts."
"Graduating students were literally given three weeks to finish the final drafts," Bran pointed out. "And you spent the first two weeks drinking and partying."
"I know, it's my fault." His roommate admitted. "Technically, I'm facing the consequences right now. Oh, and I probably won't be home until maybe ten or eleven later at night."
Good, Bran thought. It meant Beren won't be here when Meera will be around. And he couldn't stand having to face his roommate teasing him.
"Alright," Bran agreed. "But if you break anything again, I swear—"
"I won't be out drinking, man." Beren corrected. "I'll be out finishing the final drafts."
Arya frowned. "Hold on," She held her hands in a stop-everything gesture. "break anything again? What the fuck does that mean?"
"Well, you may have noticed the things missing on the console table." Bran said.
"Don't worry, Stark A," Beren assured. "I'll replace everything with new ones."
"No need," Arya said. "I'll handle that. Just get your arses going. And please buy me lunch so I don't have to cook anymore."
As usual, Bran walked to UWH and attended his classes. He had lunch with a few of his classmates in The Burger Lab, a fast-casual restaurant chain with table service. It's one of the two restaurant chains owned by his Mom's family, the Tullys, and a subsidiary of the Tully Foods Corp.
The Burger Lab was also founded by the one who started the Tully family company, Grover Tully, who was a nutritionist himself. Yep, their Mom's family business is in the food industry. Several years after the success of their burger chain, they have developed and opened another restaurant chain, the CARNEval. It is a casual dining/tabletop cooking restaurant whose menu comprises of almost every kind of meat—pork, beef, lamb, wild boar, bison, venison; poultry—chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, pigeon, quail; and fish—salmon, halibut, catfish, sea bass, etc. It's basically a festival of proteins—a meat-lover's dream and a vegan's nightmare. And it was also Bran's favorite restaurant.
When their grandfather, Hoster Tully became CEO of the TFC, he introduced a new subsidiary, the Minisa Food and Beverage, with its brand name, Minisa, after his late wife and their late grandmother, Minisa Tully. It makes use of the Tully family's livestock, poultry, fruit & vegetable plantation by food processing it into canned, frozen, and foods with ingredients added for flavor and texture (sweeteners, spices, oil, color, sauces, dressings, yogurt, and cake mixes). As for the beverages, it mostly, fruit juice boxes and fruit sodas.
Their main competition in the food industry is the Tyrell family of Highgraden, with their fine dining restaurant chain, the High Marshal, their fast-casual pastry and baked goods chain, the Rosebud Cakes & Pastries and their processed food brand, the Golden Rose.
But what both companies don't have in their fruit and vegetable plantations, were berries of any kind, because they only grow in the swamps of the Neck. So in a way, the Reeds unintentionally monopolized the production of a variety of berries in Westeros. And both the Tullys and Tyrells get their supply of berries from the Reeds, alongside Dornish companies for their wineries.
Bran bought home a take-out meal for Arya, two burgers—yes, her appetite is a lot bigger than Bran's; a box of onion rings and two boxes of chicken nuggets for the dogs.
"Here's your lunch." Bran announced as he entered the penthouse.
Arya was on her phone, playing a mobile game with both Summer and Nymeria on either side of her. She dropped the phone when she saw him.
"Oh, thank the gods." She said. "I'm starving. What did you get me?" She asked.
"The Chemical Explosion Burger, of course." He enumerated.
The Chemical Explosion Burger is The Burger Lab's best-selling burger and their all-time favorite as well.
"With extra onions and extra bacon." Bran continued. "There are onion rings with a spicy dip and the chicken nuggets are for the dogs."
Yes, that is Arya's usual order when they go to The Burger Lab. It's literally twice as much as he would order for himself. And sometimes, if she's really hungry, she'd order a Doomsday Combustion Burger, which has two beef patties and twice the amount of the other ingredients like cheese, lettuce, onions, etc.
"Hmm, cool." Arya said, then she took a bite from her burger.
Bran had then fed the chicken nuggets to the dogs, handing a nugget each alternately between Summer and Nymeria.
"So," His sister spoke up. "When are you seeing Meera again?"
He never answered and just stared at her.
"What?" Arya shrugged. "You've been with her all night. Seemed impossible if you hadn't planned a date or something."
"Why does it matter?"
"Why don't you just answer the question rather than evading it?"
Bran sighed and was quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. "Fine, I'll be having dinner with her tonight at the Cornucopia Food Park and I'm taking Summer with me."
"Oooh!" Arya teased. "But why take her to the Cornucopia?"
"Because I promised her that we'll try more of the meats in there." He replied. "And it's cheaper."
"Hmm, meat, you say?" Arya wondered. "Why don't you take her to the CARNEval next time?" She suggested.
"That's the plan." He admitted. "But I don't wanna rush things. I'll just take it slow."
Arya finished her first burger. "By then you can finally put that VIP card to good use."
Bran frowned. "What VIP card?"
"What do you mean 'what VIP card'?" She asked. "It's the ones Uncle Edmure gave us? They're supposed to be a family discount, 50% Off applicable on both the CARNEval and The Burger Lab?"
"I don't have one of those." He pointed out. "And I need one of those."
"Well, obviously, Robb never gave you yours." She said, then took out her wallet from her pocket and pulled out the black VIP card with a golden star in the middle. "Here, you can use my mine." She handed her card to him. "And I'll use yours when I get it from Robb."
Bran took the VIP card from her. "How do you even use this?"
Arya gave him a look like he's an idiot. "Duh! Show it to the server when you pay for the bill." She explained as she started eating her second burger. "And then, boom! It's 50% off. By the way, why is your Webiflex watchlist comprised of all Star Wars movies?" She asked.
He frowned at her. "What do you mean?"
"I turned on the flatscreen after you left earlier and saw that you're still logged on to your Webiflex account." She explained. "We have those movies on DVD."
Bran sighed. "Well, I was hoping to have a movie marathon with Meera."
"With Star Wars?"
"Yes, because she's never watched a single movie of that franchise." He said. "And I'm changing that."
An hour later, his sister, Arya left for Winterfell with her dog, Nymeria. "No sex on the couch." She warned.
"Why the fuck would you even think I'd do that?" He demanded.
"You're doing Webiflex and chill, right?" She said. "I'm not stupid. I know what it means."
"I'm not like that." He insisted. "And we're not gonna do…that."
"You say that now, but we never know what'll happen." Arya said. "And it's probably better if I don't. Now, cheerio!" She said as she shut the door behind her.
It left him in the penthouse with his dog, Summer.
"Well, buddy," He said as he was sitting on the couch, scratching Summer's neck. "It's just you and me. Now, let's get you to a bath."
At the word bath, Summer whined and sprinted out of the couch, hiding somewhere.
"What—come on, bud," Bran stood and went to find him. "You're meeting Meera tonight." He pointed out. "You need to at least, smell good."
Now, Summer actually likes taking a bath. He'll stay still when the water from the telephone shower touches his fur. But just the process of Bran himself having to get Summer to take a bath is challenging. And it literally took him an hour to chase Summer around the penthouse and having to get him into the bathtub.
Obviously, the penthouse isn't equipped with their dogs' bathing essentials, Bran used his own shampoo and conditioner on Summer and used Sansa's old hairdryer to dry him off.
By 4:30pm, Bran texted Meera if it was okay to bring Summer with him to the Northern Herald, and when she replied that it was fine, he had put on a harness leash on Summer and they started walking.
On the streets, he got a mixture of looks from people, mostly it's them being terrified of the idea of a pet wolf. One even asked if it was legal to have a wolf as a pet and Bran just laughed and clarified that Summer isn't a wolf, but a cross-breed between a Flint Husky and a Skagosi Malamute.
Thankfully, the Northern Herald building is pet-friendly, so Bran was able to get inside the lobby with Summer and sat on one of the couches in the lounge.
Bran checked his wristwatch and it displayed 16:58. He had then pulled out his phone and texted Meera that he was already in the lobby.
She replied immediately and it read:
Meera; 16:58
I'll be right down. :)
Moments later, one of the elevators popped opened and Meera was one of the people who got out of it.
Bran stood when he saw her and she waved and smiled in return. But halfway as she walked towards him, some blond guy in a suit who was standing by the reception desk talking to the receptionist earlier, stopped her and seemed to have started a conversation with her.
When Meera finally walked towards him, he could feel the blond guy's glare at him. Bran's best guess is that that guy was Tyrek Lannister.
"Hey." Meera greeted then gave him a quick hug.
"Hi," He said, returning the same hug. "Oh, and this is Summer." He gestured to his dog by rubbing his hide. "Say hi, buddy."
Summer was wagging his tail and was sniffing Meera's feet, prompting her to kneel.
"Hi, Summer." She said as she scratched his neck. "Aww, he's so cute."
As Meera petted Summer, Lyra and Gwyn walked by.
"Oh, what the fuck?" Lyra cussed, making sure she's away from the dog. "Why is that wolf here?"
"S'up, Mormont Number three," Bran acknowledged. "Gwyn. Nice to see you, guys. And Summer's not a wolf, he's a huskamute."
Gwyn knelt beside Meera and started petting Summer. "Aww, you know, for a large dog, you're so adorable."
Lyra looked at her colleagues in disgust.
"Oh, come on, Lyra," Gwyn said. "He seems friendly."
"Maybe this one is," Lyra assumed. "And Robb's, but Rickon's and Arya's? Seven hells, no. Especially the black one."
"Yeah, Shaggy's kind of aggressive." Bran reasoned. "But he's just really protective of Rickon."
Gwyn gaped at him. "You and your brothers and sisters each have a dog?"
"Um, yeah," He confirmed.
"It must be dog heaven in your house."
"Right," Lyra said. "Well, I need to go."
Meera frowned at her. "Since when are you in a hurry going home?"
Lyra sighed. "I promised my Mom that Jory and I will be taking Lya shopping."
Bran blinked. "Lyanna suddenly likes shopping?"
He knew about that because Lyanna was much like Arya in terms of personality, and both of them seemed to live up to their namesake, his Aunt Lyanna. Yep, Maege Mormont named her youngest daughter for her dear friend who had passed. As for Arya, her middle name is Lyanna, after their Dad's late sister. Between Bran and his siblings, only his sisters had middle names. And by middle name, it meant that they have two-worded given names. So their full names are Arya Lyanna Tully-Stark and Sansa Lyarra Tully-Stark—with the Lyarra named after their late grandmother and their Dad's mother.
"She's not a big fan of it." Lyra brought up. "But your graduation's in a week. And Lya needs a dress for the commencements because she's graduating with Latin honors." She said. "Aren't you as well?"
"Um, yeah," Bran nodded.
Bran had been told by his thesis adviser about it. He was very surprised when he found out.
"Holy shit, I guessed it right." Lyra said.
"Really?" Meera beamed at him. "Oh my gods! We are definitely celebrating tonight."
"Well, I'm not really surprised. Lya says you're always top of your classes." Lyra shrugged as she left. "Anyways, I'll see you guys around."
Meera stood and turned to Gwyn. "What about you, Whitehill?" She asked.
"Oh, I'm gonna wait for Asher," Gwyn replied. "And you guys have fun."
Meera had then pulled his hand and led him and Summer to where her car was parked. Bran sat on the shotgun with Summer on his lap.
"He can sit in the back, you know." She suggested as she sat behind the wheel.
"No, it's fine," Bran said, gently patting Summer's sternum. "I'm used to this, trust me. He barely leaves my side, except when I go to the bathroom or when he's eating."
"Alright," Meera said as she started the engines. "So, where to?"
"The Cornucopia," He replied. "Also, I think we should just buy food and have it wrapped because I don't think Summer would behave well with all that food in there."
Meera drove her car towards the food park and they bought what they needed, but the whole time they were there Summer kept restraining from his leash harness and he kept barking excitedly at the sight of food everywhere.
"This is why we're not eating here, buddy." Bran told Summer as they walked from different food stalls to buy food.
"Okay, going back to what Lyra said earlier," Meera spoke up. "Latin honors? I mean, anyone who invents water as fuel should get it."
"I honestly was surprised when I found out about it." He said.
"Which distinction is it?" She asked.
"The highest."
Meera stopped at her tracks and turned to him with wide eyes.
"What?" He asked.
"Summa cum laude?"
"Wait, is that what it is?"
She chuckled. "I thought you were smart."
"Look, I don't really care about awards and all that." Bran admitted. "My main goal is to graduate. That's it."
"Well, congratulations!" Meera playfully punched his arm. "You definitely deserve it."
Bran could feel himself blush. "Thanks."
After buying everything they need, they hopped back into the car and drove for the Aquamarine. At the lobby, Wex Pyke was there, grinning at them.
"Good evening, Mr. Stark," Wex greeted. "Ms. Reed."
And now, Bran was pretty sure it was another news to Robb and Theon.
Just as they arrived at the penthouse, Bran released Summer's harness leash and he ran straight towards the kitchen.
"Um, is he gonna be okay?" Meera asked.
"Yeah, he'll be fine." He assured.
As he and Meera were on their way to the kitchen to transfer what they bought on plates. Summer came back to them and placed his feeder before them. If Summer could talk he's probably saying, You bought food, right? I want food.
Meera chuckled. "Oh my gods, Bran."
"Alright," Bran said as he picked up Summer's feeder. "It's coming."
He placed the feeder on the kitchen's island counter as Meera sat on one of the barstools. Bran took out the fried chicken, which he had specifically bought for Summer since it's his favorite protein, and shredded it to pieces. That way it'll be easier to eat and swallow.
Summer suddenly stood on two paws and had his front paws on the counter, impatiently waiting for his food.
"Hey, paws off the counter," Bran warned. "You'll get your food, don't worry."
Summer obliged and instead sat on the floor, wagging his tail.
"Here, boy," Meera called, and Summer came to her. "Aww, are you hungry from all that walking?" She asked as she raffled his hide.
Summer barked in reply.
"You're always hungry." Bran pointed out.
He had then un-skewered some fruit kebabs that they bought and placed the fruits onto his feeder. The fruit kebab has fresh strawberry, pineapple, kiwi, apple, watermelon, and grape. He obviously didn't include the grapes because it was toxic to dogs.
"Here you go, bud." Bran said as he took the feeder and placed it on the floor.
Summer was barking and jumping out and down in excitement. He munched down on the feeder immediately.
Bran had finally transferred what they bought onto plates and brought them to the living room. He browsed Webiflex and played Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones on the flatscreen.
They ate as they watched the movie with what they had bought earlier: fried chicken, grilled beef tenderloin steaks, and crispy onion rings.
Halfway through the movies, Summer slithered beside Bran like he always did when he's sitting on the couch.
Meera kept asking questions and spoilers. Bran answered her questions, of course, but he was trying hard to avoid answering the spoilers.
But mostly, she was ranting on how the characters kept making stupid decisions throughout the movie.
"What are they doing?" She shrieked. "A Jedi isn't supposed to have…attachments, right? But how did they even get married? I thought it wasn't legit in the Jedi Order."
"It isn't." He confirmed. "It's forbidden, they can get expelled from doing so."
"But why did Obi-Wan let that happened?" She asked. "Is he turning a blind-eye because Anakin's his padawan?"
"No," He explained. "He doesn't even know about them."
"Well, shit's about to go down in Episode III, am I right?"
"Oh, yeah," Bran said. "It's definitely gonna bite them in the end."
It was around nine in the evening when the movie ended, Bran walked Meera to her car parked in one of the visitors' parking slots.
She started the engines and rolled down her driver's car window. "I'll see you tomorrow for Episode III?"
"Of course," He smiled. "And I'm still picking you up with Summer. And maybe I can cook dinner for us tomorrow."
"Really?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, I got some tricks up my sleeve." He said. "There a lot of things I can do in that kitchen."
"Alright, then," She agreed. "But by Thursday, I want it to be my treat at The Burger Lab."
Bran's face lit up. "Seven hells, yeah." He said. "It's so on."
"Great!" Meera beamed. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Bran."
"Goodnight." He waved as she drove off.
. . .
By Wednesday, Bran went to school and got home by three in the afternoon. And that's when he started cooking.
He wanted to impress Meera with his cooking and at the same time, he also wanted to make her enjoy and love the food he's making.
Bran made his Mom's recipe of his favorite rice meal, Bibimbap. It comprised of rice, ground beef, sautéed vegetables, mushrooms, bean sprouts, soy sauce with a sunny-side egg on top—all in a bowl.
So by four-thirty, Bran started heading to the Northern Herald with Summer. And it was also the day when he had personally met Tyrek Lannister.
He was waiting at the lobby for Meera and as she walked towards him, she was interrupted again by the blond guy.
"Hey, Meera," Tyrek said, who was all smiles. "Why don't you introduce me to your…friend here." He said the word friend like it was an insult. And the tone of his voice sound annoyed.
Summer was snarling at Tyrek, who was trying to hide the fact that the dog's growl terrified him.
"Oh, this is Brandon Stark." Meera gestured to Bran, then motioned his head towards Tyrek. "Bran, this is my boss, Tyrek Lannister."
"Managing Editor." Tyrek pointed out as he held out his hand for a shake.
Bran reluctantly shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, sir." He said politely.
"Likewise," Tyrek raised an eyebrow at him. "So, you're a Stark?" He turned back to Meera. "Didn't you do an article about him?"
"Yes, I did." She confirmed. "It was published in the Monday issue."
Tyrek narrowed his eyes at Bran like he was trying to find a flaw in him. "You're still in college, right?"
"Um, yes, I—" He started to say.
"He's graduating next week," Meera interjected. "From the University of White Harbor, with Latin honors." She blurted out.
"Wow," Tyrek said in astonishment, with a hint of resentment in his voice. "That is so…cool."
Meera cleared her throat. "Anyways, we need to go." She said. "We have somewhere else to go."
"Alright," He gave a half-hearted smile. "I'm sorry for keeping you from where you're going."
"Have a nice day, sir." Meera waved at him before pulling Bran with her out the building.
"Is he always like that?" Bran asked as they got into Meera's car.
"When he sees someone as a threat?" She guessed. "Oh, yeah. I've seen him be cocky to some guys under him, and a few months later, they asked to be transferred to a different department because they can't stand him."
"So, he sees me as a threat?" He said, still not believing it.
"He's more cocky than usual," She pointed out as she started the engines. "So, I would guess so."
They arrived at the Aquamarine and they sat on the couch, gave her the bowl of Bibimbap he had cooked earlier before searching the movie, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on Webiflex.
"Ooh!" Meera said at the sight of the bowl Bran had given her. "What is this?"
"It's my take on my Mom's bibimbap." He informed. "Hope you like it."
She mixed the contents on the bowl before tasting a spoonful. "Oh. My. Gods." Meera gasped. "This is amazing!"
"Really?"
"Yeah," She said before taking another spoonful. "I could eat this all day."
Bran had then played the movie.
"The movie poster itself is giving me bad vibes," Meera brought up. "I feel like something bad's about to happen."
"Why do you think so?" He asked.
"The background speaks for itself." She said. "Lava is never a good thing in movies. I'm just saying."
"Well, then," He shrugged and grabbed his bowl of bibimbap. "You better brace yourself."
"Seven hells, I knew it!" She screamed. "Someone is gonna die, right?"
"Um—I'm not saying anything more." Bran insisted. "Let's just watch the movie."
"I told you, I don't care about spoilers." She reminded him.
"Trust me, you'll want to find out for yourself." He promised.
They finished their bibimbap halfway through the movie. Luckily, Bran cooked had enough to fill two more bowls, so he had just refilled the ones they emptied.
Also, Bran loved watching Meera's reactions at the movie's most intense scenes. She was literally at the edge of the seat, gripping his arm for assurance. It was adorable to watch her. And some of her reactions that he highlighted were:
"She's pregnant? I knew it would lead to something.";
"Palpatine is the sith lord?!";
"How can they call themselves a Jedi master when they get killed by a single swing of a lightsaber?";
"Obviously, you can't mess with the guy who owns a purple lightsaber—OH GODS!";
"What in seven hells is Order 66?—HOLY SHIT!";
"How can the clones kill their Jedi Generals without question?";
"Oh, it's a lava planet, of course.";
"Nope, Anakin's too far gone and—OH MY GODS! HE'S AMPUTATED AND HE'S ON FIRE!";
"Premature birth—not a surprise. Everything that happened is very stressful." and lastly;
"Ooh, Twins! Separating them? Of course, so their Dad wouldn't sense their presence."
After they finished the movie, Bran turned to her as Summer transferred to her lap, trying to calm her down.
"Well, how was it?" He asked.
"I'm still in shock." She replied. "It's insane and a total tragedy. And it definitely fucked me up. And you know the weird thing is, that they destroyed a government system and wiped out a peaceful organization all because of their family drama."
"So, it's Keeping Up with the…Skywalkers?"
Meera chuckled. "Yeah, kinda like that." She said. "But you know, that fade out at the end gives me hope. I think the twins are gonna set things right."
"Well, there's a reason Episode IV is entitled, A New Hope." He hinted.
"Ooh, yay!" She squealed. "Now, I'm excited."
. . .
By Thursday, Bran went to the Northern Herald again as promised. Tyrek was obviously pissed off, but he was being subtle about it. And he was smart enough to not be standing too close to Summer or the dog might as well chew off his leg.
"Brandon, you're here again?" Tyrek pointed out, which Bran thought was ridiculous for a greeting. "Is this becoming a regular thing?" He asked.
"Um, I don't think so, no."
Tyrek nodded. "Good, because I don't want one of the best journalists here getting distracted by…hmm, whatever."
"I don't think Meera would want that to happen as well."
Tyrek narrowed his eyes at him. "So, what's your deal with Meera, then?"
Oh, there's the question. He thought. And by then Bran could see his inner Lannister cockiness shine through. And it's the same way Joffrey Baratheon dealt with almost everyone.
"We're good friends." He explained.
Tyrek raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?" He asked. "Just…friends?"
"Were you hoping for something more from us?"
"Oh, no," Tyrek admitted and almost sighed in relief. "Being friends is good. And I prefer it that way."
Bran wanted to answer back but the fact that Summer was already growling at Tyrek seemed enough to scare the living daylights off Mr. Pride and Ego. And Meera had just gotten off from the elevator, astonished by what she had seen.
"Hey," Meera came to hug Bran, which caused him to get another glare from Tyrek.
"Hi," Bran greeted. "So, are we good? Should we go?" He asked, desperately wanting to get out of Tyrek's line of sight before he invites himself wherever they were going.
"Um, yeah, sure." She replied, then nodded at Tyrek. "Have a nice day, sir."
Once he and Meera got out of the building, Bran sighed in relief.
"Seriously, how are you even able to stand that guy?" He asked.
"My patience is getting thinner by the day, honestly." She admitted. "Did something happen? Did he do something to you?"
"Well, he asked what I was doing here again." He recalled. "And he was subtlety pissed asking me that question."
Meera huffed. "I'm so sorry about that."
"Why are you apologizing?" He said. "It's not your fault."
"He wouldn't have interrogated you if not for me."
"Let's just forget about it." Bran decided. "And get ourselves some burgers from The Burger Lab."
"Yes! Now, we're talking." She squealed.
Bran looked around the parking spaces. "Where's your car?" He asked.
"Oh, about that," Meera said. "I sort of learned a thing or two from you about walking rather than driving. So I walked to work today. And you're right, it gave me a good exercise, I saved energy and lessened the carbon footprint."
"And you also saved gas money." He added.
"I should do this more often." She declared. "And also if it's okay with you, I'd like to walk Summer."
"Of course," Bran agreed. "He already likes you so it won't be a problem." He knelt down and gently scratched Summer's neck. "Are okay with that, bud? Meera gets to walk you today?"
Summer barked in excitement and beamed at Meera, wagging his tail.
"I'm guessing that's a yes?" She asked.
Summer nuzzled his snout at her leg, whining happily.
"Definitely a yes," Bran confirmed, handling Meera the leash connected to Summer's harness. "Now let's head to The Burger Lab."
The nearest The Burger Lab branch was only several blocks away from The Northern Herald's building.
Halfway to their destination, they passed a small flower shop who had just been delivered fresh flowers from the Reach.
"Those fresh flowers smell good." He spoke up.
"Fresh flowers always smell good." She said. "Everyone knows that."
Bran frowned at her. "You don't like flowers?" He asked.
"No, I do," She argued. "It's just…honestly, I don't know what to do with them when someone gives me flowers. I'd probably give it to my brother, so he can graft it. You know him and his plant stuff."
"What kind of flowers do you like?"
Meera raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you gonna buy me flowers?"
"Well, I mean—if you tell me your favorite, then maybe."
Meera chuckled. "I doubt that." She said. "There aren't exactly stocks on the market since we're going into summer. It's kind of a seasonal flower and they're only picked during the winter season."
"Oh, I think I have an idea," Bran guessed. "Your favorite is the winter rose, right?"
"Yeah," She confirmed. "But you won't find any winter roses now, so don't bother."
There aren't exactly stocks on the market since we're going into summer, Meera had said. But Bran likes to think she's wrong.
Back home in Winterfell, in the Stark Estate, they have a conservatory which is several yards from Stark Manor's west wing. It's technically a large greenhouse that conserves fruit-bearing plants and flowers, especially during the winter season.
The conservatory is the reason why they don't go to the supermarket for fresh produce, as they're basically growing their stocks.
And in that glass conservatory, they have blue winter roses, ones that were planted by their father's sister, their Aunt Lyanna. Their dad even had those roses labeled, Lyanna's Winter Roses.
Their Aunt Lyanna had died in a car accident when their cousin Jon was only about six months old. And it's the same accident where Jon got the long scar on his face that ran from his forehead down beside his right eye. They've never really known how or what caused the accident, all they knew was that paramedics found Lyanna Stark wounded and barely breathing clutching a crying baby Jon in her arms.
Anyways, now that Meera had mentioned her fondness for the winter roses, Bran already had a plan in his head. He's gonna have some picked from the conservatory to give to her. But how? He obviously will need help from another person, and of course, it will be his sister, Arya.
Maybe there aren't available on the market, but I'll find some. He promised himself.
They arrived at the nearest The Burger Lab branch and it was starting to get packed with people because it was dinner service. Bran ordered his usual, the Chemical Explosion Burger with extra bacon with onion rings with spicy dip sauce on the side, and a small box of chicken nuggets for Summer. Meera's order was the Doomsday Combustion Burger, which has two beef patties and twice the amount of the other ingredients like cheese, lettuce, onions, etc., with French fries with a jalapenos ranch dip on the side. She also ordered a take-out for her brother Jojen, the Shroom Eruption Burger—which is one of the vegan burger options. It mostly consists of mushrooms namely: Portobello, Shiitake and Enokitake mushrooms, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and sliced tomatoes, with coleslaw on the side.
Looking at it, Meera's large appetite is much like his sister, Arya's. They eat a lot but never get fat—thanks to their fast metabolism.
When it was time to pay the bill, Bran handed her the VIP card Arya had given him two days ago, much to the server and Meera's surprise.
"Those VIP cards are limited edition," Meera informed. "It gives you a 50% discount. Where did you get one?" She asked.
Bran shrugged. "It was a gift from my Uncle Edmure."
"Only thirty of those are made." She added. "And they don't even expire."
"Seven hells, there are a lot of things I didn't know about this VIP card." He pointed out. "All I know is it's supposed to give a family discount to me and my siblings."
"Family discounts, huh?" Meera repeated. "The Burger Lab and the CARNEval are chains owned by the Tullys of the Riverlands. Are you related to them?"
"My Mom's a Tully." He blurted out. "The CEO of the company is her brother."
Meera gasped. "Oh my gods." She said with wide eyes. "They are like the richest family in the Riverlands. And they get their supply of berries from us." She sighed. "I know you hate this kind of thing being brought up and I'm sorry. I'm just…overwhelmed."
Yep, he hated it. Big time. But Bran decided to just ignore it being brought up for Meera's sake.
"It's okay." He assured. "Let's just get to my place and watch the movie."
When they got to the penthouse in the Aquamarine, Bran was surprised to see his roommate, Beren Tallhart sitting on one of the barstools in the kitchen's island counter having a box of pizza and a liter of fruit soda to himself.
He didn't expect to see Beren at the penthouse that early because for the past two days he had barely seen him as he was out finishing the final drafts of his thesis with his group mates and he arrived home very late at night.
"Oh, hey, man." Beren greeted as he took a slice of pizza from the box, then his eyes widened and he nearly choked his pizza when he saw Meera with him. "Hi, Meera."
Meera smiled. "Hello, Beren."
Bran frowned at him. "You're early." He noticed.
"We finished the final drafts earlier, had it bound and we're good to go!" Beren explained. "All we need to do is submit it tomorrow." He held the box of pizza before them. "Pizza anyone?"
"We just ate." He pointed out.
"Oh, okay, then," Beren said as he got up from his seat. "I'll just take this up to my room and not interrupt your date."
"Dude, it's not a—" He started to say.
"Yes, it is," Beren interjected as he made his way upstairs. "Just pretend I'm not here."
And with that, Bran browsed Webiflex for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. They sat on the couch and watched the movie.
"The twins are gonna save the galaxy." Meera declared. "I'm certain. And maybe, just maybe they can save their Dad from the dark side."
Since Meera didn't have her car, Bran drove her back to her flat complex and promised her that they'll be eating at the CARNEval tomorrow night before watching Episode V.
When he got home, Bran set his plan on the winter roses to action. He pulled out his phone, searched his sister, Arya's number and called her.
"What up, Little Bro!" Arya answered from the other line. "Talk to me."
"Arya, I need a favor."
"What kind of favor?" She asked.
"Just hear me out." He insisted.
"Alright, shoot." His sister waited. "I'm listening."
"Okay, so…um, I found out that Meera's favorite flowers are the winter roses. And we just happened to have those in the conservatory—"
"Let me guess," She interrupted. "You want me to pluck a few from Aunt Lyanna's roses and tie 'em up in a pretty bow so you can give it to her?"
"Um…please." He pleaded.
"Whoa, whoa!" Rickon's voice boomed from the other line. "Who is this Meera person, Bran? Is that your girlfriend?"
"Holy shit," Bran shrieked in panic. "Is this call on speaker? What the fuck, Arya?!"
"Hey, I'm in the kitchen preparing my midnight snack," Arya explained. "I can't be holding my phone while I'm kneading the dough with my hands." She pointed out. "And Rickon just came by to the fridge and drank milk out of the carton."
"Oh, gods." He said in a small voice.
"Hey, you never answered my question, Bran." Rickon said, his voice louder. "Who's Meera? Is she your girlfriend?"
"No!" He screamed. "Of course, not."
"Then why are you giving her flowers, huh?" Rickon asked. "And those winter roses belong to Aunt Lyanna."
"I know, but it won't hurt if you pick a few," Bran said.
"And by 'a few', you mean, how many?" Arya asked.
"Maybe three…or five." He suggested. "Just, Rickon, please do not tell anyone. Not Mom or Dad or Robb or Jon or Sansa or any of the staff."
"Don't you trust me, Bran?" Rickon asked, his voice a little hurt.
"No, because you have a big mouth."
"Ouch," Arya chuckled. "Apply cold water to the burnt area, baby bro."
"No, I don't!" Rickon insisted.
"Oh, really?" Bran said. "Who told Mom and Dad that Robb, Jon, and Theon broke one of the glass panels on the conservatory with a golf ball? You did. Who told them that Robb was engaged before he was supposed to tell them? You did." He continued. "Also, who told them that Arya wrapped Sansa's phone in cling wrap, dipped it into gelatin and left it in the fridge overnight? You did."
"I think Bran's gotta point, you know." Their sister agreed. "You do have a big mouth."
"I'm sorry, okay?" Rickon apologized. "Sometimes, I get too excited and forget."
Bran made a tsk sound. "I'm not buying it."
"You can take away my Xbox for two weeks." Rickon bargained.
"Two months."
There was silence for a few seconds before Rickon finally answered. "Fine," He agreed. "And also, I need you to help me process my documents at the University of White Harbor."
"Of course, bro," Bran promised. "I can even help fix your class schedule and put you under some of my favorite professors."
"And how are you gonna do that?" Arya wondered.
"I'm summa cum laude," He assured. "The profs will agree."
"Hold up! What?" His sister gasped. "Dude, rewind and freeze."
Rickon beat Arya into asking the question. "You have the Latin honors? Like Sansa?"
That was true. Among his siblings, only Sansa had graduated with great distinction or magna cum laude in Finance.
"Um, yeah." He confirmed. "I found out, like last Tuesday."
"OH MY GODS!" Arya squealed. "I was in White Harbor last Tuesday. Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"
"I sort of forgot about that." He explained.
"Well, congrats, bro!" Rickon said.
"Thanks." Bran acknowledged. "Now, back to the flowers."
"Oh, don't sweat," His sister assured. "I'll be on it. By the way, when will you need it?" She asked.
"Tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay, guess I'm going to White Harbor again." She sighed. "I'll see you then. But now, I have to get back to kneading the dough."
"Kneading?" Bran repeated. "What kind of midnight snack are you doing?" He asked.
"I'm making pizza," She explained. "Because I found some mozzarella and salami in the pantry today."
"Ooh, now that you've mentioned it," Rickon said. "I think I'm sticking around and wait for it to be cooked."
"Fuck off, baby bro!" She complained. "Go back to bed."
"But I want pizza." Rickon said in his baby brother tone of voice. And it's basically everyone in the family's weakness, especially Sansa.
"Okay, I'm just gonna leave you both to your pizza." Bran said. "Goodnight." Then he hung up the phone.