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[ Luna Lovegood is perhaps the best she's looked in months. Despite the exhausted look about her, and the expression of queasiness — she's void of any trace of Corruption. She's been spending the past several days sleeping, and not sleeping; trying to calm her stomach from the copious amounts of wild animals she'd devoured as a beast. While sustenance for her in Beastform, her stomach now she's human again is... far more delicate. But the worst of it has passed, at least. And Peter has been a blessing for her, making sure she's alright — even if eating has been a little bit of a struggle.

She sits in her room, sat on her bed with her knees curled up to her chest, still dressed in pyjamas. Her Omni rests on her bedside as she begins the broadcast. She's anxious; her brow drawn down in a sorrowful frown. It's important, though. People deserve apologies, even she deserves no luxury of apology in return. She hurt people, quite a lot — and while the memories of the latter half of April are foggy at best, she knows she's done some terrible things. ]

I realise a great deal of people may be very upset with me right now. I would have done this sooner, but I... needed a little bit of time to sort out my mind. [ She's still trying to do that, but it's now or never. ]

I remember the butterflies, and then... it gets a bit mixed up after that. [ It was like... falling down a very, very deep hole. Slowly slipping away from herself, and into something cold and dark and twisted. ]

I'm sorry. I know I hurt a lot of people, I know I— I think I killed people, too. I know I wasn't myself, I became someone terrible and then something terrible. A monstrous Beast. [ It hurts to refer herself as that. No beast is monstrous. But she did monstrous things. That is... simply how it is, and she's ashamed of herself. ] I know people might think it isn't my fault, that I became a Beast — but I still did those things. I barely even know who I did them to, I don't remember much.

But I'm very sorry.

[ She doesn't expect forgiveness, not at all. She's alright with that. Luna's quiet for a long tome, just leaving the apology there. But after a while, she inhales and continues. ]

I was lucky. My friends found me, my boyfriend found me. They brought me back. They knew who I was even though I was a Beast. I can only guess others haven't and won't be so fortunate. [ How many times have Sleepers been killed as Beasts? How many will be in future? ]

I've been doing some thinking, the past couple of days. How to... maybe help Sleepers, somehow. Back home, someone very important to me, a hero to me really, led the way in the study of magical beasts — he's one of the greatest Magizoologists known to Wizardkind. He offered a great deal of insight into beast behaviours, abilities and how best to care for them — compiled it into a textbook.

I'd... like to start doing something like that, but for Sleepers in their Beastforms. I want to do it as my area of study at the School of Mutter. An encyclopaedia of Sleepers' forms of Beasthood, noting their appearance, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. But also how best to help them, calm them down. Bring them back.

[ She doesn't want it to mean it's how to kill them. No, no. Not at all. It's how best to help Sleepers, so they don't have to be killed. But also knowing how best to deal with them, so other Sleepers don't end up getting killed when dealing with Beasts. Merlin knows how many Witches and Wizards were likely killed by magical creatures they had no clue on how to handle them. Wild animals are just that, they can kill. ]

I could have very easily met death at the hands of a Hunter, but I was lucky I didn't. Knowledge is a very powerful tool, and I believe it could do a great deal of good. [ That being said: ] If people have information they'd like to share about their Beastforms, or how they've dealt with bringing Sleepers back — I would like to hear it for my research.

If you'd rather speak in person, you may find me at Ritual Gig in Willful Machine. [ There's a little pause, her voice wobbling slightly. ] You... may have known it as John Constantine's shop, but moving forward I shall be taking up the reins in his absence.

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Quite a terrible betrayal, I should think. [ Luna's... woeful over that. Her brow pinches together softly for a moment. And a terrible irony, too: ] I do love magical creatures very much. And yet here is one that was my downfall.

[ She is.. not upset with them, though. The butterflies simply are what they are. Luna could hardly blame them, really. ]

I would very much appreciate that, and I'll keep it in mind. I suppose everything all got on top of me the last few months, and the butterflies simply pushed me what I had still to fall. [ She sighs. ] At least I'm much better now, though. Coming back from Beasthood has reset me.

I... don't believe I've heard of a weirwood—?

Oh!

[sansa turns her omni to face a tree growing out of her sitting room. her white raven omen nestles in it, and small black batkitten appears to be clinging to one of the branches. when she turns her omni back, lady is in the frame with her, wearing an embroidered collar matched to sansa's fashionable charcoal dress.]

They only grow in Westeros, I think. The Moss King summoned this one, before I came here.

[in fact she moved in to protect it. also it just seemed like a sign. she pets lady absently.]

If it makes you feel any better, killing the butterflies was even worse. It's always safest to leave wild creatures alone. It's hard when they come into the city.

[she looks down at lady.]

Lady helped me not to look at them. She was good at knocking them away, too. They only seemed to feed on people...

[she thinks about allen, saying hope was uniquely human. perhaps...it was tied to whatever made a creature a person, in some way.]

It would be well if you could find a friend like that.

[presumably there were direwolves around here somewhere, but wolves have their own families. it was only chance that her brothers found a litter in need of care. she will have lady look, in any case, but perhaps a good friend might be found elsewhere.]

How curious—! [ What a wonderful tree! It looks somewhat like a kind of Sycamore, but she's certainly not seen one like this before — and with leaves of red! ] It's quite beautiful—! It does happen from time to time, plants from other worlds growing here. I've found ones from my world grow here sometimes. It's comforting, having pieces of home.

[ Not to mention extremely helpful, so Luna can collect them and use them for her potions. There's a lot of things that seem universal, but some ingredients are quite exclusive to her world. But there's lots of things to note here: Luna notices the very familiar wolf in the frame. Ah, she was wondering who was her owner! ]

Oh, you're the owner of her—! I remember her, we've met. She's lovely. [ Luna smiles faintly, pleased for helping the her battle the butterflies away so others would be kept safe. Lady is a very good girl.

There's a pause: a friend like that. She need say no more, Luna does indeed have a friend like that. The problem being Helga wasn't around at the time, unfortunately. ]

I do, actually. One moment. [ She needs to... find where she is. Luna heads out of her room and heads downstairs, where she'll find the animal asleep upon the floor, close to a rabbit hutch. Helga is in-fact a kind of... huge wolf-dog. She looks much like a Husky, but is far larger and has a few... abilities. ]

This is Helga, she's named after one of the founders of one of the four houses at my old school. She came from the Dream.

[sansa laughs in delight to see another...well, not quite a direwolf, but she does rather look like lady (half-grown as she is). lady howls a brief greeting.]

Oh, she's lovely too!

[she addresses the dog:]

It's good to meet you, Helga.

[and then back to luna:]

You might like to keep her with you when you go out--Lady goes everywhere with me, and everyone has been so kind.

[of course lady is extraordinarily well-behaved, and sansa rather depends on their shared senses to navigate a world where not everything is as it seems, to palebloods especially.]

I haven't been here for very long, and I wasn't in the world before, but it does seem to me that it's safer to have someone with us.

[she pets lady's head again. lady huffs happily.]

[ Helga is a very sweet girl, and Luna's very fond of her. She was left in her care since Newt disappeared back in Deerington and she's been Luna's ever since. There's a little shift from her snoozing, her tail wagging a little at being addressed. Luna reaches to scratch behind her ear. ]

I... suppose I'm a bit worried something may happen to her, having her out with me. I inherited her from someone very dear to me, and I could never forgive myself if something happened to her.

[ Helga's well-behaved enough, but she's very protective — which can... possibly lead to unfortunate consequences. ]

Helga's... kind of magical, too. She understands Human speech, and certainly hardier than any usual sled-dog. But she— when she bites people, it's not just an ordinary bite. It will slowly drive a person to madness, they forget to eat or drink — it would be kinder if the bite killed them instantly.

[ Luna purses her lips slightly, her fingers pausing from their ear scritching. Helga whines softly, why no pet? why scritches stop!! ]

... I suppose I have to be responsible with her in that respect. Magical creatures should be treated with respect, but also handled responsibly too.

[sansa's mouth twists. she feels very protective over lady--that's why she rarely lets her out of her sight. after what happened in westeros, she believes she must make sure lady is never seen as a threat to anyone. she pets lady absently as she speaks.]

I understand. Lady was hurt by people who were frightened of her, before. That's why I always keep her near me and out of harm's way. I try not let her get caught up in a situation where she'd have to bite someone, or even bite something in front of someone, if I can help it. Some people think she protects me, but really I'm protecting her from other people. But she's clever, like your Helga, and she understands--not words, so much, as their meaning. She can sense danger, and strange things, better than any human. I suppose she's magical too, in her own way.

[her brow furrows in concentration as she tries to put some of her mostly deeply held beliefs into words. lady nudges sansa's cheek with her nose, encouragingly.]

I think--anyone, with any creature, has to be careful. And I think everyone, and all creatures, should be treated with respect. But I think that means, for people and hounds especially, looking after one another, and knowing what she wants, and what she needs, and trying to balance the two. If we stop looking after one another--I think that's how people become corrupt, truly. The worst monsters I ever knew didn't look like beasts at all.

[the white walkers in her strange dream don't count. she draws a breath.]

It is hard, to be responsible all the time, but it's the best way I know to stay safe, and to stay ourselves. And if you're already being responsible for a hound, then you won't ever be careless by mistake. And I think, perhaps, she'll want to be responsible for you too.

I'm sorry she was hurt by people. That's horrible, truly. [ Maybe this is what it was like long before Newt wrote his book, before he tried to educated people about magical creatures. ] Creatures are so misunderstood, they don't really want to hurt people. Or if they do, it's only the manner of their nature when they're threatened or mistreated. They can't be blamed for that.

[ She's quiet for a while as she listens, her brow furrowing slightly as the does. The hand in Helga's fur pauses in its petting and she stills, moving to sit down on the floor next to the animal. Helga's quite happy with this arrangement, settling down once more.

The girl speaks a great deal of truths, and Luna's thoughtful for a long moment. In ways it's like being responsible for Paimon too. She doesn't keep him hidden away, does she? And she knows he wants to be responsible for her too, much like she is for him. There's a slow nod after a while. ]

You're quite wise. You know that, right? [ She purses her lips slightly. ] I imagine there was some difficult lessons learned with that. A person has to be unsafe in order to learn how best to stay safe.

[sansa nods and listens, a small, sad, wistful smile on her face. it's bittersweet, and affirming, to hear this girl speak of creatures the way her father had always done.

in fact the wolves were even more blameless than that; lady hadn't done anything, and nymeria was acting responsibly. sansa wonders sometimes if she could have saved them by telling the truth, or a better lie, but she thinks cersei and joffrey would have only found a reason to kill them anyway. lady lays her head in sansa's lap with a quiet whine. sansa pets it, gently.

but she can't help laughing when luna calls her wise. she thinks, absurdly, of lady olenna reflecting on the wisdom of loras. sansa is very good at staying alive, but she doesn't know if that makes her wise.]

I don't know that I'm wise, but I know what it is to survive. [she pauses.] It's not what people think. Your compassion will serve you well, and I thank you for it. My lessons came dear, but they've served me well in this place, and if I can pass them on to the people here, so that we all might do better, then at least something good will have come of it.

[she pauses again, smiling.]

You and Helga are welcome at the Rookery. I'm afraid I know little of beasts, but my friend Ser Allen might know more, he can cleanse them with his powers. And I think Lord Viktor does research on corruption; you might like to speak with both of them.

Successful survival means a kind of wisdom, I think. [ Sansa can laugh, but she doesn't very much believe it. There's a small shrug. ] Being clever is a very useful skill, I mean... foolish people end up dying sometimes, don't they?

[ She nods in agreement, though. They're often hard lessons learned, and there's also definitely people who could benefit from the advice, it's true. But she's leave it there, not wanting to press the girl too much about it all. Not when she's a stranger. ]

Thank you, that's very kind of you.

I've heard of Viktor, I'm going to make a plan of going to see him in Willful Machine sometime soon. [ Considering research on Paleblood being used to reach Beasts is something she is particularly keen on looking into for the sake of her book. ]

But I don't know about this Allen...? He's able to return Sleepers from Beasthood..? Is this his blood abilities, or a power he had before he came here?

[sansa nods and smiles when she mentions allen.]

He can cleanse corruption with his powers from home. He had something similar to beasts in his world, I think, and he has magic that lets him save them, in a way. He's able to use this magic to save any beasts, even if they weren't Sleepers before. I'm sure he could explain it much better than I can. I'll tell him to talk to you, the next time I see him.

[she hasn't heard from him in about a week, which isn't very usual, but she thinks he must only be having fun with his new dragon...]

How extraordinary. [ What a curious gift, and how helpful too! Something like that is very much needed in somewhere like Trench. ] Although I do find it a shame that he must have something similar to Beasthood back home, that's awful.

I should definitely like to speak to him, yes. I'm curious to know how this magic works.

[ She's always happy to learn about other kinds of magic, really. ]

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