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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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Unfortunately not, no. Corruption and Beasthood comes to us all, it's very much part of life here — like one might go to school, or work. It just... is. [ Maybe this is their punishment for killing Sodder. The Waking World in a world steeped in blood, the world of the Pthumerians. She always did struggle with those parts of herself. ]

That's my plan. Killing Beasts is the... most straight forward way to bring people back, but if we can avoid that. [ Even if death isn't permanent here, it would mean avoiding death. ]

The good news is that you can... kind of exist with Corruption without it going so terribly wrong. I had already been dealing with the effects for over a month before the butterflies tipped me over. But there are ways to deal with Corruption, at least. It's a little easier to deal with compared to treating Beasthood.

[Ooooh this was a mistake. This is what he gets for trying to consciously know things.]

I'm -- I'm sorry, are you saying -- if someone dies they come back?

[He feels like there's so much here he has to play catch up with. None of the rules are the same and also all of them are abjectly terrifying. Nobody gave him a pamphlet when he showed up! He's piecing all of this together from context clues, and maybe that's better than getting it all at once, but it feels sort of like trying to take a walk down the street and falling down a manhole every couple of blocks.]

That is precisely what I'm saying. I've actually died twice already. Although... that was in the Dream, not Trench. [ Which is... another story, really. But it's still similar. Death isn't permanent. ]

I mean, it makes sense doesn't it—? We're already living differently with changed blood and bodies and things like that. [ The Waking World has changed them all. ] Dying here would also be different.

Good lord.

I mean, yes. That makes... sense. For a given value of making sense. Just. I'm sorry that you--?

[She doesn't sound too broken up about it. At least, not as broken up as he'd probably be about it, but then he figures she's had more time to get used to it.]

Is that odd? To tell someone you're sorry to hear they've passed when they aren't dead? I really don't know what the polite thing is here.

It's quite alright. [ There's a little sound — an exhale of quiet amusement that's mixed with sadness. He's fine, really. ] No, I don't think it's odd at all. I still died after all, it's still a kind of loss in a way—?

And they were quite awful deaths, but... the second time was a little over a year ago, the first over two years now. It's still sad and horrible to think of them, but it's alright.

[Well that sure doesn't sound alright but okay. So that's two deaths in as many years? Wow. He knows better than to ask for any more details. He doesn't want to make her relive it, and he doesn't particularly want to hear about the multiple deaths of a woman who looks like she's barely out of teenagerhood.

On the upside this is definite proof that there are people here who have endured things they might want to forget. He's got to get some cards put together. Find a meeting space? It's something to do, it'll keep him busy, and that's bolstering. Bolstering enough that he can think back through the conversation and realize--]

I'm sorry, here I am wondering what's polite and I never gave you my name. It's Dr. Fiddleford McGucket. [Which is a name that at least would be right at home in Wizarding Britain, not that he knows that.] If I ever, uh. If I ever have data to report I'll be sure to get it to you in a timely fashion, though hopefully it won't ever get to that point. Though I guess if you ever see some sort of affront to God wearing little round glasses you can probably figure that's me.

[Why wouldn't he still be farsighted as an abomination? Makes total sense.]

[ There's plenty of horror stories with those who've lived in Trench for a little while now, but the ones who came directly from Deerington are something else entirely. ]

Oh, not to worry. I suppose this was a great deal to come across. I would think I'd be the same and delay introductions too, if I were in your shoes. [ She shrugs easily, offering a small smile. It does sound like a name she might come across. Wizards are... often quite eccentric with their names. ] I'm Luna Lovegood.

Here's hoping—! Even if it seems like the odds are often quite against us. [ Not very comforting, but it's one of those very uncomfortable truths of this world. ] Who knows, maybe you'll end up with perfect vision that can see through things—?

Oh, it's all been a great deal since I crawled out of the water. Not your fault, Ms. Lovegood.

[He imagines it will continue to be a great deal for a while. It's fine. He's dealt with... well, nothing this bad, he doesn't think. But he's dealt before and he can deal here and he'll get through.]

Does that happen often, things like that? X-ray eyes and the like? I know I'm supposed to wind up with magical powers and all in general which... that'll be... something.

[See! He's dealing! He's putting on a brave face because the whole idea is just so wild that what else can he do?]

It... does tend to be like that, yes. [ Sorry, sir. You're in for... quite an interesting time here. It very much will be A Great Deal from here on out. Sometimes they do get quieter months, if they're lucky. They do exist, much as that's hard to believe. ]

Essentially all sorts happen here to people every so often, yes. Once I got turned into a boy, and my boyfriend could turn invisible one month, last year.

[ ... Said with as much casualness one would use when discussing the weather. ]

So x-ray eyes doesn't seem all too strange.

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