video; un: quibbler

[creidim]

[ 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.

Comments

[dohaeris]

[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.

[creidim]

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?

[dohaeris]

[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...]

[creidim]

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. ]