lady_moon | OOM: Draco at the castle

OOM: Draco at the castle

They step from Milliways onto the sand outside the castle. It's very white. Snow-white. And just as fine and powdery. The ocean laps at the stone walls of the very large building in front of them, and it's unusual because the water isn't blue.

And the sky isn't, either.

Since dawn has just recently broken, the sky is tinged a cool pinkish lavender as the red-orange sun rises. It shines on an ocean the colour of jade, with white foam kissing the waves. Moon smiles at Draco.

"We're the only ones who live on this plane," she explains. "Nothing changes here unless we want it to." Moon points to the battlements of the castle. "I still don't understand why they insisted on battlements. Battlements are for battle and there's no one to battle here."

This is the home of the tarot cards.

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Not normal, but intriguing. Plus, being a wizard helped to make one more used to such places. Draco took it all in slowly.

"Well castles are traditional. At least it's familiar." Which to him it was. He started forward a little, feeling how his boots sunk into the fine sand a little.

Moon tilts her head as she looks at it.

"I wanted bungalows," she pouts, then begins to follow him towards the large doors. "Only three of us are home today. Which is good. You don't need two dozen cards descending on you."

"Probably be a bit much, yes." He only met her and Ruin so far so wasn't sure how any others would be.

"You could meet others at the bar," she points out as the doors open. "Strength, Wheel, Misery, and Tower are there."

Inside, walls are covered with rich tapestries showing the cards and various spreads the cards could be cast. The ones of the cards alone vary between traditional deck-like images to actual images of the personified cards. Moon's bare feet are silent on the stone floors and she pauses as the doors close.

"What sorts of things do you like to eat? That way Skill can make stuff you know and not stuff she just dreams up. Skill can dream up some very strange things."

The strange rainbow custard that had something crunchy and black inside was still whispered about among the cards.

Draco's head turned every which way, though he paused, and asked warily, "Tower?" The name reminded him of that fateful night before he arrived in Milliways. The murder he could not commit.

He then blinked, "Er, typical foods of course. Meat pies, puddings, steak, roast game birds, bangers, potatoes, vegetables, pasties, tarts. Some Persian and Egyptian dishes as well."

She nods at the list, though does nothing physical to inform anyone of it.

Still, someone is informed.

"Tower. Yes. He's... well, he's The Tower. Represents the destruction and recreation in lives, loss of balance. Well, that among other things."

Moon ushers Draco further into the castle. Various tastes in art and decor can be seen. Ruin has decorated the common rooms with Scottish tartans, swords, and other war-like items. Moon has placed a lot of odds and ends throughout, which can namely be seen in the large, stuffed pink shrimp on a table. It's like this, mixing of styles, until they come to a huge dining room with several tables set in it.

Family didn't always mean you could stand to eat at the same table together.

At the table is a young woman. She looks maybe eighteen, no older. She has very, very blue eyes, pale skin, and her long hair is the colour of birch wood. She smiles at Draco as she stands, her pale blue dress accenting her eyes ideally. It's the smile, though, that sets her apart. It's sad. Very sad, while also being... well... happy.

Moon stops when they near her.

"Draco, I'd like you to meet Reue."

Draco frowned at the description of Tower, "...Sounds familiar."

The various decor got some curious eyeing. The tartans reminded him of Professor McGonagall, who sometimes wore tartan robes. He admired the swords though.

Another curious glance at the many tables, and wondering why not one big one as is typical for such a room.

But that question left his mind upon seeing the woman he was to meet. Something about that smile... Odd, yet he thought he might know of it.

"Honoured to meet you, Reue," he respectfully replied.

Sorrow blushes faintly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you face to face, Draco," she says to him. Sorrow's voice is sweet, quiet. Matches her appearance, actually. "Are you hungry?"

Draco considered, and then admitted, "Perhaps a little something. It can wait though."

Moon gives him a poke.

"You may know her," she murmurs from behind him. "She's also known Sorrow."

"Can it?"

Sorrow grins at Draco.

"You are used to taking your own time in things, aren't you?"

Draco blinked at that, "You did seem familiar. And sometimes I do. My parents always stressed the importance of patience." Despite his own tendency to be rash.

"There's a vast difference between being patient and being selfish," Sorrow points out. "However, I think in this instance, you're merely being courteous and curious."

Sorrow comes closer and touches the moonstone pendant on Draco's chest.

"Oh, so Father was right," she murmurs, and looks up to meet Draco's eyes. "You're afraid of Ruin?"

Draco blinked, "I am being courteous, of course."

He added as his grey eyes stared back into her blue, "Considering what he's done before, and threatened to do, be foolish not to be."

Moon sits down at the table.

"Careful. Ruin is Sorrow's father." She's trying to look serious about this, but fails miserably.

"Father doesn't call me daughter, so it doesn't much matter."

Sorrow continues to smile.

"I'm still surprised you actually asked Moon for help." Sorrow takes Draco's hand and drags him out to the balcony that juts out over the oceans, leaving them alone together.

"Oh, well then you'd already know. And I thought it was the only way." Draco simply remarked, but then allowed himself be taken out to the balcony.

He fell silent as he watched the view for a moment. Thinking of some things.

She hops onto the railing, her hair caught up by the salty wind, and watches Draco.

"It probably was," she assures him. "When Father gets it into his head he wants something, he doesn't let up. Not unless someone makes him."

Draco nodded, "He wanted to break us, especially Miniver."

He added, "He also said he knew me. Knew my family. For a while, I thought I was his more than Moon's."

"The thing about ruin is that you pass through it. It's never something you dwell in. But magic... magic and insanity tend to linger in people."

She flips her hair out of her face and smiles at him.

"Some of us are meant to keep you company only for a short time. Others... others are there for the long haul. Can you guess which one I'm meant for?"

Draco paused at that. He was born with magic, so that went without saying. But insanity... reminded him of dark times last year, when his own mind had shattered. It took a long time to put it back together, and sometimes he still wasn't sure if all the pieces were back in place again.

He thought for a moment, "...Probably about to say the latter one, right?"

"Very good. No one is meant to remain in my realm anymore than in Ruin's."

Sorrow looks out over the ocean.

"You're stuck with Moon. Your head is still all cracked in places. Don't think you'll ever fix it enough. You also have magic. She's very good with magic. Me, though. You've been with me a while now, haven't you?"

Now her blue eyes turn back to him.

"Sorrow and Moon and Ruin and Misery. Why don't you have any of the happier cards with you?"

Draco glanced over at her sharply, and mentally checked himself. The Occulumency training. That should be back to where it was before.

He then turned to study the sea some more, the wind gently lifting his pale blond strands back. "I suppose I have, and I don't know. Maybe because anything happy seems like an illusion."

"Maybe you make them illusions."

The card leans back on the railing, swinging her legs.

"Moon says you don't feel anything. But you and I know that isn't true. You feel. You just feel all the wrong things. Everything negative. Anger and hatred and vengeance and arrogance and sadness and cold." Sorrow shakes her head. "It's not healthy."

Draco sighed, "I don't know any other way. I thought I felt otherwise, I want to say it's otherwise. Especially now... I can't comfort anyway, I try to be sympathetic, but it never comes out right."

He added, as he leaned against the railing, watching the green waves, "I find it fun to point out someone's faults, and it's so easy how obvious they make them sometimes. Like they're asking to be mocked."

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