ten_of_swords | (no subject)

Mary Anne answers the door a little bleary eyed, but her expression clears once she recognizes her visitor. She smiles, stepping aside to let him in.

"Hey, you."

He walks in, then turns to her.

"I have a problem--"

There is itty, bitty mewing as he brings from behind his back a tiny kitten.

"--and it is now your problem," he finishes, shoving the tiny being into her hands.

She damn near drops the thing in shock before cradling it close.

"Oh my God...where did you find it?"

He flops down on her bed.

"He was in a trashcan. Can you imagine that? Humans. The lot of you are crueler than I could ever be."

Ruin was already fond of the little guy, but he wouldn't admit it.

"Just crying in the rubish bin, and I couldn't just... leave him there. Probably my penance for visiting the god a few nights back." He sighs, but continues to watch her. "You'll keep him?"

She takes a more careful seat next to him. The kitten mewls and wriggles for a moment before settling down, tiny claws prickling at her hands.

"Of course I will..."

She runs her thumb along his back, almost too fascinated by something so small and alive to pay attention to his words. Almost.

"...the god? You saw Namo?"

There's a measure of curiosity in her tone. She hasn't seen Namo herself for almost a month (since he kissed her).

"You'll probably need to feed it something special. Sure Bar has something. He's too skinny."

Ruin shrugs.

"He moping in his world. Staying with the woman who whelped his kid. I had words with him at one point, and at least he listened. Then he needed... more than words... about two weeks later. Three nights ago, I think. Can't remember."

It hadn't been something he wanted to remember. Ruin doesn't like submitting. Especially to one he'd dominated at one point.

She nods. "I'll talk to her, see if I can't get a book or advice or something."

She stills, listening to him talk.

(more than words)

She doesn't ask. Instead, she sets the kitten (who had made another attempt at getting down) on the bedspread, they lays down beside him, letting him wander in a rough circle formed by her arms.

Ruin watches, smiling faintly.

"He's a survivor."

Then he closes his eyes.

"You'll be needed again. Soon. When he stops staring at a wall, damning himself. Maybe before then. Who knows."

"He'll fit in well around here, then."

She nods, though he can't see. "I'll be there."

And she knows she will somehow, though the god is worlds away. She rests a hand on Ruin's knee.

He sighs, and in his hand, between index and forefinger, is the Ten of Swords.

Inverted.

"'An illusionary lifting of burdens or release from afflictions as suffering will continue'." Another sigh. "It is unpleasant at times. Would you be able to be inverted, Legs? Could you be both cool counsel and sorrow for the sake of sorrow? Accuracy and balance alongside slick deceit?" Now he opens his eyes, looking at her. "I am both hopeless ruin and the illusion of happiness, and there are times I think I would rather live in the illusion."

"Vengefulness and treachery," she murmurs.

He gave her a deck and the lady does not ignore her gifts.

"I have been all at one point or another. It will be hard to be them all at once, but they never said the job was easy."

She sits up and kisses him properly as she hasn't in what feels like ages. "There are times we would all rather have the illusion," she murmurs, forehad resting against his.

"But it's still not real."

He almost purrs into the kiss.

"Illusions. Truth. Paths. Choice. So many things we are."

Ruin kisses her again, lingering there, liking the closeness.

The truth that was here, even if it was strange.

She smiles against his mouth.

"Variety is the spice of life, or something like that."

He hasn't been gone so long, but she missed him all the same. She loops her arms around his neck, one hand toying with his hair.

Her fingers are attacked by curious kitten who just sees things moving in hair.

Ruin chuckles, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Any name in mind?"

Kitten teeth are tiny but sharp. She will remember this in the future.

She thinks for a moment before answering firmly, "Clay."

Ruin glance at the kitty getting tangled in his hair.

"Clay?" he asks with a raised brow. "Why Clay?"

And he suddenly feels as if the two of them have taken yet another step closer to the two big No's they'd set down: No children, No rings.

They'd also said no love.

Mary Anne looks up from the great struggle of kitten versus hair and grins.

"Short for Claymore."

Time changes things, groundrules most of all.

Narrative better not be suggesting there be children by Christmas.

Cause Ruin? Not finding a baby in a trash bin.

He'd better not.

And he's not asking Puck on advice about stealing them, either.

"Claymore?" he laughs. "Beautiful. Perfect." He kisses her. "I fear what you'd name your firstborn."

She rolls her eyes, but can't help grinning.

"As do I, pet."

There are some rules she's willing to break. The 'no kids' rule appears to have been carved in stone.

Mmm.

The narrative waits to see if that rule is, indeed, carved in stone or if the stone will be smudged a bit.

"Is Clay sleeping in the bed with us tonight?" he asks, picking up the little kitten and resting him on his chest between them.

"He can," she muses, scracting lightly between the kitten's ears.

"Or I could set up a little nest for him, if you'd prefer not to share."

"He's too small to be on his own just yet. You're hot enough to warm him and me," Ruin concedes with a grin. "C'on, let's go to bed, Legs."

He scoots her off of him, handing Clay over while he gets undressed then joins them.

She laughs. "Flatterer."

Clay makes a surprised noise at the amount of attention and moving around he's experiencing tonight, but curls up quickly on Mary Anne's stomach.

He wraps himself around her, pulling up the blankets then snuggling down.

Then he realizes he is snuggling and groans.

But decides against talking. He kisses her shoulder then lips before settling.

It seemed they now had a family.

Gods help him.