ten_of_swords | (no subject)

(no subject)

The door to the bar closes behind them.

Ruin wraps his arms around Miniver's waist as they stand in the living room. It's tasteful -- furniture carefully chosen, colours ideal, and outside the massive, clear windows roars the green-blue ocean.

He nuzzles Miniver's neck, smiling wickedly against his skin, and murmurs, "Welcome home, darling."

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Miniver closes his hand around the moonstone and looks at Ruin.

"If I call this Moon person, will she come?"

Ruin's smile is vicious.

"Yes. She's annoyingly loyal to you like that."

"Is he telling the truth? About you?"

"Fortune's annoyingly truthful," Ruin admits with a shrug.

Miniver scoots away from him, but no nearer to Fortune.

"Then... we're not really married."

"No," Ruin says with a deep chuckle.

Fortune looks worriedly at Miniver. "It's... the type of thing he does. He hurts..."

Miniver leaps and scampers across the room like a startled mouse, looking just as wild.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Fortune takes a breath.

"Nothing, thank God," he says. "Ruin would've..." He looks at his brother with a murderous glare. "Whatever he intended, Miniver, it wasn't good. It was to take advantage of you now so he could exploit it later."

Miniver presses his back to the wall, his mind and heart racing. His wand remains held pointed towards the other cards, his hand tight around the moonstone.

He can't use his magic. He doesn't know how. Not a single spell. He could shout things at random, but who knows what that might accomplish? Not necessarily anything harmful to them. Maybe worse for himself.

His options, at this point, are very, very limited. And he can't see the situation getting much WORSE if he takes the one they both claim will work.

He holds the stone so tightly his nails dig into his skin. "MOON!"

And she appears.

Midnight hair, inhuman green eyes, pale skin, and white clothing. She's barefoot, her skirt filmy and tattered a bit, and she's a bit confused.

She looks between the three men, then notices where they are, and whirls on Ruin.

"What the hell have you done now?" she demands.

Fortune says quietly, "Miniver's lost his memory and Ruin filled his head with nonsense."

Ruin just smirks. "Free will, sister-mine. He came here of his own choice."

She's even scarier than Ruin just now. And that thing with the appearing out of nowhere...

Miniver utters a tiny whimper and... faints.

Brilliant.

Moon rolls her eyes, Ruin laughs, and Fortune rushes over to pick Miniver up off the floor.

"What..." She pinches the bridge of her nose before skewering Ruin with her eyes. "You. Stay away from him. You come near him again, I will sink your body parts into nine different oceans -- and none of them on the same world."

She goes to Fortune. "Take him back to the castle. Best to deal with him there. Away from Ruin."

Fortune nods and walks through a door, disappearing with the young man.

Again, she turns to Ruin. "I mean it, Ciaran. I will hurt you," she threatens coldly, then she follows her youngest brother and leaves Greece.

Ruin hrumphs. "Such spoil sports," he mutters to no one.

"If you think she's going to hurt you..."

There's a rather pissed off blonde woman standing in the bedroom doorway.

And she sure as hell isn't the Queen of Russia.

Of course she isn't.

Russia hasn't had a queen in gods know how long!

Ruin visibly winces.

"Just amusing myself."

"'Amusing yourself' was jerking his chain in the bar," she says.

"Once you brought him here, it became about hurting people other than just Miniver." Her eyes are a dark enough blue so as to seem black. "You made our wedding rings just a prop for your game. You brought your lie into our home, Ciaran. And you're sadly fucking mistaken if you think I'm just going to forget that any time soon."

If the hurt he's caused her affects him, he doesn't show it.

"Everything's a prop to me, Legs. Did you forget that?" he replies coolly. "It's not the first time I've used you in some fashion to further my... position. Forget the various times you were the knife I twisted in Gorlim's heart?"

"I remember," she says, the rage vanishing behind an impassive mask.

"I know what I was to you then. Foolish me for hoping that I meant more now."

Ruin meets Mary Anne's eyes without any trouble.

"I love you."

Simple as that.

"I love you, too."

No hesitation.

"But I hate it when you make it hard."

"Did you not know it wouldn't be easy?" he asks her blandly. "It can't be a surprise for you, Legs."

She purses her lips, eyes narrowed.

"I've never had any illusions about this being easy, lover, but sometimes it feels like you're trying to make it difficult."

Maybe he was.

If he was difficult enough, maybe she would leave.

And he would never have to see those two girls she met in the bar.

As these thoughts bubble from somewhere in him, he looks away from her.

For the first time since this conversation began, she's worried.

"What is it, Ciaran?"

He continues to stare at the pattern on the carpet, because it's so interesting.

"Doesn't it scare you?" he finally says. "This... playing house?"

She opens her mouth and closes it once, before murmuring,

"I didn't realize we were playing."