feorge | oo1.

[ video || open action ]

[The faces of the passerby's to the device's lens seem to be reflecting a range from distinct lack of interest to mild amusement to extreme confusion. They also appear to be shielding their heads from something, but from the device's position, it isn't quite clear what.

That is, until the throng clears enough for the device to get a good shot of the fountain - and what appears to be an aquatic apparition thrashing about in the center of it all. Wrapped in one of its many tendrils can be seen a man in slightly tattered clothes, though his most distinct feature is the flaming red hair that might be somewhat familiar to select residents of the City. He is also screaming and flailing against the monster theatrically.]

No! No! Somebody, stop this beast! This is no way for a man to go! No!

[As the creature lifts him to its mouth(?), he confines himself to his fate and shouts to whatever observers have stuck around to watch the events unfold.]

Tell my family - I love them!

[But it's too late for him. The monster slips him into its translucent mouth and he can be seen sliding through the watery entrails - and then sliding right back out through the stomach, depositing him just close enough to get a better view of him. His concentration broken, the monster collapses back to its original position in the fountain, thoroughly soaking the man and the other observers in the process. They look annoyed. He looks...disappointed.]

Bugger. Another flop. [He turns to the device with something of a smile, putting his abundant freckles and soft brown eyes into view.] The stomach's supposed to be more akin to jelly, see? The idea was suspension, not lubrication.

[He sighs and gets to his feet, brushing himself off despite his dripping wet state.]

All in due time. Let's go it again. Come on, Georgie.

[He addresses another, though he is quite noticeably alone, and it's only in this that his voice takes a slightly less chipper tone. All that can be seen is his back and the strange, ethereal movement of the water as he walks back over to the fountain and the device shuts off.]

[ /video ]

[ooc; Fred is officially in the City! :D He hasn't quite figured out the device yet, though he played with it for a good while beforehand because that was curious minds do! Feel free to say your character was an unfortunate observer or just happened to pass him by or whatever, really. As a side note, I'm going to be disappearing around 1pm-ish today, so tags may come slow after that, but backtagging is love and I will reply as quickly as possible! Go crazy, you silly kids! ♥]

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[She hopes he will never ask why or how she knows. She hopes he doesn't want to ask it because she is a good liar, but she cannot lie to her brother about his own death. She doesn't want to tell him that he was the one who told her, he was the one who dropped into the City and announced his arrival and his death all in one breath for the whole network to hear. She doesn't want him to know that she wasn't the only one who heard it, but Ron too, and they had to hide their grief from their brother behind locked doors because they didn't want to make it worse. She's known nearly as long as she's been in the City. It's something she's carried with her for two years and it was bad enough, worrying that one day she might return home and finally live that tragedy so it would be real in both worlds for her - but curses made her revisit the fears, too.

Walking through a nightmarish joke shop, hearing her brother's voice calling out to her, finding an Inferi wearing his face—

Ginny squeezes her eyes shut at the kiss to her forehead, something that none of her brothers ever did after she grew up, something that was too sweet, and personal, and vulnerable—and Fred just did it, because words aren't enough for this, and Merlin's beard, she swore she wouldn't cry because she's known for ages but this is so much worse than the first time. She draws in a quick, silent breath, holds it, lets it out, tightens her hug around her brother.]

Too bloody right I will be.

[Her words are the opposite of their meaning, but this is how she speaks to her brothers sometimes, and this is how they speak to her. And today, the meaning is simple and clear: never. What she's thinking is still tightly bottled up. She'll never be sick of you, Fred Weasley, so how could you leave her and the rest of the family behind? How could you?

Ginny disentangles herself from Fred when the kettle's whistle cuts through the air, and the moment is broken as she quickly scrubs at her eyes with the back of her hand, clears her throat, goes about making that long-forgotten tea. Her cheeks might be a little flushed and her eyes might be a little too bright, but she's holding it together as best she can.]

[He doesn't want to know. No, that's not true. He wants to know everything, down to the last bloody detail. But not now. Not here. He can joke about his death and talk about it like it's nothing more than the day's weather, but only with strangers and faceless voices behind some enchanted device. But here, with family? It's too soon, even for him. He can't talk about Serious Things when it's all too fresh in his mind. It can be saved for when he's not around Ginny or things that can be broken in his frustration and confusion. There are so many questions, so much he needs to know but he's not sure he has the words for it. He's barely got the words for anything, can only hope the small tokens of affection are enough because words are failing him.

It almost feels as though the whole world is failing him. Or maybe he's failing it.

When she moves to tend to the tea, Fred stays with his back to her for a moment to compose himself. He shouldn't be this brash and emotional, but at the same time, he shouldn't be alive to feel any of it at all. This should be a happy moment. This needs to be a happy moment. He swallows down the lump in his throat and goes back to leaning against the counter as though their brief emotional interlude never took place.]

"The City"'s a rather terrible name, if you ask me. I almost feel as though I should be filing a complaint.

You're welcome to try, but the deities are never in their office, apparently.

[The words come out a little too forcibly calm, and Ginny huffs out an irritated breath at herself, hand coming up to wipe at her eyes again. Bloody hell, she needs to get a hold of herself. She can tell that Fred's trying to brush off the past few minutes and she should try too, but her hands have the faintest tremble to them as they fix up the tea and for a moment, she forgets how Fred takes his because it's been so long and she goes still for a moment in trying to remember. No way is she asking. She's his sister, she's family, she should know.

What is... alright, no, it's fine, she's got this. Milk, sugar, tea, mugs, don't forget to charm the mug nice and warm, now. Ginny hands Fred his tea, a little frazzled, but she's smiling again as she holds on to her own drink. She is smiling, damn it.]

But do me a favour and don't hack off the deities, alright? I know, I know, this coming from me, but I've only just gotten you back and I'd rather not have to worry for a few more days yet.

oo1.

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;