MAN OF DESTRUCTION !    a monster who never dared to mask the true nature beneath something as weak as sheepâs skin .   you know what you are,  but you donât know just how badly youâre about to validate the worst parts of yourself as you peek through the hole in the door .   itâs a war,  after all  â  thereâs no such thing as too much caution as irises so dark theyâre almost black look through the distorted glass to see her .   fidgeting,  bouncing on the balls of her feet ;  she almost appears anxious ?   remus doesnât know what to make of it,  but he opens the door for her without hesitation .   a smile dares to tug at his lips but then  â  we need to talk .   red flags begin waving in his head and the words are like a neon sign blinking DANGER,  a perilous red at the forefront of his mind .   proceed with caution,  young wolf .   but he steps to the side and opens the door wider for her to come in  â  it was mary,  what did he have to worry about ?   her presence had always been enough to bring him ease .
     â   uh  â  sure .   come on .   â   head cants towards the empty sitting room beyond the doorway and long strides take him to an old couch,  overstuffed and riddled with stains darkening the fabric .   heâs the picture of calm before the storm as he leans back against the couch,  brows knitting together as he looks at mary and dives straight to the point .   remus had never been the type to prolong ripping off the bandaid .   if something was wrong,  someone was hurt,  he wanted to know .   â   so whatâs up ?   is something wrong ?   everyone okay ?   â
mary macdonald is BRAVE. she knows that. itâs something sheâs proud of, something sheâs build herself back up again from, something that has kept her alive all these years. she gets knocked down and rolls over and gets back up, always. but this isnât a fight or a duel, this moment doesnât require the kind of bravery she has plenty of. this is different. how she wishes this could end up with her spitting blood --- thatâll be easier to deal with than whatever pain she is about to instill on both remus and herself. she feels like a trembling rabbit in front of a carâs headlights, unsure what direction to run off to. why sheâs doing this, she doesnât know until she forces herself to remember daisyâs face at benjyâs funeral again, until she thinks of that list, which could shatter their lives any second. thereâs no good time for this, but she also knows time is running out.
âno, no, nothing is wrong, everyoneâs fine,â she says quickly, feeling guilt settle in her stomach for worrying remus. she stays standing in his living room, her legs stiff, unable to bend so she can sit. âitâs --- itâs nothing like that.â just say it, just let him know, and then what will happen happens. she runs a hand through her hair, lets out a breath. âi -- uh, iâve been thinking re, and i just --- FUCK i donât know how to say this.â sheâs never been the most eloquent, especially not in moments like these. she sinks down on a chair, looks at him, wonders how sheâs never said it before when itâs so clear. âitâs just, with everything going on ... benjy and sturgis, and now these list rumours,â she begins, her speech scattered. âiâve been thinking about whatâs important and what isnât and i thought that i knew what that was, but i think i was wrong and ... damn it, iâm making no sense.â she lets out a nervous laugh. some kind of profession of love, this is. âcan i make some tea? mostly for me, it --- a cuppa always helps.â