August 1, 1889 - Ministry of Magic

The solitude of the prison did little to perturb Galina. She had kept her own company for much longer than these walls had enforced it. It was the fact that walls even existed that pressed in on Galina. The bars that held her captive seemed to mock her as she sat in her prison, her eyes watching each and every shadow on the wall outside of them.

It had been a long time since she had been imprisoned, albeit a very different prison than the one before her. That had been a prison of her own making, one bound to her by her own decisions and actions. One she had only been freed from by death.

Now death would not bring new life. Now there was nothing for her but these four walls. The trade for her freedom was too steep this time. So she remained silent, in her cell, watching, waiting.

Down the hall, some distance away, she heard footsteps. She measured each step in her mind until the person appeared before her cell. Still she kept her silence, merely watching them until they said something.

open to anyone who might have access (or not) to the ministry of magic cells

  

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an amazing bee work of art

Even before she had been struck with the curse of lycanthropy the prison cells in the Ministry of Magic had never exactly been Morwenna’s favourite place in the world. The air of fear and desperation was something she felt deep in her soul and in her many decades with the department she had done her best to avoid visiting the cells whenever the opportunity for other tasks presented itself.

Being the head of the department meant there was no reason for her to take such a job upon herself – and truthfully the job was one entirely of her own making – but whenever she heard about the plight 0f werewolves or vampires she found herself compelled to make sure they were being treated well. Which was, admittedly, not an altogether unsuspicious of her but no one had questioned her yet…

“Good god you’re young,” she said with displeased surprised.

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

The woman who approached was not someone that Galina recognized. She had aged past the prime of her life but was not yet truly old. Wrinkles lined her face but her hair remained a vibrant strawberry blond of youth. Galina suspected that the woman would find her vanity still remained in her hair. In the coming years it would turn gray, thin, become something even the woman wouldn’t recognize.

It had been years since Galina had learned to keep her face still despite surprise, many years since she’d had to hide her own emotions from anyone. Yet the training held strong, easily restraining the scoff a youthful Galina might have been prone to. Her age was her own secret to keep, no one knew what it was, and she hardly cared to enlighten a stranger about it.

“And?” As far as Galina could tell this woman had no purpose to even be at her cell, let alone commenting on her apparent age. Even if Galina suspected she was at least half as old as Galina herself was.

  

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an amazing bee work of art

She admired the gumption. Were she in a cell Morwenna couldn’t honestly say if she would maintain her cool or not but she couldn’t help but admire somebody that stared back at her with such unremitting pride and indifference. Her lips twitched as she approached the bars, not especially concerned by the proximity to a vampire as some might have been.

“And it is a terrible shame to see you behind bars. What on earth has brought you here?”

Morwenna knew already of course but it never ceased to fascinate her the stories that people would concoct, the lies they would tell themselves to pretend that they were entirely in the wrong. She had done it herself on numerous occasions – even blamed her affliction on certain former colleagues and their inability to see her worth – but she knew, better than anybody, that eventually one had to admit to one’s mistakes.

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

This woman was not the first to express that Galina should not be behind bars. But why she felt this way was a mystery to Galina. She had none of the telltale signs of a vampire and was in a place only wizards and witches could be, which made it easy to tell the woman was a witch. For all she knew the woman was here to try and get information out of Galina. Information Galina wouldn’t part with, there was too much at stake. She had Mari to consider after all.

But there was something about her tone, the quick tick on the side of her mouth as if she were holding something back. Years of picking up on signs like that, learning to know about humans made it easy to spot. Not to mention, it was highly unlikely that someone would visit her down here and not know what she was imprisoned for.

“I suspect you likely already know the answer to that.” Galina replied cooly.

  

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an amazing bee work of art

Morwenna nearly laughed – had she finally achieved the impossible and managed to appear, as Maxwell had once put it, less matron and more manager? Of course she had been briefed by her capture units as to the woman’s crime but Morwenna was always inclined, where possible, to hear such things from the horse’s mouth. She utterly loathed being given poor information.

“Assume I don’t,” she replied, taking out her wand and conjuring up a chair to settle herself upon. Being imperious was one thing but even if she hadn’t acquired a lasting pain in her leg from a werewolf attack that had soon been followed by a tiger bite – which, if nothing else, at least covered the first scar – she was also sixty and had a feeling this conversation might take a while.

Vampires, in her experience, were impressively stubborn and extremely reticent in what they gave away. She might be here all night.

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

Wonderful. It appeared the woman wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon. At the thought Galina found herself once again wishing for solitude. Galina’s face remained neutral as she took in the woman’s demeanor, her bearing as if she were still at court in the presence of the Empress. While Galina didn’t trust the woman, nor respect her, it didn’t mean she particularly disliked the woman. At very least she was someone to match wits with. It had been such a long time since Galina had been able to do that, she almost missed it.

“I’m not in the habit of discussing such matters with those I am unacquainted with.” Not that she’d really divulge anything to the woman, but if the woman was determined to be here for a while then Galina would get as much information from her as possible.

  

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an amazing bee work of art

Morwenna smiled softly - vampires, though unpredictable by nature of their bloodlust, did share some common features that made her job ever-so-slightly easier: they were all so stubborn as to be ridiculous. She drew herself up in her seat, not quite formal, but showing the other woman the same respect she would show anybody, although admittedly it was rendered slightly tricky by the bars in the way.

"I am Mrs Skeeter, the head of the department that will be overseeing your case. It's in your best interest to be nice to me," she added with a wry twist to her lips. "Though I wouldn't want you to feel obliged."

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

The woman attempted to pull her body straighter, something that age and aching bones seemed to prevent. Likely she had been a formidable woman in her younger years, instead now she seemed to linger just past the edge. Likely she still traipsed on the respect she had commanded a decade or two ago. Eventually that too would fail her. They’d realize the shell of the woman that had once been there and even that respect would linger into nothing.

“A pleasure.” Galina replied a tad sardonically as her eyes flickered between the woman and the bars. It would be more of a pleasure if she weren’t behind bars. Galina did rather enjoy conversations with women in places of power. Men had always underestimated such things, but a woman in the right place could change the whole course of events. A truth that Galina had discovered long before her current state.

“I rarely feel obliged, Mrs. Skeeter.” Galina started, a pleasant smile on her features. “Although, I did believe I was being nice to you.” Nice, such a juvenile word. Something said to children, not to vampires well over a century and a half old. “Perhaps we started on the wrong foot.” Galina tilted her head giving every impression of that she aimed for a pleasant conversation.

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   Elladora Black

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an amazing bee work of art

“I suspect it would have gone the same way no matter how we started,” Morwenna quipped with blunt amiability. The vampires was to the point so it seemed pointless to not respond in kind and Morwenna had always preferred frank conversation; life was, for her at least, far too short to waste with making pleasantries, especially with a vampire who clearly had no time for them.

Galina, who was in possession of no last name that anybody in her department could discern, had the face of a child but Morwenna had it on good authority she was well over a hundred years of age – for such a secluded and insular bunch it was remarkable how much information one of two well-placed informants could gather on them as a whole. The Beings employees put her country of origin as being Russia or her territories, and as far as anyone could tell there was no suggestion that she was an especially dangerous vampire.

Which was why it was especially odd that she had found herself in the cells.

“What matters now is how it ends. Mr ___ informs me that he observed you approach humans with the very clear intention of harming them but, and you’ll forgive me for making such an assumption, I don’t believe a vampire of your years would be stupid enough to break the law so blatantly.” She arched an eyebrow sharply. “Which makes me wonder what you were doing.”

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

“Perhaps.” Galina shrugged lightly as if it were no matter to her. Which, in truth, it was not. Mrs. Skeeter evidently had not had the same training as Galina, proving herself to be blunt and to the point. A shame, Galina had always enjoyed a good verbal repartee.

The woman was after nothing more than information, information that Galina had not even them - against the express directions that it was in her best interest to do so by both Lyra (who was the only one who knew of Galina innocence) and her lawyer. For her own interests differed from those of her sister’s and she could not bring harm upon Mari.

Instead of answering, Galina tilted her head at the woman easily hiding her surprise that the woman thought she knew her age, “And just how old do you believe I am Mrs. Skeeter?”

  

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an amazing bee work of art

“One hundred and fifty, or thereabouts,” Morwenna stated bluntly. “If one wishes to blend into history it isn’t especially wise to be amongst the court of a particularly infamous Queen – there are paintings.”

Morwenna averted her eyes with the air of somebody who was considering her next move, but it was entirely for show. She was no novice at this after all, and as stubborn as the vampire was the ball was entirely in her court: these cells hadn’t been broken out of in living memory and Morwenna was not about to be the first to oversee an escapee. True the vampire didn’t look especially lively at the moment but Morwenna was not naive enough to believe she couldn’t put on a show of strength if the occasion called for it.

“You don’t look much happier in those if I’m perfectly honest.”

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

Mrs. Skeeter was correct, although Galina's carefully schooled features show no signs of this. Indeed it simply looked as if she were merely humoring the woman and neither indicated if the woman was correct or not. "You will find, Mrs. Skeeter, that there are a great deal of people in the world who resemble each other." Galina replied lightly with a soft shrug.

The woman looked away from her for a moment as if considering what to say next and Galina braced herself for further questions about the present, not the words that came from Mrs. Skeeter's lips.

There was truth in her statement, this prison was no more a prison than the one she had found herself in when she had been in her youth. It had been a different danger, a different prison, but a prison nonetheless. Not that Galina would share such thoughts with Mrs. Skeeter.

  

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an amazing bee work of art

“Yes, I have been told many a time that I resemble Elizabeth I but that does not make me a…” Morwenna raised a pointed eyebrow, lips twitching despite herself. It wasn’t for her to see to this woman’s interrogation, far from it in fact, but somehow she was enjoying herself. “Queen.”

They had reputable information about this woman and Morwenna was inclined to take it on face value. They could be entirely off the mark of course but in this case the vampire’s bravado made her feel that they were not.

“You’re age is hardly the issue here. You’re resistance to the help we are offering is however.”

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat

Galina's lips quirked up at the woman's comparison as she proved Galina's point in precisely the manner Galina wished. Simply because she resembled a person in a painting of a Queen's court hardly made her a noble. The fact that she was indeed the noble depicted, however, need not be proved. But at least now she knew where Mrs. Skeeter was getting her information. They had people looking into her and her silence was costing her the very privacy that had allowed her to thrive for a century and a half.

"I fail to see what help is being offered here." Galina stated, looking pointedly at the room about her. Yes, she knew what they wanted, but help would only come in the form of allowing her out of this prison cell, that was not at all what Mrs. Skeeter was offering.

  

“Then that is a terrible shame,” Morwenna said ruefully, getting to her feet with the assistance of her walking stick, reluctantly accepting that her efforts were falling on deaf ears. Vampires were a stubborn breed by nature but Morwenna didn’t have enough time left in her life to continually bash her head against a brick wall that didn’t wish to crumble.

She had staff for that sort of thing.

“I hope not to see you down here again.” Morwenna offered, taking her leave before the vampire formed another witty, blocking retort.

wrap?

  

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MJ knows my soul rings to the rune of this iconic hat