themorbidsocialite | A Marsh Guest

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A Marsh Guest

Bugsby's Marshes were home to a wide and varied array of micro- and macroorganisms, the biodiversity one of its most notable features. Yes, a great many of the creatures were incredibly dangerous, but wasn't every environment filled with such risk? Surely, all one had to do to avoid assault was avoid bothering the various animals. Surely.

This was how the Morbid Socialite- Mori- found himself in the depths of the marshes, gathering samples of water, plant life, lichen, and insects to start his research. He was too busy marking notes on a variety of mushroom to notice the eyes on him. The thoughtful hum to themselves and the squeaking of tall boots, worn to avoid staining the hems of their trousers, were enough to hide the sound of something treading through the muck. They only noticed the disturbance when the bugs they'd been surrounded by had scattered. He turned and his eyes widened, finding a second pair staring into his.

"Oh, bloody 'ell."

Screaming echoed across the marsh, likely reaching at least someone's ears.

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"Persephone. She... She liked the name Percy on occasion..." Mori struggled to still his breaths, keep from sobbing while the Maven was working. "She was only but ten when she... I couldn't save her... I need to fix it. I must fix it. She deserved a full life and to be taken so young and in so much pain... I would go to the ends of the Earth. And I did. She's why I'm here."

Controlling a shaky breath in, and out, Mori paused. "I'm sorry for snapping. You were trying to be kind. I was... too stubborn for either of our own good..."

"You were in pain, in multiple ways," Maven soothed Mori, "You were being pushed to your limits, it's understandable. I was pushy, regardless of any well intentions, and you reacted accordingly."

Maven was silent for a moment as she finished up the stitches, then she said, "I... I understand your pain, in a way. At least, in term of losing family. My parents... I was only eight when I lost them both, but I still remember it vividly. You never forget such... carnage..." For a moment, the air of maturity she always seemed to carry had fallen, and in its place was a young lady much too young to be trying to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. With a breath she was back though, and she continued, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking about my losses after you were talking about yours, that was rude of me. I just... wanted to say that I understand how it feels, to lose someone so important to you, and in such a senseless way."

"No, no," Mori said, sitting up with a wince. "It's... Commiseration. Empathy. To lose someone so important to you so young... I can't imagine the pain. It... It rather mirrors, doesn't it? Loss at a young age and grief for a lost child. It's not... fair. This world is not fair, not to the young and the helpless. But why should it not be? Why should we be forced to live such agony when we can do something about it? The Neath is capable of bringing someone back from the dead; why can't we?"

Mori realized what he'd just rambled about and pulled back. "I apologize. That was... That was too much. Forget what I've said."

Maven just smiled and nodded. She was not going to do any more pushing tonight, there had been enough of that. Besides, it wasn't hard to read between the lines of what he was saying. But she would let it lie for now.

She checked her work, changing the subject herself to spare Mori, "That should do it. Let me get some darkdew cherries for you, just to get something in you right now. I can get you new clothes, and dinner should still be warm. If it isn't, it'll be easy enough to reheat."

She rose and got her bag from a nearby surface, got her bag, and pulled out a couple darkdew cherry for Mori.

Eating the cherries without argument, Mori pulled the shirt off and inspected the pants. "Just the shirt should be well. I do apologize for the inconvenience. You're... taking the revelation better than I expected and I suppose I was unnerved by that, issuing an undeserved reaction. Taking your food and supplies, staining your clothes and furniture... I make for a dreadful houseguest, it would seem." At least he still had the will to laugh at his own mistakes, even if it was just a brief chuckle.

"I can honestly say that I have had worse house guests," Maven said with a laugh, the look on her face saying that she was recalling a particular bad guest, "But that's a story for later, for now I'll go get the shirt and dinner."

Suddenly there was a little bap at Mori's side (thankfully not the injured one). Looking down revealed a small black kitten had crept up to Mori and batted them while they were distracted.

"Oh there you are Pepper," Maven laughed a little, "Decided to finally introduce yourself?"

Mori looked down at the small kitten and smiled, holding out a hand. "Hello, luv. Aren't you just precious? Your name's Pepper? Mine's Mori. It's a pleasure to meet you." They softly stroked the kitten, letting it onto half a folded lap, if it so chose.

Even addressing the small kitten, he seemed exhausted. From life or death situation to overt masking to ripping his ribcage open and exposing his heart, Mori was drained of it.

But the mask was gone. No pretending, no Morbid Socialite, no rules of engagement or elegance or social niceties. Just pure Mori, all ruddy and awkward and genuine and real. He was bleeding (metaphorically, this time) from an open gap in his chest and it pooled into something unfamiliar and all at once recognizable.

Pepper looked up at Mori with big round green eyes. She bapped at their hand as she climbed onto his lap, intent on inspecting this new person.

Maven watched the scene, a strange feeling in her. It felt weird to be happy after everything that had just happened, but she couldn't deny that she was. She felt that she was seeing the real Mori for the first time, and it made her happy. She hoped... she hoped that they could have a pleasant evening, despite everything that happened.

"There are a few animals around, they come and go as they please," Maven said, "I often have Pepper at the orphanage but she wanted to come home with me tonight. Maybe if you're lucky you'll see Snowdrop, I feel you'll probably like her a lot." With that cryptic line (Maven wasn't sure if Mori remembered her mentioning the salt weasel in the past but she wasn't going to count on the idea that everyone she talked to would remember everything she ever said), Maven finally left to get the new shirt.

Mori had a home quite the same, with animals constantly coming and going, urchins Dinah adopted coming through the carousel of occupancy almost as often. He whispered sweetly to the kitten as he petted her, unbothered by tiny claws. Was it strange to be enjoying this time spent in pain and stress? Mori wasn't sure, but the wax had been ripped off and all that was left was a strangely cool, relieving feeling over the pain. Maybe... Perhaps... It wasn't so bad to be honest...

No, no, a foolish idea. One or two confidantes did not prove that trust could be so easily shared in the rest of life. Jane was an exception. And Derek, were he to return. Mori supposed the Maven would tell the Devil everything. Lovers of their caliber don't keep secrets from each other.

Mori idly stroked Pepper as he thought, breathing slowing.

After disposing of the first shirt, Maven got another shirt for Mori. There was a whole drawer of clothes she had gotten for the Devil for if he needed something less... devilish to wear. He had once said humans just haven't caught up to what was really in style yet. She had no idea what he meant by that, but gathered that he, like most other Devils, did not like wearing typical Londoner fashion. Needless to say, he was not going to miss these clothes Mori was using.

She also grabbed more towels, wetting two of them (one for Mori and another for the floor) before coming back. She smiled again, seeing Mori and Pepper playing together. She handed Mori both the shirt and the wet towel as she said, "I'm glad you two are getting along."

Mori look up with a hum and smiled. "Ah, yes, she's lovely. A delight to accompany. Do you require any assistance?" Leave it to the Socialite to still want to help clean up after all of that, as if he hadn't been on the cusp of death.

"I should be fine," Maven looked at the floor, "there isn't that much to clean compared to before." As she was cleaning she asked, "By the way, do you have a preference for drinks? I try to keep a variety in stock for guests, so ideally I should have something you'd like."

A hand hovered above the injured side and Mori sighed. "The strongest drink you have. I'm afraid, even before being attacked, it's been one of those nights."

He tried to adjust to allow the Maven room to work, feeling terrible that she was doing it all herself.

For her part, Maven did not look put out at the work. She merely nodded, "I'll see what I have, I think I remember you wanting gin or vodka earlier? I'm sorry to hear that tonight was difficult even before the wolves. I imagine trekking through the marsh was quite an undertaking."

"Earlier, I asked for clear alcohol as a cleansing agent. Now, I will take anything and pay you back in kind. A wine or brandy would be no trouble to return to you in full payment." Mori was incredibly careful in attempting to stand, taking the small kitten up as well. "And the day was in such a state before the marshes, I'm afraid. But I do appreciate your sympathy."

"Of course, just wanted to clarify. I can do that, though there's no need to worry about repaying it, I really only have such things around for the sake of guests," Maven said as she finished cleaning, laying a dry towel down on the floor, "I'm sorry to hear that though. If you feel comfortable talking about it, I'd be more than willing to hear more over dinner. I'll get the table set, you can come into the dining room when you're ready." She pointed out the room connected to the living room that she had been going through each time to get to the kitchen.

"It is an admittedly complicated matter, frustrated only further by the fact I am yet unsure of how the events went myself. Processing such a thing... It takes far too long. I would rather talk of anything but that." Mori leaned against the couch, keeping weight off their leg. "Your patience is, again, much appreciated. I feel as if I owe you for the service and well care you've so graciously given. Is there nothing I can do for you?"

"Understandable," Maven nodded at that, "And, I suppose if you really wanted to help in some way, I could talk to you about my plan for the Correspondence course. I think I know what I want to do but am not sure how to go about it. But as I said, I'll get dinner and the table set first." With that, she went through the dining room to get to the kitchen.

Mori watched her leave with circling- no, spiraling thoughts. Why could he not be of use? Why was he insistent on being a burden to the people supporting him? Why did he keep making a scene for the sole factor of his pride? Why was he so insistent on consistency? Did she hate him? Did she loathe the effort she had to go through for him? Did she suffer? Is she stressed and strained? Why couldn't he just help for once in his godforsaken--

Mori shook his head of the thought. He had asked plenty of times to help. She offered something. Attend to it.

They walked themselves against the wall to the door to the kitchen, entering and leaning against the wall to relieve the wounds of folds and keep weight off his leg. "I would love to converse with you."

Maven was stirring the stew up, mixing the beef with the peppercap mushrooms. It still seemed warm enough, not hot, but pleasantly warm enough to eat. She had put on a kettle for tea too, and there was a bottle of Spoiring out.

She smiled up at Mori, "Thank you, I appreciate it. So, after talking with the Academic, I think what I'd like to do is something related to Batbiorangilogical Studies. It was what immediately caught my attention because I thought I could use it in my capacity as a doctor." She began to ladle the stew into a more table-appropriate container, still speaking as she transferred it from the kitchen to the connected dining room, "But something that I had also wanted to ask about is whether it was possible to use the Correspondence in the capacity of horticulture. Plants have always been something of an interest of mine, so I thought I would ask. And the Academic said that, while Batbiorangilogical Studies was primarily used in creature husbandry, it could theoretically be used on plants."

She returned to the kitchen just as the kettle was beginning to whistle, proceeding to take it off and pour the water into a tea pot (did that teapot have some kind of rubbery man aesthetic on it?). The smell of jasmine tea filled the room as she continued, "It could be interesting to experiment on plant life to make them more adept to living in the Neath. I know there are already places where plants are grown in the Neath, like some of what the True Horticulture Society grows, but it still remains difficult."

She turned to Mori, her eyes beginning to light up as she spoke, "And it might be interesting to experiment with certain kinds of Surface plants to splice some aspects of fungi in them to make them thrive in the darkness more! Such an experiment could help to diversify the agricultural development of London if successful!"

She realized she had gone on quite the tangent as she worked to get the dinner set up, and reeled herself back, "Sorry, that was all very overwhelming wasn't it, I didn't mean to completely go off like that. But yes, that's what I was thinking of doing."

Mori shook his head, smiling. "Not overwhelming at all. In fact, it's quite curious. There are, of course, native flora scattered around the Neath, including in and out of London. Do you believe the fungal hybridization might assist in preventing parasitic or invasive species of flora and fungus? Or is the attempt including an attempt to adjust the wildlife, at least in London, as London itself is by technicality not native to the Neath environment? What sort of plants would you bring first? And which ones do you believe will be the most effective propagators? Please, I invite you to go on."

At the invitation Maven smiled and continued, carrying the teapot and Spoiring wine to the table as she did, "Well, the idea was to diversify some of the flora within the London area. It would have to be a controlled experiment, because like you said, there's the risk of an invasive species disrupting the already established ecosystem of the Neath. But if successful and done carefully, it could increase the variety of food in the Neath."

She went into the kitchen to pick up the apple pie as she made her next point, "Take apples, for example. There didn't used to be any apples in England until people brought the crabapples of Asia to several other countries. I was talking earlier about how I was able to get canned apples from the market, but it isn't often available down here in the Neath, is often very expensive, and is even harder to get fresh. If we were to, say, eventually be able to grow an apple orchard, that could make such luxuries more widely available to everyone in London."

She gestured for Mori to come sit down, as the table was set; the beef and mushroom stew sat close enough to both of them to easily ladle a bowl full, with the wine bottle and teapot closest to Mori, with the apple pie being set just beside the soup bowl. "But something like an apple tree would probably be far too ambitious for just starting this experiment, so it would be more practical to pick something smaller to start, like maybe an herb that grows well on the Surface but not so well in the Neath."

Mori nodded along, listening well. When the time came, he sat and served himself a bowl of the stew. "You'll want to avoid most varieties of mint, as they tend to become overabundant in many areas, of course. Perhaps you were thinking of a heartier sort of plant like a basil or coriander? I'm certain many a chef and cook in the city would thank you."

With a bite of the stew, their eyes alighted. "Mm! Just as I am thanking you now. This is wonderful work. What is your recipe, if I might ask?"

(OOC: Made a mistake, retconning beef to chicken)

Maven's face flushed at the compliment, "Thank you! It's based on a recipe my mother and maternal aunt would make. Not all the ingredients are available or at least very accessible, but I've been able to make a fairly good approximation, particularly with peppercap mushrooms." As she describes the recipe to Mori, it's clearly an Indian-rooted recipe that has morphed over time for someone living in England and who might have difficulty getting all the ingredients for the original version. Such a situation is likely even more difficult in the Neath, with its underground location and the Masters' stranglehold on the marketplace.

"And I agree, basil or coriander would be wonderful choices!" Maven agreed, "Coriander would definitely help bring this stew a little closer to how I remember the recipe being. And basil is just wonderful to have in general. The dried kind in the market is fine, but there's nothing quite like fresh basil."

"Did you have any plans for how to pollinate? I know lamplighter bees can be found aplenty, but they're quite particular in their tastes."

Mori found the taste somewhat familiar, but didn't mention it at all, instead just enjoying what was offered and gratefully accepting seconds. While the stew was taken with haste, the wine was slowly drained, savored as it lighted upon the tongue.

A Marsh Guest

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