[PT-PP-F04] HOME AND HEART

[Mari 1]

HOME
 

 

Spoiler

To: Lancaster
From: Mari
Subject:
Come home for a surprise. You have keys.
Please.

The last word sent with a sense of urgency and desperation. 

Where once stood a shabby cottage barely fit for one, now stood a larger home - made primarily out of various cut stone and mortar. Two stories loomed over a frozen lake. Nestled in the forests of the 4th floor. Hidden by a steep and looming mountainside the house would be near impossible to find if you were not specifically looking for it. And yet, here, in the middle of nowhere - in a freezing tundra - was home. A cherished home of brick and mortar glowing amid seas of white. Glass windows frosted to protect privacy of those within - and large oak door with a chemical sheen that in just the right angle would dance with an almost translucent rainbow.

 

A larger home, far more accommodating for two people. A roaring fire - two reclining chairs A chilled glass of straight whiskey sat on a side table, next to a decanter with more of the precious liquid Sullivans Cove - Mari had to traverse the 29th floor to get that. Condensation clung to the side of the glass, and dripped down. Another item on the table, a welcome home present. Exactly 29 rolled cigarettes. Each one slightly different - each one containing tobacco from every floor that had been cleared. Mari had started working on it since before the concert - and it had taken a very long time. Most of them were rolled haphazardly, but one could tell she got better at it the further through the pile she had gotten. The living and dining room combination - the first thing you see when you enter has a sense of serenity and comfort. So many things familiar, and yet so many small changes. An uncovered Mirror, larger tables. Notes and bottles of chemicals on the dining table. It wasn’t just a shack. It wasn’t just a building. It was lived in.

 

Mari wore thick black tights - and a pair of slippers that did not make sense. They were bright green and covered in fluff, shaped like two frog faces. Every step she took and the frogs face would open up as though it was silently chattering away. Normally, she’d have worn an oversized sweater but today it was an oversized white t-shirt. Freckled arms, shoulders, and shoulder bones laid bare to the warm air of the abode. Several sizes too large for the woman. She didn’t seem to care. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun that had quite literally just been scrunched together haphazardly and tied up. 

 

In the corner of the kitchen sat a pot of coffee - freshly brewed. The scents of freshly made bread wafted through the air as Mari opened up the oven and pulled out two loaves. She didn’t know how to make much, but bread - she fucking loved bread. Two loaves of Ciabatta. These came out perfectly. The last batch had been rock hard and unceremoniously thrown out of the window to sit in the yard.

 

Trout

That was almost ready - on a grill that sat on top of the oven…

Another thing she had made - hand caught herself. Now, all she had to do, was wait for the man she loved.

Oh, and perhaps…the strangest thing of all - in the dead center of the room sat a little black bird with a white head. On its side. Each eye blinking slowly and independently of each other. It gave a little “coo” as it tried to stand, take a few steps in a circle, then promptly fell back onto its side.

Mari had been through hell and back. Learning who the faceless lord was. Raidou's involvement with the Laughing Coffin.

An offer to save Lancaster from everything. But how?

She needed to see him. To fall into his arms and breathe deep of everything that he was.