Abnormally attracted to darkness

A slight sigh escaped her as they traded bags, the place was crawling. Tourist season was the worst, and then there were the families who couldn’t control their kids. People too loud for the liking, don’t get her wrong she loved being out and was a partier herself but to be loud at 4 am in a residential area was asking for trouble. “Yeah honestly.” Responding with a laugh. She couldn’t help but double check the bag herself to make sure it was hers - thank god.  “Doesn’t help when people order forty things at once right? – Oh definitely, if he’s a veggie guy doubt he’d want a triple bacon burger.” For a second she felt herself just staring at Del, her lips forming a small ‘o’ how weird would it be if this was Marcus’ goddess of spring.  The brunette held out her hand. “Alicia, it’s nice to meet you Del.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. He would have eaten it.He just would have shaken his head about getting the wrong order. Like I said-he’s not picky.” Gripping the bag with what she had actually ordered in one hand the Seelie reached out with the other one, shaking the human’s hand briefly. “Nice to meet you, Alicia.” The way she had just looked at her for a moment didn’t slip past Del but at the same time she couldn’t guess what it had happened. Perhaps she was just one of those humans who had a sixth sense for the supernatural and it had given her pause; perhaps they had seen each other in passing and Alicia had a spark of recognition. Whatever the case was Del definitely noticed it but didn’t feel the need to question it. “But that’s a whole lot of burger. You always eat that big of a meal?” An amused smile went along with the question, the Seelie not judging but genuinely curious. She always wondered how people who weren’t giants managed to put away a lot of food.

“But going to school for that sort of thing, surely you want to move into that potion more permanently? Please, tell me if i’m over stepping but doesn’t it feel a little like you’re being underappreciated if you’re qualified for the position of mortician but you’re doing desk work. I can only assume that you’re with the administration side of the business but surely you’re over qualified for the role. Plus I assume it would pay better too.” She seemed talented and she obviously had the schooling to back up her profession so it didn’t make sense to Marcus why she was still working the front desk when she should be doing what she was trained for. Of course he could have been looking at it from a completely logical stand point. Maybe there was some part of it that he’d missed or didn’t know that kept her in that position. “You live quite an honest life then. I’m afraid I’m… not quite as honest. I try to be but hiding how I feel has been something I was taught to do from a young age.”

“I like working the front desk,” Del replied after a moment, shrugging her shoulders slightly, not offended by anything he said though not really seeing her position as an issue either. Most people, she assumed, would think she wanted to change her position based on her schooling so it wasn’t such a far off idea.And yet it wasn’t something that she had ever considered. “I like dealing with the people. If I switched my role there I’d be dealing mostly with the dead.And that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with it. But in my job I get to speak to the living. Help them through the process of making arrangements, sit therewith them while they cry, offer them comforting words if they need it. I like being able to speak to them. And I can fill in when they need me with my training.” The other position would probably pay better but she had a second job as well so the pay wasn’t that big of a concern for her at the moment. And perhaps one day she would decide that maybe she would want to do something else, use her schooling more. But thus far she hadn’t gotten to that point.“Oh? Do you hide a lot of things these days?”

“Well your eyes are hazel. At first glance people might see brown or gold but if they’re actually looking they’ll see green. The brown and gold in your eyes is mostly focused around the pupil and the green is on the outer part of the iris. Depending on the light you’re exposed to, your eyes will look closer to brown or green but it’s a sea green so unfortunately not like a luna moth.” His brow pinched a little as he thought about it. Insects weren’t his place of expertise but his college roommate had been fascinated by them. Wading through over a decades with of memories he finally remembered the insect he was looking for. “Papilio lorquinianus. The sea green swallowtail.”

Marcus realised truly for the first time what the way he viewed himself might actually upset her in some way. He felt her food nudge against his own, something they had started doing instead of touching in any other way. It was meant as a sign of comfort, of reassurance. “You’re right.” He sighed heavily and leaned back. “I need to get myself out of this cycle of melancholy, fear, and self doubt. I spend far too much time lamenting about my insecurities and faults.” Marcus knew that thinks probably wouldn’t change over night but he needed to actively make a change if he wanted any kind of future where he was happy and not just settling for mediocrity.

“Of course I was concerned. I don’t want you to ever think there’s something not genuine about our friendship.”

For a handful of seconds Del simply looked back at him, blinking for a moment in surprise. In her experience no one had ever actually looked at her eyes and analyzed the color in that way. She wasn't even sure anyone had ever actually noticed her eyes as being anything other than hazel which was really just the simplest way to describe it. Simple and accurate as from the time she was a child. Her mother once told her that they never knew what colors her eyes were going to be that morning when she woke up, how her clothing had always effected their color. But no one had ever taken the time to really look into the color. Or at least if they had? They had never said anything to her about it. “I’ve never seen one of those butterflies,” the Seelie admitted after a moment, shaking her head slightly.But she would probably have to look them up to see what they looked like, what he was referring to.

“There’s nothing wrong with anyone seeing their own faults and shortcomings. No one can truly grow or change the bad things about themselves if they don’t acknowledge and accept their own imperfections. But the trick is to make sure you don’t let your own insecurities and struggles take control of you. If you let them take control then they hold more power over you than they should. It makes it hard to fight against them. It isn’t easy and people struggle with it all the time. And there's no shame in struggling with it.”

“I’ve never thought that,” Del assured him, smiling slightly. “I’ve never had a doubt that you were being genuine when it came to being friends with me. If I doubted it? I would have said something to you. Promise.”

“You’re quite right. The environment is rather harsh and unforgiving even with the water that we do have. My only argument would be the existence  of Lake Borgne, it leads right into the Gulf.  From what I can tell they’re quite secretive species. It’s possible they’ve passed through multiple times and we’ve never been aware of it. It being a tourist city they might have come in via the gulf, enjoyed the city, and then returned to where ever. If there are any that have lingered they’ve done a good job in keeping a low profile. I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t even be able to tell you species numbers per every hundred square foot. My own species is considered rare despite cubi being the most common demonic species to be seen around the world.”

Marcus chuckled at the story Del told about her cousin. Most children were little pain in the butts at one point or another. “Seasoned potato wedges and chicken nuggets. I didn’t like the sound things made if they were too crunchy and i didn’t like the sensation of things that were too soft. While I still have a love of potato wedges I will say I’ve some what grown out of my chicken nugget love.” He smiled and looked into the container before digging in. “Did you have any odd preferences as a child?”

The ironic thing about discussing why the city might not be the most hospitable place for water based supernatural beings was that many people would consider cities to be the type of place that the fae may avoid as well. Perhaps a lot of that went back to the idea that they were allergic to iron. It was a theory that had lingered around for quite a long time. She had never seen evidence of that being true but she couldn’t deny that she had never seen anyone test the theory. “People would say my kind wouldn’t live in a city either. Too much iron; too many man made structures. I think it’s because they rightfully believe our kind is too connected to nature to thrive in an environment that wasn't rural. But I guess this is the best happy medium. We have the city, yes, but behave a lot of nature surrounding us to explore when we need to reconnect. I think maybe the supernatural are more adaptable than people thing. We have to be, don’t we? The world has changed so much in the last few centuries that if we didn’t adapt? We’d probably be extinct.”

“Hey,chicken nuggets is basically god-tier food for kids so that’s not so strange,”Del assured, smiling a little at the idea. She had never been picky like her cousin had but even she could admit she had enjoyed a good chicken nugget while growing up. If he was being even more honest? These days she would still eat them from time to time. Just because they were a quick and easy meal where she could just pop them into her mouth while working. “Apple sauce,” the Seelie answered after a moment. “I had to have apple sauce every morning for breakfast for a couple of years when I was growing up. But I don’t know that I was super picky. Always preferred snacking on fruit and vegetables instead of stereotypical snacks growing up but that was only strange to other kids. Big fan of pizza growing up. And grilled cheese. But always grilled swiss cheese.”

@persephone-moreau· .

  Was this her normal routine now? Standing off to the side as people grabbed their food. How many people were visiting NoLa for a place to be this packed. She missed the quieter days but warmer weather was coming it was a tourist trap. Blinking up from the ground as the person behind the counter started listing off numbers, Alicia reached for a bag and headed to the condiment area just as she realized it wasn’t hers. Glancing most of the people who grabbed the ones from the counter were gone but she noticed one heading for the door.

 “Oh hey – excuse me um – is this your food?” She held out the bag, “Think it’s one of the veggie sandwiches.”

Del froze on the spot upon hearing the voice, eyebrows raised slightly in question. When places were busy like that people had a tendency not to speak to each other. She knew that even from her experience at the restaurant. When tourist season started and people ordered food that they wanted to pick up they would just charge right in, pick up their order, pay and leave. Speaking to other customers was practically unheard of and so was exchanging niceties with the restaurant staff. Southern hospitality was completely wasted in situations like that.

Finally turning towards the woman who spoke the Seelie opened the bag in her hand and glanced inside,shaking her head slightly. “Guess whoever is behind the counter today is new to the tourist rush. They’ll get it right eventually.” Stepping towards the other woman she held out the bag she herself was holding to trade off. “And while my father may not be picky, I’m sure he’d appreciate me dropping off at work what he actually ordered. I’m Del, by the way.”

“I also have a cat.” Marcus gave a small smile. “She’s a Samoyed. My dog. Not my cat. I said that strangely. Nova, my dog, is a samoyed. It was the breed that was recommended to me but I’ve become quite fond of them. Obviously I’m fond of her I just mean the breed in general is one I am fond of now. I’m starting to talk to much again.” He stepped off in the direction of the bookshop. “Usually I bring her with me but I wasn’t expecting to be gone too long or really need her. She’s probably waiting by the door because I didn’t say goodbye properly.”

He had worried before that he might have over stepped and crossed a boundary or two but talking about his pets was something Marcus could do for days without running into anything uncomfortable. “Luna is my cat. She’s a black domestic long-hair. I doubt you’re superstitious but some people are. When I have her out in the store some people actively avoid her which is just awful. She’s quite a loving cat considering the reputation cats get.”

"The only thing I know about Samoyed dogs is that they are literally balls of fluff. Giant balls of fluff but still fluff." It wasn't said without a certain amount of affection, however. Despite that being the only thing she knew about the breed Del couldn't deny that she had always thought of them as sort of adorable in that regard. Having never had any interactions with that kind of dog personally she couldn't say much when it came to their personalities but she knew people seemed to like them so she had always gathered that they couldn't be so bad. She probably would even like them. But having a dog herself would never be an option with how small her place was. Dogs needed more space, more of a way to roam and run around. So she would just have to enjoy dogs when she came across them elsewhere and with other people. "Did you know in Japan they consider black cats lucky?" It was a useless little tidbit of information that Del had always found interesting. It was somewhat fascinating that just because the two countries were on opposite sides of the world they would have such a starkly different opinion on something so simple. "My girl is a simple gray domestic short-hair. My sister used to call her Phantom when I first got her because she was crazy hyper and would just disappear around corners and appear at random. The name just stuck. She's a wild little thing and I'm pretty sure she was the runt in her litter but she's a love. Definitely a curl up on your lap kind of a cat. Anyone who comes over, if they pet her? She's instantly their best friend. But anyway, no, not superstitious at all. My aunt used to have a bunch of black cats in her house. Said they were her favorite kind so I guess I'm also just used to them, too."

Marcus smiled, his head bowing a little as if he were trying to hide the extent of it. “That’s because I enjoy questions. The process of learning and passing on information has always been something I’ve enjoyed. I was a TA while in college and then through to when I was doing my masters. The intention was always to teach at some point. I had my PhD set up. After that I was then planning on moving to California and working with the Griffith Observatory while teaching classes at Caltech.” It didn’t hurt to talk about what should have been when he was with her. Maybe because she helped him focus on where he was rather than what could have been. He loved his bookshop and he liked to believe others did to. He’d purposefully bought the unit he did because it was long and with the lay out he could hide little reading nooks. It was like a literacy labyrinth. “I’ve come to realise that I can always take you at your word.”

“That’s how I ended up working at the funeral parlor. I asked a lot of questions. My father’s family has been working in the industry for generations which I guess makes sense for necromancers. And when I was a kid I was fascinated. Always asked all sorts of questions and they humored me. One of our old family homes even has what used to be a mortuary attached to it. That’s been closed down but the house is still in the family. But I asked and asked and they answered and I decided to go into it as well. I mostly do office stuff- answer phones, call people to set up arrangements, let people know viewing times. But I went to school to do it all and if they need me to cover I can. I think they just don’t look at me and expect me to be okay with preparing a body for viewing and burial but I could if I needed to. I just stick to the more human side of things, dealing with the living. It always seemed more useful.” It wasn’t something she spoke about often. While her coworkers at the restaurant knew her other job and where it was they didn’t talk about it. For them the subject of death seemed taboo as though it wasn’t perfectly natural and just a part of life. She supposed for some it just hit them too hard and made them think of their own loss. But she never saw loss in it. She saw people coming there to celebrate the life the decedent had lived more than anything. “I try not to lie to anyone. White lies from me are even pretty rare. So I can promise if I say I’ll be somewhere or do something I will. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Your wording implies something that doesn’t quite make sense. Marcus and I are good friends. We enjoy each other’s company, we get along, we like spending time together. But I don’t think that’s what you were implying. And yet...” @marcus-darring

@nola-starters· open.

 “Just one moment!” She heard someone walking around the front hall of the Lalaurie House, the footsteps echoing in the silence. Most would be uncomfortable, the vibes of a haunting now footsteps cutting through the peace. Instead the girl dug for the introduction card she had for whom ever was waiting. Popping up from behind the table – if she wanted to feel important, or do something more with her life she wouldn’t be working there – but there was a sense of calm with being the only on in such a beautiful home despite the horrors that happened once on the grounds. “I have your introduction card.” She stated breathlessly finally entering the ‘waiting’ room noticing them eyeing the large picture of the  Marie Delphine LaLaurie. “She was very beautiful for her time.”

For a handful of beats Del didn't respond, didn't move, simply gazed up at the painting on the wall.Despite growing up in New Orleans and having known the stories surrounding the LaLaurie home she had never once went to visit- had never thought of stepping inside. And yet once she had she couldn't stop herself from gazing up at the painting of the woman whom she shared as middle name with- and like her went by said middle name, though in Del's case a shortened version. She had never once considered the irony of that, that she would have that in common with one of the most notorious of women in all of New Orleans history. And yet she did. And even though Delphine LaLaurie was long gone and the old building destroyed? A certain energy remained in the air. Cold and heavy and evil. That irony was enough to freeze her in her tracks, the dark and cold feeling all but taking over her so much that she scarcely heard someone approaching. But eventually the voice filtered through and the Seelie shook her head to rid her mind of the thoughts. "Yeah, beautiful." Turning to face the woman who had come in- witch based on her energy- the brunette offered the best smile she could."Lived here my whole life and never stepped foot inside. Just thought it was time to do so. Call it a bucket list item."

“Well I have an entire book shop here to look through if you’re ever curious. I’m not certain myself. Vampires would be cool to touch I believe. They likely absorb heat very easily. The only other species I can think of are merfolk, selkies, and possibly sirens depending on the genus.” He stepped away as if to go look before realising that currently the store was in a state of havoc. “Perhaps I’ll wait to answer those questions till after I’m done.” He chuckled. Something similar always seemed to happen to him. He’d be half way though stock take and he’d get distracted by an errant thought.

“They don’t have food like it. Or if they do I hadn’t found it before I left. One of the things I love the most about New Orleans is the food and the history embedded there. I’ve tried over the years to recreate some creole recipes and they’ve tasted good to me but since I was on my own I never really had a judge on how good I was doing.” He took the utensils with a smile before offering her the stool that was behind the counter to sit on. “When I was young I was a very picky eater. I would only eat the same meal every day. Eventually my dad got sick of it and…” He paused and decided not to go down that route of conversation. “Anyway. People like me someone have trouble developing our food palate. I learned to appreciate whatever food I could get my hands on.”

“I never really thought about that. Selkies or sirens or the like and what the temperature may do to them. Probably because they’re not so common in New Orleans. We have small bodies of water in the area and a lot of bayous but I'd imagine selkies would prefer the ocean. Sirens and mermaids perhaps could do with lakes and rivers and the like but they’d have to be deep enough and big enough that if they were swimming and a human happened by they wouldn’t be likely to be seen. Some of the bayous might work but they’d have to share them with the alligators and they’re not so friendly.” It was very possible that a few of those species had come through the city at one point or another- they were a tourist city, after all- but the odds of them sticking around would be pretty slim. Why stay where you couldn’t feel comfortable?

 “I think some kids are just picky though,” Del tried to reassure as she opened up the containers.“When I was little my cousin would only eat three things- homemade macaroni and cheese- not the boxed kind, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and this apple dessert Grandmere used to make. Otherwise you couldn’t get him to eat at all. He would have rather starved than eat anything else but I have a suspicion that with him? He was just being a pain in the butt.” Shrugging slightly with an amused smile in her face the Seelie nudged the container towards him. “So what did you used to eat all the time as a kid? What was that one meal for you?”

“Yes but you think i’d be use to the heat after ten years of living here.” He pushed his hair out of his face as he contemplated her statement. He hadn’t considered that shifters and werewolves might feel the heat more intensely. On one hand their core temperatures were at a higher resting rate than some but that wasn’t a danger to them. Would they feel the heat in the same way? Would it be more or less intense because of those core temperatures? Marcus was tempted to go rifling around to see if he could find a book on the subject but he refrained. Last think he needed to do was get lost researching something that mattered to no one but himself while he accidentally ignored a guest.

Focusing instead on getting the ice tea he slipped past her and headed through the door that lead to his home, coming back soon after with a pitcher and two glasses. “Lucky for you I’m not particularly picky about what I eat. A blessing. Many things make me uncomfortable from the texture of a chair to the sound a door makes when it opens but food has always been something I have quite easily been comfortable and at peace with.” He set the pitcher down on the counter and carefully poured out two glasses before handing her one.

“Oh, I don’t think you ever get used to the humidity down here. My grandmother- necromancer, not Seelie- always used to say she wished she was born as something with a lower body temperature. Or at least someone who could shift the temperature a little bit and cool things off when it felt like she was gonna melt. She never did quite figure out if witches could do that but figured might as well let her have her dream.” A few times over the years Del had contemplated figuring that out herself, finding out if witches were capable of that just so she knew if her grandmother’s dream had been silly but the exploration never panned out. And it always seemed strange to just go up to a witch and ask them that. For as social as she could be? She knew there were certain boundaries.

She stepped carefully around Nova to make her way over to the counter as Marcus disappeared through the other door, resting the bag on the counter to remove the containers inside.She hadn’t even really asked the cook what he made, just told him to surprise her. The menu there was always rather appetizing so she figured there was noway she could truly go wrong. And as silly as it sounded? She trusted him. Just as she as placing the last of the containers down he returned. “Probably a good thing you’re not picky then. Can’t imagine you get much in the way of good Cajun or creole food up north and down here they love it something fierce.” Taking the glass from him she held one of the plastic utensils from the bag out to him in turn. “You ever try any of the local fair? Or do you stick more to what you know?”

“Green.” He said a little too quickly. Wining when he realised he kept his gaze locked forward. “Just… You have green in your eyes. Not that I think eye colour is a factor in wing colour. It’s not.” Marcus wanted to slap himself. He really needed to get better at not saying the first thing that came into his head, especially not with Del. The last think he wanted was too say something inappropriate and make her uncomfortable.

He ended up staring at his hand again while he listened to her breaking down ay possibility he could argue with her on if he was a monster or not. Listening to her use his intelligence as a way to build him up and tell him he had what it took to learn control. She believed what she was saying and she wanted him to believe it too and for a moment he did. Enough that he reached out and almost laid his hand over hers. Anxiety and fear got the better of him though and he pulled away at the last moment. He didn’t want to hurt her. He couldn’t bring himself to even try out of fear.

His eyes raised to lock onto hers and he nodded. “Anything you did wouldn’t be your choice, it would be compulsion. Worse still, that kind of energy in that state… it would be almost impossible to stop. I wouldn’t want you to be in that situation. That’s where the monster lies. So I’m always aware of when I last fed when I’m with you. Just in case.”

“Green?” Del questioned, eyebrows raising slightly, an almost confused smile on her face. She herself had never noticed any green in her eyes so having him say so was somewhat surprising though not unwelcome. It was sort of a nice thought, that he noticed something about her even she didn’t know. “Like a luna moth?” It was never something she had considered though she couldn’t say the idea bothered her.

Her first immediate instinct was to remove her hand from Nova’s head and lay it on his arm, a common gesture to comfort someone but she refrained. It was out of respect for his boundaries more than anything though the instinct was still there, very strong indeed. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be to be afraid to be able let anyone see who you were entirely out of fear of what might happen to them. She herself more often than not embraced the more human seeming side of what she was but it wasn’t out of fear or concern- it was simply the easiest way to go about day to day life in the city. But to have to be afraid? How lonely that must be.

“I wish you’d stop associating the word ‘monster’ with what you are in any way. But only because you’re not a monster. And you’re not monstrous. It’s sad that you see yourself that way. A monster wouldn’t care about hurting others. You very clearly do.” She might not be able to touch him to offer her comfort but what she could do was nudge the side of her shoe against his like she had done before to be reassuring. “I’m sure that’s not always the case. At least not for all of your kind with the supernatural at the very least. So, hopefully for your sake there’s a way for that not to happen that you’ll figure out. So you don’t have to be afraid to show anyone that side of you.”

“But thank you,” she added after a moment, realizing she hadn’t done so. “For being concerned for me.”

persephone-moreau‌:

A smile grew on his lips. “That’s… exactly what I pictured actually. Teaching at college level. Surrounded by eager minds who chose to be there and learn what I’m telling them rather than being forced into it by the schooling system.” Marcus couldn’t quite hide the delight on his face that she had imagined him in the position he had originally intended without him telling her exactly. It made his dream seem a little less unobtainable, even if he could no longer pursue that path. In another time, perhaps. “I never assume someone doesn’t know something. I just like to talk about things. Sometimes I need to get it out or it feels uncomfortable, like the words are stuck in my chest. Not knowing something doesn’t make a person stupid only ignorant and contrary to the negative propaganda ignorant only means to lack knowledge. To be stupid you have the knowledge and either refuse to accept it or act against it anyway.” They were still stood close, having not moved since she stepped up to make sure she could see his face. From here he could get almost a full sense of her. She seemed content and there was a sweet sense of enjoyment that wove it’s way through. “I’m glad you came.”

“Spoken like a professor.” There had been a time when Del had briefly contemplated going to college. She had never been quite sure what she would study, had thought mostly about getting the required courses out of the way while she figured it out but in the end she had never gone. Her job at the funeral home had become too important to her and once she had taken on the second job at the restaurant there never seemed to be the time to even consider it. But she had never lamented that choice. Regretting the course you pick in life only meant more regrets down the line compounded on top of each other. It wasn’t how she wanted to live her life. “I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how their professors seem to think the opposite. That if you don’t know something or question too much then you just aren’t smart enough. But I think you would have made a good professor. You wouldn’t have made them feel dumb for not knowing. And I think you would have enjoyed the questions.” The joy that he seemed to exude was such a change from when they had first met that it made her smile grow even wider. There had been nothing wrong with the Marcus she had met on the street that night and she had never not enjoyed his company. But seeing him happy was far better. And a part of her hoped it was a side of him she’d get to see more often. “Well, that’s a happy little coincidence then because I’m glad I came as well. But did you think I wouldn’t come?” she questioned.