Marie

Month 12, Day 8, 1:30 PM

When they left the Stag, Marie made changing out of the lemon-dyed dress her priority. She felt irritated that she’d end up walking on the street, where people might see her. Suffering a long walk in this yellow thing would have been unbearable. ‘This dress is so bright it ought to be against the law to sell it. Who thinks a yellow dress is a good idea?’ Marie thought. ‘Are the Stags trying to make me look bad? The Stags wouldn’t be that petty. Would they?’

Thankfully, Frank hired a carriage to take them back to the office; although, it had a small, but noticeable, pair of green antlers painted just near the driver’s seat.

In the carriage Marie realized she still had a lot of questions after the meeting with Lord Stag. Marie found him disturbing; no one should go around hidden behind a mask. Was he disfigured? Or just private?

At least people knew who Lord Morrow was.

“Poe, … Master Poe, are you going to be friendly to the Stags now?” Marie asked.

“No. But, I do not plan on continuing to antagonize them … directly.”

“So, what does that mean?”

Poe leaned back in the seat. He raised an eyebrow.

“You aren’t going to stop investigating the Raven Queen?”

“Technically, I just have to let Professor Lacer know what I need to, and the apprentice girl, and then it’s over. The Stags definitely know how to reach Siobhan Naught, and that is that.”

Marie had a suspicion though, because Poe had a look.

“But, it won’t be.” Marie observed.

“Don’t you want to know? The truth behind the stories? Find out what’s so important about the book she stole?”

Marie thought about that. Could the Raven Queen really travel through shadows? Was she really able to form ravens from shadows and spin nightmares into shape?

“A little.” Marie replied.

“Me too. It would be easier to just tell Lacer what we know and be done with it but … The Raven Queen is an enigma.”

“Engima means … powerful?”

“Puzzle. It’s another word for puzzle.” Poe smiled, but it seemed brittle.

Millie Parker’s transformation puzzled Marie as well. Millie’s powers didn’t seem to follow any of the rules of magic. Even if her body was her conduit, what was the source of the power? Why did she lose her mind, but still seem to have motives? Why was Marie immune? How had he lost control of the magic that badly? Poe told Marie about will strain, now that Marie experienced it, she understood him better.

“Magic is not safe.” Marie whispered.

Poe leaned forward and got Marie’s attention.

“Do you know why sorcerers still do magic?” Poe asked. Marie shrugged. “Living isn’t safe. It’s unreasonably dangerous to live, and eventually, living will kill you. Practicing sorcery is living; so, if I’m given a choice between living and dying … I choose life. Actually, after the day we’re having, I may be choosing tea and a good supper.”

“And, a bath?” Marie said. She felt grimy, even in her new clothes. And her head hurt. Although that seemed to be a minor upset compared to how tired she was.

“That too! Although we should head up the hill and bathe properly? yes?”

“Yes!”

“And fix that dress?” Poe continued; Marie definitely agreed with that! Poe’s expression turned thoughtful. “Hmm. I am thinking you need better protection besides.”

“Oh, and Mama will be worried!” Marie realized that she hadn’t visited Mama.

Frank agreed, and suggested that they send a note. But, they did not need to send a note, because when the arrived at the Agency, they found a boy sleeping in the Agency’s doorway. Connor, a boy helping Mama in the laundry. As soon as Poe stepped out of the carriage, Poe recognized him immediately.

“Boy, why are out here sleeping and not back at the parlor?” Poe asked.

“Begging your pardon sir, but Mama Stella sent me to find Marie.” Conner replied. “She didn’t come visit this morning, and what with the Coppers everywhere and Dinky disappearing, she had me sneak out and see if I could find you.”

“Coppers?” Frank asked sharply.

“Uh, yes sir. Millie did some sort of blood magic and everyone got rounded up by the Red Guard and the Coppers to sort out if there were any unlicensed practitioners at the parlor.”

Poe paled slightly, but he barely paused before he responded.

“Tell Stella that we found a shelter when the alarms sounded and that Marie is fine, but we will be busy few days, and we’ll visit when work here at the agency calms down.”

“Uh, is that right?” Connor asked Marie. It took her a moment to realize what Poe was doing. If Connor gave that explanation to Mama, Mama wouldn’t know about their role in fighting Millie Parker, and the coppers wouldn’t realize that Mama’s story would not be entirely true.

“Yes, Connor. Tell her I love her. I won’t be able to visit for at least a few days. But, she can tell me all about Millie when she can get free to visit us here at the Agency. ”

“Uh, but aren’t you supposed to …?”

“Connor, I’m sure Mama would understand; I look forward to her visit when she is free.” Marie glowered at him. Connor wasn’t that dumb, but he always was a little slower on the uptake. ‘Boys!’ She thought. Mama should realize that Marie couldn’t visit with all the Coppers around.

“Ok?” Conner replied. Marie shooed him away, and he walked back toward the Hands, Hearts, and Palms.

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Poe paid the carriage driver to wait for them while they collected their toilette for bathing. Marie changed into one of her black dresses and ruana cloak with the new cloak pin, but Poe asked that she bring the yellow monstrosity with them. She still did not have decent shoes.

Poe also asked her to leave her conduit, knife, and other components behind. Marie nearly argued with him, but he pointed out that she couldn’t get caught with these things if the Coppers questioned her. While unlikely, Marie could not excuse that risk, and Poe would accompany her the entire time. They took the carriage “up the hill” out of the Mires and into the finer neighborhoods in the shadow of the wall.

Eventually, Marie found herself freshly showered and soaking in a great cedar tub in a bathhouse at the base of the wall under the University. Poe selected a smaller private bathhouse, rather than the Crowns-run bath with the big pools.

The establishment provided private bathing rooms rentable by the hour. So early in the day, they had their pick of rooms. The attendant showed Marie the clever heating arrays to set the temperature of the water to perfection and the arrays that could clear the water for multiple soaks in different soaps and sweet-smelling salts.

One attendant even offered a magical hair treatment and dye, which, with Poe’s permission, Marie accepted. After she’d showered, she was shown to a glossy black stone with an array designed for the purpose. Her hair came out as black as a raven’s wing, and the apprentice told her the color would not fade or wash out. Apparently, trivial magic like this could be found near the University with ease.

Poe also sent her yellow dress away and it came back with the yellow portions black, and the white trim parts a satin midnight, the bow removed, and pockets added. To Marie, it might have been the most beautiful black dress she’d ever seen, which shocked her because the dress started from that ugly yellow and white.

‘Sometimes a simple change is all you need to make a big difference in appearance!’ She thought.

She also considered, briefly, rushing her bath, just so that she could put it on. But, instead, she soaked and wondered: when had she last owned a brand new dress?

Sitting in the tub up to her neck in purple jasmine bubbles, Marie’s thoughts also turned to the that dark cellar. Frigg had come to her. How could a raven know, in advance, that Marie would need the key? How had Frigg known to bring it? Marie had to consider; was Poe really the best non-prognos diviner in the city, or had he merely found the best oracle?

Dinky worried her too. During the escape, she had not recognized anyone. She knew that Dinky ended up obsessed over for the aberrant just like everyone else, even Poe. Although Poe explained it to her that morning, she felt a little annoyed that so many had been taken. She also worried that Dinky survived ok, and that the Coppers and Red Guard would let him go.

Marie also felt as if even she’d packed in a week of life into just two days. Poe told her that the Red Guard would be done with the victims in a day or two, but the incident was only a day old.

The water felt nice, but eventually, Marie needed to leave the tub. The bath left her feeling refreshed in a way she hadn’t been for weeks. She dressed in her new clothes, applied her black makeup and nail laquer, and reluctantly wore a pair of long black socks with the horrible “shoes.”

When she finally left her curtained room, she found Poe sat in the reception area in a clean pink and dark purple suit decorated with flower prints; he’d folded his koi overcoat in his lap. He’d found a newspaper, and he glanced up when Marie arrived.

“The dress’s color suits you?” Poe asked.

Marie smiled at him.

“It’s great. I can’t believe it was that awful yellow. You should try black, it would look good on you.”

“What makes you think I haven’t?” Poe asked rhetorically. Poe lifted the paper and pointed. “The aberrant has made the afternoon papers. Nothing to worry about.” He passed her the paper.

Marie read the article, then scowled. Marie read the scant few lines about how Millie had sought out blood magics to make more money from her clients. The article used words like “depraved” and “degenerate.” The Coppers featured prominently in uncovering the aberrant “early” and the Red Guard acting to protect everyone with “minimal” casualties.

“This … is lies. Millie was kind and sad, not depraved and greedy. She made do, like everyone!”

“I didn’t know her, so I do not have an opinion on her character. However, some matters aren’t about truth.” Poe quietly replied. “Reckless thaumaturges, like reckless sailors, eventually capsize. I should know.” Poe held out a hand for the paper, and after Marie handed it back, he folded it dropped it in a rack by the door. “But, perhaps most importantly, whether the spell was dangerous blood magic or not, Millie is beyond being hurt by a newspaper’s libel now.”

“But.” Marie hated that her anger made it seem like she was a petulant child. Millie was … flawed. But she was also her friend. Marie sighed.

Poe frowned sadly, and then stood up with a more and tried a cheerful tone.

“Let’s get something to eat. There is a restaurant not far from her that I enjoyed as a student. How do you feel about fish?”

Marie smiled and pretended she liked fish, so Poe hired another carriage, and they set out for a restaurant specializing in seafood. Not far from the city’s fish markets, a dim building served a variety of customers in a room with paper lantern lights. A table of sailors ate with quiet intensity at several tables, and one group of boisterous students laughed at a red-faced young man who seemed to have taking an oversized bite.

After Poe ordered, and in almost no time at all, servers brought out steaming pot containing vegetables, mushrooms, three kinds of shellfish, gulf fish, and orange colored spices. Poe and Marie received generous bowls of rice.

Marie looked at the violently orange stew skeptically. Poe explained that they should scoop the stew onto the rice and eat from that bowl.

“What is this called?”

“Numbing-Stew. This is the fish version, but it also comes in versions using meats and all vegetables.” Poe’s lips curled into an evil smile and his eyes danced. “You like spicy?”

“Uh. Sure!” Marie would maintain a positive mental attitude.

“Good! If this isn’t spicy enough for you, there’s a demon-pepper sauce in that jar there.” Poe began scooping over his bowl of rice.

Marie tried it. At first, she thought it was just … hot? She was so hungry, the balance of spicy and savory seemed to make it more interesting. And the stew was objectively tasty. The fish had a soft and flavorful texture. Then, somewhere in her second helping, she just realized that with every bite, the spicy flavor just kept getting stronger. After, she finished it, she wiped her lips with a napkin, and …

“Poe. This is too much. I can’t feel my mouth. This is … hot. It’s hot! It burns!”

Poe was onto his third bowl, and he looked up and grinned.

“Good, right? If its too much though, try that blue tea.”

Marie grabbed the cold blue tea and sipped it, trying to cool her mouth. Remarkably, it did cool the spice down. Marie sighed in relief.

“I can’t believe it.” Marie laughed at the cooling sensation, and feeling came back to her mouth. “What sort of torture food is this?” Still, Marie ate another bowl before she was finished. With the cure to the spicy concoction at hand, Marie found she could eat quite a lot of it. As they finished, they ate less and talked more.

“The tea is just for people who aren’t used to the spice.” Poe smiled as he remembered. “When I was a student, I took a dare to eat an entire pot of this stuff with no liquid relief. While I didn’t manage it, I developed a taste for it. My friend …” And Poe’s smile faded. “Never mind that. We’re going to try to eat better.”

“I like it, but, can it not be … as spicy?”

“I’m not sure they’ll make it less spicy here, and I can’t make this at the Agency anyway. But, we can put together something tasty that with high protein and calories to try to get you to a healthier weight. And, possibly some exercise to improve your physical condition. How do you feel about running?”

Marie didn’t want to discourage Poe, but she knew that running wouldn’t work.

“It’s not that I don’t want to, its just that my heart … it’s not fixed exactly. I can’t run very far or very fast.”

“We’ll do progressive strength exercises then, and I’ll teach you some proper self-defense. No more knives. At least until you are ready for them.”

Marie reluctantly agreed.

“But, tonight we sleep. Tomorrow we try to talk to Professor Lacer, and maybe that apprentice.”

“And … new boots?” Marie asked hopefully.

“New boots.” Poe agreed.