Marco's Heart

[peccatore]

You find yourself in a bright white, circular room. It's nearly empty; too bare, almost clinically so. But the bareness of it means that what is visible here stands out:

A podium in the center, where a familiar figure sits, head buried in his hands. Three paths running from the podium to three different spots near the edges of the room - not corners; circles don't have corners - where three doors leading seemingly nowhere stand with no regard for their complete lack of structural support.

It doesn't take you long to figure out where you are, does it? You only have to decide where to start.

Comments

[peccatore]

The room in the back contains dozens and dozens of bottles filled with blood, like some kind of bar.

The Agnes from the past pours blood from a bottle into a cup, then hands it to Marco, who drinks it like a man dying of thirst. Maybe he was. She sighs, but there's no sign of exasperation in her voice.

[reddenedgalaxy]

I knew it...

[Mordi looks to the Agnes she's with]

...where did all of this... come from?

[peccatore]

With an unbreakable poker face:

"Willing donors, for the most part."

[reddenedgalaxy]

Oh...

[she wants to ask about the "most part" part but, maybe it's for the best not to. So instead she waddles over to Marco's side to check on him. By staring at him.]

[peccatore]

Boy, he is DRINKING. When he's done, the Agnes from this memory asks:

"How long?"

"Ah..." He is visibly trying to do the math in a language he doesn't have the most solid grasp on yet. The words take longer to come to him than the numbers. "Maybe, a... cccentury... Not exactly..."

Agnes blinks.

[reddenedgalaxy]

A century... since he was turned...?

[Mordi's realizing that she doesn't actually know how old Marco is. People who are hundreds of years old aren't really uncommon in Tributary, but it's still a bit surprising.]

[peccatore]

"A century-old vampire wandering the streets in this state..." Agnes also seems shocked, though not for the same reasons as Mordimort.. "Do you not know how to hunt? Where is your sire?"

For his part, Marco seems less eager to answer these questions, and not because of the language barrier; he doesn't even start trying.

[reddenedgalaxy]

Marco...

[What would Alto do in a situation like this? Hesitantly, she places a hand on his shoulder.]

[peccatore]

Well, that gets Marco to glance at her with a sheepish smile.

"Hi, Mordimort."

[reddenedgalaxy]

Oh... sorry, I hope I'm not... interrupting...

[peccatore]

"It's fine. I think we can meander a bit here."

[reddenedgalaxy]

...okay.

[despite saying that, she looks back to Agnes for confirmation that this is, in fact, okay]

[peccatore]

Agnes nods. She is just a part of Marco, you know.

[reddenedgalaxy]

...one hundred years? That sounds... hard.

[peccatore]

"I... did wander a lot, I'll admit. But-- But it did lead me here. So I guess it's not all bad."

Huh. Marco seems a lot more at ease than he was in the lobby.

[reddenedgalaxy]

You got to meet Agnes...

...are you... close?

[peccatore]

"She's my best friend."

[reddenedgalaxy]

I'm glad... you have her.

[She may not be meeting the real Agnes, but it's nice to know Marco actually does have a close friend back home all the same]

[peccatore]

"... Me too."

"It is only a brief snippet," Agnes cuts in, "but if you would like to see something else that happened here..."

[reddenedgalaxy]

Show me.

[peccatore]

Agnes and Marco both smile fondly, and the background blurs.

When it coalesces into a solid shape again, Marco and Agnes are sitting at a table; he's gripping a book, staring it down intently. Squinting.

[reddenedgalaxy]

[Mysterious book... Mordi scoots over to get a look at it.]

[peccatore]

It's... a penny dreadful?! Maybe not the best learning material... but that may not be the only reason Marco is struggling so visibly, not only squinting, but searching for a proper viewing distance.

He doesn't wear glasses yet.

[reddenedgalaxy]

...he needs his glasses.

[she says, as if that's going to impact the memory scene in any way]

[peccatore]

Guide Agnes nods. Luckily, it doesn't take long for Desk Agnes to reach the same conclusion and retrieve a pair of glasses she apparently had in a drawer. It doesn't suit Marco terribly well, but it helps. He still reads somewhat haltingly, but at least he's not squinting anymore.