[Mary's Studio]
"What?!"
The studio shakes, and so does Viviane, nearly dropping the brush in her hand.
Jerking away from a canvas she was outlining against, Viviane snaps her head in the direction of the lounge, where Mary boomed.
"Oh, for the love of... What is it this time?" she mutters.
Here she was, doing the only thing she could in an art studio to distract herself from worrying developments as they waited for Marlin's return. Between letting Mary's clone trail the bald uncle to news of Lecia's accident, things have been mad since the evening.
They say art is an escape, but that's not helping right now.
Sighing, Viviane lifts off her stool. She's about to join Mary in the lounge to see what the ruckus is about, but the ebony artist rushes out instead with her phone out.
"Easy, Mary. We tried... we really did try."
Viviane blinks to hear Daniel's despondent voice spilling from the phone speaker. She leans forward as Mary sides next to her with the phone in between.
"I'm not blaming you, love," Mary follows. "It just makes me question our shitty luck or the kind of strings that are being pulled here. Anyway, your Mother needs to hear this too."
"Child?" Viviane calls softly. Although glad to hear his voice, she lowers her lips. "Is everything okay?"
Daniel's breath escapes through the speaker. "Not quite. Rachel has learned the truth about Mom."
Viviane jerks, her pupils shrinking as she feels a ton of bricks hit her.
Anne would naturally feel more impacted, but Viviane shares Amy just as well. She can only imagine the terror her sister had to experience, worried how the fellow astronomer would react to their existence.
Daniel and Mary wait for the elder slime to recover.
"Th-then...?"
"Good news, she's accepting," Daniel continues. "I guess you could say she can't dismiss the time she spent with Mom."
Viviane relaxes a little. "Is that so? Thank goodness. Still, how did she find out?"
"That's the bad news...or at least, one of them. Apparently, Rachel had been working with Lecia."
The elder slime holds herself with her mouth hanging. Opposite, Mary only thins her lips, having already heard up to this point.
From there, Daniel does his best to go over the events that have passed since Mary alerted him to Lecia's accident. He describes everything from Rose's visit and connection with Lecia's group to his talk with Mike — someone he can only assume to be second-in-command of this research project that led to his slime mothers.
By the end, Viviane lifts a hand to her head. "Oh god, seriously..."
"I'm sorry, Mother."
"Don't be. You had no way of knowing it would end up like this."
"No, I should've realized when Rachel talked about a 'friend' at Sights Open that helped detect the empty grave."
Mary grips her phone. "It doesn't matter. Now that Rachel knows, what's going to happen?"
"I don't know. Rachel is...uh, recovering after seeing Mom show some of her slime form."
That's in addition to their unique relationship.
Daniel clears his throat. "At this point, I don't think I can keep her away, but I'm more worried about how we go about Lecia and the people around her."
Mary narrows her eyes. "More worried? We're finally discovering the people behind Lecia, and yet you're saying there's something out there they didn't anticipate that's pressuring them? I'd call that more worrying, love. You're sure this Mike believes what happened in the news wasn't an accident?"
"He's certain."
Mary and Viviane glance at each other. The former recovers first, swallowing.
"If that's true, we can't discount the possible threat. If they attacked Lecia because of the knowledge and research they've been doing, Rachel, my uncle, any one of us could be next!"
Daniel sighs. "Mike warned exactly that, pushing whether I had any part. I denied, of course, but it's difficult to convince when they already hold suspicions."
"If he wanted us to open up, he'd give us a reason to trust them," Viviane notes.
"That was my thought as well. He promised to provide support, whatever that means. I'd rather not confirm yours or Anne's existence to the ones who started this, but he knows I'm hiding something now. Even if Rachel decides to keep everyone's identities to herself and lie for us, they're already closer to the truth than I expected."
Taking this in, Viviane lowers her gaze.
A few seconds of silence pass between them before she clenches her cold hands.
"Child, we don't know much about Lecia, but the time we studied in the library together never gave me the impression she was particularly dangerous. I know that doesn't mean much, but if Rachel trusts these people..."
Daniel groans. "I get what you're saying, but we don't even know if she's still alive or where she is! Besides that, getting involved with them now could be..."
"Dangerous?" Viviane finishes before snorting. "It's a risk, but we're already involved. That was clear as soon as you met Lecia. Not to mention, I planned to meet her again as Vivi so we could find out more about her intentions. Did you think this could have been avoided?"
"I wanted to hope so."
Viviane shakes her head. "With the resources she has, the answer is no. So, while Mary and I check with Marlin, you must do the same with Rachel to decide whether we stop hiding. Do you understand?"
"But, that's..."
"I know, but dragging our feet may end up worse if there's something bigger on the horizon for us and them. Worst case comes, I'm not going to hold back if anyone intends to break us apart. So please, don't assume you're carrying us on your own. Mommy won't allow it, you hear?"
"Ugh... Do you really have to end it with that?"
Viviane smirks. "Are you questioning your mother at this time?"
"N-no... Well, it doesn't matter what I think. It's better not to be completely in the dark, so I'll see what direction we go now."
Mary looks away, sliding her free hand to her forehead. "To think we would both have uncle and aunt-like confessions to deal with tonight."
On that note, hope laces Viviane's lips as she she pivots. "Do you think we could meet Rachel?"
"Knowing her, it'll happen, but I can't say when," Daniel answers. "It's already slipped that Mary and I are together again, so I don't want to shock her with the fact that I have another variant of mom. I need to make sure I understand where she stands with Lecia and this group first before we come together."
The door opening and closing from the lobby breaks everyone's focus. Mary clears her throat.
"Love, my uncle is back, so we'll have to talk later. I know we need to talk about Rose, too. If possible, it would be nice if you and Anne stayed overnight at my apartment. Marlin will be sleeping in the studio, so we should be able to talk privately, too."
"Depends on how things go here, but keep me updated on your uncle."
"Likewise."
The call ends. Mary and Viviane don't have much time to prepare as Marlin steps through the hallway into the work area. Catching the two girls, he forces a smile on his face while carrying bags in his hands.
"Sorry, it took longer than expected, but I've got dinner as promised!"
Mary shuffles, scanning past her uncle to see where her slime clone is. Fortunately, she sees a blue blob creeping to the corners behind him. It doesn't seem he's noticed his little passenger.
Mary resets, tilting her chin.
"About time, I'm starving!" she huffs, sliding her phone back into her pocket. She steps forward. "Here, let me handle the food. I'll set up the table in the kitchen."
Without question, Marlin hands off the takeout to his niece. While the weight of the bags is off, the pressure of his meeting with Morgan continues to weigh down on him. He tries not to show any of it, unaware of a blue blob trailing Mary as he turns his attention to Viviane.
The elder slime thins her lips. It will be only a matter of time before the slime clone and Mary reconnect, so she hopes their suspicions turn out to be nothing.
"Did you hear the news?" she asks, crossing her arms.
Marlin raises his eyebrows before sighing. "Yes... What happened with Lecia, right?"
Viviane hums. "The timing is terrible. Given what we told you about the blue fire when I was with her at the city library, what do you think happened for her to disappear?"
The bald man stiffens. He's already gathered that Victor likely had a hand in Lecia's disappearance, perhaps keeping her safe somehow. A similar blue fire enveloped Morgan, but rather than protect her, it seemed to have warded her away from whatever state he was in. Lastly, whenever he tried to damage the "Book of Isis," which hopefully remains in his suitcase, it would burst into blue flames each time and come out recovered.
Protection magic was the theory, and he recalls Morgan confirming, but it seems to vary in its effects and intentions...
"I should've guessed you'd be placed under some protection. That old fool is still making things difficult, even into this damn era."
Old fool would be... Merlin? But when was he placed under this effect? Was it when he took the book?
He certainly can't remember if he was ever enshrouded by fire, but it could've happened in his sleep, for all he knows.
Shutting his eyes, Marlin buries these questions for now. "I wish I could say, but... I'm sure Lecia is alive somewhere."
"I would hope so," Viviane adds, tilting away. "It's possible that this wasn't an accident."
Jerked, Marlin's reopens his eyes quickly. He holds his breath for a few seconds. "Why... why do you say that?"
Viviane pauses before lowering her gaze. "Just a feeling."
She could let him know about Rachel and what Daniel had told them, but it seems better to avoid the topic without knowing where the bald man truly went. To that end, Marlin frowns, recognizing there's more to Viviane's claim, but unable to expose himself.
Is it possible they already know about the Order?
"W-well, putting speculations aside, I know you wanted to take a look at the text, and I did bring a copy with me. Maybe things will be clear to you tonight on these fires or of Merlin once you start reading it."
Given his meeting with Morgan, he especially has a keen interest in understanding Merlin now.
'If I can even read it,' Viviane grumbles to herself. That said, this was the book that Mary read when younger, which allowed Merlin to pass a message to her. So, unlike Victor's academic book where everything is invisible to her, she hopes there are more messages from the wizard that only she can see, providing clues to her history and sealing.
"All ready! Let's go eat!" Mary shouts from the kitchen.
Checking Marlin's "Book of Isis" would have to wait, however, as Marlin and Viviane end their standing and head over. There, the British girl is in her seat with plates set out.
The slime portion for Mary is nowhere to be seen.
"Burgers and chili fries from Ruler's Den. You're just trying to kill us, aren't you?" Mary begins, a light smile countering her narrowed stare. "Although if you wanted to drink, you should've brought me with you."
Sweating behind, Marlin weakly chuckles as he takes his seat. "You can tell? It was just a light one, I promise. I'm... surprised you've been there before."
"...In a way."
Viviane stares at Mary, her brows creasing. Seeing how there's no brand on the bags or wrappings, the artist had to have recombined with her slimy clone to learn this information.
"Mary?"
Coughing, the artist holds out a hand to the elder slime and shakes her head. Seeing this, Marlin switches between them.
"Sorry, is something wrong?"
Taking a stretching line of chili fries to her plate, Mary straightens. "Not at all. Why do you think there's something wrong?"
Marlin frowns. Based on her tone, it's possible his niece is playing clueless. In addition to Viviane's "feeling" about Lecia's accident, he shuffles uncomfortably as his stomach churns.
"Okay, to be honest, I...didn't go for a walk," he admits, forcing a smile. "I heard of this pub and wanted to check this place out."
Mary's brows furrow.
She already combined with her clone, and reviewing the memories of her uncle just sitting at the bar, she might have believed that excuse; however, she can't ignore a place serving a cocktail that happens to be called 'Tears of Isis'.
Unwavering, she takes a bite of a fry. "For what exactly?" she presses.
"Those chili fries, for one. How are they?"
"Gooey, spicy, and probably taking me closer to a heart attack in the future."
Marlin snorts. "Well, it goes without saying: Most good food isn't good."
Stretching over, Viviane tries a fry dipped with its signature. Not that she expected anything different as a slime, but she sours to the taste of nothingness.
Amid the elder slime's letdown, Mary leans forward. "I'd be more interested in their alcohol, though. What did you get?"
Marlin's stomach twists deeper to his niece's sharpening tone and piercing brown eyes. If it wasn't apparent before, their suspicions are definitely now.
"Okay then," he mutters under his breath. "Mary, listen..."
"I heard they have a special cocktail called 'Tears of Isis'. Interesting choice of name, don't you think?" Mary maintains.
Marlin groans. "Look, I get it; you followed me. I don't know how, but you didn't have to go this far."
Laughing derisively, Mary tilts away before rising.
TOK!
Viviane and Marlin shake as she slams the table with her hand.
"You're damn well I did!" she snaps, stunning the air into silence. "I wanted to trust you to help us get to the bottom of all of this, yet you go off to some suspicious place without telling us?"
Marlin's forehead creases. "I didn't want to put you in harm's way."
Shaking her head, Mary scoffs and turns away for a moment. "Unbelievable... That's your excuse?"
Inhaling sharply, she returns to him with a pointed finger. "Uncle, if this is your way of protecting me, we are well past that. There's plenty more we were planning to tell you, but that'll be difficult if you're not going to work with us. For better or worse, you and I have a part in this by way of a famous wizard that's no longer a myth; along with that, my fellow slimy friends are linked to an Egyptian goddess and an ominous 'flood', so don't give me that kind of crap! What can we do to prepare if we aren't in the loop?"
Shutting his eyes, Marlin leans forward, resting his head against his head. He knows Mary is right. In particular, The Order is aware he's coming to visit his niece. It's less likely he'll be able to do anything now if they decide to move, just like they did with Lecia.
With a heavy sigh, he drops his hand. He locks to his niece's fierce eyes and lifts his lips bitterly. "I'm sorry, Mary. Before I explain what we're dealing with, how did you follow me?"
Mary's stare holds firmly. Without another word, she lifts her hand...
Squick!
Lurching back, Marlin's face drains of color to see blue slime rising off her skin with a flood of goo pouring away from her hand. While his mind blanks at what has become of his niece, Viviane groans.
"Oh boy..."
The slimy clone layering the artist slips away, pulling herself to the floor behind the original. When she finishes separating from her host, she rises into a looser form with the same hardened expression toward Marlin.
"Like we said," the slime clone begins. "There's more we haven't shared. While you know about Anne and Viviane, I'm...wait..."
The clone breaks, then growls towards the original. "Why am I explaining?! I wouldn't be here if you and Anne were able to control yourself!"
Mary coughs, closing her eyes. "Alright, alright. Basically, we were drunk yesterday. Anne and Viviane can merge with anyone, and that's how our memories can be shared. When I was joined with Anne while drinking too much, we ended up creating a copy of me instead of separating. My copy couldn't be reabsorbed by Anne for some reason, so there are now three slimes."
"T-this...happened...yesterday?" Marlin forces out, quivering.
Opening her eyes shamefully, Mary nods. "Yes. Anyway, my copy here is the one that slipped into your car and snuck into the pub."
She straightens, returning serious. "Now that you know, are you going to continue hiding from us?"
"I..."
"If not, then even if you are my uncle, Viviane and I can force out what you know and have learned over the years," Mary warns, her pupils reflecting the increasingly pale uncle. "All it would take is just seeping some slime across that stubborn bald head of yours, then..."
"I joined a cult, okay! A cult!" Marlin blurts out faster than he thought possible.
Once again, the room stills to the admission as both Marys and Viviane stare blankly back. There was no other way, of course. Faced with an immediate threat by The Order and within his family, Marlin knew there was little chance to grant his niece a way out.
Or his way out, for that matter.
However, his silly niece's new state sealed the deal: she had become a new remnant of Isis.
Amid his horror, both versions of Mary shake their heads in recovery.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!" they shout in sync, pulling closer.
"Ugh!"
Marlin is unable to hold on to himself as his eyes roll back from the accumulated shock. As he slumps, Viviane quickly shifts to keep him from falling off the chair.
"Marlin! Damn it, Mary, wasn't there a better way than to scare him?" the elder slime hisses. She taps his shoulder a little. "Hey, Marlin... Marlin!"
The uncle groans, at least giving them some reassurance that he's alive to some degree.
Flinching, Mary and her slimy duplicate recede and look at each other before they clear themselves.
Yes, they may have been a bit too forceful there.
Even coming from a cult, at least the chili fries were tasty.
══════════ ∴ ══════════
[Rachel's Home]
While one family member faints in the distance, another of sorts takes a glass of water after her own recovery.
Rachel's hand grip such cup tightly, keeping it close to her lap. Sitting beside her on the couch, Anne rubs a soothing hand across her friend's back.
Opposite, Daniel taps his knees, wiggling his lips. It's been thirty minutes, but felt much longer after Rachel describes what she knows of the ritual and the book Lecia found.
"I'm sorry, but based on what you're saying..." he begins, hesitating. "It sounds like you're part of a cult."
Scoffing, Rachel shakes her head. "Well, we're not. I mean, I wasn't there when Lecia and others performed the ritual, but while we were hiding the activities of our research and meetings, we weren't doing any harm."
"How can you be certain?" Daniel presses. "You weren't even kept in the loop until now!"
The elder woman lowers her gaze. "You're right. I can't be for sure, but..."
Raising her head, she stares readily. "At least through my talks with all the other members...academics, investors, pretty much anyone who believed in the book she found at Stonehenge, we were free to carry doubts, we all argued about the contents as we collaborated. Although the book was dated in medieval times, we weren't so blinded to trust it blindly. We knew we could have spent years studying aspects of this book, all for it to turn out to be a hoax."
"Until it wasn't."
Rachel hums and glances toward Anne with a light smile. "I still don't know how to feel, seeing the product of the green fire before my very eyes."
Anne thins her lips, looking like she's about to cry. "I thought you'd be disgusted... angry at me for taking away Amy."
Snorting, Rachel shifts a comforting hand to her leg. "Maybe if I hadn't met you, dear. Even if you and Daniel lied to me, I can understand why. You said you didn't become aware until you came out of Amy's grave, right?"
"...Yes, but that doesn't—"
"It's alright. There's not much use for a dead person except to decay, so I'm glad something like you was able to come out of it."
However, Rachel's smile fades as she knits her brows back at Daniel. "That said, I disapprove of this...relationship. Regardless of whether she's Amy or not, or that there isn't any harm in intermingling, she is still a derivative of your mother. You accepted that, and even crazier, you're dating Mary as well!"
That's only two-thirds of the crazy part. Although they would have to tell her, Daniel and Anne hold back the existence of Viviane with exceptionally flattened lips.
Breaking out with a nervous chuckle, Anne leans forward with her hands waving. "R-rachel, please! I was the one who wanted it. What matters to me is that I live to the fullest with Daniel."
Placing the glass in her hands onto the coffee table in front, Rachel takes a moment to plant her face into her hands, groaning. "Goodness, this is insane."
Daniel gulps. "Not that I don't understand your concern because it was mine as well before I gave up, but we have bigger problems to deal with."
Leaning back, Rachel sighs as she slides her hands down. "Fine. Going back to the work we did with Lecia, I don't know what else I can say. Was there illegal work done behind the scenes? Probably. The fact that she took a book from an archaeological site and kept it to herself was certainly wrong, but she couldn't trust institutions to take the book seriously. If anything, she's driven and passionate about unearthing history, like many archaeologists."
"If she knew the truth of what came out of that ritual, what would she do?" Daniel asks.
Rachel's gaze drops. "I only know she was afraid, not knowing what came out or the consequences, so I can't be certain how she would feel if she knew. Did she notice anything when she visited your studio?"
Anne shakes her head. "Nothing particular about me other than the slip-up with the symbol I drew."
"Wait... you drew that?"
"Yes, it was from Mary's memory when she looked at her uncle's book that... Oh, wait, I think I'm getting ahead of myself here."
While Anne closes her eyes meekly, Rachel stares blankly before switching between Daniel and the slime. "I...apparently have a lot to learn."
Daniel sighs. "We'll tell you everything, but I need to know whether we should trust Lecia and the people behind her. If I had to choose, I'd rather not have your group or anyone know about Anne, but...I doubt that will be possible now."
Rachel leans back, staring at the ceiling. "Trust, huh?"
Taking a moment to collect herself, she locks back to the artist. "Do I completely trust Lecia or Mike? No. Even I can imagine people wanting to investigate your new mother like a research subject. Have you not seen countless movies portraying the abuse that would end up leaving the subject resentful, then end up becoming a tragedy?"
Oddly specific.
"Pfft...Rachel!" Anne cries, barely holding herself from laughter.
Figuring this would be the case, Daniel nods. "Then—"
"However," Rachel cuts, her eyes narrowed. "You know it's more complicated than that. Rather than who I trust, you should trust the circumstances."
"Circumstances?"
Rachel hums, taking a sip of her glass. By the end, and a clink to the table, she breathes out, staring past the level of water. "I know Mike cares for Lecia. By revealing the research to you, even a little, he's desperate enough to find who attacked her and where she is. Moreover, you should know that the only magic that has been performed by us is this summoning. Nobody in this group would be able to do anything like you see in those Harry Potter movies."
She lifts her gaze with a sad smile. "So trust me when I say we're completely out of our league here. If there are others who seem to know more and want us gone, then we're basically apples for the picking."
Daniel's eyes widen.
The first part is clear, given what he heard from Mike. As for the second part, he's reminded of Lecia's words to Viviane in the library.
"If anything, I'm just...well, I guess you could say a fool way in over her head."
Merlin's first message also expects such.
"As I predict from these damned visions that never let me sleep, your seal will come undone one day by the ignorance of others."
'Of course, you chose to let it turn out that way!' Daniel thinks, clenching his hands.
"Daniel?" Anne calls, breaking his thoughts. When his eyes meet, she smiles reassuringly. "You don't have to decide tonight. I think it's best you clear your head first, sweetie."
The artist smiles back dryly, nodding his head to the side in consideration, before shifting to Rachel. "Tell Mike we can have a more honest talk tomorrow. Whatever Lecia means, I don't wish her dead and also want to know what happened. She's still a wealthy client who has to pay me for her troubling painting, after all."
The scientist breathes out silently before snorting. "How cold of you, dear. Business first, huh?"
"For my sanity, it has to be." Daniel admits, then rises from the couch. "Anyway, we'll come back here tomorrow to talk more."
"Actually, I'll stay here with Rachel for the night and explain the rest," Anne declares. "You should take up Mary's offer and catch up with her."
Daniel blinks. "Are...are you sure?"
Anne nods. "Yes. I know we planned to join together and revisit my dream world, but I think that can wait. For all we know, we might not see any new clues or memories in that fog."
Rachel's mind swirls. "Fog? Dream world?"
The slime mother giggles and pats her friend's hand. "Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it. Most importantly, I want to make sure you're safe tonight."
Knowing some group targeted Lecia reminds Daniel that Rachel could be next. Fearing the worst, his forehead creases.
"No, if that's the case, I'll stay as well."
Anne rolls her eyes. "Daniel, I can stay up; you can't. Don't argue with Mama on this!"
Hearing the address for the first time, Rachel inhales deeply at the slime mother. "Wait, you call yourself Mama?!"
"Oh! Oops, hehe~"
"Don't play cute with me!" Rachel admonishes before twisting to Daniel with distaste. "Alright, you two desperately need time apart. Listen to your mother and get going!"
Daniel flinches. "But—"
"Get going, young man!"
The next few moments pass like a blur before Daniel finds himself pushed outside Rachel's home with the car keys in his hands. As the door shuts behind him, he's about to protest leaving before his phone buzzes.
It could only be from one person.
'Oh no... Please no...'
Hands sweating, he takes a flip of his phone to see a dreaded text from Mary.
MY UNCLE IS PART OF A FUCKING CULT! NEVER TRUST THE BRITISH, I SWEAR.
"..."
Daniel stares at the message for the longest time before his dead eyes lift to meet the sky. Although no stars can be seen thanks to the city light pollution, he wonders how many of them might fall to bring more premonition.
"Wait, you're telling me there's another mother?!"
Hearing Rachel's muffled cry behind him, he gulps.
Anne must've slipped up again.
Faced with Rachel's wrath if he stays, he stops hesitating and bolts to his car. Cult or not, he'll take his chances over there.