Pretend it's home

In moments like this one, he was most in touch with his human side. The glimpse in his eyes would remind his sire of the young boy he had taken in his home. When he had finally opened up to the elder a bit, which had taken him quite some time, he had asked him so many questions. Before he even knew what Edmund truly was, he had always seen him as the source of knowledge he was. Knowledge gathered in the centuries he had lived, rather than read in books. Most of the stories had been told to him first-hand. Back then he hadn’t known that, but later he had explained what he was and it had all made so much sense. Of course the man possessed a sense of wisdom, which came naturally with his age.

Allison had that vibe as well, answering his questions because she too had experience with the subject he was curious about. If someone could tell him about Vikings, it would be her. No book would be a better source of information. Hopefully it didn’t bore or annoy her to death. Mort could get quite caught up in his curiousness from time to time. ”Is fighting as much their culture as, say, with the people from Vanaheim?” He asked next, as he at least had some experience with that. This way, he could compare them a bit, which would be very interesting to him. ”If I bore you with my questions, let me know”, He quickly said next, a faint smile gracing his lips as he met her gaze again. She was Grand Duchess now. She probably had much more important matters to attend to.

It was nothing new he was kind of addicted to learning about new and exciting subjects. His sire had been the first one to endure countless hours of questioning, though he had showed nothing but patience in answering every question he could come up with. For now, he hoped, Allison would do the same. Because boy did he have a lot to ask. He nodded a few times while she was explaining how Vikings were more comparable to the pirates of Rhoynar than the people of Vanaheim. The word savage came up again, and he had to pay close attention as to not make a comment on it. No one had to know about his visits there, at least not for now.

Then she suggested visiting Falkreath one day. Mort softly bit his lip. ”We’ll see”, He chuckled a bit nervous. To ask yet another question, he looked around again for a short time. ”So, this garden doesn’t happen to have a pond, does it?” He asked with a smirk. Very important information, indeed.

It was a pretty confusing request when she mentioned her old house. Why would she say that? Who even had locked rooms in their houses? What would she need those for in the first place? He decided it would be wise not to mention it though. She had probably said it in an encrypted way because it was something she didn’t want to talk about, considering she locked it away so no one would find out what was behind the door, right? Secrets. Those could weigh a person down like nothing else. That’s why he kept none. Oh wait, he actually did. Considering he still hadn’t told Kaz about his relationship with the person who had wanted to kill him.

A very saddening and discouraging negative answer was given to his next question. “What the hell would I do with a pond?” She dared to ask, and now it was his turn to throw her a confoosed look. ”Well, to keep ducklings, of course”, He retorted, as if it was the most normal and mundane thing in the world. Which for him, it was. Every garden needed a pond with a few ducks in it. His future house would have one too, it wasn’t even up for discussion.

For now, he was all good here in Rhoynar. From the moment his new house would be ready, he’d move there. Which was still pretty far away from Falkreath. He wouldn’t want to find Vikings in his backyard to be honest. Only ducklings. And other animals, perhaps. It was kind of therapeutic. Being close to nature in general. Mort was used to living away from busy cities. His hometown had had a low population, Edmund’s mansion had been built on a remote plot of land and now his cabin would be secluded too. Just the way he liked it. Of course he would love for some people to visit, but he wouldn’t just give the location to anyone. The place shouldn’t be too crowded, he figured.

If Allison visited, she would maybe finally realise how important it was to have some ducklings around. Though she still laughed at it. When she called him a predator, he was laughing too. He didn’t quite fit that stereotype now did he? His laugh quickly faded when she mentioned poisonous plants. ”Oh no, nope, can’t have that around ducklings, you’re right”, He said while nodding. ”What do you need those herbs for though?” He asked, wondering if he was asking questions that she wouldn’t want to answer again.

The vampire followed her in silence while they were walking through the garden. He took in every word she said, kind of filing all this information in his memory. He never knew if it could be useful one day. Besides, he liked to learn new facts. About certain events in history, knowledge in science, or more simple information on other people. It gave him joy, in some kind of way. He pictured a little Allison sitting on a bed, reading through books while trying to comprehend what it all meant. The passion she spoke of, was clearly audible in her voice as she spoke about it too.

Mort took a closer look at the plant she was referring to, impressed that she saw such a beautiful purpose in what appeared to be just another random plant to him. ”I wonder how they determined the use of every plant, you know? I bet a lot of researchers got hurt while trying to figure it all out”, He noted. Not all plants were edible, but it would have taken at least one person to try that out, which meant that they had probably gotten very sick or even died while doing so. A slightly amusing, yet tragic thought to say the least.

Mort wondered if one day he would find the energy to put effort in studying again. Since he had been turned, he hadn’t really picked up a book anymore. The past four years he had been busy trying to learn how to live with the monster hiding inside him. It had consumed all his time, even if he had eternity now. Perhaps one day he would have the same control as Edmund had, so he could focus on other things again. For now, he was happy Allison was sharing her knowledge with him, even though it was only a small fact. When she reached him the flower, he accepted it and carefully inspected the leaves. ”How does it work then? Do you just rub the leaves on the burn?” He asked. Maybe he could use this information for something useful in the future.

When she told the story about trying to pick a flower that had given her a bad rash, he chuckled amused. ”Experiments gone wrong, I have a few stories like that too”, He admitted with a grin around his lips. ”Not far from where I lived there was a river. I used to build little ships and make them float down the river. One day I figured it would be a great idea to build a raft big enough to carry me”, He spoke. ”I think my sire already knew what was going to happen, because he watched me all day from the shadow of a tree. He had this amused sly grin on his face but I didn’t understand why. That was up until the moment I pushed the raft in the water and jumped on it. Of course the whole thing sank in mere seconds”, He laughed. Edmund had made fun of him for weeks after that. Sad.

It was quite clear he had no idea how alchemy actually worked. He knew some people could make medicine out of plants. His sire knew a thing or two about them as well, yet he had no magic to help him. What she described, however, seemed to go way beyond what he thought was possible. She explained there was a difference in how one could use the herbs to make certain potions. ”I would like you to show me one day”, He said with a soft smile. Even though he himself wouldn’t be capable of recreating whatever she came up with, he thought it would be an experience by itself to just see her do it. Because it was her passion and people tended to light up and get in an extremely good mood whenever they were doing what they liked to do.

They were back at sharing childhood stories. The best way to get to know someone, probably. So he told one of his in return. It caused her to laugh, and he couldn’t help but laugh too. It were good memories. “You sound like you were quite the handful,” She mentioned, and he shrugged slightly. "Puberty, I guess?" He replied. Everyone had that phase where they thought they were smarter than the people around them, not taking the time to listen to their advice but rather find out for themselves.

“You speak of your sire like one would speak of their father,” She suddenly noted. It took him by surprise, for some reason. It was true. Was it a bad thing? ”I mean, in a way, he is? He took me in, kept me safe, taught me everything I know. Isn’t that what fathers do”, He spoke softly. He doubted if he should continue, but he decided to do so. Because he really wanted to trust her. It were words he had never said out loud. And words he would never say to Kaz. ”I don’t even really remember how my real father was. Whenever I try to think of him, I picture Edmund instead”, He confessed. His memory had been completely overwritten by the elder vampire, as he had spent so many years by his side.