(Untitled)

[young_tmriddle]

It's been a few weeks since Tom encountered Marjory Stewart-Baxter again. It's been fewer still since she laid her eggs in his arm. Tom and Marjory have a long, odd history, but he has been judged worthy of incubating her puppetlings.

He doesn't know this important fact. He does know he's having strange, unsettling dreams of late

Comments

[mmquitecontrary]

"You do not look well," Mary remarks, with an admirable lack of respect for her friend's guardian/parental figure.

[young_tmriddle]

"Hullo to you, as well, Mary," he says, refraining from itching his arm.

He is, perhaps, a bit testier than Mary has ever seen him.

[mmquitecontrary]

Mary ignores any hints about polite greetings.

"If you are ill," she informs him, instead, "there is an infirmary. It is better that you go and learn if you are ill or not, then run about infecting other people."

[young_tmriddle]

"I am not ill," he informs her.

Temple and Arch, when did she become so tall and demanding? Wait, she was always demanding. She wasn't tall, though.

"Thank you for your concern."

Ugh, he doesn't want to go to the infirmary, either. It might be better than St. Mungo's but only just.

[mmquitecontrary]

"If you are just extremely tired," Mary suggests, "perhaps you ought to sleep - rather than being in a bar."

She's an expert at diagnosis!

[young_tmriddle]

He frowns quite a lot at this suggestion, actually.

"Yes. That would be a fine idea if I was exhausted. Perhaps you ought to pursue a career in the healing arts."

[mmquitecontrary]

Mary scowls, at this.

"You are being sarcastic at me. I am only trying to offer advice."

There's no call for Tom to be rude!

[young_tmriddle]

He stops, takes a deep breath, and then tries to not scowl. He mostly succeeds.

This is one of Ingress' dearest friends. She should be treated accordingly.

"You are correct, Mary. I do apologize. Only I don't feel ill or tired. I'm simply not feeling quite myself."

[mmquitecontrary]

Sadly, Mary is not quite clever enough to ask, 'then who do you feel like?'

"I don't know what that means," she says instead, frowning.

Mary feels ill sometimes. But she always feels like herself.

[young_tmriddle]

"It's a figure of speech. I don't feel physically as I normally would, but it's not due to illness or exhaustion."

She certainly is persistent.

Kind of like the vexing itch.

[mmquitecontrary]

"Then what is it due to?" Mary demands.

It is time to narrow down some symptoms! She's read books . . .

[young_tmriddle]

"I don't know. Perhaps I received a bite from something, and I'm having a reaction. I shall visit a Healer if it doesn't improve."

[mmquitecontrary]

"Is your house infested with spiders?" Mary asks, with some interest. Mary finds spiders interesting.

[young_tmriddle]

"I've seen spiders on occasion. They could leave bites, could they not?"

He's musing aloud. He's definitely not asking a teenager for medical advice.

[mmquitecontrary]

"Of course they can! Some spiders are poisonous," Mary says, sagely, "and can do worse than just leave bites - but some are only a nuisance."

If she had glasses, she'd be pushing them up her nose right now. "I do not know very much about the entomology of Underside, or I could tell you more."

[young_tmriddle]

"We tend to have the same spiders as the Topside," he muses.

"Except for the Acromantula colony on the borders of Hampstead Heath..."