[ Mary's Studio ]
While one man is covered and controlled by his slime mother a few blocks away, another sits in the studio of his niece with no such protection or guidance.
It's been said before, but...
'I should've stayed in London,' Marlin thinks, drawing a slow sip of his coffee while he faces a committee of sorts.
A committee of two and the same, to be precise.
On his left across the kitchen table is Mary, burrowing her eyes to him like a hawk after arriving from her apartment twenty minutes ago. It's not pleasant to be received by a family member like this, but expected given the circumstances.
Then, to his right, is also Mary. She's identical except for the choice of wear and expression. Rather than carry the same drape of suspicion, her lips thin bitterly over the entire situation, especially as the one who was forced to oversee him after he passed out. For the most part, he's calmed down despite lingering anxiety over his mind being pursued through gelatinous means.
"S-so, which one of you is the original?" Marlin asks, a silent drop of sweat sliding down his neck from his shining head. His hands cling to the round edges of his mug, but it won't save him from the unexpected twins' stare.
"I don't think you're in any position to be asking questions first, uncle," the left Mary warns, squinting her eyes. "Not only did you leave us hanging by saying you joined a cult, but you were also tried to hide the fact that you brought the actual book!"
The right Mary sighs. "In his defense, we did make him pass out."
Even so, Marlin shuts his eyes, regret creasing his uneven face. After he woke up and found they had searched his luggage, it only emphasized that he couldn't hide his troubling membership and studies. He thought he was careful, but in fact, he bit off more than he can chew.
Taking a deep breath before swallowing, he lowers his head. "I'm sorry, Mary. I thought that maybe there was a way to help distance you from all of this, but I see now that you are..."
"... beyond help?" the right Mary finishes, raising her brow.
Marlin snorts, his lips rising sadly. "Maybe, but really, I'm the one beyond help right now."
The tension in the twins' gazes eases. Before they might understand what kind of mess their uncle has become involved in, the left Mary leans back in her chair, sighing. "Well, we do have the British curse."
The right Mary groans, rolling her eyes.
"Is this really the time for jokes?" she asks before turning her attention fully to her human twin, eyes narrowing. "More than that, bet you find it so funny leaving me behind for uncle-sitting, huh?"
Her twin blinks, raising a brow. "You're upset about that? I mean, I would be too, but it wasn't all sunshine on my end either. You'll know soon enough once we recombine."
"You had Daniel!" the slime Mary snaps, pointing finger at her mirror. "There's no way you didn't play around with him!"
Reflecting back, the accused flinches before glancing away. "C-come on, who do you take me for?"
Her slimy clone only stares back flatly in silence. It doesn't take long for Mary to break, her lips twisting crookedly.
"Okay, point taken."
"Uh..." Marlin's uncertainty breaks between twins. In a jerk, the two straighten with the human taking point, clearing herself.
"So anyway, care to explain about this cult you joined? Perhaps the cult of Isis?"
Shoulders slumping, Marlin takes a deep breath, keeping his hands cupped to the mug as he stares into it. "It's not called that, but yes. They're known as The Order."
The two in front of him blink, cocking their heads together. "The Order?"
Marlin hums. "It was a few years after I received the book when I found a lead into a modern-day group that worship the goddess. As I was trying to decipher the symbols, I took a risk in joining the group to see if I could learn more."
"Then, you're not a fanatic?"
"I'm not!" Marlin insists, lifting his head to the girls. "I swear, I only joined to access the resources to learn about this book, but..."
"...but?"
Marlin's brows knit together as he looks down. "But, I underestimated what I joined."
The pair hold themselves, waiting for their uncle to elaborate. After a few breaths, he laughs weakly, shaking his head.
"I guess that's my mistake since they're not considered a cult for no reason. For one, they don't take kindly to members who pry into their goddess from outside. I thought that if I stayed low and not dig too quickly in their records, I could avoid eyes while advancing studies to the book in between my usual job.
"However, last week was the first time I learned they assaulted an outside group in Egypt who were looking into matters related to Isis. Knowing that you were also looking into the goddess, I couldn't help but worry whether you were either related or add to their radar."
"An assault in Egypt?" one of the Mary raises. "I can tell you for certain we're not part of any group. It's been only been me, Daniel, Viviane, and Anne."
"Problem is, you are related. What I gathered from the pub last night is that same group found in Egypt was likely associated with Lecia."
His nieces flinch, their eyes widening in sync. It doesn't take much for them to figure out the rest.
"Then, her accident on the news..." One begins.
"... was a hit by this cult?!" the other completes, leaning forward.
Marlin nods, displeasure weighing down his face. "My initial goal was to figure how much you've learned and try to dissuade you from this dangerous path you're set on." He closes his eyes. "Turns out that was naive."
The human Mary scoffs, glancing to her twin, then back to her uncle. "What, because you know we wouldn't abandon Daniel and these ancient shapeshifters? Well, yeah, that would be naive."
"We're just too stupid, even with this danger, you see," the clone supports, closing her eyes pitifully.
"Hey, don't speak for us even if you are me!" the original growls.
Marlin stops short of a crying. Somehow, he's getting used to having two nieces, and by that, he's developing a headache twice over.
'There's really no way out of this, is there?'
On the outside, he tries to appear calm. "Regardless, they have eyes on us now. The reason I visited the pub you tailed me was because I didn't feel like I had much of a choice. Before you picked me up, I bumped into follower named Nico at the airport. Despite not telling anyone except your father where I was headed, he somehow knew, then extended the invitation to that pub."
"Nico...." the human Mary whispers the name before shuffling. "You don't think Dad might have...?"
Marlin shakes his head. "I highly doubt it. No disrespect to your father, but you know he's not great with technology. If he was working for them, he'd have to be comfortable with communication tools and some manual decryption."
"Yeah, that's unlikely."
"That being said, anybody can find information on us if they spend enough time. It seems my efforts to conceal my tracks weren't enough."
Mary's clone crosses her arms. "So basically, we're now caught in the crossfires between Lecia's group and The Order. What were you doing alone in the pub, though? When I followed you yesterday, you were just sitting still at the bar. I didn't see anyone approach you."
Earlier, they hypothesized that he was in a similar state to Daniel at the clinic by the hands of Victor, but it's hard to say considering they didn't see any magical fire.
"Well, that's because...!"
The front door to the studio lobby buzzes, pinching their conversation to a halt. After a second passes, Mary lifts.
"That must be Daniel and Viviane if someone's going to ignore the closed sign. Let's continue after I introduce you to the former. They should also be bringing back the book, so we'll have plenty more to talk about."
"Should we recombine?" her clone asks.
Mary grins. "Uh, uh, not yet! Don't tell me you dislike our dynamic apart?"
Her clone harrumphs, turning away. "I wish I could! So far, what I dislike is how I'm already getting the short end of the stick!"
Guilt treads through Mary. As the second buzz rings, she doesn't hesitate, motioning to the hallway.
"If that's the case, how about I let you have the opportunity to greet our boyfriend? Later, I'll even give you to him next time as compensation."
"Or, we could — you know — carry that time together?"
"What's the difference now or later? It'll be me in the end anyway."
Sighing, the clone stands, shaking her head. "Whatever. We really are too free with our thinking."
She passes by her human self to receive the visitors. Meanwhile, Marlin stares, finally registering the implications of having a slimy clone.
"So, um... does this mean your boyfriend acknowledges both of you?" he asks, wondering if he wants to know the answer.
Mary blinks before settling back down to the table. "Well, she is still me, so yeah."
Marlin shakes his head and takes a sip of his coffee. "Poor guy."