[OPEN] breach your rippling pool

M i l d e w

Come down, little darling,
and lay at my breast

"Ha!" Mildew grinned, pleased that Aurelia joked with her; the swift return of the juice did imply that she was worried it was more than a joke, but the Demi Goddess took some mercy, taking it back and having a sip herself before putting it back in her bag.

Mildew didn't seem to have to focus on not leaving a trail after herself, the reeds and plants of the land almost parting and re-merging as she passed with little effort, creatures of the swamp either respectfully sitting aside or wilfully going with her, those small enough taking short rides on her shoulder or gripping onto her feet. She glanced back, not needing to see the way she was going, knowing it well.

"I can't give you all my secrets, or anyone could do it, right darling?" She laughed lightly, a hand over her mouth, but did concede to something of an answer: "Truthfully it's hard to explain to a short-lived mortal...no offense. In essence, I have a sense of you, and the cards help me to mould and guide that sense into answers." As they slipped between two trees, suddenly before them would be her hut, a wooden structure with a thatched roof and endless trinkets hanging from every inch, the building almost difficult to take in all at once from all the colours and lights.

The stairs creaked as they headed up and through the door, which felt surprisingly sturdy despite it's rough wood construction; inside was a homely two-room interior, the door to the second room shut off. The first had a fire in one side, encased in a very old metal frame that lifted the smoke up into a chimney in the roof, endless shelves of bottles, ingredients and utensils; the walls were coated in herbs and ingredients, each noted with a small label listing their name in almost-illegible handwriting.

Mildew gestured towards a pile of cushions in one corner for Aurelia to sit, then went to a shelf on the far wall, taking out a case full of hundreds of cards and sifting through them, apparently taking at random a pack of about 80. "Try to get yourself in a relaxed state of mind, hun." She encouraged, leaning over to the fire and throwing a herb onto it which would envelop the room with a heavy, sleepy scent and light blue fog.

Oh, come a little closer
and I'll do the rest