houseofcards_rp | Hot as a hare, blind as a bat

Maggie sets her trowel on the ground and sits back on her heels. The Datura didn't need deadheading, yet the evidence lay before her eyes: small, precise cuts separating flowers and leaves from stem. The Heart rises to her feet in a smooth motion that belies her age and makes her way down the neat cutting beds. No mistake. Someone's come in with small sheers and pruned some of her more interesting plants. Foxglove, morning glory, monkshood, castor oil plant, someone's disturbed them all. Lovely.

"How very unwise of my uninvited guest," she murmurs to herself before turning back to the gate and inspecting the lock. An enterprising soul could hop the wall, but in this case, a close look reveals scratch marks around the mechanism. A short walk brings her to her Cannabis plot. Unmolested. She claims to grow the weed for medicinal reasons--indeed, she has a prescription for it. But truth be told, she enjoys the relaxation it brings her and never begrudges a few leaves here and there should anyone ask her. Yet the plants escaped this latest harvest. Clearly, her prowler hadn't cared about medicine.

"I suppose I'll need to reinstall the surveillance cameras. And let one of the Faces know so they can pass the word along. Bloody nuisance."

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"Surveillance camera?"

She's been here a while now, yes. She's gotten used to most of what's incredibly odd about the arrangement of life in the Deck compared to the life she had known in Wales. As much as she can't help missing the country of her birth, she's got to admit that this place, by and large, is far better for her--and, more importantly, for her son--than life back up Cardiff was.

That doesn't mean Roisin isn't absolutely tutting at the idea of cameras in a garden. "An' that'll be escalating things like a cat on the way to hell, won't it, dove? 'd ye na guess it's just a bit of kids having fun?"

Outsiders. They're so adorable at times. Maggie considers explaining the missing poisons to Roison then discards the idea. "Normally I'd agree with you, but I, ah, grow medicinal marijuana. Personally I don't believe it would do much harm, but I don't particularly want irate parents descending on me waiving pitchforks and torches."

She'll leave the explanations to her son. And shame on him for not doing so already.

Dinner would clearly be exciting tonight. Hopefully the Jack wouldn't actually choke on his dinner while his mother chirruped along in lilting Welsh about a lovely friend and mariwana.

"They'll let their bitty ones play with knives but get up in arms over a little bit of smoking?" This tutting, at least, is aimed in the direction of others. "What a strange way t' live." And marijuana even easier on the lungs than tobacco--or coal. "Not taken much, have they?"

Maggie would regret not being at the table if she knew Roisin's nefarious plan.

"A bit silly of them, isn't it? Still, ours is not to reason why. As for the culprits, just enough to cause trouble. I was about to put the kettle on." She winks. "Or perhaps a finger of whiskey. I could do with one after the day I've had."

Clearly she'll have to have dinner in the Thomas residence more often. Things always tend to get nefarious--or, at least, tend to expose the Jack as a real human person, as easily embarrassed by his mother as every other son or daughter in the history of the world.

Tea would probably be good for her stomach and her joints--and her liver. And yet. Maggie herself is clearly nefarious enough. "Milk for a child, meat for a man, beer for the old--but I'd say whiskey and a bit of a chat might do you better, luv."

What do they live for if not to bring embarrassment to the youngsters? Maggie's gaze meets Roisin's. Kindred spirit, that one. She moves to the sideboard and pulls out two glasses.

"I've beer, too, if you'd like a chaser. Let's see...Bushmill's or Laphroaig?"

"Dunna you be wasting a drop of Laphroaig on account of me, Ma'am Sinjin." A bit more her father's pronunciation than her husband's, but she's not certain she isn't pleased to sound more like her childhood home than her marital one these days. "Already more than kind t' have me here at all withou' taking your fine things."

"No kindness. Pleasure. I seldom get a chance to have a natter with a woman who understands the world." She fills a generous three fingers in the glasses and returns to the table. "I'm afraid it shocks some of the young ones if they catch me drinking. Silly things. How are you settling in?"

"Is the real understanding in knowin' you know so very little, then?"

That seemed to be the new prevailing wisdom of old age. Maybe partly to do with moving here, of course, although she's smiling as she sighs.

"Day by day, as you go." Her fingers rub unconsciously at her wrist, just a little tender. "It is good to see my clean and shining so happy. D'you know, he's acting such a child and refusing to let on he's started seeing a young lady?"

"Has he? Silly boy. They always think they're being sly. A mother always knows. You should invite her to dinner." It goes without saying her son can wait until he arrives to learn of the surprise guest.

"Soon as I uncover which she is, aye." He couldn't quite tell which of the young lady Clubs he avoided discussing with her it might be. But Maggie's right; a mother always knows. She'll figure it soon enough. "Only hope he's gotten t' have better taste as he's grown up. Canna help but worry, can you."

"A man ought to develop better taste as he ages. He's kept himself to himself. He'll be careful when he dips his feet."

"An' he did set the bar right low with the first one." But that was long ago. Far away. Not a ghost they needed to bring any more than they needed to bring Peter's.

As much as they could.

"Go on with you, then. Iechyd da, luv."

{*Cheers,}

At their age, they have quite enough ghosts, thank you very much. Maggie clinks her glass to Roisin's. She'd always thought it best to leave them buried. "Cheers."

Hot as a hare, blind as a bat

There can also be a real tag if you want, but. This needed to happen, I believe.

It does. it does indeed

\o/ ♥

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