Through Marja’s eyes, the swamp was a murky, ghoulish, and muddy paradise. When she returned to it, she could see the moss that lingers against trees- vibrant greens stark against the dark hued mud that seemed to coat everything. The swamp teemed with life, small chittering bugs that crawled and crept around, fish that swam, small prey- other predators. The swamp was, in her mind, breath-taking.

Returning to the swamp, she is pleased to scent @Adrien - her friend who had promised to visit her home. Her fish friend! Ergo, before Marja would meet her, she would dive into the swampy waters in order to catch a fish.

And as she emerged with the soft skull of a fish in her jaws, she would leave the water- letting the slimey substance slither down her spine, and body as she would bound towards the source of the scent.

Upon approaching Adrien, she would barrel over towards her- uncaring if she runs into her fish friend- before she would drop the skull and push it towards her. “I give.” She says excitedly. In her mind, it was simple-

You give fish, I give fish.

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As far as Adrien was concerned, the appearance of the swamp constituted the worst hygienic nightmare that the court lady had ever had the misfortune to lay her eyes upon. A gloomy place, filled with long shadows and murky water, the loud, insistent chirping of various odd insects a vaguely ominous backdrop to the ghastly environment. She eyed the scummy waters suspiciously, not entirely convinced that there was nothing lurking beneath the surface just waiting to snap her up in its jaws.

Oh, and then there was the mud! Every dainty step she took made a horrible squelching nose that sounded far too loud in her ears, the wet, sticky substance squeezing between her toes every time she settled her weight, streaking her pale, elegant paws with brown. Her face was pinched in displeasure, as she walked, lifting her paws unusually high with every step. She dreaded the state her pelt might be in by the time she left. Feared how much grooming it might take to put her curls back in order, if any more gross mud got splashed on her.

Really, she’d love to be anywhere else but here.

This, however, was the same place that @Marja was so enamored with. And Adrien had more or less promised her strange new friend that she would visit, that she would spend some time here to keep the other woman from getting too lonely. She had to at least try to find the swamp witch before she called it quits. Her conscience wouldn’t leave her alone about it otherwise. But where exactly was Marja, anyway? The dark lioness could honestly be anywhere in this boggy mess.

The problem soon resolves itself with the telltale sound of splashing, and the maned woman turns to see the witch herself, an excited wet furball covered in slime, muck, and grime already streaking towards her. Oh dear. “Oh, wait, Marja, please don’t –“ Too late. A solid weight had already crashed into her side, leaving slimy smears of who-knows-what all over her poor rosy pelt. …get me dirty.” She finished dryly with a deep sigh, gilded violet eyes shifting from that cheerful face to the slimy gift that was being offered.

“Oh? You caught this for me? How thoughtful.” She lowered her maned head to give the fish a sniff, dragging it a bit closer with a muddy paw. She made no move to eat it, though. Who knew if anything that lived in these waters could be trusted. “I’m afraid I didn’t think to bring anything, myself. Mes excuses."

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She was a black lioness- under normal clean circumstances, but now in this moment she was more of a gray brown color. She smelled like the wet earth, and there probably was a worm or two stuck against her. Marja loved loved loved the swamp. When she woke up, on her little island, there were often slugs making trails across her muddy body, and they were friends- and the worms stuck to her, they were friends.

When she crashes into @Adrien, she stumbles back with a toothy, apologetic sort of grin. "Mud smell good?" She offers, but it was an apologetic grin. She didn't mean to get Adrien dirty... but now that she was....

"You gave fish. I give fish." She says, never minding the fact that her fish was little more than a skull with just a touch of flesh against it. There weren't a lot of fish in the waters she frequented.

"Come see?" She asked, stepping back politely, like she had practiced. She wanted to show @Adriend the most beautiful part of the swamp... and surely, the lioness would agree.

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Before today, Adrien would have found the idea that any lion would be content while slathered in filth utterly inconceivable. And yet...here was @Marja. Grinning widely despite the fact that she was covered in sludge from head to toe, ebony fur stained an odd sickly-looking brown. (Was there something alive and wriggling caught within a few clumps of her pelt? Oh god...) How was it possible that a woman like this truly existed? Really, Adrien was genuinely curious.

Just having a few imprints of mud splashed across her own peach pelt from the witch's excitement was enough to make the French lady's skin break out in goosebumps. Oh, she was already afraid to touch it, lest it was slimy. "It has...a unique aroma, certainly." Dark nostrils had flared reflexively in response to Marja's question, though she'd known better. The earth, damp scent was far from her preferred perfume. But Marja was trying to be kind - Adrien would make a poor friend if she just crushed the other's excitement straight away.

"Like a trade, then?" She shifted her downwards to regard the fish again in all its bony glory, mostly as a way to disguise the shiver that ran through her when the mud's dampness began to soak into her skin. "You didn't have to give me anything in return for that, ma amie. But thank you." Adrien hadn't even caught those fish at the tidepools herself! But still...Marja was kind. Quality of the meal aside, Adrien could appreciate the sentiment.

"There's more, is there?" Her tone is kept carefully neutral, so as not to betray the complete dismay she feels at the idea of venturing even further into this gloomy bog. 'You already agreed to see her home, Adrien, just keep it together.' "Lead the way then." She offered the swamp witch a very cautious smile, keeping her following sigh quiet.

It wasn't like there was any polite way to flee this place so early in the visit anyway.

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there was nothing on earth that marja enjoyed quite as much as mud. it was cold and icky, but it kept bugs away- save the words clumped into the mud blobs pressed into her fur. the wet earthen scent of the mud was positively the best thing ever, and now- now she was getting to share this with her friend. best. day. ever.

she danced on her toes as she looks up to adrien with a wide toothy grin, happy to bring her to her home. the other lioness's light fur is hardly speckled in mud, but she doesn't seem to like it. marja doesn't really understand such a notion- but she will respect it because it is @Adrien and she is her friend.

she nods happily to her words, it was a perfect trade of friendship. a perfect gift for one to receive fish and the other to get a fish in return. even if it were... a deceased rotten fish head. "you give. me give." fish friends.

bouncing with joy, and decides to lead adrien the long way through the swamp so that she may stay cleaner. "we go long way so you stay clean." she offers with a preen and a grin. see, adrien? i understand what you like.

so the mud monster, begins to lead the way, aiming to pick the driest trails- a glance cast over her shoulder to ensure that adrien is following.

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As Adrien had discovered previously, it was rather difficult to say no to that wide smile when @Marja seemed to beam with such genuine joy. That was why Adrien was here in the first place, after all, ankle-deep in the disgusting swamp muck. Though the noblewoman couldn't figure out for the life of her why the other was so enamored with this place, she couldn't deny that it was clearly important to the swamp witch.

Her friend's obvious excitement was pretty much all that was keeping Adrien from turning her nose up and making a hasty retreat right now.

Thankfully, Marja didn't plunge headfirst into the nearest body of murky water and expect her to follow. The mud-covered woman's explanation brings a smile that is equal parts relieved and grateful to Adrien's face, breaking through the cautiously neutral expression she wore. "Oh, I'd appreciate that greatly, merci." Perhaps Marja isn't as oblivious as she often appears to be, if she'd taken the time to pick out a cleaner route that Adrien would prefer. "We're taking the scenic route, then?"

Adrien would follow her unusual friend deeper into the swamp with dainty steps, pausing momentarily to delicately pluck up Marja's gift by the bony tail, because it would be quite rude to just leave it behind somewhere Marja could see. Perhaps Adrien should consider properly learning how to fish at some point. She suspected the witch would appreciate receiving more such gifts - and it would help Adrien's peace of mind to know for certain that Marja had more than just fish bones to gnaw on.

"...What made you decide to live in a place like this, Marja? How did you even find the swamp?" She can't help but ask while they walked, peering around at the shadows of the swamp with mild suspicion.

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@Adrien

marja expertly, makes towards a trail that will lead them around and about, but mostly out of the mud towards her hidden paradise deeper within the swamp. while marja struggles with common tongue, and can't seem to get her point across to anyone... she actually finds that she understands certain sentiments. however, she didn't really get how adrien didn't like the mud -- but she respected that her chosen friend didn't.

"long way is cleaner way." she offers, as she happily leads the way, her tail high in the air. she is very excited, after all to share this place with her fish friend.

adrien's question makes her pause, her head tilting. "always live in swamp. clan used to have swamp that ours. don't know where clan is." she replies, her words fading into a mutter. "must keep swamp safe for them when they come." she says- holding out to the hope that they will one day find her, and that she won't be stuck here all alone.

she leads on, pushing through some brush on her well worn trail, until she leads adrien into her paradise.

here the ground is firm, soft with baby grasses, and there are flowers around the small clearing. a small patch of grass is flat, where marja sleeps, and just beyond that is relatively clean- or as clean as a swamp gets puddles of water. fresh from the recent rains. the light scent of the flowers fills the air, and as marja steps to move the willowy type tree's branches out of the path- all of this is revealed to her friend.

"see? pretty." she says in a matter of fact tone.

there were some hidden secrets there after all.

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Although Adrien thinks it would be fair to say that @Marja is typically the more ungainly of the two of them on any average day, their positions seem to be reversed today. The swamp witch picked out the path with well-practiced, effortless movements while Adrien awkwardly follows with high, arching steps.

But at least their conversation has the added bonus of taking the noblewoman's mind off of the slimy muck, Marja's story causing Adrien to regard her with sharpened interest. "A clan of lions who live in the swamp? My, that sounds like something straight out of a fairytale." Specifically, the dark ominous ones about cub-eating witches that were used to scare children - but it's probably best to leave that part out.

"Are they all...like you? How did you get separated from them?" It is strange, she finds, to imagine Marja as someone who actually belonged with a larger group and not just a mud-stained ball of chaos rolling across the lands, but she supposes it probably shouldn't be. After all, didn't everyone have a family?

Ah, and just like that, they had arrived! Adrien had ducked her head beneath the low-hanging branches, gilded violet eyes widening in clear surprise once she finally looked up to see the sight Marja revealed with sweeping gestures. Grass and flowers, actual flowers that smelled pleasantly sweet when she flared her nostrils to take them in, and delicate willow branches that swayed ever so slightly in the breeze.

"Oui. Oui, it's very pretty indeed." She answers on an exhale, stepping into the space and circling around to take it all in, a delighted chuckle spilling from her lips. Perhaps it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that she's in awe - she never would've believed such a lovely place could exist within these swampy depths if she wasn't seeing it with her own eyes. "This is where you live, then?" Marja's scent is heavy within this little secret nook of (relative) paradise. Perhaps this is what the swamp witch called her den.

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Marja lets out a soft snort of amusement, at @Adrien 's words. "Not all like me. Sisters more... articulate. Graceful." She says. "Common tongue isn't my native. Hard to translate sometime." She explains. "Swamp have many herbs. Safe place to raise clan and worship our gods." She explains, glad of the chance to explain herself and where she is from not just of the normal assumption that she is crazy or weird. Marja is many things- mostly just overzealous and easily excited... but she did love her clan, and likely always will- even if she is alone now.

"Earthquake happen. Ground shake lot, big crack happen- marja fell. Woke up and started looking.... found this place and now here." She says with a frown. "I keep hoping the clan come soon, that Gromm bring us back together but... I sometimes thing they won't." She says, reflecting ont he thought that she truly thought she'd be alone for the rest of her life.

"This is my home." Marja nods. "Clean. Has places to store herbs and pretty things." She points with her paw to a pile of stones and bones, and there under a leaf, held down by a stone is a pile of feathers- herbs are tuck into a hollow log. She smiles, looking at her home, breathing in the floral scent. "When it rains, the flower bloom and water is very fresh. Sometimes fish jump onto bank." She says. Though she has a pretty home, the lass is a piss poor huntress, and the fish who landed on the bank were her best meals- odd as they were.

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It is a different answer than Adrien had been expecting, though really, she couldn't say for sure what she had been expecting. It's simply hard to imagine that anyone who lived in a swamp would be any measure of elegant, but...well, stranger things had probably happened. Certain things made sense. "I understand - common wasn't my first tongue either. Maybe I can help you with it?" The learning process had been eased by the fact she'd been taught so relatively young, but she certainly couldn't say she'd never been clumsy with it.

It's fascinating, this little peek into a culture that is so entirely different from her own. But @Marja's story makes a frown tug at her lips, ears falling back slightly. The noblewoman still remembers the terror she'd felt when the cave-in in the labyrinth had trapped her in the dark, the sense of hopelessness that had begun to flare in her chest. Had Marja felt as scared and alone when the earth had swallowed her? Adrien hates to think that she did - it's not a feeling she would wish upon anyone, the swamp witch least of all.

"Don't lose hope, Marja, they must be out there looking for you somewhere." Unless, of course, they assumed that the eccentric woman had not survived the catastrophe that befell her. It's a theory that she realizes is probably more likely than not, but...Adrien had never been good with brutal honesty in these types of situations. "You can introduce me to them, once you've found each other." She'd rather Marja keep her hope for a little bit longer - it might yet happen.

One of the things the other had said had sparked some curiosity. "Is...this 'Gromm' one of the gods that you mentioned?" She asks as she carefully steps around the space to take a closer look at things Marja pointed out, smiling down at the herbs and feathers and the little things that made this place a home. The darker woman's personality reflected so undeniably within this little hidden sanctuary. "Thank you for showing this place to me. It's wonderful." She says eventually, offering the other a warm smile over her shoulder.

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