Looking for Hawthorn Berries

When Mori took the basket from her, she raised an eyebrow at this. Natasha hadn't quite expected him to do so. She had actually hoped he'd be insulted and leave her alone. Shaking her head at his persistence, she shrugged her shoulders and gestured to him to follow her as she shopped.

"You are an odd little fellow ,aren't you?" she stated very truthfully as she stopped, glanced at him, and then picked up a bunch of fresh lavender twigs, thinking she could use it in some sachets maybe.

"We are all part of the cycle of life." she said simply, "And for you to say those who extend their years need to be corrected, or are damaging the cycle sounds like sour grapes. The cycle has existed from the beginning of time, and I bet there were immortals back then too, and there will be immortals after you "return to the cycle"... " here she did air quotes, "and the world will go on."

"You really should lighten up, Mori." Natasha said as she placed another bunch of lavender in the basket. "The undead as well as the living have a purpose in life. A reason that they are here. They have a role to play, and it's not for you to decide. Unless, of course, your roll is to annoy the undead." she said, giving this idea consideration, as it was probably true, his purpose probably was to annoy the undead, yes, she could see that.

@Romi

Natasha half-listened to Mori talk with some interest as she studied three different salves on a shelf for hair growth. She wasn't quite sure that Mori was being totally genuine about the "being around forever" and "part of the cycle itself" mumbo-jumbo. In fact, she had seen a lot of things since coming to the island, but his affirmations seemed a little too outlandish - even for here where you could find mechanical harpies, centipede-type beings, gods, living together in relative harmony.

"If, and I say "if" what you say are true, why are there so many vampires, zombies, immortals, gods, and other creatures with abnormal, as you put it, lifespans?" she asked calmly. She really was beginning to think he was more than just a bit odd. He sort of reminded Natasha of those "end of the World, repent sinners" types. But just a heck of a lot politer and a lot more persistent too.

@Romi

Natasha couldn't help but frown at his very patient sounding explanation as she placed a rather colourful jar of hair salve that she had been curious about back on the shelf. "So you are saying gods are not part of the cycle? Because that sounds suspiciously untrue." she stated, "And I hate to disappoint you, but I believe everything is created with a purpose, and natural or unnatural, it's here for a reason." she stated rather calmly as she turned around and eyed Mori coolly.

"As for a farmer, they tend things, yes. They also remove naturally occurring insects or plants because they believe those creatures might be harming their harvest. And that is not necessarily a good way of seeing things - they see their own harvest as the only thing that counts"

"They don't think that killing off that supposed pests or insects, might feed another species nearby who in turn could be food to other predators, which in turn might die off or leave altogether, therefore harming the entire eco-system and causing a greater damage in the long run." Natasha stated as she placed her hands on her hips, pretty sure he considered her the pest in his well-tended orchard.

@Romi

Natasha just closed her eyes for a second and shook her head slowly, now visibly exasperated by Mori. She could feel that he was being very sincere about everything, nothing screamed "hypocrite" or that he was lying to her. And even more oddly, she could actually sense that he truly wanted to help her.

However, despite knowing that he was being sincere, Natasha refused to believe that being undead wasn't a natural part of this so-called life cycle. She didn't feel like she was a mistake, nor did she have the feeling that her life was wrong. Besides, she knew that one day she'd most likely die, whether from boredom and her own hand, a vampire hunter cutting her head off, or by some other method or accident of fate.

"I don't agree with you," she said quite bluntly, "Your beliefs are different to mine, and I respect that." she admitted truthfully as she placed a small jar of candied violets in the basket he was holding for her still. "But I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that reason reveals itself when the time is right." she continued as she brushed a stray lock of her hair out of her eyes, "Maybe you are here because I am supposed to meet you, but I don't feel you are here to help me end my unnatural life cycle," she confessed as she regarded him with renewed interest as their encounter suddenly started making sense to her.

@Romi

Natasha stared somewhat uneasily, and for a long moment, at the business card that Mori held out to her. She didn't know whether she should be polite and take it, and then toss it away when he was gone, or just politely refuse it altogether. She had no intention of ever becoming a twenty-year-old human being again. The idea of getting older and dying was not one she relished, besides, she loved her existence, she loved watching and experiencing all the changes - both bad and good - that the world had gone through since her time in Catherine the Great's royal service.

Deciding on the latter, Natasha took his business card, hesitant for a brief moment that it might be jinxed or cursed, and quickly pocketed it without giving it even a cursory glance. She was definitely not keeping it. It felt wrong, like something that brought about bad luck. Maybe she was being superstitious, but she still believed that objects had powers, and she didn't want his card anywhere near her for too long. "I thank you for your concern, but I seriously doubt that I'll ever be bored with life and want to live as a human again," Natasha remarked sincerely as she took her basket of goodies from Mori. "Oh, and thank you for carrying my basket," she added, still sort of amused that he had actually agreed to such thing and had patiently followed her throughout the shop.

@Romi