Part 3 - The Failure

Salvatore Moreau is, by far, Mother Miranda's least favourite creations out of the four lords. Sporting gills, boils and blisters, he stays away from the others as often as possible. Angie delights in tormenting him, Lady Dimitrescu looks at him as if she's just smelt something foul while Heisenberg makes a point of limiting his interactions.

Despite this, the Duke does not dread going to the reservoir compared to the Beneviento manor.

The vast majority of Moreau's territory is underwater, or blocked by the strange green walls of jelly. If anything, it reminds the Duke of frogspawn. Regardless, Moreau set up a small cabin for the Duke to trade from and the strange fish-man visits him frequently.

"What do you have...today, Duke?" Moreau asks him, his voice strained. It is something the Duke noticed immediately about him, that when he speaks, sounds as if it is an effort to get the words out.

"I believe I have a few items to interest you," the Duke answers. He places them on a sheet covering the table he sits at.

Moreau reaches for one, a video tape, the name of the film clumsily scribbled on a scrap of paper stuck to the front. He recoils, one hand over his mouth. He swallows hard several times. "My...apologies, Duke," he manages, once whatever he has been holding back subsides.

"Think nothing of it, Master Moreau. Do take your time."

"You're very kind...Duke."

The Duke lets a small smile slip across his face, and he settles himself on his chair, retrieving the book he'd begun reading earlier. Moreau carefully inspects each item, video tapes containing black and white films, cooking utensils, cutlery. He settles on the video tapes, handing the Duke his pouch of lei.

Moreau nods to the Duke, before dragging himself away. The Duke could swear there is a spring in the fish-man's step while he carries the tapes with him.

On his next visit to the reservoir, the Duke brings primarily tapes after receiving a note sent to him from Moreau. The fish-man enjoyed the films he'd bought from the Duke and requested more, if the Duke could find them.

Find them he did. The Duke sourced several more films, most black and white and considered classics. He sets them out on his table, before picking up his book to wait for Moreau to visit.

He hears Moreau before he sees him. The fish-man walks awkwardly, his gait heavy, each step a struggle. Everything about Moreau seems to be a struggle for him, and the Duke wonders why the parasite reacted so badly. He does not ask however, such would be rude of him and not part of the service he offers to the lords.

When Moreau manages to make his way to the small house underground, he looks somber.

"Are you well, Master Moreau?" the Duke asks, a frown on his face.

"My video player broke," Moreau replies, "I can't watch anything."

The Duke nods. "I see. I'm sure I'd be able to source another, if you were interested."

Moreau immediately perks up. He lifts his head as high as he is able. "You'd find another one for me?"

"Of course. It is part of the service available to you, Master Moreau."

"You're very kind, Duke."

The Duke says nothing. He barely gives it a second thought. Seeking out items for the lords ensures a permanent customer base, and the extra coin to be made from requests such as these is more than welcome. He looks down to the table with his wares set out upon it.

"I did find the other films you wanted," he says, pointing them out.

Moreau nods, and for a moment the Duke thinks he'll topple over. "I'll take them anyway. Something to...watch when I meet you again."

"Very good."

Moreau hands over the pouch, a few pieces of lei falling out from it.

When the Duke returns, he comes back with not only a new VCR for Moreau but a DVD player as well. Though the villagers are prohibited from acquiring technology or even learning of the outside world, some brave souls ask him to find both for them. The Duke is more than happy to, the more difficult the item, the more coin it brings in.

Along with the DVD player, he has found the most recent film the world is raving about. Romance, of course, as this is Moreau's particular vice, is a love for all things romance and romantic films. He asks the Duke to bring these any and every time, ranging from the oldest to the newest.

Once he is set up, Moreau appears not long after. The Duke heard him long before seeing him, the groans and occasional moan giving away his presence.

When Moreau arrives at the table, his eyes are drawn to both the DVD player and the VCR. "You found one," he says, reaching out to it. He strokes the top of it before hunching down for a closer look at the DVD player. "What..What is this?"

"It plays discs of your films," the Duke tells him. "I have found a few films you enjoy in this format, however not the most recent." He pauses, fishing out another video tape case. He hands it over. "This one is new. It received high praise from other film lovers."

Moreau takes it from him. "Oh! Oh...I think I heard about it. I wanted to see it so badly."

"There you are then, you have both the means and a copy to enjoy."

Moreau looks at the box, then back at the Duke. "Do...you want to watch it with me?"

This request surprises him. Seldom do the lords of the village ever invite him to do anything with them, short of the Dimitrescu daughters. They decided they enjoyed his company enough to invite him to the castle as often as they could, outside of his regular visits with any items they asked for.

Despite his surprise, he nods. "I believe I would enjoy that, Master Moreau."

A grin breaks out on Moreau's face and he waddles away to his own quarters. He returns shortly later, carrying his television set and places it on the extra table the Duke has set up. There is an electrical socket nearby, and the television is plugged into it. Moreau slips the video into the VCR and settles on a stool.

They watch Titanic together. The Duke finds the film enjoyable enough, however it is very much not to his taste. He does not say this to Moreau, lest he ruin his enjoyment of it. The fish-man is invested in it, more than once tearing up and the Duke finds him a handkerchief during the ending.

"Th-thank you...Duke," he says between loud sniffs.

"Think nothing of it."

"Do you like to eat, Duke?" Moreau asks, when the Duke arrives with his most recent wares.

He raises an eyebrow, briefly wondering if this is indeed a serious question or an attempt to poke fun. He looks at Moreau, and there is a sincerity in his eyes and on his face. There is no malice behind the question.

"I have some...recipes you might like." Moreau pulls out a pile of paper and offers them to him.

The Duke takes them, looking them over. They are in depth, definitely not a beginner's recipe, and require some amount of time to prepare.

"Are they of...use to you?"

The Duke nods. "They are indeed. I shall attempt them post haste."

Moreau nods too. "Good. Good...I can supply some of the ingredients. The fish here are all mine."

It is one of the many talents the Duke possess. With the varying ingredients he collects during his trips and whatever is requested, the Duke has come into possession of quite the store. Most of what he has are in his carriage, and when Moreau has picked his films, the Duke heads back to his carriage.

He picks up the first paper, a simple enough dish, though it requires some preparation work beforehand. The Duke picks out what he needs, luckily having them to hand. He follows the instructions, cooking the fish to its exact time. The platter turns out to be quite delicious and goes to his store of ingredients once more. He cooks it a second time, wrapping it up ready to heat through the next time he returns to the reservoir.

It is not long till his next visit and he presents the dish to Moreau. His eyes widen and he reaches for it. The Duke hands it to him. Moreau has it finished in seconds.

"Can you...make more?" he asks.

The Duke nods. "Indeed. I am lacking in a few ingredients however, particularly the fish fillets. I would require a few more," the Duke tells him.

Already, Moreau is nodding enthusiastically. It is a rare thing that anyone offers to do anything together with Moreau, let alone actually carry through with it. Nonetheless, the Duke intends to carry through with his promise of sharing the meal with Moreau.

The fish-man wanders away, returning some time later with several fish. He hands them to the Duke, who takes them to his carriage. He chops, seasons, then fries the fish. Once it is plated and served, Moreau finishes another plate, and another. The Duke makes enough to keep Moreau satisfied for a few days at least, while Moreau provides more than enough fish for him to try out the other recipes.

The Duke leaves the reservoir satisfied with this exchange.

The Duke hears the rumours of more people in the village going missing, of course he does. Between the maids of the Dimitrescu going missing, those abducted by Heisenberg and taken to his factory, now others go missing near the reservoir. He's encountered more than a few lycans, the remnants of the poor souls infected by the Cadou Miranda provided to Moreau. The lord of the reservoir continually experiments on the people, with repeated failure after failure.

The Duke continues to provide him with films to watch between the experiments, something Moreau still enjoys. More than once does the Duke cook for him, and more than once does Moreau provide him with the finest of fish.

The Duke believes they have developed some kind of friendship. Moreau invites him to watch films, between Breakfast at Tiffany's, Bridget Jones's Diary and Love Actually, the Duke gains an appreciation for them, if not a liking. He considers it his guilty pleasure.

When Ethan Winters meets him in the cabin in the reservoir, he knows his time with Moreau has come to an end.

Ethan drains the water from the reservoir, causing Moreau to mutate entirely. Miranda's failure is crystalised and placed on the shelf with the other lords, and Dimitrescu's daughters.