Profile LOCK-707: Mauritius

Madeira first opened her eyes in a beautiful garden. The sky overhead was sunny and clear, and there was a man standing nearby eagerly waiting for her to finish adjusting.

His name was Malthus, and he gave her clothing and a name - Madeira. "It's the name of an island where a type of blueberry is grown," he told her. "Your charm reminds me of it."

Malthus taught her about the world. He believed cooking, and food, were the most important things in the world, and taught these beliefs to her. As she learned to cook, her skill improved more and more over time, to Malthus' delight.

Several years into her life, he made a second shell, and Mauritius inhabited it.

While Mauritius was an adequate cook in his own right, he was more than happy to just eat what Madeira and Malthus prepared, and seemed unbothered by almost any issue that ever occurred. Madeira became close to him over the following years, treating him like a younger brother.

Eventually, though, Malthus decided to add another lockette... and this one did not turn out as planned.

[NAME] had a strange skeletal tail, and disliked food. It did not nourish them the ways it did Madeira and Mauritius.

Malthus seemed deeply troubled by them, but instructed Madeira and Mauritius to allow them to consume some of their saura so they would not perish.

Despite this, Malthus did insist on teaching them about food and cooking the same way he had Madeira and Mauritius. They had no gift or interest in it, and struggled - wanting to please their creator and caretaker, but also wishing there was anything else they could do or learn.

This state of affairs lasted until around the time Madeira hit sixty. Abruptly, something changed - Malthus appeared with something they had never seen before, a car, and piled them and some of their possessions inside of it. He answered no questions, other than that they were going to somewhere called "Key".

At Key, he dropped them off at a place called Kagiana Academy, and left with no further explanation.

Mauritius struggled to adjust a bit - he particularly struggled with the idea he had to pay for things he wanted. He particularly was confused by the idea he needed to have some sort of aspirations for a 'career', that he would have to do something with his life besides just... eating.

Fortunately for him, Madeira managed to get herself a job, and then save enough to open her own diner. He didn't really like having to do things like wait tables and work in the kitchen... but it also meant he was free from the effort of figuring out what the hell he wanted to do for himself.

He doesn't pay much attention to his siblings' plans to create new restaurants or whatever. Unless they tell him to show up somewhere different for work, it's not his concern. When not working, he is trying out other restaurants and any new food he can get his hands on.