Mari

Shit like this is why people would just shank others. Mari wasn’t like that, but had she been anyone else, hell, had she even been Lancaster - she doubted the others would have the patience. The constant glares, the questions. The accusations. The sniffing around her personal business. It rubbed her the completely wrong way. Andrew stepped closer, his sword lighting up. Ah. So he meant to attack her. “Are you two going to do the same?” Atticus remained like a statue, refusing to move or speak, but in response to Mari’s question he closed his eyes and shifted his head to the si

“I’m….casing the area?” He nodded in return, a confident smirk. “Sooo….” With a practiced motion Mari baited the hook again, and threw it into the Lake, refusing to break eye contact with this ‘Andrew’ guy. Then with a quick jerk she pulled it back up, snapping the material crystal off the end of the hook - and throwing it in her inventory. “So…that, that looks like casing the area?” “Yes” “It looks like fishing, boss.” Atticus remained silent. Oh to have the patience of a fucking saint…Mari drew in a deep breath as she ran a hand down her face. She could already guess what

Ben was the most skittish of the three, but at least he seemed to be the first one to actually believe her. “M-Maybe that really is all she’s doing…We were looking for a guy anyway.” Mari’s ears perked as she kept her back to them, listening to the conversation. No situational awareness. No care for what they should say in front of a stranger. A man. Interesting… Mari heard a thunk. Good. A chest - with a jerk that caused Andrew - the moustached knight to draw his sword. “Chill the fuck out.” Mari said as she went to pick the chest up from the lake. “I’m just grabbin’ supplies.” Mari thr

The man with the handlebar moustache spoke first. “Andrew.” He gestured to the mousey brown haired kid with stubble. “This here is Ben.” Then that left the other - a blonde man with long blonde hair tied back in a tight man-bun. “That’s Atticus. We’re here investigating a…” His eyes travelled up to Mari’s crystal. His face soured as though he just saw something disgusting. Mari was used to people like this, so much so that it didn’t even bother her anymore. “PKer sighting. Why are you here.” Right…Mari got it now, all three of them were dressed in the same similar chainmail outfits

Just as Mari cast out her line again she could hear the rustle and crunch of leaves as someone approached. Three people approached. Mari inhaled deeply and held her breath, waiting for the inevitable verbal beration that was coming her way. “WHat are you doing here?” She exhaled and turned to glance over her shoulder. A mousey looking man with peach fuzz stubble and bright green eyes. Mari tilted her head as her eyes shifted to the fishing rod still in her hand. “Uhm….Fishing?” The man next to him - about a head taller and bald with blue eyes and a very thick black handl

She’d wait for his message, and couldn’t help but laugh at the face he would pull when seeing it. Would Oscar be disappointed? Maybe? Then again - he was a very handsome man and Mari knew he had a number of callers. Having one less would probably barely put a dent in his horizontal dalliances. Mari wouldn’t miss the intimacy, there was none between the two -just physical attraction, a simple need to fill desires. But it had been nice - Oscar definitely had a way with him and Mari could see why he easily had so many people fawning over him. It was an odd way to cement a stronger friendshi

Fireproof bedsheets….The woman very much doubted it. That was fine - there were other places to do things beside the bed. Maybe Lancaster could hold back? Nah. Fuck that. That’s the last thing Mari wanted. So…did that mean he didn’t sleep in beds? Mari couldn’t exactly ask him if he had banged other women and if he set the bed on fire as he did - that was none of her damn business. His past was his past. Just as hers was hers. She’d be pissed if she were judged for being with Oscar. Oscar was a great friend, with amazing benefits - but those benefits were…no longer required. It didn’t mean Mar

So…now there were three of them, flittering around her - Mari hoped it wouldn’t be a problem. They were just a couple of players, concerned for their safety. Right? They weren’t going to bring about some sort of witch hunt for her. Surely. Besides, how would any of them recognize her? She hadn’t set foot in Ronbaru. She couldn’t without being shanked by one of the guards. Another bait set to the hook, another cast thrown out - and a quick thunk. Good. That was good news. Mari reeled it in and shook the water off the small chest. Another chest, as Mari opened it and tipped it upsid

Mari was back into a peaceful rhythm. It reminded her of a few years ago, before being in prison. Before being dragged into Jacobs Ladder and being a pillar - the precarious time she had between her initial return from a recluse hole and her time burning fast as one of the strongest frontliners. It was…nice. If only it stayed that way. Mari heard voices in the distance, she couldn’t help but turn her head to look. That man was back- too far away to ascertain any real features from him, but he had two other people with him now. They were staring her down - one of them, a blonde - shook the midd

*** How did she end up like this? More than slightly inebriated wedged into the back of the cart between two very attractive and very…. “You both smell nice…” Oops. Very nice smelling ladies. If anyone were to look at the scene - Mari would almost look like she had mad game - but she very much in fact did not have any game. With one hand on Katoka's thigh - the other in her own lap and with Arcanthus wrapping her arm around Mari’s shoulders.The woman was stunlocked. “My arms are just a little cramped. I’m not trying to be weird. I won’t be weird if you aren’t weird. If it’s

Mari felt the chair swivel and in that moment he loomed over her. "This is completely inappropriate, sir." Oscar bit into her, rough. Threatening to break her skin. She'd arch her back, pressing herself into him and tilting her neck to allow him to taste the salt of her flesh. Eyes closed, small murmurs fell from parted lips. Then, with a firm hand round her neck Oscar would turn her toward him. His own gaze boring into her own. She was trapped beneath him, his hand tangled painfully in her hair. The prickle of her flesh as his lips left their mark. It would have been so easy to

Still standing, Mari cast out another line - barely an hour had passed since she started, and she wasn’t really bored yet. She had time to herself here. Time to her thoughts. Time to relax and destress. Next time though…maybe she would invite someone else. That could be nice. Fond memories of a friendly competition between an old friend resurfaced and Mari couldn’t help but smile. A simple material. Mari held it up to the sun, watching it twist and turn - the crystal glimmering as a shattered rainbow light shined upon Mari in glimmering fractals. “Yanno….” She said to herself, as

Standing from the little wooden stool Mari paced to the right a few steps then back, wanting to get some blood flow back into her legs. She repeated this a few times then stopped to grab some more bait. With practised ease Mari wrapped it around the hook then with a small fwoom her line was cast. Mari had to admit…she was a little concerned about that previous player. Then again, he also seemed like he would be too scared to do anything. ‘Sides what would be the worst that would happen? He calls up a couple of his friends and they come running? Mari could disable them from afar and run of

Mari yawned, tears stinging her eyes as her mouth opened wide. “Yeesh…” She arched her back and it cracked and popped in several places. She looked at peace here, amidst the falling red maple leaves. But she was still a Pker. At least one player had already passed her on the way to Ronbaru - pausing to stare at her, his mouth wide. Looked like he was about to piss himself. Mari stared back, then flipped him off. He ran. “Dumbass…” Mari muttered as she threw out her line. Hopefully nothing would come of it. Surely he wouldn’t go around telling everyone there was a Pker casually fishing in

“Well…” Mari said with the most heaviest of ever sighs, as she reached out to grab the empty hook that hung and swung from her fishing rod. “That’s what I get for not putting bait on it…” She said, even though she didn’t need to say a thing, it was as though she just had to say something to fill some sort of empty space. Anyway, Mari wrapped some bait around the hook and threw it out. After a few minutes the floater bobbed, dipped below the lakes surface. Mari could already tell what it was just by the weight of it, a material. It wouldn’t be much but it’d be something. She slowly reeled it in

Mari found herself drawn to this floor more and more often. If her workshop wasn't hidden away close to her house she may very well have moved her home here. There was also the matter of her pyromaniac beau. Having a house surrounded by snow is one thing; but having a house surrounded by very burnable trees? Might be a bit harder to contain their more passionate romps. Mari hadn't really had any particular place in mind - she simply just wanted to do something away from everything and everyone. Mari wasn't ever made to be a social person. Yet things constantly pushed her to be. Her batter

"Mari..." It was rare to see him in such a way. But in that moment Baldur looked exhausted. Maybe it was the way his shoulders slightly sagged, maybe it was the circles she had never noticed touching the corners of his weary eyes. Or that his smile never quite met his eyes in those moments. Had this always been the case and she not noticed? "You know the silly adage about pouring from an empty cup. But this guild, our friends, even Macradon." Baldur had a lot to say, so Mari kept quiet, listening. She picked her Geta up off the ground, dusting them off before placing t

"Shame you've had your fill of hot dogs, I was rather hoping we could fuck up every room in the house," Well. That was certainly a shift in topic. An attempt to lighten the mood? Or was he serious. Her eyes drifted up and down his body briefly, she never thought she'd find herself in such a position. To have someone so handsome shower her with attention? Right. Mari matched him, She positioned herself as she leaned over the table just so. Arms either side of her chest. Hair spilling over her shoulder. "Oscar." She began, almost in a chastising tone. "Don't make offers you can't fulfil

Lancaster messaged him? That seemed unlikely. The olive branch seemed less unlikely, the two didn't see eye to eye on core matters. Not only that but how did Lancaster even get the information to message Freyd in the first place? Things weren't quite adding up and she was being left out of the loop. It was frustrating. "I see..." Mari said quietly as she cut off another piece of the chicken, if not to just have something to do. She wished she could enjoy the meal as much as she used to but there was a deep feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach. "Something happened." Mari said. In ot

“Fishing huh?” Mari gave him a warm smile, shifting her gaze out the kitchen window to overlook the lake. “I’d…like that a lot.” His lingering gaze toward the basement did not go unnoticed. "If you really want to look. Go ahead, but I assure you it's literally a table in the middle of the room. I've yet to push it up against the wall, and a box of old notes from my shop. So I can try to keep track of things on a floor that doesn't...." She rolled her wrist. "Yanno, literally sap the mental strength from you." She pointed toward the basement as she knelt by the oven. "Go ahead. " An o

In here we can last forever without food, but the effects are... unpleasant." "Two months." Mari said quietly, shaking off her other sandal. It clattered against the first. She wanted to bring her knees up to her chest to hold herself tightly, but she couldn't. Not whilst wearing her Yukata. So she just sat there, her hands cold, fingers intertwining in each other. "Two months...without food." Mari repeated. It was the longest she had gone. Again, her own doing. Raidou gave her weekly rations but there was a particularly dark time where she was hoping she would have to eat and the game wo

"When we made this guild, we made four pillars for a reason. We all knew that people would step back for a time, so I expected this. Not everyone at once, mind you, but it was there because we knew that there is an ebb and flow to these things. We have good leaders now, and we will rebuild. We've already begun." "It's good that the guild's built back up. That new leaders were found." Mari closed her eyes. "In truth..." She started quietly. "I'm relieved. I don't think I could be a leader right now. I struggled back then. I kept having so much pressure thrown on me." It was hard to admit t

"Of course." As Baldur shifted to face toward her Mari sighed. A soft exhale as she slung herself back against the polished wood. Using her arms folded beneath her head as a makeshift pillow. He probably had so many questions... Maybe he'd even ask them in due time, but right now - he was giving her the floor...allowing herself to collect her thoughts. Mari didn't know where to start...maybe the beginning? That seemed about right. "Shield. Beat. Oikawa." Mari started. "They went missing." Mari paused. "You know what Oikawa did?" Mari would shift her gaze to the sunlight, filtered thr

HOME The last word sent with a sense of urgency and desperation. Where once stood a shabby cottage barely fit for one, now stood a larger home - made primarily out of various cut stone and mortar. Two stories loomed over a frozen lake. Nestled in the forests of the 4th floor. Hidden by a steep and looming mountainside the house would be near impossible to find if you were not specifically looking for it. And yet, here, in the middle of nowhere - in a freezing tundra - was home. A cherished home of brick and mortar glowing amid seas of white. Glass windows frosted to pro

."It's Ume-zing" Mari snorted at his pun. "Yer still a dork. It's nice to see that hasn't changed." Mari picked up her own small glass as he offered a warm hearted cheers before she emptied it, then in a fashion that was similar to Baldur - she refilled her own glass again. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, and made time for some girls day out. Connection is important to us in here." "Yeh..." Mari said softly. "Sometimes. I suppose it is." Mari had lost so many of her connections. Lost faith in so many people. Why was it that all those closest to her just up and left? It was hard