Mari

Mari was making the trek from the upper floors back to her home - it'd taken several hours. Literally. It wasn't easy being a Pker sometimes. She was looking forward to going home, and if Lancaster was there - curling up in his lap and having a cold hard drink, and a well earned rest. The woman trudged through the snow - tattered scarf wrapped tightly around her face. She wore thick black leggings beneath her usual attire, but her freckled arms were still bare. The Survival skill did most of the work, but the cold air was still somewhat uncomfortable. Mari paused and held out her palm sky

The creature was breathing heavily behind her, short breaths coming out ragged and wet. She could feel its hot acrid breath tickle the skin on the back of her neck and arms - tinged with a sort of prickling pain that continued to tick down her health. A slow crawling sting that if she stayed would threaten to end her very life. She was less worried about that, and more worried about how it was affecting Raidou. Where was the glasses wearing dork? Mari blinked - seeing a warped screen pop up in front of her. She couldn’t read it. Text too jumbled. It glitched and pulsed and felt very wrong. It

"Mari?" His voice didn’t sound right, it reverberated and layered over itself over and over and over again till it was nigh unrecognizable. "You need to leave!" “Like hell I am.” Mari hissed as she grabbed the collar of the man who scrambled to pick up his Katana again - she used the momentum of his charge and grabbed his collar - ramming his face into a tree - he slumped to his knees then fell face first into the dirt. Unconscious. Why did he recognize her and only start aiming for Raidou? There wasn’t something quite right about this situation. Everything screamed at her t

Things were….Okay now? Mari wasn’t sure…most of the tension had left the air but there was still something slightly off about everything. For starters..Freyd. He was unusually silent, eyes downcast. Mari’s brow furrowed in concern. Did her slap comment get to him? Mari cleared her throat as she tapped her fork absently against the rim of her plate. “Uhm…just so yanno…” She began, her other hand tugging nervously at her fringe before she tucked it behind her ear. “I wouldn’t actually slap you that hard.” It was supposed to be a joke, a poor attempt at one, but hey - Mari wasn’t good in these so

She was back at that clearing; the place her and Lancaster had doomed each other into a messy and heated passion fueled descent into mutually assured destruction. The pin that dropped and created ripples so large that neither could escape. Yet Mari…wouldn’t have it any other way. She had found something in the man that had changed her, forever, for the better. A soft hand ran itself over the new flower buds that poked through scorched earth. Brushing away some of the ash to better allow the new growth to sprout. The patch would survive and flourish. Mari stood and wiped her hands on

Mari glanced at her wallet and noted her 9k col. well shit. "aight." She said as she slammed the col down on the bench. "I only got like 9k so this is all I can do." She better get somethign good out of this. Next time, she might just junk everything. -Sent all her col to Mornignstar-

The woman entered the small store; feeling fatigued. Having just come down from the ever overbearing miasma tic effects of the 10th floor. "Hey, so I got some things to appraise... and some to junk." She sighed, glancing away as she tugged on her fringe. "I...may be broke. Very broke. Like, I've never been this fucking poor since being in the town of beginings broke...so..." Mari shifted her eyes back to the tall blonde man. "What's the damage? How much am I being set back by." A pause. She wasn't able to interact with others all that much. "Do you know of any way to get a lot

She needed money. Mari was flat ass broke after upgrading her house. Mainly thanks to Freyd giving her the inspiration and desire to finally upgrade her house. Partly, partly because her beloved got a little bit too excited and singed a hole in the ceiling. She’d have to remind herself to chemically treat the entire place before he visited. So, Mari found herself in a very lush labyrinth - filed with thriving wildlife and thick flora. Vegetation burst from every nook and cranny. Grass grew between cracks in the path, if Mari were to look up at the sky it was practically enshrouded in a se

A cold wind, bitter and ambient, swirled around Mari’s feet as she rolled into the misty shores of the forest that surrounded a lake. The area had a coldness that tore through her skin and seeped deep into muscle and bone. It was difficult being here. A gloved hand instinctively reached up to wipe away residue from her lips. Gemini. A quest that seemed so innocuous at first. But through a series of unfortunate events it had become so much more. Now - it was the first step of many Mari wanted to take to better herself. First this. Then redemption. The woman wore what was not so affe

-- "What the...?" Pop music, jarring and loud began to fill the air around them. Then - the familiar sounds of a violin that cut through the discordant mishmash...right. Performers. Mari once held that profession, purely because she initially thought it the only way to be able to obtain an instrument. She held fast to the violin she got from that. At least till she got something better. Granted...Mari could only assume it was stolen, but a kind and loving gift nonetheless. What was curious to Mari...was where the shining black knight once stood - now replaced by a near perfect image of Hi

“Akir.” She practically purred. Finally giving her name. Her identity. Severing herself from Mari just that little bit more with the admission. Montjoy gave her all the attention she craved, and the shadowy figure lapped it up - her loneliness and desire to be with others mirroring Mari’s. Good Mari was getting boring. Frustrating. Especially lately. “I’ll be your family, my sweet Montjoy.” She laughed, a manic and melodious giggle. “Finally..” She would stroke Montjoys cheek as she moved away from him, standing. “It was so suffocating.” she’d nestle her fingers into Montjoys hair. “She w

-House- ♫ Theme ♫ "Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." — Dealing with the strain of another Earning a Living quest; and fishing alone on the 10th floor…and the stress of that strange dark Shinsengumi man - unmistakably a Laughing Coffin member… Raidou and finding out he was this Faceless Lord character, had founded the Laughing Coffin...It was all too much. It would be nice to have a reprieve. Lancaster was dealing with ‘his business’ which left her for some time alone. And Freyd…was on his way. Mari truly

Mari couldn’t help but pause, seeing someone standing on a large rock - talking very loudly to an audience of… She couldn’t help but laugh. Boars. He had a bunch of boars tied up and forced to sit and watch. Even birds? The birds were tied to rocks, which were tied to their feet - and a ribbon was wrapped around their torso, so they couldn’t flap and fly around. Most of the birds seemed to be asleep. Some were literally lying on their sides. What the hell is happening? After all the chaos she had been experiencing lately, maybe this would be nice. As Mari drew closer she saw the ever dan

"The life we live is to honor those we left behind." God...the man almost sounded like Baldur. Scarily so. He spoke of how absolution was earned, never given. And in a manner Mari expected, he refused to give his name. Instead calling himself a puppet and a tool. "Its why I fight." Mari said simply. "Because, as long as I live, so does her memory. That alone, is worth living through all the grief and bitter stings of my transgressions." The pain wasn't as deep, nor as cold. But the subject of her daughter was always a sore one for Mari. It had been discussed, dissected, and bought up

"I see." His quiet acknowledgement caused Mari to look at him again. His tone shifted. Mari didn’t quite understand why. He spoke about how she had her entire life to atone for her sins. How he, nor her friends could absolve them. She had a lot to make right. Suddenly…there was something in the way he said those words. Mari’s eyes flashed with a type of realization, then concern that quirked her lips downward. Was he? Mari couldn’t be sure. And would never, ever dare mention it. For a parent, it was almost taboo, too dangerous. Too painful. "If that was your past, then make sure it

Mari, damp and annoyed approached the tiny little fishing hut. Clearly unimpressed and frustrated. Never in her life had she experienced such issues with fishing before. No doubt it had something to do with the NPC; he had such a punch-able face the woman was tempted to clock him so had that he'd fall down into the water. Let him fish for his own damn gleaming scales. As she drew closer he started to clap his hands in a booming and resounding sound of congratulatory joy. "I knew you could do it!" He approached and smacked Mari hard on the back, then offered her a sly wink. Mari recoile

"You have a tendency of getting swept up." "Ah..." She couldn't fault him there. "You're...not wrong." She admitted with a long and deep breath. So many people had told her she had a tendency to do that. Even now, she still had. Standing here in front of the man was proof of that. So she couldn't say she was exactly better at that. But she was better at controlling her emotions. "I can't even say I've gotten better at that - hell..." She said, repeating her inner thoughts. "Standing before you is proof of that. But-" Her eyes kept to his. Steely cerulean filled with a strong conviction sh

IF she had done that…another stint in jail…another breakdown, she probably wouldn’t have met him. Lancaster. A man Mari knew vehemently that she shouldn’t be with. A strong leader and force within the Laughing Coffin. A name so innocuous that not even its own members uttered it much. Hell even he admits that this relationship is no good. But the two, completely wrapped up in each other were willing to fight for the little piece of paradise they had made between themselves. The two were complete and utter fools who were just orchestrating their own mutual destruction - and yet..mari couldn't he

Once again, Freyds ears must have been burning. The man sent her another message. Was this what it was like for normal people to use the messaging system? A simple back and forth between friends? It was weird…Mari normally hated writing them, she never bothered with subject titles. She kept them as short as possible but here she was…casually and consistently messaging a friend. how nice. Stop passing out and triggering crisis mode, and I will gladly amble up through the window instead. Just let me know when. I'll be there. Oof, called out. To be fair, since he took the gemini

Right…another inner reflection to kill time…what else had happened recently… Vitreous… a terribly dangerous man. Oh but he was so very interesting. Truth be told…if she hadn’t had a long talk with Freyd she’d probably attempt to contact the man more often - but some hard much needed truths gave her the realisation that nothing good would come of being in constant communication with someone who just yanno, casually crafts pathogenic plagues. It was a good thing Mari threw that vial into the acidic river. Surely by now it would have disintegrated into nothing. Even if Mari didn’t see the p

Mari sighed. Great. She replied to him….now what? Continue to think about things since she escaped prison? She supposed that was a good idea….not much else to do right now. Baldur and Macardon…they were the two people she had seen again once released. At the time Mari was so very happy and relieved, but after the elation settled she couldn’t shake the feeling something felt off. Jacobs Ladder felt off. Was it because she had spent such a long time trying to find Shield, Beat, and Oikawa? They were gone. The Ladder was now filled with new people. Some she knew, some she didn’t. Some she conside

“Speak of the devil…” Mari breathed as she received yet another message. This time from Freyd. A small warm smile rose to her lips which only grew wider when she saw his response. I would love to see your new home. I’m glad you felt it time to renew it. Normally Mari was not one to use her messenger so much, normally she’d leave the message at that - and wait till they inevitably ran into each other again. But, she had nothing better to do right now so with a flick of her finger she opened up the messaging system, and with a little bit of effort, as she was still lying

Mari sighed as she leaned back on the rock- using her folded arms as a cushion. Her eyes watering slightly as the filtered sun danced against her skin through the waving canopy of trees above. She supposed…waiting like this wasn’t all bad…it could potentially give her a chance to reflect on recent events. So much stuff had happened since she was released from jail, a rekindling of friendship with Freyd. Something unexpected. Things had always been so terse with him in the past, and now…now… He was one of the people she was closest to. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. A part of h

Mari was tempted to message Freyd again - mostly because she was incredibly bored. Having to wait for the NPC to be around at a specific time was like absolute torture in these quests…its why Mari hated them so much. You could finish up your tasks quickly, but no Mr Anthony just decided to go off and do something else. She supposed it was a nice day for fishing. Mari was tempted to pull out the rod again, almost. But she was already feeling frustrated from the whole ordeal and fishing was supposed to be her happy time. A serene moment of meditation. So if she started to do it when she was angr

As Mari sat there, in the waning hours of the quickly dissipating evening, upon a large rock that sat in the forest. The forest of the first floor, a forest that was filled with a variety of trees, nature and trees…and like dirt and stuff. Also the fishermans hut. Boy howdy was she happy he wasn’t in the middle of the Town of Beginings… if he was..Mari wasn’t sure she’d be able to complete it… It was one thing to hide your identity on the upper floors but in a city filled with players too nervous to leave its walls? Yeh…no…the last thing they needed was some angry orange haired Pker wa