Mari

The woman’s bright eyes shifted back up to Mari’s crystal, then, finally - as though she realized there was an actual person beneath the warring beacon their eyes met. Another few seconds passed. Funny how time works, they stretched on as though they were minutes and hours - but, with a blink of her eyes, shifting away from Elora, to a small corner - the moment had passed. The tense heaviness in the air remained. "Geidmirning." The greeting tore Mari’s eyes away from the intricate little mushroom painted tile back to the woman. She seemed tense. Her jaw clenched, fingers twitched. Ah

"Sometimes, I think...yeh...they....grow - but - seeing them die, then come back just ruins that immersion." She yawned. How many drinks had she had? Mari counted on her finger - trying to figure out how many shots were in the bottle she had downed a good 70% of. She had at least 4 shots of whiskey at the bar in the span of about 15 minutes, then she continued to drink out here. It was nice. It was relaxing. There weren't any strange concoctions to be made, she wasn't following a plague doctor. Her curiosity wasn't spiraling her down some kind of morally questionable hole. Freyd

"Yeh....what was that one book?" Mari asked as she closed her eyes trying to recall a particularly bad one. "It was about a vampire -who was in love with a warewolf- who was also a witch, who was also secretly royalty? Gods..." She laughed and went to reach for the bottle, realizing it was out of her grasp Mari's hand fell to her lap. "Raidou - I always sleep in grass." SHe paused then realized that was no longer true. "Wait..no....I slept in a bed once - but I don't think I was very welcome." Freyd had taken her to his house after she got drunk with him - and the next day

Mari's giggles died down as she found herself sitting on the floor once more, her back leaning against the cool brick wall. "Thanks." Mari said now she had regained some sort of composure. A hand reached up to run through her hair. "I...can't remember the last time I laughed like that." She gave him a wry grin as she tilted her head toward him. "And it was something as silly as a pun - maybe its the alcohol. Maybe its enjoying freedom again. But thanks." Mari's cheeks felt hot, and when she closed her eyes, her head swam, feeling like she was swaying side to side when she was perfectly still.

A bed… Something so simple, and yet - it was something the woman had been denied not for days, but for years even before prison - she had denied herself such a comfort. She had denied herself soft pillows and a heavy blanket - a warm nights sleep. When was the last time she had one of those? Mari couldn’t remember. Even lying there awake - as the morning rays burned her eyes beneath closed eyelids, Mari had to wonder if this was real. She stretched and felt the blanket shift with her. Linen. She smelt clean linen. Mari almost didn’t want to open her eyes, she didn’t want this mo

"Lost her?" Mari asked. She furrowed her brow - her alcohol riddled brain trying to figure out the sentence. "Whaddaya mean you losht her?" Mari asked. It was really beginning to kick in now - the 4 shots of whiskey at the bar - and the half bottle of sickly sweet Chartreuse. Mari watched as he mimicked a violin being played. She missed that, just sitting there and playing. Not fighting monsters, not fighting herself - just getting lost in a skill she adored. "Diddya check between the couch cushions?" Mari asked. Then snorted. As if a person could fit between them. Mari then snorted and l

This conversation…was nice. There were definitely things that hadn’t been said, things Mari wasn’t sure if they should let sit. There was the glaring matter of her gemini… the distrust, not in her as a person - but in her whims. “Yeh.” Mari said quietly as Freyd contemplated the daggers. “Honestly - makes me want to pick it up myself, I used to be a dagger user - I liked the simplicity of it…but the systems were outdated - and the thing was borderline useless.” Now…she had her spear - which stood taller than her. “You’re not wrong though.” Mari reached out and accepted the cup of tea. She

Mari was ready to leave then and there; things got too heated. There was that sort of dangerous electricity in the air, one you could not blame on one too many drinks. It scared her. The rejection. It was easier to just not try. “Too tarnished?” A long silence followed as he practically scoffed at her words. Then, with a single action their roles were reversed. Her hair flung out around her like a halo of fire. She would wince when he mentioned damaged goods - a term her ex had often thrown around. He loomed closer, legs either side of her- but no part of him was quite touching, sa

“I’m not exactly taken in the traditional sense,” He wasn’t? Mari was still leaning over the man, his head tilted back to look up at her. One arm still leaning back against the grassy ground, the other seemed to linger where he had brushed tendrils of her fiery hair behind her ear. She must have given him quite the confused look, because he continued, explaining. Ah they were in one of those relationships. What was it? Polyamory? Polygamy. Something Mari was familiar with, but never exactly had much luck with. “Yanno…” Mari began, trying to choose her words carefully.

“Maybe that’s what makes it all so complicated…" “Complicated?” Mari was confused at his sudden reflection, and catching the confusion in his eyes when she acknowledged it, Mari could tell that those words weren’t meant to be said. “Hmm….” Was it though? What part about it made things complicated? Her? Them? Mari guessed that made sense… she wasn’t exactly easy to deal with in the past. Mari wasn’t sure she was even easy to deal with now. “I think…both you and I have a habit of making things more complicated than they need to be.” Mari picked up a second honey bun, and to her credit, this

Mari closed her eyes. Wherever they were…she wasn’t entirely sure. A forest. A thicket. Their exact location? Hell…even what floor they were on? Mari hadn’t a clue, frankly… she didn’t care. She was enjoying this - for the most part. The feeling of the sun against her face. The tickle of her hair as the wind blew it gently across her skin. Freyd had been quiet for a long time - and in turn - Mari too was quiet. Accepting his silence as he worked through her responses. Mari wouldn’t rush him. She was simply enjoying the moment. Every so often she’d open her eyes to glance at him, almost as

Raidou. Even fucking Raidou had someone. Mari supposed it was not that surprising. It just still stung. "Invading your personal space..." Mari mused as she reached out for the bottle, she clasped it and ran a thumb over the top of it. "Yeh. I see that working." Mari snorted, a small smile - imagining some poor woman all up on Raidou as he tried to read or collect herbs. "Im sure you drive her nuts too." Mari said as she took another swig. "But, that doesn't sound too bad." Another swig. Mari could feel the heat radiating from her stomach now, a pleasant feeling that came with th

"A...A Grandma?" Mari asked incredulously - he wasn't....serious was he? No. He couldn't be, Jomei and Mari had run ins, in the past - he knew her, he knew her history. It was just a joke. Almost as ill concveived as her own, so Mari rolled with it. "Yeah." She said with a big grin. "I got real hungry, and stole all her cookies! So they threw me in jail, threw away the key - or - maybe the key was a big ol' cookie and I accidentally ate that too." Pure gibberish, Mari was spouting pure gibberish but it was the only thing keeping her going at this point. They were all absolutely soaked, we

Arcanthus took a seat next to Mari, something that shocked the woman. Who just blatantly sat right up all cozy like next to a Pker, and take their drink? Mari blinked.Then when Arcanthus remarked about it being a wonderful green all Mari could do was slowly nod, then slowly bring her own cup to her mouth. Finishing off its contents. What an odd woman. Mari allowed her to talk, about how tired she was. Mari could relate to that, on a deep, emotional, borderline traumatic level. “Mmm…” Mari said quietly, her eyes lowering to the small cup in her hands. “That’s…how a lot of people tend to l

Wait… so you know about the floor’s effects and chose to setup a ‘store’ there anyway? “To be fair…” Mari began, leaning forward to set her cup down. “The effects were never that bad when I first set up shop. It wasn’t till months…years later that they became apparent.” She tapped her lip. That…would actually explain a lot. In regards to her sanity back then, but Mari wouldn’t…couldn’t blame it entirely on the floor. “But yes. You gotta remember Freyd, back then I was hunted relentlessly. I didn’t want to be easily found.” “What was Beat’s role in your past?” Mari’s fa

Mari shivered as she rubbed her arms - Freyd mode of...transportation always felt like she had taken a dip in an ice bath. "Not many people realize..." Mari began, her head already feeling clearer - "But Flooor 10 has an adverse affect on cognitive ability. It's normally not too bad, because most people spend a day or two there - but the longer you're there its like..." Mari pursed her lips as she continued to run her hands over her arms. "It feels like you hear voices - it feels suffocating." Now the two were away from all that, sitting on a checkered blanket. Mari couldn't help but sn

Mari snorted, then laughed aloud at the mention of Aincrad Pompous Dicks. He had a point, practically everyone she had ever met who had associated themselves with the APD had their head so far up their ass they could taste their own shit. Mari turned and sat with her back against the wall. It meant she couldn't people watch anymore, but she didn't mind. The overly bright glare from some of the brass was getting to her. Looking up at the sky was much nicer. Gods how she missed the sky. She missed being able to just sit...and listen, listen to life. The players arguing below, to the sounds

"- I feel like an asshole." "You are." Mari commented, her eyes shifting from the bartender to Raidou then back to the bartender. "But I'd prefer an honest asshole over fake niceties." As the bartender shifted away Mari slowly...slowly...slowly reached over the bar - as though the slower she moved the less noticeable her actions. She held a finger up to her mouth to signal Raidou to be quiet. Then... Yoink She got a warning in the top corner of her HUD - stating she had stolen something, but Mari had taken far more than that from here in the past. "How about we get the he

Mari shrugged when Raidou told her he was sober. "Coulda fooled me." She mused, nursing her drink. "Then again..." She glanced at him. "You have quite a few ticks up your sleeve, huh?" It was an observation. Mari had always seen Raidou as someone to not be feared - a simple man with simple desires that usually revolved around picking up various herbs. But - it seemed he had made a name for himself, enough for Baldur to have shown concern when his name was mentioned. Then, Raidou told her he needed to pull the stick out of his butt and relax - And Mari couldn't help but honestly laugh at

"Excuse fucking me?" Mari asked. Giving....the bartender what now? Oh hell no. Mari had standards, and they were absolutely fucking cosmic compared to the bartender. Mari picked up her sake - nice and warm, and shifted two sets over to sit right next to Raidou. "There's only one of me. Lord knows Aincrad only needs the one." Mari muttered as she took a small sip from her serving of alcohol. She made sure to do so slowly, enjoying it. Warm Sake was rare for her after all. Mari signaled the bartender, and tapped in front of Raidou. "His is cold. Be a dear and fetch him a warm serving." T

Rai?? Mari blinked at him. The man barely gave her a second glance - did he not...recognize her? Maybe it was because he seemed to be without his glasses. Mari snorted. This could be fun. Th woman opened up her inventory, and pulled out a pair of his glasses- one of the broken sets she had managed to pilfer over the years of constantly breaking them. She slipped them on - they were without their lenses. But still, it would get her point across. Mari's hair had grown, and she quickly pulled it up into a high ponytail. Finally, Mari re-positioned herself to be a little more comfortable

Why was she back here again? The last time Mari had come here was with Atan - and it wasn't exactly a happy experience. But...it had definitely been one. As the woman entered the tavern - the NPC - a bearded man who looked to be in his late 30's greeted her with a warm smile. He gestured toward the empty seats in front of him at the bar. "Care for a drink miss?" It was almost jarring. If Mari were to close her eyes she could clearly envision him toppled over that very same bar - but it looked like nothing had happened. The woman shrugged her shoulders and approached the bar, her fing

"RIGHT?" Mari called back to Jomei. "This floor is absolutely miserable. I'd almost say I preferred jail. At least I was dry!" It was a poor attempt at a joke, but a joke nontheless. She turned her attention back to the Spectral Knight, that was Spectral. It was a Spectral Knight. Mari furrowed her brows as she thought of a way to increase intangible concepts - but no…maybe that was a little too esoteric. Instead, Mari flipped her weapon and charged - As she swiped at the Spectral Knight its form shimmered. “W-What?” It looked like her weapon phased right through it. Despite that though

It was taking a little bit for Mari to get her bearings again - but that was to be expected. With the Knight still stunned Mari bought her weapon back up and across its torso in a large sweep. A red gash appeared in the knight. Thus far...it didn't seem too complicated. Were these the things Freyd warned her against? Mari knew they had the ability to duplicate themselves, but so far it seemed that the fight was going on without a hitch. Mari exhaled and took three large steps back - forming back in line by Jomei's side. She glanced over at him - they'd met a handful of times before ... Mari o

Atan So that was his name. He didn't look happy. His brow was furrowed and his gaze cold. He practically snatched the mask out of her hand, calling it pointless. "Atan..." Mari repeated thoughtfully. She followed him around the cavern. Making note of everything he had shown her. How the valve controlled the workshop itself, and as he had shown her - Mari immediately understood why he hadn't been fully dressed. The damn thing nearly exploded. Even as he had moved away Mari kept an eye on the pressure. It'd hold, but it would do her a wealth of good to turn the entire place off at night, or