Mari

"Mari wait!" Mari paused, glancing over at Jomei. Had he already returned her to the city? Eyebrows rose into her hairline as her eyes widened, seeing the little girl in tow. Tiny hands balled up and clutching the length of his pants, practically threatening to pull them down. Mari hoped the man had a strong belt. She didn't need to see anything unbecoming. Jomei scrambled to offer her an apology but Mari held up his hand and he stopped, trailing off. "You should take her back." Mari's eyes glanced down to the small girl, and she flinched - hiding behind his leg. "Please. Do what I

A slow blink as cerulean eyes raised to meet with emerald green - glistening just so under the flickering lights of the club. Mari hadn't expected anyone to approach her - Mari never really considered herself much of a looker. Tired circles beneath her eyes, freckles spotted all over her body. Wide hips, and a short stature - but...maybe there was some kind of allure to that, she guessed. Oscar seemed to enjoy it, as did Lancaster. Still...Years of neglect from an ex husband were not so easily wiped from her memory. Then there was the curse of the orange crystal - ever the mark of sin flo

Mari watched as the other woman quickly climbed the rope, dusting off her hands she'd extend her own offering a name. Mari glanced down at Azhoda's hand, hesitating for a moment. Then, after a slight pause she reached out to shake it. "I'm Mari." Mari wasn't sure if her name would cause alarm, but there was no use hiding it, and even if it did - it wasn't like the other could do anything about it. "Yeh well...I'd be more worried about green players if I'm being honest." Mari rolled up the rope and stored it away into her inventory, and in the same motion pulled out a flask of water for th

Hirru seemed worse off than she did. Mari sipped her drink, feeling her cheeks flush from the constant flow of alcohol into her system. It was a pleasant buzz that helped addle her senses and drag away the worries and anxiety she had been feeling for most of the night. The man seemed distracted as he drank. "It does seem like being thrown around will be a common theme..." Mari said absently as her eyes shifted over to the dance floor. There were so few people she'd be willing to dance with. But, at least she was socializing. Even just a little. "I think the best thing to do is just lean

"Hmmm...." Mari just stared at the other redheaded woman as her eyes shifted around wildly. She paced back and forth in the hole, muttering to herself and practically clutching her head. By Mari's count the woman could have been there for a week if not more, with how she was acting. The pointed accusation just confirmed Mari's suspicions. "You know....if you stay on this floor for too long..." Mari lifted her hand to tap her temple. "It messes with you. Something fierce." The woman pushed herself up off her knees, good. Mari thought. At least she had the strength to stand and the wh

The small girl, face dappled with freckles and cheeks rosy red - nose filled with snot as she shoved her face straight into Jomei's shirt clutching him tightly, sobbing. She wiped her snot over his sleeve. And it wasn't till he started to lighty rub her back that she began to calm down, just enough to try and tell him what happened. "T-the baad man took me...I'm scared...wheres Jenny? I wanna go home...I dont like this..." She burst into tears again, practically latching onto Jomei. "You know this isn't a good look." Mari glanced up at Jomei, "Huh?" When did he...how d

Oscar made an announcement, and Mari couldn't help but feel a well of emotion bubble up in her chest. Pride she was proud of him, and all he had accomplished, where others were forging ahead in the front-lines to escape he was forging something else. A way to keep people connected. A way to make people more human in a world that consistently denied them the simple notion. Mari swirled her drink, taking a long sip - then. The lights flickered out. The hairs on her neck prickled, her drink spilled - as Mari shifted ready to fight. Then... Lights flickered back on - she was still standing s

Mari's brow furrowed slightly as Orpheus offered her a smile, stating he wanted to chat a little longer. It wasn't that his company wasn't welcome...Mari just didn't do well with new people, hell she was still a little akward around her guild members. There were very few people that the woman felt she could relax and speak freely around, and despite the air of familiarity the man had about him,. he was not one of them. Not at least, without another drink. A shrug of her shoulders as Mari downed the last of her whiskey, clearing her throat to dislodge the burn of pure alcohol. "I'm not good wit

"Gingersnap?" The furry creature known as Swiftclaw asked as he scratched his head. "Not heard o' ye round these parts. But most all are always welcome!" He'd offer her a chesty guffaw of a laugh, seemingly brushing off her less than amicable approach to him. it felt weird...to not be hated nor hunted. To have a NPC look at her with a smile and a sparkle in their eyes rather than hate. Maybe...not all NPCs were as bad as Mari thought. "I'm just surveying the area." Mari said quietly. Why was she always like this? She had all the bravado in the world when it came to tense situations. She w

The other redhead continued to hoist things over her shoulders; throwing furniture out the window, out the door... what was she looking for? How could she...not know? "Mmm.....If you don't know what you're looking for then..." Mari taped her lips, wondering if she would sound like a bitch for saying what she thought, then deciding, fuck it - she didn't care. "How the hell are you supposed to know when you find it? Are you sure whoever got you to do this isn't just trying to give you busy work?" "You uh fireproof?" "Sure am." Mari said with a snort and a laugh, and just fo

Mari coughed just breathing in the steam that permeated from the strew caused her nostrils to burn. Truth be told Mari loved spicy things. She just did not have the best tolerance for it. More than most..but not enough to truly enjoy it. Mari picked up her spoon, twirling it between thumb and forefinger before letting its curved side skim across the top of her meal. Don't thank me...He'd say, but Mari didn't know how much to truly express what he meant to her. How he managed to help boost her confidence and help her actually live. "I can't recall...." Mari said quietly, still not quite prepare

Mari tilted her head up toward the ₣₳₵ɆⱠɆ₴₴ ⱠØⱤĐ, closing her eyes at the oddly intimate gesture from the creature that towered over her. Whose mere presence tore through her HP. It questioned her claim and she simply opened her eyes as she stared back at him. Unyielding in her resolve. She wanted to reiterate that Addex was hers, for what he had done to her. To Lancaster. But those steeled eyes of blue told the man all that and more, so much unspoken between the two. Their pasts were so entwined that there was no need for words. The ₣₳₵ɆⱠɆ₴₴ ⱠØⱤĐ turned to Addex, Mari could practically tast

Artoria gave a bright cheers to Mari's return. Mari gave a half-hearted rise then clink of her glass against the other womans. "Sure." Mari would offer her another faint smile. Artoria seemed so bright..exuberant. Mari downed her glass, enjoying the flood of warmth alcohol bought her. Then held up a single finger, signalling the bartender to pour her another of the same. Straight whiskey. As Mari watched the masked man pour her another drink she cleared her throat. "Not sure I'll be returning per se." She'd rather idle her days away in peace but she didn't mention it. Mari picked up her glass,

"Positively glowing, little fire bug. Cannot wait to see what you become." "Arbiter of death." Came Mari's cold reply, her tone void of emotion, the warmth it usually held when she addressed the man. It had been replaced with something far more stronger, far more insidious. A blanket of darkness followed Mari, its own tiny little bubble of shadows, their playful dance buoyant on the evertides of her footsteps. The two would have been completely swallowed if not for the flutter of flamed wings, feathered pyres drifting off her form and setting the ground alight behind her. A trail of

Why? Why did it feel like the world was always against them? Against her? She had tried hadn't she? Another hiccup. She had denied herself even the most barest of necessities. A sniffle. She never had real food, her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn't eaten in 4 days. She had never been able to properly bathe herself. Denied even the simple comfort of warm water. For so many years...and now she had those things. Now she was living the world was trying to take it away from her? Her fire, her everything - the sweet succor in a world of dark had spoken, but truth be told Mari barely

His touch was akin to a cure, an antitoxin to all the concoctions that the woman had been forced to down in the near week she was imprisoned. She slowly closed her eyes and her shaking hands lifted to wrap around his shoulders. Voices still screamed at her, claiming this wasn't real. It couldn't be real. No one would love her, tarnished and debased and hysterically, irrevocably mad. Yet, in spite of this whispers a man held her so tight as though she would slip though his fingers like grains of sand. "V-Vincent...you're..." A deep inhale as he pressed his lips to hers. His taste, the small fli

Addex cursed under his breath, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. His enchantments should have stopped the burning - but he could tell from the heat and the way it bit at his skin that this was no ordinary flame. He turned to Mari. She was supposed to be his ace in the hole - from the rumours he thought the two were each others weakness. He thought Lancaster wouldn’t have touched her. He was wrong.. Mari screamed at Lancaster as she was pinned to the floor, heated hand singed her throat as her maddened cries turned into choked gargles. The only thoughts that screamed at her min

“What’s the matter?” Mari hissed as she loomed over the struggling man. “Weren’t you gonna end me? Where did all that Bravado go?” He writhed and kicked beneath her. A man twice Mari’s size clad in silver armour. A thin buzz cut and stubble on his chin, his weapon - a large axe had been thrown several feet away. Away from his reach. Around the two were clear signs of a scuffle, and to the side, curled up in a ball by the base of a tree was a crying girl, knees held up to her chest and head buried into a ball. Her tiny form shaking like a leaf, she couldn’t be any older than 7, 10 at

No time for tired,” Mari's eye twitched. She wanted to snap at him for that. No time? No fucking time? Was she just repeating the same mistakes of her past? Burning the candle at both ends? Too much of herself given, and not enough to hold things together? The bile and fire burned and Mari opened her mouth to throw a fiery insult at Oscar but it all fizzled out as he reached forward. Calloused hand wiping mud from her face. Fragments of memories, their times together trickled to the forefront of her mind and quelled her temper. Mari leaned forward, her head resting on his shoulder. An in

Mari wasn’t bound, her body not afflicted with paralyzing toxins or agents. She had been given her Halberd back but the woman was listless. Lifeless. Eyes void of the passionate light they usually held. The focus, instead they shifted to and fro in the tiny dark room. Every so often she’d twitch - her health still steadily and slowly ticking down. Beside her stood Addex, the ringleader of their group. He could hear the chaos outside. And soon the All Consuming Tyrant would come here. Addex’s brown eyes flicked over to Mari. It took a lot of work, but her mind was practically gone. Addled

4 days ago… Blindfolded and bound in chains Mari knew she was on the 10th floor, she recognized the tingle on her skin - the way her hair always stood tall on her back. The whispers that clawed at the fringes of her subconsciousness. Was this supposed to be their way to control her? That wouldn’t work, Mari was very intimately familiar with this floor - she was used to this floor. What she wasn’t used to, was being freezing cold. No items, blindfolded. She could feel a large hand guiding hers and Mari loathed to see what they were doing. “Make sure ya get every weapon and accessory

Somewhere on the 4th floor…. “Fuck you!” Mari spat at the hooded figure, her leg swept underneath theirs in an attempt to knock him over but he stepped back, dodging her. His grip on her wrist tightened. “Such fun games you play…” The sinister tone laced with amusement as the man twisted Mari’s wrist back, forcing her to fall to a single knee. Mari immediately responded by headbutting him in his chest, and following suit with a dagger in his side. The weapon’s blade lit ablaze but fizzled out as it came into contact with his skin. Mari was met with a low rumble of chuckled laughte

With a glass of whiskey in hand Mari picked it up and stared at it, swirling the liquid slowly - sitting within the golden coloured ambrosia sat a perfectly clear, perfectly shaped sphere. The kind of party favours you'd only ever encounter in high class establishments. Vincent would get a kick outta this. Mari straightened her back and exhaled as she drew the glass to her lips and took a long sip. This wasn't her favorite, Sullivans Cove. It was a little sweeter. Tasting of cinnamon. It warmed her throat, her belly...it'd be fine if she had a few drinks this evening. Right? Mari would h

*STILL WRITING GETTING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE* A party? Really? The idea of celebrations....with drinks and light banter didn't sit well with Mari. She had too much to do. She didn't have time to relax. Not to mention how difficult it would be to do so , with it being in the middle of a safe zone. Mari stood on the outskirts of the main settlement - black scrap of paper in hand. Mari had to admit..when Oscar did shit like this, he went all out. Even the edges were gilded in gold. The writing, gold and embossed. Fancy. She couldn't help but offer the invitation a slight, weary

He didn't know? "Huh...I'd have guessed it was pretty common knowledge, but - maybe all those malicious rumors, the spreading of such information and the like really did die with their instigator." She didn't have to hide the pure vitriol that dripped from each and every word. The woman was sick of hiding her more...negative emotions. She was human too, and it was human to be angry and hate, just as much as it was to love and be kind. Mari quite honestly blamed Zelrius for most of it. Even if he hadn't been the main instigator, or the main person - she had heard enough from others to kn