Mari

Mari threw her fishing line back, then as she went to cast out she accidentally let go of it when she saw a message ding - Mari never got messages. So it would have been one of the two people she had just reached out to. Her rod sailed helplessly through the air and splashed by the lakeside, it was slowly being dragged into the water. “Ah shit.” She said as she ran over to it, Mari grabbed hold of it and tried to pull it back up, getting her feet and legs wet in the process. At least the water wasn’t freezing cold.

Mari yanked her rod away from its would be thief and opened up her messages. Just three simple words.
 

I like trout

Mari couldn’t help but laugh. A part of her felt it was always so jarring, every so often flashes of him towering over that man - ripping off his arm in a slew of ash and charcoal would slip into her mind - then he’d say something like this. I like trout. Quite possibly the simplest thing in the world. He could have asked for anything, anything. And she’d h

ID: 247662  LOOT: 5 CD: 1

Thread loot:
5 Materials

Total Word Count 1706

Honestly…Mari didn’t care if he replied or not. Mari had a strong feeling he was much the same with the messaging system. He didn’t strike her as someone who liked it, considering the sheer amount of notifications he seemed to get. Mari would outright ignore the message system too if she was bombarded with idiots every single day.

“That’s it…I’m sittin…” Mari found a nearby rock and sat cross legged on it before shoving more of the bait, which she was fairly sure was just worms spray painted gold  back onto the hook, with a swing she cast out again. And this time…when she reeled in the hook know what she got? Absolutely nothing. The bait gone, the hook swinging gently in the warm breeze. Bumpkiss. Welp. At least she wasn’t dragged into the water or anything like that. Didn’t seem like that would happen.

Hopefully.

If it did maybe that’d be an excuse to see her man again.

ID: 247661 LD: 8  CD: 6

Thread loot:
5 Materials

total word coutn 1496

Speaking of…

Mari wondered if Lancaster liked fish? Could she figure out a nice meal involving it for him. Mari wasn’t really the best at cooking it, despite growing up in Australia. She always preferred the richness of red meats over it.. As she cast out her line Mari opened up her messenger with her free hand. Two messages in a day? Damn. She was on a roll. The woman hated using the message system. Found it clunky and annoying.

Yet here she was, messing people again, not for necessity but for curiosity? It’d be so much nicer just to ask him in person.

Quote

To: Lancaster
From: Mari
Subject
Do you like eating fish?
I picked up the profession.

Mari closed the window as she felt a bite on her line. Sending off the message and turning her attention to reeling in yet another material. At least she was getting something out of this. Materials would be useful for crafting, but she hadn’t done so in so long - Mari planned to get back into it, at least a little - if not just to craft her own potions so she didn’t need to rely on the generosity of others.

ID:247660  LD: 7 CD: 8

Thread loot:
5 Materials

total word count 1337

Another failure meant another line to be cast out. Another hook to be baited. How annoying. She cast out the line with a heavy sigh. At least the weather was pleasant. Mari stepped from one foot to the other. If she didn’t get it soon she’d have to find a nice place to sit down. The air was nice too. Fragrant with the smell of freshly fallen leaves. Of wood. Better than the bile and gunk of the 29th floor. 

Mari hoped Freyd would like her upgraded home. She wanted him to be the first to see it, after all he had put so much effort into fixing up her first home. She wanted to show him how much that meant to her, in a way…upgrading her house was mainly because of him… and a side note of having her rafters be charred to all hell by a doting partner who just so happens to ignite when he gets too passionate. A small smile crept to her lips as she recalled the memory.

It was so nice that she wasn’t even mad she got nothing more than a single material from her line.

247659:  LD:4  CD:11

Thread loot:
4 Materials

total word count 1139

Speaking of Freyd…or…she supposed…thinking of Freyd…Mari wondered how he was going. They hadn’t spoken since the whole gemini thing - not really. And she missed him. She had a lot to tell him about. Mari promised to tell him if things progressed with Lancaster and now well, they really had. Mari wasn’t exactly looking forward to that conversation. “Ah…” Mari had whilst she was thinking, cast out her line again- and a slight tug on it caused her to start reeling in. Again, Mari knew this wouldn’t be the big fish with that bright ass gleaming scale that she needed, but at least it’d be something. Just as she expected. Mari pulled up yet another material.

She sighed, opening up her messenger. She wanted to see him again. He was family after all. She knew how to soften the blow of being like ‘hey yo I think Im fucking your enemy.’

Food.  That was always the answer.

 

Quote

To: Freyd
From: Mari
Subject: My home
Hey Freyd. Wanted to chat. Also show you my home. I upgraded it. Finally.
Let me know when you’re free.
-Mari.

It was probably the first time ever in Aincrad she had put a subject title in the line.

ID: 247658  LD: 1  CD:9

Thread loot:
3 Materials

total word count 946

Vanity tag @Freyd (this post and the one above)

Mari pried open the tin the man had given her and with the ease and effectiveness of someone who grew up on a giant bloody island she baited the hook. Right. Just how many tries would it take to nab this thing? Five? Ten? Twenty? Mari glanced up at the sun, high in the sky. It was noon. It’d be nice if she could finish this in a few hours - She wanted to get some gathering done before nightfall, if things took too long; she’d have to wait till morning.

Red cursor = no easy forms of travel that she knew of.

Unless she was Freyd. With his void step fancy feet. Mari had to admit…it was a nice skill to have, and she would be remiss if she wanted to ask him to teach her. They both went through so much with the gemini…but would he? It felt innately and intimately him.  Not so much her.

Mari sighed as she cast the line out, and in less then a minute she had a bite, she pulled it up to have….eyup - just what she thought. Another material. Still better than nothing.
Right?
RIGHT?

ID: 257657  LD: 3 CD:12

Thread loot:
2 Materials

Word Count: 744

Without asking, Mari swiped a wooden fishing rod from Anthonys house when he wasn't looking. He had like several of them all perched up against the side of his little hut for the taking. It was like he was begging people to grab them with a big neon sign that said 'FREE'  granted...this was a quest hut - so they were probably intended for players to take but Mari felt just a little bit better about herself imagining the plain looking man be troubled by missing one of his many precious rods.

Mari walked around the side of the lake and wasted no time in hooking the 'special bait' up and casting out. It took a few minutes, till there was a slight tug on her rod. This was better…this was a little calming. With a slight jerk Mari began to reel it in - it didn’t feel like anything big so she doubted she’d be lucky enough to get what she needed straight away, and nope.

As she finished reeling in the rod she was met with nothing more than a single twinkling material. Well. Better than nothing.

247656  LD: 7+1 = FAIL CD: 8= +1 Material

Thread loot:
1 Material

total word count: 551

Mari had been fishing in the past; she had enjoyed it. She remembered the times she’d stand by the lakeside with Baldur and Shield fondly…but now it would seem if she wanted to pick up the idle hobby again she’d need to do a dang quest, not exactly something she had planned nor wanted to do, but …when you gotta do what you gotta do… so here she was. At some shabby little shake in some shabby little forest, at least it was outside the city limits. God forbid Mari risk her life just to go fishing. Fuck that.

Mari stepped closer to the fishing shack, and like clockwork a figure seems to appear from nowhere. Bloody NPCs… Mari’s distaste for them grew daily.

"Anthony Gill, at your service," he announces, executing a quick bow. "Let me guess, you were looking for someone old, with a long white beard, and a pipe?" 

Mari crossed her arms. The man was….average. If you were to search up mediocre in the dictionary his face would appear there. But Mari held her tongue, waiting for him to inevitably continue.

, "Sorry to disappoint. Now, what can I do for you?" 

“Fishing Profession, Jackass.”

Many of the NPCs in Aincrad were actually quite responsive, and full of life; almost too realistic but these ones? Cut and dry. The man, Anthony was it? Gave her a large smile. The insult soaring high over his head.

"I am honored you would come to me for help. Since we're friends, I'll let you in on a little secret." Reaching into his pocket, Anthony draws out a small tin, then offers it to you. 

"This is a special bait, because a local priest prays over it in a top-secret ceremony.  I'm the only one in the world who has it, so don't bother looking for it anywhere else. If you use it, you'll catch the rare and mysterious Rainbow Fish, which you can harvest for Gleaming Scales. Catch the fish, bring me a scale, and you'll know all there is to know about fishing."

Mari snatched the tin from his hand, rolling her eyes as she walked away. This would be hell.

TOTAL WC: 363
 

Fishing sounded...kinda nice actually. And in this quiet floor no one would bother her. The only other person crazy enough to traverse here often was Atan- and if he did just so happen to see her. She knew he would leave her well enough alone. The man was solitary, much like she had been. So yeh. Some alone time to just get some materials or whatever the hell else she would get fishing would be nice.

Mari paused, seeing a familiar little mushroom. Heh She used to collect these all the time, they just oozed bioluminescence. Mari knelt down and picked it up - throwing it in the air and allowing it to be stored safely in her inventory. Something small…something silly..something she used to add to her crystals to make them just that little bit brighter, sparkle that little bit more. Completely useless and aesthetic…that’s right…she used to like doing stupid things like that.

What changed?

247655  LD: 15+1= SUCCESS

Total Materials:
1

Total Word Count : 336

Mari hadn't planned on doing anything with her store; rather - she was considering closing up shop completely. But then she figured it wouldn't hurt to kill some time, to gather some supplies on the off chance that she needed them. She already had a decent stockpile of over 200 materials. But she hadn't bothered with crafting in ages. Hell...she was probably so rusty that if she attempted anything it'd blow up in her face.

So, Mari went to the floor she was oh so familiar with when it came to foraging and looking around for various things...the most volatile and unforgiving floor she knew, granted she didn't exactly explore al the other floors all that often but hey. How many floors had a negative effect on your psyche? Oh...floor 29. Yeh, that was definitely a nasty ass floor.

So there she stood, at the entrance to her tent. Ready to start a long and very boring day of very boring collections.

Loot goblin…

Thats what she’d be today.

Maybe she’d get in some fishing too.

Total word count : 178

ID: 257654   LD: 13+1=14 FAIL

Mari | HP: 980/980 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:5 | AA | EVA:4 | BH:54 | BLI: 32/-20 | ENV-O: 32 | PARA-V | LD:1

SORRY I HAD ENOUGH SO IM DOING THE THING

**LATEST APPLICATION/APPROVAL** 
LINK

Room(s) Being Added: (Include assigned player(s) for homes)
Fishing Pond: 10,000
Ornate Fishing Pond (Upgrade) 15,000


Room(s) Being Upgraded: (Include assigned player(s))

Ornate Fishing Pond: Mari

Room(s) Being Re-Assigned: (Include newly assigned player(s) and a post link to the last time these rooms were assigned player(s))

House Fluff and design etc below 

“Sometimes?!  Try always.” 

Mari grinned. “Right!” She seemed to have bounced back from her earlier withdrawal. Being able to know how much they trusted and accepted each other made her feel better. “Always. Freyd.” She gave him a warm smile. “Always.” Affectionately repeated. Freyd went on to say he was not her keeper - acknowledging that she seemed really happy.

“I know.” She said. “And I get hurt sometimes.” She admitted, thinking back to moments before. “I sometimes jump to the bad conclusions. Its…a hard habit to break out of. I…” Mari closed her eyes. “How about I tell you some things that may explain why after all of this.” Mari gave him a pat on his ironclad chest with her free hand. “Just know that I’m actively working on catching those thoughts and stomping them out with all the fire and fury of a woman denied her chocolate…er… or something.” It was a terrible analogy, but Mari’s words faltered in the moment.

Freyd told her he believed in her and Mari couldn’t help but have her smile grow. It was relieving, and comforting to know the two shared the same sentiments. They’d always butt heads in some way, shape, or form. They’d always misinterpret one another at some divide. But - as long as Freyd was in her life. As long as he was her friend. No. Her family. She’d be fine. 

“It is what it is, and whatever it means, we’re here now because of it.”  

“It means we’re family. I think that’s the best way to describe it.” And she meant it, with all the sincerity of the world.

“I know, Mari.  Just like you know I never meant, and will never mean, to hurt you.”  

Mari gave a nod in reply, as his form began to shift.

Mari flinched when she saw Montjoy, too many negative memories were associated with his form. Regardless of how he and Freyd worked together now. Mari wasn’t exactly sure who it was, if it were Freyd gemini, if it were something else. She wasn’t entirely sure and had never actually asked despite being curious about it. It felt too personal to Freyd. The woman shut her eyes and turned her cheek away when the amalgamation of the two reached out to cup her cheek. It was as though the frozen hands of death himself were caressing her. She suddenly missed another's touch, which was far warmer. Freyd started talking, his voice and tone shifting.

“Come out, dear lovely. Come out into this cursed light and play. It’s been far too long since we last saw each other...”

She waited, expecting it to be instantaneous. Expecting the sickening feeling to hit her body like a truck but for a moment, nothing happened. Mari slowly opened one eye, then the other. Giving the roiling shadowy figure before her a confused look. That worked last time, hadn’t it? Why not this time? “I uhm…” Mari wanted to say something, anything - at that moment she felt nothing. As though there was no immediate danger. Shouldn’t the gemini be out?

Come to think of it…when was the last time she coughed up that bile? When was the last time she heard those nagging voices? “Freyd?” Mari was concerned. She wanted this to be over with today. Was the gemini hiding because it knew what was coming? Or was it something else?

The Shadowy figure in front of her blinked, tilted its head to the side as though it was analysing the situation. It? Freyd…Monteyd? Mari didn’t have any time to contemplate what to call the man before her. It moved closer, roughly grabbing her hand and pulling her in close. Its lips danced upon the shell of her ear as he chuckled, low and velveteen. 

“Don’t be like that, let me see and experience everything that you are. Don’t deny yourself...” He forcibly grasped Mari’s chin and tilted it toward him. His lips dancing dangerously close to hers. “Don’t make me drag you out to play.”

Mari’s body heaved and it spilled forth, she tried to push Montjoy away but he held fast, keeping her close. Allowing the bile to pour over him. First a trickle then like a waterfall it splattered against his chest then the ground. Thick Ichor surrounded the two - the liquid like biting cold as it pooled, so thick and so much that it felt like the rising waters of a tide. It felt like it was too long. Too much time was passing. Too much was leaving the poor trembling woman. Her vision blurred as tears stung the corner of her eyes. Her body burned as it craved for the capacity to breathe once more.

Just as Mari thought she’d pass out from lack of oxygen it stopped. She slumped forward onto Montjoys shoulder, barely conscious. 

Mask on as soon as she’s out, okay?

It took all of her strength, all of her willpower to pull the mask over her face. As soon as she did her arm fell to her side, heavy. It was unclear if she was unconscious or not but it was clear she wasn’t able to move her body. Completely wrecked, completely drained. Yet…somehow it still wasn’t as bad as the first time when it was forcibly removed.

—

She slowly formed, thick ichor shifting into a more solid form - one that resembled Mari, if not for the shadowy flickers that licked at her body, if not for the oily sheen of darkness that covered her skin. She sat atop Montjoys lap - pushing Mari unceremoniously to the side, who slumped down to the ground - unmoving. 

“You wanted me to come out so badly you were willing to injure someone who just admitted she saw you as family?”  She laughed, that same light and melodious laugh that dripped with toxic vitterol.

“I knew!” She exclaimed in an almost delirious light as her hands dug into his shoulders. “From the first moment you dragged her into the void, you called to me, you woke me up again and oh how your voice sang.”

Original Application here:
https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/15355-housing-evaluation/?do=findComment&comment=609924&_rid=3361

Plot Size: Studio ($10 Donor) -> PKER Two-Story Home (-133500)
Original house plot cost : 40,000 buyback 74% = 30,000

TOTAL COST: 248,500 - 30,000 BUYBACK = 218,500 COL COST

Regarding Housing via Donor perks:

Housing plots and rooms granted by Donor perks will not refund col into your wallet. Instead, the amount that is "refunded" will count as equity toward future housing purchases. Their value will still be refunded at a 75% rate upon a sale, but will act as credit toward future housing purchases.

Room(s) Being Added: (Include assigned player(s) for homes)
Storage Closet 10,000
Master bedroom: 10,000
Master Bedroom Upgrade: 15,000
Slime Farm 10,000
Mega Slime Farm Upgrade: 15,000
Dining Room - 10000 (already owned but trying to work out costs)
Basement 10000
Living Room 10000
Bathroom: 10000
Master Bathroom Upgrade: 15000


Room(s) Being Upgraded: (Include assigned player(s))
Dining Room - Mari + Lancaster
Master Bedroom - Mari
Mega Slime Farm - Mari
Storage Closet - Mari
Living Room- Mari + Lancaster
Basement - Mari

Room(s) Being Re-Assigned: (Include newly assigned player(s) and a post link to the last time these rooms were assigned player(s))
 

-----

House Name: Frozen Cottage
A quaint cottage now made of stone that sits by one of the many frozen lakes on the 4th Floor - it is about a half hour walk from Snowfrost and hidden among the forest trees. A dim warm light often warms the surrounding area, even if no one is home - the fire is always burning. Offering solace and warmth.
Location:  Floor 4, in a clearing by a lake outside the safe zone. A thirty minute walk from the main settlement on the floor.
Plot Size:  Two Story Home
Room(s):  "Living Room" , "Master Bedroom"  ,Mega Slime Farm, Basement, Dining Room, Storage Closet
Total Cost: Donator Perk + XXX
Enhancements:

Relaxed: - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Well Rested - -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Advanced Training -  10% Exp to a thread one per month 
Multipurpose:  Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. 
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)

----

<<FROZEN COTTAGE>>
Floor 04 // Frozen Lake
PK Accessible Plot

A quaint cottage now made of stone that sits by one of the many frozen lakes on the 4th Floor - it is about a half hour walk from Snow frost and hidden among the forest trees. Nestled in eternal snowfall means the path to the home is always obscured, and one could get lost if they do not know where they are going. 

The house sits on the edge of a large frozen lake, at night time strange blue lights dance over the frozen surface.

The house looks warm and inviting, and every so often when you pass the house you hear a strange melody, as though someone is playing the violin, but if you try to find its source you will find no one.

Behind the house, if you were to walk 10 minutes straight you'd come across a large mountainside, so steep it is impossible to climb without injuring yourself.

<<LIVING ROOM>>

The first room you entire upon stepping into the larger stone home. The living room sits adjacent to the dining room, with nothing but a low hanging ceiling to split the two spaces. The living room is filled with a large fireplace, and two chairs that sit right by it. Ready to warm a weary traveler.

<<DINING ROOM>>

<<MASTER BEDROOM>>

The master bedroom is covered an an assortment of lanterns that are somehow always burning, some of the lanterns have scorch marks beneath them. A large bed sits against a deep red coloured wall, covered in tapestries of fine silks that hang down and around the bed. Candles flicker on the night stand. The room flickers brightly, and warmly. One one side of the bed is a sprinkle of ash around the floor. Every so often one would notice burn or scorch marks throughout the room. One one side the large ornate windows open up to overlook the frozen lake.

<<BASEMENT>>

The descent into the basement hits you with a distinct scent of gasoline and ash in the air. There are scorch marks in the center of the basement floor, as though someone had repeatedly lit fires upon it. To the left is a wooden table with an array of half built mechanations, glass vials, and scattered notes in two distinct sets of handwriting. Scattered around the floor of the desk is shattered glass that never seems to be swept up. Random assortments of items litter the space, as though a kleptomaniac hoarder has claimed all manner of things and thrown it down below to be forgotten about.

Rooms Used 7 | 10

Yard Slots 1 | 1

Mari leaned forward, taking a bite of the cake. Very slowly dragging it off the fork - her crystalline eyes watching him. She pulled away with a slight lick of her lips. “Something sweet, to bite through the sour conversation.” She mused. Mari felt relief when he said he had little interest in killing her friends. Even more so when he said that Opals infiltration was a false report.

So that meant there wasn’t anything insidious hiding beneath the surface. At least…for now. He admitted they just wanted the frontlines to stop. She doubted they ever would. Mari shifted her weight so she was facing him now. Legs on either side of him. The chair groaned with their combined weight. “I admit…I’ve done more here than I could ever dream of.” A palm on his chest. “That includes you. I want to stay here with you. I want us to be locked away in a lab creating all manner of things. I want to watch your eyes ablaze with passion.”

Mari sighed. Closing her eyes. She wanted to move on from all the dour subjects, she wanted to wrap him in her arms and drag him to the floor. But she had one more pressing thing to tell him.

“I have a friend. Freyd.” She began. Hoping her movement wasn’t too distracting for the man. “He’s probably the closest person to me in this place beside you. Remember where we set that field alight?” She asked. “Before the concert? I took my friend there to deal with my gemini, because it was a place that brought me joy. In a mere matter of moments he figured out it was you Mi Amore. I hadn’t said a word. Hadn't planned to because at the time, I wasn’t sure what we were. I still don’t. But, I’d be remiss if i did not at least let you know”

That was everything…everything she had wanted to talk to him about. Everything she had wanted to show him. She had laid it all out for him, everything that was and is and would continue to be her. She offered so much, and he was asking for so little. Mari almost felt a little guilty.

Mari rose up her hand and navigated through her menu, a small notification would pop up on Lancasters screen. He had access to her home. Anytime. It meant, if she were to purchase the upgrades- he’d also have access to any of the buffs the rooms would provide. “For you.”

Mari tilted her head, messy hair spilling over her shoulders. “Despite everything…Lancaster the consuming tyrant. First Finger of the first hand of Laughing Coffin. Vincenzo Lionetti…Vincent…” She softly exhaled. “I love you.” And with that that she leaned in to nibble his ear, and a kiss of his neck. “The world would have to drag me to hell before it rids me of you.” 

The admission terrified Mari more than anything else ever had.

"The Laughing Coffin, a bit nebulous to say aloud I must admit." 

He wasn't wrong, he must have picked up on the dour expression Mari had given at saying the name. She wasn’t trying to. He explained how they found her effective, capable and ruthless. Parts of it felt like compliments, others…ruthless…not so much. He admitted they wouldn’t be able to control her. She snorted. Closing her eyes to think back on her mindset back then. “I don’t think even you could have controlled me back then, maybe... I was a fucking mess. All those chemicals you saw in my workshop? The contraptions? Imagine unbridled…the concoctions I made were terrible. They prayed on the weak. They caused people to quite literally…lose all sense of self and go insane. And I would consistently experiment on myself with them.” They weren’t exactly fond memories. Mari had to admit she missed creating things and testing the boundaries and limits of the game…but not in that way. Never in that way again. “I am not that person anymore. I asked out of curiosity.”  

Lancaster sighed at the name, and Mari guessed he did know her. Mari wasn’t super close to the woman - but she knew that Opal died trying to infiltrate the Laughing Coffin. It was…interesting to see that from their side- she was infiltrating the frontlines. If she had infiltrated the frontlines, and was dead. Wouldn’t that mean they would have sent another? That was probably bad. “From what I hear…she was attempting to also infiltrate your organization. Got too confident.” She didn't complete the sentence. She didn’t need to.

The admission meant Lancaster had been with the Coffin for a long time. He worked with Opal directly, and was privy to so many things. Mari kept a hand running against his chest. Always showing a kind of loving affection that she both craved, and craved to give to him.

“So…” Mari paused. This wasn’t a good idea. This put her in more danger. Didn’t it? Should she even say her thoughts? If she didn’t, she’d be holding herself back - and Mari didn’t want to do that anymore. Safety be damned. “If the person who had infiltrated the frontlines is gone - it's safe to assume there may be another… Lancaster.” Mari paused, turning her head. She pressed her lips to the underside of his chin. “I said I would protect you if anyone tried to hurt you. But if you-.” She placed emphasis on the word. Him. Although she’d be pained to see it, to admit it…it had to be said. The two were from vastly different worlds. “If you were to hurt them. I’d defend them too. Of course…” A hand gently ran over his cheek. “My heart would not allow me to kill you. Maybe I’d tranquilize you. Send you into a slumber for a few days, or maybe I’d be cruel enough to deny you myself for a week- but that’s a torment I don’t want to bear.” It was odd…it wasn’t meant to be a threat, she didn’t want to hurt him. But at the same time there was that certain electricity that came with such words. A danger that both excited her and scared her. She wondered if he’d pick up on that. 

“I won’t ask for you to change what you’re doing, I won’t ask for information I’m not privy to. I already know too much. If there is a first finger, one one hand there are others. 10 in total - if things were to be assumed, If Opal worked that closely with you…perhaps there’s 9. Frankly, I don’t care.” She tapped his chest ten times to enforce her point. “I would never ask you to change who you are Mi Amore, but who you are. What you are - I can’t let that hurt the people I’m close to. ”

This was a hard conversation. But one they had to have.

“The frontlines…”

Mari sighed, a deep heavy and weary sigh. The man already knew what she felt about them.

“I think about leaving it…and my guild sometimes…” Her fingers continued to tangle in Lancasters hair. “I’m essentially being dragged to the upcoming floor fight - Ugh. Don’t go to the 29th floor if you can help it, Mi Amore…it’s trash.” A slight tug on his silken strands and she continued. “After the raid, I think we’re supposed to come together for a meeting. It’s there I’ll decide If I’ll stay. You’re supposed to feel some kind of kindred connection with those in your guild, right?” It was a question with no answer. Rhetorical.

“The people I truly cared for in that guild disappeared - one remains, and he is a kind soul. I don’t think there’s a cruel bone in his entire body. But it just doesn’t feel the same with everyone gone.” It hurt to admit, and she wasn’t sure she should be venting this to Lancaster of all people, but it was nice to get it off her chest. She was ranting, things she’d kept bottled up so long in fear of being looked at differently but with the man before her - she could bare all. Leaving her guild didn’t mean she’d be alone. It didn’t mean she still couldn’t help her friends. It was just one less constraint on her. “One less prison.” She mumbled quietly. Closing her eyes. It wasn’t like Mari didn’t have options either if she chose. Firm Anima would welcome her. And hell, it wasn’t even a guarantee - maybe she’d feel better, more at home after the meeting. 

“Sorry, I ranted for a while there…I’m asking a lot of you tonight, Mi Amore, so if anything crosses your mind please - ask.”

Mari waited, watched as he immediately lit a cigarette, with her permission. Chain smoking in such a way would leave him for dead in the real world - but here it left little effect beyond an unpleasant smell. He relaxed further into the chair, an arm coiling around her waist, a thumb gently running against the skin of her hip beneath her sweater. This felt…so warm. The woman closed her eyes. Her head rested against his chest, fingers absently tugging and tracing the clavicles that protruded from his loose fitting shirt. She could feel his heartbeat. Could feel the gentle rise and fall as he breathed. Every so often she could feel his arm shift as he tapped at his cigarette, the ash falling into the glass. He thought himself to be a king? Spoiled? Simply because she sat and feed him cake from within the confines of his lap. For all the tout of who he was, he had the simplest of desires.

Mari had cut another slice of the coffee scented dish, pausing in front of him as he coughed. “Mm?” Lancaster shifted his legs, spreading them out as he cleared his through, uncomfortable. Oh…Ohhh… Mari leaned into his neck with a smile, oh how easy it was to rile him up. “Vincent. My Vincent. My preziosa anima gemella. I’ll cherish that gift.”

But if anyone else does, I will kill them."

She knew that to be truth. She’d never share his name with anyone. If not just to quell that fiery anger within. Mari didn’t want to change who he was. She didn’t want to stop that curiosity or drive. She simply wanted to protect him.

 There was still so much she wanted to ask him. “The Laughing Coffin.” she began quietly. A name that still felt like venom from her lips. Somehow Freyd had already figured out who she was seeing, simply from seeing the brunt flower field. No wonder he seemed so frustrated with her. She felt him shift, tightening his hold on her waist. He’d place his cigarette in his mouth and his other hand shifted to her lap, running up and down her thigh. His head dipped into the crook of her neck. Mari continued, allowing him to be as close as he desired. “I don’t get it…you said they were scouting me, but - if they were knowledgeable about my past…surely they’d know I wasn’t really wanting to do most the things I did.” She opened her eyes pausing to drink deep of his scent. “Did you…know someone named Opal?”

Then, in a small effort to break any tension that formed with her questions Mari added. “Yanno, she managed to kiss me before you did.”

There was a certain kind of warmth and satisfaction in the way he moved, annunciating his words with a wave of his hands, a quirk of his lips and brows. The way he’d constantly reach out to have some part of him gently touch or tap her, how he’d inhale when she wandered too close. A man so dangerous and volatile, and yet had so easily won her affections. Scarily weaving his way deep into her consciousness and steeping her heart in his intoxicating presence. She had shown him so much of herself today, small parts of her world that had been reserved for her and her alone - and he relished in it. Cherished each moment and even spurned forth creative notions and desires that still had the gears in her mind turning, that made her want to whisk herself back away to her little hidden gem and work into the wee hours of the morning and beyond.

“It’s like you.” Mari said simply as a single finger danced across his jawbone, in reference to the scents of work. “You always smell like ash, charcoal. Gasoline - there are hints of cologne but it all becomes muddled. Its enticing.” Whenever she had a moment she couldn’t help but gush over everything that was him, Maybe it was because this was all so new for her, or maybe it was just who he was to her.

His eyes would light up and he’d stand - his hands outstretched. An exaggerated and almost corny move as he gave a couple of finger guns toward her violin. He…put his tongue ring into the violin? Mari stared at him - then the violin, then back to him. Flabbergasted. He was a lunatic. This was the man people feared? This absolute dork with a grin that met from ear to ear. He was practically a puppy, with a wagging tail. Mari laughed as she reached up and ruffled his hair. “Good Boy.” Then, her hand fell to his collar and she practically threw him back into the chair. The all consuming Tyrant. Lancaster…her ….her…

What was he to her? Partner? Lover? Boyfriend seemed so juvenile and plain for what they shared. Soulmates? That seemed far more apt. Mari stood over him, lost in thought at what to say. “Anima Gemella…” She finally rested on soul mate. 

“You can smoke in here, if you like.” She said, noticing he had been avoiding it. Mari picked up the plate and then sat firmly in his lap, side-saddled. She sliced the tiramisu with the fork and held it out to him as if to feed him. His eyes sparkled with an unabashed glee as he leaned forward and took a bite.

He stole a truck, so he was just as much a deviant out there as he was in here. Somehow that was unsurprising to Mari. Most people who fell into the unsavoury crowds were the type of folk who were already involved in some sort of shady business in the real world. “I’d say they’re lucky…” She mused, cutting another slice of cake off and feeding him. Doting on him. “Cause I’d have made sure they survived what I’d do to them. So they’d live with that fear for the rest of their miserable lives…” An angered tone. Her hand clenched her fork so tight it shook. People who would abandon their comrade like that? No wonder the man had no desire to return. And now he found himself in a similar spot. Would the coffin care if he lived or died? Would they call to arms if he were injured? Mari wanted to question it, but she dare not. Not right now.

Mari reached out to gently run a hand through his hair, soft, silken. Covered in soot and ash. She couldn't help but laugh as she shook his hair and watched it fall like snow over his face.

“You know me, you know my real name - but I’d love to know yours.” One of the many things she wanted to ask him tonight. Mari sliced off another mouthful of cake and held it out to him. “After all, I need to know what to call later tonight.”

“I t htink that four set ts of S tairs wil be a goo d w aty to sober up just enough.”

            "I have a feeling that I'll be herding the two of you like a sheep dog during this quest”

Mari waved off both Katoka and Arcanthus with a nonchalant hand, and a small stumble that would result in her shoulder colliding with Katoka. “S-Shorry. But n-no we have…a long walk. Sh’es righ shoul shober up a bit by then.” Mari felt a little guilty about that. The two were green players. And with her marked as a Pker, there was no simple way to get around. Hours were always added to trips as she had to climb the stairs.

At least she could say she had thighs for days. Mari rested a forehead on Katokas shoulder for a moment, closing her eyes. The other woman fussed over her, cleaning off bits of dirt and debris. She felt bad. These two seemed to know each other, they wanted to have fun. And here she was, without even meaning to throw a wrench into their plans.

“I’m really shorry about this.”

The other two didn’t seem to mind; waving Mari off and dragging her forward toward the stairs. Mari wasn’t sure when she last had something like this. It was… sweet. Just a group of women banding together and having fun. It reminded Mari of her youth, where you’d meet the kindest, most wasted girls in the bathroom and become fast friends with them.

Friends… Mari didn’t really have many female friends…

****

They sat in the tavern, or the remnants of it on the 29th floor. For once the floor wasn’t in a torrential downpour, the clouds rumbled with the loom threat - but for now…luckily, all three women were dry. Mari continued her conversation with Arcanthus. “I…actually study languages. I hear english but…” The brunette was right, Mari had sobered up a lot more. No longer completely sloshed but now just mildly buzzed.

“Japanese, Italian - I am good at those…Norweigian. So-so…German, I know a little..Linguistics is something I love to study. So…maybe I dont know…” Mari ran a hand through her hair. “I hear other languages sometimes…so I don’t know… I am hearing english though.” Mari offered her a smile.

“You can call me Marigold anytime, mi amico” A cheeky grin from behind a raised shotglass. 

Her eyes turned to Katoka. “And you…” A pause. “Vennen min.”   Two different languages. A flex, really.

The other two downed their shots. To health and Longevity. Sure. But did Mari ever plan on leaving this place? Probably not. Probably not something to mention here.

She raised a glass and drank.

Mari laughed softly. Shaking her head. "I can't be too mad. You saw the other day...I too get a little too swept up. I just...find it funny. I never really understood why someone would get upset or frustrated when I'd hurt myself that way. I'm experimenting. Why the fuck would I care if there are..." She shifted her gaze to the side, eying off the broken and bloody shards of glass scattered carelessly on the floor. She shifted, stomping on one of the larger shards. Listening to it snap and crackle beneath her boot.  She lifted her face to kiss the underside of her chin. "It's so easy to be swept up with you, Mi Amore." She wanted more moments like this, where they forgot their place - where sanity and sound decisions fell sway to intricate curiosity and desire. 

Not all of this I understand, but your inspiration and excitement are contagious. Cuore mia I would not dream of being here without you.

Funny that...It had been only a few weeks and the woman felt the same, she closed her eyes and breathed deep of everything that was Lancaster. Ash. Sweat. Gasoline. An intoxicating medley that spurred her forth. Made her want to do better, be better. To create more - just to see those ruby eyes light up in excitement. To see the hitch in his breath and the quirk of his lip as they would twist into a satisfied smile. Mari would step in as he pulled her close, her lips meeting the crook of his neck. Parting to taste the toxicity that was him. "My Tyrant..." she crooned in a whisper, as if to remind him she knew who he was. What he was apart of, and that she still wanted him. Claimed him as her own. She could stand here, frozen in time and be satiated. 

With a step backward Mari pulled away from him. "Tiramasu." She corrected. With a turn of her heel and a tug on his uninjured hand Mari pulled him away from the table, from the experiments. "Come, lest we sit for hours, days..dissecting and learning from more than just each other." She mused with a laugh. Knowing all too well if he was anything like her, he'd spend more time here - and forget to eat. Forget sleep. There was nothing but the sirens call of the unknown.

Mari lead him out of the little pocket of ingenuity, her cave - resetting the tripwires as they passed. Then out into the cold snow they trekked back to her home. Mari listened as Lancaster said he was in no hurry to return. "I'm in no hurry either." She admitted. Again, there was nothing out there for her - in here, she had him. 

"Where I am free to do what I wish...to who I wish."

An air of violence and malice hung heavy on those words. One Mari wanted to question, simply for curiosities sake. She knew his guild. The company he would keep, his so-called allies. She knew he wasn't a good person, by societies moral standards. Hell, by most peoples moral standards. Not many would watch a guy rip another guys arm off and swoon. Then again most people weren't Mari. Stepping out of the snow and back into her home - and Mari shimmered. Switching back to the simple oversized sweater. "Ah. That coat must stink huh?" She commented as she patted herself down. Running her hands smoothly across the woolen sweater. "I am so used to it. Its treated. You could throw acid at it, and I'd be fine. useful for when I'm working on the more volatile chemicals."

The woman padded with bare feet over to the counter where the coffee flavored desert sat and picked it up. Bringing it over to Lancaster. She'd place it on the small side table beside the chair he hadn't sat in earlier -  along with two forks. "Japan." She said. "Well, maybe not? I got caught up in one of those play test devices in the International Airport. I am...not normally one for games. I just wanted to kill some time but..." She gestured across the tiny room. "Here we are. As I said earlier. The whole thing is a mess. Here, out there - I don't particularly ....care. But you give me reason, Mi Amore."

 Now free from the thick binding of leathers Mari wrapped her arms around Lancasters shoulders and pulled him into a kiss. Soft at first before she pressed further. Pausing after a moment she pulled away. Feeling something missing. "Mm?" She pushed him back, jamming her thumbs into the corners of his mouth to pry it open. "Hey...Where'd your tongue ring go?"

"Does the bug survive heat?" 

The woman paused as Lancaster shifted the topic back to the little parasite. "Mmm, No. They're water based - usually they infect a host and lead it to water - it lays its eggs in the host, host dies, water babies - something drinks water babies..." Mari rolled her hand. "Rinse and repeat. But that's the issue, if it gets into the water source that water source would be permanently contaminated." Mari appreciated the sentiment, and the feedback. Even if it was a failed project it was nice to bounce ideas back and forth with someone. Truly, it just showed how much they think alike. Which...was scary. 

Mari handed Lancaster the glove prototype she had been working on, head tilted. Eyes watching every flicker of movement. She tapped fingernail against fingernail, feeling restless as she had wanted to note this down. But instead she kept her eyes on the man she adored before her. As though she couldn't pull away. Entranced by his ingenuity. It was only when he finished his explanation that she turned around - shifting and sorting through her draws till she found a long, thing length of steel wire. "I actually have some, taken from an artisan. This steel here." Mari placed it on the table as she kept looking. pliers. Wire cutters. "If I can just get a working prototype..." She pulled out the thin piece of wire- reaching out her arms like Lancaster hand shown her, and then snipped off the end, she did this several more times to ensure she had the right length for other projects if she so needed.  Mari placed the cut lengths on the table with all the notes. Pausing to have a hand reach his waist and run up his back. In a comforting motion she idly rubbed it. Tapping her finger against the table in thought. The woman wasn't even aware of the action, of how close she was trying to be with him, even with an absent and distracted mind. "You're brilliant..." She muttered. "I'd have struggled with the placement..."  Mari began going through the drawers again. Till she found something else from an artisan - a small nut and bolt with a swivel attachment. "Hey..would it be better if this swivel part here..." She leaned into him, resting a head against his chest as she showed the man the small component. "If the ridges on the scrwe stay, or would it be better for it to be smooth? My guess would be smooth- else it'd catch, but the ridges would also give a base for it to be set in place." 

 "It's how you use it. Bella donna."

Pausing from her work Mari would look up at Lancaster, and a silent moment passed before she offered him a grin. "I'll be sure to use you later, Mi Fiamma. So we shouldn't get too carried away, you'll need your energy."

"For a primo but small frame such as yours, drop and break their neck. See?" 

He certainly sounded knowledgeable. "This something you used before?" Mari asked.

With the work on her new glove prototype under way Lancaster shifted his attention back to the spheres. Even going so far as to offer her a bow when she apologized for overloading him with information. He gestured for her to come closer as he made himself at home amongst her chemicals. Mari bristled slightly as he started to go through them, someone else going through your workspace was always very nerve wracking. Still, Mari let him. Curiosity burning, she wanted to learn, she wanted to watch him. He was in his element - his eyes lit up. his tone became lighter. He'd take a large round bottom flask and pour in the acetone, and taking a small bit of the stuff he'd borrow her stations burning down and mixing the reagent.

"Ah." Mari finally understood what he meant as he showed her how the chemicals did not touch.

"But toss it hard enough, and..."

"Fucking Christ Lancaster!"

Mari roughly grabbed him by his wrist, and started to pull out shards of glass, carefully so. "God you're just like me, now I see why people get frustrated." It sucked seeing someone you care about hurt, although Mari was slightly more sympathetic to his cause, purely cause she had her own wounds and scars from doing practically the exact same thing. "I'm happy..." Mari said, her voice turning quiet. "That you enjoy this as much as I. If you ever want to use my place. Let me know. I'll watch over you. Seems like you know a lot of this stuff." She picked up a cloth and started cleaning his blood away. Carefully blotting it, then wrapping gauze - and bandage around it.  "I guess from out of this digital scape." Mari finished bandaging him and tugged Lancaster forward - bring up his hand to kiss it lightly. "You make me almost want to leave this place knowing you could be out there." A slight joke, an insight  to her mindset. 

"I have nothing out there. Nothing worthwhile, and the longest time. I had nothing in here. I was just going through the motions. I don't even really like the frontlines, the politics, the battles. The egos. The suffocating sense of righteousness...But I know those people are just fighting because they have things waiting for them outside this place." She ran her thumb gently over his hand. "But you know...I'm finding myself seeing something very worthwhile." She looked up at him. 

"I still had a few things I wanted to talk to you about. Did you want to stay here, and work on things or would you prefer dessert?"

"If I gave them your regards they'd kill me for sharing this." Mari said honestly. Atan was an incredibly private person, practically an enigma, an illusion - nothing more than a fairy tail whispered to bad children at night. Still, she knew the man would appreciate someone intelligent who admired his machinations. Not that she could ever tell Lancaster that. Or Atan for that matter. A special secret all to herself.

"Could prove relevant, have all the NPC's walk off a cliff. Problem solves itself, very clever mi fiamma. Why stop?"

Mari glanced to Lancaster with a loving gaze, it was...nice to share her passions with someone. who simply listened with the same excitement, who offered different solutions, different theories she couldn't conjure herself, because she was too focused.  "Could get out of control, once a parasite like that gets out there - its impossible to contain. And yeh. I could imagine what certain groups would do with it if it mutated to people." She didn't have to tell him she meant his own, the two of them knew the answer, it was stated as a matter-of-fact. When Mari spoke about his guild she didn't do it with hate or distaste. A careful caution, a curiosity. But not a hate. Mari appreciated the compliment but she had other projects to work on. "I also got side tracked with other things."

"Reduce and run through the process to make Nitrosyl Petrachlorate. Make a slightly smaller sphere and fill it with one. Fill the other with the Acetone. Basically a self contained hand grenade. Very Neat."

"Oh...OH!" Mari would jump him then and there if she could. She clasped her hands together. "Lancaster! You might have just solved my problem! You brilliant, brilliant man. " She showed him the notes strewn across the other table. Then with a pause she grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him down for a kiss, wanting to show her appreciation for such a mind. Such a talent, how wasted it was to just be sitting idle.

“The orbs aren’t too difficult to make, I mean…time consuming. Blowing glass is…” She turned to Lancaster, another grin. “I’d much rather be blowing something else.” A laugh, happy to be able to make such a comment to a man who was so reciprocate. “But they’re clunky. You can only really carry one or two at best in a satchel, even then they’re incredibly delicate and brittle. Smaller does help - and I can't wait to try. But fuck blowing something that tiny might be hard. So I was trying to figure out another way. An aerosol can? But something I can kinda flick and throw. Small and compact - like a lighter.”  They were just sketches right now, With very messily scrawled notes talking about flint - or some other form of ignition. A list of notes for what to house the chemicals in.

She grabbed a pencil and a loose sheet of paper and started scribbling notes Nitrosyl Petrachlorate + Acetone She circled it then drew a rough sketch below it of two ampules in a rectangular casing. She then drew what looked like a pressure device- something that would snap the two ampules in half, pouring the liquid into a larger chamber. "That might work..." She mumbled. "then I - I..." Shit. Lancaster was still here, Mari gave him a sheepish grin as she stepped away from the paper. "That's that uh - one track mind thing going on." Mari said in an attempt at an apology. 

"This...is something I wanted to show you because you might be able to help." Mari opened a draw and pulled out a single finger-less leather glove. She turned it over and showed a metal square, with a push of a button she began to pull out a garrote wire. "A garrote wire that can be set alight I actually…was wanting something like this even before meeting you. I…The pole arm is, nice. I guess. You know I used to be a dagger user - I was thinking of speccing into another kind of weapon, one that would allow me to utilize something like this - but I haven’t quite figured it out yet."

She let the wire go and it snapped back into the glove with a dangerous recoil that licked at her leather arm - it would have left a deep gash if she were unprotected.

"That is the first issue. The second was how to get it to set alight willingly without damaging the wire, or the item itself. But..." She turned to glance up at him. "I think I could work some of what you know into this. It'd be- I guess maybe classed as a whip? It'd take some practice to use though."  She hadn't shared all her creations like this before. Not to this extent. Every little vial and potion, every little plume of smoke. Every gadget both failed and in progress. it was so exciting being able to talk to someone about it. Her hands trembled with sheer excitement.

"I...this is so amazing." She breathed. "I'm not - Oh god Im not getting too excited am I?" Mari asked, brief concern for Lancaster. "I just kinda keep dumping all this information on you."

"Macradon!

A booming voice, loud and yet even and silken called out loudly - then before Mari could react she felt a rush of air, and a wave of water as it slammed over her in a wave. All three dorks now stood in a onsen with water barely up to their knees. Mari watched in bewilderment as the man flicked his hair up, almost in slow motion. her eyes couldn't help but travel down his jawline to his collarbone, then to where his glistening clavicles were exposed. Mari sighed. They'd always be so damn attractive. Mari still wasn't sure Baldur knew the kind of quiet handsomeness his entire being extruded.

Baldur

"Baldur!" Mari exclaimed. There were so many emotions there. Guilt...she had just essentially up and left him along with the other pillars. The pain he must have felt. She had seen his messages asking where she was and if she was okay only after leaving her prison. Contact to the outside truly was impossible. Decorum be damned, Mari broached the gap between them and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm sorry... for everything." A genuine apology that rumbled with remorse. "I failed myself, and you too.  I was imprisoned so long... it was terrible but I only have myself to blame." Another tight squeeze before she let him go. She didn't want to make things awkward for the man. Memories of confessions, and pained hearts - years ago now. Mari had once adored Baldur in an entirely different way to what she did now. Now, it was admiration. Appreciation for a fellow guild member - someone who had held everything together, and stood strong and proud. A man who didn't have a mean bone in his body. "There's so much I want to say to you..." She didn't want to ruin the peaceful moment, but there was so much that needed to be said. Was she still in the guild? Was he disappointed in her?

"Oh, hey you two. How... uh... how's what's left of the water?"

Mari laughed, grabbing Baldur by his lower arm and pulling him to where she just was with Macardon. "Look, come here, feel this with your feet. Its like...a actual indentation. A freakin' Macradon indentation." Mari let go of his arm and started to trace the shape of where Macradon hit the bottom of the onsen hard  with her feet, shuffling about in a semi human, semi starfish shape. "We might need to rename this onsen in remembrance of this day."

Talks could wait. She wanted to enjoy this moment with her friends.

“Right!?” Mari said, practically in sheer delight as she took off her mask, showing him a bright and exuberant smile. She knew he’d understand. She just knew it. Mari turned on her heel. “I wish I could take all the credit for this but I had an…” She paused, tapping her lip. What to call Atan? “An associate set this up for me in exchange for some research.” Yes. That was safe enough. Completely anonymous. Lancaster of all people would understand. It was one thing telling Freyd - but she wasn’t sure she wanted Lancaster to know who Atan was. The Laughing Coffin having access to such a man…was not a good thing - and Mari even in her love drunk delirium knew that. She knew he’d use the information, because she would use the information if the positions were reversed.

Mari sighed as she pulled a bewildered Lancaster away from the basin of literal boom juice. “Here!” She pulled him to the table with the parasite on it. “Did you know this is called a horsehair worm?” She asked. “Normally they're much smaller - and hide in wasps. They hijack the nervous system to alter behaviour. Normally to water but I thought - I mean..what if it was bigger?” She pointed to a vial containing the original one, about 1/5th of the size of the second. “Is it possible to create other behavioural changes? Normally these things have no effect on people but what if they did? They’d cause damage to the limbic system.” Mari turned and tapped her temple, “That regulates emotions and motivation.” She turned back to the test tube and tapped it with a gloved finger. “I thought it could be useful to infect an npc village with it - who knows what you could get those digital assholes to do but..” she paused the elation fading slightly as she thought of her friend. How concerned he was. He was right. It's why Mari had scrapped the project. It was too dangerous.

“But…I was kinda given a wake up call. It’s too dangerous. Sides that kinda stuff, I’d be throwing things at a wall till I see what worked.” her voice was quiet. She shook her head. It didn’t matter. She’d show him something else.

Another drag of his belt close to her side as she pulled him over to where the gas was slowly filling an orb. It was here she took off her gloves. “This is where I distill and fill those lil’ orbs. Yanno the ones I throw? This one is like nitrous oxide - I wanted to colour code it. Essentially a non lethal way to stop attackers. People can’t shank me if they’re too busy laughing their asses off. I kinda got a scolding for the mustard gas so I am trying alternatives. Oh!” Mari turned to Lancaster with a bright smile. “You actually helped me make this process easier!” Her attention went back to the orb, turning a small dial the bunsen burner flickered off - and with a snap of her finger she lit up the end of it and would point the small flame at the orb, sealing it off and pulling it away. The gaseous cloud swirled innocently inside. “Neat, huh?”

She was like a damn child in a toy store, too excited to stay focused on one thing for long. Too much stimulation, too much to show him.

“Oh! Oh I want to show you something else!” Mari said as she looped her hand in to drag him to another place in the small workshop.

“That wa s a TERRIBLe idea.” 

Mari nodded, still feeling and tasting the after effects of the god awful drink. “Yer but…” her head hit the tree. “I didn wan you to drunk too mush yanno?” No, she probably didn’t know. Mari didn’t know. That shit was stronger than she thought. At least it made her laugh. Mari couldn’t help but join in, just a little, laughing alongside the brunette.  She then stuttered, mumbling something about a flower. Marigold 

Huh.

“Y-yanno…” Mari mumbled, “I don think anywon gav me sush a nickname before. Mari…Marigold…” Mari snorted. “You botsh can call me tha if you wan.” Mari had perhaps gone over her limits with downing the entirety of the minty abomination. She knew this, and a part of her was telling her to walk away right now before making a right ass of herself.

She turned to Katoka, who seemed to perk up at the mention of Mari liking anyone. Her brow furrowed, oh. Maybe she didn’t make it obvious enough. Mari lifted up one hand, and counted each finger with the other. “Mens. Womens. Everyone. I dun care. Just about uhm…pershonality.” Her hands dropped heavily back into her lap. “Too bad erryone ish shit.” A pause. “Preshent company exchluded.”

“Y ou, you don’t ha ve totalk about that, Mari. We’re here if you *do* wan t to ta lk about it, but you don’t have to eplxain yourself.”

Mari shook her head at the sweet offer. “Nah. Im done wif that. People can do their research. Im very well - hic- known. If they hate me, they hate me. I dun care no more.”

“A quest to be able to get drunk huh? Sounds like I need to get on that.”

“Well, what about now?”

Mari groaned in disdain. That floor was terrible. “Ughhh the floor is so shihht. The shisht I heard and saw. But…” Mari pushed herself to her feet, dusting off the leaves and sticks that clung to her clothes.

“Yer shoundlt…” Mari paused, trying to make sense of her thoughts and words - the way Arcanthus would turn and shout at nothing it reminded her of something. “Geminnn uhm… achktually…not today.” She decided. She didn’t want to deal with such a thing right now.

Mari reached out to Katoka to help her up.

“We gotta go to the tentacle floor.”