[PT-PP-F11] Mesmerizer

[Mari 1]

Mari sat somewhere on the 11th floor, further off the path than last time. She had found a clearing and was sitting on a flat rock that hung over a small field of flowers. It would have been pretty…if it didn’t stink to high hell like cheap perfume. Mari was wearing her usual attire - short shorts, fishnets…tattered scarf. But there was one addition to her small frame.

A single cigarette sat wedged between her two fingers. Mari didn’t care about smoking. She could go as far as to say she didn’t exactly find the smell very pleasant, but right now it was keeping her stress levels low. A faint smell, that was enough for her. Her legs swayed to and fro as she played with what looked like a glass bauble in her hands.

He was bad news.

The man literally set fire to most everything he touched. Ahh…touched. Mari closed her eyes, remembering the sweet gesture fondly. It had been a few days since then. That night - she stumbled to Oscars to vent her frustrations. Among other things.

Then the next day…feeling renewed, and partly to spite the redhead - Mari spent it holed up in her workshop. She had made 5 new projects in total, well 7 if you included the two duds. Three sat at the base of the tree where she met Lancaster. She had dropped them off a good 20 minutes ago.  Most would have no idea what the fuck they were, but he’d get the hint. If he didn’t, then she gave him too much credit and he didn’t deserve them. Mari even left him a note for good measure, with a crudely drawn ring on it.

One of the five projects sat in her hand as she swirled it around - holding it up to the sunlight. It was a tiny glass orb, so small it could fit safely in the palm of her hand. It mimicked the work Atan had done before, but this was smaller, the glass thinner. Clear liquid sloshed around inside it, a highly flammable accelerant. Turns out, if you distill several components of sulphur, gas, and gunpowder it was easy to make. Around the glass was a thin strip of red phosphorus. All one had to do was…

Mari stood, putting the cigarette out on the smooth rock. With a little bit more awkwardness than she would have liked, she managed to click her fingers - igniting a flame on the tip of her finger. Mari could hold the flame there for about 6 seconds before it got too hot but that’s all she needed. Still holding the ball the phosphorus strip light up with a whoosh. Mari only had about 5 seconds to throw it before the heat would explode the glass. Something she learned the hard way. Her left hand was still bandaged.

Then, Mari immediately threw it and it exploded on impact as it hit the flower patch, immediately igniting a small circle of fire - thick black smoke rose, a sign that the area was damp. Mari had taken precautions after all. She wasn’t about to set an entire field alight. The woman watched as the fire burned for a few minutes . It’d soon fizzle out.

“Welp. That was a resounding success.” Mari said to herself. “Too bad I ain’t got a drink to celebrate that.”  She was becoming quite the alcoholic since she had finished that damnable quest on the 29th floor.

If nothing came of it, at least she had scratched the itch that had been bothering her. The rest of them could sit locked away forever in cold storage for all she cared.

 

 

<<Assist System Engaged>>

Level: 4
Paragon: 0
Tier: 1
True Tier: 1

Final EXP reward: +5%

Mari | HP: 90/90 | EN: 31/31 | DMG: 12 | MIT:26 | ACC:5 | AA | EVA:4 | BH:5 | BLI: 8/-5 | ENV-O: 8 | PARA-V | LD:1

Spoiler

Name: Mari True Tier: 10 Level: 4 Paragon Level: 0 HP: 90/90 EN: 31/31 Stats: Damage: 12 Mitigation: 26 Accuracy: 5 Evasion: 4 Battle Healing: 5 Loot Die: 1 Stealth Rating: 5 AA BLI: 8/-5 ENV-O: 8 PARA-V Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - Paralytic Contagion | T4 | Absolute ACC I | Paralytic Venom I | Envenom OFF I | Blight I Armor/Trinket: - Infernal Shadow-Redemption | T4 | EVA III | MIT I Shield/Armor/Trinket: - Glasses | T1 | ACC III Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - AOE Shift Familiar Skill: - Rending Familiar Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R5 - Charge - Cloth Armor R5 - Energist - Polearm R5 Extra Skills: - Survival - Hiding R5 - First Aid R3 Inactive Extra Skills: Addons: - Focus - Nimble - Precision - Resolve - Stamina Mods: - Athletics - Night Vision - Surpise Attack: Trickster - Untraceable - Vanish Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: Housing Buffs: - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Guild Hall Buffs: Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Alchemist[exp] R10 Gathering Profession:

 

 

 

Edited 17 hours ago by Mari

[Lancaster 1]

The nagging sense of drive caused the man to return to the scene of the crime to which he was the victim. He would look to todays chosen gaggle of goons, speaking with a sense of authority that none of them would dare to undermine. "Hit the hive, quick in and out. Don't get discovered, kill anyone you see. No mistakes, no witnesses. In bocca al lupo" sending an hand upward as a formal dismissal, he'd light a smoke as the pack of 12 would move in a loose grouping into the fields. His own bull shit keeping was more then over with, and a column of smoke catches him by surprise. There shouldn't be anyone out this far, given every lazy ass didn't walk anywhere. But even still it burned clearly around where that tavern was scorched. The guy found the stroll to be a little relaxing. You could only cook enough turkey's before it felt stuffy, so the fresh air helped flush it all out. With his hands pressed into his jacket pockets he couldn't help but wonder the source, and worse case there would be someone else in the fryer.

The crunch of grass as he wanders off the road, through the field and toward that same tree. He immediately pegs a cigarette first and foremost, as the familiar shape of Mari would slide into view as he'd round the tree line. A glance toward the pile of smoke still flash burning off the flowers "The flame is dirty, piromane. Should use biofuels. Animal fats, cooking oils. Is everywhere. But phosphorous is a nice touch." He'd remark as he'd tap his inventory open, sliding a iconic looking bottle out and holding it limply in his hand just above her. "Found this....Somewhere, thought of you." Knowing full well that saying he burned down a storehouse on floor 7 after seeing it through a window by pure chance.

The label would be a little burnt yet newer looking at the parts that were intact, Sullivans Cove circa 1917 but inside was a richer reddish gold color.

---

<<Assist System Engaged>>
Level: 4
Paragon: 0
Tier: 1
True Tier: 1

Final EXP reward: +5%

---

Lancaster | HP: 80/80 | EN: 26/26 | DMG: 1

Spoiler

Name: Lancaster, The Consuming Tyrant
True Tier: 1
Level: 4
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 80/80
EN: 26/26

Stats:
Damage: 1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - 
Armor/Trinket: 
  - 
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - 

Combat Mastery:
  - 

Combat Shift:
  - 

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - 

Skills:

Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:

Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:                                                               

 

[Mari 1]

"The flame is dirty, piromane. Should use biofuels."

"Oh?" Mari wasn't expecting him to be anywhere near here. It was off the beaten path. A tiny clearing nestled in a dense and wet forest. It didn't seem like the place he'd like to tread and yet...this was the second time she had seen him on this floor.  "La fafala...like a moth to the flame you are." Mari slid herself off the large overhanging rock so she wasn't towering over him. "Not many people wander around like you." Mari commented , shifting her gaze to watch the last of the flowers, and the flames fizzle out. Biofuels...yes, Mari had tried that - but they didn't burn as bright nor as fast. "I needed something more volatile." She said in earnest. "Biofuels is for a slow burn. I wanted something akin to a quick bang, like a firework. Burn bright. Hot. Instant." Mari lifted her hand, showing the ring, it had to be resized to fit her smaller finger -she accentuated the word bang with a snap of her fingers. A small flame ignited on the tip of her index finger. Mari waved it around for a few seconds before using her other bandaged hand to stem the flame. Not wanting to burn herself. Again.

Mari watched, curiously as he opened up his inventory. Still wondering why he was here. He pulled out a familiar bottle and her eyes lit up. Mari reached up, having to  grab his arm with her bandaged hand to pull it down so she could reach the bottle. "Oh, Caro - you know me too well." She practically swooned. Another reach and she had yanked it from his hands. She glanced at the bottle. The label held residual heat from a fire. Mari popped open the lid and smelt it. "Lancaster...." Mari wafted it under her nose. There was a distinct charred smell then... She threw back the bottle taking several large sips, enough to have her cough as she passed him back the bottle, a good chunk of the liquid missing. "You burnt. The Whiskey..." She rolled her tongue round in her mouth, thinking about the flavour. "Found my ass....It's...not bad though. But -"

The question had to be asked, even if it caused him to flee. "What brings you around here? Did you like my little gift that much?"

[Lancaster 1]

The man found her excited display rather addictive, helping him to wake up a little behind tired eyes. Curbing the exhaustion that came with having to deal with absolute morons had someone of Mari's intelligence like a welcome breath of fresh air. "I was in the area, on business. And quite the flame you've nursed mi amore. I see you've been bitten" Looking to her wrappings, finding it rather similar to his own some long time ago. "If you're after a spark...." He'd turn and light a branch with a snap of his index and thumb, breaking it off the tree before tossing it away a few feet from him. "Turn to music, is like a gallon of gasoline. And a clean flame will leave no trail. Is a... win win." taking a single swig, he'd snap his middle and thumb and the stick explodes in a ball of flames that scorches killing all the grass and frying the soil and converting most of the water to billowing white smoke.

Noticing the slightly charred aftertaste, he couldn't help but shrug while the flames ravaged, finding it unimportant if the whole damn forest burned down. "Is a little burnt, I must admit." Shutting one eye he'd look into the bottle to see if there was any ash floating around in it, hoping it wasn't people. "Gift?" He'd turn to the woman almost quizzically with a sense of mild confusion. "I have not found any gift, mi mostriciattola. I uh..." There was a sudden bit of hesitation, as if he didn't want to admit it either to her or himself. "I was feeling, nostalgic. come una falena alla fiamma"

[Mari 1]

Business. That meant please don't ask what I was doing. Mari simply nodded in response. She wouldn't pry. Not right now. They didn't know each other well enough for that. "I was here to experiment." Mari admitted. The grass around here usually had an extra layer of moisture to it, so any fires she started would be contained. The damage kept to a minimum. The last thing she needed was to piss off a bunch of NPCs and be running, or to accidentally hurt an actual person.

 

 And quite the flame you've nursed mi amore. I see you've been bitten

Mari glanced down at her bandaged hand. "Ahh..that's the thing about experiments." She said quietly, turning her hand to and fro as though recalling the memory of the orb exploding in her hand. The glass hadn't hurt as much as the burn. "Sometimes- they blow up in yer face but...somehow, that doesn't stop me. It probably should though." Mari said with a small laugh. "Maybe I really am just a piromane, eh?"

Mari took the whiskey back from him, taking another two swigs to dwarf his own. She liked the burning sensation as it tore down her neck to rest warmly in her stomach. She liked how she was already feeling the dulled sensations of a light buzz. She watched his display, taking another deep drink for good measure. "A clean flame though..." She watched, mostly silent - committing the information to memory. A small smile crept at her lips as he mentioend music, granted not in the traditional sense.

"Violin." she mused. "I play the violin, but beyond kindling - I doubt it'd do quite what you do, mi caro."

 

 

Mari noticed his hesitation. A think crack in his usual veneer. "Falena..." Mari repeated, trying to commit the word to memory. "Falena...moth... right." She had substituted it for butterfly earlier, but he had clearly gotten the gist. "Mmm... well..." Mari said as she opened up her inventory, pulling out the last in tact orb she had. "I admit the same. I left three of these where we met. Call it....nostalgia." 

The tiny orb glimmered in the sun, the liquids sloshing around inside as Mari turned the ball over and over in her palm. She pointed to the thin red strip around its center. "Phosphorus." Then she snapped her finger, and allowed the flame to ignite the strip. It light up and started to crackle. Then Mari turned and threw the orb in the same spot, more or less...it hit the tree nearby- it exploded into a small fiery explosion. Contained enough to just the tree. Mari felt pride with herself. These things were fun to make, albeit a little difficult. The woman turned to Lancaster with a wide grin. "See, as I told you. Bright, quick, like a firework." 

She took another swig before passing the bottle back to Lancaster. "But I guess...you can already do that." She didn't sound disappointed, quite the opposite. Amazed. She didn't think what he was capable of was as versatile as it was.

[Lancaster 1]

He'd take her hand and slightly turn the bandage around, looking at the burns on it. "Nothing wrong with it mi piromane. Pain is life, as is warmth. Embrace it." They were rounding 2nd, definitely uncomfortable to be sure but he'd not offer some unneeded comfort for it was proof of her desires and passions. Turning the cloth back, he'd turn to her tiny glass spheres as she'd down a heavy dose of that booze. "You play?" The man seemed almost sparked some renewed intrigue.

*cough OOC, it was here that I was like bro he's Italian. Of course he'd like violins*

"Yes, mi amore. Like a moth to a flame. I find you, so resourceful, so passionate. You've discovered what I have in a way entirely your own." He'd lock eyes with the woman, realize he was staring for a bit too long and try to keep himself from diving to deep. He'd turn to reveal the ring on his middle finger, the blue gemstone in it small but potent. "Is a catalyst that plays a sound no human can hear. Music, imagine near dogs. Only creature that can hear me coming. The fire responds to it" He'd offer his offhand as a gesture in a fist, then spread out all of his fingers. Making the sound with his mouth *paugh* "petardo."

The mix of passion, of kinship had him teetering. A mind buzzed angrily as it kept swinging with warnings. A front liner, a danger to all of his affairs. And yet a pang that had him drawn like a fly to honey that should have been sour.

[Mari 1]

 

"Pain is life, as is warmth. Embrace it."

"I wish more people thought that way. Instead of constant platitudes of black and white. Sides, some of the most fun things can be painful." She wouldn't elaborate. They were both adults, and she didn't need to. If he caught her implication, great, if he didn't. who cares? If their meeting this time would end anything like it did last time, then she doubted she'd see him anytime soon. Then again...Mari lifted her gaze to meet his crimson. Searching them for something, there was an intensity behind her eyes that coaxed his own into her radiance, defying him to look away. Finally she broke her gaze. She didn't know him. She didn't know what he did, how he got his marker, barely anything about him.

And yet there was something that kept drawing her near him - something that made her want to be near him. It was difficult to explain. Kindred spirits perhaps?

"You play?"

Mari nodded. "I used to...often - but I guess I just stopped." She wasn't even sure why she had herself. She stopped playing before prison. Was it the stress of the frontlines? The weight of so many people bearing down on her? The bittersweet memories of a man whose affections were lies? Probably. Probably all of it combined. "I miss playing it, mayhaps one day - Concerto? Mi amore?" A single violin played in solitude just for him. There was something oddly intimate about the offer.

Mari made a grabby hand gesture for the alcohol. Needing more of it to deal with whatever this was. Lancaster handed it to her and she took another two swigs before messily handing it back to him. It was kicking in now. Finally. The woman nearing, or perhaps already was tipsy. She listened to him with interest. As he described sound. Showing her yet another ring, and its capabilities. "You're amazing. Your style is unique - unlike any I've seen. Every flick of the wrist, every trick - like a new discovery. One I want to learn more about. Replicate. Not to use jut to see if I can" She breathed. "Utilizing soundwaves? ahhh Belissimo." 

 

"Yes, mi amore. Like a moth to a flame. I find you, so resourceful, so passionate. You've discovered what I have in a way entirely your own."

His compliments were like chains to her heart - rarely did she find someone so passionate about things, and who equally shared in her passions. This wasn't like Atan - who wanted a means to an end. This was pure kinship. "Anima gemella..." Mari breathed, a slight sway to her stance. "You're dangerous...Lancaster. I don't know you. Your business. But there is something..." she turned her wrist as she tried to find an answer. "Something..." She repeated - unable to exactly describe it. her speech struggling. Not quite slurring but it was clear the alcohol was having an affect on her.

"It's dangerous." she repeated, stepping closer to peer into his eyes again, her hand lifted his and started running over his various rings. "Because I'm struggling to find why I should care- when I very, very much should. Caro."

She was being blatantly honest - she knew she shouldn't be finding such kinship with him. It was clear he was running with a less than savory crowd. One that could potentially go for her own head if she got too close, but as the two kept repeating...

 

Like moths to flames....

Mesmerizing.

 

Edited 5 hours ago by Mari

[Lancaster 1]

The man would listen on in an earnest amount of attention that most were not awarded with, Mari really had a knack of pulling his interests front and center in ways that no one else really could. "I'll hold you to it. Concerto." The man responds matching the intensity as his brain continues to fawn over her, a scrambled noodle gone completely smooth. Passing her the bottle, given it was a gift that he'd legit fried a man for. He chose option B. He chose poorly. "Pain and pleasure. It is shared amore mia dolce. Like your hand." Head swimming he'd unfurl his fingers allowing hers to slip in the space between them. Warning bells screeched in an instant droll, a nagging little voice that warned him to stay away. His eyes locked to hers. "I am in prisoned piromane, I find myself drowning in you."

Mesmerizing

"Those eyes, that fire. So smart, so beautiful. Bella donna I am enraptured. Mind and soul, I can taste it. it has turned me sciocco." He'd wrap his fingers down her hand, tracing her freckled flawless skin with his own that was so much rougher. Like sandstone on marble. "You are right Mari, I am dangerous. Men and women fear me alike. There are little to oppose me. And yet it is you who defeat me. Where my senses try to convince me to flee, my soul convinces me to stay. I care no longer tesoro mia. Invida." He'd offer a sharp tug closing the gap between them, like a thief stealing a bag of coin from a shelf it is abrupt, forceful. His arms wrap her waist and lift her up to look down at him. "Your drunk mi cara, yet you do not care nor should I. Let us make Music."

[Mari 1]

It was difficult to put into words...small voices screamed at Mari. This was dangerous. This was wrong. She didn't know him. And yet there was so much unspoken, already the two were so entwined with past connections, people like her dearest friend Oikawa...His voice lowered, a rumbled whisper as he agreed to her offer of a concert, a performance - just for him. She felt her heart ache at that. Was it a good pain? Or a bad? She couldn't tell.

"Pain and pleasure. It is shared amore mia dolce. Like your hand."

Without realizing it, Mari found her hand wrapped in his own, his rough calloused fingers gingerly rubbing first her palm, then the top of her hand in small circles. Every so often a ring would catch her skin, the cool hint of metal and the heated warmth of anothers affection. There was no amount of alcohol in the world that could prepare her for something like this. Why did this feel so different?  If it hadn't been for Oscar - Mari might have pulled away at this moment, terrified of what any form of intimacy could mean. But her rendezvous with the other man had given her a newfound confidence, and a desire to seek out others. She found her squeezing his hand in response. Despite the past, her experiences telling her to walk away.

"-I find myself drowning in you."

Mari blinked, what? What? That strange feeling was mutual? She lifted her head up to stare at him. He showered her with compliments, calling himself a fool. perhaps they both were. She wasn't as good with words as he, despite her confidence - when it came to matters of the heart, of intimacy, hell even of lust- she just faltered. It was a realm she rarely passed into. "There's just something about you..." Mari said in response. She swallowed, she could feel hear heartbeat hard against her chest, the blood running hot and fast through her veins. rough touches firing goosebumps up her arms. He was so close now - his hands, his words pulling at every single thread Mari had. Tugging them into a twisted tapestry she couldn't escape from. "You're unique...your passion, the way your eyes light up when you talk about your work..." She lifted a hand, hesitation ebbing at the corners of her mind as she allowed herself to push a single strand of hair away from his chiseled face. She took a deep breath, hints of ash, cologne and gasoline all swirled together in her mind. A scent that should deter most people, but not Mari. "Danger? Lancaster. I question if you know my past now...but...I fear you, not you but what you're doing to me. Why and how this is happening....I struggle to place logic to it. It...you drive me mad. So much so I spent a day blowing glass, blowing things up - just to get a rise outta you for walking away." 

Mari felt am arm snake around the bare skin of her waist, then a sharp tug forward. She stumbled, dropping the whiskey she held to the floor such a waste. One palm sat firm against his chest, the other found its way around his own waist. The two entwined, like creeping vines on a wall - tangled with each other. Or rather...like two burning wildfires that connect to create a heated explosion, roaring against anything that it may come across.

 "Your drunk mi cara, yet you do not care nor should I. Let us make Music."

Mari tilted her head, inhaling again. It was almost addictive. If she moved, even a inch closer - her lips would have pressed against the skin of his neck, instead Mari exhaled. Drunk...maybe she was.

"Not from the alcohol..." Mari murmured. Although yes, she was very much close to being drunk. "From you, Mia fiamma."

Mari was never good at initiating things; she was always the one who melted around dominance - receiving things - and yet, in that moment she wanted to take. Maybe the intimacy would stop all this and the two could walk away. Maybe. The palm on her chest crunched into his clothes, forcefully pulling him down till his lips met hers. A soft kiss. If he wanted to continue, he could - but Mari wouldn't push that on him yet.

[Lancaster 1]

The glass bottle shattered, swept away in a wave of passion that would provide warmth beyond what most could bear. A locked pair of lips turn from something soft to something ravenous, allowing her to discover the piercing on his tongue. Lancaster never took no for an answer, and yet in this moment he gladly accepted a yes. A buckle, a strap and the drag of a tongue across her neck. Biting teeth on soft skin left it pained but not broken, and a symphony that saw all of their reluctance go up in smoke. A small ring would be placed in her lips "Hold this mia fammia, so you don't melt completely. Best not give you any new burns." The ground razed as passions rose. Every inch of her skin a playground for Lancaster to enjoy, as lust and desire mixed in a way that would if not for that ring would have seen her burned to cinder. 

The forcefulness conveyed a man that took all he wanted like a crook, and yet cradled her soul like a waning flame. As if he was transferring his own selfishness and regret to her with each motion, quelling the beast that he'd held at bay. The cries of carnal release would compose the very concerto he wished to hear, as he'd prop her against a tree. Easily dwarfing her as he'd carry her from below. So much lighter, the heat would cause his mind to grow blank. His ears rang with every belated breath hot on his cheek, and his blood raged on in a boiling frenzy turning every touch into perfection. The poor woman's clothes would find itself charred, save one harness. That music would play for a while, and remain a sonata and brand for far further.

****

A blackened field of flowers, as bits of cloth hung pathetically from still burning trees. Mari would be sporting a simple t-shirt and and a harness. They'd both appear as though they'd went through a tornado. Lancaster reclined leaning on one arm, his chest exposed as a cigarette hung limply from his lips. The sun had set an hour ago, and a million notifications would go unanswered. "Quite the instrument, anima gemella. A song I could listen to forever." Lancaster remarks with a sharp exhale of smoke.