[PT-PP-F04] To Spite the Chains

[Mari 1]

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?"

Edited 5 hours ago by Mari

[Lancaster 1]

The man tapped her nose gently, before tracing the lines of her jaw seeing out the space behind her neck. Weaving his fingers in her hair. "Preach mi cara, I share it." Adjusting his feet, the glass crunching and being grinding beneath his heel. A sound he was quite familiar and fond of, yet the context was drastically different this time. Her hair a gentle satin in its softness, the mix of something sweet and salted, the tinge of some bitter chemical. A faint reminder of everything he had taken, and everything that he wanted before. A decree in how worthless it had all been, for those scents elsewhere would have no value. But here, within the strands of that bright orange hair it paled gold in its perfection. Greater then the sum of its parts, easily lost in translation to those who where blind to it. Lancaster had been blind, asleep. Mari had woken him up, rekindling his passions and swaying him into the chains around his heart. A willing submission.

His shoulders relax, the intoxicating drug that she was being a powerful sedative. "Mi amore..." The mix of relaxation and bubbling tension a heated release in exhale. He'd look about as she'd break, offering a coy grin as he'd look down at the glass now cutting into the flats of his boots. "You are, right mi cara." Waving a finger forward in a point toward her and lighting up a smoke, to toss an aggressively hot wave of inspiration to the wayside. Lancaster takes point, as he returns his hands to his jacket pockets. The traps being set behind him, waiting every so often for her to catch up to him. Offering his elbow out for her to take it as they would return to her quant little abode, the little plume of heat escaping from its top.

"A little, I knew there was a reason. Knowing your genio, Mi fiamma was no question." The trail of smoke past his face, a toothed smile as he'd keep the cigarette from falling out of his head. They'd reach the threshold to her cabin, and the man would hesitate. Reaching up, he'd grab the half finished smoke and flick it out into the snow, disappearing into the sea of white. "Although this, sweater is a lot more invitante I will not lie." Taking to the seat from before, the man would pick up the little yellow drink from prior and stir it a bit with his finger. Little warm, little melted. And now it had a trace of acetone in it. But "Still good..." he'd admit, the chemical added a bit of a forbidden albeit slightly toxic aftertaste. The gentle clap of bare feet had his mind spring to attention, to which he'd inhale softly keeping his urges in check. "Mi reasoning, is not so complex. Stole an electronics truck. Was in the back, and we had to make sure it all worked before pawning it. I was, lucky. Mi amico likely left me in a parking lot, I was very cold the first month or so in here. Surprised I survived this long." The man chuckled, he half expected to just drop dead for a while there. Lancaster looks to Mari "Glad, I'm not. Bene, Tyeramasau." A clear struggle on the foreign word, the translator not aiding in his poor pronunciation in the slightest. The woman would offer him a much deeper kiss with a bite of cake rolling around in there, overwriting its taste with one much more sweet.

"Hey...Where'd your tongue ring go?"

He'd pause, as his mind returned. "RIGHT!" Lancaster lifts both hand with outstretched pointers, slightly shifting them forward at eye level near his face. "The stud is..." He'd turn toward the door, and point to the instrument he'd repaired. "Is fireproof now, don't worry mi anima gemella. It will not be gone for long. I feel a little... odd without it."

[Mari 1]

 

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.”

[Lancaster 1]

He'd enjoy that rake of her finger against his chin, leaning into it just a bit and even making a space for it to ride. "This amuses me, glad to be of service." He'd lean forward and allow his hot breath to escape as he'd gently nibble on her neck, a treat for a good hound. Once Mari told him he could smoke he'd sigh in relief. "I will not lie mi amore, is was out of respect but I normally go so long... I appreciate your kindness." He wouldn't hesitate to poke one in, folding his thumb into his palm and flicking it out to see fire spring to life on its tip. The cigarette glows in a rushing red as he'd puff, the little bit of ash escapes him. A blow off to the side, he'd tap an index to his forehead. "Ah, uh." He'd take the cup and down the last of his drink, so he could use the cup as an ash tray. "Still best not be rude, eh?" Mari slid into his lap like a saddle, and he sought to wrap his left arm around her for support. "I feel like a king, so spoiled. I count mi fortuna in spades" An exhale up to allow the smoke to rise to the ceiling. The woman tensed as he'd listen to her words, running his hand down to her side. "Is common, to care to deeply for each other was asking to be taken advantage of. Is not an easy life to live, likely didn't want to get caught with their pants around their ankles and get fucked by la polizia." The man traced her shoulder with a gentle flick of his fingers, the softness of her skin that poked out through the sweater.

“You know me, you know my real name - but I’d love to know yours.”

“After all, I need to know what to call later tonight.”

The man would slightly choke on the cake, as Mari would feel a slight choke elsewhere. "Vincenzo Lionetti. Is very embarrassing. Abandoned it young." He'd offer trying to not poke her too much given that last statement had left him hot and bothered. "But you, mia fiamma. Can call me Vincent if you'd like. But if anyone else does I will kill them." A chuckle yet there was quite the negative connotation to it even though it was spoken as a joke. A truth there, that privilege was reserved for Mari alone.

[Mari 1]

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.”

[Lancaster 1]

The smile widening in his neck alerted him to the fact she felt the sudden pressure, and Lancaster nibbled her ear gently as a way to get even. The slight rub of her legs, allowing her own tension to build in equal measure. "This cake is squisito, but I am afraid to butcher the name again, mi anima gemella." A little red glow with the trail of smoke, drunk in a way that the man had no tolerance and would ever build any. The tightening topic saw him tightening up to pull her in, shifting to tap another flick of ash into the filling cup. He'd nod, struggling to keep a straight head as he'd sit with a tether to the warmth of her thighs. "The Laughing Coffin, a bit nebulous to say aloud I must admit. Even we say it rarely. Found you capable, effective, and ruthless in equal measures. Our reports of the Pink PK'er, with the possibility of guiding your wrath into select targets. It was determined that it would be too hard to keep control of the situation." He was not directly privy to the choice, as it was his superior who had eventually told them to steer clear but the reason was kept rather vague. "Opal..." The man would sigh drudging up history "however was a little more, invested you could say. I worked with her directly for quite some time, mostly during her infiltration of the frontlines. However she got too bold, and ended up...." The man would put his index to his neck and drag it across. "No one crosses the big cheese, without paying the price for the mistake."

The thought of Opal kissing Mari left him a little conflicted. On one hand, Opal was an effective soldier and somewhat a decent looker. But Mari had that style, and taste that the woman couldn't hope to match. "Is ok, because I have stolen quite a number." He turned it into a childish competition with a smirk.

[Mari 1]

"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.”

Edited 1 hour ago by Mari

[Lancaster 1]

The man would take the fork from her, and cut off a bit of cake and offer it to her given she'd looked like she'd wilt away when he first arrived. "Such sour topics, is a bit too grim." He'd wave a finger as he'd poke a little of the cake into her mouth "I have little interest in killing all of your friends, mi amore. Neither does Laughing Coffin. Opal's infiltration was a little false report. A guise. fabbricato. She tried to self promote and bit off a bit more then she could chew." Lancaster gently rubs the fork on her bottom lip, searching his thoughts and counting the guillotine he was encouraging not to fall. "Most of us just want it to stop, this aggressive push toward la libertà. We are free to exist in here, allowed our own dreams from societies shackles. Some, like myself just want to savor it. This world." Lowering the fork and taking the honor of feeding her own success and perfections, always so giving yet again afraid to take.

"To allow the dream to last for as long as we can. Remember our rules. Mi anima gemella. But if they try to hurt you." He'd tap an index to his lips showing the glint of his rings to confirm the sentiment, as if to charade his meaning. "I will do what I must." The woman had already offered so much, he'd repay the favor. "Live for you, tesoro mia. I beg this. Let all these politics fall to oblivion, is stress to peace."

[Mari 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.

Edited 26 minutes ago by Mari

[Lancaster 1]

Tapping the little button as it flashed to obscure the woman, as she'd turn to face him. An admission, an invitation. The statement would set alarm bells in motion aggressively, yet Lancaster would swallow them. To let the politics wait for tomorrow, a small reprieve for the woman he loved. "I love your passions mi fiamma. The scent of your hair, the taste of your skin. The way that your smile alights my heart, and makes me move to embrace you." Freyd, a name that he and the other fingers were more then familiar. Him and his little attack dogs that hunted their kind like animals. Like tearing off a bandage, it stung but he'd swallow the pain. A choice to ignore it with an inhale to drink the scent from Mari.

Lancaster's hands would move to the back of her neck, pulling her into a desperate kiss to stable his shaking foundation. To brush the politics and panic away in one brutish but kind stroke. "I know what we are mi amore. mi dolcezza. sei l'amore della mia vita. il mio sogno a occhi aperti." Spoken so quick the system didn't even have a chance to keep up. His hands trembled at the thought of his only treasure being ripped away, like closing in sunset. "I love you Amari, let us count the seconds. Until I am dragged to hell." He'd rip of his jacket and toss it to the side, seeing the cup get sucked into the fabric as it does.