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[Mari 1]

-House-
♫ Theme ♫

"Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." 

 

—

 

Quote

 

To: Freyd
From: Mari

Door is unlocked. Please let yourself in when you arrive.

 

 

Dealing with the strain of another Earning a Living quest; and fishing alone on the 10th floor…and the stress of that strange dark Shinsengumi man - unmistakingly a Laughing Coffin member… It was all too much. It would be nice to have a reprieve. Lancaster was dealing with ‘his business’ which left her for some time alone.

And Freyd…was on his way. Mari truly wanted him to be the first person to see her new home. The entire place seemed a little darker than her previous cottage, but it was much larger. No longer was it a one roomed shabby shack. Several rooms, both upstairs and down branched off from the cozy living/dining room area. Mari had quite literally spent all her col on the place. She still wanted to add back in her cozy nook with the Kotasu..but for now - what she had would make do. Despite the dim lighting the entire place felt warm the fire was well lit - candles were scattered about the place. Rugs thrown ever which way. It was no longer just the bare necessities. But felt truly lived in. A violin sat on one of the chairs that faced the fire. Two dirty cups sat on the coffee table by the chair opposite.

Her tattered scarf sat draped over a chair at the dining room table; which had two sets of cutlery and dishes already set out. On the table sat a steaming cup of coffee, that distinctly smelt of vanilla. 

The woman wore a long sleeved woollen jumper, and black tights underneath. Her feet had slippers that looked like frogs' faces, and every time she stepped their mouths would open - quite out of place for the entire outfit, and motif of the home. The woman’s unruly hair had been plaited and pushed back and away from her face. She wore a olive green apron tied around her waist. It was covered in flour and egg.

She was humming softly - opening the oven to check on something before closing it.

 

Mari | HP: 960/960 | EN: 134/134 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:4 | AA | EVA:4 | BH:53 | BLI: 32/-20 | ENV-O: 32 | PARA-V | LD:1

Spoiler

Name: Mari
True Tier: 11
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 70
HP: 960/960
EN: 134/134

Stats:
Damage: 21
Mitigation: 44
Accuracy: 4
Evasion: 4
Battle Healing: 53
Loot Die: 1
Stealth Rating: 5
AA BLI: 32/-20
ENV-O: 32
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
- Stamina

Mods:
- Athletics
- Night Vision
- Surpise Attack: Trickster
- Untraceable
- Vanish

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:
- Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
- Dining Room: 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.
- Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
- Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
- Master Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
- Master Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
- Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
- Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
- Alchemist[exp] R
Gathering Profession:
- Fishing[120exp] R2

 

Edited Tuesday at 02:46 AM by Mari

[Freyd 0]

Slouched in an overly comfy couch, empty tumbler slowly filling with melting ice at his side, Freyd stared at two translucent windows set to his default private viewing mode.  It wouldn’t do to have people casually sneaking peeks over his shoulder and catching whiffs of sensitive business.  Loose lips, indeed.

It was the content of purest dichotomy split between the two that struggled to reconcile.  On the left, a lovely and heartwarming invitation to visit Mari’s newly upgraded home. He’d been looking forward to it since it’s unexpected arrival. By way of contrast, an update from his man in the Town of Beginnings tasked with watching the wall.

X49X.BallBlaster.X49X - Player Killed by Mari

Dumb name.  Bet he regretted that almost instantly.  Honestly surprised it doesn’t happen more often.  Maybe all the one with bad names jumped over their own folly, back in the early days?

Serpentine - Player Killed by Mari

Another. Two in a single day. Freyd wasn’t naive. There were plenty of potential explanations for this, most of them mundane and perfectly justified.  But there were also others that were not so readily dismissed.  Eyes drifting to the treasure he’d recently rescued from oblivion’s depths, its blackened neck bound with a strongly bow, it seemed so completely trivial sitting on their dining room table.  Yet it also meant all.

Lancaster.

Another sigh.  A difficult choice, requiring an abundance of risk and trust in agency that had faltered far too often for his liking.  Taking a foolish gamble on a notoriously foolish gamble was just… something about ‘fooling me twice.’

But they cared about each other.  Whatever else might factor into his calculus, that had to count for something.  If it didn’t, then… what would that say about him and Elora?  A former self would once have considered himself a lost cause. She’d had faith where none was deserving.  And here he was. A glance spared staring at simmering embers in the nearby hearth.  A home.  A real home.  Didn’t Mari deserve the same?  Even if it meant risking the world on a nothing but a whim and wisp of what-ifs wrapped in gossamer?

Give them hope.

“Fuck, Raidou. Why did I ever agree?!”

Because the alternative would have made you a monster.  

Montjoy sat in the chair opposite his, like he was people. Curly hair and even the rim of thinly framed glasses were visible in his umbral form.  

Takeshi. Great. Just what he needed right now.  Even if it probably was, his conscience rarely relented when it deemed things dire enough to intervene so directly.

"And this didn't?"

Not yet. Not in the same sense, at least.

Freyd stared into the flames, dreaming he could just sear the choice from his mind and live in the same ignorant bliss he actively fought against every waking moment of his existence in this place.

Heart and head at odds once more, old friend?  That seems to be a chronic thing for you?  What’s so different about this one.

“You know what he is.  What he would do.”

Be just like you?

Ouch.

Fuck. 

Fair, and more than a little poignant.

They both deserve a chance at happiness.

“Even if it means the world burns?”

Would you do any less for Roisin?

There it was.  The last nail.

“No. I’d tear down the whole bloody castle with my bare hands for her.”

Then you already have your answer.  Let your head do what it does best, Freyd.  Let Freyd do a Freyd and figure out how to line up the dots, not at they are, but as they need to be - especially against all odds.  Have a little faith in people.  Who knows… you might end up being one someday.

Fine doused.  Gift vanished from the table.  Door clicking softly, shutting softly in the wake of a Whisper’s passage.  No shortcuts through the void today.

***

Another door opens to reveal the very essence of what he was hoping they could find in each other, and to raise themselves above the worst of his concerns.  Mari, rocking the weirdest, yet most admirable slippers he had ever seen, jaunting happily about a space no longer adorned like a tomb.  Freyd’s heart teetered, feigning whether hesitation should resurge, but no. He’d made his choice: resolving to let it be their choice and mind his own damned business for a change.  Not his nature, to be sure.  But it felt right.

“Hey, you. The place looks amazing!  I love the…” catching sight of the mirror and note still scrawled below it nearly brought him to tears, lips warbling in sudden pause, his words catching suddenly in his throat.  No shroud.

*cough*

“Sorry.  The lack of dust must have gotten to me.” A swift recovery, smile restored in less than a blink.  Handing her the bottle, frilly ribbon and all, Freyd's eyes eased with relief.  The consequences were in their hands, as was the freshly delivered bottle of perfectly chosen reserve from Sullivan Cove.

***

Vanity Tag: @Elora

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) and CSA (Beckon the Void) are in use.  

GUILD RANK 5 (+5% col, +5% EXP)

Freyd | HP: 1380/1380 | EN: 170/170 | DMG: 21 | MIT:152 | ACC:4 | AA  | F-SPIRIT | EVA:2 | BH:76 | VAMP-D: 76 | HLY: 16 | FRZ: 64 | LD:5

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, Bara no kuro kishi
True Tier: 20
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 160
HP: 1380/1380
EN: 170/170

Stats:
Damage: 21
Mitigation: 152
Accuracy: 4+AA
Evasion: 2
Battle Healing: 76
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -5
VAMP-D: 76
HLY: 16
FRZ: 64

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Memento Mori | T4 | AA | FREEZE | HOLY II
Armor/Trinket: 
  - Negare Omnia | T4 HA | MIT III | VD I
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Night Shades | T3 Trinket | ACC III | EVA I

Combat Mastery:[
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - Grappling Familiar

Custom Skill:
  - Shades of the Gemini (CS)
  - Beckon the Void (CSA)

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Charge
  - Energist
  - Extended Mod Limit
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Fighting Spirit
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Howl
  - Katana R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R4

Extra Skills:
  - Disguise
  - Survival
  - First Aid R5

Inactive Extra Skills:
  - Meditation
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Lady Luck
  - Photosynthesize
  - Brawler
  - Assault Mode
  - Frozen Hide
  - Hiding R2

Addons:
  - Field Medic
  - Focus
  - Focused Howl
  - Hyperactive
  - Iron Skin
  - Precision
  - Reveal
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Barrier
  - Detect
  - Emergency Recovery
  - Impetus
  - Night Vision
  - Purify
  - Tracking

Inactive Mods:
  - Untraceable

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable 1/thread) x1
  - Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
  - Meathook (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Teleport Crystals x7
  - Tue Light Lantern (+1 ACC, +1 LD to party) x1
  - Veritas | T4 Katana) | AA, PVO I, VO I, Taunt x1

Housing Buffs:

  - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
  - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.
  - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
  - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
  - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
  - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs: [Firm Anima] 

  - Guild Hall II: Allows a Guild the ability to create up to two Guild Quests. Narratively, it also allows players to teleport back to the Guild Territory when using Teleport Crystals.  
  - Storage Vault: Allows a guild to create a Storage Vault in their Guild Page. Members can use this thread to store and withdraw items. Any items that have trading restrictions cannot be moved to a Storage Vault.
  - Trading Hall III: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (9+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +5 crafting/identification attempts per day. Appraisers gain an initial additional reroll per identified item at no cost.
  - Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.
  - Laboratory I: Once per charge, when receiving single-use consumables from Quest Rewards, if a Guild Treasurer were to receive additional tokens, one guild member may claim 1 x (Additional Token / 2) copies of the consumable.
  - Bureau II: Once per charge, if two or more Guild members are present in a thread, allow two dungeons to be spawned/explored in that thread, regardless of Dungeon-searching cooldowns. This buff may only apply once per thread.
  - Library I: Once per charge, if a Storyteller is eligible to claim a Guild Token, their character gains +10% bonus EXP at the end of the thread. This buff may only apply once per thread.
- Armory II: Once per charge, players may submit a Skill Refund evaluation regardless of the 30 day cooldown window. In addition to Armory buffs, when submitting a Skill Refund evaluation, guild members have the option to pay an additional Token to refund up to 30 additional SP.
- Menagerie III: Guild members undertaking <<Feeding Your Enemy>> gain +1 LD to familiar searching rolls and +1 to familiar taming rolls. In addition to Menagerie II buffs, the maximum number of familiars guild members can tame narratively is five (5). Guild officials may also appoint a familiar mascot, shared between their guild members to accompany them narratively in their threads.

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - Tanos
Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
 - Appraising[3478exp] R5
Gathering Profession:
 - Fishing[576exp] R5      

 

Edited Tuesday at 04:36 AM by Freyd

[Mari 1]

The warm, earthy scent of baked dough immediately filled the newly founded home, mingling with the faint sweetness of vanilla and a crackling fire as Mari pulled a dish out the oven.

“Freyd! Oh- shit hang on..” Mari glanced around, quickly placing the freshly baked bread loaf on the stovetop. She ripped off her oven mitts and turned to face him. She gave him a genuine and soft smile that reached her eyes, despite the tiredness they held. “I’m really happy you’re here!” Mari shifted to the kitchen table and picked up a small hot mug.

She  quickly walked over to him, almost tripping as she skidded across the floor to greet him, being careful not to spill any of the liquid. Every step the little frogs would open and shut their mouths in unheard snaps, absolutely ridiculous. “Look!” She breathed, gesturing to the larger space as she handed him the mug.

It was coffee. Scents of vanilla wafted up from it. Freyd had never said outright that he liked the drink, but Mari caught him drinking it a few times. She’d paid attention and hoped it was something he could enjoy.
 

Hey, you. The place looks amazing!  I love the…” Freyd coughed before he could finish his sentence. “Hey.” Mari said quietly. “You good?” He nodded. “Sorry.  The lack of dust must have gotten to me.” 

Freyd offered her a smile as he handed her a bottle of Sullivans Cove - neatly wrapped with a red ribbon.

 “What…” Mari stared down at it. 

To most it’d simply be a gift of ones favourite drink. Nothing more than a bottle of Whiskey. But was different, it carried a heavy weight. With acceptance. A silent gesture of acceptance. It was almost as if Freyd was saying ‘I don’t like this. But I trust you. I accept it

Mari’s thumb brushed slowly over the label, then the bow. Almost affectionately. A soft and tender smile on her face. “Thank you.” She whispered softly, “Really.” She looked up at him. “It means more than you know.” As if to say I know how hard this is for you. Thank you for trusting me.

Mari moved to the fireplace and set the bottle atop the mantle. Next to a violin. She hadn’t expected that. With a deep breath she turned to face him again. “Right! Let’s give you the tour.” Then, without giving him a chance to protest Mari tugged on his arm to show him around the place, ready to drag him from room to room in a feverish excitement. “You’re family so you’re the first to see all this!”

First was the living room. She’d point to the now uncovered mirror, and the small note tucked permanently beside it. “That’s kinda what started all this - so I wanted it to always be a reminder if I ever look at myself and start questioning things.”

 

A slight tug as she led him to the fireplace. “This is similar, more or less the same. I guess everything is a little bigger.” Bigger fireplace, more rugs…nicer chairs. Mari would point to random objects and knick knacks. Explaining what they meant to her. The violin on the mantle - and how Lancaster had gotten it for her when her old one was about to break.  A pile of books on a cabinet in the corner - ones that Raidou had read to her during her time in jail.  Fresh flowers on the windowsill from Eruda. A new and cautious friendship. Everything had a story, everything had a meaning, fragments from people she had met, those that meant something to her. Her place wasn’t an empty void.

Leading into the dining room - the table. An actual table that would fit more than one person. Mari was willing to let more into her life. Several candles sat flickering on it. A bowl of green apples. A random lemon sitting alone on the other side. A chair that had her scarf dangling on it. Every part of the home was lived in. It wasn’t just an accessory. It wasn’t just the basics.

Mari dragged him up the stairs to her bedroom, still exuberantly explaining every nook and cranny, every upgrade. Her room was bigger now - A Master bedroom. Covered in an assortment of lanterns that are somehow always burning. A large bed sits against a deep red colored wall, covered in tapestries of fine silks that hang down and around the bed. It was rumbled, unmade. Mari slept in it last night. To the discerning eye, they’d even see remnants of her hair. Candles flicker on the night stand. The room lit brightly, and warmly One one side the large ornate windows open up to overlook the frozen lake. It remained firmly closed to keep the heat in.

“Isn’t it nice? I mean…I guess the entire place is a little darker than my old one but - its harder to keep this all lit up.”

Mari didn’t wait for a response, she dragged Freyd into the adjoined room. “I think this one is my favourite. Freyd!” She said excitedly with a gleeful grin. “Freyd I can fucking shower. Hot water! Do you have any idea how long its been since I had hot water? Since I was able to clean myself in something that wasn’t a lake?” Such a simple thing that most wouldn’t even think about. The curse of a Player Killer filled with so much guilt and remorse they’d deny themselves even the most basic of amenities. That was Mari. was.

The Bathroom was a stark contrast to the rest of the house, brightly lit and decorated in a modern stone style, glancing in one would assume the place cold, being made out of stone but once you step into the room there is an undeniable warmth that permeates the air, and the floor. A small sink with a pair of toothbrushes, each in their own cups…two towels. Two dressing gowns hanging on a hook. Lancaster hadn’t had the chance to see the house yet, but Mari wanted to make sure he felt welcomed when he did. A part of her worried what Freyd would think, but they had the entire day to discuss it if he felt the need to.

“Okay…okay…then there is the basement - but I’m still working on that. Right now its just a mish mash of notes and a desk.” Mari said as she gestured for Freyd to follow her back downstairs.

“I have one more thing to show you!” She’d lead Freyd out the back door, and the two were hit with a blast of cold air. “I picked up fishing. I used to…” she paused, her exuberant smile and excitement fading for a moment. “I used to do it with Shield a lot…Baldur too…but…” Her smile returned, there was little to be sad about right now. Those that were missing were still alive. That’s all she could ask for. “But now I can do it in my own backyard!”

She gestured for Freyd to look upon a small porch that has steps leading down into the frozen lake in which the house resides. There are several koi fish that swim around beneath the slightly frozen surface. If one were to fish here; they'd first need to carve a hole into the ice to gain access to the spoils below. But the entire thing was lit up. Creating a soft atmosphere.

Mari gently closed the door and pointed to the table, gesturing for the poor man she just dragged through her house to sit down. “Aight thats the tour! I have like 300 col to my name now though…. Sit down and I’ll have food ready in a moment.” Her tone shifted. Concern. Knowing. “You look a little troubled. I can guess why. We’ll talk about it over food.”

[Freyd 0]

Unfathomable, yet to see Mari be so domestic was unquestionably heartwarming. Taking the black nectar-filled mug, her choice of flavour shots was hardly missed and thanked with a slight raising of the vessel in salute. 

How had they come so far from the yesterdays when regrets kept them farther at bay from each other than steel pikes might have managed? Shimmering green, her eyes spoke volumes at the bottle received and placed in prominent honour on her brand new mantle, next to her favoured and visibly restored instrument.  So much renewal…

“Thank you.” She whispered softly, “Really.” She looked up at him. “It means more than you know.”

“I should mention that…”

“Right! Let’s give you the tour.” Storm cloud denied. This wasn’t yet the proper time. “You’re family so you’re the first to see all this!”

Let her have this moment.  She’s long overdue.

"That’s kinda what started all this - so I wanted it to always be a reminder if I ever look at myself and start questioning things.”

A welcome sip of soothing, acrid ambrosia, taken as if a reward earned for doing a rare and decent thing.  It felt nice.  Something he wished could be done more often.  Freyd walked over and ran his fingertips of the sign as she proudly rambled on about the rest of the ground floor.

Gaze drifting upward from the scrawling, he found himself wondering which face would be waiting to stare back at him.  Wisps of white and grey framing eyes of burning blue met themselves.  Unexpected.  Have I really grown so used to being other things.  A scent and lilting laugh like passion’s memento echoed in the mind’s recesses, drawing forth a sense of worth he’d lived a lifetime denying himself.

“So, that’s what that feels like…”

Ripped away from his reverie to the silent, gleeful yapping of fuzzy frogs, their wearer locked arms and dragged him upstairs, as he soaked up every infinitesimal detail, machine mind cataloguing and comparing to records already on file.  Conclusion: a happy life.

“Isn’t it nice? I mean…I guess the entire place is a little darker than my old one but - its harder to keep this all lit up.”  

The towel count and bed size hardly escaped scrutiny, but Freyd said nothing, merely following his ambling guide and trying not to spill his drink upon all her wonderful new stuff.

“Easy!”  A gentle pat on her zealous death grip, “I don’t want to wreck your stuff with wonderfully smelling stains.”

“Okay…okay…then there is the basement - but I’m still working on that. Right now its just a mish mash of notes and a desk.”

Her lack of tour instantly aroused suspicion, let slide for the sake of not ruining the moment.  There was no point in pushing.  She’d either tell him, or the bees would eventually get out to play on their own.  

Dragging him a little too speedily out the back door, Freyd was just thankful he’d finished his beverage just in time, leaving the still warm hollow mug on the table’s edge in the half-second she’d spared him to react.  Crisp cold air found no purchase against his own fond memories of fishing as she regaled him with her own.

“My grandfather taught me to fish long ago.Those were… precious days. I’d gladly join you whenever you’re looking for company.  It was always a special time for me.”  Thoughts drifted to the tacky mallard-headed monstrosity currently sitting in his inventory.  The rod was a perfect replica of the one he’d been gifted as a child and had already forged fresh bonds here as well.

“Aight thats the tour! I have like 300 col to my name now though…. Sit down and I’ll have food ready in a moment.” Her tone shifted. Concern. Knowing. “You look a little troubled. I can guess why. We’ll talk about it over food.”

“I’m no more troubled than on any other day, and I can always spot you some col if you need it.” Reassuring truth with a doubled edge, spoken with unbridled candor and sincerity.  “But why don’t we just sit and enjoy your wonderful meal, before Lancaster arrives?  You can tell me what’s on your mind.”

Somehow, the mug was full of coffee again, the Whisper clinging to every sip as if fresh brew along could ease everything that was about to follow.

[Mari 1]

“Fishing huh?” Mari gave him a warm smile, shifting her gaze out the kitchen window to overlook the lake. “I’d…like that a lot.”

His lingering gaze toward the basement did not go unnoticed.

"If you really want to look. Go ahead, but I assure you it's literally a table in the middle of the room. I've yet to push it up against the wall, and a box of old notes from my shop. So I can try to keep track of things on a floor that doesn't...." She rolled her wrist. "Yanno, literally sap the mental strength from you." She pointed toward the basement as she knelt by the oven. "Go ahead. " An offer. Of course, if he did look he'd find just that...along with scraps and piles of paper *littered* all over the floor. And a single bird which would have been currently climbing the stairs. “I’m trying to make it a little space for Lancaster.” Mari knew the name would put Freyd on edge - but the cat was out of the proverbial bag now, and Freyd would have to deal with that constant in Mari’s life. “Yanno, away from…other things. It’d be good for him.”  Mari was already back at the oven, checking on the chicken Schnitzels currently cooking in there, good. Done. She pulled them out.

“I’m no more troubled than on any other day, and I can always spot you some col if you need it.” 

“I appreciate the offer Freyd. But I’m not a charity case. I’ll get my ass out there and earn it myself. As long as I have enough for a hot meal I don’t really need much else.” A statement that was a testament to her current mindset. Someone who was enjoying things, and looking after themselves first and foremost. 

 “But why don’t we just sit and enjoy your wonderful meal, before Lancaster arrives?  You can tell me what’s on your mind.”

Smash

Mari was holding a plate - one that slipped through her fingers and crashed to the floor. “I-what?” had he…been in contact with Lancaster? Mari’s heart lurched. That wasn’t good was it?

Who contacted who?

“Who…contacted who?” Mari asked as he bent down to pick up the broken pieces. Keep it together. He’s alive. He’s alive. He’s still alive. Freyd wouldn’t lie.

Shaking hands picked up the last few pieces of the broken ceramic and tossed them carelessly into the sink. Mari set out another plate and started to put the crumbed chicken pieces on each one. Fully concentrating on her task instead of the absolute fucking bombshell Freyd just threw at her.

Just plate things up… Crumbed chicken. Prosciutto. Poached egg. Hollondaise. A favourite of hers. Mari had to bring them to the table one by one. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. 

After finally sitting down Mari just stared at her plate.

“Explain.”

It was quite possibly the first time she had used such an authoritative tone with Freyd. Mari straightened her back- as though shaking herself from the stupor and bringing herself back to present. She focused on first piercing the egg, letting the yolk run through the juicy breast. A calm confidence fell over the woman. She paused to pop a forkfull of food in her mouth, chewed and swallowed. Resolute eyes meeting his.

“And I’ll explain the wall.”

[Freyd 0]

He didn't jump. Plate shattering against stone in a highly appropriate approximation of a mob's death throes... or a player's... was more than a little on the nose.  Freyd's quiet, polite smile never faded, never flinched, steady hand calmly sipping at his hot beverage.  It seemed suitable repayment for what she'd put him through learning about her latest kills, not that he had any intention to actually berate her about them.  She just seemed to expect him to. Eyes reading her reaction and aftermath, his concern was genuine as he rose to help with the cleanup.

“Who…contacted who?”  Her voice and features 

"He reached out to me, yesterday.  Something about an olive branch.  I suggested we meet here, in the interests of transparency." Freyd knew any conversation about Lancaster and Mari without her would only infuriate her, and rightly so.  She was owed a seat at this table, and Lancaster had to realize the stakes were more complicated than swindling some dullard upstart he though terrified his previously vaunted capo.  For all his Machiavellian ways, Freyd wanted nothing more than to find a way to leave them in their happiness - Mari most of all.  The day's earlier tour had only reinforced the importance of that endgame to her mental health and wellbeing.

"That's all he told me.  The message was very brief, as was my reply."  Dumping the last of the shattered ceramics into the sink, Freyd sat himself down fully prepared to enjoy the delicious-looking meal.

"You're happy.  I know it.  I see it.  I hear it.  If Lancaster has made that happen, they I owe him the courtesy of a real conversation on the subject.  One that must include you."  Slicing into chicken, he hmm-ed in appreciation before reaching over and placing a hand over hers to offer calming reassurance.  "You've been heard, Mari.  It's your life.  I'm here to deliberately not to get in the way or appear to be making any choices on your behalf.  They are yours.  If Lancaster is sincere, I truly wish to hear him out and find a way to make this work."

If he wasn't and this was all some elaborate ruse, Freyd would eviscerate the man at the sub-atomic level for toying with her feelings, and anyone else foolish enough to enlist in such imprudent exercise.

"Please.  Relax.  Everything is going to be fine."  A gentle caring squeeze sought to quell her persistent unease.  "I'm here for family's sake.  Now, why don't we discuss that other matter while we wait?"

Whatever anger, judgment or hate Mari might have expected never came.  Even the tense demanding went without provocation or response.  He understood, and was not the same Freyd as before.

Edited 6 hours ago by Freyd

[Mari 1]

Lancaster messaged him?

That seemed unlikely. The olive branch seemed less unlikely, the two didn't see eye to eye on core matters. Not only that but how did Lancaster even get the information to message Freyd in the first place? Things weren't quite adding up and she was being left out of the loop. It was frustrating. "I see..." Mari said quietly as she cut off another piece of the chicken, if not to just have something to do. She wished she could enjoy the meal as much as she used to but there was a deep feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach. "Something happened." Mari said. In other words, there was no way Lancaster would have messaged Freyd unless he was desperate, or put into a corner. Something had happened within the Laughing Coffin - and the timing...Mari had only just recently found out about Raidou founding it - and being the original Faceless Lord. Whoever this new one was, had done something. Said something. There was no other reasonable explanation. Mari wanted to voice that, but she couldn't.

"You're happy.  I know it.  I see it.  I hear it.  If Lancaster has made that happen, they I owe him the courtesy of a real conversation on the subject.  One that must include you." 

"I appreciate it." Mari said to Freyd, and she did, she truly did. Freyd wasn't sure if Lancaster was sincere, but Mari believed with her entire being that he was being. If he hadn't then...well the world could burn. But the woman had no doubt.

Freyd reached out and squeezed her hand, an attempt to reassure her. "I knew you at least accepted him - to an extent with your present. I just...didn't expect this." Mari said honestly. 

"The other matter...right." 

Mari turned to Freyd. "The names on the wall." How should she begin? She couldn't tell him Raidou's secret. "I...came across Raidou." Start with the truth. "He was being attacked by a group of...I think it was around seven....no eight people. Initially." Mari snorted, one of mirth as she paused to resume her meal for a few moments. It really was good. "Initially - I had managed to knock one out, the other I had thrown their weapon away. Just trying to get Raidou safe. But-"

But Raidou turned into a literal mob - and then threw something at me that did the same and with his commands I murdered people.

Yeh. No. That wouldn't go down well.

"Some things escalated. And I had to protect my friend. I know that more names on the wall isn't a pleasant thing to see. But know that I did everything I could before that decision was made. These people would not have stopped. They would not have relented. It was difficult to come to terms with at first - but - I'd do it again to protect my friends if I had to. Raidou is safe. I am too. The important people are fine."

That would suffice....right?

Edited 5 hours ago by Mari