[PP-PT-F09] Sweaty Shenanighans

[Mari 1]

Fuck

It Was way too goddamn hot on this floor. Mari pulled her scarf further away from her neck, and used it to wipe her forehead. Sweat dripped down her collarbone and disappeared beneath her shirt. Mari wanted to avoid this floor as much as she could. Even with Survival it was a pain. You'd think with having Lancaster around all the time she'd be used to the heat - but the air was thick and humid here. It wasn't pleasant. 

Mari stood, not too far away from where the floor boss would spawn. After having used the item from Morningstar she realized it'd be useful to have several ones of it on her own. She'd never fought it before. So didn't bother with spyglasses. But maybe she should have? Mari wanted at least 3 of the items, but she wasn't sure if she could be bothered getting them all today. Today was just getting at least the one so she could use it for Redemption. Anything else would be a bonus.

Mari had initially invited Oscar to join her; but he was nowhere to be seen. Was he running late?

 

Quote

 

To: oscar
From: Mari
Subject: 

Hey, I'm waiting by the area the Phoenix spawns.

x
-Mari.

 

With the message sent off Mari groaned, shifting to sit on a nearby rock. Come to think of it....she hadn't really seen Oscar since that night she showed up drunk and on his doorstep. Hoo boy. Things would be fine. Mari was confident in that. The two were first and foremost, friends. And he was a very dear one to her.

 

 

Mari | HP: 980/980 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:4 | AA | EVA:4 | BH:54 | BLI: 32/-20 | ENV-O: 32 | PARA-V | LD:1

Spoiler

Name: Mari
True Tier: 11
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 76
HP: 980/980
EN: 136/136

Stats:
Damage: 21
Mitigation: 44
Accuracy: 4
Evasion: 4
Battle Healing: 54
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
- Surprise Attack: Trickster
- Untraceable
- Vanish

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
- Overhealth Crystal II x5
- Teleport Crystal x5

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:
- Used?
Crafting Profession:
- Alchemist[890exp] R7
Gathering Profession:
- Fishing[313exp] R4

 

[Oscar 0]

Oscar had to psych himself up to brave the heat. It was true that Oscar would gladly step up and out for his friends. But it was equally true that he hated the heat. He didn't hate anything quite as viscerally as he hated the desert and volcano and humid jungle floors of this game. There was just something about them that felt just a bit too vivid. And all of this probably could have been avoided if he just wore a hat. It was a logical, pragmatic decision. Except-

One had to suffer to look this good.

So Oscar stepped off of the teleportation platform and sprinted to the meeting spot. There was a vain hope that the wind rushing by from his breakneck blitz might cool him off. It didn't. And he knew it wouldn't. But the heat had a tendency to make him immediately insane. And what was the definition of insanity other than repeating the same but expecting a different result?

Similar to his current awkward situation with Mari.

Or, rather, her perceived awkwardness.

It had been some time since their romp in every room in his house. Oscar was confident he'd laid it down. And yet, she hadn't reached out before today. And it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Neither did he fault her. He was wrapped up in his own tiny noob boot camp. And he'd never shed a tear over one of his friends finding someone who gives them complete fulfillment. Oscar could handle the physical. Maybe half of the emotional. But he was never both feet in.

So he could only assume, as had been the case with many of his friends, that Mari had found someone. Perhaps that guy she had vented about - maybe someone else entirely. And it demanded her attention. And there was nothing wrong with that. Oscar's feelings weren't hurt, though he was a bit bummed that they'd no longer be able to partake of their shared activities. But understanding did not come with a need to address. Because, removed from it all, Oscar was still her friend. The operative term in "fuck buddies" was buddy, after all. And though he was relatively certain about the paradigm shift, he would say nothing. Do nothing about it.

Because ultimately, in his mind, it was all irrelevant. They could have some unspoken understanding or talk it out in detail. He didn't care that much. What he did care about was that she understood that with our without their nighttime activities or sinful deviance, he was still her friend. He would still come when she called. Not because of the physical, but because it was simply something a friend would do.

He stopped some distance away from her, sweat already beading on his forehead. He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I want you to know that I do not willingly sweat my balls off for just anyone."

Player's Custom Skill <<squabble up.>> is in play

Spoiler

Name: Oscar
True Tier: 10
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 66
HP: 1000/1000
EN: 132/132

Stats:
Damage: 29
Mitigation: 187
Accuracy: 6
Evasion: 1
Battle Healing: 55
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -5
PHASE
REC: 4
HLY: 16
BLI: 32/-20 

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<DIVINE RANCOR>> T4 KATANA - HOLY/HOLY/PHASE/BLIGHT 
Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<TACTICAL UNDER ARMOR>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR//MIT/MIT/MIT/REC
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<IVORY GOLD LEAF RING>> T1 TRINKET//ACC/ACC/EVA/EVA

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - squabble up. 

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Energist
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Howl
  - Katana R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R5
  - Biting I

Extra Skills:
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Meditation
  - Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:
  - Ferocity
  - Focused Howl
  - Iron Skin
  - Precision
  - Reveal
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Detect
  - Impetus
  - Night Vision
  - Tracking

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - <<CRYSTAL OF DIVINE LIGHT>> ID: 236066 x1
  - <<DARK SERAPHIM>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR - VAMP.D2/HOLY BLESSING 2 x
  - <<GLOVES OF CAERUS>> T1 LIGHT ARMOR//3 LD x
  - <<IMUGI'S INSPIRATION>> MASS HEAL x
  - <<Kyūketsuki>> T4 KATANA//ABS.ACC/PHASE/VAMP2  x
  - <<RHINO'S HORN>> ID: 236068 x
  - <<SANCTITY'S RUIN>> T4 KATANA - FROSTBITE/BLEED/BLIGHT/BURN x
  - <<TELEPORTATION CRYSTAL>> x
  - <<TIGER'S BALM>> ANTIDOTE x

Housing Buffs:
  - 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
  - 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)
  - 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.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - Kumatetsu
Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:

Liquor of Light - DMG III consumed
Focused Dog - ACC II consumed
Gungnir's Shard - T4 MIT III Feast consumed                                                                              

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Oscar

[Mari 1]

"I want you to know that I do not willingly sweat my balls off for just anyone."

Mari laughed as she used her scarf to wipe the sweat off her face before pushing herself off the rock. A few things had changed about her - the first was her right hand; there was a nasty scar that circled her wrist, it looked like someone had lopped it clean off and clumsily tried to stitch it back onto her arm. The next was a small ring on her index finger with a glimmering red stone. She also seemed to hold herself with more confidence, the way she stood, the way she held her eyes firm with his. Finally, she was absolutely dripping with sweat. "Oscar!" Mari said in delight as she bounded over to him and gave him a friendly slap on his chest. "It wouldn't be the first time you've done so for me, no?" She asked. "But thank you for coming out...I don't really have many people I can just call on." 

Mari lifted up her hands, trying to count them on her fingers. "Freyd, you, Baldur...Mac....yeh, not many..."

Mari turned and gestured for him to follow, "I'm sorry I didn't reach out earlier. Things got a little....busy." She sighed. "I don't even know where to begin..." So much had happened since their last encounter - granted Lancaster was a big reason as to why. But there were so many other things. If he had seen the monument her name would have appeared twice more. Having killed two players who were attacking Raidou - then there was the issue with her gemini, more Laughing Coffin members springing up and out of the woodwork. it was all rather overwhelming.

The hot ground hissed and crunched beneath their footsteps. "Hey." She turned to glance at him. "Just so you know. My name's on the monument a few more times."  Mari was never one to be able to grace conversations with simplicity - always going straight to what was on her mind. "A group of people were attacking Raidou. Put me between a rock and a hard place." She said with an exasperated sigh. Mari pulled her shit away from herself, trying to fan out some of the sweat. "I hope this fight goes quick...ugh just to think I gotta do this a few times. Don't worry...I won't drag you to each one. I just....figured the hellstorm potion would be useful against redemption."

Odd things to say after one another, in one breath she casually dropped that she murdered two people, and in another - she spoke of redemption. As though those deaths had little effect on her - unlike the past where each one weighted heavily on her heart.