[PP-F11] Unscathed

[Mari 1]

“What’s the matter?”

Mari hissed as she loomed over the struggling man. “Weren’t you gonna end me? Where did all that Bravado go?”

He writhed and kicked beneath her. A man twice Mari’s size clad in silver armour. A thin buzz cut and stubble on his chin, his weapon - a large axe had been thrown several feet away. Away from his reach. Around the two were clear signs of a scuffle, and to the side, curled up in a ball by the base of a tree was a crying girl, knees held up to her chest and head buried into a ball. Her tiny form shaking like a leaf, she couldn’t be any older than 7, 10 at most.

Mari had the man pinned beneath her - straddling his hips. Not exactly a position she wanted anyone catching her in - but sometimes, when you were taking out the trash you found yourself in less than ideal positions. His wrists had been bound with thin garrote wire - and every time he tried to struggle they’d cut into his skin.

“Git off!” He slurred, trying to buck Mari off but she was stalwart in her position. With her hand held out to the side she’d materialize her weapon. Something she rarely did against players. But this… She let it drop to the floor and placed the polearm over his neck - levering it beneath her knee. Further pinning him to the floor.

“Now…” Mari said quietly - barely hiding the hatred that dripped from her tone, a grim flash of her past mirrored in her cold and uncaring gaze. She ignored the choking gasps he made. She didn’t care. “Mind telling me why you were trying to drag a screaming and crying child out of the town?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “Why were you threatening to PK her if anyone else got too close?” These were the people she hated most, it took every ounce of strength to not flip her halberd and cleave his head clean off. It’d be cathartic. She is the unwilling arbiter and executioner of this unexpected yet all too common tale.

He didn’t respond. Instead trying to push her off of him. Mari pulled out a smaller blade, this time a dagger - and with a quick flourish coated it in toxic venom. Run of the mill stuff - but useful nonetheless. She shoved the blade into his shoulder and he screamed out.

“F-Fine! FINE! It… It…IT…” His beady brow eyes shifted left and right as he spluttered. “Uh…L-Laughing Coffin!” He called out. “T-They got me to-ARghh!”

Mari had twisted the blade, watching his health slowly tick down. As much as she wanted him to….she wouldn’t let him die. “Wrong answer." Mari said coolly. “You know…so many people use that name as an excuse- because who would question it?” She asked. “You ran across the wrong person though.” Mari gave him a sarcastic pat on his cheek before standing, shoving her foot hard own on his chest as she pointed the halberd at his neck. “I’m married to a member.”  A lie, a half lie…Lancaster wasn’t Laughing Coffin anymore but this guy didn’t need to know that.

“I know their MO - and it doesn’t involve kids. So again.”  A stomp on his chest. “Why the FUCk were you dragging her away, and to WHERE?”


Mari | HP: 1220/1220 | EN: 154/154 | DMG: 21 | MIT:143 | ACC:4 | AA  | FL.AURA: 8 | BH:67 | BRN: 56 | ENV-O: 32 | PARA-V | LD:5 | True Tier 15                                                                                                      

[Jomei 0]

  

Jomei the emerald duelist

Spoiler notes Level: 35 | Paragon: 92 | Tier: 4(13)  Jomei | HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 144/144 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:4 | AA  | F-SPIRIT | EVA:3 | BH:58 | HB: 23 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 8 | LD:5 Equipment: Vicious Mockery : ACC II | Taunt | Blight  Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation: Vamp D II | HB | MIT  Token of Serenity: HB| EVA III   equipped Vicious Mockery Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation Token of Serenity battle-ready inventory Listed Below skills Spoiler Skills Rapier R5 | TECH Spec. Combat Mastery DMG R3 Cloth Armor R5 Charge B Healing R5 Energis Howl Fighting Spirit Quick Change Extended Weight Limit Searching R4 Extra: Concentration Survival   Parry Forgotten King's Authority Assault Mode  Lady Luck Meditation Mods Athletics Emergency Recovery Vengeful Riposte Justified Riposte Night Vision Addons Stamina  Focus Precision Nimble Focused Howl buffs Spoiler Buffs Dimensional Backpack +1 BRI slot Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat     Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)     Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.  Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Item Stash: +1 BRI slot Advanced Training: +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.

 

Like a picture straight from the pages of a fairy tale.

With towers that pierced the clouds, a near perfect castle sat on the edge of a cliff, high above the green filled valley below. Guarded by a dragon that dipped from the clouds to scan for intruders, before perching atop the battlements. Its scales were black as night, a high contrast to the pristine white stone of the keep. No one knows which figure of royalty resides within, apparently many who watch the castle claim to have never seen any life within - besides the dragon of course. Yet the creature still kept its watch on the long bridge that spanned across the valley, awaiting any who dare approach.

Jomei simply watched from a distance, absolutely no intention of stepping foot on that pathway across. Could this be a rumor that he could see he and Lessa tackling one day? Possibly. But today his meeting was not with his love, rather a near complete stranger. 

As the figure approached from behind, lowering their hood, Jomei turned to greet the broker. "Alright, tell me what you found out." 

***

With menus open, Jomei scrolled through the information he received off of the broker. Information he was gifted would be more accurate. Turned out he saved his sister and her party when all hell broke loose on Floor Twenty Nine. So when Jomei received a message of thanks and favors earned, he knew exactly how he wanted to cash in his chips. Now when to act on it, that was an entirely different story. The whole ordeal was much bigger than he anticipated, and it was something he definitely couldn't handle alone. Maybe now he'd finally assemble a team.. when he was ready of course. 

"Do you think she's going to kill him?" 

"I dunno, should we help? I'd rather not mess with a PKer.." 

Jomei peeked up from the virtual messages after catching the whispers of the two bystanders. He looked at the two at first, standing off the side of the road watching as if they were witnessing a crime take place and doing nothing about it. Following their line of sight, he saw a familiar, ginger haired woman standing above an armored man, a small girl crying off to the side. Jomei's brow furrowed, unsure what to make of the scene. No one else had noticed what was going on, so he walked to the two players first. 

"I'll handle this. Just get out of here, no need to get guards involved." 

The two players looked at Jomei, and then each other, before nodding and running off in the opposite direction. Once they were out of earshot, Jomei would sigh to himself before intervening in whatever was going on.

"You know this isn't a good look." Jomei would call out to Mari as he stepped forward, placing himself between the small girl and the scene before them. "But I trust you've got a good reason to have that man pinned down?" he asked her, before half turning and lowering down to a squat. "Hey." he addressed the girl with a soft voice, "Its going to be okay, I promise."

Edited Monday at 06:59 PM by Jomei

[Mari 1]

The small girl, face dappled with freckles and cheeks rosy red - nose filled with snot as she shoved her face straight into Jomei's shirt clutching him tightly, sobbing. She wiped her snot over his sleeve. And it wasn't till he started to lighty rub her back that she began to calm down, just enough to try and tell him what happened. "T-the baad man took me...I'm scared...wheres Jenny? I wanna go home...I dont like this..." She burst into tears again, practically latching onto Jomei.

 

"You know this isn't a good look."

 

Mari glanced up at Jomei, "Huh?" When did he...how did he? Not a good look. It reminded Mari of her crystal. Her failure with Redemption. How no matter how much good she did, no matter how she had tried, it would never...ever be enough. The frustration welled up within her an bubbled out like bile from her lips as she snapped at him.  "I don't fuckin' care what people thi-urk." The man took advantage of her distraction, pulling on her leg, but he immediately let go as the system recognized it as an attack and her flame aura activated, lighting his hand on fire- Mari swung forward her weapon, thrusting its blade into the ground. A single inch from his head. "The fuck?" Mari turned her attention back to the man. "You idiot! You almost made me-" She paused....would it have been so bad if she had?  This man was a kidnapper... Why should he live? Why did she keep showing mercy? Why did she keep letting people who attacked her go, people like this go? For what? To what end? What purpose? Yet...

Why should the decision be left to her?

Mari shook her head, pulling out the blade and holding it to the mans throat. Did Jomei hear what she said earlier?  Mari wasn't hiding who Lancaster was...but it wasn't her intention to broadcast it either. The woman cleared her throat. Talking loudly enough for Jomei to hear.  "I saw this man dragging the kid kicking an screaming out of Taft." No one was helping. She hated that. Thy just watched. Why? "A group of players just stood and watched... as she was taken. Why didn't they..." Her voice lowered, questioning... they were in a position to help. But they refused. Too busy wanting to keep their precious green crystals. Afraid of the repercussions. Willing to let a child be taken before their very eyes just so they could selfishly keep their peace. The grip on her halberd tightened and Mari pressed its blade that inch deeper - a thin line of red pixelated data appearing on the mans neck. If he were to move he'd be cleaved. "So I intervened."  Lifting the blade from his throat Mari tapped the blade against the mans cheek, who had visibly paled since she mentioned her connection to a certain guild. "And this man, was just about to tell me why. Weren't you?"

 

He glanced from her to Jomei, then back to her, seemingly debating on what to say. He couldn't use the LC as a cover. And mentioning them any further would cause the group to set their sights on him and his crew instead. Something he didn't want. They were trying to rebuild what they once had... a group of soldiers - young and impressionable. Useful for assassinations. Useful to infiltrate things. But telling the woman all this would mean his death. "Fuck you!"

Mari sighed, heavily. Normally - she'd set him on fire, get the answer out of him quickly, but with Jomei and a crying kid here...she hesitated. The child was already sobbing and crying, terrified. Mari didn't want to add to that by torturing a man in front of her. Another idea.... courtesy of her brother. Mari opened her inventory stomping on the man again for good measure and pulled out a cleared random dungeon map. "Do you know the effects of darkness on the circadian rhythm?" Mari tapped the map on her lips as if in thought.  "In just a few short days it can send you mad. Hallucinations, delusions..." Mari activated the map and a path into the dungeon appeared - a small cell that she had prepared long ago - steeped in complete darkness. Nothing more than a bed in the dark confined place. If the man were smart enough, he could potentially escape; but not before Mari would get to him. "You should thank me...I wasn't given the comfort of a bed. But at least I had light."  And with those last words she shoved the man into the pathway, and it closed behind him. She'd check on him in a few days... Mari pulled out a tag, and wrote a note on it as she attached it to the map, marking who was in it - and when he was sent in there before turning her attention to Jomei.

What should she say to him. To the girl? Mari put her weapon away. Her heart still pounded in her chest - adrenaline coursing through her, hands shaking as she took a breath to calm herself. Mari would approach the two, kneeling down and reaching a hand out to the girl. "Hey..." Her voice soft, quiet, "you're safe now, are you okay?"

The child flinched away from Mari. 

That hurt...Mari's hand hung mid air, before she pulled it away. Right. It was fine. She was used to this...

Fingers curled into a fist it lowered to the ground. Right. This was normal. "You should probably take her back to town." Mari did her best to hold it together - but she had always worn her emotions on her sleeve. Her brother would call it her greatest weakness. Mari's voice shook, and she refused to look Jomei in the eyes. "I'll get out of here, after all. You being seen here with me. It's not a good look." 

Mari stood, shooting him one more glance, and offering him the weakest of smiles before shifting to follow the path away from Taft.

Edited Tuesday at 01:36 PM by Mari

[Jomei 0]

"Shh, you're okay. No one is going to hurt you." The young girl held onto him, sobbing into his shirt. A gentle hand patted the girl's back, calming her with soft shushes. 

Jomei had no doubts that this was not some unjust act of violence on Mari's part. Broad daylight, this close to town, with witnesses nearby. Not the ideal setting for a murder in cold blood. And he doubted Mari was up to dealing with the consequences yet again. She was merely adding in the missing details when she recalled her reasoning to resort to violence.

He nodded, eyes full of empathy, understanding, and, most of all, trust. 

He trusted Mari to do what was right and just. 

No longer did Jomei intervene, no more than he already had at least. But he was just as curious as Mari to know what this man's intentions were. Assuming this kidnapping was for predatorial reasons made his blood boil, but reason got the better of him. Biting his tongue, he waited to see what answers Mari could get out of him. And what punishment would best fit the crime. 

A dark cell, a product of Mari's own imagination - and a dungeon map. That was the punishment. Though, if Jomei was being honest with himself, he would not have flinched if Mari decided to go a different route. Scum needed to be cleaned up, after all.

Despite her real threat no longer endangering her, the young girl still seemed weary around Mari. He supposed even children stuck in SAO know about what gives someone an orange crystal.. The idea of anyone abusing the system to hurt a kid made him sick. Mari visibly took offense to the girl shying back, but apparently that wasn't the only thing.
" It's not a good look." 

Jomei watched Mari stand up and start to walk the path away from them, a net of guilt catching the words in his throat. He turned his attention to the girl, "Mari's not a bad person. She had to protect someone, and she was was made the bad guy for it." 

"But.." the girl stammered, sniffling and choking back tears, "Miss Robin says that we need to stay away from people with orange crystals."

"But it was a man with a green crystal who hurt you, and Mari who saved you, hm?" He looked at the girl with a small smile before ruffling the hair on top of her head, "Life isn't black and white. You'll learn that some day. Just keep safe, and trust your gut." A poke in the belly got a tiny giggle out of her, and that was enough.

"Mari wait!" Jomei called after her, hurrying up the road to meet her with the girl in tow. "I'm sorry, for what I said. I didn't intend for it to offend you. I just.. There were others watching, didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what was going on.." 

[Mari 1]

"Mari wait!"

Mari paused, glancing over at Jomei. Had he already returned her to the city? Eyebrows rose into her hairline as her eyes widened, seeing the little girl in tow. Tiny hands balled up and clutching the length of his pants, practically threatening to pull them down. Mari hoped the man had a strong belt. She didn't need to see anything unbecoming. Jomei scrambled to offer her an apology but Mari held up his hand and he stopped, trailing off.

"You should take her back." Mari's eyes glanced down to the small girl, and she flinched - hiding behind his leg. "Please. Do what I cannot." Mari did her best to keep a level tone. She was frustrated at the entire situation, and still had a man to question - locked away in a cell. She had planned to find out exactly why he had taken the girl. In broad daylight. It was bold, brash, and stupid. But that's what made it so dangerous. To have someone desperate enough to commit such an act in the middle of the day. "I'll wait over there." Mari pointed to a large red maple tree just off the dirt path. "But right now, her safety should be prioritized. I'm sure people are looking for her."

Mari shifted her eyes down to the girl and attempted to offer her a smile. The girl didn't flinch this time at least. She simply stared up at Mari with confusion in her eyes.

"I don't care what others watching think. They stood by and did nothing." She lifted her gaze to meet his. "But that comment from you, yeh that stung." Mari waved him back into the direction of the safe zone. A place she'd never be able to tread safely again. Sure, disguises would give her a shroud of anonymity, just enough to quell the guards curiosity - but it was never truly peace. That was the path she had walked. Redemption attempted and denied.

"I promise, I'll wait for you." The last words left for him as she walked off.

Whilst her snide comment was said out of frustration, there were so many layers of truth to it. It'd do Jomei no good to be seen conversing with her if the players at the gate would gossip. The thing that mattered most was getting the kid back to safety. Everything else could wait.

 

---

 

Alone again Mari would inhale deeply, pulling a cigarette from her inventory and lighting it with a snap thumb against forefinger. She let the cigarette linger in the air beore tucking it behind her ear. Never fully inhaling the smoke - just the smell...the stubborn acrid scent burnt her nose, her throat..but it bought her an undeniable comfort. True to her word, Mari would approach the tree, pressing her back to it with a weary groan. 

Mari --> Lancaster: A man is claiming to work for the LC, will get more info from him soon. Was taking a child.
Lancaster --> Mari: Unusual, find out who they are Mi Amore. Trust if they are not, pass judgement on them.

Why was she dealing with this? Pass judgement? Killing people like that didn't sit right with Mari. But...how many excuses could she keep giving people? Each and every time Mari would show someone mercy, let them walk - they'd prove time and time again that she should have been more decisive. But she was trying so hard to not be the person from her past. Where was that line? What right did she have to make those decisions? A shake of her head as she pulled out a bottle of straight whiskey and threw her head back, drinking deep from it. She slid down to the floor, sitting with one knee against her chest, the other sprawled out straight in front of her.

This was not how she wanted to spend the day.

Edited 5 hours ago by Mari

[Jomei 0]

“Mr. Invincible-as-he-is-witty-as-he-is-charming rolls into the arena, without a care in the world…

"- Jimantha. What's yours?" The voice was distant, as if spoken from the other end of a thick wall. As her sentence trailed off, it became clearer. Closer. Just enough to snap Jomei back to the present. 

"Huh?" Olive orbs sprung back to life, trailing down to the young girl that clung to his hand. 

"Your name!" she seemed a lot more comfortable now that she was back in town, on the way to the orphanage. 

Jomei would force a smile and a small chuckle before responding, "Oh, heh..."

***

Jomei waved off Jimantha and Robin with a slightly more genuine smile, after the proprietor thanked him profusely for saving the young girl. The ginger would shake his head as he walked towards the gate, turning once more to address the caretaker. "I'm not the one that saved her, I just brought her back to town. Mari is the one you should be thanking.. If you ever cross paths with her.." he would nod his head, "Just know she is a good one. Take my word for it." He did not bother waiting around to hear in Jimantha confirmed what Jomei said was true or not, but he could only hope that what he told her earlier had stuck. 

Despite not caring what others thought of her, she stepped in to stop a real villain when others did not. She's the real hero today, and she deserved to be known as such.

Just as Mari had promised - though he would not have held it against her if she did not keep it - she sat waiting for his return, under that same maple tree. With hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers, he went to her. No hesitation, no trying to hide that he was 'going to talk with an orange player.' Maybe he could learn something from her lack of care in others opinions. If she didn't give a damn what other players thought of her crystal, why should he care what others think of him befriending her. 

With no words, Jomei joined Mari under that large tree. Pressing his back into the bark before slowly sliding down until he sat right beside the other red head. With an open handed gesture, he pointed towards the bottle of whiskey Mari drank from. Taking his own swig of the alcohol, he nearly gagged as he pulled it from his lips. "Oh God." he coughed. "I'm a disgrace to my ancestors.. can't stand whiskey." The burn and the buzz though, maybe it could help calm that nagging voice in his head. 

"For the record.." he finally addressed her, "I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks, seeing me with you." Sitting with his knees bent, forearms resting upon them. "I have a choice in who my friends are, and if someone has a problem with that-" he would raise the bottle to his lips once more, face turning in disgust before passing the drink back to Mari, "They can go to hell." 

“Go on, toss another line to the crowd. Even I can hear how much they love it. Give them what they want.”

Jomei's eyes clamped shut as he heavily sighed through his nostrils, "I'm a showman. A musician. Always have been. Performing for crowds with a group, or own my own. Gives me such a high." The back of his head would hit the tree as he looked up at the maple leaves creeping into his peripherals. "And with that, sometimes that energy makes me say things before I really think them through. Can't stand up on a stage trying to think of something while a crowd waits, yeah? Sometimes, it works in my favor. A quick witty response or a joke. Other times, its gotten me into trouble." He hoped that she saw where he was going with all of this, probably best to just get to the point. "God, it sounds so stupid but.." he'd pinch the bridge of his nose, chuckling at his own expense, "In the moment, I just thought it sounded like a cool line to say.. I didn't really think of the repercussions.. how you would take it." 

His head rolled to the side, ear nearly pressed into his shoulder, finally looking over to her. "So don't brush it off.. just let me be sorry for hurting your feelings, okay? Then I'll drop it."