Mari

Mari lifted her head and gratefully accepted one of the frosted tumbler glasses. “Whiskey…” Mari breathed. “Is much more preferable than that fruity mess.” She added with a thankful tone. The woman all too readily accepted his offer. Unlike Freyd though, Mari didn’t have the same desire to cherish the taste, nor the scent. She emptied her glass in its entirety. The burning sensation that tickled her throat, that heavy warmth in the pit of her stomach. The buzz that made her head that little bit heavier. So you can get drunk here now Mari thought to herself. She had planned to test it - b

Mari caught the worried look Macradon flashed her. To his credit, he managed to keep still throughout everything - the man struggled to do so, even at the best of times. Always fiddling with things, always distracted - it reminded her of a golden retriever. His exuberant energy is what made him so endearing. It grounded Mari. helped her to not take things so seriously all the time. “A better me, huh?” Mari asked - repeating his words as she shifted her gaze to the sky. Stars danced above them, twinkling to and fro. “I’m not entirely sure about that - but…I’m a me I’m okay with. And that’s

It was the most…jankiest setup imaginable. Mari had layered the 4 lenses over each other - separated with a small rolled up bit of paper to give around half an inch between each piece of glass. She had taped the frames back together - and was wearing them. She must have looked quite the sight - like some sort of cartoon madman. “No its fine…” Mari mumbled to herself as she began to wind the string around the lazy susan. “No one will see me like this so its fine.” Round and round the twine went. Then - with a quick series of pulls she had started up her makeshift centrifuge again. “Fr

The night was restless, nightmares ebbed in her consciousness - the weight of the floors effects becoming harder to deal with. Mari groaned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Voices teetered at the recesses of her mind - but she had a job to do. Mari full well knew the effects of the oppressive malaise of the floor - and she knew her limits. 3 to 4 days. She would be fine for that length of time. She had to be. She had to be. Tired eyes glanced over at the table, then lit up with new found resolve as they landed on that strange vial. So many secrets, so many temptations. Mari licked her li

A feeling of pride welled up inside her- and Mari just had to message someone. How many people within Aincrad could say they built an actual centrifuge?? Not many, she chanced. There were few people she knew that would appreciate something like this. Mari didn’t have the name of the plague doctor - so she messaged the next best person. That was all the context she’d give the man. If he was curious - he’d ask. Now…Mari peered curiously into the vial - the liquids would soon filter back into each other but for now. It was like a lava lamp. “How pretty…” She said to herself,

It took the better half of the day to procure the equipment for it - it would have been much quicker if she didn’t have her orange crystal but…Mari didn’t think she’d have the time to go beat redemption then try to figure out just what was in the vial. ….Which she was still tempted to drink. No. No Mari. That was bad. Real bad. She couldn’t do that. Instead. Mari began to work on her makeshift centrifuge. It wasn’t too hard really - She had a lazy susan which she had bolted to one of the corners of the table. On top of that, a large wooden plank - with small dowels to hold things in plac

DAY 1 The encounter had been an odd one; one that Mari still struggled to understand, at times the plague doctor seemed volatile - but in each of his actions, he had done no harm to her. The closest thing to harm would be his threat. A blade to her throat- but Mari didn’t take that to heart. They were both Pkers, it was a natural response. He never actually acted on it. After that, he had even helped her. Dousing her in some form of acrid mob repellent. That repellent…If Mari were to get in his good graces she’d have to see about acquiring it for herself. It was simply too useful. S

“Mari.” Came her quiet response as she watched him work. “I’m Mari.” She’d probably never know his name - with him being mute and all, but she’d be remiss if she didn’t at least tell him her own name. Cautious eyes watched the man to see if the admission sparked any sort of reaction. But there was none. Of course - she was only guessing the doctor was a man - partly due to his tall stature, but everything else about him was an enigma. Mari had planned to leave him to his own devices, but - they had already passed the void - and there was no sign of her former companion. She found a s

There was a strong silence between the two. Mari pressed skin against his blade - just enough so the smallest trickle of red crystalline data fell. She wasn’t afraid. Confused. But not afraid. The weight of the floor bore down on her though, bringing the sins of her past to the forefront of her mind. The tantalizing array of concoctions, the confusion. Mari forced her eyes closed and had to remind herself to breathe. Slowly. Else it’d swallow her up. Once she opened her eyes again she noticed movement - vials strung along his torso. And her curiosity peaked again. Just what was he doing?

The strange contraption spluttered - and with a small puff of acrid smoke which caused Mari to cough several times it had managed to fold itself up into something that one could easily carry. The curiosity grew. There was no way to hide it. Mari was entranced by the device. The doctor - ever silent he quietly worked. It was clear she had many questions. How did it work? Was he going to separate all of that down? “Like a centrifuge…?” She mused to herself. He didn’t answer her. The man packed his things and made to walk away. Their conversation finished there. Mari was going to let him be

The other player didn’t talk. Mari felt the hairs on the back of her neck stick up- fear? Odd. She hadn’t feared anything in a long time. Not death. Not Prison. Not the blade of another plunged deep into her heart. One hand wrapped tightly around her spear - lest the other player attempt to push her into the river. She wasn’t going to be that easy of a mark. Mari pulled her hand back away from the Stygian River, and silently watched him work. Was he another alchemist? Her eyes shifted to the strange almost steampunk like device as it chugged and turned. Spitting out a small vial fil

Floor 10… For such a long time, this place was home to Mari. She revelled in the darkness. Navigating the floor with ease compared to others, at the time being one of the few people who had invested in Night Vision. It bought back some bitter memories. A time where she had made a canocopy of potions and cocktails - ones that dull the senses. Uppers, Downers, ones that drew your deepest desires to light… Why did she do all that again? Did she find some kind of enjoyment from it? …Maybe. Mari did have a fascination with experimenting on and with things. Back then, she had fallen s

Thoughts danced across the forefront of her mind as she went over the list again, and again. It didn’t seem right. It felt…wrong. Rarely did she see anyone's name topple her own and yet here it was. At least five times that of her own - Mari lost count after the mid thirties. Oscars name carved out in a gentle blue hue - a far cry from the red stains that his hands and cursor must now hold. Taking a life, even just one - permanently scarred someone. Irreparable damage. Even the most hardened of people would struggle with the concept. Should she reach out to him? See if he is okay? Could she ev

Mari was getting frustrated - it didn’t seem to matter how much of the overly fruity cocktail she drank - the quest just didn’t seem to end. After the third drink her head buzzed - to the point where even shifting it from left to right seemed to make the world spin just that little bit more. 3 drinks? Mari was never such a light weight before - then again. She supposed the quest drinks may have been that little bit stronger. “-so you’ll want to hold on tight.” Before Mari really had a chance to react to his suggestion she stumbled backward, and there was an instant sting of cold -

POST ACTION: DRINK ID: 244761 CD: 12 - FRUITY COCKTAIL “And fully agreed. Let’s see what we manage to salvage from the wreck of this god-forsaken floor, and hope it can keep us hammered for another seventy more.” “You know…that’s probably one of the smartest things you’ve ever said to me.” Mari said to Freyd - the carriage was moving now - and it wasn’t that much longer till they arrived at their destination. Mari grabbed the two extra bottles of wine she had pilfered and pushed off and out of the carriage - with Freyd following not far behind. It was odd… to see

<<POST ACTION: TRAVEL BACK: ID: 244628 LD:19 EVENT SUPPORT ACTION: Spilling Tar on the road to form an obstacle - making the territory difficult for the Spectral Knights to pass. The roaring sky above screamed at them, as though it wished to unleash a vengeance for their transgressions onto the very lands. Mari hoped it would hold, at least long enough for them to get back to the remnants of the tavern. “H-Hey What the fuck do-” Mari wasn’t able to finish her sentence, Freyd had shoved the casket of wine into her lap and Mari struggled to hold onto it, along with the

A solitary figure stood in front of the monument of life, hand outstretched, delicate fingers running over the names of the fallen. Every time Mari came here… she came face to face with her past, again, and again - the several names etched onto the monument forever a testament to her failings. She failed to protect them. She failed to find any sort of peaceful resolution, and in turn had burned down so many lives. Just like that burning fire; an orange crystal silently floated above her. Tinged with the colours of her sins. Alerting other players. This person is not

Freyd had a much more visceral reaction to the strange fish creature - physically gagging at the stench. Mari guessed she was more used to such smells, it was bad but not throwing up on the deck kind of bad. “And can we send him back?” Good question… Since it didn’t seem overly aggressive - Mari carefully flipped her spear around, ensuring she didn’t accidentally poke Freyd in the eye. Then she gave the fish creature two pokes. “Oi. Move.” The blunt end of the spear dipped into his flesh with a sickening SCHLORK and Mari visibly shivered at the feeling of smushy resistance tha

Mari shook her head, "Not just a guess." She chided. "Again, I was in prison." Mari reached out, pointing from one side of the onsen to the other - "I think my cell was probably a little smaller than this area? I think if I were to walk from end to end - it'd take me 5 steps. Not a lot of space. But not like, a lil' closet either." She wasn't sure if her casually talking about her incarceration would be a mood killer or not - so in an attempt to keep the atmosphere lighthearted she kept her voice airy. Mari reached out and placed a single hand on Macradon's head, ruffling his hair. "You're gon

ACTION: unloading the Cargo --placeholder/rolling - ID: 244442 LD:3 Feeling unease, Mari pulled out her spear - usually a two handed weapon she held it in one - using it as a makeshift walking cane. The blade pointed high in the air. Her brow furrowed. It… felt weird to be holding a weapon again. Hell, it even felt weird to just be walking around. Could she even fight? Would she be useful? Mari shook her head. No, don’t let those thoughts get the upper hand. She watched as Freyd questioned her. “Mmm?” It was clear he was working through things. Of course he would figure it out. “As

Mari opened her eyes; and right before her - atop a tall rock formation stood Macradon. She couldn’t help but snort - it was so typical of him. Has he noticed her yet? Mari wasn’t sure, she watched him flex - then flap his arms as though he was a bird. She couldn’t help it, a small snort came from her - followed by a laugh. “He…He can’t be serious…” she muttered to herself. But she already knew that he was. She was waiting for it - waiting for him to jump. Waiting for the splash - but their eyes met - and he hesitated. Instead - Macradon sat down, taking a breather. Why didn’t he jump? Mari ga

Don’t lose your way in your mind We have to be as one Don’t be afraid my sweetheart This is the way to be more strong Mari had yet to properly talk to either Macradon or Baldur - her return had been a whirlwind of emotion and as such…she wasn’t fully able to take a moment to breathe, and to explain everything to them…fully. Mari wanted to get the chance to talk to each of them. Individually, or together. It didn’t matter to her, what did matter..was that they were owed answers. Two years…was a very long time. To be gone from friends, from those who needed her - from what l

As Mari righted herself, airing out the cloak that simply stuck straight back to her skin with a wet schlick she caught what he had said, a small joke. “Barely, passably human?” Mart laughed, a small snort of a laugh. “No, that was you before - now you’re at least…mostly, probably, human.” The two knew each other well enough to know that neither of them really had the capability of function as a full adult. Maybe - if they rubbed their brains together, they would have had half that function back then. He commented about how close the cart had gotten to the ship…not the other way ar

Mari stilled when he mentioned Alkor. Asking more about that fight. That horribly messy fight - where people died and no one should have. “That’s…” Mari kept her gaze out the window as the carriage moved painstakingly slow - driving by an invisible force. “I was there.” She said quietly. There was too much history. Too much pain. Even now, Mari would rather not live it. “I saw it. But -I don't know who told you but- it is not my story to tell.” And it wasn’t. Alkor was a very closed off person, she wasn’t sure if that had changed in the years she had been away. Her tone was quiet, and Mari ver

Mari listened quietly as Freyd talked about the last raid boss; driven mad - oozing. It sounded…similar to other things he had looked into, but for the time being. Mari kept silent, it was best to listen right now - she was oh so very out of the loop. The man before her is a clear tribute to that fact. Just what changed to make him irrevocably more…humane Her mind began to work through the information, cogs and neurons long since dormant started to move, and spark once more. “You know…” She began, “This sounds awfully similar to the things you were looking into earlier.” Mari said pensive