[PP-F7] Where'd you get that stick?

[Corvo 0]

It had been too long since he heard from that pink haired bimbo. Corvo worried about her health, but she let depression swallow her whole. During his time outside Aincrad, he knew too many people who fell into that trap. He knew there was a limit to what he could do for them, and he wasn't wasting the energy to try to force feed them better life practices.

The reality was, people had to make those decisions for themselves. It seemed like Mari was trying to reach out, which meant she might be ready to do just that. Unfortunately for her, the psycho with scarlet hair wasn't much of a confidant.

He was, however, great at parties. Sometimes all you really needed was something to get your motor running. A little liquid life, perhaps, or a rooster to make your night.

Something like that.

Anyway.

Corvo brought up his messenger and typed out something for Mari.

 

To: Mari

Took you long enough to come around. Meet me on Floor Seven, we'll talk. 

-Corvo

[Mari 1]

"If you're looking for that stick, its long gone - sorry sweetheart but you'll need to find something else to entertain yourself with." Came the reply from the ginger haired woman as she approached Corvo from behind, giving him a light tap on the shoulder.

"I just finished up a quest one floor above, so you're lucky I was nearby." Mari commented. She spared him the details of the quest, because she didn't really want to recall everything that just happened in the last few hours ((OOC also that thread just started lel)) "You know..." Mari began as she shifted away from him to lean on the nearest tree trunk. "I'm...actually glad to hear from you, although I admit I am surprised to see you wanted to talk to me. That's a little different." She tilted her head to the side, bright blue eyes staring at him.  "What can I do for you?"

Her gaze shifted to the fields around them. It sure beat the marshy jungle of the floor above them, thats for sure. Mari closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the winds picked up strands of orange as they danced over her lightly freckled face. It...felt good to no longer be cooped up in a cave.

@Corvo

 

STATS
LV 45 | 900HP | 90 Energy

Rank 5 Weapon (+5 DMG)
-Weapon Mod: Precision (+1 ACC)
Rank 3 Charge (+3 Damage -1 ACC)
Charge Mod BULL RUSH: Successful charge stuns target 1 turn
Rank 5 Light Armor (+25 MIT)

WEAPON
Name: Kusanagi | Item Type: Dagger | Tier: 2
Enhancements: Bleed II / Damage II (24 DAM 2 Turns on a roll of 8-10)

ARMOUR
Light armour +2 Eva +1 Savvy

BATTLE READY
5 Healing Potions (50 HP)

 

[Corvo 0]

He turned when he heard her voice and shot a pair of finger guns toward the orange haired woman. "Wouldja lookit that," he bristled. "Ain't you just a picture of sexy?"

The red haired riot let out a barking laugh as he shook his head and turned back around. What a woman. Too bad she was wasted on some dead guy with no libido. He would have loved to take her over the rock not five feet away and-

Nah, Corvo stopped himself. Just because he had spent hours in a shower thinking about it didn't mean it was right. He had to remember what he learned as a kid, about propriety and...

Pshaw.

"Nevermind that. I just wanted to make sure you was doing alright, since you messaged me outta nowhere. Thought you were gonna turn right around and make me the confidant for your suicide note, so I wasn't about to stand around and ignore messages. You're looking a little bit more upbeat though, so I'm not worried about that anymore."

Wonder what's got her so cheery...?

@Mari

[Mari 1]

"Oh I see." Mari said, amusement in her tone. "So pink hair ain't really your thing but a redhead is?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side. "And here I thought you liked me for who I was..." Mari trailed off as she shifted her blue eyes away from him. A hand reached up to tug on her hair as she sighed. "Even if that is me being a total b**tch to you, and to...well everyone really..."

Corvo seemed to be in good spirits, he laughed loudly as he approached her. She had to arc her head up as he towered over her. Leaning his hand on the tree trunk above her. Corvo's eyes sparkled as he mentioned that he thought she was going to go and jump of Aincrad - Mari couldn't lie, she had thought about it, multiple times. "Mmm...No - If I were to do that I would just silently disappear."

Mari cleared her throat. "I - yeh - somethings have happened and I guess it's kinda given me a new lease on life I guess. So uh - what's been keeping you busy these days?"

@Corvo

[Corvo 0]

"Hot stuff, I don't give a damn who's mean to me. People are always goin' to dislike the way I act, because I don't care enough to change. I got friends- some of them gone, some of them waitin' on the outside- but they don't judge me. Those people are the ones that matter." 

He reached up with one hand to take her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "There you go again, thinkin' you're gonna get anywhere with that strong silent s***. Didn't get him nowhere, ain't gonna get you any further. Don't think about throwing away your life. That ain't doin' nothin' for no one."

He looked up now to her cursor, close to his face. "If yer thinkin' anything's gonna change before you show some effort, the people trapped in here with you ain't gonna let you forget. Some of them won't even let you forget after you've put forth that effort. Killin's killin, no matter how good your intentions were. That don't mean you gotta die- hell no, honestly, dyin' spits in the face of all those people you killed. You wanna make good with them, you gotta do something incredible. Save some lives. Make a difference."

He shrugged and turned away. "But what do I know?" he laughed loudly. "Nobody in this place means nothin' to me. None of my friends are here. The ones that are died or disappeared."

@Mari

Edited December 30, 2019 by Corvo

[Mari 1]

Mari snorted as Corvo stated in not so many words that people could either take him or leave him and essentially f**k the ones who had an issue with how he behaved. "Actually Corvo - I kinda like the way you act. It's like a breath of fresh air..." She shifted her gaze up and down his form, then stifled a laugh. "Err, a crass blast of fresh air, bust still...welcomed nonetheless." And it was true. Everyone, everything had been so suffocating lately, even more so recently, Mari was trying so hard not to step on people's toes, trying not to say or do the wrong thing. Mari normally didn't care about that sort of thing, but somewhere along the way - she was swept up in everything and started to play along to other peoples tunes. "It's sorta-"

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his fingers against her chin, tilting her face upward, and whatever words she had planned to say were long gone. "Y-You know..." Mari mumbled, suddenly feeling very hot in the face, why was that? "I think I really needed to hear that." Mari exhaled as he turned away. "I don't plan on throwing my life away. I'm working toward taking Redemption. Whether I survive that or not - is another story, but I'm not going to give up that easily."

Corvo turned away, mentioning about those who he had lost. Mari wasn't sure if he knew Arc was in the game or not. And she had promised Alkor that she'd let him approach Corvo in his own time, but seeing this? Mari didn't feel it was right to keep one of his best friends in the dark. "You know Thom's alive- I only found out recently." Mari said. She knew Alkor probably didn't want her to tell him, but Corvo had a right to know. If Alkor had a problem with it, he'd have to deal with it. "So..." She crossed her arms over her chest, still feeling flustered. "That's one person you care about still floating around, ain't it? And for the record -I think you know a fair bit, yanno?"

@Corvo

Edited December 30, 2019 by Mari

[Corvo 0]

There was a fire in the pit of his gut when she said those words. He tried to ignore them, but he was already ignited. Anger, the fouled kind of anger burned under his skin and boiled his blood. One of his friends was in that world alive and hadn't even bothered to reach out. It was bad enough hearing that he'd died. He'd been able to digest that, slowly, but the bile that lined his throat when the facts came back, Alkor was alive?

Years of their lives had been wasted in this world. He wasn't the gamer that the others were, he had a family and a life outside of SAO. He had grown to resent some of his very best friends because they had badgered him endlessly until he finally spent the money and resolved to play the world's first VRMMO, and now, here he was. He had almost forgiven the Captain.

Now, he never would.

Or maybe, she was lying. 

Who knew with people in this world. He learned early on that no one could be trusted. Was she any different? Was she just someone else inside this world playing at victim? A spider with a man in her web, ready to envenom him and peel the flesh from his bone? He had so many trust issues, now.

"I don't want to talk about that," he said flatly.

"This ain't about me, no need to make it that way. I'm glad to hear that you haven't got any particular death wishes, because it'd be a god damn shame to lose that fine ass of yours. It's one of the few truly beautiful things in this God forsaken world."

He said that with such blunt, humorless honesty you'd believe his conviction came from on high. 

[Mari 1]

Mari blinked at his sudden, abrupt, flat retort. Did she hit a nerve? Mari pursed her lips. Was he okay. He seemed bothered. Mari was too when she found out. Bothered that he had come back, but not said anything to her - but, she could easily guess he hadn't told anyone. She couldn't blame the guy. But - it was a bit of an ass move. To not even tell his closet friends of how many years? Still - Mari figured they'd all make their amends in due time. Alkor would approach Corvo in due time.

"Well - if he doesn't approach you in say, a few months - let me know. I'll find him and drag him through town wearin' all pink on a leash." Mari said with a wry grin.  She hoped she wouldn't need to make good on her bet - going through town was the last thing she wanted. Dragging Alkor around with a leash, hmm - maybe not that bad but.

(Somewhere, Alkor sneezed)

Mari didn't linger on the topic - its what neither of them needed right now. "I don't have any death wishes." Mari retorted. "I never reall-" She stopped and bristled. Cheeks bright red when he commented on her body. Did she? Wait, Did she? Mari whipped her head around to try to glance at her own postieror. She knew she wasn't skinny. She had thick thighs and wide hips - but. BUTT...

Mari turned her attention back to Corvo. What the hell was she supposed to say to that? And the way he had said it. It wasn't accompanied by finger guns or a wink. "Please." Mari scoffed as she finally regained her composure, pushing herself off and away from the tree. "We haven't seen each other in months, ya must be remembering wrong. C'mon, I'm feeling restless - let's walk and talk."

@Corvo

 

[Corvo 0]

"Nah, don't bother. If he can't be fucked to reach out, I got nothing to say to him."

Really, it was open and shut. The captain had never been a talkative guy, and Corvo and he only got along in small doses. Arc had been the outgoing one, the glue that kept everything together while Alkor led the pack against impossible odds. The brains, but definitely not the face of the party, or the motivational speaker. With that in the past, it left the crow to his own devices. Aincrad was a new beast, but it had all the different primal aspects of the old ones. Stats, levels, skills...

What made it better, really, was the company. "I got nothin' if not my memory, babe," he chided her gently, "and lemme tell you, when I'm real lonely, I'm glad I remember you." Corvo shot her a quick, flirty wink as he walked past her and started along the path. She wanted to walk and talk? Walk and talk they would.

"Too bad I don't have anything extra special to remember," he called back over his shoulder. "I'd keep you like one of the best secrets. Anyway, whats on your mind?" he asked.

[Mari 1]

Mari shrugged at Corvo's crass and cavalier response in regards to Alkor. She wished she could feel the same flippant way. Gods knew she needed that hard kick up the rear sometimes. Her lips quirked into a half smile at the simplicity of it. Perhaps that's why Mari found it easy to talk to Corvo. It was simple. No eggshells to walk over, no wondering if she was saying the right thing or not. No unspoken words to fester. 

With Corvo. You got what you got.

"Let's pray you never get too lonely then." Mari shot back as she nudged his arm with her elbow. "Lest I be in your nightmares."  His flirt went over her head. It was probably for the best. Who knows how Mari would have reacted with such a brazen statement. It made his next one all the more puzzling to the woman.

"Too bad I don't have anything extra special to remember-"

Mari caught up to him with a few quickened steps then slowed to match his pace. "Why not make something to remember then?" Her offer felt simple, earnest - if only she knew. If only.

Mari shrugged when Corvo asked what was on her mind. "Honestly? Everything, yet nothing. Gods..." She ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. "That's a crappy answer - I mean - I guess it feels weird to be out walkin' around again and not all cooped up. I'm just tryin' to get my bearings again. It feels like the world just zoomed right past me when I was all holed up and now I gotta make up for lost time, so Im trying to reach out to people who I give a damn about.."

[Corvo 0]

When he fully realized how dense she'd been about his flirtation, he blinked once, slowly. Corvo wasn't in the business of repeating himself because someone was slow on the uptake, so either Mari wasn't buying what he was selling or she flat out had too much on her mind. Either way, he exhaled quietly through the edge of his lips and discarded the silliness. It was his favored weapon, that wit, and yet it served no purpose with someone who was too far receded into their own thoughts. 

If she'd meant it, how would he have responded, though? Was he actually interested, or did he only flirt with her at face value? It was always hard for him to tell where the face began and ended. Evan had decided long ago that Aincrad didn't deserve the real him. Not like Alkor, not like someone who wanted to be someone else, but as someone so offended by his situation that his only response was self-preservation by constantly remembering, constantly holing himself away and being reminded of a family he couldn't go back to.

It was his blessing. It was his curse. Yet, for a moment here, he connected with this girl, just as spurned by his own friends as he was. Maybe it wouldn't have been bad. Maybe they could have done something, one time, two times. Would it mean anything?

Did anything?

His thousand yard stare answered her question as he lit up his pipe and took a long, deep hit. "The hardest part for me has always been pretending I do care," he admitted. "Maybe about my friends, I do, but people who don't respect me, who can't value my friendship, those ain't friends. They don't deserve to make me hurt." He blew out a plume of black like a dragon, tendrils of smog roiling from his nostrils. "So if there is something you care about, if there are people who deserve that, then they're going to take the time and give you the patience you deserve. That's how family and friends are supposed to be. That's how I was raised."

He finally looked her way, and for a moment, she seemed like the kind of pretty that would give him pause.

Then, he glanced away..

"You have time, is my point. If anyone expects you to be up to snuff straightaway, fuck 'em."

[Mari 1]

Mari was about ready to wave her hand in front of his face - his blue eyes seemed to stare off into the distance, Mari gave Corvo a worried look, a part of her wanted to ask him if he were okay, another, too terrified to ask and make that connection, that same mistake that she had made too many times before.

"Damn. Wish I had that kinda resolve." Mari said with a sigh. "I did, for a while - but it kinda made me the most wanted around these parts for a while..." It was hard to forget, having the top guild wanting her dead. Threatening to end her life if she so much as set foot on the very front-lines that fought to get out of here. Mari rolled her eyes, mumbling irritated words beneath her breath. "Like some assholes ego is more important than gettin' everyone else otta here..." Mari shook her head. It was stupid. Utterly stupid.

The plume of black smoke startled Mari - had he lit up something without her looking? Probably. But - was there a reason? It's not like it'd affect anything in here. The system made sure of that. Mari turned her head back to him. "Yeh...That's how they're supposed to be." Mari repeated - the seething skeptism barely hidden. "But-" Mari didn't finish her sentence. She figured he didn't need the negativity. Why tell him that people didn't do that? He seemed like he got that already. Instead, she gave him a wry grin.

"But-" She changed her tone, teasingly so. "Is that some well intentioned advice I hear?"

@Corvo

Edited October 3, 2020 by Mari

[Corvo 0]

"Mmm mmm," he shook his head vehemently as he gagged on the smoke he had only just begun to inhale. The ensuing coughing fit stalled his next words for several seconds before he finally completed the thought for her. "Nope. No way. Advice ain't in my wheelhouse, sugartits. 'Specially not unsolicited advice. People tend to get real mad when you try to tell 'em how to live, or  criticize them in any way at all. Perspective, though?" 

Corvo took a deep breath to cleanse himself, eyes shut. When he exhaled, he let out a throaty, elongated "yeaaaaaaah. Now, Perspective I've got for ya all day." The foul-mouthed firebrand leveled a single eye on the lass as he returned the pipe to its rightful place in his jaw and began to walk once more, arms crossed behind his head now. "Regarding the ego, for instance. Ain't more sore a topic for a man than to hear he's second rate. Don't matter if you're sayin' his dong is small, or even if what you're saying is true. The ego is so important to these people that they forget what matters. Cult of personality, and all that."

He paused for a moment to reflect. There was a bitterness about him that wanted this world to end, but for Corvo, that didn't measure up to risking his life. He was no different from those people with fragile, misguided morality. When it came down to it,, his self-preservation far outweighed his desire to help anyone free themselves from Aincrad.

And for that reason, he wouldn't speak in condemnation of them.

"...for some folks, their ego's all they've got, y'know?"

[Mari 1]

"W-whoa." Mari reached out to Corvo, her hand running up and down his back. "Of all the things to choke on I'd doubt you'd wanna go down on smoke." Mari chided. She personally wasn't a big fan of smokers - high rollers with fat thousand dollar cigars that seemed no different to a $10 one. Made little sense to Mari, but she knew how important these things were to people. Not smokes - but things that reminded them of home, of the world outside. Mari gave Corvo's shoulder a final squeeze before pulling away from him. 

"S-Sugar what?" Mari said exasperated. She coughed and shot Corvo a look. Always crass this one - Mari almost forgot just how crass he could be. "I...I have a name you know!" Mari sighed. "T-Then what does that make you?" She retorted. Mari could feel his eyes on her, silently awaiting some sort of snappy comeback. An answer. Crap. Mari couldn't think of one. "Bitter nips!" She said. "Cause you're -ugh...Maybe knife tits?" 

Mari paused to step over a particularly large fallen trunk. Damn humid forest. She readjusted herself - feeling sweaty - if it weren't for the current company, she'd have high tailed it out of there to the nearest staircase down.

"Mmm Maybe we should agree to disagree - cause damn. Some people need to be slapped. It's like a child screaming that they're king of the mountain. Then again... I suppose a lotta people here are just kids."

[Corvo 0]

The reality for Corvo was that he wanted his character to be so far departed from the person he actually was, this world wouldn't know anything about who he really was. It stole his face,  it stole years of his life. He wouldn't give himself over to it. That was whybhe sucked on the pipe so religiously. It was his small, stupid form of rebellion. Even Aincead couldn't take that away from him. So, when someone showed an inkling of kindness, it unnerved him.

Because for all the foul words that he said, for as vile as he got, on the inside, Evan was a compassionate person, and he found kinship with others who were kind. Corvo wasn't- he couldn't let it show, not to anyone, especially not to Mari- but he didn't hate this woman.

"Don't try too hard," he warned. "Pretty sure I can see smoke coming out yer ears."

He watched with far too much interest as she adjusted her clothing, and leaned forward to see just how much he could see. Before she got a chance to catch him in the act, though, he bolted upright and ran his fingers through his hair. "Honestly, I'd worry less about what other people have to say or think and worry more about giving them the slaps when they deserve them. Ain't no one saying you can't, and they won't learn shit if no one corrects 'em."

Whether or not he agreed they should be corrected, Mari deserved to know that just because he wasn't wrong didn't mean she was. People's egos were fragile, sure, but that wasn't a license to treat others like dicks. There was a fine line, and a slap didn't cross it.

"Try not to get the chillin's too excited with all that slapping, though," he winked. "I admit, I had a good time imagining it."

[Mari 1]

'you..." Mari shook her head. This crazy ass man drained her. "I was worried about you for a moment there, yanno." Mari offered, genuine concern in her tone. She was pretty sure you couldn't die from choking. But nothing was set in stone here.

 

"But YOU-" her concern was followed by a sharp jab in his side. "You're just a crass lil' bastard. Eh?" She gave him another for good measure, offering Corvo a wry grin. "I should slap you too.  But you just admitted you'd enjoy it." Mari turned on her heel, and started walking backwards so she could keep an eye on him. "I'd have to charge you then!"

 

"But, that's kinda what I like about you too. I'm sick of walking on egg shells trying to placate everyone. You're like a breath of fresh air. Fresh...err.. nasty smokey air. And then there's your friend." Mari paused. The subject of alkor was touchy. "Someone should pull the stick out his booty too. " She finally offered with a small laugh.

 

This..

It was nice.

 

Edited October 4, 2020 by Mari

[Corvo 0]

He let out a bedraggled moan that sounded almost effeminate as she struck him. His body appeared to quiver, and he caressed himself in both arms to punctuate the ridiculous nature of his antics. If one didn't put on a show, could they really ever call themselves masochistic? Well, sure they could- they just couldn't use it to mess with anybody.

"Oh YEAH," he growled, shooting a wink toward the orange haired woman. "You really did hit me baby one more time." Corvo cackled. "I'll pay for the service, if I must. What're you charging?" he asked. Then, he leaned extra close and whispered, "I bet you could use some-"

Right before the word could come out of his mouth, Mari brought the topic back round to the Captain. He clamped his mouth shut and backed off, heaving a sigh. "Y'know, you edge me real good then you drop me to flaccid in an instant when you talk about that guy. Its a real buzzkill," his voice had gone almost flat, almost monotone. "I get it. Its tough to move past someone who never really gave you a chance to move on. But just because I used to know a guy, do I really have to keep hearing about him when the topic's really fuckin' sore?"

Just when he thought there might be something, the shade of Alkor loomed. Mari was great- and for a second, he almost wanted to take her right over to the inn and give her a routine check up: but the mood soured just as quickly, and he was reminded that this girl had a force field he'd never penetrate.

Friend's ex. Ex-friend's ex. Even more awkward.

Edited October 4, 2020 by Corvo

[Mari 1]

"jeez...." Mari nudged his knee with her foot. "I never took you for such a bottom. Look at those reactions." She joked with another nudge to his knee. Mari almost tripped over when he leaned in close. Bright red colours flushed her face.

"I uh..buh- Idontknowif- you can- can you? In here!?"

And there it was.

Crap.

Mari thought they could share a laugh at the expense of someone they both knew. But everything kind of...

"Heh." Mari pressed a hand to her temple. Flaccid was right. In a weird way. "Right. No. Yeh. Fuck. You're right." Mari shook her head. "I'm sorry I just thought hey, let's poke some fun at this guy we both know. But I -" Mari shook her head. Damn. She knew it was a touchy subject yet she did it anyway. 

"Shit. Sorry Corvo. I know it's worth crap all but- anything I can do to make up for that?"

[Corvo 0]

"Nah, it's fine." he waved her off and largely let her words fall where they would. He knew exactly where she was, hung up on things with her ex. Probably better than she did, because Alkor wasn't good with anyone, let alone girls. He didn't even know where to begin feeling sorry for Mari in that regard. But, he wasn't about to broach the topic again.

For Corvo and Mari, he was a topic that they shouldn't discuss. At least for now. Not while the wound was fresh. Not while she was healing, and while he was still hurting from the loss of a friendship he thought meant more.

"I think I'm tired after all that goofing off, honestly," he said. It may have been a lie, but the cure to some awkward situations was bringing them to an end. "Probably gonna head back to the inn I've been staying at and catch a good, long nap." It wasn't quite the excursion he'd had in mind several minutes before, but now, Corvo didn't really want the company..

"I hope things get better with those assholes. Maybe you'll get things figured out before we talk again. If not, well, you managed to message me once, maybe you'll manage to do it again."

[Mari 1]

It wasn't fine. Mari didn't like leaving things like that, how she had been the reason that the entire mood had dropped. All because of one stupid off-handed comment. She should have kept her mouth shut, known better - but in typical Mari fashion she never really knew the right thing to say. "Is it though..." Mari wandered aloud as she stepped to the side to allow Corvo to pass. She wouldn't press him further on the topic though. Mari knew if the positions were reversed she'd hate someone trying to butt in like that. Instead of focusing on that she shifted the topic.

"In an Inn....Damn - I miss actual beds." Mari admitted. But, hey, she rarely had the luxury of sleeping. Let alone napping. "Maybe..." Mari said quietly as she turned to follow Corvo for a few steps - "But hey, for what its  worth Corvo - it was good seeing you again. I'd rather not be a stranger," And Mari meant that, genuinely and truly meant that. It was nice...being able to converse with someone like that. Even if some of the topic matters were....ahem things that Mari wasn't all too comfortable nor familiar with. 

She hesitated- Mari had already messed up once, who was to say that she'd do it again? Then again - what did it matter - Corvo was already pissed with her, so what would the difference be? Hatred, maybe. Whatever. 

Mari wanted one person where she didn't have to second guess every little action, no walking on eggshells, no diffusing ticking bombs. 

So, before he could completely walk away, Mari - in perhaps what was the most awkward side hug ever, reached out to the man, her hand snaking around his waist as she squeezed him, her head pausing to rest on his shoulder. "Thanks." And with that single word she let go.

Maybe they would see each other again. Maybe things would be different. Better.

Who knew.