F02 - Orange Ain’t Bad, I Guess? {PP}

[Ronnel 0]

F02 - Orange Ain’t Bad, I Guess?

 

NB: Any bunnying in this thread has been approved by both parties

 

The forest was thick and heavy, the air clinging to Ronnel as he pushed through. He’d been out exploring, trying to get a feeling for actually moving and doing things, and now he was… Well. Lost. He knew if he picked a direction and just started walking in it he would eventually find his way out of the forest, but the problem was - he’d tried that. And he’d made sure to mark one of the trees as he went along. The problem was…. Now he was staring at that mark again. For the third time.

 

“Well, crap.” He breathed in deep and let it out slowly. He was going in circles in these woods. And he didn't even know where he was getting turned around! He puffed out a breath of frustration and sharply turned on one heel, stomping in a different direction than he'd been going in originally. If his original path wasn't working, then taking a new path would just be what he had to do! 

[Mari 1]

The man practically walked into her, apparently not paying attention. He was nearly two heads taller than her, with short cropped dark brown hair and eyes that were currently scanning the tree line above him. He seemed to be wearing nothing special - cheap, flimsy ill-fitted leather armor, and a spear that looked like it was barely better than an NPC would be using.

“What the flying f**k?” Mari said as she took a few steps back. Black boots crunching leaves and sticks beneath her. The woman quickly brushed herself off. Mari was trying to distance herself from the whole ‘Pink PKer’ status thing, and rather than running around in high quality armour Mari simply wore a large black sweater, its sleeves covering her hands leaving only her fingertips showing. The bottom hung loosely, just above her knees. It covered the low tier armour she wore and her demonic dagger. Mari blinked, staring back at him.

“Are you gonna apologize?” She asked incredulously.  “Yanno, S-O-R-R-Y?”
 

[Ronnel 0]

"Ah?" Ronnel blinked and jerked backwards when he heard a voice from almost directly in front of him. He'd been looking up at the trees, trying to use the sun above to keep himself walking in a straight line, so had not really been looking down where he was going. So - the voice caught him off guard. 

 

His eyes tracked downwards - and with a full body jolt he threw himself backwards as he caught sight of the orange marker. "Ah! Oh christ, please don't kill me!" He scrambled backwards, scooping up his spear and trembling as he pointed it in her general direction. He had no idea where the player killer had come from and he could feel icy sweat dripping down his back as he stared at the woman. 

 

Fiery orange hair sat above cool blue eyes, set into a freckle-spackled face. Those eyes were currently staring at him with an irritated, annoyed gaze. He swallowed nervously. 

Edited December 26, 2019 by Ronnel

[Mari 1]

Mari raised her eyebrow as he immediately backtracked and slung his spear forward in shaky hands. Is this guy for real?

“Ok, for starters- good call on jumping back when seeing someone with an orange crystal. But drawing your weapon is f**king stupid. You know that is an invitation for them to attack right?” Mari stepped forward and batted the spear away. “Don’t engage, just run - or teleport out of there if you feel like you’re going to be attacked.”

Mari sighed. “I’m...not going to attack you. You can take my word as is, or you can turn and run.” Mari pointed to the right. “The Town of Begining’s is back that way, if you trust my words, that is.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You still owe me that apology by the by, newbie.”

Mari had to wonder just what the hell someone like him was doing out here wandering around the forest - his gear and clear lack of basic fighting ability didn’t bother her, this was the lower floors - but how scared he was. Mari gripped her arms and shifted her gaze away. He was absolutely terrified. Just what would he think or say if he heard her name? Would he just be another to call her a monster?
 

[Ronnel 0]

"I…. Sorry?" He blinked twice, then shook his head. Right. He wasn't outright dead so maybe there was a chance she was being honest about not wanting to kill him? He coughed and used his spear to stand himself back up, brushing dirt from his legs. Right - right if she wanted him dead, offering even backhanded complimentary advice wouldn't have been what she did. 

 

"Sorry about that. I'm just a bit lost here, so I was trying to figure out where I was getting turned around. Thanks for the direction back to town." Without the imminent threat of death hanging over his head, the tension in his chest eased. He gave her a smile and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he tossed his spear into his inventory and offered his hand with a sheepish grin. 

 

"My name is Ronnel. Sorry, I should know better than to judge off immediate appearances." He wasn't dumb enough to tell her that he didn't even have any teleport crystals - while he was willing to trust that she wasn't going to kill him immediately, that didn't mean she wasn't going to just snap and attack him randomly.

[Mari 1]

The man seemed to get some backbone, keyword being some as he straightened himself up with a cough. Putting away his spear. “You’re getting lost here?” Mari frowned. “You know Nepents and Variants spawn around these parts, right? They’re fine on their own but two or more, and it could be a problem for you.”

Then, an idea formed in her head. Her eyes travelled up and down his form then to the nervous look in his eyes. “You know, I could help you with some quests, get you to a point where you won’t fall flat on your ass and die - in exchange I’d want Col - or food from town.”
 

Mari shook her head, ginger bangs dancing to and fro above her shoulders. “Don’t apologize for being wary of a murderer. It’s only fair.” She stepped forward and held out her hand to finally shake his. “I’m Mari - how does my proposition sound to you?”

[Ronnel 0]

"I actually kinda came out here looking for Nepents, but I hadn't heard about variants of them." He coughed and rubbed his head before listening to her. Truth be told it wasn't necessarily a terrible trade. He frowned slightly though. That name was… Familiar for some reason. He chewed his lip as he tried to remember where from. 

 

Wait. Mari. His eyes snapped to the orange gem for a moment. "Ah." The Pink Pker. Her name was on the Monument several times from what he'd seen, tied always to player deaths. A lump formed in the back of his throat. But - she hadn't attacked him out of hand. If she was as ruthless as people liked to claim she was, then wouldn't he already be dead? He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. 

 

"You, ah haven't been eating well I take it then?" To give him time to think he tried to prompt her to talk about herself a little bit while he mulled the offer over. 

Edited December 26, 2019 by Ronnel

[Mari 1]

Mari took a step back away from him. “No, I don’t eat well. I can’t step foot in town without being slaughtered by the Guard NPCs - and its rare for any decent cooks to set up shops that are PKer accessible.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “It’s not something I mind too much...It’s what anyone who bears a orange crystal deserves, really.”

A silence fell between the two. Mari wasn’t sure if he had accepted her offer or not - he simply asked if she ate well. “Eating well, sleeping on a bed, a roof over your head. These are the sort of things taken away from you - and yet we’re still able to roam free.”

A hand reached up to start tugging on her orange bangs. “I’m waiting on someone to help… with the Redemption quest but until then… I have to continue like this.” Mari shrugged. “But - there is little reason to dwell on that. Now, did you agree or not?”

[Ronnel 0]

 

"That's… Kind of stupid though isn't it?" Ronnel frowned deeply as he rubbed his chin. "Like - I get it if you're just playing a game normally but - we're trapped in this d**n death game. I know you can't DIE from not eating but - gods that would be miserable." He looked up to her and took a deep breath. In the real world, even convicted murderers still got three hot meals a day, and a safe place to sleep. To be forced to suffer whatever scraps you could scrounge, or just deal with the gnawing in your stomach… 

 

"Yes. Yes, I accept." He gave her a tight smile. "Here." It took a moment to fumble with the menus - he was still getting used to them after all but.. There. He looked up as he sent the Friend Invite over to her. It was probably a bit stupid, to offer her information on his location like this, but he didn't care. 

 

Maybe she was playing the long con and planned to kill him later but so far she hadn't been anything but - well, curt and abrupt, but also helpful.

Edited December 26, 2019 by Ronnel

[Mari 1]

Mari shrugged when he commented about how stupid it was to have PKers ostracised like that. To her, it was normal. She had spent more time with this orange crystal in game than when it was green. The woman absently kicked at the ground. She tried to relate to his words but just didn’t really have it in her to agree. And Mari was doing her best to be hospitable - so kept her mouth shut. It wasn’t until he awkwardly fumbled his way into sending her a friend request that she spoke up.

“You shouldn’t readily hand these out.” Mari said.

"Should I just believe the rumors then? Because to be completely honest, you don't strike me as cold blooded as people want to make you out to be." Came the almost droll response. 

Mari’s eyes narrowed. “f**king smartass.” She hissed. If it weren’t for her hunger she’d have declined his invite then and there out of spite. Instead she hit accept and veered to the left. “Come on then, smartass. I’ll lead you outta here - then you go into town. Get all the quests from the first floor, then the second.”

[Ronnel 0]

 

"Alright." Ronnel let out a soft breath. He'd been almost testing her right then. When people were provoked they'd sometimes show their true colors, and so he'd done his best without being outright insulting to smart off to her. And all she'd done was get more irritated and insult him. And, more importantly, accepted the invite. 

 

"Ah. Here." He didn't have much - just some of the ready travel food but - it was at least decent quality. A slight flash filled the area as he pulled an oats/nuts bar from his inventory. 

 

“Keep it.” Came her response as she continued walking forward. “I want a proper meal.” He snorted. 

 

"Take it as a down payment then." He hefted the food bar in his hand then lobbed it over her shoulder. "Because I'm going to get you that, too." It just wasn’t right - food was crucial even for those trapped in this accursed game.

Edited December 26, 2019 by Ronnel

[Mari 1]

“What the….” Mari watched as the food bar Ronnel threw flew past her head, uselessly bounced off a tree then fell to the floor before disintegrating. Did he have a death wish? Was he trying her patience on purpose? Why would he do such an idiotic and wasteful thing?

Mari clenched her fists and took a deep breath, she was trying hard to be hospitable but this guy was being an outright little sh*t. “You got a death wish?” Mari asked as she turned on her heel to approach him.

Ronnel took a few steps back, Mari quickly broached the gap and grabbed him by the cuff of his collared shirt, white - basic. Clearly he never bothered to update even his clothing. “Listen here you f**king [censored]. I’m trying to do something nice - I can very well leave you here to wander the forest - what’s another name on the monument?” She hissed at him before jerking him away. “People here have short fuses, and foolishly draw weapons on each other all the time without thought. Even you did it.” She left her words there, let the idiot figure it out for himself.

Realistically, Mari didn’t want to see another life wasted - but she really had to hammer home just how foolish he was being. Throwing food bars at another player? One he clearly recognized from the monument of life?
 

[Ronnel 0]

Ronnel drew in a deep breath and let it hiss out between clenched teeth as he forced his spine to relax from the sudden vehemence. He'd thought that tossing it clear of her would make it clear it wasn't intended to be any kind of ill will but - he'd forgotten to remember the fact that she was an orange player. Of course she'd be more high strung than a normal player was. 

"Sorry." He ground out finally. "I - it doesn't matter." He shook his head from side to side, short cropped dark hair swaying as he did. Deep breath in, and he straightened out his clothes with a tug at the waistline. For a moment when she had grabbed him he'd thought that his innocuous attempt at giving her food was going to be what provoked her into gutting him but - it seemed not. He drew in on himself, chewing his lip for a moment before deflating slightly. 

She was right. More so - she was orange and he was green. From what he knew there was no penalty for greens to attack orange players, so for all she knew he had been attacking her. He shook his head again. 
 

[Mari 1]

Mari lead Ronnel through the forest, they were close to the exit now, up ahead was a small glade - clearly looked after. A small beam of sunlight shone through the treetops illuminating a tiny marker that looked as though it were a gravesite. Two thick twigs had been strung together with twine. A daisy chain had been wrapped around it, decorating it with yellow and white flowers. Beneath the marker was what looked like burnt down incense sticks, and littered around the entire area were flower petals.

Mari glanced at the scene, eyes lingering for a few brief moments. She was glad… that she had chosen to return here regularly, the place no longer looked unkempt and decrepit. Now, now...it was a place deserving of her daughters resting place.

Mari sighed as she gestured for Ronnel to continue. “C’mon - it’s just past the next thicket of trees.” Mari wasn’t one for small talk, and if Ronnel was going to keep quiet, then she would too. The woman didn’t like forcing others to talk out of ‘social etiquette’ or what have you. She didn’t feel comfortable being forced to do so either.

So him being more or less silent was a bit of a relief to her.

[Ronnel 0]

Ronnel paused as she moved forward, hesitating for just a moment. This.. This spot wasn't like the rest of the forest that they'd been traveling through. This part looked tidy, neat - and when his eyes caught the small marker with yellow flowers wrapped around it he felt a sharp pang. This was a grave. Had he inadvertently stumbled onto this PKer while she was mourning someone? He chewed his lower lip for a second before resuming his pace. 

 

No. No, he was not going to bring this up. They'd only been in this death game for a couple of years now. If this was the grave of someone she cared about, and from the way she slowed as she turned her head in this direction it may very well be, then the death was still recent. Still fresh and painful. If he brought it up now - well. Her surprising patience for an orange player might very well hit its limit, and he would hit the ground shortly thereafter. 

But it just reinforced in his mind that there was something going on with Mari. If she was as cold blooded as the rumors of mass murder made her out to be then she would never have begun to care about some grave in the forest, no matter what its connection to her might have been. She was becoming an engima, a mystery, and he just knew if he let it it would fester in his mind. 

[Mari 1]

He still hadn’t said a word, that was good, right? Mari liked silence. She didn’t like inane chatter - he had been silent ever since he idiotically threw that food bar at her. Mari kept telling herself she needed to reach out to others and make more friends. That’s what Alkor wanted...that’s what Macradon suggested. So why did she find it so hard?

Just saying ‘hi, nice to meet you’ felt like she was pulling her own teeth out. Why should she make such an effort when it was clear everyone thought she was a f**king monster? Wouldn’t it be easier just to live up to the name and be feared? She had tried to do that but it felt wrong…

Isolating herself for years felt...right, but it was desolate and terribly lonely. Now… Now Alkor was back, and she was learning that it was okay to trust people. It was ok to open up to them, right? Even if the last person she opened up to and befriended literally tried to stab her in the back.

Mari scoffed as they neared the end of the forest - they could see the plains before them now. “If you get lost again, just follow the river - either way it’ll take you out the forest.”
 

[Ronnel 0]

The forest thinned around them as the two walked, the air between them still tense and awkward. Ronnel had tried a couple times to strike up conversation with the orange-gemmed player, but by and large she remained tight lipped on things. Still though, she did give him small points of advice as they made their way through the woods. Mostly in the form of "don't do that, you'll get hurt for being an idiot if you do that." Minus the half a dozen swear words she dropped.

 

Weirdly enough, he appreciated it more than he would have saccharine-sweet advice. He'd had enough of that from his family trying to cajol him into following in their footsteps, he didn't need even more reminders of it now. Her abrasive nature was refreshing. 

 

"Alright. This is as far as I can take you. The town is just over there - much closer and the guards will be on me." She deadpanned, turning those cold blue eyes towards him. Ronnel grimaced at the reminder that his current teammate was someone who had killed players on the past. It was one of the topics she had remained silent on when he tentatively asked. 

 

"Ok." He took a breath and focused himself. "Right. What would you like to eat? Tell me three meals, I'll do my best to get them."

Edited December 26, 2019 by Ronnel

[Mari 1]

Ronnel had meekly asked what kind of food she wanted, asking her to provide him three options. Now she was presented with the question, Mari wasn’t sure what exactly she should use. Something that would last, something she could enjoy…
 

“Anything with chicken in it. Bonus if I get something fried.” Mari said as she held up one hand, lifting a slender finger with each option she chose. “Some fresh bread and whipped butter, finally something like dried meats - pork jerky with seasoning or something. I’m not too fussy.”

"That all should be easy enough." He rubbed his chin with one hand as he tapped in the air with the other - probably noting the things for later.

Mari turned her eyes away from the dark haired man. Despite bein tall and broad shouldered he seemed awfully….meek. How the hell he managed to survive here thus far was a complete mystery to the woman. “Don’t die between here and there.” Mari said as she turned from him.

“There were a few boulders we passed, I’ll sit on one of them and wait for you.”

Mari gave him a backhanded wave. “Seriously, don’t die”

[Ronnel 0]

Ronnel flicked the last of the dialogues closed with a deep breath. He'd gone through and hunted down every quest he could feasibly start at the moment - Mari did NOT seem like the type to accept charity, and would probably resent him for wasting time. While he'd been working on picking those up he had also collected a small assortment of dried jerkies, poultry fried and non , including some teriyaki kebabs that he was currently munching on, and the freshest bread and butter he could find.

Ronnel stopped when he heard the chatter, her name ringing in his ears.

“The Pink PKer has been seen around these parts. I hear she’s been on the prowl for new players.”

“What? Why?”

The other girl shrugged. “Probably to lure them into something or kill them. You don’t get that many names on the monument by ‘accident’ “

“Should we try to get a bounty on her or something?”

Ronnel had wanted to hear more, but the two were walking in the opposite direction of him, and whatever else they said on the matter was out of earshot. 

 

And for a moment, he hesitated. He could turn around, call out to them. Tell them. He knew where she would be, help claim a bounty. But - he'd been where she was. Alone. No one to rely on, or at least it seemed that way. He exhaled slowly and ground his teeth before resolutely striding back along his path. 

 

He'd have to warn her that people were growing suspicious and believed she was in the area. Even if she didn't care, being attacked was bad news for everyone involved.
 

[Mari 1]

Mari was sitting on a boulder, cross legged. Her hands were resting in her lap, scrunching up the hem of her jumper. Mari felt...awkward being this close to the town, out in the open. Her orange hair shielded her eyes as she turned her head down to stare at the space between her legs. “What the hell am I doing?” She asked herself.  This scared little man probably wouldn’t come back. He was barely able to stand walking to town with her, let alone accepting quests.

Maybe she should have just asked Macradon for help in getting her food. But he was already doing so much for her, trying to find people to take the redemption quest with her - and getting her battle ready items - she cuoldn’t do that to him, the woman already felt like enough of a burden. Then there was Alkor - she loved him dearly - but as to what he felt toward her, she wasn’t sure. He told her he cared about her deeply but couldn’t elaborate further on that. None of the messages she had sent him had been answered.

“Oh Thom…” Mari whispered as she bought her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself to hug them close to her. She burried her face into knees. “I miss you…” Did he miss her? Did he want to even see her?

Mari wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t…

"Jerky? Or would you prefer a kebab?" The voice was soft, as if trying not to interrupt her. Faintly familiar. 

“Mmm?” Mari lifted her eyes from her knees. “Ah, kinda expected you to turn tail and hide.” Mari opened up her menu. “I’d prefer to eat it later...I don’t really want to eat in front of others - besides if you’ve done something to it, I can wait for the effects to wear off.” Mari started the trade, waiting for him to accept. “How did you go, get the quests? Which did you want to do first?”  It was probably the most she had talked since they first met.