A snowball of a Chance [PP-F4]

[Mari 1]

"She's been sighted by town again!" Came the voice of a stalwart blonde swordsman. "Last time she managed to slip away but this time." He held up a teleportation crystal in his hand, showing it to his friend. An indescribable boring man, average in every sense of the word. "This time we are gonna corner her and take her to jail."

Avery, the average man nodded in agreement. "True true. Did you hear? She's been seen with a child. Who knows what she is planning. We have Lark tailing her now…" With a flick of his wrist he opened up his messenger window. 

"She's alone, and tired. Lark confirmed she hadn't slept the last few days. Her weapon is by her side, unequipped. Thisll be our best chance to grab her. Before she holes herself away in her house."

Landon, the blonde grinned as he pocketed the crystal. "She won't attack us, word is she's afraid to. It's about time we bring her to justice. We can save that poor boy too."

Meanwhile

Said Pker was resting on a fallen log, legs folded to the side. Her weapon, a long polearm with dark colouring and wisps of shadows dancing around its pointed tip sat beside her. It sat half covered in Fresh fallen snow. Mari kept it to her side and away from her because she knew it looked  less…. dangerous. And with her so close to Snowfrost wasn't that for the best? Mari knew she was the subject of ire. And that peace wouldn't come easy to her, not without a long fall off the edge of Aincrad. Though lately...even that didn't seem as appealing anymore.

Mari had in her hands a loaf of bread that was bordering stale. Dry. Mari wished for a fresh loaf, hot from the oven - she wished she had sweet, thick butter to drizzle into the crevices of the fluffy dough. Instead. She had this. Mari long ago lost contact with the broker who would ferry her food from the town.

"Maybe I should get Freyd to do it…' Mari mumbled to herself as she tore off another chunk of bread and threw it into her mouth. A sigh followed. No. He seemed busy with other things, and she still wasn't sure where she stood with him. Raidou? No… who else?

Who else?

[Mari 1]

“Dunno much about him. All I know is that Killers been sighted around a kid and that don’t sit right with me.” Landon muttered.

“Didn’t she….” Avery cleared his throat and made a motion with his hands, though it looked nigh impossible to interpret. ‘You know…”

“Yeh, her kin.” Added Lark solemnly.

Too absorbed by the fluffy pom-pom flopping around from his new headwear, Vayl paid them little attention.  It had been too long since he’d had a decent snowball fight, and lifted his spirit to have set those kids up for the most epic, powdery showdown in Snowfrost had ever seen, at least since last week.

The group of four had begun down the path from Snowfrost, and open fields turned into spotted trees as they neared the forest. Thin trunks of birch lined the path. They began to separate into a clearing, where Mari sat.

Mari glanced up from her bread at the four men - cleared her throat, then shifted away a few feet from her weapon - further down the fallen log she had sat on then went back to eating. If she paid the group no mind, maybe they’d pass her - this was a thoroughfare after all. They could be heading to a dungeon - or a quest. It was none of her business. 

“...what do you want?” Came Mari’s question as Landon and Avery stepped up to her - blocking her face from the light, they had signalled for Lark and Vayl to shift behind her. Mari glanced at the other two in the group. Then sighed heavily as she placed the roll carefully down beside her. Why today of all days? 

“Look, before ya’ll...try anything I don’t want anyone level three or below hittin’ me.” Mari pointed to her armour - if one could call it that, it was nothing more than a thin leather harness that wrapped around her chest. Its cracks glowed - but beyond that nothing insidious. “This has flame aura - and anyone too low levelled would…’ Mari didn’t want to continue the sentence. But after her discussion with Raidou she knew she had to take that back. That small arrogant spark. 

His hands tucked firmly into a pair of fur-lined pockets, with an oblivious smile pasted to his chiseled chin, Vayl had his eyes on the landscape rather than the unpleasant exchange.  That is, until the woman the others were harassing made her threat.  It caught his attention, causing his brow to rise in surprise as he turned and actually took a proper look at her.  She was short, but so was just about everyone.  That was nothing new.  It was a bold boast from someone who looked like hell, but there were plenty of things that could do that.  Her crystal-thingy also looked different.  He dismissed it, thinking that it was some sort of level indicator or something.  Vayl’s cares were focused on people, not rules and mechanics. 

“Wow… so that must make you hot stuff,”  he offered, grinning, and clearly not having fully grasped the nature of the exchange or the situation.  Mari didn’t look impressed.

“You’ll flat up die. That’s your only warning, if you are that low levelled and are stupid enough to attack.That death is on your hands. Not mine.” 

“Ay, no problem there. We’re all in the 30’s-40’s.” said Landon, confident. He had failed to ask Vayl what his level was. “We aren’t looking for a fight, we’re looking to take you in.”

It was enough for the penny to drop and Vayl to realize that his gear was seriously underwhelming compared to the quality of… well, everyone else’s.  

“You know I’m due to fight on the frontlines in a few days. If you really want to take me to prison, why not wait till another floor is open first. Then do whatever it is you want.” That’s right, be flippant. Nonchalant. Eventually, they’ll get bored.

“Sorry. Can’t do that. Where’s the kid? Tell us then come quietly there’s a cell in the prison with your name on it.”

“K-Kid?” Mari asked, genuinely shocked. What on earth...where they talking about Chaser? He was an adult. Or were...oh. They were talking about Aiko. He had an orange marker too. Right? Were these people after him? Mari lowered her voice. “Sorry bubs, but i ain’t tellin’ you shit.”

@Vayl

Edited March 20, 2021 by Mari

[Mari 1]

Mari  wasn’t afraid of death. She wasn’t afraid of these men, who were more busy fighting amongst each other than themselves. She shrugged and compiled, moving her arms behind her back. “You can imprison me, torture me, kill me. I don’t care.” Her voice was cold. It was a little relieving to be. Mari wasn’t placating these guys. She wasn’t trying to be nice. She wasn’t forcing a facade. “But I refuse to let hunters hurt the kid.”

She was angry. At what she could only assume were PKer hunters - who were not only after her, but someone in her care. With a quick motion Lark was behind her, wrapping ropes around her wrists to stop her from trying to equip any other items or access her menu. So this was it huh? Fine. Let them try.

“Hurt?  We’re here to save him.” Came Avery’s reply. “You’re - You’re planning to do-”

“Do what?” Mari asked, tilting her head toward Avery and Vayl, regarding them both. “Go on.” Mari forced herself to grin. “Please, tell me what I plan to do. Tell me what's going through my head.”
 

Her eyes shifted to the man with a dark brown mop of hair on his head - he didn’t seem as clued in as the others. “You know…” the bile and venom left her voice. “They’re right. I have...taken lives but-” She turned back to Landon - who still had his weapon hovering dangerously close to her throat.

“You’re all wrong about the kid. I’m lookin’ after him. Nothing more, nothing less. I-”

“Can it!” Came Landons voice, booming over hers. “You’ve killed! Taken families from their homes. Yet you think you can sit there and act better than us because levels dictate you can fight on the frontlines? Do you really think you deserve freedom?”

Mari shook her head. “Honestly...I don’t.”

@Vayl

Edited March 20, 2021 by Mari

[Mari 1]

“What the fuck are you doing?” Mari said as she stood. Hands still tied behind her back. It made no sense. Wasn’t he with them? Weren’t they working together. If Mari was able to, she’d have face palmed. And again, the comment on her harness. She didn’t know what to make of this. His comrades lay groaning in the snow - struggling to upright themselves. 

“Are you fuckin stupid?”

Vayl just shrugged and launched the snowball in his hands.  It sailed right by Landon’s head, leaving a trail of white, glittery sparkles in the air as it passed.  The would-be boss grinned.  It melted an instant later.

*THUMP*

*SHHHHHH*

*WHUMP*

It wasn’t the man, but the tree behind and above him that was the target.  The ball hit with enough force to rattle every branch all the way to the top, thirty feet above them.  And every drop of ice and snow that previously clung to it came crashing down on Landon’s head.

Mari groaned. This wasn’t helping the situation. Why was he doing this? Why was he helping her and acting so cavalier? Did he really not understand the situation? “No one was going to-” Mari started then sighed as she watched the snowball sail over her head and hit the tree branch, burying Landon. She wasn’t sure who was worse, the aggressive men or the clueless one.

“STOP!” She shouted, her voice reverberating, echoes bouncing off the thin birch trees around them. “YOU!” She pointed her head in the direction of Avery. “Grow a fuckin’ backbone instead of standing on the sidelines.” She swivelled her head to Lark - unable to point. “And YOU! Learn to tie knots quicker dumbass. I could have easily picked up my spear and ran it through you. If you’re going to capture someone do it quickly.” 

Mari couldn’t exactly talk to Landon, he was covered in snow. So instead she turned her ire and frustration to Vayl. “And you- Who the fuck takes this shit lightly? I’m a murderer. And you’re out here throwing fuckin’ snowballs like it’s all a merry laugh!”

She was done holding things back. Placating stupid people. IF they hated her, so be it. If they feared her, that was fine. “Ughhh… if I were anyone else you’d all be dumb and dead. Don’t you care about your lives?” 

This whole situation seemed comical, stupid even. And Mari wasn’t sure how she was supposed to react. The clueless idiot grinned and lifted up his hand, as though were were gonna throw another snowball.  “THat’s ENOUGH!” Mari said as she stepped forward, head lowered - ready to headbutt him.

WHAM

@Vayl

Edited March 20, 2021 by Mari