PP F2 ‘Where the Flowers Bloom’ [Lessa]

[Mari 1]

It had only been a few days,  but still – this was a ritual Mari was not soon going to give up. She had canvassed the forest of the second floor for various flowers. She was dirtied and scratched up, but she didn’t mind. She found the clearing where her daughter had passed on, Mari began arranging the flowers in a large pile underneath the towering tree. She could feel tears streaking down her cheeks. How long would it be till she could go a single day without crying? Emotions were so exhausting.

“Evelynn – I am so sorry sweetie…” Mari whispered as her fingers grazed the surface of the grass, if only, if only Mari was able to know her for just a little longer.

"Mummy's sorry..."



 

[Lessa 1]

If anyone asked her why she chose to visit the meadow that day, she would not have an answer for them. For the truth was, Lessa was not entirely sure what brought her there herself. The two woman had never been especially close. In fact, Lessa found herself incredibly put-off by the woman's attitude the first time that they had met. But she recognized that the woman had changed. So much had happened to her since their initial meeting, and Mari would surely be only a shell of the player she once was.

Perhaps that had been her motivation for making the trip across the second floor. The reason she had gathered a handful of pink roses as she walked. And the thing that carried her across the clearing and to Mari's side. She was concerned for the woman, for better or for worse.

"Mari," Lessa said softly, not wishing to intrude on such a personal moment between a mother and her deceased loved one. "I hope you don't mind my coming here today." She offered the small bouquet of flowers. "I just wanted to give you these, and tell you how deeply sorry I am for your loss."

[Mari 1]

Mari jumped when she heard a voice behind her, turning her head slightly she came to face with a bouquet of pink roses. Mari carefully accepted them, not sure what to say. She looked up at Lessa, blue eyes clouded with a questioning confusion. Mari lifted her hand up to her face, wiping it clear with the cuff of her sleeve. Mari wanted to ask Lessa why she was here, how she knew what had happened - Lessa was the last person Mari would ever expect to see, Mari had killed Argumail, she had killed her daughter. She didn't expect any form of kindess- and yet, it was continually handed to her. Mari silently shifted the flowers before her around, setting the roses neatly in the centre. Mari stared at the blossoms before her, lower lip quivering as she held back tears. 


"Do you..." Mari began, her voice trembling. "Do you think....there's a way to bring people back?"  Deep down Mari knew it was a stupid question to ask, you couldn't bring people back from the dead, but - she had seen the impossible in this game before. Mari's hands were shaking, so she gripped the bottom of her jumper in tight fists. She struggled to keep her breathing in check. Mari tried not to look up at Lessa. Mari felt ashamed. Lessa was the woman Mari used to be, wanted to  be - and because Mari had that one weakened moment she was spiralling out of control, and now - she felt alone.

"How did you know?" 
 

[Lessa 1]

When Mari asked her how she knew, her face hardened. Her blue eyes clouded over, as her mind returned to the day she learned the news. The confusion, the sadness, and then the fear. It had been such an emotional rollercoaster, and she still stung slightly when she thought of how she had been treated. "Alkor," she answered plainly. That was enough of an answer, and she did not leave herself open to questions on the matter.

Instead, she stood behind the poor woman, her hands clasped behind her back, her head bowed. "I don't know if this is what you want to hear, Mari," she told the woman softly, "but I truly believe that those we care about never really leave us. For example, I draw much of my strength from my loved ones back home. They are not with me, but I still feel their love, and let them guide me in everything I do." She smiled softly, and added, "perhaps your daughter can provide you with the same strength."

[Mari 1]

Mari smiled slightly when Lessa mentioned Alkor. "Alkor..." She repeated the name, voice filled with a doleful endearment. Even when he wasn't by her side, Alkor found a way to drive himself into the forefront of his mind. Mari tilted her head slightly, allowing her fingers to brush up against the rose petals. "I'm going to need to flick him in the head...." She muttered softly to herself. Mari didn't need to ask Lessa any further questions, she felt satisfied - and oddly comforted by her answer. Despite the steely tone Lessa used, which hinted at some sort of turbulence. 

 

Feeling the other womans hands on her back; Mari leaned against Lessa's legs. "I don't really want to hear them, but - they are probably the best words spoken to me thus far. I just....." Mari covered her face, she wasn't sure where she could draw that strength from. "She was my strength. I kept fighting, kept hoping - kept telling myself that one day - one day - in years to come...I'd....I'd be able to see her again...sure I'd ...I'd miss out on watching her grow up but if...if I could have just one, just one moment..." Mari had started crying again - she had thought that those emotions were gone, and dried up, but one she started, it was like water bursting through a damn. "I'd have been happy.... and now...I don't know....How?"  

Mari pulled her hands away from her face, turning to look up at Lessa with troubled sapphire eyes. "I've killed two people Lessa...I hate what I've become. I want to throw up....but I can't...I can't..."

[Lessa 1]

Despite her reservations when it came to Mari, Lessa could not help but feel sympathy toward her. The blonde dropped to her knees beside the young woman, and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "No one blames you for what happened," she told her plainly. Then, with a soft squeeze, she added, "the best thing you could do right now would be to forgive yourself. That is the only way that you will be able to move on."

Lessa recognized that this was easier said than done, and she could not pretend to know how Mari was feeling. The guilt that would surely come with taking a life would be too much for her. The fact that that life had belonged to her own daughter made the situation completely unbearable. Just thinking about it made Lessa nauseous.

"Listen," she began slowly. Though she hardly knew Mari, and eve had reason to dislike her, every line of her body revealed her concern. "I never had the pleasure of meeting your little girl. But I know she would have wanted you to survive this game. The best way for you to honor her memory is to make it out alive."

[Mari 1]

Mari allowed Lessa to sit close to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Heh, that's what Alkor keeps telling me." Mari said with a forced smile, her shaky voice betraying the emotions she was trying so hard to keep locked up inside. Mari inhaled as she leant on Lessa before exhaling slowly. Staring blankly at the makeshift memorial before her, it was a few moments before Mari absently began talking to Lessa, saying what came to mind. "People like you, Life..." Mari paused, raising a finger to press to her lips - remembering the times she had with Alkor. "and even Alkor...I appreciate you all. Showing me such kindness." Mari shook her head, tufts of pink falling into her face. "I don't deserve it."

 

Mari gave a small nod, "It's hard to find motivation to want to leave now - this, this was the place she died, I feel if I left...I'd be leaving her behind - but I think you're right. It might just take some time for me to believe that is something I can achieve." 
 

[Lessa 1]

The girl winced as Alkor's name was mentioned. "He's a smart guy," she replied, willing her voice to sound more detached than it truly was. "You should listen to him." The pair sat in silence for a moment. It was not necessarily a comfortable quiet, as Lessa still felt a bit uneasy around Mari. But she would not interrupt any solace that the pink-haired girl was able to find. So she let her be. And when Mari finally turned into Lessa, pressing her body closer, the blonde obliged. Wrapping a strong arm around Mari's shoulders, Lessa cradled the mourning player.

"Don't say such things," she scolded gently. "We are all in the same predicament. This world is cruel, and it forces us to do things we never would otherwise. However, I do believe that the people are good. Even if it is buried deep down, all of us just want to go home. I see no reason why we should not help bring others up if it means beating this game." Lessa's eyelids slipped closed over blue orbs. "I am sure that Life and the others feel the same way I do."

[Mari 1]

Mari couldn't help but smile as Lessa complimented Alkor - her cheeks reddened at the mention of his name and her gaze lowered to the floor. Alkor, yes he was a smart man. If it weren't for him, who knew where Mari would be right now? "He saved my life, if it wasn't for me - he would never have become a Player Killer." Mari sighed, closing her eyes - reliving the scene. "He was so cold and calculated. It was a little unnerving. How he just...." Mari trailed off, figuring it was best not to continue down that path. 

"I often forget that many people here; they are just children..." Mari sighed as she shrugged off Lessa's warm arm and stood, stretching. "Life seems to think some people aren't good, that they are just cancerous to the world - but I feel that thinking is just....so...wrong..." Mari glanced down toward Lessa, "Somehow, I can't ever see you thinking such a dark thing."

[Lessa 1]

As she spoke of Alkor, the blonde remained silent. Blue pools moved away from the pink-haired woman, staring off toward a nearby treeline. She did not wish to discuss the swordsman any further. Not with Mari, at least. The woman had grown close to Alkor, that she had quickly noticed. He had once threatened her life, but now, things were different. Besides, even if she had not seen how they interacted at the boss battle, she could tell how much the woman cared about him from the way she talked. Such admiring words, hesitation, and warm cheeks were only meant for a man Mari felt strongly for. Lessa knew, because she had experienced similar symptoms.

The two had experienced a tragedy together. Both had bloodied their hands, and together, they would come to terms with what they had done. They would support each other, and assure each other that it had been the right thing to do. Between Mari and Alkor was a bond that Lessa could never hope to reproduce, and the thought twisted her stomach. No, she could not fault the two for seeking solace in one another. She only wished that she no longer had to play witness to it.

Movement from Mari brought her attention back to the young woman. She stood, and after she spoke, Lessa followed. "All people are good," she answered plainly, her face expressionless for the moment. "To believe otherwise is foolish, and merely an excuse to create conflict where there is none." Her face softened a bit, creeping sadness crossing her features. "Words can be the greatest of weapons, yet so many neglect to remember that fact."

[Mari 1]

(this has to be the hardest RP to respond to them feels)


Mari felt awkward. There was an unnatural silence between the two. Mari had admired Lessa, but it seemed clear that the two just didn't seem to get along too well. Or perhaps it was just the scenario. Mari was on edge, and it seemed Lessa was the same. Mari wished she had the right words to reach out to the blonde haired woman, she wished she could offer some sort of advice - but she couldn't. She simply couldn't. In many ways, Mari was the opposite of Lessa, she had dirtied her hands - she was so closed off from the world whereas the other girl seemed to be able to freely show her emotions and make connections with others.

Even now, in the awkward air the two shared, Lessa had such wise words to offer Mari. Consoling her. Stating that all people were good. That any other reasoning was just an excuse. Mari bit her lip to stop it shaking. Her eyes stung as fresh tears threatened to burst from pained Cerulean orbs. Lessa's words had struck a chord with the pink haired woman. Mari wrapped her arms around her waist, fingers digging into her sides to stop her form from visibly shaking. 

"I wish I were able to remember that." Mari whispered.
 

[Lessa 1]

A few feet separated the pair, and from that distance, Lessa watched the young woman struggle. Though her features revealed nothing, an internal conflict plagued the young player. Her desire to comfort anyone in need battled against her uneasiness around Mari, and the more time she spent with the woman, the more difficult the decision became. More than anything, Lessa simply wanted out of the awkward situation. She had hoped to be the bigger person by meeting with Mari, but she was slowly finding that she simply did not have the strength. Maybe another day, but not now.

 

She let loose a soft sigh. "I know how hard it is sometimes," came her reply, finally. "Especially in a game like this, it can be easy to lose sight of who you are. Holding on to our humanity here is half the battle." Her voice trailed, and when Mari did not speak, Lessa felt an urge to fill the silence. Unfortunately, no wise words came to her. Instead, she lifted her gaze to Mari's. Though they shared the same color, Mari's damp, red-rimmed eyes were a stark contrast to Lessa's cool, distant ones. And while Mari was lost to raw emotion, Lessa found herself lost in her thoughts. I've said my piece, she found herself wondering. What more is required of me?