F7: Searching and Conversing [Zero]

[Mari 1]

Mari frowned. "It's not a lie!" She seemed a little zealous about her statement. "Argumail tried to kill three innocent people! Two of which were crying! Unyie and that other girl...and Celes...you would just watch them get hurt?" Mari shook her head, and bit her lip as she steadied her breathing,  wide blue eyes wild as they stared at Zero, hurt and confused. How could he be so peaceful and calm?

"You're not a fool Zero..." Mari began as she pushed herself off the wall and crawled over to sit before him, "We are all naive some way or another."

[Zero 0]

Zero didn't react to Mari's passionate denial, and looked at her quietly. He found her amount of trust in them both relaxing and worrying. "Don't just assume I wouldn't do anything." He gave her a slightly cold stare then went back to normal. "She's my guild mate so of course I would have helped her, as for Unyielding and the other one I would have intervened, but not just because they were in danger. No, that would just be my public reason not my private one." He raised his hand up, holding his open palm in the direction of of the cave's ceiling, and looked at it.

"Oh but I am." He looked af Mari, and placed his other hand on her shoulder. "I'm a fool, a fool for..." He trailed off at the end, becoming silent.

[Mari 1]

Mari noticed Zero's cold stare and she just leaned in closer. Curious. "You wouldn't do anything? mmm?" She asked, her tone matching her curious eyes. "What would you do Zero? Who do you think I'll become?"  She gave him a wry smile, tilting her head, a wave of pink hair cascaded across her face. "Maybe it's another gamble eh?"

 

Mari bit her lip, as Zero placed a hand on her shoulder. "For what? Don't just trail off like that, it's annoying."

[Zero 0]

"I would butcher them all..." Zero replied briefly, and sighed. "Who you become is up to you and your choices Mari, I won't judge you but I just don't you getting hurt or pushed in a bad direction." He saw her smile, it made him feel slightly better that she had calmed down, and gently pushed aside some of her hair. "Yeah, a gamble. Both of us it seems share that a lot."

"For allowing myself to..." He slightly hesitated on what to say and sighed. "Care for someone like I did and am still doing..."

[Mari 1]

It was good seeing Zero lighten up. Mari even ignored the fact that he had reached out to brush his fingers across her face. She shouldn't be so shy around him in that aspect. The two HAD spent a rather frivolous night together. Mari  sighed, "Look at me Zero. I don't think I can get much more hurt than I already have been."

Mari rolled her eyes reaching out to lightly smack his forehead when he was being vague. "I'm not getting where you are going with this Zero, stop being vague." In reality, she guessed he meant herself, that he had some sort of sentimental feeling toward her, be it as a sibling-eske affection or something more, but she wanted to push at Zero.


 

[Zero 0]

"You still have a lot you can lose..." Zero looked at her eyes, and slightly smiled seeing her blue eyes again. "Though you might be righ too about not being able to get much worse."

He slightly narrowed his eyes when she smacked him, though it was a playful gaze he gave her, and blushed hard when she told him to be more direct. "W-well, I sort of... Alright... God damn it I'm a fool for you and that's one of my worst weaknesses Mari..." He looked at his legs then at Mari, her eyes catching his attention again, and next thing he knew he'd leaned in and kissed her lips.

[Mari 1]

Mari scoffed, "Really? Like what?" She asked as she rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I think I should just take a page out of Daeron's book, and do what I want when I want without thinking of the repurcussions." Mari sighed. "Who am I kidding, I think way too much to do that." Mari noticed his face go red, did she slap him that hard? "Geez Zero I didn't hit you that har-"  Zero had leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. He kissed her. Hell.

What was going on? This week Alone Mari had killed Alkor and been kissed by both Daeron and Zero.

Mari instantly pulled away, "ZERO!" She bought her hand up to slap him hard, but stopped just before her palm collided with his face. Her blue eyes were burning, furious. Mari slowly lowered her hand. She didn't exactly have a right to be angry with him - not after the night they had drunkenly spent together. "What the hell was that for?"

[Zero 0]

Zero flinched when she raised her hand, the first time he'd ever shown fear in front of someone, and looked away. He didn't think she would hit him, but the fact that her hand was so close to his face suggested otherwise, and it slightly scared him. "I-I'm sorry!" He shouted while he covered his face from her. "I already told you Mari, but I can tell you have your heart set on someone else... Whoever it is, they're lucky..." He slightly lowered his hands and sighed. "Took me getting drunk with someone to finally get with a person... I'm pathetic..." He muttered the last part in a low voice trying to avoid having Mari hear him.

[Mari 1]

Mari sighed, raising her hand to slap him anyway, but for a different reason and with less driving force behind it. "Man the censored up. Don't go into some self hating spiral. I don't need to deal with that censored right now." She huffed, feeling frustrated - he was the one that went and kissed her now he was acting like he was the one that was wronged. He mentioned she had her heart set on someone else, that he could tell. "I don't like anyone else Zero. At least, I don't think so. Geez, you're not pathetic." Mari said, clearly frustrated and annoyed. She shifted. "Should I go or something?"

[Zero 0]

Zero stood up and shook his head. "You should keep doing what you were doing. I'm the one who intruded." He gave Mari a false smile and laugh trying to liven the mood. "I'm sorry for acting like such a depresive idiot, I'll try to stop doing that." He turned away from her clearing his throat, trying to avoid letting the knot forming it stop him from talking, and gripped his hands into fists. "Don't deny what the heart wants, trust me it can really leave you empty on the inside..." He clenched his chest tightly, his hand starting to tremble. "Sorry about kissing you like that, I had no right to do that... I-I'll be g-going now." He took a wobbly step forward and slightly hesitated to take another. Not now... Please later, affect me later when she isn't near...

[Mari 1]

Mari felt frustrated, what? So she couldn't return his feelings so he was going to go into some sort of depressive spiral and walk away from her? Bam? Just like that.

"You're an asshole." Mari said abruptly. "Walking away from a friend just because they can't return your feelings? That screams depressive idiot." Mari chidded. She grabbed him by the  back of his collar. "Nope." She started to drag him further into the cave. "You're going to help me gain materials." She let go and shrugged. "Honestly, it's fine - we've done more than that before. I'm just not good with people. You know that already."
 

[Zero 0]

Zero looked at Mari when she got mad and grabbed him by the collar. He blinked slightly surprised, but did not fight back against her, and let out a slight sigh. He figured she thought he wanted to not see her again because of what he'd just said, but she was wrong. He didn't mean to say anything to anger, or to cause her annoyance, but had done so somehow. "I didn't mean it like that Mari, I would never want to stop being your friend becuse of a stupid reason like that. It just felt awkward that I would say that to you even though I know you don't feel the same way, so I thought leaving for a bit and calming myself down would be a good idea. Though I guess you're right, again, about it being idiotic after all we've done already." He scratched his head, and sighed as the feeling pf embarrassment hit him. "I'm sorry again for it all, and I'd be happy to help you collect more mats Mari."

[Mari 1]

"I know you didn't mean it like that Zero - but you seemed like you were just going to go off and disappear."  Mari said as she let him go and turned around to face him. He seemed at a loss, was she selfish to just drag him further into the cave? Mari gave a small sigh. "Zero, if you want to go you can." She glanced away. "I probably shouldn't have just dragged you further in here."  
 

 Mari slowly let her gaze travel back to him, "Still, if you're happy to help me, we can go find some; I don't want to go too much longer though. I'm tired - and I want to go back home to my dingy cave on the second floor."  Mari gave a wry grin, making a joke at her accommodation. "Don't get too jealous of my 5 star pad."

[Zero 0]

Zero scratched his head, feeling slightly awkward for making Mari think he would just vanish into thin air, and sighed with a slight bow. "My bad then Mari, I didn't mean to make you think that. I'm not going anywhere if you need my help, so I'll gladly assist you in collecting materials." He smiled slightly at her comment regarding her pad, and nodded when she mentioned if he still wanted to help her he was welcomed to. "I'm glad to be of assistance," He walked up to her side, and spoke softly. "And if you ever wamt to try getting rid of your orange status let me know, you're one of the very few people here I can call friend and having you be in constant danger of being hunted down, or worse, isn't something I agree with much."

[Mari 1]

Mari gave a smile as he said he'd assist her with materials. "Good. I really could use the-"  She paused her speech and accidentally missed her mark when Zero spoke softly into her ear, stating that he'd be happy to help rid her of her PKer status. Mari had missed the wall and had rammed the knife directly into the centre of her hand. Pining it to the wall. "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-----"" She swore loudly, watching as a thin red gash appeared in her hand, followed by a flurry of blue ice as it ran up her arm. Mari shivered, feeling the bite of the cold.

Great. This is NOT what she needed. Perhaps the Material hunt would have to come to a quick end.

Mari gave an awkward laugh, hand still pinned to the wall. "I think I'm more of a danger to myself than I am to any one else. Geez... I hurt myself AND froze myself. Today is not a good day to be Mari."

Mari 40/49
FROZEN 2/2 Turns

[Zero 0]

Zero sighed as his mind buzzed with hazy and indistinguishable thoughts. He watched Mari as she struck her own hand, his statement being the cause of her missing her mark from what he could tell, and blinked surprised. He glanced at the red gash appear soon followed by the ice encasing his companions hand, and carefully placed his hand on her shoulder. "Try to not move. It'll go away shortly." He scratched his head and leaned against the wall Mari had been facing. He glanced at her then moved his gaze to the ceiling.

His mind still felt hazy, not to mention he couldn't organize his thoughts properly. A slight hum persisted in his head as his mind settled. "Hey Mari... How do you feel about being here? In this game I mean. Do you want to end it like others do or would you settle for staying here until who knows when? I'm curious about your answer because I find myself asking that questions sometimes..." His gaze returned to the pink haired player and made steady eye contact with her.

[Mari 1]

Mari sighed as she felt Zero place his hand on her shoulder; she closed her eyes - resting her forehead against the cool rock of the cave. "I know...I know...Ugh, not the brightest bulb in the bunch, am I?" She asked as she turned to Zero - offering him a wry, somewhat defeated smile. It was her fault she had gotten into this mess, but she didn't mind. She was with good company.

Zero let go of her shoulder; and shifted to rest his back on the wall beside her. His eyes drifted to the ceiling as he fell silent, his mind racing in some sort of contemplative thought processes that Mari couldn't even guess. She wouldn't have to; for he seemed to voice his thoughts. Asking her about what it was like in the game.

"Mmmm...." Mari glanced away, 'You know...after my daughter died...I didn't see a reason to complete the game. I have nothing left for me out there, nothing waiting for me. No one. Nadda, Zip. So I was content with roaming around in here till our bodies died in the real world. Let's face it..." Mari turned her eyes back to him. "It'd  be foolish to think one can live here well into their old age - its been over a year already - just how much longer before all those doctors and scientists give up? It's costing thousands upon thousands to keep each one of us alive.  They gotta pull the plug sometime." 

Mari's words were grim, dark and negative - she bit her lower lip. She knew it may not be the best thing for him to hear; but in her eyes, it was the truth. A small silence fell over them, before Mari opened her mouth again. "But you know...People like Alkor - make me want to keep fighting; to keep pressing forward - he has someone waiting for him. I know others do too - and who am I to take that away from them?" She asked, attempting to put a positive spin on her words.
 

Mari 40/49
FROZEN 1/2 Turns

[Zero 0]

Zero glanced at Mari as she spoke and slightly shook his head. "Don't belittle yourself, you're one of the smartest people I know." He glanced at her hand knowing that she would be fine in a few seconds or so; he had not seen someone manage to inflict a status ailment on themselves, but that didn't mean it measured Mari's intellect in his book.

His gaze turned to the ceiling as the woman slowly answered his question, but soon returned to her. Daughter? I didn't know she had a daughter... Not to mention a dead daughter... He scratched his head and sighed, slowly standing up against the wall. "I'm sorry to hear about your daughter... I wasn't aware of your loss..." He felt a slight guilt build up because of what he had done earlier. His eyes closed for a few seconds as he internalized Mari's words, which held some truth to them. "You're right. People who have nothing out there can have it all in here, yet we can't believe that we can remain here forever. It's a hard and serious truth, but a truth nonetheless."

He noticed her attempt at lightening the moos provoke by her earlier statement and placed his hand on top of his eyes. "I honestly don't have much going for me in the real world. This place here, it was suppose to be my second chance. A gift from my sister, to be able to walk, dance, run, and jump like when I was small. Though you're right, who am I take that away from folks like Alkor, Oske, Celesmesh..." His voice died down at the end of the sentence and silence soon fell between them again. "Who am I to take happiness away from others? No one, just Zero." He moved his hand off from his eyes and glanced at Mari. "Also, I'm sure you'll find happiness in the future. You deserve happiness after what you've gone through."

[Mari 1]

Zero complimented her, stating that Mari was one of the smartest people he knew. Mari lowered her gaze, a small smile forming on her lips. "No, I don't think I am." She said in a subdued tone. "I am too emotional, really. I let the smallest things get to me. Sometimes I wonder - no...that's not the right word, I worry about what it will do to me in the future."

 

Zero apologized about her daughter. Mari turned her gaze back to him; pressing the side of her head against the wall. "Wanna know the kicker?" She asked him, "I was the one that killed her." She averted her gaze; "Its something I can never, ever forgive myself for."

 

Mari gave a sigh of relief as her hand finally defrosted; she pulled it away from the wall. Shaking it and rubbing it to get the circulation running back into it.  "Should we head back out?" She asked. "Maybe we can find some happiness out there eh?" She joked.

[Zero 0]

Zero listened quietly as Mari spoke, feeling she did not give herself enough credit. He scratched his head as she mentioned her uneasiness regarding her emotions. "Well that won't be a problem for you if you surround yourself with people you care for and trust. They'll be able to stop you if anything happens that could cause you or others harm." His eyes traveled to the now disappearing ice, smiling in relief that he ha been right about it not lasting long.

His eyes darted back up to Mari's face when she spoke again. He felt a slight shock when she revealed to him the person who had killed her daughter. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, no parent should outlive their child...and you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Don't get angry at me for saying this, but I don't think your daughter would want you to feel that way about it all... You didn't mean it after all."

He remained silent as Mari got used to the feeling of having her hand unfrozen. He nodded when he was asked about heading out and moved a few steps forward. "Maybe we actually will find happiness out there." He slightly glanced at her then turned his gaze forward. "We just can't forget to look."