[PP - F2] - Observation and a Discussion (Mari)

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke was just sitting under a tree cross legged in the fields of the first floor. He was taking shelter from the sun, his bangs forming a shadow over his eyes. Things had been tough on him lately with his brothers death and a woman leaving him for some unknown reason. The whole ordeal had left Sousuke with a bitter taste in his mouth and he had turned to smoking as a way a way to clam himself down when his emotions began to get the better of him. His brothers death hadn't left him with as much mental scarring as people perceived, but rather brought back some unpleasant memories of his past on the battlefield after all soldiers die in war and this was just another war between player and creator.

 

He flicked the lid off of his zippo and lit a cigarette, he leaned back against the tree as he took a puff on the death stick as he liked to call them. At least here in this game smoking couldn't affect his real body. It only simulated the effects of smoking without the bad draw backs such as cancer and shortness of breath. He supposed it was just the act of sitting calmly and inhaling and exhaling that calmed him down but still the cigarette that seemed ever present in his mouth was now a part of him.

 

''Sometimes I wish this wasn't like the war or the that situation with the hostages on the plane'' he said aloud to no one in particular ''After all war ... war never changes'' as he said this he saw a group of players walk past chatting pleasantly. Gone were the days he could simply relax like that, he had a mission to accomplish and he wasn't about to let anyone else for victim to the game if he had anything to say about it.

[Mari 1]

Mari had just got back from paying a player to go into town to fetch her some jerky. She was gnawing on a small piece; deciding to head back to her cave. It was a makeshift home she had set up in lieu of not being able to enter any town or safe zone. With the exception of that shady, seedy town on the 5th floor but if Mari had her way, she'd never go back to that godforsaken floor. Mari wrinkled her nose, pausing at a very, very unpleasant smell.

Smoke?

Mari stopped in her tracks and shifted her pink haired head from side to side, blue eyes trying to find the source of the disgusting scent, her eyes landed on a gruff looking male. She approached him, and found it to be Sousuke. Mari cleared her throat. She didn't feel awkward about meeting him here, despite killing his brother. "You know, that sh*t stinks up the place." 
 

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke was enjoying his solitude relaxing in the shade taking a drag of his cigarette here and there while playing with his zippo, when he heard a female voice who by the sounds of it wasn't to happy he was here smoking.

He looked up and his eyes met a pair of blue eyes, the girl had bright pink hair and was holding what looked to be a piece of jerky. He smirked when he realised who it was and relaxed leaning back on the tree. "How can you eat that stuff, back on the battlefield we had to live off that crap and it wasn't pleasant believe me." He said flipping his bangs out of his eyes and taking a drag of the cigarette, he at least had the courtesy to blow the smoke in the opposite direction of where the girl was standing, but he doubted it helped any.

[Mari 1]

"Eh?" Mari glanced to her hand which held the jerky, she took a bite of it, and savoured the flavour. Chewing slowly as she matched Sousuke's eyes with an intensity of her own. Swallowing Mari shrugged. "This is Korean BBQ Jerky, and it is ten fold better than stale bread. Its not pleasant, believe me."  Mari said, placing emphasis on the words as she repeated what he said.

She lifted her shoulders in a shrug as she chose to sit opposite the man, she took another bite; waiting to swallow before clearing her throat. "So military man eh?"
Mari pointed toward the scar on his cheek with her jerky, "Is that how you got that scar o' yours?"

[Sousuke 0]

Mari sat down in front of Sousuke after her sarcastic remark about the jerky. She pointed at his scar asking about the story behind it.

"Heh you could say that." He said as he stubbed his cigarette out on the tree bark. "Was hunting down a guy for some months in the deserts of Afghan, some top brass individual from a rival organization, didn't look like he had much fight in him till things got a bit up close and personal, gotta admit though he knew his way round a knife." He finished

He eyed Mari for a few moments wondering why he trusted her after what she did, but then again she saved Tomoya from a worse fate.

[Mari 1]

Mari tilted her head at his initial comment, so he didn't work for the army? But still, he definitely had some sort of militant quality about him, he could have been in a number of things, navy, air-force - government... some sort of secret service spiel. His answer was pretty vague, and it did make Mari curious - but she knew better than to question people or pry into their personal lives. 

Mari watched as he butted out the cigarette on the tree, she gave a sigh of relief - the smell was rancid. Sousuke elaborated, mentioning a stint in a foreign country and a rival organization. Yup, definitely some secret corp sh*t. Mari wasn't going to question that one. He mentioned how his adversary knew his way around a knife. Mari grinned - "I guess I do too, in here anyway. Just managed to score myself one handed dagger Grand Mastery."  She equipped it and allowed the tip of her blade to balance delicately on her index finger, just to prove a point. "So - why join my guild?" Mari asked.

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke watched as Mari balanced the dagger on the tip of her finger. "Not bad." He mused as he watched her for a moment thinking how best to answer her question. Things in his old guild had been getting pretty tense since his bothers death and he felt it was time to move on but there were other reasons too.

"My old guild was getting tense each member was being. hunted for some reason aside from me, i left before i became a target."he told her. "Then i realised to finish my mission i needed help, and you and your guild are pretty strong i thought you might be able to help," he finished the wind ruffeling his hair revealing his face to Mari.

[Mari 1]

"Not bad, but not perfect either - being a Grand Master took a lot of work, but I guess it's about the right mind frame in battle, but you seem like you'd know all about that right?"

Mari fell silent and listened to his words. The members of his guild were being targeted? That was disconcerning, how can an entire guild be targeted. "Eh? By who? Zelrius?" Mari asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Sousuke continued, stating he wanted help and that Mari's guild seemed strong. Mari smirked at this, waving the comment off. "No, no - I appreciate the sentiment - but we are only as strong as our weakest link. I don't want to be fool hardy. I admit we have grown in numbers lately, but again - a guilds numbers are not everything still..."

Mari paused shifting her azure gaze to him. She wasn't going to question what his mission was, her guilds description stated that it would allow all to work on individual goals; and that they would band together to help work on each person's strengths and weaknesses. "I can only help so much - as long as you are in my guild you'll be protected by me, to the best of my ability. You also have access to the guilds storage and material storage; and if you have a profession or shop you will be added to our guilds front notice board."

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke listened very carefully to what she said decribing how tough it was to learn a grandmaster skill, asking who was targeting the guild and explaining how the guild will work and how he fits in. He nodded politely as he listened and took note of the name Zelrius. The name of some typical spoilt rich kid with an attitude to go with it. It bothered him knowing he was the one taking the guild down piece by piece one player at a time his brother being the first to take the fall.

"Zelrius yea ... he's the one who ordered the hit on my brother and has been after a few others too but he's after one in particular" Sousuke explained although he wasn't going to mention who.

"Also i thank you for having me and ill do my best for the guild and ... thank you for saving my brother from a worse fate." He said looking her straight the eyes. "I don't know what kinda of things you've done in the past, but i asure you they can't be worse than what i did in the real world back on the battlefield and i want you to know if you need to talk I'm here." He smiled to her as he finished.

[Mari 1]

Mari sighed, scratching just under her nose. "I don't know him too well. I guess he gets bored and targets random people - although he seemed to have a particular reason to dislike your brother. I took it because - he and a few others were in a group of people I was with once, and I warned them what would happen if they turned into a PKer...still..." Mari fell silent. She knew why he did it, and it was a just reason, but a bounty causes the wrong kind of attention, and Tom had it placed squarely on his head. 

Sousuke's words intrigued her. Zelrius was after one person in particular? Mari had to wonder who. She didn't really know anyone in his guild. She knew that Davros was going to join it but turned to hers instead, and she knew Sousuke was once in it, and that gray haired kid at the lake. Their leader -Draterion had asked her for an alliance but she denied him - since he had threatened her life, then proceeded to act like a child as he danced around in the snow. Beyond that she knew nothing of it.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was that idiot leader..."  Mari muttered dryly as she watched her dagger, still balancing on her finger.

It wasn't till his next words that she paused, allowing the dagger to fall into her hand she caught it by it's handle and put it away. "You shouldn't thank me for killing someone." Mari said. Blue eyes staring straight into his; "I don't need to talk about my past, and I'm sure you don't need to either. All we can do is move forward toward our goals."

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke took in her words like he was drinking ale as she gazed at him with cold eyes but behind that cold stare he could see the flames of an iron will. The will to succeed and protect her friends to the death if it came to it.

"Don't get me wrong i don't forgive you for killing my brother believe me, but if it wasn't for you he would have been murdered in cold blood, you showed him the one thing that drew me too you ... compassion, I can tell you arent a bad person you have reasons for doing what you do just like myself." He said not taking his gaze away from her studying her features.

"As for talking things over just know the gates are open." Secretly he admired Mari for her virtues he like her had to perform a mercy kill which most soldiers have to do at some point in thier career.

[Mari 1]

Mari didn't react when he said he didn't forgive her - naturally. Why would he? Mari didn't expect forgiveness - or even any form of retribution. Mari simply closed her eyes, shielding blue eyes behind closed lids and gave a small nod. "Yeh, that is true." She opened them when he said that her compassion drew him toward her. Mari didn't feel she had all that much compassion - but if that was what he saw in her, then she was not going to rebut that.

"We all have our reasons, be they just, true or wrong. Regardless we all perceive things differently. What I feel is right may be viewed as wrong and vile by another. We are all human - we need to do what we need to clear those 100 floors, and to survive." Mari muttered, repeating the words of wisdom Life had offered her before he parted ways with her.
 

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke nodded in agreement with what she said. Everyone was different after all, there were player killers that were basically the same as the basic murderer in the real world who deserved to die, then there were the vigilantes who were basically the police of this world killing those who killed for the sake of it, just like Mari who hunted the players who were pure evil and most recently granting a peaceful death to those who were going to die anyway. There were shop owners and soldiers, hunters and gatherers, everyone has their place.

 

''Your right there everyone has reason for what they are doing and each has their place here after all we have the soldiers on the front lines and a place I'm hoping to join soon my place is with the soldiers.'' he said reminiscing a little a little sadness appearing in his eyes as he looked down his bangs hiding his face a single tear falling from his eye, Remembering his failure during that hostage situation that got him expelled from the military in the first place.

[Mari 1]

Sousuke seemed to know a lot about war, and the military. Yet he seemed rather young in the face, it didn't show but he had this air about him that was difficult to explain, Mari couldn't quite put her finger on it. So, her in her usual tactless, straightforward way asked. "So how are you anyway? You seem pretty young."

Mari tilted her head watching as he lowered his voice, speaking in a melancholy tone - with a melancholy look, and a melancholy tear streaked down a melancholy cheek. She ignored it, it didn't concern her and she didn't exactly feel like having the man delve into his past and tell her his lifes story.

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke looked up wiping his face, now wasn't the time to be letting his emotions get the better of him. Mari most likely didn't care about his past anyway he shook his head clearing his thoughts. The wind blowing his hair around as he leaned back collecting his thoughts. She asked about his age and he couldn't blame her after all he didn't exactly look like an adult. ''Im 16'' he replied unsure of how she would take it. A sixteen year old boy in the secret service did sound a bit far fetched after all.

[Mari 1]

"16 Huh? And a military kid? Mmmm..." Mari crossed her legs, sitting on the grass in front of him, she interlaced her fingers as she stretched out her arms, her bones cracked as she arched her back. "Mmm, now I am going to be skeptical here; because that sounds like a bit of a bullsh*t story if you ask me. legally..." She stressed the word, "legally, you can't sign any contractual agreements till you are a legal adult - but you're just a kid. So pray tell, lil' Sousuke - what got you in your whole.....shall we say shindig?"
 

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke rolled his eyes. He saw that one coming a mile away and sure she was right in a way, Most people would think he was full of crap but he wasn't. "I was recruited by the captain of a submarine called the Teletha De Naan named after the captain who's name was also Teletha. It was a personal request, apparently they had been scouting the schools for kids with exeptional physical fitness and a particular background in this case i had killed to save my brother once." He told her as he brushed his hair out of his face again.

[Mari 1]

"Pfft - Don't roll your eyes at me kid." Mari chided, catching the action, "I don't care how many people ask you or how sick you are of the question - it's legitimate. It is a curious thing." Mari crossed her arms, "If you are so sick of telling people either zip it about your past or include it in your little rant when you tell people about what you do."

Mari sounded cold but she meant well; that sort of thing happened with her a lot. So the kid was more of a navel recruit? Scouting at schools... "That sounds pretty dodgy if you ask me. 16 year olds aren't legal adults - they cannot sign contracts, they were intentionally looking for an under age recruit. Has a nasty reek to it if you ask me." 

 

Mari shrugged, dropping the subject - she didn't really feel the need to comment on it any more and if they continued along the same subject line she would probably get bored and just cut him off. Sousuke mentioned he had killed once before, to protect his brother. "Guess we got that in common then eh?"

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke decided that he could atleast make his story just a little more believable by telling her something classified before the subject was dropped. "Just to add a little bit so you atleast understand it was mainly to be stationed at a school to protect a girl with forbbidden knowledge implanted in her brain. As for the killing thing we are soldiers its what we do regardless of the concequences or who the target is." He said quietly

[Mari 1]

Mari wasn't sure if she should believe him or not, the whole stationed at school with forbidden knowledge in a girls brain? Mari scoffed inwardly so as not to insult Sousuke. It sounded stupid. It sounded like a third rate anime plot, one of those stupid ones that appeal to the 'larger crowds' She sighed, she wasn't going to comment on that particular subject matter any further. Nothing more needed to be said on it.

"Regardless of consequences or who the target is eh? Kill first, ask questions later?" Mari asked, not impressed by that sort of logic.