01:22] Maria Malibu waves.
(Maria Malibu)


[01:22] Maria Malibu says, "..."
[01:22] Charlotte would take in a deep breath, looking at Natrix before deciding that it wasn't worth it to murder someone in the middle of Gloomlight, mainly due to the paperwork that would come afterwards, and not any moral reasons.

"I'm a full grown woman thank you very much."

She would say, letting out a huff, clearly upset.
(Charlotte O. Nightwalker)


[01:22] Aedin Tanis says, "..."
[01:25] Natrix takes a look at small adult. He doesn't understand, almost every adult is taller than him. But he guesses she's 'full grown woman'.

"GRUNNG.. FULL GROWN?.. MAYBE."
Natrix says before looking back at Aedin Tanis, thinking about his future and his well being and how many he'll bite iron until he's dead to the old age, or the other reasons.
(Natrix)


[01:28] {Item} You picked up Fruit Basket. Dropped by Behitha..
[01:28] Weiss says, "Be well."
[01:31] D3S-T1NY says, "I am.."
[01:31] D3S-T1NY says, "Sorry.."
[01:31] Maria Malibu bought Cobalthine (x2) for 2200c from Alex's Wares!
[01:31] Cadaroz asks, "Hello. Can you water some of the field for me?"
[01:32] Tree says, "Okay, that makes it simple."
[01:32] Yi Su says, "Certainly I don't mind t ending to you Bonbon but we'll need the materials."
[01:32] Grey Aundeoth says, "... There is a reason that I was advised to- ahem."
[01:33] {Item} You picked up Rowboat..
[01:33] Maria Malibu has taken Fairy Powder (x9) from the chest at 319,813,7
[01:33] Maria Malibu has taken Cobalthine from the chest at 319,813,7
[01:34] Maria Malibu has taken Fire Crystal (x26) from the chest at 319,813,7
[01:34] Maria Malibu has taken Azilaena (x8) from the chest at 319,813,7
[01:34] Maria Malibu has taken Saniskriti (x3) from the chest at 319,813,7
[01:34] Maria Malibu has taken Perdegrine from the chest at 319,813,7
[01:34] Maria Malibu has taken Perdegrine from the chest at 319,813,7
[01:34] Maria Malibu has taken Marignolia (x38) from the chest at 319,813,7
[01:34] Maria Malibu has taken Herdaia (x82) from the chest at 319,813,7
[01:35] {Item} You picked up Rowboat..
[01:45] {Item} You picked up Rowboat..
[01:45] Maria Malibu has placed Cobalthine (x3) into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:45] Maria Malibu has placed Azilaena (x8) into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:45] Maria Malibu has placed Saniskriti (x3) into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:45] Maria Malibu has placed Perdegrine (x2) into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:46] Maria Malibu has placed Venom into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:46] Maria Malibu has placed Herdaia (x82) into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:46] Maria Malibu has placed Fire Crystal (x26) into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:46] Maria Malibu has placed Marignolia (x38) into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:46] Maria Malibu has placed Fairy Powder (x9) into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:46] Maria Malibu has placed Firefly into the chest at 319,813,7
[01:46] Maria Malibu has placed Prisminthium (x4) into the chest at 319,812,7
[01:49] {Item} You picked up Rowboat..
[01:50] Maria Malibu stumbles onto a nearby bench, sleeping peacefully in it's embrace.
(Maria Malibu)


[01:53] Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Urged by Elspeth's offer, it is all too easy to find an avenue of escape. Her alarm has been risen high, and every little bit of her is absolutely tense.

There is no hiding the utter guilt in those amber eyes, even as she forces herself to look away from Tab. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You've done nothing wrong. I don't want to..." She repeats that sentence louder, for all to hear - but she hasn't the heart to finish it, as words trail off and fade in the wind.

Gwyndolyn grasps one of Elspeth's hands, just a little tighter. "I'll see you again soon, Tab. I just need to..." No finishing that sentence, either. Uncertainty mars it all, and she does not even dare look back to neither Aricles or Tab.
(Gwyndolyn P. Kasca)


[01:54] Tab Blackdress says, "O-okay. Goodbye, um."
[01:54] Tab Blackdress says, "It was nice."
[01:54] Tab Blackdress says, "T-talking with you."
[01:54] Gwyndolyn P. Kasca says, "... Always."
[01:54] Aricles Alline squeezes her hand and rises from his seat, inviting her along.
(Aricles Alline)


[01:54] Tab Blackdress says, "Oh, um-"
[01:54] Tab Blackdress says, "Okay. Where are we goin-"
[01:55] Tab Blackdress looks past Aricles, to see a sleeping Maria!
(Tab Blackdress)


[01:55] Tab Blackdress says, "Wait, wait- shhhh."
[01:55] Maria Malibu says, "..."
[01:55] Maria Malibu says, "Zzzz"
[01:55] Maria Malibu had a whiskey bottle mere inches from her hand.*(Maria Malibu)


[01:55] Maria Malibu says, "Hnghhg...."
[01:55] Maria Malibu says, "..."
[01:55] Maria Malibu snores.
(Maria Malibu)


[01:55] Agne says, "Should prolly get 'er 'ta bed."
[01:56] Tab Blackdress sneaks over to Maria...
(Tab Blackdress)


[01:56] Aricles Alline whispers something.
[01:56] Aricles Alline says, "I'll get the boat ready."
[01:59] From one Malibu to another, with Tab as the bridge.

She takes out two lovely flowers - a poppylus, and a sinka, both gifted to her by Majora not terribly long ago.

Delicately, she places each one into Maria's hair, positioning them well so there's little risk of them falling without deliberate removal.

"Okay. We can get her to bed now. Hehe."
(Tab Blackdress)


[01:59] {Item} You picked up Poppylus. Dropped by Tab Blackdress..
[01:59] {Item} You picked up Sinka. Dropped by Tab Blackdress..
[01:59] Tab Blackdress whispers: Does anyone know where she sleeps? The Malibu place, right?
[01:59] Tab Blackdress whispers: On Nilhirra?
[02:00] Aricles Alline whispers something.
[02:00] Tab Blackdress scoops the Maria gently.
(Tab Blackdress)


[02:02] Tab Blackdress attempts to look for a set of keys on Maria to borrow, just for a moment. She didn't want to risk breaking the door!
(Tab Blackdress)


[02:04] Aedin Tanis says, "Hello, Miss Maria."
[02:04] Tab Blackdress says, "Shhh-"
[02:04] Aricles Alline says, "Shh."
[02:04] Aedin Tanis says, "..."
[02:04] Aricles Alline whispers: She's asleep.
[02:04] Tab Blackdress puts one finger up to her mouth. She's holding Maria, who is in fact asleep.
(Tab Blackdress)


[02:04] Aedin Tanis says, "Oh."
[02:05] Aedin Tanis nods understandingly, and goes to work crushin up sugarcaps with his barehands once more. Work.
(Aedin Tanis)


[02:05] Aedin Tanis says, "..."
[02:05] Tab Blackdress whispers: She looks so tuckered out.
[02:05] Aedin Tanis nods.
(Aedin Tanis)


[02:06] Tab Blackdress whispers: I don't want to disturb her...
[02:06] The woman would be seen clad in her mercenary attire. Her hues were droopy, barely able to keep such eyes open as the duo of Aricles and Tab approached her.

["What...what are you doing?"] the drunken gunslinger echoes in her psyche. Her eyes open, soft and confused. A soft squeeze of her hand would be enough to express that it was a friend. Every inch of danger escaping the poor little Maria's psyche.

It was Tab..

She was safe.

The blood on her hands, splayed across her clothes.

It was okay. It was over.

She was safe.

"..."

She'd smile, feeling the plant placed on her hair. A poppylus and sinka. A symbol of hope and blood, ironically enough.

She'd accept the gesture, sighing a sigh of relief. Her eyes open, staring deep into the midnight that bellowed.

"So embarrassing..." she echoes. Did she deserve this? Allies to assist her? To see her in such a vulnerable and pathetic state? Drunk off her mind that she couldn't even cross the ocean to her home?

Maybe she wanted this.

Someone to protect her.

"..."

She is scooped, gently handled by the Blackdress. Her eyes go from droopy to awake. She wanted to say thank you, yet her voice couldn't ring.

Caught in that woman's arms, they'd find a pair of keys on her person. A soft sigh escapes, drunk and tired.

Wanting nothing more than to forget.

All she could catch in her hue, was that woman's tender and beautiful face.

Aricles was lucky, to have someone such as that.

"..."

She closes her eyes again. Asleep, and having taken her fair bit of alcohol in her system.

Adrift in her memories.

Her sorrow, her nostalgia.

Everything.

At the forefront of her mind, as she drifts into the abyss.

Out of time.
(Maria Malibu)


[02:09] Aricles Alline waves towards Meryl, and holds a finger up to his helm. Shh.
(Aricles Alline)


[02:13] Aricles takes note of the blood covering the up-and-coming merc, making sure none of it appears to be her own, before slipping out a resealable mythril box.

His mealbox for mining. It's got a slice of pizza inside, of Tab's make - his favourite food on Meranthe.
It's placed next to the head of Maria, lid cracked, so that she awaken to the smell once less exhausted.

Day old, room temperature pizza. A classic.
He had spare boxes at home.
(Aricles Alline)


[02:14] It was a while before Tab even noticed the blood. All she saw was Maria, unwell, and that was all that mattered. When she did notice it at last on setting her down, a surge of panic flows through her as she quickly dotes over- only to be relieved at finding her unharmed.

Onto the couch, Maria goes. Tab briefly considered her room instead, but that felt... like an invasion of privacy, frankly? It wasn't her room. Future Maria could be grumpy at her for not setting her in a proper bed. Tab was willing to accept that.

"It's okay. You're safe and home now."

She adjusts Maria's cloak for her so that it serves as more of a blanket, and shifts her close to the headrest for a pillow.

"Goodnight."

(Tab Blackdress)

[02:24] The trauma echoes. That woman who had hurt her, who had echoed in her mind, the pain that bellowed in her heart.

She wasn't her.

No, she wasn't.

Was she?

"..."

Maria's eyes widen, a direct symbol of trauma. It was almost as if she didn't trust Tab and Aricles. She didn't like to be touched, she didn't like to be held. Every time she was, was she betrayed. Was she told something else, forced to be someone she wasn't.

As accurate and potent this gunslinger was, she still felt trauma from the mere touch of her body. That woman bit into her neck, she had touched her, forcing naught but the memory of her pain and sorrow into her heart.

Yet Tab was different.

She didn't judge. She didn't ridicule. She merely cared.

She carried her, setting the poor little girl upon the couch below. For as strong as that facade of a gunslinger was, it wasn't enough to burrow deep into what she truly was.

A little girl.

Scared and afraid. Wanting nothing more than to live up to the impossible standards of her dead siblings.

"..."

Her mind echoes their deaths. Perhaps the whiskey she drank was enough to echo. And yet..

A single slice of pizza placed at her chest. She smiles awakening from her brief slumber. The poor mute was drunk, and yet she nibbles on the pizza. Her appreciation was told in her hues, placed against Aricles and Tab's hues.

Despite it being the worse possible pizza possible, she accepts the gesture, nibbling on the food. Staring at the floor.

"Th-..."

"..."

"Thank you." her lips echo, single and soft. A softened word, as she nibbled on her days old pizza.

Did she deserve this?

"..."

'It's okay. You're safe and home now.'

Maria nibbles on her pizza, smiling in a dorkly manner, to both Tab and Aricles both.

She smiles. Drunk beyond belief, yet.

Appreciating their gesture.

She rests, closing her eyes. Feeling her mother in the presence of her pizza eating. A heavy breath emits from her lips...was she alone now?

She'd hope not.

As much as she told others she wanted too, it wasn't true.

Being alone was as painful as it was blissful.

"..."
(Maria Malibu)


[02:24] {Item} You picked up Pizza. Dropped by Aricles Alline..
[02:34] Oh.

It was worse than Tab had first imagined.

She could tell from the eyes, the heart. Nobody hides the pain, not forever. They can't. Because it accumulates and accumulates until you can't hold it in anymore. It just gets worse. It just...

...it was too familiar. Tab was scared and afraid, too. She could relate more than Maria could possibly imagine. She took a seat across from her on the opposite couch with a sigh-

but returned Maria's dorky smile with an empathetic one of her own.

"Get some rest, alright? We'll stay here if you'd rather."

Remembering some semblance of her manners, she gives a friendly glance towards Meryl. If this was better a family matter, if it was better she'd leave, she would - but she only wanted to help.

Tab Blackdress doesn't just listen to words, though. She listens to hearts, too. She wasn't a telepath, but nevertheless felt inspired to add a followup, for reasons unexplainable and inexplicable.

"You deserve to be happy and cared for. We love you, okay?"

She taps her fingers along the couch cushion.

"Sleep well, Maria. You aren't alone, not as long as I'm around."
(Tab Blackdress)


[02:43] It was her eyes, that told her story.

That told her grief, and her fear.

While it might be amusing, to see the tiny gunslinger nibble on days old cold pizza. The one who had won against powerful demons and threats.

She was still scared.

"..."

Her heart, her pain, and her sorrow.

Until one couldn't hold it in anymore.

Building and building, until the tears run down your face.

Maria sits, she rests and relaxes, a piece of cold pizza caught in her mouth. She was tired, using the gentle embrace of alcohol to forget her trauma. To forget her actions.

And yet she glimpses at Tab. She chuckles, almost spitting out the half eaten piece of pizza caught in her throat.

"..."

"...Oh-...okay..." she mumbles. Her hues finally rest, the final sign caught in her hues that of Tab.

"..."

So tired. Yet for the moment?

So comfortable.

So safe.

She felt her mother mere feet away.

Did she deserve to be happy? To be loved? To be cared?

All that echoes from her hue, was that single saying.

["I'm sorry."]

["I'm sorry I broke your heart."]

"..."

Her psyche grows dark, as well as her hues. Not even she knew where this thought would come from. Yet it was Tab's and Aricle's words that set her to sleep.

She didn't deserve it.

And yet she wasn't alone.

The shadows embrace her, eyelids finally closing.

Into the embrace of her memories.

Remembering the words of her allies.

Remembering their love.

Their care.

Their hearts.

"..."

"Mom..."

"..."

She closes her eyes.

Adrift in her memories.

Her dreams.

"..."
(Maria Malibu)


[02:45] Aricles Alline takes ahold of Tab's left hand and floats silently towards the door, offering another wave to Meryl.
(Aricles Alline)


[02:47] Maria Malibu hiccups...
(Maria Malibu)


[02:47] Maria Malibu says, "....M-..."
[02:47] Maria Malibu says, "..."
[02:51]
The guests leave, and the woman watching the group from afar finally decide to waddle towards the couch, setting herself down next to her daughter.

She seems drowsy, perhaps a proper night's sleep didn't come her way a few hours prior, resting rather laxly on the couch as she sets herself down with a huff, reaching towards her daughter's head to gently caress her scalp as she does.

From what little she saw, she throws in a guess, if the other is coherent enough to even answer.

"...Had a fun night out?"
(Meryl Malibu)


[02:58] "..."

"Uh hwuuh..."

Maria was...still awake! Nibbling on her damn pizza as she stood up on the couch. If one thing was for certain...

She had inherited her mother's stubbornness.

She giggles, thinking of gentle memories. Her mother approaches, a soft sigh of relief escaping this one's breathes.

Maria was as drowsy as her mother. She lifts upward, settling at the edge of couch and finishing her cold pizza. She stares at her mother. Was...was she mad? Her eyes widen, anxiety filling the drunken girl's heart.

"Mhmh...mhmhm..." Her mute daughter echoes. Nodding her head, as she lifts and sits beside her mother, nibbling on cold pizza.

Adrift, she sets her blonde locks on her mother's shoulder.

"..."

Snuggling against her.

Maria feels her touch, as well as her voice upon her psyche.

Maria had learned telepathy as of late. Yet she could not speakunless close to another, physically touching them being enough to connect mana circuits, and deliver her psyche upon the other.

["I love you mom."] this drunken voice echoes upon Meryl's psyche. It was...rural. A voice that carried the accent of one who had lived in the farmlands of Nilharra all her life.

Or a cowgirl, of course.

["I'm...sorry. If i'm...if i did not make you proud."]

["I'm so scared..."] she echoes, her hues closing once again.

The sleepiness gets to her...
(Maria Malibu)


[03:06]
Shoulders relax and so does her posture, as a soft sigh leaves her nose, nodding to her daughter's words spoken in the mind.

"I love you too, honey."

She tilts her head to the rest of the words, admittedly confused to their implication. She lets a sigh drag out of her lungs, not out of annoyance or anything of the sorts, more so to recollect her composure, quite literally as if puffing herself up.

A hug is offered, one hand nudging the other's head onto her mother's chest as it soon begins caressing the same head.

"Is something wrong, honey?"
(Meryl Malibu)


[03:20] "[I feel...scared."]

"{I don't want to die, like Levius or Lavenza."]

"..."

From mere touch, can Meryl hear her daughter's words. The gentle embrace of her skull against her shoulder, arms embracing her mother. Never wanting to let go.

The drunken Malibu wanted nothing more than this moment.

["I'm sorry. I'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry."] the little gunslinger echoes. But for what?

["I'm sorry I couldn't protect them."]

She was drunk, yes. But the words echoed from her heart. She holds her mother tight, quelled by her words nonetheless.

She just wanted to be in this moment.

A single, tender moment.

To quell her heart, to let her know everything was okay.

Maria sets herself on her mother's chest. A hand itching against her scalp, a sigh of relief, brought back to the moments of her childhood.

The moments of her mother caressing her, when the world wasn't so dark.

It was okay.

Alone, and at home. Away from the world.

The same world that would bring her answer eventually. But for now?

She embraces her mother. Sifting her eyes, closing them gently, a head on her chest, feeling her woes and her sorrow.

Her daughter loved her. Just as much as any.

Despite all the pain in her heart, she'd hope Meryl would know this.

Of the daughter that would be as stubborn as her.

That would break this world in two, and all it's rules.

No matter who would be against her.

"..."
(Maria Malibu)


[03:28]
Another sigh, gentle in nature, hearing the worries of her daughter. Sure enough she was in her own recluse from her children's death, especially when the people she held accountable was basically her next door neighbor.

One was down, due to natural causes more than anything, yet the rest remained.

Her hands pull her daughter closer against her chest, the hand on her head scratching through her scalp tenderly as her worries are spoken into her mind.

"It's not your fault."

All the words that utter out of her mouth, remaining quiet after a silent sigh, resting her head atop her daughter's.
(Meryl Malibu)


[03:33] ["It's not? It's...not?"]

Maria's telepathy echoes against her psyche. Her thoughts waver, another coming to the forefront of her mind

["Momma...can you...tell me about my mother someday?"] she teases. Her eyes closed, yet head set firmly against her mother's chest. She feels the digits of her mother combing against her drunken skull, against soft and tender locks of beautiful, sun blonde hair.

["Someday...someday i'll kill them all."]

["All of them."]

["For us, momma..."]

She remains silent, that rural accent echoing into Meryl's psyche. The little gunslinger sighs, finding refuge in her mother's arms.

Finally.

She rests.

Her eyes turn to dark, echoing the abyss of her memories and her dreams.

Lids close, finding a final comfort in her dear mother's arms.

No more words are said, the Malibu snuggling against her mother.

Something Meryl would remember from years ago...

"..."

The night turns dark, a moon echoing upon the horizon.

Maria finding refuge in her mother's arms.
(Maria Malibu)


[03:43]
The nods, a little surprised by the unexpected reaction to her words.

"Of course not."

Soon, a huff. As much as she wanted to ramble on about the whys and hows, she opts to remain quiet, to not sour the moment, especially with the other's exhaustion that seems to be crawling through her body.

"Hm?"

"The other?"

She lets a quiet, amused snort drag out of her nose.

"The fact that she is not here now should say more than enough."

Though their existence was less than relevant now, the /present/ mother holding her daughter in her arms as she speaks her mind, opting to remain quiet to the rest of her words. It's best not to encourage her words, yet it was difficult to find it in herself to tell her to do otherwise.

And soon enough, the voice in her head pause, the tilt of her head noticing that her daughter's eyes are closed, drifting off into a presumably much needed sleep.

"...Ah."

Her one arm slides under her daughter's legs while the other balances her body from her back, soon being lifted into her arms, to be carried into her bedroom.

"Let's get you to bed, young lady."
(Meryl Malibu)


[03:44] Maria Malibu says, "..."
[03:44] Maria Malibu says, "Hmgh..."
[03:44] Maria Malibu does not struggle. She finally sleeps, carried in her mother's arms.
(Maria Malibu)


[03:44] Maria Malibu says, "...."
[03:45] Meryl Malibu sets the drunkard down on her bed, sitting on the edge to remain for a few moments, before taking her leave.
(Meryl Malibu)


[03:45] Maria Malibu says, "Zzzzzzz"
[13:51]

Edit
Pub: 13 Sep 2024 10:40 UTC
Views: 53