Free States of the Crescent

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, The Stormfather said:

Mark spots Mare and nervously nods towards her.

She had a nervous expression. “Uh… can we talk?”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

4 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

She had a nervous expression. “Uh… can we talk?”

"Y- Yeah, I think that would be good."

[Through the Living Hope]

16 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

"Y- Yeah, I think that would be good."

“I… After what happened with my dad, I’ve protected my family. It’s always near the front of my mind. And I shouldn’t have based how I acted to you on what they did, even if you were one of them… I’m… Mark, I’m sorry. For everything.”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

12 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

“I… After what happened with my dad, I’ve protected my family. It’s always near the front of my mind. And I shouldn’t have based how I acted to you on what they did, even if you were one of them… I’m… Mark, I’m sorry. For everything.”

"It's... It's okay, Marewill. After everything that happened to all of us... I was never expecting this group to not have their issues." Mark sighed. "This world we live in... It wrecks us. It destroys us, makes us... Well, in my case it made me a killer. It makes some just... give in. It's no shame that all it did to you was anger. I sure as Ruin know that there are many, many worse things that anyone could have to deal with than someone as kind as yourself, well... It's much more than I deserved."

Mist curled around Mark's fingertips.

"During that fight, at the end... I was... Losing myself." He shuddered. "I was the Killer again, thoughtless in my slaughter. But then... Well, it was the people around me who reminded me what I was fighting for. I wasn't just fighting because Adris told me to. It was the first time in years I had done something with a real purpose. It was you, in the fight, when you didn't want to kill that... Brought me away from myself."

"You saved my life, Mare. And nothing can get rid of that fact." Mark paused for a moment.

"Oddly, I think with one less tribute in that arena, I might not have made it out. We were... Certainly a group of well-balanced people. Every one of them gave me something that... Never left. It might be the only thing I have left at this point. Maybe it was the only thing I ever had."

A Sharddagger snapped into Mark's hand. " I owe everything to the rest of you. I'm just trying to repay all of you, at this point. And the ones we lost..." Quelkin, the Redspine, Tondon... 

"All of this to say... You don't need to apologize to me. I wouldn't be here without you, or without any of you. I would be the Killer again, and the Killer enraged. At the end... I think he... I... Realized what I had actually done, in killing Sereine. And I was enraged. It was, well, you saw me fighting. It was doing somethign to me that it should not have done. Astra... Well, like I said, the only reason that I stand here today and not a corpse in an underground arena is because of all the other tributes."

"There is... Something, that I need to tell the rest of you, though. Adris... I know you want nothing to do with his group but... Well, there are a group of people in the city who are showing up at their doors or when they're out in the city and... Trying to kill them. Something about the revolution that they helped in. Although, to be honest the House did most of the work. Adris doesn't want help, but they need it. Nearly a hundred people that they've had to actually fight, over the few months its been happening. I think we need to put a stop to it. All of them live in fear of going into the city, of taking a job with someone they don't already know. I give them most of what I make, but it's not enough."

Mark sighed. His Blade dissipated into mist and reformed in his other hand. "They need help. All they want at this point is a regular life. Well, it's all they wanted when they joined in the first place. It's gone too far, with the attacks on them. I was hoping that you, and the rest of us could find a way to figure out if the gorup is organized to try and actually hurt them, or if it's just some individuals who for some reason liked being under capitol opression."

Quote

I somehow cannot stop myself from monologuing. That was 600 words. I think I've gone too far this time.

 

[Through the Living Hope]

5 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

"It's... It's okay, Marewill. After everything that happened to all of us... I was never expecting this group to not have their issues." Mark sighed. "This world we live in... It wrecks us. It destroys us, makes us... Well, in my case it made me a killer. It makes some just... give in. It's no shame that all it did to you was anger. I sure as Ruin know that there are many, many worse things that anyone could have to deal with than someone as kind as yourself, well... It's much more than I deserved."

Mist curled around Mark's fingertips.

"During that fight, at the end... I was... Losing myself." He shuddered. "I was the Killer again, thoughtless in my slaughter. But then... Well, it was the people around me who reminded me what I was fighting for. I wasn't just fighting because Adris told me to. It was the first time in years I had done something with a real purpose. It was you, in the fight, when you didn't want to kill that... Brought me away from myself."

"You saved my life, Mare. And nothing can get rid of that fact." Mark paused for a moment.

"Oddly, I think with one less tribute in that arena, I might not have made it out. We were... Certainly a group of well-balanced people. Every one of them gave me something that... Never left. It might be the only thing I have left at this point. Maybe it was the only thing I ever had."

A Sharddagger snapped into Mark's hand. " I owe everything to the rest of you. I'm just trying to repay all of you, at this point. And the ones we lost..." Quelkin, the Redspine, Tondon... 

"All of this to say... You don't need to apologize to me. I wouldn't be here without you, or without any of you. I would be the Killer again, and the Killer enraged. At the end... I think he... I... Realized what I had actually done, in killing Sereine. And I was enraged. It was, well, you saw me fighting. It was doing somethign to me that it should not have done. Astra... Well, like I said, the only reason that I stand here today and not a corpse in an underground arena is because of all the other tributes."

"There is... Something, that I need to tell the rest of you, though. Adris... I know you want nothing to do with his group but... Well, there are a group of people in the city who are showing up at their doors or when they're out in the city and... Trying to kill them. Something about the revolution that they helped in. Although, to be honest the House did most of the work. Adris doesn't want help, but they need it. Nearly a hundred people that they've had to actually fight, over the few months its been happening. I think we need to put a stop to it. All of them live in fear of going into the city, of taking a job with someone they don't already know. I give them most of what I make, but it's not enough."

Mark sighed. His Blade dissipated into mist and reformed in his other hand. "They need help. All they want at this point is a regular life. Well, it's all they wanted when they joined in the first place. It's gone too far, with the attacks on them. I was hoping that you, and the rest of us could find a way to figure out if the gorup is organized to try and actually hurt them, or if it's just some individuals who for some reason liked being under capitol opression."

 

“I won’t make any promises. There’s a chance that the ones I’m truly mad at are still alive and there. But I believe you that a lot of them are decent people. For those ones, at least, I’ll try to help.”

”And… I didn’t know you felt that way. I don’t know why you think I saved you when you took out more of those Peacekeepers. It… should really be the other way around.”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

2 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

“I won’t make any promises. There’s a chance that the ones I’m truly mad at are still alive and there. But I believe you that a lot of them are decent people. For those ones, at least, I’ll try to help.”

”And… I didn’t know you felt that way. I don’t know why you think I saved you when you took out more of those Peacekeepers. It… should really be the other way around.”

"It... Well, it wasn't really me. Well, it only was in the end of that fight. After talking to people, healing people, and actually being part of a team, and not an assassin in the night."

Mark chuckled.

"Also, the peacekeepers were never taught not to give an Edgedancer a machine gun."

[Through the Living Hope]

15 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

"It... Well, it wasn't really me. Well, it only was in the end of that fight. After talking to people, healing people, and actually being part of a team, and not an assassin in the night."

Mark chuckled.

"Also, the peacekeepers were never taught not to give an Edgedancer a machine gun."

She smiled. 

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

13 hours ago, Scars of Hathsin said:

Dougella sits next on the couch watching Sweets. "Could you please stop strangling him, I kinda need him" she says, "and I haven't told anyone because I don't know how to announce it. The time never feels right." she adds, looking off into the distance again, becoming distracted. "Maybe they will be able to find the Stormfather again" she whispers to herself

Sweets stares at Dougella. "No, I need this, and I wont strangle him to death, just til he's unconscious. cool?"

[Mags she/they]

17 hours ago, Scars of Hathsin said:

Dougella sits next on the couch watching Sweets. "Could you please stop strangling him, I kinda need him" she says, "and I haven't told anyone because I don't know how to announce it. The time never feels right." she adds, looking off into the distance again, becoming distracted. "Maybe they will be able to find the Stormfather again" she whispers to herself

3 hours ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

Sweets stares at Dougella. "No, I need this, and I wont strangle him to death, just til he's unconscious. cool?"

"NOT COOL. NOT COOL WITH ME, ACTUALLY."

[Scars of Hathsin he/him]

9 hours ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

Sweets stares at Dougella. "No, I need this, and I wont strangle him to death, just til he's unconscious. cool?"

Dougella grins at Sweets, "Ummm Ok, you drive a hard bargain, what about till he's almost unconscious, I need him as well"

[Through the Living Hope]

1 hour ago, Scars of Hathsin said:

Dougella grins at Sweets, "Ummm Ok, you drive a hard bargain, what about till he's almost unconscious, I need him as well"

Meron grinned. 

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

17 hours ago, Scars of Hathsin said:

Dougella grins at Sweets, "Ummm Ok, you drive a hard bargain, what about till he's almost unconscious, I need him as well"

she laughs heartily enough to have her curled up on the floor laughing and gasping for breath. 

[Through the Living Hope]

“So… can we start over?”

@The Stormfather

[The Stormfather He/Him]

2 hours ago, Spark of Hope said:

“So… can we start over?”

@The Stormfather

"Y... yes."

[Through the Living Hope]

34 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

"Y... yes."

“Thank you, Mark.”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

12 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

“Thank you, Mark.”

"Can you let me into this house? I've been waiting here for like, ten minutes and I knocked on the door several times."

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, The Stormfather said:

"Can you let me into this house? I've been waiting here for like, ten minutes and I knocked on the door several times."

She opened the unlocked door. "Did you try opening it?" she asked sarcastically.

[The Stormfather He/Him]

“Oh.”

Mark pushes open the door and enters.

[Through the Living Hope]

49 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

“Oh.”

Mark pushes open the door and enters.

She smiled, following him in.

@J. Magi @TheRavenHasLanded @Scars of Hathsin

[Mags she/they]

1 hour ago, Spark of Hope said:

She smiled, following him in.

@J. Magi @TheRavenHasLanded @Scars of Hathsin

Lee still sitting on the couch turned to see them enter. "Oh hey there! Good morning."

[Through the Living Hope]

2 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

Lee still sitting on the couch turned to see them enter. "Oh hey there! Good morning."

"Morning." She looked at Meron. "Mom let Lily come?"

"Only if she listens to me," he said proudly.

"I'm not massaging your feet," Lily muttered. Marewill laughed.

[The Stormfather He/Him]

6 hours ago, J. Magi said:

Lee still sitting on the couch turned to see them enter. "Oh hey there! Good morning."

"Good morning."

[Mags she/they]

14 hours ago, The Stormfather said:

"Good morning."

"How're you today?" Lee asked conversationally.

[Through the Living Hope]

6 minutes ago, J. Magi said:

"How're you today?" Lee asked conversationally.

"Well... Mark and I agreed to start over," Marewill said.

"What?! Really?" Meron asked, flabbergasted (heehee fun word).

[Mags she/they]

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

"Well... Mark and I agreed to start over," Marewill said.

"What?! Really?" Meron asked, flabbergasted (heehee fun word).

"That's good!" Lee said, he didn't really know the specifics of what had happened between them, but he was glad things were being resolved.