Free States of the Crescent

[The Stormfather He/Him]

3 hours ago, Spark of Hope said:

“We will be doing our best to find them. Based on testimony, we have a warrant to arrest any we find.”

Mark itched to help them. To lift his Blade, breathe in the Stormlight, and rush out with them to get his vengeance on those that had pursued him for this long. No. NO. I can't do this again. Sooner or later, my luck will run out, and I'll get myself killed.

He would always do what he could.

He would remember.

He would listen.

But that was all he needed to do.

He wasn't a Killer, he was... Well, he wasn't exactly sure what he was.

but he knew what he wasn't.

And he knew that if he went out there again, it would never end.

There's always someone else to fight, always someone to take the place of the last enemy. You'll never not have a knife at your throat. Adris' words, from a long, long time ago.

Murder doesn't solve all of the problems. You can't go on as an assassin, Mark. Words... Words from further back in his memory. A time when things had been good. Words spoken by Sereine.

Maybe his blade had sung it's final song.

He dearly hoped that it had. 

The bloodstains already wore deep into him, and any further... There would be very little of him left.

Quote

Once again, I have absolutely no clue where I'm going with this. We'll see.

 

Edited June 23, 2025 by The Stormfather

[Through the Living Hope]

46 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

Mark itched to help them. To lift his Blade, breathe in the Stormlight, and rush out with them to get his vengeance on those that had pursued him for this long. No. NO. I can't do this again. Sooner or later, my luck will run out, and I'll get myself killed.

He would always do what he could.

He would remember.

He would listen.

But that was all he needed to do.

He wasn't a Killer, he was... Well, he wasn't exactly sure what he was.

but he knew what he wasn't.

And he knew that if he went out there again, it would never end.

There's always someone else to fight, always someone to take the place of the last enemy. You'll never not have a knife at your throat. Adris' words, from a long, long time ago.

Murder doesn't solve all of the problems. You can't go on as an assassin, Mark. Words... Words from further back in his memory. A time when things had been good. Words spoken by Sereine.

Maybe his blade had sung it's final song.

He dearly hoped that it had. 

The bloodstains already wore deep into him, and any further... There would be very little of him left.

 

Tinker asked, “Can we see her?”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

23 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

Tinker asked, “Can we see her?”

"Yes,"

[Through the Living Hope]

20 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

"Yes,"

They went to her. She smiled weakly. 

“Hey, Mare.”

”Hey.”

Tinker took her hand. 

[The Stormfather He/Him]

9 hours ago, Spark of Hope said:

They went to her. She smiled weakly. 

“Hey, Mare.”

”Hey.”

Tinker took her hand. 

Mark backed away, wanting to give the two of them some space.

Mark, you haven't said any Words in years. I know the pain you've gone through, but... It might be time.

"I don't know the Words."

Does anybody, ever? Is it something you know? No, its just Words that come straight from your heart to your lips, in the moment.

"Then how... How am I supposed to say them?"

Be there. In that moment. Listen. Remember.

Quote

WaT (Kinda not really)

Spoiler

I was hoping that Wind and Truth would reveal the fourth ideal of the Edgedancers, but it didn't, so I guess I'll think of something.

 

 

[Through the Living Hope]

1 hour ago, The Stormfather said:

Mark backed away, wanting to give the two of them some space.

Mark, you haven't said any Words in years. I know the pain you've gone through, but... It might be time.

"I don't know the Words."

Does anybody, ever? Is it something you know? No, its just Words that come straight from your heart to your lips, in the moment.

"Then how... How am I supposed to say them?"

Be there. In that moment. Listen. Remember.

 

Tinker rubbed his thumb over the gash on her forehead. It had stitches. “Are you alright?”

”I hurt like hell, but I’m alive.”

Tinker nodded. Mare looked at Mark. “Thank you.”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

36 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

Tinker rubbed his thumb over the gash on her forehead. It had stitches. “Are you alright?”

”I hurt like hell, but I’m alive.”

Tinker nodded. Mare looked at Mark. “Thank you.”

"I..." Mark thought for a moment before speaking. "Thank you, Mare. If you hadn't been there... Most of them would be dead, and I would be dead as well."

[Through the Living Hope]

18 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

"I..." Mark thought for a moment before speaking. "Thank you, Mare. If you hadn't been there... Most of them would be dead, and I would be dead as well."

She didn’t know what to say to that. 

Tinker looked to a paramedic. “Can I take her home?”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

10 hours ago, Spark of Hope said:

She didn’t know what to say to that. 

Tinker looked to a paramedic. “Can I take her home?”

Mark tapped Tinker on the shoulder. "I think we may want to wait for a moment- There were a hell of a lot of bullets flying. There... There very well could be other injuries we haven't noticed."

Not to mention the fact that I don't want to face that conversation. Not yet.

[Through the Living Hope]

3 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

Mark tapped Tinker on the shoulder. "I think we may want to wait for a moment- There were a hell of a lot of bullets flying. There... There very well could be other injuries we haven't noticed."

Not to mention the fact that I don't want to face that conversation. Not yet.

Quote

What conversation?

He sighed. 

[The Stormfather He/Him]

1 minute ago, Spark of Hope said:

He sighed. 

Quote

He doesn't want to say like... anything about all the stuff that just happens. He kinda pushed himself to the limit to not die, and is very exhausted. 

"I... The best we can do is just... take care of ourselves. They have medics here. They have everything they can give to her. If there isn't stormlight that I can use... There's very little left we can do. You... You should stay here. I need to get home..." He looked down at his bloodstained clothes and grimaced. "I don't think that much of this is mine. I should change."

Quote

I think it actually would be, but stormlight healing and shock would make him not really notice.

 

[Through the Living Hope]

6 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

"I... The best we can do is just... take care of ourselves. They have medics here. They have everything they can give to her. If there isn't stormlight that I can use... There's very little left we can do. You... You should stay here. I need to get home..." He looked down at his bloodstained clothes and grimaced. "I don't think that much of this is mine. I should change."

 

He nodded and put his forehead on Mare’s hand. 

[The Stormfather He/Him]

1 minute ago, Spark of Hope said:

He nodded and put his forehead on Mare’s hand. 

Mark slowly begins walking back to his house. 

It takes a lot longer than it should have. He takes a route specifically to go around the places where he had recently fought or been captured, eventually making his way back to his (And maybe Astra's idk) house.

[Through the Living Hope]

4 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

Mark slowly begins walking back to his house. 

It takes a lot longer than it should have. He takes a route specifically to go around the places where he had recently fought or been captured, eventually making his way back to his (And maybe Astra's idk) house.

Quote

Next morning or

@Lotus Blossom

[The Stormfather He/Him]

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

@Lotus Blossom

Quote

Yeah I think so- there isn't much else to get out of this scene if your character is like terribly wounded

 

[Through the Living Hope]

40 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

 

Quote

K. If/when Lotus responds, just count that as this night and we’ll move forward 

Mare woke up the next morning in Tinker’s arms, still in the station. Her mother held her other hand. 

“Mom?” she said quietly.

The woman smiled, bags evident under her eyes. “I was so worried… you didn’t come home last night…”

”Sorry, Mom…”

”Oh, Mare…. What happened?”

*Mare gives brief explanation*

Crocus kissed her daughter’s hand. “You’re okay now. You’re safe.”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

The next morning, Mark woke up much later than he normally would.

He went about his day for a little while, before dropping everything he was doing and going back over to the house. (The one where people were watching the games.)

He throws up on the side of the road when he walks past the battlefield where he had fought the Marksmen.

I can't do these things anymore. This is... Horrible.

You did what needed to be done, Mark. Would you rather they kill all of your friends?

No. I... I know that it needed to happen. It still hurts. The amount of people killed by me...

If not you, Adris would have sent someone else after them. If someone else had been hired as Adris' assassin, Sereine would have killed all of the Rusted. 

Why does it always have to be us or them? Is there never a place where a fight can end without one of the parties involved being slaughtered?

Yes. There is. Do you think every single Peacekeeper was killed in the revolution? Every single person who had been running the Hunger Games? When you look at things that happen in this place at a larger scale, it never ends with everybody being killed on one side of a war. The problem is, when you have small gangs of ten or twenty, with more Investiture than they need, it becomes far too dangerous. 

I wish there was a way to resolve this better. I didn't listen to any of them, in the first fight against the Marksmen. I just killed.

You remember them. I know you do. You will not forget. If all you can do in the situation is support one of the ideals, it is still Honorable. You did not have a chance to listen to them, unless you wanted to listen to the guns being fired and the screams of all the people you know.

I...

Could he really still be honorable? After all of the things he's done? He had been a hired assassin, he had been the person to murder a revolutionist and then raise a revolution, and he had killed the people whose lives had been destroyed by the revolution.

He had done so, so much bad in this world.

Yet you never see the good you have done to counter it. Mark, you are not a Killer. You are an Edgedancer, you are a Radiant of Honor's ideals. You are a soldier. Nobody from either army will call a soldier a murdurer. Not often. Not in war. They know that the soldiers on both sides are just boys who've been tainted by blood.

Nobody remembers them. Nobody cares about the kids on the front lines of battle.

So YOU have to.

Mark made his way over to the house and knocked on the door, giving an explanation of what's happened to whoever answers.

Quote

Well at least this one wasn't TOO big.

 

Edited June 24, 2025 by The Stormfather

[Through the Living Hope]

4 hours ago, The Stormfather said:

The next morning, Mark woke up much later than he normally would.

He went about his day for a little while, before dropping everything he was doing and going back over to the house. (The one where people were watching the games.)

He throws up on the side of the road when he walks past the battlefield where he had fought the Marksmen.

I can't do these things anymore. This is... Horrible.

You did what needed to be done, Mark. Would you rather they kill all of your friends?

No. I... I know that it needed to happen. It still hurts. The amount of people killed by me...

If not you, Adris would have sent someone else after them. If someone else had been hired as Adris' assassin, Sereine would have killed all of the Rusted. 

Why does it always have to be us or them? Is there never a place where a fight can end without one of the parties involved being slaughtered?

Yes. There is. Do you think every single Peacekeeper was killed in the revolution? Every single person who had been running the Hunger Games? When you look at things that happen in this place at a larger scale, it never ends with everybody being killed on one side of a war. The problem is, when you have small gangs of ten or twenty, with more Investiture than they need, it becomes far too dangerous. 

I wish there was a way to resolve this better. I didn't listen to any of them, in the first fight against the Marksmen. I just killed.

You remember them. I know you do. You will not forget. If all you can do in the situation is support one of the ideals, it is still Honorable. You did not have a chance to listen to them, unless you wanted to listen to the guns being fired and the screams of all the people you know.

I...

Could he really still be honorable? After all of the things he's done? He had been a hired assassin, he had been the person to murder a revolutionist and then raise a revolution, and he had killed the people whose lives had been destroyed by the revolution.

He had done so, so much bad in this world.

Yet you never see the good you have done to counter it. Mark, you are not a Killer. You are an Edgedancer, you are a Radiant of Honor's ideals. You are a soldier. Nobody from either army will call a soldier a murdurer. Not often. Not in war. They know that the soldiers on both sides are just boys who've been tainted by blood.

Nobody remembers them. Nobody cares about the kids on the front lines of battle.

So YOU have to.

Mark made his way over to the house and knocked on the door, giving an explanation of what's happened to whoever answers.

 

Rashi listened without interruption. 

[The Stormfather He/Him]

26 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

Rashi listened without interruption. 

Mark finished with explaining Mare's injuries.

"Is everybody here safe?" He asked.

if those storming Marksmen came back...

Looking around, though, it seemed that everything was fine.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, his heart rate went down to something normal.

[Through the Living Hope]

1 minute ago, The Stormfather said:

Mark finished with explaining Mare's injuries.

"Is everybody here safe?" He asked.

if those storming Marksmen came back...

Looking around, though, it seemed that everything was fine.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, his heart rate went down to something normal.

“Everything is fine for the most part… but Sharlin was killed.”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

“Everything is fine for the most part… but Sharlin was killed.”

Mark sighed.

"Damn it..."

Too much to hope that the Gamemakers would let us keep somebody we care about alive.

"How?"

[Through the Living Hope]

5 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

Mark sighed.

"Damn it..."

Too much to hope that the Gamemakers would let us keep somebody we care about alive.

"How?"

“She had to take on two tributes at once. They seemed to have some kind of mental connection.”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

18 hours ago, Spark of Hope said:

“She had to take on two tributes at once. They seemed to have some kind of mental connection.”

"Storms. These games just keep destroying," Mark murmured. "Do you guys have any stormlight here? I don't see why you would, but I... Well, Mare needs help."

[Through the Living Hope]

31 minutes ago, The Stormfather said:

"Storms. These games just keep destroying," Mark murmured. "Do you guys have any stormlight here? I don't see why you would, but I... Well, Mare needs help."

“Just a little.”

[The Stormfather He/Him]

3 hours ago, Spark of Hope said:

“Just a little.”

"Oh. It probably won't help much then." Mark shook his head. "I'll take it to her, but you probably won't see her back for a few days. Could you show me where the Light is? if you're okay with me taking it, of course."