InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Ridiculously romantic"

Marcus (marcus_cole) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-06-15 23:25:00

Entry tags:

complete, day twelve, faith lehane, marcus cole

WHO: Marcus & Faith
WHAT: Talking business
WHEN: Day 12
WHERE: Boardwalk
RATING: PG-13?
STATUS: Complete

Unfamiliar with most of the game-boards that covered the new landscape, the Ranger had no idea that he had situated himself on the most valued property in the game of Monopoly, nor did he have as much as an inkling as to the significance of the large red hut next to his mount. He didn't have much attention to spare for such mysteries. The vampire Armand was all he could think about.

For the third time now the foul creature had subdued him and forced him to endure the painful and horrific experience of having his blood sucked from his veins. Marcus' determination to destroy or otherwise neutralize the monster was nearly as great as the void in his imagination where all the ideas about what to do about it were supposed to be. He took deep slow breaths in an effort to calm himself and stroked the metal beast's metal fur. The thought of doing nothing was intolerable.

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marcus_cole
2009-06-17 10:30 pm UTC (link)

Marcus looked up from his perch on the back of the giant dog when he heard the familiar voice. Glancing at the woman in the giant shoe, he was momentarily shocked to see that it was Faith. Despite the fact that they had cleared matters up between them back on Mirage, his first impression of her had been powerful enough that he still received a jolt upon becoming aware of her immediate presence. Today, however, the jolt was mild and quickly subsided. He was much too obsessed with a current enemy to spare much energy on a former one.

"Faith. Yes, of course I remember you. What are you talking about?"

Marcus looked around to see if he could gather more clues with which to solve the mystery of what she was referring to. It was like there was a whole complex set of ideas that she took for granted, but of which he was completely ignorant. What was Park Place, and why should he care that she just got it? Why did she think he had a boardwalk to sell her?

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dark_slayer
2009-06-18 04:30 pm UTC (link)

Though she was, in truth, momentarily stung by the look on his face, she laughed it off. "Don't worry, I'm not rapist Faith." Her tone was glib, basically belittling the experience he'd had, which must have been horrible for him, judging by the way he kept reacting to her. "Now I'm 'owning your ass at Monopoly' Faith." She was doing very well, owned all four railroads, both utilities, and several properties. But she didn't have Boardwalk.

"You got Boardwalk, you know? See how it has that blue stripe at the top? That means it matches my property, Park Place." She shook her head and let out a low whistle. "Don't you even know how to play Monopoly? Shit, man. Find the fun already."

She perched on the end of her shoe token. "So, you don't know the rules, huh? Right. So here's how it works. You sell me Boardwalk, and then, uh... you can have this pretty Baltic Avenue." She gestured to the low value property she had at the very beginning of the board. It wasn't a fair trade at all, and she was counting on his lack of knowledge of the game.

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marcus_cole
2009-06-19 10:57 pm UTC (link)

Marcus looked around as Faith spoke and realized that he was on a giant game-board. The game and its accoutrements were completely unfamiliar to him, but apparently it was called Monopoly. Marcus was not really in the mood for games. He was relieved that this was not 'rapist Faith,' but wasn't exactly sure what to do with gaming Faith. He looked at the blue stripe, as she indicated.

"Oh, do you want it? I wasn't really playing." Marcus slid off the dog and vacated Faith's new property. "Listen. Normally I don't have any trouble finding the fun, but I had a particularly bad night, and I'm really not in the mood."

He was sorry that he couldn't be better company for the vivacious young woman, but he wasn't really worried about her ability to find some other kind of trouble to get into. He had a job to do, and not being able to see how he was going to do it didn't change that fact.

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dark_slayer
2009-06-20 02:48 am UTC (link)

Faith pumped a fist in the air enthusiastically, forgetting that she was supposed to be too cool for board games. "Yeah, take that, fuckers!" She grinned and hopped in her shoe over to Boardwalk. "Course I'm motherfucking buying it. I got the most valuable Monopoly on the god damned board." Of course, since Marcus wasn't playing anymore, she was just playing against a bunch of giant animate tokens, but whatever.

But Marcus' demeanor cut through her victory, and she slid down to land on the board, leaning casually against her giant shoe token. She considered him for a long time, tilting her head to the side, and then suddenly, she laughed. Not because she was amused, really, but because it was a way to react while she figured out what to say.

"Okay, so what the fuck climbed up your ass?" You'd think she could have come up with something better, but no, obviously not. "Come on, spill. Got in a fight with the little woman?"

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marcus_cole
2009-06-25 10:42 pm UTC (link)

Marcus blinked, taking a moment, as always, to adjust to Faith's energetic style. His comments had clearly distracted her from the momentous significance of her Monopoly coup, and she certainly seemed interested in his troubles. Perhaps sharing the problem with another would help him find a solution.

"No, nothing like that. Tonks and I are fine. No, I have vampire troubles. It's a bit embarrassing to admit for someone like me, but I have become the repeat victim of a particularly annoying monster. Last night he visited me again. I resist as well as I can, but he's a telepath, and I don't really have defenses against that. I can't reason with the monster--I've tried. The only thing to do is destroy him, but I'm not exactly sure how. I don't suppose you would have any ideas."

The Ranger hadn't been expecting to spill his guts like that, especially to someone he didn't know well enough to fully trust, especially someone as volatile as Faith, but once he had begun it was easier to just give the whole picture. He waited, a little nervous on the inside, for Faith's response.

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dark_slayer
2009-06-28 12:31 am UTC (link)

The deceptively delicate appearing young woman looked at him, then raised an eyebrow. She tilted her head at him, and then suddenly grinned, apparently somewhat amused by his misfortune. No one had ever accused her of being the nicest person ever. Still, she would try to help him. It was part of the whole slayer gig, and this sounded right up her alley.

"Vamps, huh? Cool." Out of the back pocket of her jeans, she pulled out a stake that she carried around practically everywhere. Absently, she fingered the sharp tip. "Sounds kinda kinky, the whole visiting thing. You secretly dig it, don't you?" She was clearly teasing, her dark eyes alight with mirth, but she soon got down to business.

"So, I'm the Slayer, right? The only one here since B pulled her disappearing act. That means I kill this vamp. Tell me." She hopped back onto her shoe, and then patted the space beside her welcomingly.

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marcus_cole
2009-07-03 03:57 am UTC (link)

Marcus took a good look at the stake in Faith's hand and thought about what she had said, trying to decipher her copious slang. Did she say she was the Slayer? The only one? What did that mean?

Finally the penny dropped in Marcus's head. Slaying was the young woman's vocation, her raison d'être. She wasn't homicidal, she was called to fight monsters. He supposed all that extra strength and fighting ability had to be for something. He hadn't supposed she was training to fight Shadows, had he? Interesting...

Marcus eyed the space beside Faith, still residually reluctant to get within her reach. Finally, he submitted to the reality that she was offering the only solution to his dilemma he had yet come across, and climbed up onto the shoe next to her.

"Alright. His name is Armand, and he looks about your age. He is polite, but somewhat petulant. When I resist his feedings, he punishes me by refusing to use his mental powers to make the experience pleasant for me. What he does is awful. I'm only glad it's me he has chosen as his victim and not Tonks."

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dark_slayer
2009-07-03 09:10 am UTC (link)

If Faith were a nicer person, she wouldn't be as amused by the obvious wariness that Marcus had for her. Of course, she didn't even remember what had happened between them previously. It hadn't really even been her, but it had been, in some way. It confused her, and really, amusement was safer, as far as she was concerned. So she stuck with that, and smirked just slightly at the dark-haired Ranger as he finally made his mind to come join her.

"See, isn't this cozy?" The mischievious part of her wanted to shout 'BOO!' at him at the tops of her lungs to freak him out, but she refrained. Instead, she simply contented herself with leaning in close to the Ranger, not quite invading his personal space, but almost. She had no real intention toward doing anything with him, but it was fun to mess with him a bit.

All kidding was pushed aside, though, as he identified his attacker. Her eyes widenened, appearing to take up half her face almost, and she shook her head. "You're being snacked on by Armand?" She laughed softly, but there was no amusement to her voice. "Schu isn't going to like this." She somehow doubted that her redheaded telepath friend, for lack of a better word, would appreciate it if she tried to kill his lover.

"Shit." She covered her face with her hands for a moment, and then suddenly brightened up. "I know! You have to get the hell away from him. Take your chick and go through the Labyrinth. Then he can't get you." She nodded, pleased with her plan. But then, running was sort of a thing for her.

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marcus_cole
2009-07-12 09:36 pm UTC (link)

Marcus watched the play of emotions across Faith's face. For all of her bravado and feigned confidence, Faith did not seem to be aware that her inner monologue could be read like a book from the contortions of her facial muscles. She smiled seductively yet mischievously; she was shocked by his attacker's name; she was conflicted as to what to do with the information. All of that was obvious. Marcus wondered how she knew Armand, and why it wasn't as simple for her as simply wanting him dead.

"Would that really work? I suppose you would know, since you've been through already, but I didn't get the impression that it gave one immunity from vampires. Is that only if one remains in the castle in the middle? I notice you are free to visit those of us who are still out here. Either way, we are planning to attempt the maze sooner rather than later. I can't imagine the trials of the journey would be much fun during the third trimester."

Marcus had himself been hoping that the upcoming trip through the Labyrinth that he and Tonks had planned would provide relief from the vampiric visits. He was encouraged by Faith's enthusiasm for the idea, but didn't take that as evidence that it would actually work. He would much rather she just used her Slayer abilities to slay him.

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dark_slayer
2009-07-13 06:26 am UTC (link)

Faith thought she was actually being pretty sneaky, keeping her thoughts to herself. She had no idea she was as easy to read as she was, at least for people who cared enough to pay attention. So she figured Marcus was pretty much unaware of most of the things she was thinking, and she'd covered the rest with her typical bluster and bravado.

"Well, shit, yeah. It would work as long as he didn't go through. Bets are off after that. But maybe Sparkles will let you go home, right? So no big." She shrugged, glad that she'd apparently given him a solution that didn't involve killing Armand. Honestly, she didn't like her chances if she had to go against Schuldig. Physically, she'd hand him his ass on a silver platter, but what were the chances that he'd let it get physical?

Still, she had a good opinion of her own abilities, and was pretty sure she could find a way to beat him. Which would be worse. He was a... friend? Close enough. She didn't want to have to kill him. "Problem solved. No charge this time." Giving him a cocky smile, she slid down off the shoe. "It's been real, but I'm gonna jet. Say hi to preggers for me."

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marcus_cole
2009-07-21 03:28 am UTC (link)

Marcus watched as Faith slid off the shoe. Clearly she was relieved to be leaving, and also quick to leave him with the solution of threading the Labyrinth to escape the vampire that plagued him. There was definitely more to this than she was telling him.

"Right. I'll do that. Listen, Faith? Aren't you a vampire slayer? Don't you want to kill him anyway? I mean, even if Tonks and I do go through the Labyrinth, don't you want Armand dead as a matter of principle?"

Marcus stayed where he was on the shoe. If she wanted to leave, he would let her leave. He just wanted more information. Anything that could help him help his little family was of great benefit in his estimation.

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dark_slayer
2009-07-25 12:55 am UTC (link)

For a moment, Faith considered pretending that she hadn't heard him, and just leaving as she'd planned. But Marcus seemed to have a way of seeing past that sort of thing that she didn't find entirely comfortable. So she turned around slowly to face him, her face set in a carefully neutral expression.

"Yeah, well, you know. Some vamps aren't bad. There's this little girl one, Claudia, I kinda... take care of her, you know? So, I dunno. I guess I wouldn't kill all vampires." As for Armand, well, that was a different matter, having to do with Schuldig and friendship.

"Anyway, can't knock people off here. So you're outta luck." With a bit of a cocky smile, she turned around again. "Later, Ranger dude." And then she was gone, deciding that she'd had enough of that conversation.

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