[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/180804/59e33c13301c63b568e5eb178a837406.png[/img] [hider=Stats] 20/13|Male/Male|Reinforcement, Beast Mystic, Melee|Duplication, Tentacles|Deity Enhanced Sustenance, Awareness, Masculinity, Fated, Sorcery, Gifted, Absolute Direction Paragon, Blessing, Clergy, Mana Fount, Gifted Item Arrogance, Unknown, Loud, Big Brother [/hider] [url=https://i.imgur.com/Y8OSnvr.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/OPMf9l2.png[/img][/url] [/center] Alexander followed the direction which Absolute Direction took him in order to find Mariette. He found her location to be very stationary. Moving towards it, he found himself in a very ordinary looking street. There were rows of townhouses, red in color, built in wood and brick, with white details, small gardens out front. Most of the houses looked decently abandoned, but this particular one was unchanged from a normal lifestyle. A car was parked out front. Lights were on. The garden was well-cared for. Smoke was coming out the chimney. Absolute Direction said Mariette was inside. Taking a few deep breaths, Alexander tried to calm his nerves ‘[color=aba000][i]Okay, now I just have to not fuck up. Easy, right?[/i][/color]’ he thought with a wry grin. Walking up to the front door, he raised his hand to knock, froze, lowered his hand, slapped himself in the face, and then actually knocked It took a couple of seconds, after which he could hear the sound of someone walking up to the door and then opening it. Alexander found himself face to face with a tall, bespectacled adult man, wearing a suit, peering down at him with an exceedingly neutral expression. The man adjusted his glasses. [hider=this dude][url=http://i.imgur.com/JBdWxrU.jpg][img]http://i.imgur.com/JBdWxrU.jpg[/img][/url][/hider] [color=C59064]‘Well? How may I help you?’[/color] he asked, 100% cool. ‘[color=aba000][i]Crap...[/i][/color]’ Alexander panicked, suddenly wishing he had his helmet to hide his face. “[color=aba000]I’m ah...looking for Mariette. Is...is she here?[/color]” The man kept staring at Alexander for a short period of time… [color=C59064]‘Who are you? A friend of hers?’[/color] he asked. “[color=aba000]My name is Alexander and-[/color]” he paused ‘[color=aba000][i]Shit...what exactly[/i] are [i]we?[/i][/color]’ he wondered. However, since he was talking to someone right now, he couldn’t take too much time thinking about that “[color=aba000]...I’m...not actually sure what we are to each other. I mean, we know each other, but beyond that I’m not really sure.[/color]” The man kept looking at Alexander, analyzing him, before finally… [color=C59064]‘Perhaps you’ve come at a good time. Mariette’s in the room up the stairs and to the left. Don’t try anything,’[/color] he said, adjusting his glasses and then turning around and walking back to the kitchen, which was to the right by the stairs, from which a sweet smell and the sound of cooking came from. He left Alexander to enter on his own. When the strange man left, Alexander let out a sigh of relief ‘[color=aba000][i]Well, so far so good.[/i][/color]’ He followed his direction up the stairs and to the left, and after a few seconds to gather his nerves before knocking ‘[color=aba000][i]I’m so out of my element here. I can’t even remember the last time I had to do something like this.[/i][/color]’ It took around four seconds, then there was a sound of movement on the other side of the door after he knocked. The steps approached the door, and it opened. The room beyond was a modestly sized bedroom with three beds, and the one who opened the door was a young, blonde, modestly normal-looking girl in glasses, staring at him with a surprised gaze and slightly open mouth. [hider=untransformed girl][url=http://i.imgur.com/0sc44TT.jpg][img]http://i.imgur.com/s0TUf4c.jpg[/img][/url][/hider] [color=EECAA8]‘Alex…?’[/color] a confused untransformed Mariette asked. When the girl opened the door, it occurred to Alexander that he didn’t have any idea what Mariette looked like untransformed. Fortunately, her voice was the same, so once she said his name, he was sure he had the right person “[color=aba000]Yeah, hi. Listen, I think you know me well enough to know that...well...I’m not really good at social interactions. So if I say or do something that hurts or offends you, it’s probably just me being a dumbass. If I want to offend someone, then I make sure that there’s no confusion about it. I just thought I should get that out of the way first. Anyway, I’m...here to to talk about Lily.[/color]” Mariette stood silently for a bit, still looking a bit confused. But eventually, she nodded. [color=EECAA8]‘Alright. Come in,’[/color] she said, walking over to sit down in one of the beds, grabbed the quilt and wrapped herself in it. She momentarily freed one hand to adjust her glasses. [color=EECAA8]‘What about her?’[/color] If Alexander wanted to sit, there was a separate table with chairs in here as well. There were shelves with a variety of comics, movies and a TV with video games attached to it in here, but none of it looked like it had been used in quite a long time. Taking a seat on one of the chairs “[color=aba000]Right. So, I realize that you’re probably still upset about how that war at your old home went, and what Lily did. But-[/color]” he paused, struggling to find the right words “[color=aba000]Look, things were getting pretty fucked up right at the end. I don’t remember a lot about what went on, mostly because of how much of a chaotic mess it was. But I do know Lily. You might have forgotten, but we came to your place to confirm if you were actually being brainwashed or not, but with a war starting right as we got there...well...we never really got the chance.[/color]” Feeling a little antsy, Alexander adjusted himself in the chair “[color=aba000]I’m not sure what convinced her to act when she did...but I do remember seeing...I think she calls herself Ronin now, the person who told about you being brainwashed. Granted, I’m not sure how much of an expert Ronin is on brainwashing. But considering that she used to work for you, and her twin sister [i]still[/i] works for you, I feel it’s safe to say that if she wasn’t being brainwashed at the time, then she’s probably right. I guess what I’m trying to say is; Lily wouldn’t have done that if she didn’t think it was what was best for you. Was she right? Fuck if I know, but she’s not really good at backstabbing people, she doesn’t have the right mentality for it. I get the feeling that she [i]might[/i] act more cheerful then she actually feels, but it’s less deception and more fake it till you make it-and I’m rambling. Dammit![/color]” Alexander cupped his face in his hands for a few seconds before turning back to Mariette “[color=aba000]Am I making any sense here?[/color]” Mariette blinked a little as Alexander started talking, and she realized what this was about. She listened, but around the time where he mentioned that Ronin used to work for her and about Ronin’s twin sister, Mariette hung her head a bit, raising a hand out of her quilt entrapment to her mouth, because she started to giggle a little. It was just… kinda funny to her. [color=EECAA8]‘If… if you’d come and told me this just after the battle, things would have gone very differently…’[/color] she said, still giggling a bit, because it was funny. [color=EECAA8]‘I… I’m not angry at Lily or anything. I’d have to be angry at an awful lot of people if I did…’[/color] she said, and then… she sighed. [color=EECAA8]‘People have told me I was brainwashed, yes. They’re also saying I’m not brainwashed anymore. I don’t know. I don’t really feel any different. That’s a lie. I feel aimless and confused. I liked having a clear goal. It made everything easier. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now…’[/color] she said, tightening the warm duvet around her. Bunny probably sat next to her on the nightstand. At the mention that she wasn’t angry at Lily, Alexander slouched in relief “[color=aba000]Oh thank sweet fuck. Wait-[/color]” it was then that the rest of what she said hit him “[color=aba000]’Not brainwashed anymore’? What happened[/color]” [color=EECAA8]‘…’[/color] Mariette kept quiet for a bit, then… [color=EECAA8]‘I really shouldn’t be talking about it. If any other of Asengav’s champions catch wind, they’ll have me recaptured and make all Ronin’s work be for nothing,’[/color] she said, somewhat more quietly. [color=EECAA8]‘But… they caught me. Then, they did their thing, and then they told me what happens next is up to me. My choice. Because apparently everything before now was me acting according to my brainwashing. So I’m supposed to decide what to do myself now… and I find myself… completely aimless. Asengav’s still my patron, but… my mind is now my own again, apparently…’[/color] she said, sounding less than happy about it. “[color=aba000]Oh. That’s-[/color]” Alexander paused, not entirely sure what to say. Was it good that her mind was free, or bad that she felt aimless and was in danger of getting re-brainwashed by her patron “[color=aba000]...well. First off, do you still [i]want[/i] your current Patron? I mean, why did you even make a contract with him in the first place?[/color]” Mariette, who’d been looking down at the floor during what she’d said, turned her head to peer at him. She took a second to decide what to answer. [color=EECAA8]‘… Asengav saved my life. My father was a-’[/color] she shuddered from the mere memory. [color=EECAA8]‘… not a good father. Asengav rescued me. I thought I was doing everything out of gratitude for that… but apparently not…?’[/color] she said, the last part sounding unsure. [color=EECAA8]‘I… I don’t know…’[/color] was her true answer if she wanted him or not. ‘[color=aba000][i]Well that was a bust[/i][/color]’ Alexander thought. “[color=aba000]My Patron only gave me magic because I’m apparently the last descendant of his original worshipers. He doesn’t have any short term goals beyond killing monsters, and he seems to think I’ll accomplish his long term goals on my own, or something. He was kind of coy about that, in a sort of ‘ wink wink nudge nudge’ kind of way. So as long as I killed monsters and wasn’t evil, he didn’t really care what I did. So I didn’t really have any kind of driving goal at first either[/color]” Then he sighed, and began to talk again “[color=aba000]I grew up in an orphanage. It wasn’t like one of those comically horrible places on TV, but I spent my childhood without any of the toys or luxuries that other kids had. So when I got magic, the first thing I did was work on fixing that. I got my own house, TV, video games, any kind of food I wanted, all that stuff. For a long time, my goal was getting to enjoy the things I never got to have as a kid. The magic part of my life was really more of a day job to be honest. So, I think it’s okay that you don’t really have any kind of driving goal right now.[/color]” He turned to look at her stuffed rabbit “[color=aba000]You like stuffed animals right? Maybe you can start with that. Just go out and fight monsters enough to help keep the streets clean. But if you need some kind of passion to get you through life, you could try collecting stuffed toys. It doesn’t even have to be stuffed toys. Just find some kind of hobby, or thing that makes you happy, and go after that. Just because you have magic powers, doesn’t mean you have to save the world. You don’t need some grand cause to put your all behind, you can treat the whole magic thing like a simple 9-5 if that’s what works for you. But if you’re still having trouble finding something, well, I’m sure you have friends you could help you. I...know I’m not the best person to talk to about this.[/color]” Mariette looked curiously at Alexander as he spoke. She considered it, and leaned her head forward again to stare down onto the floor. [color=EECAA8]‘… Bunny’s special to me. I’m not that interested in collecting more… but I understand. I just… need to find something, I guess…’[/color] she said, still not particularly sure. ‘[color=aba000][i]Shit, I don’t think this is working! What do I do now!?[/i][/color]’ Alexander panicked internally “[color=aba000]Well, think back to before you had magic; was there anything you wanted to do, or have that your father wouldn’t allow?[/color]” [color=EECAA8]‘Um…’[/color] Mariette thought back on her very limited amount of memories from her time before she was a magical girl. They were… not pretty. [color=EECAA8]‘I wanted… to take more trips with mom. I wanted to be allowed outside the house. I wanted to… stop father from coming home?’[/color] somehow, that didn’t sound right. ‘[color=aba000][i]Dammit, I am not equipped for this. I barely have my own shit together![/i][/color]’ Alexander sighed “[color=aba000]Okay, it’s becoming clear that I’m not the right person for you to talk to. I’m not great with people in general, and make for a pretty poor therapist. So here’s what you’re going to do; I want you to reach out to any friend you have that you can trust, and let them know what’s going on. Have them help you find a hobby or something. It sounds like your childhood might have been as shitty as mine, so you probably never got a chance to really be a kid. Well, now’s your chance. And I’m sure you know tons of girls who would love to help you have a childhood, and do girl stuff with. You just...need to reach out to them. It’s okay to ask for help when you’re feeling lost.[/color]” [color=EECAA8]‘… Okay,’[/color] Mariette nodded, albeit she wasn’t entirely sure what “having a childhood” entailed at this time. She remained wrapped in her duvet. Still… [color=EECAA8]‘Thank you, for trying.’[/color] Not sure what else to say, Alexander nodded. He got up, and walked to the door. Right before he exited, he turned his head back her and said “[color=aba000]Try and take care Mariette.[/color]” And then he left Mariette didn’t do anything to stop him, and simply nodded at his words, looking a bit downcast where she remained in her bed wrapped in the covering. Alexander opened the door, and- and there stood the man in glasses and a suit, holding a plate of pancakes. [color=C59064]‘Oh, are you leaving? You won’t be having pancakes with us?’[/color] the man asked, with the same expression as before. ‘[color=aba000][i]Yeah...no. This is way too awkward.[/i][/color]’ Alexander thought to himself “[color=aba000]Sorry, but I was just here for a quick visit. I already have other plans[/color]” He lied out of his ass. [color=C59064]‘Very well, then. Thank you, for coming to check on Mariette. It’s never happened before,’[/color] the man said kindly with a nod, before going into Mariette’s room to place the pancakes near her bed, while Alexander probably left. Alexander simply nodded ‘[color=aba000][i]It hasn’t, huh? That’s actually kind of sad[/i][/color]’ And with nothing else in his way, he finally left. Admittedly, Joe left out the part where Mariette hadn’t even been here for multiple months (longer than the timeskip), so perhaps if she’d stayed with him for longer then perhaps someone [i]would[/i] have come to check on her while she was with him, but as far as he knows, anyway.