Scene #5888: Local Support

Owner	Pose
Asellus	Marisa Kirisame stayed behind in Facinaturu when others left. How long has she been here? Months? Weeks? Days? Hours? Minutes? It's hard to say with that unchanging sky and the unchanging lighting. It feels like the place is stuck in one moment, one time. It's like that one guy, Rastaban, said: Facinaturu's clock is stopped. He is also thought that Asellus, of all people, might be the one to restart it again... That she might have the power to accomplish such a feat, even though there's no sign of it right now. But Marisa... Maybe she could see it too. The massive potential waiting to be unlocked. Or maybe she just got sucked in by the 'Charm Prince' herself. Either way, at some point, somebody finds Marisa. Red hair, tied up in a bushy 'ponytail', with tan skin, and a dark, sleeveless gi. He kind of looks like a character from a fighting game. He appears like it's no big deal, even if she has been trying to remain undetected. And then he greets her. "Yo!"
Marisa Kirisame	Or maybe, just maybe, the one thing that has held constant about Marisa Kirisame for so many years has remained so even now. She sees something wrong, and will punch anyone who dares stop her from fixing that in the nose. Also, Asellus is cute. This is not an insignificant part of the decision making process. Marisa has spent much of her time attempting to remain hidden as best as possible. It's not easy, being the one human with an unbroken spirit in a town full of the most downtrodden of humanity's dregs. But here she is, slumming it in a bar, hood pulled up over her long blonde hair, being approached by... Literally a street fighter character?? "Hey there handsome," Marisa drawls, leaning over a set of what look like face-down tarot cards laid out in front of her. "Here to buy the lady a drink or just come to gawk?"
Asellus	"Neither. But from what I've seen of you so far, you want to help out a certain Charm Prince. I have a plan to do so if you're interested." the Mystic says as he seats himself casually. The only other person who was in here was some orange-haired guy in a bandana, and he left a bit ago. Maybe why this Mystic is speaking openly.
Marisa Kirisame	"A plan, huh?" Marisa quirks a brow and sweeps the cards back up into a tidy stack before thumbing through them one by one. "So uhhh hypothetically if I were a lady who was interested in such a plan, though I do invoke my right to not self-incriminate..." She taps the card-stack gently against the table and tilts her head up to look this strange red-headed man in the eye. "I might ask you exactly what this plan entailed 'fore I sign myself away to it."
Asellus	The man smirks and says, "Hypothetically, if you were such a lady, I'd ask how important she is to you first before I reveal the plan. There's no point in giving the details to someone only half-committed, or who could run to someone else, Orlouge for instance, and warn him because the consequences of not doing so are too severe for you." The Mystic leans casually on his elbows and says, "I mean, the price for helping her escape is pretty extreme. Have you heard the tale of the First Princess, Princess Rei?"
Marisa Kirisame	"Let me put it in a way that is utterly non-incriminating and won't in any way get me in trouble," Marisa says with a soft chuckle. "The last time someone I liked was stolen away and imprisoned in a place she shouldn't have been, I turned a magical replica of the sun into a death ray. The time before that, I stole the spent magical energy of a goddess to shoot her with. I don't like seeing good people having their wings clipped by assholes with too much power and too large egos." Marisa shrugs, then. "But I mean, if you think the risk of a little trip into the eternal fire is enough to scare me, then you probably didn't know that. So! What's this plan, now?"
Asellus	"I see." the conspirator says, chuckling as well. "There are a lot of monsters further up in the castle. Strong ones. They're meant to be guardians, to prevent casual interlopers into restricted areas... But they're kept there by spells of enchantment. Enchantment and illusion are a Mystic's specialty." He tap-taps his index finger on the table he took a seat at. "What it was never meant to do is stop another Mystic from taking down the enchantments and hijacking the monsters with charm spells of his own. After all, what Mystic would be crazy enough or strong enough to defy Orlouge?" He shrugs. "I'm strong enough. So you, and anyone else you can bring along, will be here at the right time in order to rescue Asellus. I'll give her the location of a secret exit, and she can guide you there. I'll release the monsters as a distraction. With most of the defenders dealing with the monsters, you should have barely anyone to contend with. From there, all you have to do is keep her safe... Just in case something unexpected happens."
Marisa Kirisame	Marisa peers at the redheaded newcomer from under the lip of her hood, a calculating intelligence glittering within her golden eyes. "This sounds pretty convenient, and you'll forgive me if I've been around too long to take a good thing at its surface," she says after a moment. "If you don't mind me asking, what do /you/ get out of this whole arrangement, mister...?"
Asellus	The Mystic grins. "Zozma. And what I get out of it, is the chance to piss Orlouge off by denying him something he wants." Zozma then thinks for a moment, and adds on, "There might be a future pay-off as well, but that depends on her. I'm not the manipulator sort, I just know an opportunity when I see one. So it will have to be her choice. But I believe it's her fate to face Orlouge in battle one day. And I'm not the only one who thinks so." He picks up a drink (a drink that didn't exist a moment ago), as he leans on his elbows fully. "And, just to be clear..." He looks up at Marisa, and he has death in his eyes. And in his mouth when he speaks, in his hair and skin... And in the black aura that swells around him, so steeped in curses and misfortune that the light from the glowing crystals seems to bend away from him for fear of touching it. "If you try to sell me out, you'll regret it. But if you ever betray her, it will be me, not Orlouge, that ends you. That's not a threat. Just a warning." Then he smiles, and the aura of death and hexes, the ghostly hands of utter black that seems to crawl out from the edges of it, seeking a life to snuff out, extinguish. "Just so we're on the same page." He sips from the chalice in his hands. The contents look a lot like blood. "If you're on board, I have a few others to contact, to see if they'll help too. And of course... Bring as many friends as you like, as long as you trust them."
Marisa Kirisame	Marisa has seen terrible, wrathful auras of death, misfortune and raw, pure evil before. She is intimately familiar with them, in fact. After all, the title which once belonged to Marisa's old magic teacher was 'The Evil Spirit' after all. You don't get to be called that when all around you is joy and brightness and butterflies. Zozma's fierce, deathly mien is met with a grin that seems downright invincible-- as if nothing in the world could possibly wipe it away. "Zozma, huh?" Marisa chuckles, and through the evil, black haze, she... Extends a gloved hand, "Pleased to meet you, o' kung-fu mystic man. The name's Marisa Kirisame, an Ordinary Magician." She leans back, then, whether or not the mystic shakes her hand. "Seems like a fair enough plan. Nice and simple. But ah, if for whatever reason you can't keep control of those things, just be aware." "My magic. It's not subtle. There'll be a boom. Just to let you know."
Asellus	Zozma shakes the hand easily. At least once his aura is gone. Just touching it is the sort of thing that can result in plaguing someone with misfortune ending in death. Regardless of Marisa's take on it, that is the nature of his magic. To curse another with suffering. To invite death into someone's heart. He doesn't want to afflict an ally with it, or even to risk it, regardless of what magical defenses she may have. "Good. And while I'd prefer that there be some Mystics left to reform, some collateral damage to the castle is no big deal. Try to keep the humans out of it though, eh? Most of you are very fragile." Then he stands and says, "Decide on a day and a time after consulting with your allies. I'll be ready." Then he gives a two-finger salute, and he fades away, turning to a shadow, and then to nothing.