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Salt and Sulfur (MessedupRp x Skeith Takahata II)

CatScrezatio

CatScrezatio

Supernova
Joined
Nov 5, 2016
Location
The 5th Dimension
Maria Lockhart slammed the door to her office, seething with rage. She went to her deal and threw the clutter of papers and chats to the floor in one motion. She plopped down in her chair and sighed, opening the locks drawer of her desk and carefully removing her special bottle of whiskey.

It was only ever opened when she felt like killing someone and today she felt like blowing up the entire third level of the city. She poured herself a shot and sat back, her index finger tapping the glass as she recounted the events in her head. Wondering where it had fallen apart.

She had been following a lead on the case of a missing politician. An elf woman named Tila Ferus who was running for office. She talked a dangerous game. She planned on running out the cults and secret societies that really ran the city. Then she dissapeared. Not a note. Not any indication of anything. Like she vanished in a puff of smoke.

She had been following a lead. A sulfur mage who said he knew where Tila was and would tell her for a price. When she got to the second level she found him, with the muzzle of a gun in the part of his mouth that wasn't splattered on the wall behind him.

She knew right away what it was. He was murdered and they wanted to make it look like a suicide. Whoever had captured Tila, had done this. When she got back to her office to file her report she was stopped by the chief, a portly man with a black mustache so thick it wouldn't be a surprise if it jumped off his face and scurried away. That was when her day took a turn for the worse.

He told her she was off the case, said that she wasn't going to be using her time as a detective to follow the lead and then he suspended her. Now here she was. Drinking in her office and trying not to emulate that sulfur mage and blow her own boss's head off.

She leaned forward onto her desk and sighed, "I put too much time into this case to give up now. I'm getting close and I know it. I just need some help..." She trailed off as her mind flashed a solution into existence. She sighed and pondered it for a second, then a minute, then ten.

She finally made a decision and sighed, standing up. She left her office quietly. Following the directions she had written on a piece of paper to the first level of the city. She kept tracking them closely. Making sure she didn't end up somewhere she wasn't supposed to. If you got lost on the fifth level you were safe. If you even stepped one foot out of line on the first, you risjed your own life.

She finally saw what she was looking for, a plain and inconspicuous door. Nobody would assume it was home to an anarchist and Maria's arch rival. She sighed and knocked on the door. Holding her six gun behind her back, just in case as she heard footsteps nearing from inside.
 
"We're going to play hide 'n' seek now, okay?" A taller red haired elf spoke to a small elvish child. The sounds outside the house were less than pleasant, distant booms and shouting muffled by the walls of the small house rented by the impoverished elvish family. The mother was a seamstress, the father was a miner, and the child? An innocent. Swept up in the winds of rebellion.

"Mommy, I'm scared." She mumbled quietly looking past her towards the front door, there her father stood, watching out the window with a rifle in his hands.

"Don't be darling. Go hide yourself. I'll come find you. It's a game. Remember? It's all a game." The young woman pressed her lips against the child's forehead before sending her off to hide. Following her mother's instruction the small child disappeared into the basement, finding the best hiding space she could.

When they came, she remained hidden. Watching through the cracks of the old wardrobe she hid in as hooded figures and automated soldiers searched the home. When silence finally came she left the wardrobe, wandering up the stairs to where she had last seen her parents. There were no bodies, no sign that they had ever been there to begin with. The child walked out the front door, staring out at the city as she clutched tightly to a stuffed rabbit. "M-maybe they're hiding. It's all a game, right?"

As the years passed, Charlotte grew. Her parents disappearance was never properly investigated. Alone and abandoned to the lowest level of the city, her sanity went the way of her parents, vanishing into the night. Now an adult, Charlotte Marigold had been in and out of numerous asylums, none able to hold her for long. That day she sat in her home, in her rolling desk chair, examining a map of the city. No matter how normal her front door may have seemed. The interior of the building clearly belonged to a madwoman. Lunatic scribbles denoting her mother's last words covered the walls. "It's all a game." Drawings that appeared to be drawn by a child depicted two girls at least somewhat resembling her and Maria. Maps of the city with potential targets circled covered the walls. A list of names and photographs of people she was watching.

She spun around in the chair as she looked over at the stuffed rabbit sitting on the desk. "What do you think, Flopsy?" She asked. "Rob a bank? Blow up an automaton factory? Park a bus in the lobby of the police department?" She was going through different ways to get her beloved Detective's attention. "No... All too subtle..." She tapped her chin in thought. "Don't say that! Of course she feels the same way! She's just shy is all!" She scowled at the rabbit.

Hearing a knock at her door, she spun around in confusion. At first she was worried police were here to haul her away again. "But, I haven't gotten the chance to do anything yet..." She pushed herself up, walking over to the door. She opened to peephole. Seeing Maria on the other side she smiled widely. She spun around looking at Flopsy. "She's early... I haven't done anything yet!"

She sucked in a deep breath, pulling open the door, smiling widely. "Hey you! What are you doing here? There's a pattern you know? I do a thing, then you show up, we have some laughs, and the cycle starts over again. You're early! I haven't done the thing yet!" She reached up scratching one of her long pointed ears as she thought about it.
 
Maria's eyes traveled up and down the bedraggled woman and her fingers tightened around the six gun handle. Her mind flashed back to only a few years earlier. She was still a new officer. Working alongside her mentor. Her mother, an airship cargo hold. Both of them tied to chairs as the bay door opened. Her mother looked at her with a small nod "It's alright Maria... Just remember... I love you and everything happens for a reason. Even if we don't realize it now. It does" she captured every detail as the man kicked her mother out to plummet to her death. She remembered her mother's beautiful, bloodstained face. She remembered cutting the ropes and stabbing the man in the throat until he stopped moving. Then stabbing him more. Seeing Charlotte brought back those memories.

She pushed them down with a shake of her he and sighed "I... I need your help Charlotte... There's been a kidnappings and you know more about this than I do.
 
Charlotte watched the woman as she stood in silence for a second. Seeing one of Maria's hands behind her back, told her she was holding a weapon. When she finally spoke, cutting straight to the point, she felt her smile spread into a proper grin. "We're going to do a thing together this time? Like... The same team?" She nearly sang in her joy. Her hand reached out to take her unoccupied arm by the wrist pulling her inside and closing the door.

She twirled around, her pigtails bouncing as she did so. "You see, Flopsy! I told you she'd come around!" She leaned in to the stuffed animal whispering in its ear. "It's sort of like a date!" She hopped back onto the rolling desk chair, sitting on it backwards and leaning forward on the back of the chair. She twirled the chair around so that she was facing Maria again.

"You're talking about that Elf lady right?" She asked, glancing back at her map. The politician in question was listed on her map of people to watch. "Can't imagine why someone would target a knife ear running for office." Her voice was clearly laced with sarcasm. She knowingly used a derogatory word for elf when she spoke, scratching her own elvish ears as she did so.
 
Maria was surprised when her hand was grabbed and she instinctively went to turn her gun on the woman but decided otherwise. Despite numerous occasions and many chances. Charlotte never seemed to want to kill her. Maria never figured why but Noe, seeing her home she began to draw the conclusion.

Looking around at the scribbles on the walls and the drawings and the board she came to her decision. Even though it was the wrong one. "It's all a game to you. This whole time you've been playing this as a game and I'm the opponent" he thought

She turned her attention to Charlotte again and for what deemed like the first time really looked at her. She had seen countless mugshots and photos of her but this was the first time she really looked at her in person. Looking at her Noe she noticed she was actually kind of pretty, if you took away the dirt and the insane grin that is.

She shook off these thoughts and nodded "yeah sure... I think it's one of the groups that we know really run the city that took her hostage, and I intend to find out who it is... I was suspended from the force so... I turned to you... If you help me locate and save her... I'll clear your file and your name."
 
Charlotte's smile fell once when she mentioned the real political powers in the city. She winced as she flashed back to the hooded figures that sacked her home. She shook her head smiling again. Honestly, knowing that Maria wanted to go after the powers that be was enough to win Charlotte over to her mission. Even if their objectives were different. Charlotte didn't really care about politicians, being an anarchist, she despised all forms of authority. But, if helping Maria rescue a politician gave her the opportunity to sew a little chaos in parts of the city not yet touched by her madness, she was completely on board.

Then came her offer. She looked back at her, a little disappointed by what she offered in exchange. "If you clear my file, than you won't be chasing me anymore. If you're not chasing me anymore, we won't play together anymore." She grew a little sad as she drummed her fingers on her knees.

Charlotte wasn't sure how to help her track someone once they vanished. She kept track of potential targets, once they were out of play she stopped following them. "So, where do we start? Her home? Chasing suspects? Blowing something up?" She obviously took a huge leap at the end, but that was how her warped little mind worked. It was possible of course, that other criminals Charlotte knew might have seen or heard something, but she wasn't sure who might keep track of an elvish politician.
 
Maria was taken aback by what Charlotte said. She wanted to keep up with this? With all the chasing and the fighting. Then she remembered what she had thought. It's a game. She wants the game. She nodded softly and rubbed her chin "alright alright. I'll chnag the deal. If you help me get her back. I'll um... I'll grant you one request. Whatever that may be. I will do it for you." She knew this was a stretch but she had no other choice. She was running out of options by now.

She smiled and offered her a hand to get up "we'll be starting at my apartment... What we're going to be taking on possibly every major crime sulydicatr in this city and your small time equipment isn't going to cut it... We need something bigger"

Her eyes gleemed with a wild look as she remembered her old days after her mother died. Her time in those very same gangs, Dalia. She shook her head and turned to the door "are you coming?"
 
At the offer of one request Charlotte was noticeably intrigued. The sky seemed to be the limit! But what would she choose? She was preoccupied with her imaginings when she saw the hand extended to her. Her eyes grew wide and sparkled with delight as she spoke about needing bigger and better equipment. If Maria thought Charlotte's equipment was small time for this mission, she couldn't wait to see what she thought was appropriate for their task.

She accepted her hand as she was helped up to her feet again. She dusted herself off, turning to collect Flopsy off the desk. She clipped him to her belt, collecting a few of her gadgets and weapons, filling a duffle bag. She twirled around, her pigtails bouncing again as she did so. "Ready! Let's get to it!" The feeling of fluttering butterflies in her stomach made her giggle a little. In her warped little mind this entire endeavor was just a date.
 
She sighed and led her out of the house. Closing the door behind her. Getting Charlotte up to the third level of the city was no easy endeavor. Not when she was a wanted anarchist with a history of arsony. But after many odd looks and many explanations that she was bringing Charlotte in for questioning. Maria managed to get her to her quaint apartment.

The home was certainly nothing great. It was two bedrooms, one of which currently stored the aforementioned equipment, a living room and a kitchen. The bedroom was fine. A bed fit for two that only ever held one, she however would never let on how cold and lonely it felt.

The other room was more interesting. On one wall was a map of the city with pins, pictures and lines of red string connecting those pins and pictures to separate locations. The walls were lined with various weapons. Firearms ranging from standard six shooters to heavy Gatling guns to prototype "bomb throwers" that she had discreetly borrowed from the precinct with plans of returning them soon. In one corner were piles of Molotov cocktails and homemade pipe bombs and in another several crates full of ammunition. On pegs in a closer were two bags. One already bulging full and the other empty "well... Here we are"
 
On the way up to the third level, Charlotte didn't seem to register that it was dangerous for her to be out and about. Whenever they had to stop and explain themselves, she would wave, wiggling her fingers at officers who she recognized. Perhaps they had been responsible for handling her or transporting her on past arrests. Still, she interacted with them like old friends.

She was excited to say the least to be alone with Maria in her apartment, though once inside, she was immediately uncomfortable. The walls were so clean and normal. She was much more used to the wild scribbling and childish art that decorated her own home. As she saw the weapons and such that occupied one of the rooms her eyes went wide as a manic gleam of excitement sparkled behind them. She walked into the room, looking like a kid in a toy store. She walked up to the prototype weapons, completely enthralled by the bomb throwers and gatling guns. "Aw... You didn't have to butter me up with explosives..." She said, turning around to face her again. Her lips spread into a wide grin. "This is going to be so much fun!"
 
Maria wasn't quite sure if she found Charlotte's enthusiasm cute or unsettling. But she thought it was what she needed. She sighed and took the filled bag hanging in the closet down and set it on the floor "these are our escape bags. If something happens and we need to get out of here in a hurry we fill these and we go. Got it?"

Before she gave Charlotte a chance to answer she moved to the map and began pointing out locations marked with colored pins "these are my leads. The green mark places that are known group locations and hideouts. Red is where we'll be stopping to find some Information" she looked out the window and sighed at the dark sky.

"It's late... Too late to start going out now without raising suspicion. We'll need to rest for tonight" again, without waiting for any response she left the room and headed to her own bedroom. Briefly forgetting that she had a deranged anarchist in her house. She stripped down to her underwear, preparing to go to bed.
 
Charlotte watched her bring the bag out to show her, nodding quietly as she spoke about using them if they had to escape in a hurry. She was familiar with keeping the essentials together incase of emergency. In fact, that was how she lived. The presence of a second bag made her wonder how long Maria had been planning on asking her for help. She followed her to the map studying as she pointed out each of her leads. She looked over all of the different green markers, feeling her smile spread on its own as she thought about it.

She looked up when she turned to leave the room, commenting on the hour. It did make her realize that them going out together frequently would look suspicious anyway. She was wanted after all, and suspended or no, Maria worked for the police department.

She looked around the bedroom, covered in weapons and such before following after Maria. As she rounded the corner, entering Maria's room she finally spoke up. "So, um... Where do I sleep?" She brought her hand up to stifle a small gasp. Her eyes sparkled with delight at the view as a smile spread across her lips. Her free hand moved to cover Flopsy's eyes, as if she were worried that the stuffed rabbit could actually see Maria in her underwear.
 
Maria humped around and gasped, covering her cleavage with her hands, she had been snapped back to reality and the problem at hand, "oh um... Uh..." She thought about the old sofa she had in the living room but the nagging voice in her head told her not to. The same voice reminded her how cold she always felt in bed alone.

"I guess... I guess you can fit in the bed with me" she blushed pink and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the edge and glanced up at Charlotte before swinging her legs in and pulling the blanket up over her body.
 
Charlotte was visibly delighted by the invitation. "R-really!?" Having interpreted the joint mission as a date, and the room of explosives like being given a box of chocolates, it wasn't hard to imagine where her warped mind took her words. She watched as she climbed into the bed, covering herself with the blanket. She could hardly contain her giddiness as she began loosening the protective plating she wore. She set the corset like protector on the floor, setting her goggles beside it. Soon after she let her hair down from her pig tails.

She took a deep breath as she stretched, relieved to be out of the corset. She kicked off her boots and pushed away her dark brown slacks. She stood in only the baggy off-white shirt, presumably panties were hidden beneath the low hanging shirt. Though, the shirt now hanging loosely made it clear she didn't wear a bra. She held Flopsy in her arms, clearly used to sleeping with a stuffed animal like a child. She walked joyfully around to the other side of the bed, slipping beneath the covers.

She rolled onto her side, snuggling Flopsy close to her chest, but smiling cheerfully towards Maria.
 
She couldn't help but smile back at Charlotte's stupid grin, she played down and turned the lamp on he bdaide table off —she wasn't rich enough for this new 'electrical' power— and tucked in Charlotte who she was right in thinking was not. As she lay there she came to a realization that she felt happy where she was for the first time in a while.

She felt warm and didn't feel herself alone anymore. She hadn't felt this way since Dalia. Her hand with a mind of it's own snaked down to clutch Charlotte's and squeeze it softly.
 
Charlotte closed her eyes as she felt Maria tucking her in. It was a motherly action that returned Charlotte to the place in her childhood before everything fell apart and her mind broke. She could barely recall her mother's face, but as she was tucked in, her eyes closed, it returned to her for the briefest of moments. Her eyes burned like she needed to cry but she swallowed it back. Feeling Maria's hand find her own, holding it gently, she smiled again.

Quietly, and almost with the intention of lulling herself to sleep, she began to hum a lullaby her mother used to sing to her. She could no longer remember the words, but she could remember the rhythm well enough to recount the music. Her free hand tugged Flopsy tighter to her chest as she lay there, closing her eyes. She had never shared a bed with anyone before, and despite dreaming having Maria nearly naked and alone in a bed, the situation wasn't the rapturous and lustful encounter of her dreams. No, instead the situation had a weirdly calming effect on the psychotic anarchist.
 
Maria was intrigued by the whole scene of Charlotte falling asleep so calmly and peacefully. Once again she looked kind of pretty when she was asleep but Maria repressed that. As she hears the song him her mind told her the words to the old lullaby.

She sighed and softly began singing to Charlotte as her own mind cleared and she slowly fell asleep.
 
Charlotte's eyes opened again when she heard Maria start to sing the lullaby. She stared for a few minutes in wide eyed wonder, her smile having fallen away. For her, it was a weird experience, not having thought that the lullaby was so common as to have been sung to children on both the first and third levels of the city. Having grown up only hearing it from her mother, it made the moment particularly intimate. In the end, her smile returned, even as a couple stray tears slipped away. Snuggling closer to her stuffed rabbit, she shifted to lay just a little closer to Maria, sighing contently.

In the early hours of the morning, the sun not yet illuminating the city, she sprung upright from the sheets frantically panting. She pet Flopsy's head as though she were comforting the doll. "It's okay. Just a bad dream..." She whispered softly. She wiped at the sweat gathered on her brow before moving from the sheets. The moment the night before, weirdly reminiscent of her mother's nightly ritual had brought the night she lost her back to the forefront of her memory and culminated in a terrible nightmare.

She looked back at Maria, still laying in the bed before hastily dressing. She would usually occupy herself in these moments by sewing a little chaos and luring Maria out to play, but that wasn't an option right now. Instead, she went to the room where the weapons were stored, sitting down on the floor with her tools and the gadgets and weapons she had brought from home, tinkering to distract herself. Despite the efforts to distract herself, her hand shook, her finger tapping rapidly against her knees, occasionally scratching at one of her long pointed ears, clearly a nervous tick.
 
Maria was a light sleeper and had been awakened by the soft tinks of metal on metal contact. She instinctively reached for her pistol as her other hand searched the bed. This was odd. She normally never did that. She felt Charlotte gone and sighed, setting the gun down. She crept out of the room and toward the weapons room.

What she saw dod no surprise her for the most part. What did was that her hands were dhakin and she was on the verge of tears. Maria' heart melted and she walked into the room "Charlotte? Are... Are you alright?"
 
When Charlotte heard Maria's voice her hands stopped working, the gadget in her hand, having been disassembled for maintenance, collapsed into pieces on the floor in front of her. Her shaking hand caused the tool to slip from her land, landing with the disassembled gadget. Her shoulders shook visibly before she turned to look up at Maria, faking a wide smile. Despite her efforts to disguise it tears were certainly streaking her face. "I was just fixing my toys. We can't play without toys!" Realizing there was no hiding her feelings her gaze fell.

"I saw Mom again last night." She mumbled lightly as her gaze fell, her hand coming up to scratch at her ear again nervously. "Then she was gone." She shook her head softly as she tried to compose herself. "We were playing hide 'n' seek. It's all a game, she said to me. But she never found me, she never looked for me. Strange people did, but they couldn't find me. Mom and Dad are out there somewhere, I know it. But it's my turn. I Have to find them now." In all reality, Charlotte's parents were certainly dead. But she had managed to convince herself, perhaps as a defense mechanism, that they were simply hiding and the game hadn't ended.
 
For the first time since officially meeting Charlotte, Maria felt her feelings change for the woman. She had seen her as a psychotic terrorist who considered the lives of innocents a part of her twisted game. Her mind flashed to her own mother on that airship. Falling to the ground, she saw Dalia. Smiling as she had kicked Maria's mother out.

She had lost all spite and detest for her companion because all she saw now was what she really was. A scared girl who had lost her parents. She kneeled down beside Charlotte and put a comforting arm around her shoulders "there there Charlotte... Here... How about... After we find the politician... You and I will look for your parents. Together. We'll finish the game. I promise" the next thing took even Maria by surprise. Not of her own volition she pressed her lips to Charlotte's cheek and kissed it softly.
 
In truth, Charlotte was a little bit of both. A dangerous psychotic delighting in the chaos she wrought and a frightened and lonely child. In this moment, the psychotic Elvish anarchist had been reduced to a whimpering child. Her head had fallen into her hands just before she felt Maria's arm wrap around her shoulders. Her eyes widened at the contact. Slowly she raised her head again to glance at her when she felt her lips against her cheek. She sniffled lightly, brushing her tears away with her thumb.

She brought her hand up, her fingers gently tracing where she had been kissed. She looked over at Maria, her wide eyes staring at her for a long moment, her fingers not leaving the point of contact. She leaned in a little closer, with a look of obvious intent. At the last second she turned away, looking towards her stuffed rabbit with a pout, her cheeks growing red. "You're not helping!" She said in an accusatory tone, as if the rabbit had spoken. She cleared her throat, trying to shake off the weirdly vulnerable moment. "Is it play time yet? My toys are almost ready." She insisted, looking back to the pile of parts in front of her.
 
Maria was shocked that what she assumed was about to happen had almost happened. She clearly saw Charlotte make a move to kiss her. She shook her head. "Uh no..
No not yet come on, back to sleep."

She took her arm and led her back to the bedroom. Tucking her in again and this time, getting close. Her front pressed against Charlotte's back as she turned out the light. Her mind pondered the kiss. It had taken her by surprise and she hadn't seemed to want it... But if that were true... Why was she dissapointed it didn't happen.
 
Charlotte stood slowly, following behind Maria as she lead her back to the bedroom. She climbed into the bed beside her, hugging the rabbit close as she tried to get comfortable again. She wondered where her confidence had gone. Had it been the soul bearing moment of vulnerability before hand? She shook her head free of the thought, now worried about going back to sleep. What if she had the nightmare again?

Feeling Maria tuck her in again, followed by her moving in close behind her, she sighed contently. She stayed awake, laying still and silent for several minutes before exhaustion finally dragged her back into sleep.
 
Skeith Takahata II said:
Charlotte stood slowly, following behind Maria as she lead her back to the bedroom. She climbed into the bed beside her, hugging the rabbit close as she tried to get comfortable again. She wondered where her confidence had gone. Had it been the soul bearing moment of vulnerability before hand? She shook her head free of the thought, now worried about going back to sleep. What if she had the nightmare again?

Feeling Maria tuck her in again, followed by her moving in close behind her, she sighed contently. She stayed awake, laying still and silent for several minutes before exhaustion finally dragged her back into sleep.
Click to expand...

The next morning Maria awoke on he tail enenod the hour. She stayed still with Charlotte for fear there would be a re-telling of the same story, but why did part if her want it. She had been deliberating on the almost-kiss and the render moment for most of the night. Her emotions were so jumbled she didn't know what to do. Was she willing to chance It? To let herself love someone again, even after Dalia.

She lay there with Charlotte. Refusing to let he go through the night until the sun slowly began to rise over the city.
 
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