flustered, mari's eyes widen as Elaine Highland lists not one but several disasters. there was really that much going on?

[break][break] still, the redhead seemed to be relatively calm admist everything that was going on...

[break][break] mari's fingers twist together anxiously in front of her, but she tries to calm her rapidly speeding heartbeat.

[break][break] "a-ah, um, i think that's a good idea!" she blurts out when elaine asks her what her thoughts are. mari's no ranger - how is she supposed to know? speaking of... "d-do you think we should notify the nearby rangers?"

[break][break] they're the ones that are supposed to deal with this sort of thing, right?

[attr="class","ooc"] marilee beaufort

[attr="class","mari2"] he's so cool, calm and collected — and she's not.

[break][break] as the distortion fades, a rapid blush spreads up her cheeks at the realization that she's simply clung to him.

[break][break] "ah! i-i'm sorry!" she says, leaping away. her fingers twist in front of her anxiously.

[break][break] "y-yes, i'm mari." nervously, her gaze darts around. "what was that?"

[break][break] she thinks back to dahlia goode's speech. as much as the commissioner had seemed confident, that they would make it through this, was she really right? the world seemed to be breaking apart at the seems. would hoping for the best simply.. be enough?

[attr="class","ooc"] + Greyson Connors [break]
+CROWN (dahlia's speech)

☉

[attr="class","mari2"] "y-yeah! i think i'm okay."

[break][break] she looks up at Greyson Connors , cheeks flushed a cute pink. is this how people coped with the world? going to concerts and hanging out with cute boys?

[break][break] it takes everything in her to remember what Rory Faust and annalise henderson would do in this moment before stuttering out, "i'm mari. w-what's your -"

[break][break] "eep!"

[break][break] the world must be playing a funny joke because her words are swallowed up as the distortion stirs the venue to life. her sylveon is nosing around in the dirt when it finds the red piece of plastic. static crackles as violent winds whip around them, and this time her drink does slip from her hand, shattering into the ground beneath. she jolts and screams, latching onto the closest thing to her — which, unfortunately for him, is Greyson Connors .

[break][break] 'what was going on?'

[attr="class","ooc"] + Greyson Connors [break]
+CROWN (coping) [break][break]
RED SHARD OBTAINED

☉

[attr="class","mari2"] there was something off about this whole affair.

[break][break] "wh — " she says, as she's pulled by mint frost into some sort of affair. she's unsure what it is, who this is, but at least he's cute. she thinks of the words annalise henderson always says to her. how can she live, if she's never - like - lived?

[break][break] "o-okay!" she stutters, climbing atop her floatie as well.

[break][break] squeezing her eyes, she aims her bottom towards his.

[break][break]

APReVsh2

[attr="class","ooc"] + mint frost

☉

she swallows, heart-rate spiking at the mention of other absol in the area. though mari was no pokemon expert by any means, she'd heard the fables...

[break][break] absol warned of incoming trouble.

[break][break] "w-w-what do you think it means?" she stutters, turning her pale blue gaze onto the other. it widens a fraction at the mention of a disaster. "a disaster?!"

[break][break] she shifts nervously.

[break][break] "my name's m-mari."

[attr="class","ooc"] marilee beaufort

[attr="class","mari2"] the trip from mauville to lilycove was pleasant.

[break][break] that being said, her gut is still full of butterflies. part of her still can't believe she's reconnecting with her girl crush luka chêne after all these years. when they'd graduated, mari had only kept in contact through replying to twitter posts or instagram likes.

[break][break] her cheeks flush as she spots luka chêne in front of a wonderful cafe, eyes dropping to those super cute kitten heels and even more adorable purse. put it to luka to always look so cute.

[break][break] "luka!" she waves, quickening her pace to greet her friend.

[break][break] for mari's part, she's wearing a white blouse and shorts with altaria wings printed on the bottom of them. she has a small white backpack with matching wints, the face of three puffy-cheeked swablu staring back.

[break][break] she is a little breathless.

[break][break] "s-sorry — did i make you wait?"

[attr="class","ooc"] + luka chêne

☉

[attr="class","mari2"] with all the work at her internship, it's a nice reprieve to be at MAIN STAGE. she's never been to a concert before in her life, so she's happy to partake. the unfortunate part comes when she doesn't know anyone else in the vicinity. she wonders if she can find annalise henderson or Rory Faust in the crowd — maybe even their new roommate nagi miwa?

[break][break] her and her sylveon, caspeon, walk through the crowded area as people shout ADRIAN! mari's is not so into boy bands, but TERAVOLT at least seems the kind of thing that rory might enjoy.

[break][break] her heart starts when she sees a flash of mint-blue hair, reminding her of michalis. 'he's no longer around,' she reminds herself. though her and michalis weren't exactly besties, there are still days that she misses him.

[break][break] so distracted, she nearly walks straight into Greyson Connors.

[break][break] "a-ah, oops!" she squeaks, blinking up to see a cute boy with an even cuter drink. "s-sorry..."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] + Greyson Connors

☉

[attr="class","mari2"] group activities are not usually the one for her, at least not one that has been orchestrated by the pryde family. that being said, her time in hoenn was supposed to be - in some ways - a fresh start. mari is grateful that ANA STONE took the news of her career shift well, though she's a bit anxious what her internship with the league will entail.

[break][break] but who isn't anxious in hoenn, with the future looming over them? the barrier is one thing, but the incoming meteor is another. how are they supposed to protect themselves from —

[break][break] she swallows. no, she shouldn't be thinking about that now.

[break][break] as the people bustle around her, mari nurses her smores-on-a-stick like one might nurse a beer. it's her safety blanket, the thing preventing her from bolting from the event entirely.

[break][break] 'you have to talk to people, mari,' she tells herself, but doing something like that is harder said than done.

[break][break] so lost in her thoughts, she barely notices when she all but barrels into @jupiter . "a-ah sorry!' she says, stumbling, her poor smores fallen admist the dirt and leaves.

[attr="class","ooc"] + Antoinette Spina / @jupiter [break]

+ share your hopes for hoenn's future (1/1) [break]
+ meet people (2/3) [break]
+ think about your future (1/2)

☉

[attr="class","mari2"] as anna stares at her, she blushes fiercely. not just because - like - her friend is unbelievable cute (have you seen her eyes?) but also because the intense look of disbelief that annalise henderson is fixing her with.

[break][break] "w-what!"

[break][break] she feels the need to defend herself. it's not her fault that she grew up mostly sheltered. or that she was engaged at such a young age it made most romantic prospects fall short by the time that she turned eighteen.

[break][break] "michalis never —" she mumbles, before cutting herself off, cheeks a rosy red. maybe he had and she just hadn't noticed.

[break][break] her eyes, however, are wide as saucers as they fix onto Rory Faust, suddenly excited.

[break][break] "wait — does that mean he's always been flirting with you rory?!" she whispers excitedly.

[attr="class","ooc"] + Rory Faust / annalise henderson

☉

[attr="class","mari2"] as Rory Faust frets over her crush (or the possibility of a crush), anxiously pulling apart the remains of a thread-bare blanket, mari is reminded of a memory tucked away. in kalos, in a tiny lumiose city dorm room, where she listened to luka chêne gush about fairytales and princes and you're engaged, mari, isn't that so cool?

[break][break] anna asks rory if he flirts, and the ex-figure skater is unable to fight the natural blush that rises to her cheeks at the thought. "a-anna!" that seemed private.

[break][break] even so, her gaze darts over to their friend, endlessly curious. a question begs only an answer — well, does he?

[break][break] "what do you call him? do you flirt with him?"

[break][break] she pulls a cheeto from the bowl between them, her fingers dusted with the orange powdery substance and nibbles on the end of one thoughtfully. "... what is flirting anyway?"

[break][break] no one's ever flirted with her before. mainly because for the majority of her young adult life, she'd been taken. then she'd been grieving. and besides, it wasn't like michaelis fisk (mint frost ) had ever been the type to flirt.

[break][break] not with her, anyway.

[attr="class","ooc"] + Rory Faust / annalise henderson

☉