Marco's Heart

[peccatore]

You find yourself in a bright white, circular room. It's nearly empty; too bare, almost clinically so. But the bareness of it means that what is visible here stands out:

A podium in the center, where a familiar figure sits, head buried in his hands. Three paths running from the podium to three different spots near the edges of the room - not corners; circles don't have corners - where three doors leading seemingly nowhere stand with no regard for their complete lack of structural support.

It doesn't take you long to figure out where you are, does it? You only have to decide where to start.

Comments

[peccatore]

"Spoiling the fun ahead of time, huh?" The spidery Kaphlar leans over you. "Well, I wanna watch the rest, so you're just gonna have to deal with that."

The other Kaphlar keeps advancing Right now, it's hard to say if Marco is uncomfortable because of his entire attitude, or if he fears there's something else going on. He starts to say, amid a nervous stammer:

"If you wanted to go out for lunch, there were far more harmless ways to--"

"Ew, what?" Kaph interrupts. "Spare me. I know I'm gorgeous, but I don't swing your way. Besides..." Another step closer to Marco. There is a dangerous glint in his eyes.

And then, things happen very quickly.

"Between you and me, Marco? I get the feeling nobody's -" (he's winding up for a punch) "- gonna be calling you to dine out -" (but it isn't a punch; a bright blue flame blazes to life in his hand) "- after today!"

Kaphlar swipes. Mortal danger whizzes inches past Marco's nose, and he stumbles back, hissing in the dead silence of the arena.

[voidofhearts]

[She eyes the scene with wide eyes. She's not unused to violence— she practices fighting every morning herself— but mortal danger usually isn't an equation. Genuine threats... it's a startling thing to see.]

[She turns to the spidery Kaph.]

Let me guess, you threaten Marco on live television in a way that forces him to show off his vampire abilities. Maybe even remove his glamour? If I already know how this ends, what's the point of showing me? Are you really getting a kick out of this?

[peccatore]

It was very easy to miss and I keep forgetting to write it every time I do this memory, but for just a fraction of a second, Marco's glamour DID slip... and it was very much caught on camera.

"Haven't you heard it's about the journey, not the destination?" Kaph grins. "And so what if I'm getting a kick out of it, huh? I hear you were a pretty nasty kid, yourself!"

[voidofhearts]

I'm nothing like that- a-anymore...!

[A small amount of hesitation on the "anymore."]

[peccatore]

"Ooh, but that means you were."

[voidofhearts]

I-- I'm not... I don't remember it all that well...

[peccatore]

"Awww. Well, don't worry." He pats her on the head. It feels incredibly condescending. "I'm just saying, it shouldn't be that hard to imagine~"

[voidofhearts]

[grits her teeth]

Grats on being on the same level as a child.

[peccatore]

If this was the real Kaphlar, something else might happen.

But it isn't, so after regarding you coldly for a moment, he simply snaps his fingers and says,

"How about we move on?"

And their surroundings blur, rushing past. When they start to slow, they coalesce into the back alley of a rainy street at night, with buildings that stretch far into the sky.

If it means anything to you, Heart, it looks kind of like San Francisco.

"Tch." Kaphlar crosses his arms, pouting. "This one's kind of vague."

[voidofhearts]

[Vague recollections... she doesn't really have many memories of the city off-campus, but it's still similar enough to feel familiar. It's a strange enough feeling to snap her out of her frustration.]

Huh... this is... California, isn't it?

[peccatore]

"So you're familiar! Thaaat's right, didn't you go to college somewhere nearby?"

Not that Kaph is all that interested, but, well, he IS still just a part of Marco's head.

[voidofhearts]

Standford, yeah.

[Squinting at Kaph a little. She's having a hard time gauging when Marco is bleeding through the role.]

[peccatore]

"... What?" He narrows his eyes right back.

[voidofhearts]

...Nothing. Just...

...What did you mean by "this one's vague"

[peccatore]

"I mean what I said. Do you even see Marco here, for starters?"

There ARE sounds coming from deeper in the alley.

[voidofhearts]

Mmm...

[gonna take a closer look...]

[peccatore]

Well, Marco is, in fact, a little further into the alley. He's leaning against a wall, looking... perhaps less put-together than you have ever seen him before, with the possible exception of that last memory Agnes showed you. His hair looks like it was disheveled even before the rain flattened it down, and his tie is hanging on stubbornly under a collar that certainly isn't as high as Marco seems to prefer.

He looks exhausted. And sort of scruffy.

[voidofhearts]

Marco...?

[increasingly concerned]

[peccatore]

He doesn't appear to see you before he smashes his fist against the wall behind him, leaving sizeable cracks. Annoyingly, Kaphlar is hovering right behind you.

"Heheh. He's mad."

Marco slams his fist into the wall again. Then a third time. Then he slides down until he's sitting on the ground, shaking.

"D... Damn it. Damn him...!"

[voidofhearts]

Marco...

[walks up and puts a hand on his shoulder]

[peccatore]

He flinches, tensing up.

[voidofhearts]

Eeep-!

[Withdraws her hands]

Was that the... wrong thing to do?

[peccatore]

"N-No. I... No."

His shoulders slump.

"I just... wasn't expecting you."

[voidofhearts]

I'm kind of getting the tour here, whether I like it or not.

...Kaphlar said this memory was vague. Does that mean it's not a specific moment?

[peccatore]

"It... It is. You just-- You interrupted..."

A woman's voice suddenly rings out, somewhere above them yet impossibly close.

"Damned son! Letting his thoughts sink into sin!"

"T-That. Them," Marco mumbles.

"Begging for forgiveness while his heart sings for a man's blood..." A man's voice, this time. "Oh, poor son. Oh, wretched son."