peccatore | Marco's Heart

Marco's Heart

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.

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Hmm.

[She snaps again.]

Back up.

[She wants to see what she missed while Marco was behind her.]

Wow, rewinding time?! If only the spidery man here were the real deal, rather than the version of himself that lives rent-free in Marco's head... This is surely only the second Jojo reference of many that you're missing out on, you know.

But no matter. If she goes back to the point where she stepped in front of Marco, 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?" Kinra interrupts. "Spare me."

[Gods above, now she's being razzed. Great. Is this another sign she's losing her mind?]

[Nevertheless, she watches carefully, wincing in sympathy.]

Don't worry, Ashwyn. The narration is just getting silly with it. A mindscape built on self-loathing can probably use some levity where possible.

Especially when things are playing out the way they are. Kinra continues -

"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 -" (there; he's winding up for that punch again) "- 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!"

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

[Ashwyn watches Marco. Does he look different than normal? Or is the hiss the only indication that something was up? Surely, if it was just the hissing, Kinra attacking someone would be a bigger issue...]

At the very moment Marco hissed, his glamour failed. It was only for a second, if that, but that single moment was apparently enough to put the majority of the audience, including the crew, in shock.

Also, a certain lanky, spidery observer is still here. He leans in and adds, in a sing-songy voice:

"It's all on camera."

Dunno what a camera is. But I'm guessing the problem here is that a lotta people saw that happen. Word can travel quick.

[She faces Mr. Spider.]

So if I'm understanding right, you lured Marco somewhere where you could break his magic publicly. Why? What'd he do to you?

"Hahah! Projecting a little, aren't you? But I don't blame you forgetting the wrong idea, you know. You only have a fraction of the picture."

[Ugh. She hates this kind of guy.]

So fill in some'a the gaps for me. I figure I'm here for a reason, and I wanna know what that reason is.

"There's a lot more to see in this door. Isn't that right, Marco?"

Marco doesn't answer the question. He's sitting on the floor, head hanging low.

Tch.

[Ashwyn returns to ignoring Kinra. She kneels down next to Marco, gives him a quick hug, then turns her attention to the two girls. What are they doing?]

Marco barely reacts to the hug, but he will remember this. As for the girls... They appear to be sort of just... standing there? The one bound in vines, a short-haired ginger, speaks up.

"Y'know, he wasn't payin' that much attention to us. I'm pretty sure I was just standin' here chokin'."

Hm.

[She puts a hand to her chin.]

Makes sense. Looks like he had other things to worry about. My name's Ashwyn. Who are y'all? And what's the deal with Kinra?

The ginger doesn't seem pleased to have this conversation while she's stuck here, but ultimately, there isn't a lot she can do about that, being little more than a figment based on a recurring figure from Marco's memories. She huffs.

"I'm Clover. And Kinra there's a jackass."

"I'm..." The other girl starts, then hesitates. After she flicks her wrist, the vines binding Clover fall to the ground, and then she goes on. "My name's Sabrina. My friends call me Effy. And that..." Her eyes fall on the Kinra from this memory, then on the spidery figure watching this with crossed arms. "That's my boyfriend. Kaphlar."

[Ashwyn puts some pieces together in her head, but she's still missing most of the edge pieces. The overall shape isn't here.]

Right there with you on him being a jackass.

Clover, I'm guessing you mean something to Marco, and that's why Sabrina here was keeping you tied up on stage. Is that right? Sabrina, did Kaphlar put you up to this, or were you working with him? I'm missing a lot of the context here.

The girls, for their part, seem oddly contrite.

"Naw," Clover says. "I think... he's just a weirdly nice guy."

"There was, um... sort of a tournament going on." Sabrina chews on her thumbnail. "Clo made it to the finals, and so did I."

She hesitates.

"Marco doesn't really know... what was going on between us three, you know?" By which Sabrina means herself, Clover and Kaphlar; she gestures back and forth between the three of them. "So we have to guess at some things."

[She nods thoughtfully. They are memories, after all. If Marco didn't have the full picture...]

Thanks. So what's going on here? This is the finals for the tournament, so why's Marco here? What makes this the place for Kaphlar to air his dirty laundry?

This time, it's the creepier Kaphlar who chimes in first. The girls roll their eyes.

"Because he organized it, sweetheart. In secret, like the sneaky little bastard he is."

I'm definitely not your sweetheart, and if you call me that again, we're gonna see what kinda damage I can do to you, you understand?

If we're clear on that, one of y'all - you included [she adds, glancing to Marco] - talk to me about why. I get that this is a turning point in Marco's life. Hard not to see how - you unmasked the guy in front of a live audience.

Why, though? Why is this happening? One of y'all knows something, and I'm going to drag it out of whoever I need to.

He raises his hands in a manner that manages not to be placating in the slightest.

"Don't worry, Ash. I don't even really mean it~"

Effy steps forward. "Why? You mean, why he put this whole thing together? That's..."

Unfortunately, Kaphlar interrupts again, a grin on his face.

"You know, there's more memories here. Don't you wanna see more? You don't have to figure it out all at once."

Marco mumbles something too. It sounds like "I'm sorry."

Marco - don't apologize. I'm gonna get to the bottom of this. But I promise you. No matter what you got locked up in here, I'm still on your side.

[Her mind flips to the memory of Marco hugging her. Stroking her hair. Being there when it felt like her world was collapsing. Admittedly, it was this morning, so it's fresh in her mind. Up to you, narration, if Ashwyn's odd magical nature means that the sheer importance of that memory is in any way relayed to Marco.]

[Then, to Kaphlar:]

You gotta do something about your interrupting problem. Didn't your momma ever teach you it's rude? [She waves a hand, as if to say "bring on the next memory".]

Somehow, the warmth reaches Marco. It must.

Granted, it might be hard to tell, with Kaphlar's snide face getting in the way.

"Rude? Me? You're the one talking about my momma - inside the head of a guy who thinks I might as well have sprung up fully formed from Hell, at that!"

One way or another, 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.

This may not mean much to Ashwyn, but it looks kind of like San Francisco.

"Tch." Kaphlar crosses his arms, pouting. "This one's so vague. Are we leaving the best for last?"

[Ashwyn completely ignores Kaphlar, which rapidly seems to be becoming her preferred solution. Instead, she gazes around, and up, and up and up and up, in awe. This is... these buildings are the tallest she's ever seen. What is this place?...]

[Then she shakes her head and starts paying attention to whatever's going on in the alley.]

Well, Marco is a little further into the alley. He's leaning against a wall, looking... perhaps less put-together than you have ever seen him before. 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.

Marco...?

[She moves towards him, reaching a hand out.]

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