#Marloix

[rokry]

"Just making sure I can follow you."

[emmondsokolov]

// Bringing this back around because I just came across it accidentally while looking for something else and it just did 8d12 psychic damage to me because of the the idiot blorbo man.

He's not been doing well for the last 2 months or so. He's been hiding since before Starlight without explanation, and just now tentatively testing the waters to see if its safe to come out of his cage. Maybe... maybe he has suffered enough. Maybe. Maybe he deserves nice things for once.

I am emotionally compromised right now man, I'm tearing up dawg, send help.

[ramblingdrunkenknight]

[ A continuation/answer to this post by dear @emmondsokolov ] // In an undisclosed part of the Black Shroud //

It had been a few days since old Godefroy sent Ryker out to find his pen pal, he was slowly but surely growing impatient, even suspecting that Ryker had simply ignored the task he was given and went back to his regular duty, suffice to say, Mephiston was relieved to find a letter smelling of lavender at the drop off point when he visited it during his early morning walk.

"Hah, I still can not believe I didn't figure it out until I was already gone." he chuckled to himself, no one but a small Antelope around to hear it. Any other day he would continue his walk after having checked the drop off point, but this was not any other day, the thought of finally returning made him rush back to the hideout so he could set his plans into motion.

It had only been a week since he decided it was time for him to stop running and make up with all the people he left behind so recklessly, for Mephiston though, it felt like an eternity.

Arriving back at the hideout, the old geezer threw off his coat, one of the few things he took with him as he left home, and sat down on the pieces of cloth he called a bed, lighting up a candle to brighten up the area as he was settling down, having lost his glasses at some point within the last few months, he needed all the light he could get to read and write comfortably.

"Now then, dear Marloix, let's see if you're the kind of man I hope you to be." he said while opening up the letter, almost expecting someone to answer. Having gone ahead to read the letter with a kind of excitement he hadn't felt for a long time, Mephiston had fully expected his pen pal to ask for some kind of proof that he was really the old geezer, and Marloix did not disappoint, after all Ryker never tended to give off a feeling of trustworthiness.

Godefroy didn't plan on delaying it any further though, so he took out his notebook, feather and ink pot, adjusted the light, and got to writing.

'My dearest Patron,

indeed it has been what feels like ages, I couldn't blame you if you forgot your dear old barkeep altogether. Now, I cannot overstate enough how much I would love to have the good old pen pal exchanges we used to have once again, but I am afraid business will have to come first, before we can once again indulge in such pleasantries.

I remember the line all to clearly, though I must confess that before I concluded you to be my partner in crime, the crime being exchanging letters, I had set my eyes on Harlowe Hornbeam and may have let that oh so poetic line come his way, I apologize if that caused any trouble for you.

"Deep waters invite a thousand deaths."

I hope that is enough proof for you my friend, I'm putting a lot of faith in you here. Though the Shroud is a lovely place, I do miss Coerthas, I will move my camp into the Central Highlands, when you are ready to meet up with me, find me on the cliff overlooking the city to the west of Steel Vigil, I will draw a crude representation on how you would find it on a map on the back of this letter.

If you decide not to help me, I wish you the best of luck with whatever troubles you have found yourself in, dear friend. However if you do decide to help me, well, see you in Coerthas.

Signed, Mephiston Godefroy'

/ Upon turning the letter around, a drawing can be found /

As he put the feather down, he sighed, Mephiston barely knew Marloix and was unsure if this entire ordeal was a good idea, but something told him that choosing Sir Beraskia to help with this was the right choice, and afterall, he had nothing to lose. After the ink had dried, he started gathering everything he needed for his journey, he could send off the letter somewhere along the way to waste as little time as possible, and perhaps dear old Mephiston was also in a hurry because he was excited to finally go back to Coerthas, to finally go back home.

[rokry]

"Don't fall for me now darling, I don't do the whole love thing."

[rokry]

Marloix Symbolism!

Original template here, and a few variations of the song for anyone curious.

[rokry]

This was supposed to be a simple little thing that I got a bit carried away with and couldn't resist shading more. I like it enough to share here.

I'm getting a lot of practice drawing Marloix over and over again.

[rokry]

Marloix continues to be drunk and make terrible decisions and create scenes while spouting poetry.

[rokry]

WIP. Part of a sketch before I start painting.

[rokry]

Plus a little extra silly thing. Figuring out just what sort of cat behaviour the blorbo will display is paramount.

[rokry]

Everyone should draw the blorbos as cats once in a while. Its good for you.

[rokry]

Another cat!Marloix doodled in a drawpile session today.

[emmondsokolov]

Ramblings of a Tramp

"My only remaining Patron,

I do not presume you will care about this letter, frankly I do not expect you to, as I have caused you quite a lot of trouble, but nevertheless I felt it appropriate. Though in the other letters I will send out I went into detail as to why, those details don't really matter to you, so I will get straight to the point; In the following days, presumably by the time this letter reaches you, I will die. The details as to how exactly I die are a mystery to me, but I do know that it will happen, for the urges of my nightkin curse grow stronger and stronger and soon enough Mephiston will be gone, for my power to resist it has been dwindling as of recently. You and I aren't so different in many ways, you might not agree but I certainly feel that way, therefore I do believe many words I could say right now can remain unsaid and you will understand me regardless. Though you certainly make no efforts to prove the opposite, somewhere deep within your bastard heart you're not as miserable and bad as you act. I've already asked much of you, but please take care of Ant, you need each other.

Your personal Barkeep Mephiston Godefroy"

-

Marloix folded the letter down and turned his eyes up to where he knew the glorious city of Ishgard to be, albeit obscured through the fog and the light snowfall right now.

"Well well well," he clicked his tongue.

"I didn't think you'd actually have the guts to do it. I know I certainly don't. Bravo you old coot."

The scrawny elezen man reached under the knitted woolly hat covering his short, prickly hair and itched at his dry scalp while he cast his eyes over the freshly upturned soil at his feet, glittering with shards of red and blue and gold amongst the flakes of frosty white falling down. It was about time he took a break from this task anyroad, the snowfall marks a sure end to any progress towards making the forsaken soil of Coerthas more fertile for today. Oh, and the letter too of course, it was far more exciting than digging through the dirt any day. The gardener set the shovel against the wall so he wouldn't lose it under the oncoming fresh blanket of snow that was about cover all his hard work today, and stalked back inside.

"Archibald," he barked, kicking off his boots as he closed the door behind himself and shook his hands about in a fruitless attempt to bring back some warmth to his bony fingers.

"Seems I've a grand show to catch. Hold on to any more mail that arrives while I'm out, won't you. I doubt this is the only letter we'll- Ah, it's already arrived. Tch. Of course. Sneaky little shits."

A silent servant stood at the back of the store, waiting, while Marloix helped himself to plucking the neatly folded envelope from their hands and wasted no time opening it up, recognising right away the similar penmanship to his own letter.

"I doubt the old boy will mind if I take a peek, hmm? Not if he doesn't find out about it, so you'd best keep your mouth shut. Hmhmh."

[emmondsokolov]

// Always amusing to witness the sliding scale for Marloix go from "Aw he's just a funny little guy, kinda sad tho, he needs some soup," to "I hope his house burns down and he steps on a lego <3," the more anyone learns about him.

[emmondsokolov]

[Psst hey @ramblingdrunkenknight] Marloix set the bowl of rabbit stew down to cool, mindful that it not make too much noise as it touched the table. Out of precaution he found himself poised and listening for any sign of disturbance from his employer's room, ears perked towards the door. After hearing no such signs of movement, he let out the breath he'd been holding and sank onto the couch.

So much for all of that, then.

Bony fingers lifted the notebook out of his coat and leafed through to find a clean page, while his shadowed eyes lingered over the newly acquired ring on his finger.

He'll come around. Gil is gil after all. And this will all be going towards his cause in the end, even if it means I have to sell myself for it. And it would be beneficial to gain a powerful ally to keep in my back pocket. A powerful rich ally at that. After all the last ally I thought I would be gaining turned out to be… Declawed, as it were. Bah. No matter.

Marloix shook his head and turned his mind to the task at hand. There was still plenty of work to be done for his employer, and while the pay had not been ideal, the security and shelter certainly had been a great benefit, among other things. While he was still under the man's employ, he had no reason to shirk his work. After setting out the inkwell and taking a heavy swig from his flask, he began to write.

'Dearest Barkeep,

I pray you are keeping as well as you can be, given the circumstances placed upon yourself. May Ishgard be treating you more kindly than the Shroud since your return. Apologies but I must cut straight to business this time and skip further pleasantries. The old boy has requested I summon you to speak with him at your earliest convenience, for what reason I cannot enlighten you, for he would not tell me either. He is an impatient man as I'm sure you are aware and does not like to be kept waiting long, so finish whatever task you are be in the middle of and make haste towards Coerthas. I figure mogmail will be the quickest and most discreet way to reach you, wherever you may be. However I shall be forced to start asking around for you should I not hear from you in a matter of days. We'll chat soon. Warm regards, Your Humble Patron.'

Marloix tore out the page once the ink had dried and folded the letter with a few sprigs of dried lavender inside. That would have to do for now.

He would find a delivery moogle as soon as he could work his way off the couch and out the door. For now, he simply settled back to pick up the bowl of stew, now cooled enough to eat, and devoured the meal in barely a few gulps to get the ordeal over with.

[emmondsokolov]

[Vague continuation of this thread with @ramblingdrunkenknight]

The return letter arrived a lot quicker than Marloix had been expecting. Here he had been preparing himself and gathering up his scarce few belongings in order to leave this apartment and visit his employer's home again.

First things first, he skimmed his eyes over the letter to catch the key phrase he had requested before he allowed himself a moment to relax and read the rest.

"Tch, drat, should have asked Dear Barkeep to pick up something for me while he was still in the Shroud. No matter, I suppose."

Upon turning over the page the elezen groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not another gods damned map. I get enough of this crap from Antares." Still, he cast a discerning eye over the drawing, and flipped back over to read the letter a second time. "But at least your instructions are a lot clearer than his… We'll see how lost I get this time."

Marloix folded the letter and set it down, took out his notebook to once again flip open to a blank page which he promptly tore out, picked up the quill, and began to write a letter to his roommate. 'Edelweiss, I'm departing on what I'll call a business venture out in the middle of the bloody Coerthas Highlands of all places. I'm meeting an old friend, and assuming everything goes well I should be back within 48 hours. Maybe. Provided I still live by the end of it and this isn't all a trap. Of course I could always be back sooner if the cold proves too much for me, in which case you may disregard this letter and I shall promptly burn it upon my return. I must say, thank you for your company. You've been a wonderfully sturdy rock in these trying times. I wouldn't dare keep you from wandering any longer if you'd like to get out of this dreadfully dull apartment now. After this venture I say it's high time I returned to my employers estate to see if the house still stands and all. And to see if I still have a job. My warmest regards, Lune.'

Marloix sat back and watched the ink dry, plucking one of the few intact sprigs of lavender out of his pocket and setting it down over his letter in the middle of the desk. He closed his book and rose to collect his hat and coat. It seems he has to pay a visit to a chocobo porter.

[emmondsokolov]

The key turned in its lock, shifting the simple, yet intricate mechanisms inside until they clicked into place. Once settled, the door slowly shifted open, bit by bit, until there was enough of a gap for a dark eye to peer through and check the surroundings. Upon seeing no immediate signs of anyone inside the apartment, the man let go of his breath and pushed the door open enough to slip himself through and close and lock it again behind himself. Paranoia had already long since sunk it's claws into Marloix, only now he had just a little more clarity on the situation. It seems his worst fears could be put to bed at least.

The elezen frowned down at the flyer in his grip. He recognised the hand behind that crude drawing of what could only be an unfortunate likeness of himself. "Still alive Old Chap," he muttered as he crossed the small apartment to drop the page onto the desk, and reached into his deep pockets to find his flask, swiftly unscrewing the cap and taking a deep swig. He could feel it burn on the way down, and a faint acrid, metallic lingering edge on his tongue, yet he did not wince. Marloix had already long since dulled himself to the taste and sensation, he needed this more to calm his nerves and stop his trembling hands from getting worse.

Seemed his roommate wasn't in right now, though he had already told them much of his woes, it was still a relief to have some privacy to process this. His head was spinning as he deflated into the thick, plush armchair behind the desk. He felt dizzy and it vaguely crossed his mind that he should probably find something to eat. He couldn't remember the last time he ate anything. He took another sip. It didn't matter, he had more important things to do. Eating could wait.

That Young Ryker boy… He had gotten too careless around them, sending letters so willingly as he had, only to be used as a stepping stone for the boy to reach Godefroy first. And after he had been so cautious in the beginning too.

"Should have trusted my gut about you after all," Marloix grumbled, taking yet another sip before opening the drawer of the desk and taking out his ink, quill, and notebook. "Tch, not that it matters what happens to the old coot, as far as all things are concerned he was already gone. Mm. But It would be a shame to see anything happen to him I suppose."

In truth he had all but given up on trying to find Sir Godefroy, all of the information from his sources turned out to be either false, or led to dead ends, and even sometimes more troubling information that he didn't know how to process… And besides, having a consistent gardening job for once had kept him busy and distracted, there was hardly time to think about writing letters any more.

Gods he missed the work. It was hard work but he had found himself actually… Content with his work. Perhaps even happy. Or perhaps it was simply the company of his employer he enjoyed. Marloix's eyes turned to the flyer once more while he absentmindedly leafed through the pages of his notebook to a blank page. His employer had returned from his trip alive and well. And not only was he alive, but searching for him. Seemed it was time he risked a peek back home.

Still, it was deeply concerning that the Behemoth was handing these flyers out, it could all be merely a trap but… He had to take a look into the house, at least.

A dried alyssum flower slipped out of the back page, which gave him pause in his train of thought. His employer had given that to him as a small token in their last letter, after very vaguely explaining their absence and what terrible fate should happen if Marloix lingered too long in the house after they might perish during their journey. Gently, and with a lot of care, he slipped the delicate flower back into its place between the back pages, and turned his mind back to the task at hand with yet another sip of burning alcohol. "And he's not the only one still alive. Or looking for me it seems." He picked up the quill and, with a trembling hand, began to write. 'Dear barkeep,

Its been a while. You gave everyone here quite the fright with your absence you know. And to my delight I hear you gave a rightly deserved kick up the arse of that Young Ryker and knocked some sense into him.

You will forgive my caution, a lot has been happening lately and I find it hard to believe you could really be back, now of all times. I can't trust it really is you, so perhaps you could put my mind at ease if you would be so kind.

A certain poetic line may have been exchanged between us once before, if you would recall that for me, I would be most appreciative.

Regards, Your Humble Patron, if you would still have me.' Once the ink was dry Marloix tore out the page, crumbled some dried lavender and cloves he plucked from his pockets over it, and folded the letter up. Now all that was left was to find a delivery moogle and pray this wasn't all just some elaborate trap that he had just played right into.