Scene Listing || Scene Schedule || Scene Schedule RSS
No title.
(2013-06-23 - Now)
No description.
Ritz Malheur Do you know what Ritz Malhur hates? Among other things, she hates chasing people across three continents, through five caves, over two mountains, and through four forests. Not to mention keeping track of them in half a dozen cities. How many jobs did clan Nutsy have active at once, anyway?! Thus things called for a change of tactics. And so Ritz parked herself in a shade forets glade, had Shara set out a nice picnic for the Clan, and dispatched a pair of Assassins to go and collect Marche. She then waited, sipping on lemonade and nibbling on finger sandwhichs in a delicate, lady-like fashion. It did not take the pair of Assassins long to catch up to Marche on their own. Gentle persuasion was then employed to secure his compliance with Ritz's polite request to 'get his butt over here'. After all, you can only dodge Last Breath so many times in a row before probably catches up to you.

Thus we find Marche Radiuju shoved into the middle of a wooded glade roughly, as if he were a sack of potatos. He's in the middle of a ring of trees. Viera of various classes are at the edge of his perceptions, taking cover in the woods. He is out-numbered and alone, without even Montblanc to back him up this time. It wouldn't be a fair fight should one start. Ritz is sitting daintily on a small cliff that overlooks the glade, to the effect of towering over Marche like an olden times judge. Shara is standing impassively next to the seated Ritz. The cant of the Viera woman's head and the way she holds her posture makes her appear like an indifferent and grim spectre of death.

"We need to talk." Ritz begins.
Marche Radiuju Clan Nutsy had been notorious for being very active in being out and about. When Marche was the leader, he helped establish the clan so that they could perform missions together and build comradery. That was with the help of Montblanc. However, avoiding Last Breaths were a pain.

The assasins had lots and LOTS of Last Breaths for him. After the final one took its toll, Marche had to keel over and blacked out.

So, here he is, shoved into the middle of the wooden glade. He lands in the heap on the ground. "Ooof!" His vision is blurry, but he lifts his head up to see that various of viera are staring him over.

The young boy shudders, looking pretty horified. His eyes shift towards Shara, and then towards Ritz.

He is under her mercy right now.

Marche is trying to get up, but he collapses back on his knees, a bit weaken from the Last Breath that did him in.

"...Well, here I am." What is he to say? What can he say? He was outed as a heretic and was left to be killed. No longer the leader of Clan Nutsy, Marche is in a boat without a paddle.
Ritz Malheur Ritz has always been one to favor the direct path over hemming and hawwing around an issue. It was this attitude that got her elected Class President, and applied her well towards the formation of the humbly named Clan Ritz. With Marche in front of her, she doesn't beat around the bush now that she has him. For all she knows, Clan Nutsy is going to burst out of the woods to affect a 'rescue' at any minute.

"Okay, spill it. What's all this about you trying to destroy the world?"
Marche Radiuju And he is told to spill it.

"Ivalice is in danger. The Heartless are going to destroy our world to the point of not being able to recover it if we don't do anything. There is only so much that the Law can do. However, the Heartless will destroy everything if we do not do something."

He lifts his head up at Ritz, "I met someone who said that there is a way that we can stop them from taking our world permanently. However, it will keep us from accessing the world, but it is better than letting the Heartless destroy it completely."

He sucks in a breath, already expecting the worse.

"...We have to break Ivalice into fragments."
Ritz Malheur "Oooookay, hold on a second." Ritz holds up her mailed hand, waving it back and forth in the universal symbol of 'stop'. "Here's where things get a little fuzzy for me. Let me try to sort this out here." Ritz counts off on her fingers.

"One. Heartless destroy our world."
"Two. By some luck, we get a brand /new/ world that's more awesome then the old one."
"Three. You want to destroy the new one to restore the old one."

Ritz sits back, leaning on her arms and kicking her feet lightly. "Is... that about the size of things as they stand?"
Marche Radiuju Her recap earns a scrunch of the face, but then he shakes his head.

"Not quite."

"Three, I want to save our world from the Heartless. However, that involves breaking them into fragments so that the Heartless can't destroy it for good. We can at least be able to bring the world should we clear out the Heartless."

He sighs, "I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me!"
Ritz Malheur "But that would get rid of New Ivalice, wouldn't it?" Ritz asks, focusing on this one point. Perhaps unhealthily. "Or at least all of the changes. I mean, things are different from what they were before."
Marche Radiuju "It would, yes. However, that would ensure it's safety for the time being. I am trying to save it! The Law can't fight off against the Heartless and everyone there is dying!" He becomes more frantic, looking up at Ritz, "If we don't do anything, there will not be anyone to save at that New Ivalice!"
Ritz Malheur "By breaking it." Ritz counters, flatly. There is a particular skeptical quality to her voice.
Marche Radiuju At Ritz's skeptical tone, Marche looks very hesitant. However, he steels himself and looks up at her from his position.

"Yes. It is better than letting the heartless destroy it. We can deny the Heartless the ability to become stronger."
Ritz Malheur "Okay, that's like... hold on a second. I've got an analogy for this." She turns to her companion and says, "Shara, lemmie borrow your bow for a moment." Said greatbow is passed over and Ritz loads an arrow... then takes aim at Marche's head, suddenly. He can look down the shaft, it's clearly aimed straight for his left eye. At two feet away, she can't possibly miss (barring Marche having equipped Snatch Arrow this morning).

"Okay, I'm going to shoot this arrow into you eye. It'll hurt a little, but it'll make you better then you were before afterwards. You can trust it because I said so." There's the creak of wood as Ritz pulls back a little tighter on the weapons heft. "Are you ready?"
Marche Radiuju Wait. What?

Ritz takes the greatbow and she takes a good, careful aim. The unfortunate part is that the aim is not just his way, but AT him. The arrow is pointed straight towards his eye with the intent of taking his own eye out.

!!!


However, Marche stares at Ritz from his position.

Marche will stand by his convictions. He will become unmoving. He will show his own conviction, willing to take the stance he has.

Gulp.

"Ready."

The sad thing is, he knows Ritz WOULD shoot him in the eye to make a point.
Ritz Malheur Marche doesn't know Ritz as well as he thinks. She'd never live with herself out of the personal shame of hurting another to prove a petty point. She relaxes her draw and removes the arrow from the bow with a heavy sigh. "Marche..." She drops the bow into her lap and drums her fingers along the length of it.

"Look, I don't doubt that you believe what you say. I mean, you're willing to get shot in the eye for that belief... and that's really scary, by the way. But I don't... see /why/. Do you have anything to back up these things you say? Any proof, or anything to back these claims up? Anything at all? I want to believe you, but you have to give me some reason to."
Marche Radiuju After the beatings that he took, Marche wouldn't put it past her! However, he does relax the moment that Ritz lowers the arrow and removes it entirely rom he bow. Once the bow is placed in a position of non-execution, Marche heaves a sigh of relief.

Ohgodhewasgoingtoloseaneyearghagrhagrh.

The boy relaxes and focuses back on the now not-ready-to-strike Ritz, "...I... I don't know." He admits, "...However, Ezel would be able to explain things better than I can." He lowers his head, "I need some friends to join me to meet him and he can explain it. He has more of an idea, but... just those Heartless around and what they can do were proof enough to me."

"The Judgmaster stripped me of my clan. So, I am alone."
Ritz Malheur Ritz occasionally hits people for their own good. That has to happen sometimes. Like to break up fights, that's a thing that she does. As a general rule, Ritz Malheur does not start fights, she either ends them or preempts them. She is no bully, despite many exaggerating her into one. Another reason that many kids back at school gave her a wide berth in the hallways. It is a very lonely thing, being dedicated to social justice.

"So you're going to break the world, you can't explain why, and you don't even really know why yourself." Ritz sighs, again. And probably not for the last time. "Marche, did you think this out at all? And Ezel... Ezel Berbier? I'm pretty sure that we..." She turns towards Shara.

Shara confirms, "Clan Ritz put in a bid for the Job to capture Ezel a week ago. We're still waiting to hear back on confirmation of the job's acceptance."

Ritz looks back towards Marche. "Yeah, so, there you go. He's bad news, Marche. This is really starting to look worse and worse."
Marche Radiuju "..."

Marche sucks in a breath, unable to bring it to words. What proof does he have that it is something that can be for the better? What proof does he have that there is no other way? The only proof..

"Ritz, I have. In fact, Clan Nutsy and I have seen first hand what the Heartless can do and what they have done so far! And I know that your clan has as well! ...I may not have proof, but I feel that it is better if the world was to shut itself off to deny the Heartless the ability to destroy it."

A frown is given, "I wouldn't feel that this is the only choice if there was a way to save it." He pauses, "...After seeing what we saw at the arcade at Manhattan and just through the streets, there isn't any other choice."
Ritz Malheur "So what it comes down to is that you have a feeling." Ritz announces. She folds her hands on top of her legs and taps one finger repeatedly in thought. The metal of her lone glove tapping against Shara's bow is the loudest thing in the clearing, which now sounds otherwise profoundly silent. The viera have a talent for being unheard when they wish to be; every rabbit among them seems to be exercising it to their utmost at the moment. And still, Ritz's finger taps away as she stares down at Marche with her almost perpetual frown of vague disapproval.

"Let me tell you how I feel, Marche." Ritz begins.

"I... love this new world of ours." She lets that hang there. "I love what it's become, how everyone's lives have improved for the better. Look at all these wonderful friends I've made." She gestures around the clearing, towards the viera at the edges that still take on a slight aura of menace. "And you want me to just give them up and go back to what was? Just an ordinary kid, throwing snowballs at bullies?" Ritz hops down off of the cliff, drawing her rapier. The metal rasps in the silence and glitters in the sunbeams that make it down through the trees.

"Bullies won't change their ways because of a few snowballs, but they will because of this! Between this sword, the Laws, and Clan Ritz, I've become a force for good in this world, Marche! I can... and /do/, help people with real, genuine problems." Ritz twirls around, sending her hair and clothing fluttering about her body. "Look at all of this. Magic, Marche... I can use magic! Magic! This is the most wonder thing in the world!" When Ritz turns towards Marche, her smile is as genuine as it is radiant. She doesn't smile much.

But it quickly fades. "And you want me to just give all of this up... because you have a 'feeling' that it'll be better?"
Marche Radiuju Ritz's announcement is met with Marche lowering his head. The young boy offers a moment of silence as Ritz contemplates or at least, Marche is thinking that Ritz is trying to figure out what she would say.

When she speaks, Marche listens.

"...Ritz, we would still be able to do that." The boy finally lifts his head at her. A smiel grows. "We will still be able to fight for what's right and even protect the people with the sword. I have made friends since I have been here as well that I don't want to give up."

His eyes furrow, "...However, they are the same friends that we will /lose/ to the Heartless if we don't do something." He sighs, "I am not trying to return us to the way that we were. I want to save New Ivalice from the Heartless. If the Heartless destroy it... I don't know what will happen."
Ritz Malheur "But how is shattering it apart going to /do/ that, Marche?" Ritz replies, exhasperated, throwing her arms up in the air before letting them fall helplessly to her side. "That's the one thing you haven't been able to explain. And if you're wrong... I'm not saying you are, mind you, but for the sake of arguement here, /if/ you're wrong then the consequences are..."

Ritz shudders. "How can you be so self assured about this?"
Marche Radiuju "...I..." That is something that is difficult to explain. "...We can bring it back together, under our own terms. Not the Heartless's term." He looks determined on that. However, if Marche is wrong about it all. If he is wrong about everything.

"...I will accept my fate, should I be wrong." He lowers his head, "However, I know that I am right about this. ...I /have/ to be assured that this is right. I want to deny the Heartless the chance to take our world. Our friends."
Ritz Malheur "If you're wrong, it isn't /your/ fate that you should be worried about." Ritz counters. "You're asking me to do something that would normally be considered monsterous." He didn't ask that. But go ahead. Correct her. Try it and see how that works out for you. "I don't like the Heartless any more then you do... any more then anyone else does... but what happened... well, it happened. I've got too many doubts to help you do this, Marche."
Marche Radiuju Marche falls silent, allowing Ritz to speak. However, the boy furrows his eyebrows as she, in the end, does not feel that she can help him do this. A sigh is given, the young man lowers his head with a dismayed look.
"...Ngh. I feared that would be the case." Marche wished that Ritz would side with him on this. However, the young man doesn't have enough to back the case on how his way is right.
Ritz Malheur When Marche lowers his head, Ritz's mouth screws up in consternation. She's a mix of conflicting emotions. She should drag him, kicking and screaming, to the nearest Judge. It would be easy, too, with him alone and her surrounded by her Clan. The bounty doesn't factor into her thinking, it's purely a balance of right and wrong. Her instinct tells her that what Marche is doing is wrong, that she /should/ stop him, here and now while he's weak and helpless.

But her gut tells her that that, too, is wrong. He's a friend. It feels like... a betrayal. Not his, but hers. Ritz's hand tightens on the hilt of her rapier and she readies herself for the brief confrontation, but she can't make herself give the order to the Clan. She can't bring herself to raise her sword. A way out strikes her thinking; it's grasping at straws, but Ritz sees it as the only compromise available to her.

"Get going." She announces, waving out towards the forest with her sword. "We'll give you a three hour head start, then report your last known location to the Judges."
Marche Radiuju Marche is in a bad position. It would be very easy for Ritz to turn him into the Judges. It may not have to be kicking and screaming, should the assassins Last Breath Marche again. Not fun times. He is in a bad position. Ritz can easily turn him in. This is why he is under her mercy.

However, when the sword is taken, Marche inwardly winces and braces himself for the worst.

...Only, she doesn't raise her sword.

Instead, she gives him a fighting chance.

That is where Marche gives her a smile, "Thank you, Ritz..." That is all he wanted. A fighting chance. It is what he needs.

The boy musters up his strength to get to his feet, then he turns tail to run!
Ritz Malheur Ritz sighs, hefting her sword up to her shoulder as Marche beats feet into the woods. She turns around and there's Shara, staring down at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't look at me like that."

Silence from the viera.

"I did what was right."

Silence.

Ritz fidgets. "Because he's a friend."

Silence.

"And that's the only reason, okay? C'mon, we've got to get the Clan moving. I need to go talk to Mewt and get his side of things. Maybe he knows something that the rest of us don't, it's worth taking a chance."

"Hmmm. Ritz?"

"Yes?"

"Were you blushing just now?"

"He-hey, let's focus on the task at hand, alright? Feelings we can deal with later. After we save the world. Or... don't. Ugh, this is all so confusing."

 
This scene contained 25 poses. The players who were present were: Marche Radiuju, Ritz Malheur