got_the_touch:

Mason was wearing two parkas as he and Marrina waited at the set coordinates on the Nova Scotia shoreline. An official envoy from Atlantis was supposed to pick them up here. He was holding her hand, and what of his face could be seen between his scarf and his hat looked worried. He nodded to her.

"Just in case I get killed..." He squeezed her hand. "I love you. And you were worth it."

ng_atlantis:

"This is humiliating!" Vishin shrieked at Draconia, although still outside of arm's reach from the bars of her cell. "We've lost nearly every candidate to this surface dweller's genetically-aberrant tricks, and Lord Kerouac would already have faced him if he weren't otherwise engaged at present. Our only saving grace is that they've all been too shamed to reveal you as their patron.

Still.... we have Kerouac. His house is the highest ranked of any of the candidates, but still..." He fixes his gaze on Draconia, stroking his beard to calm himself. "..He has an unfortunate habit of insisting on fair fights. I will not risk our pl-- I will not risk the future of the Atlantean ruling family on fair odds."

got_the_touch:

In a very pleasant departure from the previous competitions, this second to last one had actually sent Mason an e-mail to let him know when he'd be arriving. Surprisingly polite, actually.

For that matter, Atlantis had e-mail? He wondered who their provider was.

He was sitting down to lunch with Marrina, having about half an hour before the challenger was supposed to show up. "Man... this is just dragging on." He poked at his soup before finishing some more. He'd recovered from the previous fights just fine, but mentally, things were starting to get to him.

got_the_touch:

Mason trudges towards the front door after receiving a message over the intercom. He hits a panel to call Marrina as well.

"Latest round's up. Two of them this time."

He'd been surprised to hear the blowhard announcing himself, and his brother practically as an afterthought. He shook his head as he adjusted his jacket and hip-pack.

got_the_touch:

It had been about a week since the altercation with the female Atlantean, and Mason, for the most part, was recovered. Stitches hadn't come out yet, but he didn't need to worry about popping them in the course of his day. Marrina and Jordie had threatened to lock him in his room if he didn't rest for at least the first few days afterwards, so he'd been forced to comply.

Right now though, he was feeling okay, and he had nachos with three kinds of cheese, bacon, and gravy. There was good in the world.

got_the_touch:

It had been a few days since Marrina got back, and outside of practicing his transmutations and studying some chemical formulas more intently, Mason had been determined not to let this shadow take over his life. He was taking a break and trying to beat his time-attack record in Capcom vs SNK 2 when there was a perimeter alert.

got_the_touch:

For any fool for love, being separated from your significant other feels like a long time.

When said significant other is off talking to her dad who rules two thirds or more of the world's surface, and is discussing a bunch of crazy people out to kill you, it feels even longer.

To keep himself busy, Mason had built an aluminum tree house just outside the base, fastidiously checking the road leading towards it for any sign of her.

sea_shelly:

Atlantis was never a far trip, not if she was swimming full out.  Sure, she could have arranged for pick-up of some kind, as befitted a princess, but Marrina was occasionally about establishing her own independence.  She knew she'd been given incredibly free range in terms of royal demands on her, with her education in matters of state taking place on the side and sliding into her own schedule...

She wondered if all that was finally catching up with her.

In no time at all, however, she was at Atlantis.

sea_shelly:

Marrina and Mason were just leaving the movie, having just seen Scott Pilgrim vs the World, staring Canada's favorite son, Michael Cera.   It had been a pretty good movie, overall, though the fight scenes were a bit over the top.  Giving the super-villain battles they'd been in, it was hard to find them realistic, even with the over the top attitude of everything else.

"You know," Marrina told him, as she took his hand, "Michael Cera kinda reminds me of you."

ng_atlantis:

Vishin, the younger brother of Vashti the Elder, does not have his brother's rank or influence, but many would say that makes the lesser Vizier all the more dangerous. Eager enough to curry favor with Namor to be attending this clandestine meeting with even one of Atlantis' most recent and reviled attempted usurpers.

Enough coin is sufficient to dismiss the guards at her cell, and guarantee that this meeting never occurred. He strides up to the bars, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, Draconia? You have called and Vishin is here. What do you presume to offer me?"