Nights were a STRANGE time in this part of Salus. The buildings of these derilict streets were either shaking with the noise, or creating the only sound as they creaked to the winds. There were never many nights out here where there was anything in between those two extremes. Perhaps this is why Marilyne liked it here; it truly was all or nothing. Tonight, this small block would appear all but abandoned to anyone who didn’t know its secrets. Though, mother nature had decided a quiet night was not to be had. Distant rolls of thunder broke the white noise of the rain every few minutes, the white sheets of light uncovering the surroundings a few moments later. Marilyne was a great lover of storms - there was something about the rain, thunder and the lightning that felt like home. This was why, instead of being tucked away in shelter waiting for it to pass, she was walking TOWARDS the eye. At least, she was until she came across another lonely soul out in the middle of the no mans land of Salus.
Some might be SCARED of such an encounter, others rightfully apprehensive. Most would likely find another way around, and avoid the encounter all together. But, not her. No, Marilyne smiled as she turned off of her path to walk over to this stranger - or perhaps they weren’t a stranger - it was hard to tell under the cover of dark. “You know, you really shouldn’t allow someone to walk up on you like this out here - especially in the DARK,” an unsettling greeting for sure, but perhaps not an uncommon one for these parts.
Marilyne didn’t much like Soteria. Everything here felt too CLEAN and as soon as she entered the hairs on the back of her neck always stood to attention as the anxiety of constant eyes on her washed over. Naturally, no-one who knew her from Salus would ever guess that Marilyne felt this way. It would come as quite the shock to find out that anyone out there ever thought she were capable of feeling UNEASY. Hell, the general assumption was she wasn’t capable of feeling anything at all. The proposition wouldn’t be too far off the truth, but it is more a case of Marilyne feeling everything with such fired INTENSITY that, actually, she feels nothing at all. Everything and nothing. A constant, strange limbo of a state of mind. Right now though, she had come to maintain ties with the people in the city. Some people would call them her friends.
She sat at the bar of the coffee shop, her eyes wandering, lips curled up into a tight smile all the while. Even as she intensely listened to the man at the counter be aggressively RUDE to Bryce. As he stepped a line, Mar simply chuckled to herself as her eyes locked into his. He must have known who she really was, because he soon changed his tune, grabbed his coffee, and practically ran. Marilyne shook her head, smile unwaivering, as she directed her gaze to the owner. “You really shouldn’t put up with that, you know.” There was a calmness in her voice that stung. “Taking in all of that-- disrespect... It’s dangerous. For your ENERGIES.” Mar crossed one leg over the other as what appeared to be delicate hands cupped the mug in front of her. “You lose your balance with taking in all that aggression and nastiness from these damn men and you’ll end up snapping one day... You are far too kind and special of a soul to go down that road, darling.”.
MARILYNE GARNIER showed up right on time for the end of the world. Even now, word is that they are LOYAL, but still get RESENTFUL at the mention of how things used to be. They have been living in SALUS for HER WHOLE LIFE. If you go looking for them, you can usually find BANG BANG by 2CELLOS playing, or use A WORN COIN THAT MAKES ALL THE BIG DECISIONS AND DISCONCERTING SMIRKS to narrow it down.
She wasn’t always like this, you know.
BIOGRAPHY
HE WAS FIVE AND I WAS SIX
Marilyne was born of literal blood and fire. Her first sound coming into this world was that of explosion, of a gunshot. First sight was the bullet through her father’s head. First smell the mixture of ash and burning rubble. They thought they would be safe. They thought they had put enough distance between them and the Raiders’ bounty hunters. Clearly, they thought wrong, and before she had even had her first meal Marilyne was subjected to her first life lesson of Salus; you can run, but you can never fucking hide.
WE RODE ON HORSES MADE OF STICKS
You see, Grace and Martin Garnier didn’t mean to get pregnant. Not many people did out in the wicked wild wasteland of Salus, for reasons it should be easy to imagine. But long summer nights and the celebration of a ‘successful’ harvest of their small patch of land on the outskirts of the Settlers turf meant one thing led to another. The two never did form much of an alliance with any of the Divisions, or Factions, or Gangs, or whatever you want to call them when The Ravens Act began to break down. Even in peace times, they had few acquaintances and even fewer friends. That was until two wicked twists in their story happened on the same night. The night they realised she was pregnant; fire took their camp and left nothing behind.
HE WORE BLACK AND I WORE WHITE
They tried to turn to join the Settlers division, but their mission of replenishment had only just begun, and there weren’t enough resources for them both let alone their child. They were turned away. If it had just been the two of them, they would have tried to find new land, tried to have made it on their own once again, but they couldn’t play resources risk with their child. They needed support; they needed a division, and the Raiders were the only other faction that they had some level of connection with; Martin’s brother. Sure enough, they took them in, fed them, gave them water, made Martin work with the rest of the Ransackers as payment. But Martin and Grace were good people. There was only so much of the Raider way, the bloodshed and pillaging that they could take. For them, this was no place to raise a child. So, they ran. They stole what they’d need to restart their old life, and they ran.
HE WOULD ALWAYS WIN THE FIGHT
They thought the distance between them and the Raiders was enough, clearly, they were wrong. As one life came into this world, another was taken. Then, Marilyne and her Mother were brought back to the Raider faction and kept there. As soon as she was able to, Marilyne worked, forced to do whatever the fuck they wanted or needed just to be able to have access to the food and water, beaten down if ever anything went wrong. She was raised not by the once kind heart of her mother, who had gone entirely mute and obedient after all that had happened to her, but by cruel savagery. But, Marilyne would keep her sanity and inherited good will until her mother became sick.
BANG BANG HE SHOT ME DOWN
Of course, she was old enough and had seen enough by this time that she knew exactly what happened to the weak and the sick. She knew what happened to those that depleted the resources and were unable to give anything back. She’d seen that death with her own eyes, and she couldn’t let it take her mother. She found a place to hide her, in the ruins of an old church on the edge of the Raider turf. For six months, Mar only ate half her portions, pocketing the rest to sneak off to her Mom. For six months, her tiny and unnoticeable frame was able to slip in and out of the dispensary and get medicines. For six months, she felt like she had a purpose.
BANG BANG I HIT THE GROUND
In this time, she had also found love. A boy, named Sage, who was a little older than her but that didn’t matter. He was gentle, and thoughtful. He looked out for the little guys, using his charm to make things around camp just a little brighter. They worked the same job; going through all the bags and boxes of shit to find out what would sell and what wouldn’t. But, even outside of work they spent all their time together. He taught her a lot, and she liked to think she taught him some things too. If there was one thing Mar was, it was loyal. Loyal to family, loyal to those who were kind, loyal to those who had no-one else. Sage taught her a lot, but the main lesson he had to give? Never trust anyone.
BANG BANG THAT AWFUL SOUND
Marilyne went to Sage for help, when her Mom got so sick the medicine wasn’t working anymore. He promised to help, reassured little fourteen-year-old Mar that everything was going to be okay. Then, he turned on her. He showed up at the church under promises of help, along with a bunch of the older men from the Division and they shot her. They shot her, not in the head or in the heart where it would be over in a second but in her stomach so it would be slow, and painful. The worst part? They forced Marilyne to watch her bleed out, as reparation for her stealing sins and they fucking laughed. Eventually, the grief and tears turned to anger, and she lashed out, fists flying and screams of pure pain. The logical equation that she was never going to win a 4v1 with 3 grown men and the boy that taught her fight in the first place never took place. She got a few good hits in, if knowing that would make you feel any better about her story, but within minutes she was on the floor, ribs cracked, lip busted, eyes blackened. Then, they just… Left her there. She looked up as they walked away. She looked up to see the smirk on Sage’s face as he looked back at what he’d done.
BANG BANG MY BABY SHOT ME DOWN
Eventually, the tears stopped and as if someone just cut her loose, Mar laid broken and bruised on the ground of the Church ruins and just laughed. That day was the last day anyone could ever say they knew what Marilyne was going to do next, that she was sane. She had some supplies left, hidden deep in the rubble that helped her patch herself up and live for a week or two. When she was finally out, she took a trip to the Junkers, and joined them for a while, a least until she was healed. Then, about six months later, she severed the final cord of her old self. Plagued with anger and the need for revenge, she’d been stalking Sage and his little faction of Raiders he’d ‘earnt’ from his betrayal all this time. Waiting. Watching. Then, when the perfect moment presented itself, she ambushed them mid-convoy and killed them all with a smile on her face. Of course, it wasn’t a quick easy death for Sage. No, you really don’t want to know how she killed him; it would certainly be in your nightmares if you did. Let’s just say the rumours about her are the PG-13 version of what actually happened.
MUSIC PLAYED AND PEOPLE SANG JUST FOR ME THE CHURCH BELLS RANG
Now, she doesn’t need much of a division to keep her alive anymore. Her reputation precedes her, and if she did happen to need anything she always finds help with the junkrats and the salvagers considering how many Raiders she’s kept away and off their goods over the years. Almost all those raiders and bounty hunters from her past are in the ground now, no longer men but toys in her little games that she plays. But a few remain. The one who killed her father, for example. She never has been able to find out who that hunter was. Good news for them, in the grand scheme of things; they probably wouldn’t want that to change anytime soon.
BANG BANG I SHOT YOU DOWN
BANG BANG YOU HIT THE GROUND
BANG BANG THAT AWFUL SOUND
BANG BANG I USED TO SHOOT YOU DOWN
