fierybluebird | [Video] / Action

[It's Marco's voice, but somehow with a darker tint to it. And it looks like his hair's been dyed black? That's not the strangest change though. The tattoo on his chest is completely removed. There's a rough scar where it used to be though, it's not bleeding, but it's clearly still healing.]

Can you believe the arrogance of those fools? First they drag me away, then they removed my father's mark, and gave me a mockery of it. [Oh yeah. He's deadpan, but it doesn't take a lot of knowing Marco to recognize that he is thoroughly pissed off. More angry than he's ever openly shown in Luceti for that matter.] But the joke's on them, oh yes. [His eyes glitter darkly, burning blue for a second, as they might have done before.] Just because my healing is slowed here doesn't make me any less a phoenix. They can remove my tattoos and piercings but that's a simple thing to restore.

Watch and learn fools. Watch and learn.

[LUCKILY the next part is filtered away from kids ten and under, though no doubt many adults would have preferred not to see it either.]

[Marco props the book up on the edge of the fountain, and leans back to lowers his neck into the water and uses a knife to carve an old school manji symbol in it, line by line. Those familiar with the nazi swastika and not the manji symbol might confuse it for that. Marco doesn't make a sound however, but his blood is clearly revolting against the treatment, blue flames trying to battle the water, and the most they can do is hold back the damage. As he finishes, Marco smirks, grabs a bottle of blue ink from a broken pen and pulls out of the water to throw the ink into it. At that he lets out a feral sound, something like a loud crow's caw, and he shakes off the rest of the ink with a smirk, the skin already still stitching over his chest and trying to cover his neck, but hitting a barrier where it's inked.]

[He fiddles with the journal again to turn off the filter and grins.]

There. I don't know about you, but I feel better already! Now who wants to get on my good side and help me find some earrings?

[[ooc: Marco's returned from Mallynap in "evil" mode! He'll have black hair, be a lot more emo/depressed/dark, and comments will come from

evilfierybluebird and

fieryblackbird respectively!]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Very. She is my little sister. Ace adopted her first, and I am sure you can understand why I am extra worried about her right now.

May I ask why?

[That answer knocks her off-track a little. Had something happened with Norma that Vivi hadn't heard about yet?]

Extra worried-? Is Norma-san all right?

Since Ace went home I mean.

O-oh, of course. I see. [She can't help but feel a bit relieved at that. In the wake of Nami and Nojiko leaving as well, Ace's departure had faded somewhat, but of course Norma had been much closer with Ace than Vivi had been. Still, at Marco's words, she'd been afraid Norma had been kidnapped again or something like like, so this sets her mind more at ease.]

Ah, no, I just meant to ask about--I thought it would be nice to throw her a party for her birthday. It's coming up. [And she's not sure if Marco would know about it or not, considering it had taken Vivi asking about it to get Norma to convert the date.]

Oh! That would be wonderful. Do you have any ideas? I am not sure who her other friends in the village are except for Fenimore, Grune, and perhaps those she works with. But I believe she would love that very much, thank you for thinking of it.

[Vivi laughs.] It's not really a surprise or anything; I'm fairly certain she's expecting it at this point. I thought you might like to plan it with me, though.

I'm planning to bake a cake, but I haven't put much thought into anything else yet. We still have a bit of time, after all.

We should have a theme. Like flowers or bubbles.

[She quirks an eyebrow at that. Not a bad suggestion, but...unexpected.] We could!

Hm. Maybe I should ask Sanji-san if we can have the party at his restaurant. Unless you think somewhere else would be better?

[She's pretty much just forgotten any initial oddness with Marco by this point since he seems to be acting more or less fine.]

Sounds good to me. She usually works at the bar, so a change of venue would probably better.

All right, then! I'll double-check with Sanji-san first, but I don't think he'll mind.

I believe he is friends with Buttercup too, so I can't see why it would be a problem, but thank you Bluebird.

[Bluebird again. She doesn't mind, but the use of the nickname does cause her to raise an eyebrow slightly. And obviously "Buttercup" must be Norma...]

I didn't realize you were so fond of nicknames, Marco-san.

[Perhaps it's just something she never noticed before, but considering he'd just returned from a kidnapping, she can't help but wonder if this is part of some effect.]

Absolutely.

I only find it a pity no one sees fit to nickname me usually. Mah, well Ace did sometimes, but his were always purposely insulting. That brat could be a bit obnoxious when he put his mind to it.

[It's also weird for Marco to actually speak negatively about his bff. Especially without Ace around to make it playful teasing to his face.]

... [Something about his tone gives her pause, because again she can't help but feel things are a little off here. She won't make mention of it directly, but she does pay more close attention to him as she continues.]

What does Norma-san call you again? [Considering Norma seems to use nicknames for everyone.]

[A blink and slight flush, it would have been worse in his usual state, but like this it's actually mitigated a little.]

Turtledove.

[Vivi blinks herself for a moment, surprised. Then she brings a loosely-clenched hand up to cover her mouth and giggles.]

Not what I expected.

She changed it about five times, but that is the one she settled on. I suppose I am rather fond of it, truth told.

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