A to Z prompt - Mauri

[spastic bard]

So this little prompt has turned out to be a lot of fun. At the moment I'm at a stand still with Keth's. Soooo... I decided to start one of the other prompt tables for one of my other well loved characters - Mauri.

The first one is actually the first in the storyline (thus far). A glimpse into Mauri's early life.

(... Why are so many of my characters involved with piracy at some point of their lives?)

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A - Age



Elgor was convinced that Mauri regressed as she grew older in years.

Unsure of the month she had been born in, Elgor guessed the girl was turning 15 some time in the next year. By looks alone her age was hard to judge. Mauri was tall, matching almost all the other crew members in height. She was painfully thin, long limbed and too graceful for someone in her awkward growing years. Yet her chest was flat, her hips were narrow, and her shoulders were just a touch too broad.

However, the rest of the picture only made it more confusing.

Mauri had a young face. One could tell once they got past the shock of white skin, long colorless strands of hair, and red eyes. He certainly could, since he had been looking at her for six years or so. But what really made her so young was the ease in which emotions drifted across her odd features. It was childish, almost innocent in a way. Almost as if she never had anything to hide from the people around her. It was a stark contrast to the tiny child that had first stepped foot on his ship so many years ago.

The small, thin, ragged child that had joined six years past had been well guarded. Her expressions had been dull, diluted, like an old soul tired from the walk of life. The younger Mauri had been so bleak and tired Elgor was convinced she was only a step or two away from her grave. Yet now, as a young woman, she was impressionable; full of wonder at every sight and full of energy at every task. It was baffling how she had grown younger as her years increased.

And considering how child-like she was now, he could only imagine who she would be when she hit 20.

[spastic bard]

Cute alert. This one is Mauri and Reena related. If girly-love bothers you, you may not want to read.

One of these days I need to do a full write up on Mauri. Playing her has been quite an experience. This is one of the few drabbles I've finished thus far that shows her more comic side. The others are a little depressing. :/ Depressing and Mauri don't normally mix.

PS - Reena and Cameron are two members of Mauri's merc group she traveled with for awhile. This passage isn't exactly informative about them, but the people who have met the characters as NPCs might still appreciate it.

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B - Bliss




It all started after lunch. Reena demanded to go outside because it was beautiful out, and Cameron refused to let her wander off on her own. Mauri had been quick to offer accompaniment, which Reena had been forced to accept in order to get her way. Both the ladies of the group left the inn and started down a small forest path, one leading grudgingly, the other following happily. Reena had opted to settle down quickly near a large oak tree in order to keep Mauri from chatting inanely for too long.

Both sat down, side by side, along the knobby roots and against the grayish brown trunk. Reena had brought a book, while Mauri had little to hold her attention. A few glares from Reena kept the younger girl from shifting around and commenting on the comfort level of the ground too much. Eventually both settled into a natural silence and relaxed.

Mauri isn’t sure exactly what happened after that, but after an indeterminable amount of that natural silence passed, she felt Reena’s head against her shoulder. When she turned her head to see what the cleric was doing, she felt the light, steady breathing of sleep against her neck. The lack of something to do and the lack of comfort where she was sitting didn’t seem to matter much anymore.

[spastic bard]

I blame Rob's campaign for this one entirely. Mauri's actions border hilarious in many cases, mainly involving her tactics in dealing with men. And women, sometimes.

Despite being a bit of a freak appearance-wise, Mauri is quite charming. To the point where it disturbs me.

Set in merc time, featuring Cameron and Reena.

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C - Coy



It seemed downright unnatural that Mauri could flirt so well.

Cameron felt himself blush as he watched the young girl chat with their charge. The young man, maybe a year or two younger than Mauri, stood a good three inches below her. He seemed distinctly uncomfortable, but never once pulled away from the girl’s lanky frame, which she had pressed up to his side. Her movements, normally quick and precise, were slow and tantalizingly intricate. Her arm was wrapped around his, with her free gloved hand tracing patterns on the inside of his arm lightly as she spoke. Every so often she would lean forward just a touch to say something quietly in his ear, lingering just long enough for the man to look distressed when she started to pull away.

The sight made Cameron uncomfortable. Mauri was not normally the type of girl he found himself attracted to; yet moments like these made his thoughts wander down a more questionable pathway. However, he quickly banished the thoughts when he caught Reena’s glare, which had been on Mauri and their charge until a moment ago. Cameron looked away and mentally sighed. Whenever a situation like this came up, it always seemed the more Reena glared, the more Mauri would play up her actions. As if on cue, Mauri gave a laugh and pressed her self even closer to the young man, one of her gloved hands brushing his cheek lightly. Reena’s glare snapped back to their backs. Regardless of what all of that was over, Cameron did not want to get involved. The games females play were something too dangerous and complicated for him.

[spastic bard]

... So I hate the fact that I wrote an emo-Mauri drabble. But to be fair, she's actually pretty dark by the time she hits 22ish. There are a lot of things that occur that are spoiled in this drabble, but not explained. I plan to write something more... Epic for Mauri at a later date? For now this will have to do.

This is technically set in Rob's campaign, though I don't consider anything that happens to Mauri in his world canon. However, I'd like to think Mauri and Hound become partners are some point, just because they're awesome at what they do (and their banter is amusing!). Hound isn't mine. He be Kevin's.

Again, warning - angst!Mauri ahoy!

Also, I'm now ahead on Mauri's prompt list and I just started tonight. o.o;

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D - Dawn



Mauri hated to watch the sun rise.

The lanky albino took off her hat as she watched the sky start to shift from the end of night to the reddish, bloody beginning of a new day. Despite her feelings over it, she watched. It made her feel old, empty, and ashamed. The rising of the sun signified rebirth, new chances, and life continuing. To see it again meant she was alive, and that was something her old ghosts would not want her to take for granted.

Yet she did. Seeing the sun rise without them made her feel old, and alone. She was tired was watching the sun rise every day; she was tired of new chances and the fact that she was still alive even though the people she had viewed as family were gone.

She wasn’t alone, technically. She always worked with a partner in hopes of replacing the hole her friends had left. Maybe even the hole that Reena had left. She didn’t really want that hole filled, but sometimes the pain was so great she would give anything to forget about it. Death would work too, but none of them would have wanted that. Still, despite the guilt that came with her thoughts, Mauri felt tired of living.

Tired of living and she was only 23. How pathetic. Her current partner was over 200 and still going. She wondered if he ever got tired of living. Mauri had never asked, but somehow she doubted it. Something had to drive that cranky old man to continue his existence for so long. Maybe someday she would ask him what it was.

The sky drifted from reddish orange to blue. Mauri put her hat back on and turned to go find Hound. No doubt the day held much to do.

[spastic bard]

So I have a nice little outline in my head of Mauri's full story. However, some important details are missing. This drabble just answered one of them.

Alterius is another member of her merc group. He's a dirty backstabber. Can't tell you why just yet, because that requires its own story. However, I can tell you that killing him is pretty much the only thing Mauri lives for in her later years (later being.. 22? XD ). So if I had to place this, it would be anywhere from 10 to 20 years post Rob's campaign version of Mauri.

Uhh, warnings include death? Also, originally this had a conversation going on, but I decided I didn't like it and it changed.

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E - End

Mauri watched Alterius carefully from where she sat against the wall. He was on the floor a few feet away from her, his blue eyes dull and open as they stared at nothing. He was in a pool of his own blood, with numerous small stab wounds all over his chest, arms, and the last, his neck. It reminded her of a pin cushion. The sight gave her some sort of satisfaction, but it still seemed wrong somehow.

She smiled, unable to laugh. She had lived only for this chance, this moment, to see Alterius dead for what he did. Yet even though it was the only thing that kept her alive, never once did she imagine how it would play out. Now that it was done… Everything felt out of place.

Mauri didn’t expect a story tale ending. She knew life didn’t work that way. Still, she hadn’t expected all the wounds. She hadn’t expected the slash that went from her right shoulder to the lower side of her left stomach. She hadn’t expected the stab through her midsection, the light scratch somewhere on her head that was bleeding into her good eye, the loss of feeling in her right arm and right leg. She hadn’t expected to hit the wall one last time and slide to the floor, with an ungodly amount of blood trailing behind her. She hadn’t expected to feel death approaching when delivering his.

Alterius had been ready for her. He had been in his armor with his greatsword in hand. He put up the fight of his life. He had lost, but it looked like she would lose as well. She had lost too much blood to move much further. She had no idea where one of her rapiers ended up. She was starting to feel less pain and more cold. It was getting a lot harder to breath. She wasn’t sure whether to be scared or relieved.

Mauri felt her good eye close. She didn’t even have the energy to open it again. It was a terrible way to go; sitting in her own blood and torn apart from the shoulder down. It lacked the normal grace and style she prided herself on. The Gods must’ve been getting a kick out of it. The thought made her smile weakly.

At least she could amuse someone as she took her final bow.

[spastic bard]

How Mauri met Cameron. Also, he's kind of the one to blame for the way she ends up dressing and acting. Also, this proved to be far too long for a drabble... Maybe I'll make a real story out of it some time in the future. Mauri is about 17ish in this.

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F - Fame



Cameron was always one for a bar fight, but things were quickly getting out of hand.

Just a few minutes before he had been at his normal table, quietly eating a late lunch and enjoying a mug of ale. The other patrons of the tavern were doing much the same. However, everyone stopped to eat and stare when the door opened and a girl with strange features walked in.

The girl was tall, thinly built. Leather armor covered her frame. A wide brim hat was on her head and a rapier at her hip. When she removed her hat the tavern fell silent.

She had complexion that was a white beyond any normal pale. Her hair, which was long and loose, was white as well. Her eyes were bright red; wide and nervous as she stepped into a wall of stares and silence. The way she carried herself seemed confidant enough, but her face betrayed her. She looked terrified as she entered.

Cameron could understand why. The town was small and rural. While he had seen many other people like the girl in his travels, the stares of the other people showed that they had not. Their dark gazes followed her as she walked to the bar.

After another minute passed, and a group of seven men from one of the back corner tables all rose and walked over to her. They stopped a few feet away. When one of them stepped forward and grabbed the girl’s shoulder, all hell broke loose.

The girl pulled out her rapier quickly and swung her frame around to bash the guard into the man’s face. His companions quickly surged forward to deliver revenge. When Cameron saw more weapons being drawn, he pulled out his own sword and jumped into the fray to help the girl. More and more people started to join in as the fight moved away from the bar and towards the center of the tavern. Cameron kept back to back with the girl as he delivered blow after blow with the blunt side of his blade. She was holding her own even better than he, but the crowd was threatening to overwhelm them by sheer number.

Eventually an opening was found, and Cameron managed to grab the girl by the arm and force her outside. The fight continued without them, somehow. Releasing her as soon as he felt they were a safe distance away, he gave the girl a grin. “Hell of a sword arm, you are,” he said as he placed his blade back in its sheath.

The girl glared at him cautiously as she fixed her hat, which she had somehow held on to. “Thanks,” she muttered, “but I didn’t need your help.”

Cameron laughed. The girl had balls. “Maybe not, but I still got you out of there.”

The girl didn’t answer. She replaced her own blade at her hip. Cameron took the moment to get a better look at her. Gone was the uncertainty she had displayed when she entered. The confidence was back in full now. He also took note of the mercenary badge she had pinned to her sword belt. “What’s your name, kid?” Cameron asked.

“Mauri,” she answered as she looked away from him. “You?”

“Cameron,” he answered back, eyeing the blade she had wielded so effectively. “You looking for work?”

Mauri shrugged. “If I am?”

“I’m looking for a new partner,” he said. “You’ve got skill, but we’ll need to work on your style a bit first.”

The comment made her give him a funny look. “Who says I’m accepting?” She said as she crossed her arms in front of her.

“I am,” he responded as he placed an arm around the girl’s shoulders. Close up she seemed a little smaller than before, but he blamed that on her build. Everyone was short compared to him. “You’ll accept because you need a job, and I can help you.”

“How so?” She asked, her frame going rigid when he touched her.

“Like I said, you’ve got skill. I can help you get style. Stick with me and I’ll show you how to create an image so powerful, that,” he motioned back towards the tavern with his head, “that will never happen again.”

The girl relaxed slightly. “Where do we start?” She asked, narrowing her eyes, “If I accept.”

“Well,” Cameron mulled to himself for a moment as he started to walk. Mauri walked with him, since his arm was still around her shoulders. “First we get the hell out of here and get to one of the bigger cities. After that we find a flashy tailor and find a look that fits you. After that? You practice charming people and making nice and we’ll see what happens.”

The girl stopped short, giving him an bewildered look. “What in the world does any of that have to do with jobs?”

Cameron smiled. “More than you could ever know, kid. More than you could ever know.”

[spastic bard]

So I attempted to tackle one of the more twisted aspects of Mauri's character with this one. I think I missed completely. Pretty much I have a justification for why Mauri has such a low charisma despite the fact that she is quite charming and well liked by almost everyone who meets her. I'd explain it now, but that might defeat the purpose of the drabble.

Let's just say her physical appearance only is a fraction of why she has a low charisma.

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G - Grin



There was always something about Mauri that Reena found bothersome.

At first she thought it was the way the younger girl looked. The lack of color and the red eyes were unsettling, but as time passed Reena found that she had stopped noticing them. She realized that beyond her coloring, Mauri wasn’t that strange looking at all; she was almost pretty in a sense, though the way she carried herself and the way she was built played down her feminine features.

Later she thought it was the way Mauri seemed attached to her. No matter what Reena was doing, Mauri was always right beside her. At first she found it annoying, but eventually she found herself opening up to the younger girl in ways that surprised her. Mauri did the same back. Reena realized that in Mauri she had a friend, and Mauri had found a friend in her. It wasn’t a surprise, considering until she joined their group Mauri was the only girl in the company. She probably had needed a friend.

Eventually Reena realized what exactly it was about Mauri that bothered her. It all clicked one day when the younger girl flashed her a grin over something silly. Mauri’s smile was what bothered her.

It wasn’t the smile exactly, per say. It was the way she smiled; the way she grinned; the way she reacted to everything that happened around her. It was all an act. It was fake. Somehow Reena knew this even though it was the only side of Mauri she had ever seen.


Reena didn’t believe that Mauri was really fake. It was more like she was her act. She was her fake smiles, actions, and reactions. It was a mask that Mauri had been wearing for so long it had become her.

Reena wondered what exactly was under that mask. She wondered if even Mauri knew the answer to that anymore.

[spastic bard]

... I honestly cannot think of anything else that would terrify Mauri more than this.

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H – Hell

Alterius looked exasperated as per usual. “Well, at least for once you look like a whore,” he said without looking directly at her.

Algus smiled faintly as he tried his best to look up at her. “Well Mauri,” he trailed off, looking downward. “You ought to fit right in.”

Cameron wasn’t even pretending; he stared at her chest; his expression somewhere between confusion and interest. “Wow,” he started off as he let the rest of his gaze wander over her. “You actually are a girl. Who knew?”

Reena smiled. She was quite the sight in her own getup. “Don’t say things like that,” she said with a laugh. “She’s pretty when someone knows what to do with her.”

Mauri felt her one of her eyes twitch. Her partners were infuriating. That or the makeup the brothel head had plastered her face with was getting in her eyes. That or her body was reacting to the torture device she had strapped around her midsection, pushing her chest outward and restricting her ability to breath. That or she wasn’t used to the weight of the skirts that covered her frame. Or maybe having her hair done in curls and ribbons was making her physically ill. She didn’t say a word; just did her best to glare her partners to death.

Reena smiled again. “Ready to go? The client we need to capture should be visiting in two hours.”

Mauri felt her other eye twitch. Truly no hell could compare to the anguish of wearing a dress.

[spastic bard]

I - Inn

It had been a long time since Mauri felt human.

Being a mercenary was not her thing. It was heartless, mindless, and driven only by a sense of greed she faked poorly. There was no purpose to it. There was no reason for fighting and there was no one to help but other fake, greedy people who made her skin crawl. It should have bothered her. It should have disgusted her to the point of anger. It didn’t. She didn’t have the capacity to feel even raw emotion anymore.

The crowd around her was rowdy. It was getting late into the night and the patrons were well into their flagons and glasses without a stop in sight. Somehow it all managed to exist around her table without a second thought. Every now and then a man would give her a curious glance, or a barmaid would begin to offer a drink and than drift into silence as she was met with no response. Mauri was completely separate from these people. She didn't exist in their world. Everything else was alive and moving and she simply was not. It was like she wasn't even breathing anymore.

As Mauri felt the darker thoughts begin to take over, she forced herself to look over the crowd one more time. Nothing of interest caught her eye until something compelled her to give the table across the room from her another glance. There sat an older man in gray, completely ordinary, unremarkable in all ways except he was looking back. Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but it seemed he too was somehow removed from the world around them.

So she stood up and walked over to his table. Passing through the energy and life, she found herself in the chair across from him, back in her world of nothingness and death, but not alone.