This Was No Accident

[solar_flare]

WHO: Yang Xiao Long & Others
WHAT: Yang's in poor shape after her last encounter. But she gets better. And she gets angry. Then at the end of the week she hunts Mercury down to give him so many words.
WHEN: October 15th - 21st, 2017
WHERE: Hospital - OPEN (10/15-10/17), Anywhere but Attleton - OPEN (10/18-10/20), Mercury's Apartment - CLOSED (10/21)
WARNINGS: Mentions of past traumatic events (Yang's lost arm, child abuse, shitty circumstances all around), possibly some Dad jokes


"Hahh--!!"

Yang jerked awake with a start. The smell of a hospital room carried a lot of strong, awful memories for her. That sickening plunge in her gut when she'd tried to lift her right hand only to see the blood-stained bandages tied around a useless stump...the sight of everyone's faces gathered around her but no sign of Blake or Ruby...

...The dread, sorrow, and guilt on her father's face that he tried to hide behind a smile when he came to take her home, telling her that Ruby still wasn't awake...

And for one horrible moment, when she looked at the empty space where a right arm should have been, all of those memories surged up and threatened to overwhelm her. But then she saw the yellow and black of her prosthetic, resting neatly on the nightstand beside her bed. Slowly, the terror began to wane, replaced by disappointment. Again, she'd needed saving, and again, she'd failed to save someone she cared about.

Her gaze shifted to the nightstand on her left side where her communicator rested. She picked it up.

Inbox - 0 Messages

Yang frowned. Well, it was still early. People didn't recover quickly from the beating of an angry, overprotective father who'd seen his daughter's life in danger. She'd just have to give it some time. For now, she had to concentrate on the good things. Her dad (of all people!) was here. The nurses could restore Yang's aura and fix her injuries. Her father could help her pick up the pieces of a broken heart.

Hunters and Huntresses of Remnant seldom stayed out of a fight for long. As Yang's aura returned, so did her strength and vital energy, accelerating the superficial injuries she'd sustained. Her nose would hurt for a while, and her ribs ached, but the only wound that seemed like it might not fully mend over without a scar was the deep gouge in her right shoulder that Marcus had deliberately carved into her. She only needed two days to recover, but those 48 hours were agonizing. Once the nurses told her that Mercury had checked out almost the second he'd opened his eyes, Yang's worry turned to annoyance, and she checked her comm.

Inbox - 0 Messages

After several minutes of mulling over, she decided to reach out first. For all she knew, he assumed she blamed him for what happened and was afraid she'd track him down again the way she had in Nova City for their reunion. She left a message and went to sleep. When she woke up, another check of the comm device yielded the same results.

Inbox - 0 Messages

"Aaaaaagh!" she growled her frustration, hurling the device across the room.

...

...And then she sheepishly asked a nurse if she could please have it back.

When Yang was well enough to leave, she hooked her painted metal arm securely back in place and rolled her sleeve down over the elbow. If Mercury needed time to sort things out, she'd leave him alone. That couldn't have been a good experience for him, the last thing he needed was Yang showing up to flaunt her injuries in his face.

But he wasn't going to be left alone forever. With each passing day, Yang's impatience and irritation pushed her temper closer and closer to the surface. There were still some people she needed to talk to, so she'd seek them out if they didn't manage to find her first. Once she ran out of distractions, though? She knew exactly who she was going to be gunning for, and he couldn't hide from her for long.

Comments

[closed]

[sarcaskick]

[ It hasn't been a good week.

The events of last Saturday were playing on an infinite loop in his mind - the voice of his father, the sight of him in the reflection of nearby windows, the feel of his poison in his blood as he brutalized two of the few people here who knew who he was and still wanted anything to do with him. It wasn't just the sight of it that sickened him, but the memory.

Because he can't tell where his thoughts end and those of Marcus Black begin.

Some of it was blatant lies, things his father would say to hurt someone just because he could. Of course he wanted Emerald around. Of course he doesn't want her out of his life. They may treat each other like shit now and then but they've always had each other's backs when push came to shove. She's his friend, as alien as that word feels for him to use.

But some of it was true.

They'd made him soft, in some ways. He didn't feel that same ruthless edge that he used to, and a part of him misses that. Forming these bonds had taken some of that away from him, and he knows it. A couple years ago, he never would have considered even pretending to like Yang for any reason other than to hurt her in the end, and now hurting her is one of the things that has him feeling the most miserable.

But in some ways, in some dark part of himself, it still felt good.

The lights haven't been turned on in about a week - Mercury hasn't done much other than wake up, eat, go straight to work (where he's been next to useless, truth be told), and come back home to mope until he falls asleep. Yang's tried to reach him, but he hasn't figured out what to say to her so he's ignored it completely. Emerald... he doesn't know where she is, and he doesn't blame her. He doesn't have any right to say it's safe to come back when he's the one who drove her away in the first place.

The chairs are ignored today, his back to a wall with his body slumped against it, staring unfocused at the floor. On the table, a short distance away, is a bottle of whiskey.

It's not full. ]

[closed]

[solar_flare]

[Yang leaves for Nova City just an hour after daybreak. She'd rather not wade through the sea of monsters that plague Genessia City every night. Nova's got its problems too, sure, but Yang isn't in the mood to suffer fools. Anything that tries to block her path receives a ruthless punch to drive it into the ground, and Yang steps right over their unconscious bodies. No, she knows what she wants, and nothing's going to stop her from getting it.]

[She checks the old note in her communicator, verifying the floor and room number of Mercury Black's apartment. She'd been told that Mercury had been showing up for work at least, and hearing that just made her even angrier that he'd chosen to ignore her. All he'd have to do is send one text. Tap a few buttons with his fingers, and she knows those fingers aren't broken. But he doesn't, and his grace period is up.]

[Reaching his door, she lifts her fist and knocks.]

[Or rather, 'knock' is too kind a word for her trio of short, forceful pounds from the flat of her fist. She's pretty sure he's home, she just needs to know for sure before she starts wreaking havoc.]

[sarcaskick]

[ He hears the footsteps coming up the stairs, but he's surprised that it's his door they stop outside. Well, initially surprised - thinking about it for half a second gives him an idea of a couple people it may be, and he doesn't want to see any of them. ]

Go away.

[ Because surely, that will work. ]

[solar_flare]

[Oh, that is the wrong answer. Yang's heart thumps faster as her temper rises. At least now she knows she's found him. She 'knocks' again, three times, more forceful and insistent than before.]

[Last shot. Open the door.]

[sarcaskick]

Take a hint and get lost.

[ He's not sure if he'd go out there and throw someone down the stairs, but god damn if it isn't tempting.

But it's not necessary. They'll leave. He's not letting them in, that's for sure. ]

Hospital visit

[rando_dork]

[Honestly. Gwen had been putting in overtime the last couple days as Spider-Woman trying to stop people from getting hurt around here. So it felt like a gut punch when she found out that one of her first friends here had been hospitalized. It was just her rotten luck.

The very least she can do is visit once she has the chance. ...And don't mind her if she looks like she's been hit by a truck when she does. Fighting crime monsters every night has been interfering with her sleep schedule. In hand she has a stuffed lion and a home made "Get well soon" card that featured a very impressive drawing of Yang going off a sick jump on her motorcycle over a horde of zombies.

She plops the card and the stuffed animal on Yangs lap, then pulls up a chair.]

Yo.

[solar_flare]

[Yang glances up from staring sulkily at her communicator. The door is opening, so she expects either a nurse, her dad, or her dad dressed up as a nurse just to make Yang laugh.]

[It's...a dad thing.]

[But once Gwen pokes her head through the door, Yang blinks in surprise, putting the communicator aside.]

Gwen! Hey!

[And there's a lion on her lap. Okay, that's pretty cute, and it doesn't take more than a few seconds for Yang's grin to come back. But then she notices the signs of exhaustion, the dark circles under the pretty blonde's eyes, the paler complexion.]

...Uh...rough couple of nights out there?

[rando_dork]

[Honestly. Seeing her friend grin at the gift is more than enough to put a bit of energy back into Gwen's step.]

You could say that. Hard to sleep when you've got a street full of zombies calling out for brains all night. Nothing serious.

[Honestly, the whole Genessia being under attack from monsters made her excuses sound a whole lot more believable.]

Can't really complain though, at least I'm not the one stuck in here.

[solar_flare]

Yeah, well... I heal pretty quick. Don't worry too much about me.

[She'd toss the lion and catch it, but honestly? She sucks at doing that left-handed, so she just pulls herself backward until she can sit up straight with her knees poking out to the sides beneath the thin hospital blanket. It gives her a moment to admire the handmade card too.]

Seriously, this was really sweet of you. I'll have to think of a name for this little guy!

[Still, zombies are no joke. Yang glances toward the door, then back at Gwen.]

You okay? I should be back in at least decent enough shape to run escort if you need it in a day or two.

[rando_dork]

It was the least I could do. You gave me awesome dragon socks and showed me around on my first day here.

As for a name. I challenge you to think of something better than Murder Face. My roommate named her cat that. ...Back where I'm actually from.

[There's a shrug.]

I'm okay. Haven't been attacked or anything. They just like to claw at the windows at night. They banged a whole lot but it doesn't look like they can actually get into the apartments.

text; probably like a week and a half later

[unhappy]

Talk?
@Axiom

[ Such eloquence. ]

Text

[solar_flare]

[Whoa. This is...kinda big, right? She figured Emerald just preferred to keep to herself, and as long as she's not causing trouble, that's fine. Yang puts down her game controller, focusing on her communicator. Axiom... She's not sure what or where that is, but that's what the device is good for.]

[It's an arcade.]

[...Huh! That actually sounds like it might be kind of fun.]

Sure!

[Wait, no. Exclamation point makes her sound way too excited. She erases the punctuation and tries again.]

Sure. Be there in 30! ̿'̿'\̵͇̿̿\з=( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)=ε/̵͇̿̿/'̿̿ ̿ ̿ ̿ ̿ ̿

[Much better. Now she just needs to put on some pants.]

Text

[unhappy]

This is a burner phone.
Don't text me again.

[ Seriously screw that emote what the hell is that thing. Yang needs to definitely not get the wrong idea. She's not inviting her to an arcade, she just wants the excuse of being at work if she needs to tell Yang to fuck off.

That said, she'll be waiting there and probably confiscating some kid's tickets for trying to pull them out to get extra instead of tearing them. (What? It's her job.) ]

[solar_flare]

[Ugh, why can't Emerald just be cool and appreciate a gun-toting emoticon for being as awesome as it is. Her loss.]

[Since Yang hasn't really had the time or motivation to work on the motorcycle in the garage, she heads to the arcade on foot, leather jacket zipped up against the chill, sunglasses pulled from the bridge of her nose and dipped into the inner front pocket. She glances around the building, not really sure where Emerald means to meet her, but proceeds straight ahead until she catches sigh of someone with green hair.]

[And...she's taking tickets from a little kid. Yang's meager expectations that this might be a fun talk are burned to a crisp and blown out the window.]

Hey.

[unhappy]

[ The kid runs as soon as Yang grabs Emerald's attention and she rolls her eyes, calling out after him. ]

Don't let me catch you doing that again, brat!

[ Or she had a wad of gum with his name on it for strike two. Emerald was a big fan of not actually calling security, ever. Screw that. She'd rather deal with things on her own (especially when the kids looked like they needed something to eat, but that's something she doesn't share with anyone; that kid was just a little shit though). She looked over at Yang. ]

Come on.

[ She's taking her to the back room! It's definitely shifty! (It's not, it's a break room.) ]

HOSPITAL 15th before Weiss gets too into her nonsense

[whiteas]

[ Yeah, Weiss is here for this hospital visit. Jacques can't stop her or whisk her away to another continent, which means she's...

...Pretty much just asleep because she came while Yang was resting and fell asleep in a chair with her hands folded in her lap, her head drooping down as she dozes. ]

[solar_flare]

[Yang jerks awake, her heart thumping against her aching ribs. As soon as she catches sight of a familiar head of snowy hair, however, her breathing calms, and her grip on the blanket slowly eases.]

[She exhales a slow, shaky breath. It's not like she was hurt badly enough that she had to be hooked up to heart monitors, so at least she doesn't need to worry about her little panic attack waking up her friend. Her body is sore, but her legs still work fine. She just winces as she moves, swinging her legs out of bed, and walking stiffly and jerkily across the cold linoleum floor. Not to Weiss, not yet. She stops at the shelf that contains a few folded hospital gowns, extra towels and washcloths, and a second blanket. It's the blanket she picks up, letting it unfurl as she moves back to Weiss and drapes it over the sleeping young woman.]

[Weiss might technically be older than Yang, but Yang is still the big sister.]

[whiteas]

[ Unfortunately for Yang's kind gesture, Weiss is a much lighter sleeper than she once was. She doesn't jerk awake though, just shifting and opening an eye as soon as she feels the blanket touching her, then both. ]

You do realize you're the one hospitalized right now? Get back in bed.

[solar_flare]

Trust me...

[She winces with a little grin.]

...I haven't forgotten.

[Yang does what she's told, though, toddling back to bed and flopping herself onto it, dragging the blanket back up over her legs with her good hand.]

How are Emerald and Mercury?

[whiteas]

I don't know, they were both checked out already by the time I got here. Despite doctor recommendation, apparently.

[ They're such brats, and only one of them she means that affectionately. ]

How are you? What happened?

10/21 - Evening

[solar_flare]

[Yang lifts the lid of the pizza box, and upon seeing the mounds of pineapple, she can't help but wonder if this seems a bit...excessive.]

[Which means it's perfect.]

[She scoops up a slice, blowing away the steam before carefully sinking her teeth into it. It tastes amazing, especially after a few days of hospital food and then further days of instant noodles and microwave dinners because her mood was too foul to cook.]

So how did it go? You guys going to be okay?

[He seems like his mood is a lot better, so she does hope he worked things out with Emerald.]

[sarcaskick]

[ It’s the first real meal he’s had since bailing on the hospital-- well, alright, technically the second, but Yang’s breakfast cooking doesn’t hold a candle to Death By Pineapple. Sorry! He grabs a piece for himself, wolfing down a bite like a starved dog and, as per usual, talking with his mouth full like a god damn jerk.

… It’s indecipherable, so he holds up a finger, waiting until he’s chewed it down to something that he can actually talk through. ]

Yeah, we’re good. Going to look for a new place soon. Someone ruined our door.

[solar_flare]

Oh no! I'm a monster!

[She's grinning way too big, and her eyes are way too bright, for there to be any trace of remorse in her whole being. Still, she's glad they worked things out. He'd probably be incredibly depressed if Emerald rejected him.]

Upgrade sounds sweet, though. Let me know when moving day is, I'll help you move your furniture.

[She's pretty good at that.]

So what's your new place going to be like? Which city?

[sarcaskick]

You beast.

[ He teases, flicking a chunk of pineapple off his slice at her face. Maybe he thinks she'll catch it? Maybe he figures it's a piece of pineapple so who cares. ]

Well I'm pretty sure I didn't get fired, so Nova is the best bet. I'm thinking somewhere with an accessible rooftop. Really tall.

[solar_flare]

[Of course she catches it...IN HER MOUTH. There will be no escape for even a single tidbit of pineapple this night.]

You're a fan of high places, aren't you?

[Does it come from living in the mountains, or is it something else that calls him to lofty heights?]