genessia | [video] in which shit gets so very real

[ The feed turns on to a concrete ceiling, a single lamp hanging from the center of the room. There's the sound of footsteps walking a slow circle around the device before they stop - the sound of a metal chair being dragged away from the table, a person falling into it to be seated. ]

Showtime!

[ If the voice doesn't give him away, the visual certainly will as Mercury flips the device up off the table to hold it back at arm's length, his smirk ever-present. ]

How are we all doing today? Good? Great? Well I'm here to brighten everyone's day just a little bit more. Now I know some of you may have noticed a sweet little guy by the name of Armin just up and vanished. Poof! What a mystery!

[ He leans in a bit, grin widening. ]

Well fear not, citizens - I found him.

[ A blur, as he tosses the camera up to flip it around in his hand - to reveal Armin, tied to a chair on the opposite side of the table, wrists and ankles secured to prevent any hope of escape. There isn't a blindfold, but a gag prevents him from making much noise.

More importantly, he looks like hell. One eye is bruised to the point that it's nearly swollen shut, his face littered with scratches and abrasions. His clothes are shredded in places with visible (but not life-threatening) wounds beneath them, and it's clear he's been made to bleed quite a bit. His throat is bruised abundantly, as if he's been choked roughly and repeatedly, and there's dry blood beneath his nose indicating he's been struck there at least once. His hands are visibly ruined - fingers have been broken, and from the look of things his hands have both been burned horribly, as if they were actually lit on fire at some point. He's awake, very clearly unhappy (rightfully so) but also very much alive. There's some anger there, for sure, but from how wide his eyes are (well, the one that CAN open wide anyway) and the light tremble in his shoulders, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, he's afraid. Very, very afraid. ]

He's not having a good day, but let's see what we can do about that.

[ A blur, and the camera is switched back to Mercury as he pushes his chair to lean back on it, kicking his feet up to rest on the table. ]

I know what some of you might be thinking - "Hey, golly Mr. Mercury, didn't you kidnap him in the first place?" And you would be right! I sure did. But I'm going to tell you all what I told Armin on day one: If everyone cooperates, he'll go home safe and sound. So with that in mind, let's go over my list of demands. It's brief, don't worry.

[ He crams his other hand in his pocket, digging for a crumpled sheet of paper which he flattens out to begin reading from, clearing his throat. ]

Alright, so, number one...

[ He falls silent, eyebrows lowering a bit - then abruptly turns the device around to prop it on the table so it faces Armin. There's the sound of scraping metal again as he rises to his feet, walking briskly around to stand behind his prisoner with his hands buried in his pockets. He cocks his head a bit as if in thought, before raising one leg to press his foot against the back of Armin's head, heel against his scalp. The blond is trembling fiercely now, straining against his bindings and trying to turn his head to see what's happening, but he doesn't get the time to turn his head far enough. ]

Change of plans.

[ And that's that. He shoves his foot forward with a flare of white Aura as the firing mechanism in his boot activates with a deafening bang, and the gruesome sight of Armin's head being blown open (practically apart) is only visible for a millisecond before the blood splatters over the camera, obscuring the feed with a blanket of red. There's a thud as the momentum causes Armin's body (as well as the chair he's tied to) to fall forward against the table, then a second thud and a clang of metal as he falls on one side against the floor. It's a few seconds before the device is lifted again, Mercury's thumb dragging across the camera to clean the lens - even then there's still a red haze to everything, which does nothing to soften the wickedness of his grin, the air of satisfaction in his gaze, and he shrugs nonchalantly as he looks towards the mess on the floor. ]

My only demand? Don't bore me.

[ With that he tosses the device to the ground and strolls towards the door, laughing cruelly as he passes the body. After bouncing once and skidding a bit the feed ends up almost exactly as it had began - facing the ceiling, the single light still shining from above, but now with a few specks of red on the ceiling. With a click the light is turned off, and the feed remains black until the recording times out. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

come on, you can't expect me to have a present waiting RIGHT THERE and not open it ahead of time

really it was just plain irresponsible of you to assume i'd wait

do you even know me

My mistake. I wont be so careless next time.

It wont happen again.

as long as you've learned your lesson

hey if you're still heading over we can take a selfie with the body

something to remember the good times by when we're old and senile

I'll pass. A corpse doesn't give off the energy I'm gathering.

I imagine your display has upset some people though.

Will you need any assistance with them?

party pooper

hard to say! certainly wouldn't MIND the help, if you're offering

kind of outnumbered, i figure

Says the one who jumped the gun.

From your display and your abilities in general, It would be foolish not to bring numbers to to apprehend you.

I shouldn't be much longer.

some of them watched me kick a hole in a guy BEFORE today

so yeah i think they'll take me seriously

i'm still downstairs, i'll meet you by the elevator

[She waste her time sending him another text. Instead just under fifteen minutes later he'll hear the elevator doors open and she'll step out with a small box in hand.

She'll glance over him with a look of interest.]

What's this about you kicking a whole in another guy?

[ She'll be met with a similar sight to the first time they ever met face-to-face - he's laying flat on his back on the floor, hands behind his head, legs stretched out in front of him. His eyes were closed, though he opens one as the elevator opens, and the grin that was already on his lips widens somewhat. ]

Security tryouts for the Schnee brat. She let me fight some of the applicants to test their worth in the Collosseum - first guy I fought didn't make the cut.

Oh, her. She's annoying.

[She's not surprised to see him like that, she's accepted it as what he defaults to when he's waiting for something more interesting to happen.

She'll move to take a seat beside him on the floor. She'll set the box down between them and open it to reveal an assortment of donuts. She'll pick up a chocolate dip and take a bite into it.]

That would have interesting to see. So that means they're all at least vaguely aware of what you're capable of.

Yeah, no kidding.

[ He blinks as she sets herself down at his side, pushing himself so he's propped up on his hands to watch her set the box down. Ooh! Celebratory donuts. He plucks a jelly filled one from the box to take a bite, nodding his approval. He might almost feel bad for jumping the gun on Armin.

Almost. ]

Yes and no. I was pretty rusty during that fight, took some hits I really shouldn't have. But they have some idea of my ability, that much is true.

[ A beat. There's also his Semblance, but... he's saving that for a rainy day. ]

Lot of people want my head right now. I'm sending them all over the place with the promise of facing them each one-on-one. Not actually going to show up, but it's fun to watch them get all excited over it.

I'd say you might want to scrap off more rust before you go and run into them again, just in case.

[She takes another bite of her donut and chews on it in thought as he explains what he's been up to while they were texting. Her lips curl into the faintest traces of a smile.]

It's indirect, but I like it. They'll likely wear themselves down trying to track you down before they actually find you.

Well I plan on making them wait a good while for it, first. Frustration is its own type of despair, right?

[ He grins a bit, swallowing another bite before continuing. ]

Speaking of which, when are you planning to make your move in all of this?

It most certainly is. I'm impressed with how good you are at it.

[There's a slight pause as she considers how best to answer that next question. Her finger draws a small circle against the floor as she does.]

Soon enough, trying to construct a new Misfortune Gauge on my own without anyone here catching on has been a bit more difficult than I thought it would. Where I'm from we usually operated in groups of three.

A few more small tests to make sure it's collecting despair properly and I'll be able to get to work. I'd rather not do a sloppy job if I can help it.

[video] in which shit gets so very real

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