genessia | [video/private action]

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[ When the feed turns on it's to the inside of a restaurant, focused mainly on a near its center. There's some commotion off-screen, punctuated by the sound of a hard slap and a feminine cry of pain - before someone is sent stumbling into the frame, barely catching herself on the table to keep from falling over - it's Alice Nakiri, and she's seen better days. One eye is bruised, blood flows from her nose, and she's crying as she looks fearfully at someone off-screen that issues a short command. ]

Have a seat.

[ The voice may already be familiar to some, but as Alice nervously sets herself down at the table the other party steps into frame - Mercury Black, all toothy grins and bad intentions. ]

How we all doing, today? A little weirded out by all this twin business, right? Well I think that calls for a much-needed distraction, and my good friend Alice volunteered her services! So generous of her. Come on, say something to your fans.

[ He gestures to Alice, then the camera - Alice doesn't look at it, though, instead turning her head to look him in the eye, anger overcoming fear for a moment. ]

I hate you!

[ She breaks again, bursting into a fresh wave of tears, sobbing for Ryo - though her sounds are cut into a sharp cry of pain as Mercury reaches out to grab a handful of her hair and yank her head up. ]

You never were very smart. [ His free hand reaches onto the table to grab a napkin, balling it into a wad to shove in her mouth as she starts to cry out in pain again, muffling the sound. ] At least you'll be a little less noisy, now.

So! [ He turns to address the camera himself again, head tilting a bit to one side. ] It's been a while since the last time I did this, and I think we've all been expecting a sequel, right? All that talk of second chances and turning over a new leaf... none of you ever actually believed it for a second. You were just waiting for me to snap again, and you know what? I'd be happy to give you what you want. Playing nice is boring as shit.

[ He circles around the table behind Alice, who's positively shaking now - and lifts a foot, resting the heel of his boot against the back of her head. ]

Born a killer, raised a killer, love to be a killer. That's who I--

[ A single gunshot rings out, and Alice screams - but in fright, not pain, as the shot came from somewhere off-screen to nail Mercury in the side. He roars out a curse as he's knocked into the table with the device on it, shifting the view down as two pairs of legs enter the frame, visible from the knees down. One pair is adorned in the boots of a warrior, golden armor with brown heels, with a red sash hanging into view from her waist above - those who know her might recognize that they belong to Pyrrha Nikos. The other pair are clad in black pants with a single blue stripe down the side, weaponized greaves and black boots, the heel of one which continues to emit whisps of smoke - the owner of those boots speaks next, which is a little confusing... ]

Oooh, sorry. Did we come at a bad time?

[ ... because it's also Mercury Black. A hand reaches out to slap the device a moment later, sending it skittering across the floor as the feed cuts out. ]

========

[ When the feed comes back on again there's some heavy breathing as the camera is lifted to frame the user properly - and it's Mercury once more, jerking his thumb towards the scene behind him. The other Mercury is face-down, clearly unconscious with a little blood trickling from a wound on the back of his head. Off to the side and further away, Pyrrha is attending to Alice, wiping delicately at one of her wounds as the young chef seems to begin to collect herself.

Mercury - the conscious one - raises an eyebrow as he turns to glance at his other self. ]

I'd like to turn myself in. You're welcome.

[ Aaaaaand it's off. ]

((ooc: characters can respond to the second video to speak with good!mercury - bad!merc is not going to be waking up any time soon.))

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[ Bewildered but quickly recovering, Mercury - the even-less-nice one - looks back and forth between his twin and Pyrrha, his lip curling in a sneer. ]

Oh, this is something. You seriously went and blabbed to Dead Girl Walking, here?

[ The "good" counterpart says nothing, already entering a ready stance. If Pyrrha plays her part, this should be a breeze. He just hopes his other self didn't come with any contingency plans. ]

( the scene was a disturbing one, but pyrrha kept her composure. there was a hint of a frown at his snide comment, but her priority was saving the girl, not whatever venom the worst part of mercury black was spewing.

she points her weapon in his direction; it's no miló, but the short spear she had chosen would have to do. she probably really looked the part of a huntress right about now... )

It's over, Mercury. We're here to stop you.

We? Oh, that's hilarious.

[ Jerkury rolls his eyes in visible disdain, lifting a hand to gesture towards his "better" counterpart with a flick of his wrist. ]

He's half the reason you're dead in the first place, you moron. You want to know what he - we - did when you turned that robot into scrap? Go on, Good Guy, tell her.

[ Mercury, the good, remains purposefully silent. Stony. Jerkury answers for him. ]

We laughed. You think that asshole's on your side any more than I am? Go on, ask him. Ask him if he feels bad about anything he ever done - to Beacon, to Armin, to anyone. Not that it matters, really. You're still dead. Have fun playing hero while you can, because once you go back you're dust in the wind.

( there's a slight hesitation at those revelations. of course there was the simple fact that mercury had been part of cinder's team, in the back of pyrrha's mind she had wondered just how much he had to do with his leader's plans...

she closes her eyes, just briefly, a moment of silence perhaps for the fallen penny, and anyone else he may have harmed here in genessia, before she snaps them open again.

and then she's sprinting, running at jerkury weapon first and launching herself into the air with a— ) Yah!

( maybe if she could distract this one long enough, the other could use the time to free the hostage. hopefully this one, split-second glance back at the other mercury is enough to convey that plan, as she brings her spear down from above to strike. )

[ This is what he knew best.

As Pyrra raced towards him the dark side of Mercury grinned, and there's nothing defensive about his actions - he charges right back at her, whirling about to lash his heel at the incoming spear, aiming to knock the attack aside as he continues his spin into a second kick to try and hit her in the ribs. He's already grinning, his anger not forgotten but acting as fuel for his bloodlust. He wants to fight Pyrrha. He wants to hurt Pyrrha. He wants to watch her bleed, cry, beg, and ultimately die just like she's supposed to.

This is who he is.

The other Mercury, clearly, either didn't get the message or didn't care to move Alice. She's not being targeted, so he doesn't really care if she's bound, gagged, whatever. He darts in to strike from the other side as Pyrrha comes in from above, firing a couple shots at his counterpart to throw him off-balance - Pyrrha might find an opening as the "evil" twin jerks suddenly to the side to avoid them. He knows himself. He knows his own limits. He knows what he can and can't handle. He's realistic, and that means in this matchup he's confident he'll win, because there's no way anyone could handle the combined attack of Pyrrha Nikos and Mercury Black. He's a tactical fighter, he's a winner, a survivor.

This is who he is. ]

( her expression is plain as her spear meets his first heel, whipping the weapon around to counter the second. he's on the offensive, and so she sweeps with a leg underneath of him to spin around and back, putting a body length between them.

pyrrha is at a disadvantage without her weapon; his boots were more versatile in every way than her cruddy old market brand spear. as the helpful side of mercury intervenes, she finds that opening, thrusting forward blade first, riding the momentum upwards with a kick aimed for his jaw as she flips in the air, red ponytail soaring after her. )

[ As soon as Pyrrha's done fixing her up, Alice is having an internal debate: Go slap Mercury and run away, or tell Mercury to leave and take his jerkface clone with him, or cry some more. Because even if this Mercury helped save her life, the news said they were still parts of the same person. It's why Alice was here cleaning instead of cooking, because it's very hard to cook or prepare ingredients without using water. She didn't want Ryo and her restaurant to be responsible for anything like, well, this.

She didn't want to leave herself yet though. She knew Ryo would come for her eventually- he always did, and he didn't want her to worry about where she went to after this. ]

Someone take the psychotic one to jail. Aren't you the deputy now? Do it!

[ She's looking at OK!Mercury like that's a good idea. Not going to aggravate him into hurting her buuuut also he should probably leave. ]

[ He looks at Alice with a raised eyebrow - a part of him, maybe, is relieved to see her spirits coming back, but he doesn't do much to show it. ]

Beats me. I'm not sure how employing a split personality works. Besides, I'd rather wait for someone with cuffs to help lug him off.

What if he wakes up?!

[ She's definitely decided that Mercury isn't allowed to come toward her, but on the other hand, if she backs up she's going to end up going toward the jerk on the ground. ]

We'll knock him out again. One on one would be a coin toss between us, but with Pyrrha here it's not even a contest.

[ A beat, as he gives her a quick once-over. ]

You know, he actually didn't mess you up that much. You're pretty lucky.

[ THAT'S HOW HE THINKS POSITIVE... ]

[ Okay, that makes her mad. And Mercury having just been part of saving her means that he's at least.. well, the Mercury she felt like she knew a little more, so she's going to get some of her frustrations out. ]

It doesn't matter if I'm lucky or not, I almost died! You almost were going to kill me and cook me on the barbecue!

[ She now firmly believes that he meant the cannibal crap. Thanks Merc. Also her eyes are watering up again, which hurts but it's not necessarily controllable ]

You lied to me! I thought you were my friend!

[ It's the betrayal that hurts more than the black eye, honestly. ]

[ He's silent, not looking away as she confronts him - and she's right to do that, of course. Even if it's a side he would have tried to keep under check, that was a part of him that always existed. He tries to think, right now, what would have happened if he didn't stop his darker counterpart. Alice could have died. Sure, death was hardly as big a deal in this world as it was normally, but it should still upset him to know that it might have happened, right? It should bother him to see that she was roughed up at all, right?

He looks at her face, and he can only think that she doesn't look as pretty when she's bruised up. He thinks of her dying - permanently, even - and thinks he would miss her cooking. She's weird, she's quirky, and he'll admit - she's fun.

But at the end of the day, no matter what side of him is presently speaking, Mercury Black can't be made to give a damn about anyone else but himself (and Emerald, but she's a special case).

There's not an ounce of guilt in his body after any of this. He doesn't even feel that good about having saved the day. ]

I've got issues.

[ Blunt, honest, but not particularly kind. ]

If I didn't give a shit about you, I wouldn't be here to save you, would I?

[ Being his better half doesn't mean he won't lie. ]

I don't know! I don't know you, and I want you both out!

[ She covers up her face again, going to go get some napkins. She's angry. Even if part of her knows, yeah, this side is Mercury too.. he didn't even apologize. He didn't say anything that could make her feel safe around him. He just said if he didn't care at all, he would've let her die. And this is his better half. What kind of person does that? ]

If Pyrrha can take care of him on her own, then you leave.

[ He tries, again, to care. It's apparently not something you can force - all those people saying it feels good to do the right thing don't apparently know what they're talking about, because right now he just feels mentally drained and frustrated. He came in, saved her life, and now she's kicking him out. Why did he bother? ]

I'm not leaving until someone comes with restraints to make sure he doesn't wake up and get away. He's fast - give him a split second of an opening and he'll book it. Besides, it's kind of my job to deal with this now anyway.

[ He rests his hands on his hips, looking away with a sigh. ]

You should go home. There's someone you can contact to come walk with you, right?

[ She'd have a much better outlook on him if he hadn't also been the one perpetrating the crime in the first place. But right now, she's hurt and scared and he has the same face as the one who just had his heel against the back of her neck, whatever gun was in his shoe ready to blow her brains out. It's hard not to be terrified of him. ]

Ryo will come, but I'm not leaving you in our restaurant.

And I'm not leaving the restaurant just yet, so we're at an impasse.

[ He looks at her face again - glances at her swollen eye. Tries, again, to think. To think of himself balling his hand into a fist and decking her with enough force to leave a mark like that.

...

It wouldn't feel good. That's better than he normally thinks in terms of most people, so. It's something. ]

Do you need me to get you anything? Ice for your eye?

[ Practice makes perfect, Mercury. Alice tries to look stubborn for a moment, but honestly, she just wants to be babied. She wants to go home and lay on a bean bag and watch stupid movies and cry and have someone take care of her.

Ice is about as close as she's getting right now, so she nods. At least she's not yelling at him anymore. ]

[ Well, it's something. He turns on his heel to head towards the kitchen - they've got to have ice back there, right? It takes him a bit of time to find some and throw it in a bag, wrap it up in a thin towel, but when all is said and done it's a pretty efficient ice pack.

He's had practice.

He grabs something else on his way out, offering the ice pack to her in one hand when he returns... and a bag of chocolate in the other. Comfort food, right?

...

It's. It's baking chocolate. The kind that's probably not good at all for snacking on like that. ]

[ It takes her a couple of seconds to try to figure out the chocolate, even after he hands her the ice and she presses it gently against her eye. The unharmed eye is just looking really confused until she realizes that yes, he's trying to make her feel better, he just knows nothing about food besides that he likes hers. ]

That's not-

[ Some part of her is relieved that he's trying. He might just be one of those rare people who don't know how to express their feelings or identify them or something. He was right, he did come, even if she's still really shaken up. The unsweetened baking chocolate makes her look like she almost wants to laugh if it didn't hurt so bad. ]

Always taste food before you decide to serve it, Mercury. Edible chocolate range is 10 to about 65%. [ That's about 95% according to the package. But she seems to be in a slightly better mood just from that, even if it's obvious she's still upset. She doesn't seem to be actively recoiling from him being near her. She moves the ice slightly and looks at him, pouting on her lips. ]

Thanks..

... Edible chocolate? Are you serious?

[ He looks at the bag of chocolate still in his hand, scowling in confusion. Maybe his lack of empathy was actually a good thing - him not bothering to stay on the subject of her immediate situation might at least help distract her a bit. ]

The hell is this then, poison?

[ ... he just kind of tosses the bag aside so it lands on another table. The place is pretty roughed up from the previous battle, so it probably isn't the only thing out of place right now. ]

Whatever. I'll take your word for it.

Chocolate isn't naturally sweet, Mercury. It starts out bitter and hard, impossible to get to the good parts. They have to be roasted before they can be cracked open, then cleaned of the shells. They're then heated and ground while they're still hot to make them come together as more than about a fingernail's length worth of chocolate and they still won't be sweet or snap like the bars in the store, but bitter and soft. You can then use this chocolate to add milk and sugar, or flavoring, or whatever it is you want and temper the chocolate so that it comes out the way you want it to. Baking chocolate is tempered without the addition of milk or sugar so chefs and bakers can control the sweetness of a recipe themselves by being the ones to add the sweet component to their dish. Chocolate goes through a lot before it becomes something people like.

[ Talking about food is a lot easier than addressing the situation for sure. Luckily no one cares if chocolate is beaten up since it's mostly for melting anyway, as long as it stays clean, so she doesn't comment on him tossing it around.

Come to think of it, Mercury's kind of like chocolate. He's bitter and rough and apparently it's going to take a long, arduous process for him to become something other people can handle, even though most people (like Alice) thought he was pretty great before they learned better. ]

[ He actually makes the same connection - it's the only reason he actually listens to half of her rather wordy explanation because otherwise, he would have zoned out the entire thing. Probably stared at her chest or something until she shut up. If that would even shut her up. Alice is weird.

But there's a huge difference between him and chocolate - there's a specific process, it sounds like, to make the edible kind of chocolate. There's a guaranteed good result with the right steps taken. Mercury, on the other hand, doesn't know what the right steps are. More importantly, he doesn't even know if a good result is possible. It might be totally pointless.

... But the fact that he's here, looking at his darker side's unconscious body, means he gives a shit to do better in some capacity, right? Doesn't that have to count for something?

Doesn't it? ]

That's a lot of information I'm never going to use, sooooooo thanks for filling my head with that!

[ ... not so good at this Being Better thing on the personality front, though. ]

[ Someone had to figure out chocolate at some point too. They just tried a lot earlier than Mercury did. ]

I'm traumatized I get to ramble about what I want! You didn't even bring me a trauma blankey.

[ Listen you're the worst at this hero thing!! She seems to be pouting now at least, which is more normal. ]

I brought you ice, didn't I? That'll do way more for you than a dumb blanket.

[ ... ]

I'm sorry, blankey.

[ That's right say it blankey you jerk :T ]

I want both. And my mouth tastes like napkin still.

You've got tablecloths everywhere. Boom. Blankeys. As far as your mouth goes...

I mean, you're the chef. What do you expect me to do?

[ She almost puffs up her cheeks at him, but it hurts so she jumps makes a whimpery noise and puts her head down on the ice pack again, muttering against it. ]

Get me something to drink.

[ Ugh... So whiny.

No, no, don't call her out on it. Just get her the drink. With a roll of his eyes he's headed back towards the kitchen area, calling out: ]

Alcoholic or non?

Non!

[ Alcohol would help in other ways but she doesn't want to get drunk. She just wants something to clean her palette of the taste of napkin. Something to help her cool down too. Though she does get up and run to the kitchen behind him, but only so she can grab one of her knives so she can go sit back down and watch the other Mercury's unconscious body.

To be honest, it probably looks a little suspicious with her running in there behind him, grabbing a knife, and running back. ]

Well, it looks like you proved my point for me.

[ Thanks Merc. She's not even feeling too bad about badMerc tbh. ]

Yeah, I don't really care as far as that goes. Unless I'm getting a bonus for this, I mean.

[ She looks irritated about this whole thing. I mean you sleep with a guy, you don't expect him to commit murder a couple days later. She doesn't know Alice so it's not personal and it turned out alright, but honestly? She kind of wants to make sure Mercury knows he's going to regret his actions. Well, the bad one anyway. ]

You're getting hired instead of him, if it makes you feel better. This one can go rot in the little tiny holding cell in the Skyrise until we figure out how to fix you.

[ He doesn't answer right away, peering into the camera curiously for a moment. This must be Weiss' worse half, at least by society's standards. Weiss was reluctant to deal with Mercury in the first place, so her turning around and going against her friends' wishes... yeah. Bad Weiss.

But it's entirely in his favor, so he has no reason to call her out on it. ]

... By "fix", you mean put us back together?

[ Now that's quite the question. After all, there's someone who's working on an alternate cure as well. A suppressant, though it's something of a secret. ]

Is that not what you want?

[ They are going to need someone to test it on. Particularly since she's not sure which half Nygma's actually planning on figuring out how to suppress. ]

I just shot myself to keep him from doing what he wanted. You think I want that back inside of me?

[ A part of him does. But the whole point of his trying things a different way recently was to not turn into the exact kind of person he just stopped. ]

He'd eventually kill you, too, if he had the chance.

Oh I'm sure he would. He's not gentle even when he likes me.

[ Or, well, likes what they're doing but she's not going to publicly say that... Well, might as well make it private anyway. ]

So if there were a way to get him back inside you safe and sound without actually letting him be the one making the decisions, would you be interested?

[ Things Mercury isn't going to ask about: That. ]

... How would that be possible?

[ Good, she wasn't planning on sharing. He'll find out soon enough anyway. ]

I've got someone working on it. They're trying to develop both a cure and a suppressant.

Holy fucking shit on a stick, dude. Get yourself under control. Is she okay?

[ He rolls his eyes before walking over to the unconscious Mercury, grabbing his hair to lift his face to show yes, he's totally unconscious. Bleeding from the lip, too. ]

Thanks for the awesome advice, but I got it. Alice doesn't have a hole in her head, so I'd say she's doing okay.

That's totally not a guarantee of being okay and more of an 'alive' thing but sure. She better be okay. So, like, did you feel it when you shot yourself?

Or what? I didn't do it. If you want to come down here and kick him in the ribs, be my guest.

[ He doesn't answer that second question - he didn't feel pain or anything from having done it, but it undeniably still felt good to shoot at someone who was completely unsuspecting. Unfortunately, a taste for violence is too inherently linked with Mercury as a person to not belong to both halves.

So he felt that. He'd just rather not share with the class. ]

[Any insults die on his tongue when he sees Pyrrha, so he doesn't even try to respond. Seeing his attempt at murder is hardly a shock. But Pyrrha...? His weaker half is probably sobbing in a bottle right now, not that he cares.

Fuck his other half and fuck them.

The more honest Mercury is right. This is boring. He'll hurt both if them like they hurt him...And that Alice person.]

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[video/private action]

private action; 2mercs1pyrrha

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action; open to merc, pyrrha, ryo when he gets there

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i have zero serious upset icons im sorry

i don't think food wars ever counted on this kind of situation.

it really did not

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