Bonded Alloys

Unsurprisingly, Mercury wasn’t nearly quick enough to get out of the water before he got to her. She managed to get up two steps before his arm hooked around her midsection and hauled her back against him, with her laughing the whole way. Vandrad informed her that her lessons weren’t over, implying she wasn’t allowed to leave the pool yet, and to further cement the claim he threw them both backward. She instinctively yelped as she realized he was going to submerge them both before water washed over her completely. It took a lot of effort to keep herself from laughing under the water and accidentally choking again, though he didn’t keep them down for long.

When they burst from the depths, the two simultaneously gasped for air while laughing their absolute asses off. It was the most she’d ever heard him laugh with such wild abandon, and not at the expense of someone else like Sabine. Well, it was sort of at her own expense since he was quite literally muscling her into the water, but it was a gesture done out of earnest playfulness rather than any real desire to mock her. And of course, Mercury fought back. In fact, he would find her quite slippery to hold on to, and not just because of the fact that she was dripping wet from the pool. She actually had quite a number of ways to slip herself from someone’s hold and showcased those talents for him even now while they were horsing around, finding quick and efficient ways to break out of each new lock he put her in.

But likewise, Vandrad continued to display his own skills in finding ways to counter all her little tricks, and soon she was just laughing too hard to even fight back all that much. It was the first time in her life she’d ever really felt like a kid, though Mercury herself wasn’t consciously aware of that fact. All she knew was that there was a level of silliness happening that she wasn’t used to, and it was enjoyable to the point where she’d never felt so relaxed and free before.

At some point in her squirming, she’d managed to get turned around to face him where he had her in an embrace that was still lingering from wrestling with her. Their amusement had been reduced to a few somewhat exhausted chuckles, his arms wrapped around her while hers were loosely pinned between both of their torsos. Vandrad looked down at her with a smile that still retained a bit of his usual arrogance when it came to all things combat related, but there was still something kinder in his gaze even as he teased her and claimed a win for himself. She raised a brow at him, smirking. “Oh yeah… tossing me around in an element where I’m at a clear disadvantage. Real big win there, killer,” Mercury teased back just as quietly, her expression widening into a grin.

It was… odd to see him this at ease. Sure, Vandrad had been a lot more friendly and personable this entire trip so far, probably feeling at least some measure of comfort at being home, despite all the shit he’d had to put up with from that stars awful princess. But even among all of that, he had still retained most of his stoic, muted mannerisms, never boisterous or bubbly like she could occasionally be -- though truthfully, Mercury was rarely much for over displays of emotion either, even joy. But something about how relaxed he was with her right now, content to simply float in the warm pool water with her with his guard down, both of them having just made rather honest asses of themselves, was… well, nice.

They simply looked at one another as they bantered lightly in their usual manner, and despite everything Mercury couldn’t help but think back to not even a few hours earlier where he’d kissed her just for the sake of doing so. The Silver Wolf mage couldn’t help but idly wonder what had sparked it, her mind playing the moment back in her head as she reflected on how sweet it had been. It was almost too bad that it had probably been a fluke, a random tactic to ease the strange emotions and tensions that had been steadily building since the night before, things they both openly admitted they had no idea how to interpret or handle.

But as far as she was concerned, it was just a memory now and nothing more. Their relationship wasn’t like that. None of Mercury’s relationships were, and for that matter he was hardly interested in such things, especially with her. Sure they’d slept together once, but he hadn’t even been in control of himself then and it had most certainly been a wild and passionate, once in a life time hate fuck of rather epic proportions. Or at least, it had been a hate fuck on his end. Still, it was a miracle that they’d even continued to work together. Mercury had been well aware that, at least up until recently, the only reason he kept her around was because she was a challenge for him and kept him sharp. That was where the interest stopped.

So almost in spite of everything leading up to this point, she was still taken back by the way he looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time, like he was taking note of all the little details about her as she looked back up at him. His dark eyes seemed to drink her in with an affection she’d never felt before, leaving Mercury keenly aware of how close they were and the fact that they were basically holding one another. As he leaned down to place his mouth on hers again, there was once more a flash of surprise in her eyes, though this time she was able to recover from it quicker than back on the balcony.

The kiss was just as soft as before, like they had picked up right where they’d left off, but somehow it also felt different. He wasn’t being driven by any overwhelming emotions like before, where a lot of difficult topics had settled them both into an insecure place. This was unprompted, so to speak… something he seemed to be doing just because he wanted to, even pulling her closer up against him. Mercury’s head was racing to try and understand what had stirred this kind of want from him, but she was too overwhelmed by her own to think about it too much.

Her lips met his and she once more sank into the gesture, feeling small against his chest with his large arms wrapped tightly around her. She was sure he’d be able to feel how hard her heart was beating as Mercury slowly slid her arms out from between them to circle them around the back of his neck, letting her chest fall against his and surrendering to the moment, no matter where it led. Despite her confusion on where all this was coming from, the Silver Wolf wizard couldn’t deny to herself that she didn’t want it to stop, doing her part to communicate that to him by holding him back just as needfully as she sighed softly against his mouth.

She honestly wasn’t sure what had sparked her to want to touch him that way, her hand coming up to almost lovingly brush away his hair and caress his cheek in a manner she’d never done before with anyone else. I could have been lingering sensations from the rather emotionally intense intimacy they’d just shared, and surely that did play a large factor into it. But there was something more that drove her as well, something that she couldn’t put her finger on. Vandrad had done so many little things in so many ways since the night before to thank her for things that seemed insignificant to her, and to treat her with kindness and compassion at times when he could have just as easily continued in their typical banter and wit and jabs. He had opened the door time and again to bring an element of sincerity to their relationship, and each time Mercury had peered curiously through the threshold, stepping closer to it to peer inside but never really crossing it.

Now, she was making that attempt. It was a baby step perhaps, but still a step. Between the two of them, he was easily the most honest and the more readily willing to reach out and embrace the unknown. Not that Mercury was a coward, of course. As intimidating as a lot of these feelings and moments were, she wasn’t scared of them. If anything, she greatly enjoyed and appreciated them, recognizing that they were filling a void in her life that she knew was there but never paid any attention to. It felt wonderful to have someone in her life that cared for her as selflessly and genuinely as Vandrad seemed to, she just didn’t understand what it was or how deep it ran, and had no experience in how to appropriately receive and reciprocate it.

Mimicking him was a good start, she figured. So she reached out to affectionately fix his hair and touch his face, and was rewarded by him lifting a hand to hold her own as she did so. Mercury had a brief moment of wanting to say something to him, wanting to fill the deafening silence that was somehow both comforting and disquieting, but with no words to say she simply rested her head on his shoulder, her nose nestled up against the nape of his neck where she could simply hold him. It was amazing how strongly she could smell his unique scent even through his sweat and the chlorine from the pool. It was a reassuring smell, one that calmed her racing heart and mind and brought her a sense of peace that she wouldn’t readily believe something as simple as a smell could give her.

Vandrad’s reaction was to slip his other arm around her back, pulling him closer against her while he rested his chin on the top of her head. They rested like this together with one another in gentle silence for a long time, minutes ticking by to the point where she felt like she had lost track of time itself. It was just them, in the warm, relaxing waters, enjoying the quiet serenity of being in one another’s company and knowing that they were happy with the simple comfort that afforded them.

But like before, they couldn’t just sit in the water forever. The prince was the first to break the silence, seemingly feeling the need to explain his actions in inviting them into this position. He told her that he couldn’t explain what had driven him to initiate the session between them, that he had just looked at her and saw something that filled him with a need to be close to her. Mercury felt her heart swell at the sweet words that seemed to make her head swim even more than it already had been. Vandrad continued on to explain that the last couple days had seen a lot of unfamiliar territory for them both, things he didn’t know how to describe but they were enough for him to feel the need to share a moment with her that could stand above the rest of their experiences together thus far. Specifically, something that he could actually remember in the act rather than weeks later like a third party to his own life.

She had made the trip enjoyable for him, and he wanted to thank her. After a brief moment he laughed softly to himself, admitting that he felt like he was rambling over something he wasn’t great at. Though he couldn’t see her face from where she was resting it beneath his chin, he could probably feel her lips against his shoulder tug into an amused smirk in appreciation for his lightheartedness at himself. Vandrad ended it all by lifting his head enough to peer down at her, which in turn coaxed her to turn her own up enough to meet his gaze as he informed her that no matter what he didn’t regret the choice, and that he felt the moment between them was incredible, as was she.

A hard blush rose to her cheeks and though she otherwise kept her face even and collected, her emotional state would betray the tightness in her chest that she felt at his words. If she had been speechless before, Mercury was even moreso now that he had once again rained a lot of genuine verbal affection upon her that she wouldn’t have known how react to from anyone, let alone the man who, up until yesterday, had been little more than a rival and source of entertainment in her life. He probably didn’t expect her to say anything. At this point, Vandrad clearly understood that she struggled as much as he did at expressing herself through word, if not more than him. He never pressured her to reply in kind or to talk when she either couldn’t or didn’t want to, but she wanted to try and return with her own sentiments; her way of attempting to learn how to be a real friend.

“Well, I’m glad you don’t regret it. I was starting to wonder for a minute there if you had lost your mind again.” She teased him gently, needing some kind of release in the tension to bring them both down to a more familiar territory that she could find some footing on. The smirk on her face lasted for a second or two as she looked up at him mischievously. Then, her expression straightened out once more. “I don’t… really understand any of what’s been going on. For as long as I can remember I’ve always had to keep everyone in my life at a distance. I’ve never… known how it felt to just… be appreciated, or understood… or even really wanted by anyone. I’m sure a lot of that is my own fault from actively keeping people pushed away…”

Her voice trailed off again, and Vandrad would once again find himself at the receiving end of Mercury doing her best to speak her mind on thoughts that hadn’t fully formed enough in her head to touch on them with any eloquence, as she continued to search her feelings even as she explained them. Finally, in a somewhat quieter voice, she told him, “Last night you told me that I was the first person who hadn’t seemed to have gotten exhausted or driven away by you. The truth is, I’ve never had anyone put an effort into keeping me around either. I… I actively drive people away, and usually that’s enough… you’re the only person who’s ever continued to keep me around despite how… mean and uncaring and… selfish I can be.”

The words came a little easier as she had already spoken such thoughts to his mother earlier that day, but that didn’t make it any less difficult for her to say them to his face, admitting to him in a regretful tone that she recognized she hadn’t exactly been kind to him for most of the time they’d known one another. And in spite of that, here they were, with him continuing to speak to her like she’d only ever been supportive and well intentioned. But they both knew the truth: Mercury had been downright cruel to him several times. He may have tried to kill her once, an act he felt shame for now, but it hadn’t been unprompted or unmerited. She had more than earned his retaliation and ire.

But somehow, someway, they had only drawn closer to one another. “I… I don’t feel alone when I’m with you, and I’ve never… felt like that before. It’s a little scary, but… it means more to me than I’ll probably ever be able to understand. Or express…” Mercury was silence for a moment, though her expression was still a bit pensive like she was trying to formulate words to say something more. After a few seconds, she timidly added, “I’ve never… been like this with anyone before you. And we both know that I’ve done my fair bit of sleeping around, but this...” By the way Mercury said it, he would know that she was touching on the level of intimacy this particular session had resulted in.

“This was the best.”

It had been more than a little nerve wracking for her to open up about some of her thoughts and the vulnerabilities that went with them. Especially difficult had been the choice to face how inconsiderate she’d been to him up until even yesterday, where she’d so carelessly shown up at his home and barged her way into his affairs. Yes, Mercury had come at least in part out of concern for the odd way that he had disappeared without leaving any kind of word, but once she’d found out the truth she could have just left him alone. But she hadn’t. She’d sneaked into the hall and forced her way into the festivities, mocking his reason for being there and making light of the situation. Really her only saving grace had been the fact that Vandrad didn’t want to be there in the first place, so her jokes and mannerisms were welcome… but it was all still mostly at his expense.

To his credit, Vandrad was silent through her entire attempt to speak her mind, listening to her attentively. And when she admitted that the amorous style of intercourse they’d just participated in together had been the best out of all the times she’d had sex prior, he gave her a small smile that sent a small ripple of joy down her spine. The prince joked lightly about his own lack of experience, but between this time and their prior such encounter, he had also enjoyed this one more. Mercury smirked up at him, amused at the humor in his comment and well as pleased by it. But then he gave her hand a small squeeze and assured her that while she hadn’t been the nicest person to him, he had -- at least in his own mind -- been just as bad on a number of occasions. Still, they managed to have found themselves in this place with one another despite everything, those encounters having made them stronger, so there was no point in dwelling on it.

It wasn’t long after that when Vandrad suggested that they relocate out of the pool to someplace less public, admitting in not so many words that he was happy to be there holding her but that their current position in the pool was less than ideal. She surmised from his words that he wasn’t necessarily wanting to call it a night just yet, or at least wasn’t really interested in parting from her just yet. Now that she had her own place there, Mercury honestly wasn’t sure what the plan was anymore for that night or even the rest of the week, but it seemed that Vandrad had thoughts to offer on that matter as well.

His voice had trailed off momentarily as though pondering their situation before he spoke up again about how late it was. Her things were still in his room, which she would presumably need to get before going back to her house, but even then his room was closer and more convenient to get to. Vandrad suggested if she wanted that it would probably be easier for her to just stay with him again. The statement was quickly followed by a seemingly automatic correction to state that he simply meant she could use his bed again, but that was followed as well by another quick comment to affirm himself as part of that equation. It was like he had out of habit attempted to dissuade her from thinking he was insinuating anything from his original comment, and then decided right after that he actually wanted her to get that impression.

Boy, they really were both bad at this. He wanted her to stay with him and didn’t know how to say it without feeling foolish, and Mercury honestly couldn’t say that she wouldn’t have handled it the same way in his shoes. She was already still blushing a bit from his earlier comment and now was trying to figure out how to process his invitation to stay the night with her in what would perhaps turn out to be a slightly less platonic way than they’d spent the night before. The rosiness on her cheeks sparked back up just a notch, and she didn’t catch the small, somewhat shy smile that tugged on her lips before it got there. Mercury looked down briefly to try and wrest the expression under control before bringing her eyes back up to him again, still smiling but not as timidly.

“I’d like that,” she told him simply. Presuming that would be all the discussion that was needed, they disentangled themselves from one another and made their way out of the pool. A couple towels in cubbies nearby were used to dry themselves off enough that they could slip back into their clothes and head inside. A quick walk later found them back in his room, where she expressed an interest in taking another shower to wash the chlorine -- and presumably other fluids -- off of her body. While Mercury didn’t outright invite him to join her in the shower, if he volunteered anything along the lines of needing to do the same she would shrug and suggest that he might as well just join her. After all, after everything that had happened between them both now and before, showering together was hardly much of a scandal -- particularly when his shower was large enough that they wouldn’t even have to stand near one another if they didn’t want to.

When that was done and she was properly cleaned down, she once again conjured a brush to straighten the tangles out of her damp hair, frowning at the effort it took to do so while her hair was still this long. “Ugh, I need to cut this again,” she’d mutter with playful annoyance, clearly preferring a shorter length that was easier to manage. Dismissing the brush, Mercury once more caused her fingers and hands to glow with a warm, black purple heat and ran them through her hair, causing the follicles to dry as if she’d taken a hair dryer to it.

Unlike the previous night, she did not put on any clothes. Her gaze lingered briefly on her pack as they approached the bed, where she knew her sleeping tank top and a fresh pair of underwear was, but after a very brief moment of internal thought decided not to bother. Instead, she simply slipped into the bed as she was. As she did, she looked at him with a bit of uncertainty that he would probably feel from her emotional state, trying to decide if his invitation to join him in his bed again was meant to involve cuddling or not. He hadn’t exactly been clear, and the thought of asking sounded embarrassing even in her head. In the end, she wound up compromising; not outright asking him, but still somewhat hesitantly scooching toward the center of the large bed to indicate her interest in being closer to him.

Presuming that he read her body language and emotions and elected to do the same, she curled up against him with a small but genuine smile, the feelings she was radiating shifting from timid to pleased almost in an instant. “I already forgot how huge this bed is,” Mercury would comment with amusement,, making a small comment of light hearted nature to ease them into what would probably be at least a few more minutes of conversation before they finally would drift asleep.

After that, she was quiet for a few long seconds, content to just hold him and lay there feeling the warmth of his body. Then, she spoke up once more in a somewhat more somber tone. “I know it’s not really my place to get involved… or probably even talk about it but… I think you should consider coming back to visit your family more often…” The thought seemed to die off for a moment, though as always it was pretty obvious by her face that she was still in thought and formulating words. “When your mom was taking me to the house, we were talking for a bit… I don’t think she meant for me to pass this along, but she wound up admitting to me that the only reason she keeps hosting these engagement parties for you is because she feels like it’s the only way she can get you to come visit and spend time with the family.”

Mercury bit her lip a little in thought, a slight warble of nervousness flowing through her otherwise happy state as she struggled a bit with not knowing if the duchess would appreciate her revealing the older woman’s sentiments to him. Still, she had her reasons for doing so, and frankly the Silver Wolf mage had been giving it some thought all afternoon and into the evening since the conversation with Themesycia. “I can tell how much she misses you when you’re not around, and it’s probably not my place to talk about it, but… I can already tell by how yesterday went just how much you hate those events and stuff. And I know you said earlier that me having a place here might encourage you to come back and visit more often anyway. But I just… figure you deserve to know that all she really wants is to see you, and that if the proposed engagement parties annoy you, you could probably avoid them entirely just by making it a point to come back more often.”

What she didn’t say out loud, because Mercury didn’t want to guilt him into anything or make the situation about herself, was how much she herself wished that she had a mother to visit. If her mother had been alive, Mercury would take the chance to visit her at every conceivable moment. For all her lack of exposure to healthy familial relationships and being so comfortable as a lone wolf who relied on no one but herself, she couldn’t fathom having a family and not wanting to spend as much time with them as possible, even if they didn’t necessarily share all her tastes or personality traits. They were still family, and many people -- herself included -- didn’t have that. Whether or not he took the comments to heart was up to him, but after all the kindness that he and his mother had done for her over the last two days she figured the least she could do was mention one of the things Themesycia had opened up to her about, in the interest of making all parties all the happier in the long run.

Vandrad wound up joining her in the shower, also expressing an interest in getting the film of pool water off of his skin and out of his hair. Neither of them said anything, but the silence was a content one with both of them happy to just get cleaned off and be around one another. He saw to drying and fixing his hair even as she did the same, turning to smirk at her as she grumbled over the annoyance of the long locks. The prince told her that while he was more used to her shorter hair, the current length also seemed to suit her. And an added benefit was apparently that it was easier to grab. Mercury shot him a playful smirk, clearly pleased by his willingness to banter at her in a degenerative fashion. She was entirely unprepared for him to grab her ass, however, still getting used to him acting outside of his normal wheelhouse of play to engage her physically in such manners. He’d be rewarded with her jumping just a little in surprise before fixing a playful glare at him.

By the time she finished her hair, he was already making his way under the covers. She was a little surprised that he hadn’t done his evening routine from the night before, but then again she supposed the recent sex could have been considered a substitute for that. Or maybe there were just times that even Vandrad decided to just take a break. They both tucked in, with only a brief and somewhat awkward exchange of eyes before they found themselves in the center of the large bed together, him with his arm tucked around her back and her curled up against his side with her head on his shoulder and an arm resting lightly on his chest. About the only time that she engaged in anything akin to cuddling, outside of the earlier session with Cecilia, was after sex. And while they technically met those parameters now, the act had been so far and above the times she’d done so previously that it had been a bit more daunting to approach. But once she was there, a flood of peaceful satisfaction washed over her.

He chuckled over how much of a novelty the size of his bed still was for her, commenting on how he really was used to just taking what he could get with such things. In his time in the military, he’d often had to rely on the harsh ground for rest. However, beds were the one thing his mother apparently went all out on, though Vandrad was sure the reason for that was mostly because she felt that beds were meant to be places of communal activity. Mercury laughed lightly. “That wouldn’t surprise me even a little.”

A few long seconds of silence went by with the two of them learning how to be comfortable with one another in a physically intimate fashion that had nothing to do with sexuality. And while Mercury was more than happy to lay here and hold herself to him in this manner, it gave her time to broach the thoughts that had been on and off in her mind for most of the day. While the Silver Wolf mage was fairly certain that neither Vandrad nor Themesycia would be bothered by her bringing it up, she was admittedly nervous about the possibility of doing something to earn their ire in talking about something that the duchess had said to her in private. It was arguably the less controversial of the subjects that had been brought up, and Mercury had zero intention of speaking on that particular matter, but she was still very much at the beginning of her understanding on the proper way to handle close relationships of really any kind and that was intimidating.

But he listened to her without interruption, and when she finished he admitted that he’d suspected for a while that the parties had little to do with an actual desire on the duchess’ part to see him married off, though surely she did want him to marry someday. Themesycia always had the power to command him into an arranged marriage, however, so it stood to reason that it hadn’t happened yet only because it wasn’t the more important issue for her. Vandrad was quiet for a while after that, considering Mercury’s words. She let him think, waiting patiently to see if he would say more in any capacity once he got the chance to formulate his response.

When it came, it was preceded by a soft sigh. He told her that part of the problem was that he had horrible memories here. None that any of his direct family members were responsible for, but there were certainly things in his past that had happened within the home that were scarring. Mercury already knew what he was referencing of course, but he didn’t realize she knew and she had no intentions of telling him, ever. Instead, she just listened quietly while he admitted that the house often haunted him, perhaps literally. It reminded him of a time in his life where the mere memories could cut him to the quick. It was difficult for him to be constantly surrounded by it, only able to take it at small doses at a time.

She didn’t say it outloud, but Mercury more than understood. The place she had come from wasn’t one that she ever wanted to return to if she could help it, because while Vandrad probably had at least some happy memories to stave off his bad ones here, Mercury had none back where she was from. It was a place of constant oppression. She realized it was maybe a little insensitive for her to not take that into consideration when making the suggestion, but then again she wasn’t supposed to know about the details anyway. Rather than be upset with the conversation, however, Vandrad looked down at her in an odd moment of facing an uncomfortable topic directly rather than deflecting his gaze away.

Looking her in the eyes, he told her that she was right. Despite his more than valid reasons for staying as far away from the manor as possible, his family was more important to him and he believed that he could take better steps to show that. He hadn’t really realized until this trip how close all of them really were with one another, and how his behaviors up until then had left him a bit excluded from that. Yet one more revelation he attributed to her and her ability to shove him far outside of his comfort zone. She smirked back at him, though the look softened a fair bit when he opted to lean down and place an affectionate kiss on her forehead, his arm coming around to hold her a bit more firmly.

The prince assured her he was going to do better, though the comment was soft enough that she wasn’t entirely sure it was meant for her so much as for himself. Hopefully, if the effort was enough, the next such party would be for one that he actually wanted to be a part of, with someone he was seriously engaged to and not some awful stranger in a proposed engagement. Mercury chuckled. “Well, we’ll have to find you a woman that can actually handle you then, won’t we? Leave that to me. I’m an excellent wing man. I’ll bet I can find a few suitors you’d actually consider.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him deviously, obviously tickled by the idea of making it her mission to send random women to his door.

Another minute or two of content silence passed before she spoke up again, her voice once more on the quiet side. “Would you… teach me how to play the piano?” Mercury asked him. “I can produce music with technology, but it’s… not the same. I’ve never had the chance to learn how to play an instrument… When you were playing last night, it just kind of… really hit me how much I would like to be able to do something like that, too.”

If Mercury felt any oddity at taking the lead on finding him an actual romantic partner, it didn’t show on her face nor did it fully register in her emotional state. She had been so wholly conditioned to live her life a certain way, with a certain set of expectations on what she was and was not allowed to do in her life, that it never occurred to her to feel weird or upset about the idea of hooking Vandrad up with another woman as a life partner. Even if she had managed to be aware of any such feelings, Mercury would have had to firmly and swiftly shut them down, for his sake as much as her own. This time between them was wonderful, and she would cherish it for as long as it would last, but eventually it would have to end.

Eventually, she did change the topic over to the question about him possibly teaching her how to play piano. Vandrad smiled softly at her and agreed without second thought, even stating that he also knew how to play guitar if she ever wanted to learn that as well. Mercury eyed him suspiciously at the knowledge of yet another talent, even as he explained his relief that his mother hadn’t requested a second song from him just to showcase it. Still, he warned her that piano wasn’t easy to learn and that she should be ready for a challenge. The teasing smirk he gave was more than enough of an indication that he knew she would be as, like him, the Silver Wolf mage seemed to thrive on challenges.

But then there was a condition along with it: that she had to start coming to the morning training sessions more than just every other day. Her emerald eyes widened in surprise before melting into a playfully woeful expression even while he explained that he knew he couldn’t ask for every one of her mornings but surely two extra days a week would suffice. “But those are my morning to sleep in and recuperate between your demanding early hours,” she complained, though not without some semblance of humor. Already she could see her days of sleeping in drifting away into a blissful memory, and the thought was exhausting. “Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?”

Mercury sighed dramatically. “Fine. But I expect my morning coffee and breakfast to be waiting for me when I get there,” she teased, clearly not thrilled at the idea of losing more than half of her lazy days but being playful enough about the matter to indicate her thoughts that the sacrifice would be worth it. Hopefully. That, and she still hadn’t let go of the notion that he was now obligated to feed her homemade meals in the mornings.

Whether or not he agreed to her own conditions, she would return the gesture of holding him comfortably, content to feel his arm around her and his head against her own. Mercury was starting to think he was planning on drifting off to sleep when Vandrad spoke up again about his realization that he’d forgotten to tell her about the doctor Patricia from his story the night before. Well, that peaked her interest. Shifting her head back a little so she could look at him while he talked, the prince explained that his intention had been to handle the woman on his own but he had a feeling she wasn’t being completely honest with him. Like Mercury, he thought it highly suspicious that a woman with similar abilities as his own rare ones just happened to show up in his life, and he was sure that she had some kind of reason behind approaching him. He wanted to know what it was, and wanted Mercury’s help to find out.

But not just any help. He wanted more than for Mercury to simply start looking into the woman and digging up dirt as only she could -- though presumably she would be doing that as well. No, Vandrad wanted to go out of their way to actively trick the woman in a manner that would let her believe that she had the wool over his eyes. He admitted that part of delivering that successfully might involve playing the part of romantic rival a second time, but really he was willing to do whatever it took to suss out whatever truths she was hiding from him.

“Oh, thank the stars,” Mercury told him, sounding wholly relieved. “I’m glad I wasn’t crazy for sitting there during that whole story thinking how suspicious your explanations of her behaviors were. I was going to start looking into her whether you wanted me to or not, but approaching this two pronged will be much better.” Then, she shot him a mischievous look. “Also, what is it with you and having all these shady and nosy women throwing themselves at you? Since I can only imagine me taking up that role again is because you suspect she has some feelings for you.”

She smirked at him, clearly entertained by the idea, particularly given how Vandrad was barely comfortable showing her affection even though he fully trusted her, let alone some suspicious broad that didn’t have that same confidence from him. “But yeah, I’m totally in. Hands down, whatever you need from me. I’ll make her squirm. She’ll fuck up eventually, and then we’ll clap her from both sides.”

He quite readily teased that he could have a list within a minute of the things she’d done to earn his supposed hatred, causing her to stick her tongue out at him rebelliously. Vandrad informed her that she would be an idiot to try and go through their workout on a packed belly, reminding her that he was not obligated to cook for her just because she knew he could cook, now. But it seems her playful demands were met with some acquiescence as he also sighed and relented, agreeing to cook her breakfast for three of the days they would get together, but only after the training was finished. The coffee he could accommodate on a daily basis though, as it took arguably much less effort and by this point he’d watched her drink so much of it he could put a cup together the way she liked it without even thinking about it. “Deal,” Mercury told him with a grin.

A brief foray into the conversation about Patty was all it took for both of them to confirm they were on the same page about her strange and convenient mannerisms. The prince admitted that part of his training was being able to recognize when a female agent of some sort might be using her wiles to throw men off their guards, and he was sure that Patty would return to continue such attempts. In fact, he was sure that the doctor would have done enough research into him to know that the quickest way to allure him would be through the benefit of the skills that she brought, and he planned on playing the part of the ignorant lamb being led to the slaughter so as to keep the woman off his true scent as a wolf. And Mercury’s part in all of it, Vandrad declared, would be to act as his opposite: the one that was onto the woman’s case and not afraid to show it.

Mercury smirked deeply at the play, quite pleased by her proposed role. But before she could make any comments on how greatly she was looking forward to getting under Patricia Reeves’ skin, Vandrad swiftly commented that the only difference between Mercury and all the other raucous women in his life was that she was the only one not actively begging for him to notice or want her. “Why would I need to throw myself at you, when you keep coming to me?” she teased back without missing a beat, only a second later cackling lightly at her own smug joke. “I’m completely for this plan, though. I’ll see what kind of information I can pull up on her and try to form some potential strategies based off of it for us to work out. She’ll crack in no time, though part of me kind of wants to turn her around as long as possible.”

With plans loosely made, the two of them talked a little more before eventually sleep called for them to truly call it a night. Mercury fell asleep much quicker than the night before, her head resting on the crook between his shoulder and chest. It was the soundest she’d slept in a long time, for once not waking through the night or keeping tense even through her sleep. The only thought she had as she drifted into slumber was how, for the first time in her life, she truly felt like things really weren’t so bad…

---

Eruka shuffled nervously down the hall, face pointed toward her feet with her eyes darting upward only enough to watch where she was going. Even after over twenty years, she still couldn’t get over how much her home had changed. The flotilla was hardly recognizable anymore from the vibrant and lively hub of living technology it once was. Pristine and elegant walls of organic steel were now overrun by horrific and nightmarish growths of flesh that seemed to shift and breath in bulbous shaped vines that covered everything from floor to ceiling. The bulbs glowed with a sickly yellow light that barely kept the shadows back from the halls. Not that the Xocili needed much light to see by, but it still was nothing like the once bright and vivid lights that once graced her home's corridors.

Her radars sensed the approach of two individuals down the hall, and she immediately pressed her back up against the nearest wall, falling to her knees and clutching her netbook in fear. The pair of Nazru sauntered past her, talking to one another in their gutteral language. At first, she thought they were going to leave her alone. Sometimes they did if she removed herself from their path and kept her head down. But right as they seemed to be passing by, her side erupted in pain as a large, meaty foot kicked her, sending her sprawling. It was only years of self trained instinct that she managed not to cry out in agony, which would only incite them to beat her more.

“Pathetic hybrid,” said the one who had struck her, speaking the insult in a language she would understand and laughing at her discomfort. But soon, the pair wandered away and she was able to get shakily to her feet to continue her trek, wiping the tears from her eyes and brushing her violet pink locks of hair from her face. It was only another minute or two before she reached her destination, standing outside the doorway with trepidation. Eruka was terrified to go inside, but knew if she hesitated for too long she would incur further abuse. Or worse, a visit with the Enforcer.

The Xocili woman stepped inside and quickly approached the Nazru in the room, keeping her eyes on the floor and once more taking to her knees once she was at the appropriate distance from him. He was a large humanoid with sunken gray skin that was covered with so many scars one might wonder if he had any of his original flesh remaining unmarred on his body. Like the rest of his kin, his ears were long and pointed, reaching back behind his head. Dark eyes sat over the spot where a nose would normally be on most humanoid creatures, however his nose was little more than nostril slits lacking the fleshy cartilage that others had. He was lounging in a chair crafted from the same fleshy masses that now lined the entirety of the flotilla, seated around a table of similar construction with a couple of his friends, playing a game.

Barely deigning to cast her a glance, he growled, “Make it quick, Watcher, before I find a way to make you a part of the next round.”

“Y-yes, sir,” she said, her voice clear despite her fear. Eruka had already learned long ago that few things set the Nazru off more than a slave that was too afraid to speak up enough to be heard. “It’s one of my scouts, master. She has not been sending her reports at the commanded times, and those I’ve received have been… irregular and choppy, missing unreasonably large portions of time.”

The Nazru flicked her another glance, this one a bit more pointed. “Which scout?”

“Mercury. She is the one assigned to the planet that calls itself Earthland, which she has previously reported as having a phenomenon known as ‘magic’.”

His gaze became narrowed with anger and suspicion, which Eruka could feel even if she couldn’t see it with her eyes downcast. The Nazru knew exactly which Scout the Watcher was referring to. Earthland had become a matter of high interest among his clan with the knowledge of this ‘magic’, and the unnatural power that it represented. It was near the top of their list of civilizations that needed to be eradicated, and moved further up that list each time they received another update from their most effective Scout.

Eruka missed the conversation that followed as the small group of Nazru talked among themselves for so long that she was starting to wonder if they forgot she was there. Finally, the man spoke up again. “Have her Collected,” was all he said, not taking the time to explain his reasons before dismissing her from his sight. She gathered herself up without question and turned to leave.

Before she could make it to the door, the fleshy vines in the room snapped out to ensnare her, twisting around her body and constricting her viciously to the point where she was sure her spine might snap in half. Eruka shrieked, unable to stop herself from making the sound. “One more thing,” the hideous man said without turning to look at her. “If you bring another piece of your vile technology before me again, I will strip the flesh from your bones and feed you to the Ix’iaks.”

The Xocili nodded vigorously and after another painful constriction she was dropped roughly onto the floor. Doing her best to keep her tears to herself, she scrambled to her feet and hurried out the door, the sound of their laughter echoing in her ears...