Emerald was running as fast as she could, anxiety squeezing the breath from her lungs like a vice before she even had time to process what she had just seen. One image, only one was stuck in her head, that of Mercury's shin broken at an awkward angle. The memory was enough to make her feel faint. Despite the maze of stairs and hallways, it only took minutes before the thief made it to the fighting grounds in less than a minute, greeted with the butcher's cries about his leg.
"Mercury!" She shouted just before she reached his side, falling on her knees next to him and wrapping one arm over his shoulders, keeping him close with as much comfort as she could muster.
"Why'd she do that?" He shouted, tears spilling from his grey eyes. Emerald's heart went out to him in that moment. He hated crying, even more so crying in front of people. She had witnessed tears spilling from those eyes only a handful of times in all the years they had know each other, and every time he had tried to hide them from her. Now was the exception. Now, he trembled in her arms, gripping at the knee of his wounded leg.
Keeping him close, Emerald looked up, glaring at the stupid blonde girl. She was obviously terrified, her purple eyes wide, her hands open and her shoulders hunched into a defensive position. Her mouth was agape as she looked up at one of the screens where the scene was being replayed. Emerald's heart sunk as she looked at the girl. The reaction wasn't of someone who had maliciously attacked an opponent, let alone an opponent who had already lost a fight. It was someone terrified of what just happened, terrified that they hadn't seen what had really happened. It was a look Emerald had seen a thousand times through her years with Mercury, one she had worn herself after witnessing the power of his semblance. Slowly, she looked back down at her partner. Through the tears, he offered the smallest of smirks.
You son of a bitch.
