Emerald's Revenge

…..

Emerald got out of bed and sighed, stretching her muscles. "Today's the big day." she murmured to herself.

She quickly took out a fresh pair of clothes and walked to the bathroom, scrubbing her teeth until they were immaculate (as per Cinder's orders), getting in the shower and scrubbing herself until she could see the sparkle (as per Cinder's order) before getting out, brushing her hair, and heading downstairs for breakfast.

The group had managed to 'rent' (read: they drugged the previous owners and locked them in the basement) a small house on the 'shady' side of Vale: too residential to be considered part of the 'bad' area of town, too run-down to be part of the 'good' area. The perfect hiding place for Cinder's little group after Neo had begun getting….claustrophobic in their previous accommodations at Beacon.

Emerald shivered as she recalled the result of one of Neo's 'walks' that she often undertook while they were there.

Never. Again.

Emerald reached into one of the cupboards, pulling out a box of Pumpkin Pete's (Why does Cinder keep buying this crap, again?) and a bowl, pouring some of the sugary cereal into the bowl and adding a splash of milk...or she would have, had Mercury not drank it all...again...for the third time this week.

Emerald sighed in annoyance and sat down at the table, taking a spoon and munching on her dry cereal, focusing on the mission for that day. "Cause havoc and chaos." she repeated to herself, munching on another bite of cereal. "Yeah, like that's gonna be could tell these people the sky is green and they'd believe it."

She continued eating, until she noticed that damn smell again. The smell of sweat, dirty socks, and leather.

Emerald sighed as Mercury came down the stairs after her, and, much like she had, getting some cereal, but forgoing the bowl and instead eating straight from the box, sticking those dirty, grubby hands and lathering them all over the cereal. Emerald made a mental note to mark all boxes Mercury had touched with a quarantine symbol.

"Would it kill you to get a bowl? Or take a shower? Or...anything to make my life with you any less of a hell, really?" Emerald said angrily, focusing on on cereal and on not throwing up into it.

Mercury smirked, idly throwing more cereal into his mouth. "N-ope." he said. "That would make this whole thing a lot less fun."

"Well, at least take a shower." Emerald responded, shoveling some more cereal into her mouth before it all came hurtling back up.

Merc frowned a moment, before that cheeky grin returned to his face. "Just what I was thinking." he said, standing up abruptly. He turned and slammed his prosthetic foot into the table, rattling it and spilling Emerald's breakfast.

Emerald glared at Mercury, who simply grinned in response. "Oops. Stubbed my toe." he said, before walking back upstairs, his metal boots worsening the migraine Emerald could already feel growing.

…

Emerald checked her watch, noting the time. "Just a few more hours until it's show-time." she said, turning and walking into the house's living room. The living room was sparsely furnished, but oddly comfortable: There was a medium-sized television set, a bean-bag (solely for Neo's exclusive use), a recliner, and a couch large enough for several people. Emerald decided to take some time to relax, sitting on the couch and turning on an action movie.

Or she would have, if Mercury hadn't come down and snatched the remote from her, turning and laying on the couch Emerald was unfortunate enough to share with him, crossing his legs and sticking his "feet" in her face. Emerald sighed and pushed his feet away from her. At least they don't smell anymore. Emerald thought. "Merc, give it back, I had dibs."

"Didn't call it." Merc replied, idly flicking through the channels.

"Dibs." Emerald shot bock.

Mercury actually appeared to, for the first time in his life, consider not being an asshole...but then shrugged. "No." he replied, flicking through a few more channels.

Emerald sighed and considered grabbing her guns and shooting him, but dismissed the thought. Her guns were left in her room, and besides, Neo would skin her alive if a stray bullet hit her bean bag.

Mercury stopped on a channel and smiled, nudging Emerald with a heel. "Hey, look."

Emerald snapped out of her Mercury-Murdering fantasies and glanced at the T.V.

Moonlight Grimm.

"Damnit, Merc, you know I hate horror movies!" she snapped, trying to push Mercury's legs off her.

"Relax, Em." Merc said, smiling as he locked his legs in-place, trapping her to the cushion. "Just watch the movie. It isn't that bad."

Emerald grumbled and sat back down. "Fine. But if there's a jump-scare, I'm looking away."

So they watched the movie, Emerald looking away whenever it got too scary. At one scene, the three kids had been running away from the 'monster' of the story: a skinny, tall Grimm, with the face of a Beowulf, two large horns, and a cunning intelligence every bit as sharp as it's claws, which had rent more than one hapless Human to pieces.

Emerald covered her eyes, the high-pitched violin reaching it's peak, and growing silent. "Is it over?" she asked.

"Over and done." Mercury replied. Emerald gave a relieved sigh and opened her eyes...and then the Grimm's hand shot out of the darkness, grabbing a screaming camper and dragging her into the shadows.

Emerald jerked back in surprise, eyes widened as she gave a short squeak, followed by Mercury's cruel laughter.

"Mercury, you asshole!" she shouted, shoving his legs off him. Mercury rolled off the couch, giving a small oof as he hit the hard floor.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk." an authoritative, almost annoyed voice, said from the stairs. "Emerald, that's not the way we treat our fellow co-conspirators, is it?"

Emerald turned around, eyes wide, as Cinder walked down the stairs, her disguise foregone, wearing instead a red linen shirt and shorts.

"C-Cinder." Emerald said. "Mercury started it!"

"I don't care who started it, Emerald. You pushed him off the couch. That wasn't very nice. Apologize."

"Bu…"

"Now." Cinder said, an edge in her voice.

Emerald sighed and turned to Mercury, her eyes showing that she, in no way, regretted it.

"Sorry." She said.

"I don't think that's true."

"Mercury." Cinder said, with less of an edge, but somehow maintaining the bite.

Mercury grinned. "Apology accepted, buddy."

Emerald nearly vomited in her mouth, but instead turned and resolved to leave the area, walking back upstairs to her room, Cinder, in a rare moment of softness, patting her shoulder as she left. "Get some rest, Emerald." she said, grinning. "You'll need your strength for what's to come."

"Yes, Mom." Emerald sighed, without a hint of irony.

Emerald walked back upstairs, opening the door to her room...and finding, sitting on her bed, short legs dangling almost two inches from the floor, Neo, smiling and tilting her head, her oddly colored, almost manic brown-and-pink eyes staring at her.

Emerald stopped and slowly closed the door. "What do you want, Neo?" she asked cautiously.

Neo reached behind her and took out a dry-erase board and a simple black marker, writing on the board before showing it to Emerald.

YOU WANT REVENGE.

Emerald frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Neo frowned and turned the board back to her, erasing it and writing new words on it.

AGAINST MERCURY. YOU WANT TO MAKE HIM PAY FOR BEING A JERK.

"Maybe I do. Why are you asking?"

BECAUSE I, TOO, HAVE A REASON TO WANT REVENGE AGAINST MERCURY.

Neo's eyes narrowed in anger, a single fist clutching the bed sheet. Curious, Emerald decided to probe. "What did he do to you?" she asked.

Neo froze, before writing anew on her board.

SOMETHING SO TERRIBLE, SO INHUMANE, THAT I CANNOT SPEAK OF IT.

"Aw, c'mon." Emerald said, sitting next to the Neo and putting an arm around her shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything."

Neo frowned, before, with a trembling hand, writing on her board.

HE….TOOK MY ICE CREAM.

"...Your….Ice….Cream?"

Neo nodded emphatically.

ISN'T IT AWFUL?

"Um...sure..I guess." Emerald responded uncertainly. "So, uh...hey, what's your plan?"

Neo took the whiteboard and began writing on it. After a few minutes, she was done, and she handed the completed plan over to Emerald, who turned to Neo and grinned.

"Neo, you're a genius."

Neo smiled and took back her whiteboard, erasing all evidence of the plan and writing some more.

I'M AWESOME, AREN'T I?

…

A few hours later, Emerald was sitting in her seat, reserved for her so she could be close to the action and able to manipulate it to her heart's content. The match started off quickly, Mercury and Yang exchanging a few blows. Yang retaliated, launching a few quick blows that drained Mercury's Aura. Emerald watched as Mercury activated his trump card: a silver tornado of bullets. He began his breakdance (Is that even actually useful in a real battle?) and launched dozens of bullets into the air, before spinning to his feet, looking away as Yang was consumed in a hail of bullets and explosions, creating a faint mist around the area. Mercury turned, and smirked up at the stands, straight at Emerald...when the mist began to glow gold.

A shadow stepped out of the golden glow, and Yang Xiao Long, her hair alight with a fiery glow and her eyes a devilish red, emerged from the attack, bruised but not beaten. Mercury turned, eyes widened in surprise, as Yang roared and burst after him, moving so fast that she appeared to be a blur, even to Emerald's trained eyes. Mercury tried to defend, but, to be frank, he got absolutely destroyed, so many punches coming from so many angles that, within a few seconds, Mercury was on the ground, he Aura depleted.

"Victory: Yang Xiao Long!" the announcers said over the intercom as the crowd cheered.

That is when Emerald and Neo's plan got to work.

Emerald reached into her earpiece, pressing down the 'talk' button. "Alright, Mercury, now."

On the field, Mercury nodded, and he stood up, walking over to Yang.

Yang turned, and saw Mercury dashing at her, a kick already prepared. But at the same time, Emerald cast an illusion on Mercury: He saw Yang fire past him, and, in order to make the illusion look better, Mercury moved to intercept. Lastly, Emerald cast a stressful but short-lived illusion using the cameras around the stadium to help her, masking the appearance of the bullet from Yang.

None of those things were where they appeared to be.

The shell fired off by Yang barely hit Mercury, scraping his belt buckle and shattering it, dealing little other damage besides sending him into an uncontrolled spin. He tumbled forward, and hit Yang full-on, his hands groping wildly for purchase...which happened to be Yang's ample chest. The two teenagers, psyched up on after-battle adrenaline and teenage hormones, tumbled to the ground on top of each other. The crowd gasped, mothers covering their children's eyes, as Yang's T-shirt ripped, revealing everything she had, as Mercury's pants tumbled around his ankles.

"Oh, my!" One of the announcers exclaimed. "This wasn't expected at all!"

Both Yang and Mercury blushed, before scrambling back from each other. "What the hell?!" Yang gasped, covering her chest as fast as she could. "Pervert!"

"Hey, you're the one who blew my belt buckle off!"

"Did not!"

"Would somebody for heaven's sake cut the feed?! Think of the children!" One of the announcers said, as the cameras abruptly snapped off. But before they did, Emerald smiled, and added one finishing touch to her masterpiece: A pair of underpants with Pyrrha Nikos on the crotch area, with several highly-suspicious white stains.

Perfect.

Paramedics rushed out, draping a blanket over Xiao Long's shoulders, covering what little modesty she had left and escorting her away from the field. Meanwhile, Mercury, poor, confused Mercury, meanwhile, struggled to hold up his pants as he too was escorted off the arena.

In the stands, meanwhile, long after most others had left, Cinder sat, rigid in her seat, a single eye twitching.

…

*SMACK*

"Ow!" Mercury said, rubbing his head. They were back at the house, and Cinder had called a group meeting, gathering herself, Mercury, Emerald, and Neo in the family room.

"Mercury, statutory rape is not how we achieve our goals!" Cinder roared, standing over Mercury. "Do you have any idea the kind of wrench you just threw into my plans?!"

"Cinder, listen, I seriously have no idea what happened!" Mercury defended. "She missed, so I intercepted the shot, and…"

"And you conveniently landed on top of her and tore her shirt open?!" Cinder interrupted. "Merc, listen, I know you have your urges, and that is fine, but seriously?! I got a house with net access just so this kind of thing didn't happen!"

Merc groaned and slumped into his seat, and it was then that Emerald piped up. "You know, people are already making smutty stories about you two, Merc." she said, grinning as she scrolled over one story in particular. " 'Mercury looked deep into her eyes, breath heavy as he struggled to remove his Pyrrha Nikos underpants…"

Cinder, without even turning to look, reached back and smacked Emerald upside the head, and although she was too busy basking in her triumph, she pretended to act hurt anyway. "Owww." she said, grinning.

Cinder sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, before turning and heading back up the stairs to the master bedroom and study. "I have a few calls to make. Just...don't do anything funny when I'm away, Mercury." she said.

Silenced reigned over the room for a few moments,before Emerald sighed and leaned back. "Today has been a good day." she said. Mercury didn't respond, too scared of what Cinder would do to him if he did anything else now.

Neo, meanwhile, stood up and, humming a small tune, left to go back to her room...but not before exchanging a subtle fist-bump with Emerald.

"You know, Merc." Emerald said when Neo was successfully out of earshot. "You and Xiao Long actually make a really cute couple."

Mercury merely groaned and slumped farther into his seat.