Chapter 7 Elemental Furies: Let's Make Some Good Memories
As we descend on the last two obstacles in our way to our long awaited freedom I notice a quick flash come from Miyu's sword and in the next instant I feel a searing pain in my mid-section that brings me to a halt. Before I have a chance to get a handle on what just happened, I notice a second flash but before anything happens I feel myself suddenly violently pulled back off my feet and fall to the floor next to Rina just in time for me to notice several more of our members cut down by a wave of energy produced by Miyu's blade, leaving only about eight members standing, plus ourselves, and Romeo.
Rina calls out to Shizuko as I land beside her "Koko! Hurry and stop Miyu! Only you can take her on in a one on one fight! We'll take care of Scarlet!" I notice Shizuko give a prompt nod to Rina and with amazing speed quickly descend upon Miyu. Rina then speaks to me "We'll have to keep Scarlet away from Koko at all costs. As good as Koko is, she can't take on both of them in tandem at once. Scarlet would be able to attack Koko at range while Miyu would be able to keep her pinned in one place as they're both far beyond the ability of the random guards that we came across in this place." I wince in pain due to the bloody wound that Miyu's attack had inflicted on my midsection but nod in response "Got it…" I get to my feet and look over to Scarlet who returns my gaze with a cocky smirk. I want nothing more than to see her blood on the walls tonight! I rally the remaining members of our group and we all charge head first towards her.
Scarlet draws her whip-sword and without even flinching cuts her finger along its razor sharp edge leaving a bloody cut on the tip of her finger. She then points her finger towards us and in the next instant I notice the blood at her fingertip suddenly condenses at the tip and then suddenly spears outward through our group, killing two more of our people now leaving only six members, plus ourselves and G.I. Joe. Before we can get a chance to recover, she pounces in on us and uses her whip sword and twirls it around her, cutting down three more.
As her back turns to me, I seize my opportunity and shout out to Rina "Rina! Her back's turned! It's time to unload!" Rina responds to my notification and uses her gravity manipulation to stop her in place as I unleash a wave of darkness upon her, sighing in relief that my abilities weren't nullified by Miyu's blade. However, despite being restrained by Ekaterina's gravity manipulation, the blood that was now covering her hand due to the self-inflicted cut from her whip-sword materialized as a powerful shield in front of her and rather than tearing the bitch in half like I'd hoped I merely had the attack reduced to simply severing her arm carrying the whip sword off, leaving her wailing in pain as she dropped to the ground, now free from Ekaterina's gravity manipulation. The last three of our group then use their abilities to start brutally pummeling her. Although I've never met them before, one seems to use psionic attacks, one uses void manipulation, and the last seems to use an ability that seems to be similar to acid or plague.
Just as the three remaining members are about ready to finish Scarlet off I notice a defiant grin come to her face "So, you think…you have me beaten? You stupid tin cans! By spilling my blood all over the place you've just signed your death certificates!" she then uses her remaining arm to snap her fingers and before the last three party members can react the large pool of blood that had spread out around her and had splattered in multiple places from the beatings inflicted upon her, suddenly burst forth into multiple spears from all directions and impaled all three of them in multiple vital areas killing all three of them instantly and leaving me in shock.
As Scarlet gets to her feet, the blood that had been covering the ground makes its way back to her and, to my amazement, completely regenerates her severed arm along with all other injuries she had received. I can't help but feel a severe sense of intimidation wash over me as I witness this. Rina wasn't lying when she said that Scarlet and Miyu were far beyond the typical run-of-the-mill guards that patrolled around this shit hole.
I glance over to where Shizuko and Miyu were fighting and smirk as Shizuko was keeping up with Miyu, and even managing to land several hits that sent her sprawling several times. This prompts me to call for Rina's help as I turn back to face Scarlet "Hey Rina! We've got to take this bitch out fast and get out of here!" Rina nods "Got it! Take Koko and get out of here. I'll take care of these two and catch up with you two in a bit!"
I look at Rina in dumbfounded surprise as I can't believe what I just heard her say "What the hell are you talking about?! You can't possibly take both of these two on by yourself!" Rina shakes her head in response before replying "I don't have to fight them, merely stall them momentarily. I can at least achieve that. Given that there's only the three of us…" I quickly correct her as I remember the guard who's been huddled behind some debris during the chaos we've been causing "You forgot about Romeo over there. Remember he's helping us get out of here." Rina shrugs "I'm concerned about us not him. But whatever, if you insist on bringing him with us it's up to you. Regardless, just as you said, we can't stay here any longer."
At the mention of the guard Scarlet scowled as she turned towards the guard "So that's how you all got so far…we've got a little rat on the inside." She then used her blood manipulation ability to attack the guard with such speed that none of us could react to it in time and in the blink of an eye had impaled the guard by forming her blood into a long ranged spear like weapon, she seemed to have a thing for that kind of attack. In retaliation of the attack I use my shadow manipulation and let it loose straight at her, taking the form of a massive wave of black destruction, it connected with her sending her straight through several pieces of debris and knocking her to the floor, re-opening several of her wounds that had previously been healed and crippling her at the same time.
I quickly run up to the guard to check the damage and notice by the fading light in his eyes that the damage is fatal and that he's beyond the point of saving. While normally I would be uncaring to something like this, hell this would normally be just the thing to get my rocks off, this time I couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor bastard. True to his word, he did help us and didn't try to betray us and this was his reward. The sad part is it was because of me pointing out that he had helped us that got him into this mess. Because of this, I felt like I owed him a little and so I asked "What's your little Juliet's name Romeo? If you tell me her name, I can tell her what you wanted to ask her when we get out of her. It's the least I can do for your help." He looked at me with weak eyes and replied with haggard breaths "Her name's…Talia." I nodded in understanding to him "Talia, got it. I'll tell her you went out like a badass getting us out of here." I receive a weak smile and strained laugh in response from him "You know… for someone nicknamed 'Reapers Daughter'…and someone known for being…so ruthless to her opponents…you're not so bad." I return his smile with my own "The thing about being a Reaper is that, despite our job, we're not evil murderers. We simply bring your soul from this world to the next. The reason people hate us so much…is because life is a beautiful lie, and death is a painful truth. The only real truth in life, is that everybody dies in the end. I know that's hard to believe given what you saw us do to the other guards, but had it not been for what had gone on in this place, we would never have done that. Each and every one of us would have loved to have just been able to peacefully walk out of here with clean nonblood-soaked hands." I receive one final nod and smile from him as he slips from this life to the next "I can…see that. When you talk to Talia…tell her I love her and…that I'm sorry…that I couldn't give her…the life I promised her." he then fell limp and after a few moments of paying my silent respects I simply nodded to him "Sure thing Romeo…"
I stand back up and look over to Scarlet as she too gets back to her feet, the damage from my attack obvious as the blood from her wounds covers almost her entire body. I receive a small look of fear from her as I summon my shadows, my rage getting the better of me "You die here bitch!" before I can do anything however, I'm stopped by Rina "Don't worry about her, leave her to me! Just take Koko and get out of here! I'll join you shortly" I can't help but curse under my breath but I do as instructed, I can't help but wince a bit as I'm suddenly reminded of the bullet still lodged in my shoulder anyway, and run over to Shizuko and call out to her as I unleash my own attack on Miyu knocking her to the ground "Shizuko! We're getting out of here! Rina wants us to make a break for it while we have the chance! She'll join up with us in a bit, but for now she'll stall them here while we escape!" I receive a protesting look from her, but she takes my hand as I run past and we begin making our way to the exit of A block. I give Rina one final look back as we leave her behind "You better make it back in one piece or I'll kill you myself!" Rina smiles back at me "Of course I'll make it back, Koko would never forgive me if I died here. Just make sure to protect her or it'll be you who'll be dying."
************************Flashback end*******************
Mercy leaned back in her chair and spoke matter-of-factly "…And so I took Shizuko and we booked it while Rina gave those two bitches hell. Unfortunately things didn't go as planned for me and Shizuko…" Pyra raised an eyebrow in intrigue "Oh? What happened" Mercy quickly answered her question "While we were making a break for it, the damn place began falling apart. The place had become such a warzone because of our group that the supports of the place began to give way. It didn't help either when all of a sudden, Rina, I guess, decided to let loose and an explosion suddenly came out of nowhere that was very similar to the one that she had originally caused." A look of guilt then came to Mercy's face "Because of that, the area we were in completely caved in and it separated me and Shizuko, and to make matters worse I had no way to get back to her." Pyra was quick to point out Mercy's abilities "But what about your shadow manipulation, or your Blood Moon Slayer form? Couldn't you just use that to clear the rubble?" Mercy scoffed at Pyra's question "After just performing in a Slaughter Show, being part of a riot, dealing with Miyu and Scarlet, and then being in the middle of an asylum that was falling apart, there was no way I had the strength or the time. Besides, I didn't even get the chance to think about it since shortly after we got separated the room that I was caught in also caved in on itself because of all the hell we raised." Pyra then asked in confusion "Then how do you think the others got out?" Mercy shrugged "My guess is that when the place began to fall apart they decided to call a truce since if they kept fighting none of them would survive. Rina probably went to look for me and Shizuko and when she found Shizuko alone, that's probably where she got the idea I had abandoned them."
Mercy leaned forward again and looked at Pyra with a serious expression "So, do you still think I'm not justified in hating and wanting to kill those bastards?" after hearing Mercy's tale, Pyra certainly had a much harder time judging her now. Even still, she couldn't help but feel that what she did was wrong "You may be justified in hating them, but killing them just isn't right. You're doing exactly what they wanted you to do when they experimented on you. They wanted you to become nothing but a killer and that exactly what's happening" Mercy just scoffed at Pyra's skepticism "If I have to do what they want me too for a little while in order to get my revenge on those pricks then that's fine by me. They destroyed my entire life! Why should they get a free pass and just get to walk away from everything they did while we have to continually suffer the physical and emotional scars of what happened to us back then?" Pyra shook her head sympathetically "I understand how you feel. While, I can't imagine what you went through at the asylum, I do understand the feeling of never being able to forget the painful memories of the past. I'm often haunted by memories of that day when I lost my parents. Whenever I smell smoke or see fire I freeze up and become terrified. It's a very painful thing to constantly have to remember and yet never be able to forget completely."
Mercy got up from the chair she was sitting on and began to make her way to the door as she replied to Pyra "Better get used to it Flower. There's going to be a lot more than just those kinds of memories headed your way in your life…" Mercy stopped just short of the door and was silent for a moment "…Although I do hope you have far more good memories then I've ever had. I may be a bitch who wants nothing more than to see the blood of those who've ruined my life on the wall, but I don't want others to have the same experience as me. Even I still have a small shred of humanity left."
Mercy's tone turned to one of almost sadness and loneliness as she finished speaking. Pyra noticed this and quickly got up from her own seat and walked over to Mercy. With a smile she put a hand on her shoulder "If that's how you feel, then why don't we make some good memories for you?" a sudden look of shock and surprise came to Mercy's face as she heard Pyras offer "You can't be serious! After everything I've done to those people, hell to you, you honestly expect me to believe that you're offering to be my friend? Sorry, but I'm not falling for that kind of bullshit. I've been there, done that." Pyra's face turned serious as she replied to Mercy "I realise what you've done, and believe me, I haven't forgiven you for what you did to me, I'm not even sure how I'm even here right now talking to you after that, but after everything you've been through, and everything you've shown me, I just don't think it's right to leave you with such a poor view of the world. Especially when the only friends you did have are now gone." Mercy was silent for a moment before replying "You really have no idea what you're getting into with associating with me you know. Just being around me is dangerous for you." Pyra just giggled "I'm sure I can handle it. If setting me on fire doesn't put me down I think that's proof enough." Mercy couldn't help but return Pyra's laugh "I suppose that true. Alright, I guess I'll play your little 'friendship game' for now. I guess it'll be a little fun to see just how long it takes for you to break and show your real colours." Pyra merely winked innocently back in response "And it'll be fun to prove to you that people can be genuine in what they say."
Mercy gave Pyra an "If you say so" smirk before heading out into the street. Before she exited the property however Pyra called out to her "Hey Mercy, I got a question for you! It's been tugging at my curiosity for a while now." Mercy looked back with an indifferent expression "What is it?" Pyra was quiet for a moment as she tried to think of the proper way of asking "Well, I noticed you act different and talk different sometimes. Like at the interview with Hal, you spoke very slowly and would often stop in the middle of a sentence before continuing again. You also acted very shy. Your eye colour was also different. I was wondering why." This time it was Mercy who seemed to struggle to find the right thing to say "That one is a little hard to explain. I guess you could call it a side-effect of the experimentation. Most of the time I'm that snivelling cowardly version of myself. But when you piss me off, stress me out, get me pumped up about something or anything like that, well, you saw what happened." Pyra frowned in disapproval "I see. That's pretty messed up. Does your other personality know about you or are they separate from you?" Mercy shrugged "We're a little bit of both. We're our own separate personality but we're aware of each other. We can simply give control to one or the other and basically 'go to sleep' while the other is in control. The thing is neither of us is aware of what the other does or says while the other personality is 'asleep'."
Pyra had a hard time grasping everything Mercy had told her but at the same time, after what she had witnessed come from Mercy, she couldn't put it out of the realm of possibility any longer. Instead of questioning it, she merely went along with her explanation "I think I understand…but it's still a little hard to follow." Mercy shook her head "Let me make it easy on you. When my personality is like when you first met me, consider it me being in a good mood: Soft-spoken, harmless, goes along with everything; all that shit. When I'm like this consider it me being in a bad mood. You probably didn't notice it the first time but I was actually like this as we left the cop shop. Considering how my other self gets so stressed out around the police, we actually switched places momentarily." Pyra was surprised at Mercy's revealing of this but nodded in an uncertain manner "You're right I didn't notice, but I'll try to keep everything you told me in mind, even if it is a bit confusing."
Mercy nodded back with indifference "Good. Anything else you want to know about me or am I free to go?" Pyra averted her gaze away from Mercy and sheepishly responded "No, I think that'll do for now but…" Mercy raised an eyebrow in curiosity "But?" Pyra continued "…If you want you can stay here. I might be out of my mind for offering someone who's killed dozens of people to stay with me, but after everything you've told me I don't think you're as bad as I originally thought…even if you did try to kill me earlier too." Mercy smiled with appreciation "Thanks, but as I said before, I prefer to stick to the shadows, it's safer if I do that." Pyra shook her head "How do you know that? You're not at the Asylum anymore. You don't have to worry about people experimenting on you or forcing you to fight in sadistic tournaments. You'll actually have a place to stay with someone who'll actually treat you like a person and not as a science project." Mercy chuckled to herself "That almost sounds too good to turn down. Sorry though, I'll have to pass this time." Pyra asked Mercy for justification, a tone of sad confusion in her voice "Why? You have nothing out there for you! You'll just end up being alone again! I'm offering to take you in, give you a home, and allow you start a friendship for the first time in three years! Why do you insist on being alone?!" Mercy was silent for a moment before responding "A person who grew up in a comfy lifestyle would never understand someone in my position. When you've been through the shit I've been through its easier, and safer, to just be your own friend." Pyra was silent for a moment "Comfy lifestyle? Mercy, my lifestyle wasn't as comfy as you might think. I lost my parents in a forest fire, a thing that I was almost killed in as well. It haunts me every day and has left me with an intense fear of anything to do with fire. Even a candle sends shivers down my spine. I lost my grandparents, my only real family, a few years later. I've been living on my own since I was around 13. The only reason I'm not homeless is because my grandparents were very good with their money while they were they managed to completely pay off the house when they left it to me. Now I only have to worry about the basics of living." Mercy scoffed "At least you had a place over your head that you could call home. All I had was a fucking cage. I'd have traded anything to have been in your position. How could your position have possibly been worse than mine?"
Pyra stared coldly at Mercy's trivial dismissal of her past heartbreaks over the loss of her family. This look quickly turned to one of sadness however as she answered Mercy's question "Mercy, what you went through was deplorable. No person should ever have to suffer through that but…" Mercy raised an eyebrow in intrigue "But…?" Pyra continued "…It's obvious from the very beginning that you've been alone from the start. You've never had anyone be there for you when you needed it or had a shoulder to lean on when things got too hard. Because of that it's made you almost incapable of feeling empathy, sympathy, or compassion." Again Mercy scoffed at Pyras words "So what? It's survival of the fittest isn't it? It's kill or be killed." Pyra was quick to answer "It's because you're like this that you can't understand my position. You've never been shown love or kindness and so you have no idea what it feels like to lose the things that are most precious to you. If you had grown up with a loving family, and then lost them the way I did, you would understand how painful that is." Mercy again scoffed "If what you say is true than it's all the more reason for me to not get involved with anyone. If you're always on your own, then the only one who can hurt you is yourself. I'm not looking to escape my darkness…I've learned to love myself there. If I have to be alone my whole life in order to do that then so be it, it's nothing out of the ordinary for me."
Pyra was at a loss. She had no more ways to try and convince Mercy to stay with her or show her that life can actually be good to people. Just as she was about to give up she heard the definitive sound of Apiphone's voice ring out in the back of her mind "Pyra, might you allow me to try and convince her?" Pyra almost jumped at Apiphones voice before using her own thoughts to reply back, not wanting Mercy to not only overhear her but also to just not want to come off as crazy "What do you mean? How are you supposed to do that?" Apiphone replied "I can perform what is called a possession. During a possession you and I will switch places and I will be able to physically fight, speak, and act so long as the possession is maintained." Pyra was stunned at Apiphones explanation "You're basically saying you take over my body?!" Apiphone was quick to confirm "If you were to put it simply that would be accurate, yes. However, I can only maintain a possession for so long before your body begins to deteriorate due to the stress of having another person's soul forcibly taking control. Therefore, if you allow me I will say what I need and then return control to you." Pyra was "silent" for a moment before replying "If you think you can convince her then go ahead and try. But I doubt you'll find her receptive." Apiphone merely laughed softly "Ahaha I tend to be very convincing to most people, but we shall see."
Mercy noticed the long silence of Pyra and spoke up to get her attention "Hey! You ok? Why are you spacing out all of a sudden?" she was taken aback however when a blazing red aura suddenly burst out of nowhere and surrounded Pyra. Her eyes had also taken on a striking crimson color rather than their usual blue. It was several moments before Mercy could speak but she eventually worked up the courage "Well this is interesting Flower. When did you learn to do that?" Apiphone merely looked at Mercy, a cold look in her crimson eyes "I'm not Pyra, or Flower as you've recently come to call her. My name is Apiphone and know that if it were up to me you would be ash right now given what you attempted to do to Pyra just a short while ago."
It took a moment for Mercy to process this new development, but it quickly dawned on her "Wait! You're that bitch that I fought earlier aren't you?!" Apiphone nodded "Indeed I am. Although we fought to a stalemate during that battle, it was merely due to being taken by surprise. I didn't think you had a second form. I can guarantee that if we fought now I would be the victor, no matter what your abilities might be." Mercy smirked slyly "Is that right? Why don't we put that to the test then? You only saw a fraction of what I can do." Apiphone shook her head "As tempting as that sounds, I must decline this time. Instead I'm here to speak on Pyra's behalf." Mercy scoffed "You're not going to try and convince me to stay here to are you?" Apiphone nodded "Indeed I am. Pyra is a kind person and is genuine in what she says. What other person can you think of who would open their home and willingly invite someone into their home that they know committed the atrocities that you have? Not only have you murdered others, you also tried to murder her; yet she still is welcoming you with open arms." Mercy chuckled "Well, I have to admit you got me there, but in all honesty that just makes her an idiot. If they were smart they'd want nothing to do with me." Apiphone sighed "And yet this "idiot" still wants you to stay and wants to offer you friendship. Did you not say that you would "play her game" for the time being? Wouldn't the best way to do that would be to stay with her so you could keep an eye on her if she truly did intend to betray you? It would also allow you the luxury of not having to constantly be burdened with finding places of safety every day due to not having to be on the run. After what you've done to the people at the police station, you will be mercilessly pursued once those who get involved in the investigation catch wind of who you are and what you've done. Should you stay here however, I can personally guarantee your safety."
Mercy fell silent. She had to admit, Apiphones argument made perfect sense. She could keep an eye on Pyra and see for herself just how quickly Pyra showed her true colors and it was a pain in the ass trying to avoid the cops and assholes of the street every day. Using her abilities to avoid detection every day took its toll on her after a while. If she decided to actually stay with Pyra it would solve both those problems. She also couldn't deny that Pyra also had good points in her own arguments. She'd been so fixated on her own self-preservation and security that she failed to see the advantages of taking Pyra up on her offer. Even if she didn't trust Pyra's proposal of friendship, she could at least use her home as a safe stay for the time being until she thought up of something better. When you have a perfectly good tool at your disposal, why not use it?
After a few moments of pondering Mercy finally resigned herself to Pyra's and Apiphone's offer. Although her face was calm with look of smug confidence, it held a slight look of appreciation and gratefulness, even if she herself wasn't aware of it. With a sigh of defeat Mercy finally replied to Apiphone "Fine, you win. I guess I'll stay with you two crazies for the time being. I just hope you know what you're getting into with associating with me." Apiphone merely smiled "Believe me Mercy, I know someone who is much more fearsome than you and I put together." Mercy raised an eyebrow in interest "Oh? Is that right? Do tell." Apiphone shook her head with a smile "I would love to talk to you about her sometime. However, my time is up. If I do not return control to Pyra quickly it will not bode well for her and she will begin to suffer backlash from my switching places with her. We can discuss that matter later should you so wish. One word of warning however…" Mercy's expression turned serious "What is it?" Apiphone continued, her expression deathly serious "…while you stay here, I vow to protect both you and Pyra from harm. However, should you ever lay another hand on Pyra, I will cast you into the hellfire without a second thought. I am fire itself. It is a trivial matter for me to turn one such as you into a mere smoldering pile of ash. If that is understood then I bid you farewell and I look forward to having you as a part of our family."
As the blazing aura around Pyra suddenly dispersed and she came back to her senses Mercy couldn't help but feel legitimately intimidated, even frightened, of Apiphone. Given what she recalled of her during their altercation earlier and her brushing off of everything she threw at her, even the time she impaled her from behind, and, more imposing still, surviving her Blood Moon Slayer form, she couldn't deny that Apiphone could truly back up her threat. These feelings of intimidation and fear were quickly dashed however when Pyra's chipper voice rang out to her "So you're really going to stay here then?" Mercy nodded "Ya, your little fire friend convinced me to babysit you for a while." Pyra quipped back a slight hint of poutiness in her voice "Hey! I don't need to be baby sat! I've made it quite well on my own for a few years now!" Mercy laughed at Pyra's pitiful defending of herself "I'm kidding Flower. You're pretty weak in the knees when it comes to anything regarding blood and violence, but to make it this far on your own in your circumstances is pretty badass. Most brats your age have no idea what the fuck to do when put in your situation. They expect mommy and daddy to take care of it. You've been doing this since thirteen. That's badass in my book. Even I know that being a badass comes in many different ways. You don't have to kill people like I do to be one. You just have to show you can survive on your own under bullshit circumstances."
Although Pyra didn't appreciate being called a brat, and was still on the fence with being called "Flower", she did appreciate the fact that Mercy was complimenting her, even if it was in an obscure way. Pyra quickly let this slide though as she invited Mercy inside "Well, if you're going to be staying with me I should show you around. I don't think it would be very comfortable for you to be sleeping out in the yard now would it?" Mercy smiled gratefully "Although it wouldn't be anything I'm not used to, it would certainly nice to see what sleeping in a bed would feel like." Pyra looked confused "What do you mean?" Mercy just waved Pyra off as she followed her into the house "Don't worry about it. I told you I kept to myself and away from others so I'm used to survival methods and not luxuries." Pyra simply smiled back "Well, you won't have to worry about 'survival methods' here. You'll actually have a home to look forward to. It'll also be nice to have company instead of just myself; that gets lonely after a while."
Pyra suddenly noticed that the sun was beginning to fade and night was beginning to approach. As the sun began to set Pyra got up and motioned for Mercy to follow her "Come one Mercy, it's getting dark I might as well show you around the place and where you'll be staying while you're here." Mercy nodded "It's your place so I won't argue with you. So long as I'm kept in a cage like I was last time I'll be happy with anything." Pyra smiled reassuringly at Mercy "Don't worry. I can guarantee that you won't be stuck in such deplorable conditions this time. I promise it'll be much more comfortable this time."
After a lengthy tour of Pyras home, they eventually entered a room with a large comfortable looking bed. Pyra looked at Mercy a look of invitation on her face "this is where you'll be staying. I hope you like softer beds. This is actually my grandparents' old room. I always found their bed too soft for my taste so I always preferred the guest room since the bed there is a little firmer." As Pyra spoke Mercy explored the room carefully inspecting everything, almost like a child would with inspect a new toy. Eventually she got to the bed and sat down, sinking slightly into the soft mattress. As she sat on the mattress she began to feel the warmth of the sheets slightly on her legs and found this feeling rather enjoyable. Pyra eventually spoke up bringing Mercy back to reality "So what do you think? Is it up to par?" Mercy nodded appreciation "I think it'll do just fine." Pyra nodded in return "I'm glad. I want you to feel welcome after all."
Mercy couldn't help but smile slightly in respect. So many other people in the world would have abandoned, tried to kill, or have turned her in, yet Pyra was willing to take her in and willing to forget everything that she had done. Not only did she respect this, but she had to admit it frightened her a little. She wasn't used to hospitality so this new development frightened her because she didn't know how to react to it. Despite all the justification that Pyra and Apiphone provided to her for why they were offering a homestay for her, she just couldn't believe it. All her instincts were telling her to run away like they had so many times before, only this time she was ignoring them. And it was this that scared her. Why was she ignoring them? She'd heard similar justifications so many other times in the past and had no problems walking away, yet she just couldn't walk away from this strong-willed, white haired girl. Why was that? Only by staying with her would she be able to figure that out. Whether she truly was genuine in wanting to improve Mercy's view on the world or whether she ended up being just like every other person Mercy had ever chanced at putting her trust in before being betrayed by said person, she could only solve the mystery of not being able to resist Pyra's invitation by taking her up on it.
As Pyra stood there in front of her, Mercy couldn't help but look away. She then fell silent for several moments, something Pyra quickly picked up on "You alright Mercy? You've gone quiet all of a sudden." Mercy nodded slightly, her gaze still not returning to meet Pyras "I'm fine Flower. Just…a little overwhelmed is all." Pyras face turned to one of concern and she quickly sat down next to Mercy "What's wrong? What are you overwhelmed over?" As Mercy finally returned Pyras gaze she was surprised to see tears in her heterochromic eyes. This again prompted her to ask "What's wrong?" Mercy, despite the tears in her eyes smiled "Everything. Though you don't have to worry, it's not in a bad way. I'm just not used to people being nice to me. I don't understand after all that I've done, why? Why are you being kind to me?" Pyra shook her head with a look of understanding on her face and for the first time felt no fear of Mercy as she found herself embracing her "Because to waste the time we're given on stubborn pride is senseless. I want to show you that there are actually good people in the world and as well as something called forgiveness."
Mercy was shocked at the sudden embrace and found herself completely paralyzed. She had no idea how to respond to this as this was the first time she had ever experienced it. She knew that this was supposed to be a display of comfort, and at times even affection, but since she had never experienced these things she had no idea how to react. However, as the embrace continued Pyra continued to speak "I'll never let you go through the trauma you had to endure at the asylum ever again, and neither will Apiphone. You're safe here. All I ask is that you stop hurting people. You don't need to do that anymore." As Pyra finished speaking, for the first time in many years, Mercy suddenly found that she couldn't contain her emotions any longer. She returned Pyras embrace, and with tears streaming heavily down her face she simply replied "Thank You…"
