A Single Pale Mercury

Authors

Thalateya

Cast

Mercury (Gem)

Published

5 years, 10 months ago

Stats

9111

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Mercury: Mercury climbed up onto the bed to join Fire Obby, looking her dead in the eye. "Look, while I was in my gem I... had a lot of time to think. I'm... not a very expressive person, there's a lot of things that are hard to explain but... maybe I could show you..."

Fire Obsidian: Fire obsidian blinks. "Are you coming on to me?"

Mercury: "...what does that mean?"

Fire Obsidian: She snorts, and nods. "Alright, lovely. Show me."

Mercury: "Uh, okay..." she begins taking off her jacket, "have you ever been inside another gem?"

Fire Obsidian: She chokes a little. "uh, after a fashion."

Mercury: "...are you okay? I've never done this before so I'm not 100% how it goes. Do you just..." she gestures to her chest.

Fire Obsidian: "I... Guess?" "...Just. to be a hundred percent clear." She laughs a little. "you want me to go inside of your gem?"

Mercury: "Of course, what else would it be?"

Fire Obsidian: "juuust checking. May I?" She gestures towards your gem.

Mercury: Mercury nods, and places her hands on her shoulders. Her gem lights up as if preparing to put something inside, but she leaves the final push to Obby.

Fire Obsidian: >yeet my entire self

Mercury: You find your form changing as if shapeshifting, and entering Mercury's gem seems... warm and cold at the same time. Kind of wet too tbh. The light fades, and you find in a warm, but drafty area. It stinks. Mercury's gem is a mess.

Fire Obsidian: >kinky >gag a little

Mercury: (It's very tight)

Fire Obsidian: "MERC THIS IS GROSS!"

Mercury: It looks like a kindergarten, this could have been what homeworld looked a long time ago, only instead of the stars and buildings in the sky, it's white. Amongst the rocks there are piles of junk - mostly scrappy mechanisms and rotting food, as well as whatever else Mercury's picked up over the years. There's an alarming amount of steven t-shirts. Mercury sits at the top of a rock, looking at a small pedestal. Was there something there? She dosen't seem to have noticed you.

Fire Obsidian: >walk over to her

Mercury: Mercury turns her head, notices you, then springs to her feet. She still has her earlier outfit on - the spacesuit with the star, except she still has the tail. She glares at you. "YOU."

Fire Obsidian: "you sent me in here!"

Mercury: "I didn't send you in here. She did!" she pointed to the sky, "you shouldn't be welcome here after what you did!"

Fire Obsidian: "what did I do?"

Mercury: "You! You..." the Mercury inside Mercury's Mercury hesitates, before gesturing to the pedestal in front of her, "she's gone because of you. Everything was right then YOU, now I can't even think straight!"

Fire Obsidian: "...Ah... vermilion..." "... I'm sorry."

Mercury: Mercury's tail twitches. "What do you want?"

Fire Obsidian: "...She said she needed to show me something."

Mercury: "Hmmm..." she hesitates for a moment, "I dunno. That stuffs kinda private, but obviously surface-Mercury wanted to show you for a reason. Maybe she thought it would bring you closer too her? Give me a minute, I think I can find a travel guide." She finds a piece of paper amongst the rubble and passes it to you. It reads 'IDIOTS GUIDE TO REPRESSED MEMORIES'

Fire Obsidian: >laugh a little "Thanks." >open it, hoping for a map or something?

Mercury: There is a map it's just a picture of Mercury, with an arrow point to her gem

Fire Obsidian: "nice."

Mercury: The next page does have some writing on it 'THE BEAUTIFUL Surface Mercury: Maintains surface memory and storage. Some gems are very organized with all the stuff they store in their gem. This mercury keeps everything well organized in piles. Up until recently, surface Mercury maintained Vermillion's gem, until SOME ASSHOLE DECIDED TO FREE HER. NO IM NOT BITTER.' 'It's not like I'm jealous of all the other Mercuries or aything'

Fire Obsidian: >Gently pat her in a reassuring manner

Mercury: Mercury scowls sligly, then sighs, "well, I suppose I've got to let you into the next layer." her gem lights up as she invites her in, "that is, if I can't offer you a snack for the road, there's not a whole lot to eat from here on."

Fire Obsidian: "Noooo, thank you!" And Obby proceeds onwards.

Mercury: Mercury shrugs, and with a bright light, you make your way into her gem. You find yourself standing alone on an empty alien planet, nothing but rocks, cliff and pitch-black clouds. The atmosphere is dense and dirty, as if barren by pollution but showing no sources. Before you have a chance to react, a gem runs up to you, almost bumping into your back. She is a head taller than you with four misshapen hands, and seems afraid of you. Wait, is that... Rhodonite? She looks a lot rougher than you remember...

Fire Obsidian: "...Rhodonite?" >keep my eyes up. I feel a merc lurking.

Mercury: "Y-you know my name?!" her eyes are lit with confusion and fear, "y-you have to help me! T-they got the others and... they're c-coming!"

Fire Obsidian: >gently "Here, get behind me." >draw blade

Mercury: Rhodonite smiles with relief, until you pull out the blade. She steps back. "Y-you-" Just then, two shadows come into view, darting away as quickly as they appeared. Two flashes of black nyoom past, slicing Rhodonite in two. Before her gems even fall to the ground, they are caught in two, dull red bubbles - a pearl in Vermillion's hand, a ruby in Mercury's. Mercury is wearing her diamond gem spacesuit, still with a tail. "Good job Mercury," says Mercury "Thanks, I try," replies Vermillion, not making eye contact, but with a grin, "Is that the last of the rebels?" "Four targets, yep. See, this is why you can't rely on robonoids." They don't seem to notice you.

Fire Obsidian: "SCUSE ME." "LITTLE LOST. NOW YOU'RE DONE MURDERING. HELP A TOURIST WITH HER MAP?"

Mercury: They turn to look to you, Mercury with curiousity, Vermillion with hostility. "I'm sorry, but this is important gem business. We need to report back ASAP," Vermilion states. Mercury mouths 'be a minute' before turning to her partner. She pulls a small, pyramid-shaped object from her gem and presses it. A holographic screen appears between them and you, it's pretty standard gem communication tech. Except there's nothing but static. "That's odd," Mercury mutters to herself. "Fix it." "I can't just FIX it." "You're the techy one," Vermillion hisses, before walking away, "whatever, see you back at the ship." Mercury shrugs, and turns to you. "What was that about a map?"

Fire Obsidian: >proffer book(edited) "Surface Merc wanted me to see something."

Mercury: "Heh, it was probably my stylin' murderin' skills. I'll let you though," her gem starts to light up, then she notices to booklet, "hey, give me that." She takes the book, and flicks to one page, "Ah, here we are, this is the whole dark rose coming to separate me and vermillion and my whole life changing. Nice." Mercury looks up, and you see the sky grows darker and the clouds seem to flutter slightly. Suddenly, a massive black creature storms from the sky. At first seeming like an animal, but when you look closer, it's a gem, eyes simultaneously barren and lifeless, yet full of anger, you recognize this all too well from your time in The Dark World. Mercury FUCKING YEETS HERSELF towards the ship.

Fire Obsidian: >Follow. There's nothing I can do.

Mercury: Mercury quickly reaches the spaceship - not the biggest you've ever seen, more like a Ruby Ship designed for hopping from planet to planet. She hurriedly climbs inside, and starts beeping the controls. Inside the ship there's rubbish everywhere with notes on the ceiling, as well as odd scraps that have been collected over the years. It's a mess, and looks lived in. She looks at you, "FUCK, WHERE IS SHE?"

Fire Obsidian: "I don't know Merc, I'm... I'm sorry."

Mercury: "Eugughs!" As a gem starts clawing at the door, Mercury is forced to close it and launch the ship into orbit. After a few panic-filled moments, she stands, studying the sensors. Each bleep listing a different type of gem. None of them are what she's looking for. She chenches her fists, holding back tears. "FUCK." (throwback to when i never swore with mercury at al)

Fire Obsidian: "you find her again." "don't be frightened."

Mercury: Water stars welling in her eyes, but she remains fixated on the monitor. "But it's... not the same. I just... left her down there. I should've stayed I should've..." she sobs. June 20, 2018

Fire Obsidian: "You'd be dead if you'd stayed." >Gently rest my hand on her shoulder

Mercury: "...id rather die than live without you." She's silent for a moment, and your unsure if she's talking about vermillion. Then she looks at you and smiles weakly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Imma stay and keep looking. See you in 70 years or so." And she lights up her gem.

Fire Obsidian: >head through

Mercury: As before, there is a bright light, and you emerge somewhere new. As you look around, you seem to be in the same place, a small spaceship, except now there seems to be a little less trash. Just a little, it's still very lived in. Looking ahead of you, you see the two Mercuries, in a seat each. "I can't believe it, what do you think you are, a Quartz? We should have retreated, at least then you could've reformed properly." the red one snapped, "Would you rather I stayed as a-" "I would rather you didn't throw yourself into reckless situations in the first place." "It was either one of us, I did it to help you." "Letting yourself get poofed doesn't help either of us. You're glad I was there to get you before she did." Vermillion growled, then sighed, placing a hand over her mouth in through (you've seen Mercury do this numerous times, you guess this is where she gets it from). "Whatever, at least we got her in the end." Vermillion lifts of a purpley-blue gem in a bu-wait is that... Crystal Heliotrope?

Fire Obsidian: "UM, IS THAT MY EX?"

Mercury: "I mean, technically at this point she wasn't your ex," Mercury points out, "she was just your girlfriend who you happened to be dating but didn't think to tell the person who obviously had a crush on you." "...excuse me?" Vermillion glares at Mercury. "Uh... this is a different person who had a crush on her."

Fire Obsidian: "well no, I only actually dated Crysheli in secret for like. A few years before she escaped. If you could call it dating." "and then we spent like. Fifty years looking for eachother before the dark wars, and... Yeah, it was a bad time."(edited)

Mercury: Mercury and Vermillon exchange glances that say 'yeah right'.

Fire Obsidian: "what?! I'm not lying!" "She was an original crystal gem, captured during the rebellion and then left to rot" "...We fell in love because I used to have to tend the violent rebels, and her cell was nearby. We got talking."

Mercury: Vermillion's eyes dart to her when she mentions Crystal Gem, and she looks at the bubble anxiously. Mercury steps forward to look Obby in the eye. "If you loved her, you should've be fighting alongside her. You would give anything to make her happy. Even your life."

Fire Obsidian: "I tried. She escaped, and they didn't kill me."

Mercury: "Why didn't you escape with her?"

Fire Obsidian: "...I. had no choice. Quartz soldiers were closing in on us, and it was me or her. And she would have been shattered for certain." Fire obsidian looks away, clearly upset. "She waited and watched and snuck messages to me for..." She shakes her head. "I don't even know how long. hundreds of years. She was the only reason I survived being on home world, I think."(edited) "Then the dark gems laid siege to homeworld, and somehow I escaped. By that point, they had caught her, and she was corrupted. Or so she told me."

Mercury: As you speak, you notice Vermillion puts Crysheli's gem inside her own. That's weird, the rest of the gems were just floating in bubbles at the top of the ship. Mercury says nothing, she just looks at Obby sadly. "...Sorry."

Fire Obsidian: She shrugs. "I don't like to talk about it. It's... I'm not good at dealing with my memories of homeworld." "One not so remarkable day, after fifty years of drifting, I heard a transmission on my coms, and followed it to you."

Mercury: "I remember that day. It was the day I gave up," she murmurs. She then gestures to the ship, "well, you see how I deal with my memories. I only focus on the good things. Heh. But... memories are what make us who we are, in the end."

Fire Obsidian: "true." Fire obby nods, and absently wipes her eyes.

Mercury: The ship's dashboard begins to peep, and Vermillion and Mercury both turn to it urgently. A holographic screen similar to before appears, this time with the face of a gem. "Silver Agate," both Mercuries pose into the regular diamond salute, and hold it for about a second before sniggering. "We caught the rouge gem," Vermillion announced, "I noticed," replied the figure on the screen, hazy in the dream-like memory, "we do keep monitors on you. No more showboating, or do you want to be broken down like the rest." The Mercuries went quiet, looking at each other questioningly. "Uh..." Mercury hesitated, "did you enjoy the show?" she grinned, and the figure on the hologram went silent for a second. "Fucking Mercuries. The sooner we can get you replaced, the better. I will send you your next target shortly, in the meantime, make your way to Planet G1-44." "Yes ma'am." Vermillion replied, holding the diamond salute until the monitor deactivated, then she looked to Mercury. "You heard her, set the course." Mercury looked for a moment like the was going to oppose, but quickly got to work typing in the computer as Vermillion watched.(edited)

Fire Obsidian: "I need to get deeper. Surface wanted to show me something." "unless it was this."

Mercury: Mercury takes a moment, almost as if she forgot Obby was there. She looks to Vermillion, who nods, and turns to Obby. Her gem lights up. "I gotta warn you, the next layer is kind of... sad. You're allowed to turn back, you know."

Fire Obsidian: "....Thanks for the warning." >head in

Mercury: Once again, the light flashes and you step in somewhere new Another alien planet, but this time you can see homeworld structures in the sky. Vermillion and Mercury are sitting in front of you, arms in one another. Vermillion sobs gently, as Mercury caresses her. "I can't fucking believe they'd do that," Vermillion growls, "we should have fought back, we should have... eugh..." "We can't. We need to respect their order." "Fuck the order. They were our friends," she snapped, pushing Mercury away, "we let them DIE." "Well, they're gone now," Mercury shrugged, and stands up, "we should get back to work." "I can't BELIVE YOU. Don't you have ANY HEART. Don't you CARE AT ALL." "Of course I care, but that's in the past now, we can't dwell on it." Vermillion glares at her for a long time, as a few tears drip from her eyes. Mercury has a similar expression of pain, but no tears. "It should've been you," Vermillion says simply, then walks away. Mercury stands stunned for a few moments, clutching the alien earth as if feeling her heart twist in pain.

Fire Obsidian: Fuck, Fire obsidian goes over to her side, kneeling there. "Merc, it's me." She murmurs.

Mercury: Mercury dosen't seem to react, but a few tears drop from her eyes. She bites her lip. "What did I do wrong?" her voice is barely more than a whisper.

Fire Obsidian: "Nothing." She murmurs, and gently pulls her close. "She just feels the pain differently than you."

Mercury: She takes a deep breath, then wipes away the tears. She stands up, pulling herself away from Obby. "I... I have to be the strong one. She's been so upset with everybody going... I have to be there for her."

Fire Obsidian: "I know you both survive together. I know it's how you are, you're two halves of a whole. But she... She hurts you." "someone who loved you would never have said that."

Mercury: Mercury clenches her fists, "She's right though. Whenever we fight... it's always her... it's not like the old days... she's changed... ugh," she turns back to Obby, gem glowing, "Please... go. I need to work through this alone."

Fire Obsidian: "of course." >press onwards

Mercury: Going through this gem seems a bit harder, as if she doesn't have the strength to pull you through.

Fire Obsidian: >push on anyway. Whatever's down here, she needs me to see it.

Mercury: Now this place you know. It's homeworld. It feels like so long since you've been here. You are standing on a stage, the audience is made of Mercuries you've never met. It's slightly surreal - every is in an identical pair besides their colour. To either side there are yet more Mercuries, in one long line at the back of the stage. Silver Agate paces in front of you, with two clear Quartzes on either side with a destabiliser in each hand. "1D4L," the agate announces. Mercury and Vermillion steps forward. Your ones. They stand in front of each of the clear Quartzes, quiet and straighter than you've ever seen Mercury before - no sniggers or snide comments, it's almost eerie. The Agate reads from a screen in her hands. "During the last Quarter you have completed 54 jobs. You are safe." she says distastefully. Mercury and Vermillion instantly seem more relaxed, and walk to join the line by your side. "Looks like you made it through as well," Mercury whispers to you, "but then again, a prestigious gem such as yourself would have no troubles with homeworld's shortages."

Fire Obsidian: >whisper back, "Fire obsidians who come out right are fairly rare. What will happen to those who don't make it?"

Mercury: "Hang on..." "ID4P," the Agate's voice booms amongst the crowd, and two more Mercuries stand before the Quartzes, "During the last Quarter you have completed 49 jobs. That is not sufficient. Your gems will be harvested and used to create robonoids." She speaks with no regard, and almost cracks a smile and the two destabilisers are lowered and struck into the Mercury's gems. The look of horror on the gem's faces seems more realistic than anything else, as if they are a more enforced memory. "...that." Mercury's voice croaks with sadness.

Fire Obsidian: Fire obsidian pales, and nods, stilted. "I need to get into your gem. Surface Mercury wanted me to find something."

Mercury: "I can't right now. We're on thin enough ice already," she looks at Obsidian, careful not to turn her head too much, "one mercury gem can power hundreds of robonoids who can do their job more efficiently. We have more Mercury's than we need, so we need to use some of them up. It's the only logical thing to do."

Fire Obsidian: >where do I rank compared to a Silver Agate?

Mercury: (Good question... I'll leave it up to you.)

Fire Obsidian: (what's likely? Obby is a court gem but she probably ranks fairly low among them) (less important than a sapphire for instance)

Mercury: (I guess a court gem is more imporant that an Agate, but they wouldn't normally take orders from them)

Fire Obsidian: (Weigh in, scottford) Laventhal Squad! - 06/20/2018 (im gonna jump in and say fire obby has authority here. Within reason.) (Higher rank but shes non-military)

Fire Obsidian: >approach the Silver Agate briskly. >assume traditional court gem position, greet her formally and with as much charisma and authority as I can bring to bear.

Mercury: The Siver Agate looks over her carefully - she respects her authority, but that dosen't mean she has to like it. "What are you doing here? This is official White Diamond-sanctioned military business." Mercury is cringing from the distance.

Fire Obsidian: "I am on White Diamond-sactioned court business." Obby replies evenly. "I am required to retrieve two Mercuries." "It is a matter of high priority. Please dispense with those two immediately." >Gesture to Merc and Vermilion

Mercury: The agate raises an eyebrow, then sighs. "I don't believe you, but it's another two Mercuries off my chest, so go ahead," she snaps her fingers, and our two Mercuries walk behind the stage, "So,why do you want them? Surely you know what a handful first-generation Mercuries are?"

Fire Obsidian: "I do not busy myself with questions or concerns in the persuit of my duties. I was commanded to retrieve them with a high degree of urgency, I did not stop to ask my superior the ins and outs. Thank you for your cooperation. Excuse me." And with that, she turns and heads after the two mercuries.

Mercury: You feel the glare of the agate as you leave, and notice that all around you, time seems to have stopped. When you approach, Vermillion is cowering, crying. Mercury looks at you. "Well done, you managed to derail a memory. It's a damn good job you're not a time traveller or we'd ALL BE FUCKED BY NOW."

Fire Obsidian: "hey man, I need to get into your gem." "this will reset when I leave, anyway." Why the hurry anyway, you couldn't wait fucking 5 minutes for it to end?"

Fire Obsidian: "I didn't know it would end!" "...Seeing gems shattered makes me uncomfortable, Merc, for obvious reasons."

Mercury: "Well I- ugh." she clutches the bridge of her... space between her eyes, and bites her lip, "Sorry... we knew those guys. Some of the first gems we saw out the kindergarten... give me a minute."

Fire Obsidian: "of course."

Mercury: "What... are you even looking for anyway?"

Mercury: (Im having so much fun but i tire so I slep now) (continu tomorrow?)

Fire Obsidian: (I think I fell asleep around that point)

Mercury: Yeah, thought so )) Laventhal Squad! - 06/20/2018 ((when you two are done with this brilliant introspection i would like to add another QG bit, mostly to make up for how horrendously out if character i haf her acting before))

Mercury: She didn't seem terribly out of character to be, but then again you know her better )) Laventhal Squad! - 06/20/2018 (it was, i think it was me acting out because of... you know.)

Mercury: Understandable ))

Fire Obsidian: (That's fair. Even omnipotent fusions get grumpy sometimes) "...I... I don't really... Know. She just." "Told me to go wandering."

Mercury: "...what do you want to find?"

Fire Obsidian: "...I don't know. I've already found a lot of answers."

Mercury: "Okay..." she takes a deep breath, swallows, and stands upright, then turns to her, "I think I can..." her gem lights up, and she places her hand on your shoulder, "gonna be honest, I'm not entirely sure what we want to show you either but... I'm sure you'll find it in there."

Fire Obsidian: >nod "Thank you, lovely."

Mercury: (( Does she go through?

Fire Obsidian: She does indeed

Mercury: Every layer you go seems to get harder, as if it's pushing you back, but there's still strength to bring you forward. You feel... tired. Not like you've not slept in a while, not mentally, just like your body has been through a lot... "Those goddamned Crystal Gems," you recognize Mercury's voice, but this Mercury looks different. Her hair is long, and flops to one side of her head, but still spiky, and her outfit is more elaborate than the spacesuit you first saw her in. You recognize it as an era I outfit, back when gem outfits were allowed to be more unique and less practical. And yet, she still has a tail. She's hiding in a hole, scanning a kindergarten carefully for movement. The kindergarten is on a warm planet, and you can see the sun searing the earth below. >sneak in beside her

Mercury: She shuffles aside in the hole to let you sit down (fortunately, whatever came out this hole was pretty big), and smiles slightly, "present company excluded, of course. Any sign of her?"

Fire Obsidian: "Who?"

Mercury: "You do you think? Vermillion." she scans worriedly over the area. Up above, you can see Gem ships nyooming by. It's weird... unless you're looking at it, things seem hazy and out of focus, like the sun is shining in your eyes, "when the news about Pink Diamond came through... we were separated."

Fire Obsidian: "I haven't seen her, I'm afraid."

Mercury: Mercury grunts in frustration, then sighs. "Consider yourself lucky you were safely under the diamond's arm when 'it' happened. The gems down hear heard about a revolt, then went crazy, fighting and..." she closes her eyes tight. "Fuck. What if I can't find her. What if I lose her..."

Fire Obsidian: "You find her, don't worry. But you need to get off planet right away."

Mercury: Mercury turns to her, confused, "What do you mean? We can't leave without her?"

Fire Obsidian: "I don't know when you find her, if it's now or later, but you need to get off planet. The diamonds are preparing to destroy the rebels."

Mercury: "Don't be stupid! I'm not a rebel! I've had nothing but loyalty to the diamonds," she squints. "...wait. Where am i?"

Fire Obsidian: "Earth, I assume. They're about to fire upon everyone, even their own soldiers."

Mercury: Mercury looks scared for a moment, then bursts into laughter, "dude, I was never on earth. I thank the stars above that we were never assigned on any jobs there." when she stops, she points to the sky, "the only danger this planet faces is a hot-ass sun in a few hundred years."

Fire Obsidian: "Huh. That's good."

Mercury: "Thanks for the concern though," mercury replies, eyes fixated on the view outside, " most people consider our kinds of gems expendable. Heck, there's been rumors they're making technology that will replace us."

Fire Obsidian: Fire obsidian nods, a little uneasy.

Mercury: Mercury looks like she's about to say something, then her eyes suddenly dart to a figure in the distance. "Mercury!" she screams, glides down the cliff to greet her, and immediately embraces her. The two hug tenderly for a few minutes, bumping heads softly in the harsh sunlight. A tear runs down Vermillion's face. "Fuck. I thought I'd never see you again. Then the alarm went out and they started fighting I I-" "Hey," Mercury put a hand to her chin, "don't worry. I'll always be here for you. I'll always find you," though the tears Vermillion smiles. "O-of course you would. I-I'm so glad you're always here for me." "Well. I'm not going to be much use by myself, am I?" Mercury laughs light-heartedly. You've never seen her smile like this before - not cracking a joke, not putting on a brave face, but a genuine, honest smile. Her tail curls around Vermillion's leg absentmindedly

Fire Obsidian: I... Don't know if I want to see this...

Mercury: Mercury, as if picking up on Obby's emotions, stops, and turns to look at her. She smiles again, "don't you want to come and join us?"

Fire Obsidian: "...I-it's... Not my place, I... You two are..."

Mercury: "Which is why you're here," Mercury beams, "you're here because I want to show you my deepest, most intimate moments, so that you can understand-" she's stopped as Vermillion places a hand on her shoulder, "...perhaps some things should be left private, honey," "What do you mean? I-" "She's clearly uncomfortable about this," the look on Vermillion's face seems very nurturing and sympathetic, very different from how you remember her. Mercury looks at you for a moment, "...huh." she says gently

Fire Obsidian: "...I'm just." Jealous. "...I don't want to intrude."

Mercury: Mercury looks confused, and Vermillion laughs to herself tenderly, "Oh honey," she murmurs, "I don't think she understands just how long ago this was, you are soooo over me, right?" "Hah, yeah..." Mercury replies nervously, "or at least surface me is," she blushes slightly, "can you excuse me a moment." "Of course!" Mercury steps towards you and lights up her gem. "Sorry, I guess this is a little awkquard..."

Fire Obsidian: "I-it's fine. Don't worry about it."

Mercury: She takes a deep breath, then guides you to her gem, "not long now."

Fire Obsidian: >nod >climb in

Mercury: The process of travelling through Mercury's gem has become pretty familair to you now, and every time you feel your grip on reality getting slimmer and slimmer. From what you can made out from your surroundings this is the same planet, just not quite as intense sunlight. Just as you're able to get your barings, a Carnelian approaches you, boxing-glove style weapons in either side. "FRIEND OR FOE!" she demands, "ARE THEY HUNTING YOU TOO?" she seems confused, but furious

Fire Obsidian: >does she have a star on her?

Mercury: No, but it dosen't look very diamondy either ))(edited)

Fire Obsidian: "Friend! Who chases you?"

Mercury: "Mercuries. I've been avoiding them for a few days now, but I know they're close."

Fire Obsidian: >nod "Definitely."

Mercury: As the Carlneian explains herself, a shadow emerges behind her. Mercury... no, you recognize this, it's the fusion of the two - tall, strong, with mercury swirling around her hands. She makes eye contact with you, and nods slowly as she raises the sickles.

Fire Obsidian: >close eyes

Mercury: You feel the familair sensation of a gem being poofed right in front of you. MegaMercury catches the gem in a dim red bubble, which she pomptly sends away. She looks at you curiously. "I thought for sure you would try and save her?"

Fire Obsidian: "Intervening doesn't work here." "And... this deep down, I'm scared to break things."

Mercury: MegaMercury looks at you for a moments, then bursts into laughter. She lifts you from your feet, and twirls you around excitedly. "OH HONEY. You could never break things! You're too perfect!", she puts you down, and looks you in the eye, "I mean, you're not, but to me you are."

Fire Obsidian: >this is sort of spooky "A-are you okay?"

Mercury: "Of course I am! I love being fused," she twirls about, "two minds working in perfect harmony, just as intended." she looks back at you, "of course, it's MUCH more fun when there's a little tension. I guess sometimes a relationship needs tension," she then turns away from you, a tad mournfull, "maybe that's what we needed, to stop us from drifting apart..."

Fire Obsidian: "...Maybe. I'm... I don't know. I think there's tension, but maybe not the right sort."

Mercury: MegaMercury shakes her head and smiles to herself. "Right now. This moment of happiness, the true connection to another. This is what it means to be happy. And this moment will last forever - Mercury and Mercury, serving the diamonds for all eternity. What better life," her smile fades, "and yet, it does end."

Fire Obsidian: "...I'm afraid so." She replies sadly.

Mercury: She stands very still, clenching her first like you've seen Mercury do many times. "Life on earth is ever changing, ever fluid. You've caught me... us that. Thank you." she turns to you, and kneels down so that you're eye height with her, "Vermillion never got to experience what she desired, Mercury didn't realise. Perhaps now that Vermillion is at peace, Mercury can have a chance of happiness again."

Mercury: (( Poketh (( BABEY June 21, 2018

Fire Obsidian: "I... I hope so."

Mercury: She caresses herself gently, smiling, as she unfused. Before you stands mercury and Vermillion, holding hands. Mercury lets go and turns to you, and blushes slightly, "okay, last jump but... this is kind of embarrassing. Promise me you won't tell anybody what you saw..."

Fire Obsidian: >nod firmly "I promise."

Mercury: Mercury breathes deepy as is preparing herself, and her gem lights up as she invites you in.

Fire Obsidian: >head on in

Mercury: You feel yourself being pulled into her gem - it's like everything is forcing you back, but you can almost feel Mercury's exhaustion as she pulls you in. A flash of white, it seems to last a lot longer as you adjust to your surroundings, but slowly stuff comes into view You're in a kindergarten again - rocky, with a white sky. At first, it seems like you're at the top level of Mercury's gem. But... this isn't quite right. No. It's too clean. You can hear people talking in the distance, but you can't put your finger on where exactly it's coming from. Ahead of you you can see a lone Mercury gem, sitting on a rock... the very same rock as the very first layer.

Fire Obsidian: >walk over to her

Mercury: Mercury doesn't react, she seems to be waiting for... someone. You can probably guess who. She's facing away from you.

Fire Obsidian: >watch quietly for a while

Mercury: Everything is quite for a moment, as the sky seems to fade in and out and move slowly... slightly disorienting. Eventually mercury turns around to look at you, and a big grin appears. Weird. Mercury looks no different than she did before, yet her mannerisms and posture make her seem younger, almost child like. She jumps to her feet. "I'm waiting for my Vermillion! She's going to be perfect," she leans down from the platform playfully, "I'll know it's her because she'll be pretty - with long hair, and a black dress, and tattoos... whatever they are. And a firey personality." She frown slightly, "or maybe I'm confusing her with you."

Mercury: (( treat this more like a regular RP than a narrative thing

Fire Obsidian: "I think you are," fire obsidian smiles a little.

Mercury: Mercury smiles, it's a innocent, genuine smile with an edge of mischievousness. "Mercury came to talk to us. Usually she leaves as quickly as she can, but this time she talked about a lot of stuff. A lot of stuff she doesn't usually talk about. A lot of stuff with you." she rolls on the rock so that she's looking at you from upside down, "you looked nicer with the old dress. But your new one is nice too because you like it. And I like that you like it."

Fire Obsidian: "...What did you like about the old one?" Fire obby sits down, legs crossed. "This one is easier to fight in."

Mercury: "Well... it just looked pettier on you, you have a nice butt. But I guess fighting is more important. I've never worn a dress, we've never been very adventurous with our reforming."

Fire Obsidian: "I always wore a dress. I tried on human clothes once, but I think dresses are a little more dramatic than jeans." She grins.

Mercury: "I like t-shirts, but I feel like having clothes flapping about all the time would just get annoying. Then again," her tail twitches, "now I keep tripping over this, so I think I get how you feel." she climbs down so she's sitting opposite you.

Fire Obsidian: "I like it." She smiles. "It's cute."

Mercury: "I like it too," she seems unable to sit still, and immediatly rolls onto her back with her legs up, letting the tail droop onto her face, "I just wish every time I looked at it didn't make me think of Vermillion... and what I did to her." she looks at you, hair flat on the ground, "i guess you don't want me to go into that, huh?"

Fire Obsidian: "You can if you want to. If it'd make you feel better." Fire obsidian lays down beside her.

Mercury: She doesn't move from her overturned position, but her eyes become a bit more wistfull. "Actually, there's not a lot to say. I was lonely. I thought you were still with Crysheli and was like, 'yeah, by the time I get back she's not gonna be interested'." she flops over, "I brought her out, and she was furious with me. Rightly so, I guess, I did keep her trapped in a gem for like a year. Tried to patch things out, but one thing lead to another..."(edited) "She started getting corrupted, and I thought... maybe if I fused with her, I could keep her together a bit longer. Maybe I should've been more sensible, but I was desperate. The fusion was more like taming an animal. Usually I just let her stay in control but... well. It was kinda fun.'

Fire Obsidian: "...It scares me, I guess." Obby shrugs. "Before the dark war, the fusion I'd been in had... Only really been about love. It's still special to me, I just. It has practical uses, too." "I suppose the thought that intimacy like that can turn so damaging is what's spooky."

Mercury: "You know, before I met you I had never thought of fusing with another gem. We mercuries are basically made to love one another. Fusing with you... it was a spark that I could never have imagined. A kind of love that I'd never experienced before." she sighs, "but sometimes I wonder if that was just the flare of the moment. Maybe I only love you because of what we've been through... then again, i've not been through that, and I love you."

Fire Obsidian: Fire obsidian lays on her back, and grits her teeth to hold back what might be a sob, building in her chest. Her eyes water, so she closes them, and breathes for a moment.

Fire Obsidian: "...You've never said it before."

Mercury: "I've said it loads of times. You were just never listening," if you open your eyes, you'll find a mercury looking directly over you in a 'hey are you dead' fashion, "...are you upset? It's kind of hard to tell sometimes. I'm not great with faces."

Fire Obsidian: Obby opens her eyes, and smiles, and wipes away the tears when this pushes them from her eyes. "No, I'm not upset."(edited) "I'm sorry I didn't listen." She murmurs, and reaches up with one hand to gently cup Mercury's face. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you before." "I made a bad choice. I forgot how much trauma changes people." "...Not one day goes by where I don't regret watching you leave in your box, you know. I should've said something. I should've told you."

Mercury:

Fire Obsidian: >drop off slowly

Mercury: As your consciousness fades off into sleepyland, you feel... well... it'd odd. It's like you're dreaming, except instead of movement and images it's feelings... emotions. At first it fills your throat with joy, but it quickly senses, until you're filled with anger and pain. Then, it starts to fade out, until you feel... empty. But not for long. You can feel a little spark of joy, fear, anger, fear sadness, mostly fear actually, but all with the distinct undertone of... excitement... and one final emotion. One you can't quite put your finger on, but that seems incredibly familiar. You try to think of the first time you felt it, and all you can remember. Is copper. When you open your eyes, you find yourself back in the captains room, curled up on the bed in a similar position to how you feel asleep inside mercury's gem. She sleeps just next to you, one hand loosly in yours, and her gem glows gently as she breathes. Drool drips from her lips... Mercury's snoring is gross af.

Fire Obsidian: >wipe the drool off her chin, and gently pull her close >try not to cry >cry a lot

Mercury: Fire Obsidian pinned a message to this channel. See all the pins.Last Thursday at 6:59 PM

Mercury: "mm... no orintar... i won't let you try my hotdogs..." mercury mutters in her sleep, as she wraps her arms around you

Fire Obsidian: >best orintar impression: "Hurrr, hotdogs..."

Mercury: "Mmm..." mercury begins chewing your dress "spicey"

Fire Obsidian: >laugh and sniffle a little

Mercury: Mercury's eyes open and she looks up at you, a bit confused for a second. "moh... hi..."

Fire Obsidian: "hurrrr, give me your hotdogs, lass,"

Mercury: Mercury seems very confused as she lets the dress drop our her mouth, still only half awake

Fire Obsidian: >laugh, gently pet

Mercury: Mercury blinks a few times, then rubs her eyes, "when I pulled you out you were fast asleep." she yawns, "did you find what..." she thinks for a moment, "why did I send you in in the first place?"

Fire Obsidian: >very gently, softly kiss her

Mercury: Mercury seems confused for a second, but slowly curls back up to obby, her hair twirling around one of her legs. I guess... she found it she thinks, as she drifts off. Mercury seems taken aback by your touching her and the shift in mood, but smiles softly, "I wish you had... but then again, maybe I should've stayed a bit longer. I got so wound up with the thoughts in my head. I was so afraid that you'd grown to hate me, or that I wasn't doing anything useful, that I started to believe it. Whenever I came to ea- home, I just felt like an outsider." She frowns "guess I really am not welcome there now though,"

Fire Obsidian: "you're welcome with me." She murmurs. "...When all this is over, I'll try and patch things up with the humans." "maybe... Maybe us saving them again will be enough."

Mercury: "Really! You'll talk to Obama?" Mecury beams, then hugs her. A few second pass, and her hugs before slightly more desperate. "I... I really am sorry, you know."

Fire Obsidian: "I know." Murmurs Obby, and strokes her hair. "I know. I forgive you." "completely and entirely. I always will."

Mercury: "I thought... the reason the humans hated us was because of our technology... so maybe if we shared it we wouldn't have to worry about humans anymore. We could just focus on saving the universe and stuff." You feel a few tears on your shoulder, "I mean, I guess I didn't think it though I... I didn't want to hurt you. I know I messed up. I just wanted to escape. For a while I felt like all I had left to do was strand myself on an island. I still don't understand why you'd forgive me." You can feel her hands digging into your dress. (( Not too far away from my logic OCC

Fire Obsidian: Fire Obby keeps stroking. "I forgive you because I love you. And that's how it works."

Mercury: "But... that makes no logical sense! I need to do something for you," she pulls herself away and starts gesturing wildly with her hands, "something BIG, something of equal value to make up for what I done. Tell me! What do you want!"

Fire Obsidian: "I want you to keep fighting. And not give up. And not give yourself up."

Mercury: Mercury's smile fades and her arms drop, she looks deep in through for a moment, "you know... I don't really mean any of that stuff. I mean, I kinda do, but that dosen't mean I WANT to," she steps forward and takes your hands, "I want to be there for you and protect you whatever that entails, even if it means hurting myself but... only as a last resort. Because then I wouldn't be able to stay with you, right?" she smiles, "I will always keep fighting. It's what I do. Even when I really, really don't need to. In fact," she steps back a moment, "when this is all over, I'm going to try and... stop."

Fire Obsidian: Fire obsidian grins again. Her eyes water a little. "I'll help. I'll do whatever I can."

Mercury: She puts her hands together thoughtfully, "okay, so here's the plan. You talk to Mister Obama, if you can work something out, I'll stay on earth. And if not... well, I'll have to prove my worth... And I'll train gems to fight! To travel and save more gems, we'll make like, an embassy and junk. I dunno. And during the day I'll open up a Pizzaria. Teach gems how to eat human food. Every now and again we could take a holiday to... I dunno. Some planet in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we can get a sexy summer home! " she steps forwards, and takes your hands again, "We'll... need to work things out as they come, but I just want to be with you." (( slep time (( hoepfully we fan finish tomorrow : )))

Fire Obsidian: Fire obby grins wider, crying a little more this time. "I'd like that." Laventhal Squad! - Last Thursday at 11:12 AM ((im fucking sobbing))

Fire Obsidian: (relatable)

Mercury: You feel her hand tense, "and uh... I... Know I've asked a lot from you but... I want you to do one something...*

Fire Obsidian: "what is it?" She murmurs. "anything."

Mercury: Her hands are too tight they start to hurt a little, "I... I fuck up. A lot. I know I don't tend to show it much, I'm used to having to stay strong and cool but... inside I'm furious with myself. I shouldn't have abandoned you, I should've been better to Jade..." her eyes start welling up, "this world is confusing and i'm constantly just... angry with everything I do. I don't need another person angry I... eugh..." she wipes the tears from her eyes, "I know it's a lot to ask but... I really do try. I just not to try sometimes, y'know. I really am trying my best to... do the best for you all. Ugh. The point I'm trying to make is... please don't be so angry..." she takes your hand again, it's wet. "And please... let Violet deal with all the diplomacy stuff. You were so much happier when you weren't stressing about everything."

Fire Obsidian: Obby's face falls. "I... Just... I can't just, give it all to her..." "o-of course I'll keep my temper in line, I... I should never have snapped at you. But... The republic..."

Mercury: "The republic will deal without you... I'm not saying just straight up abandon them right away, but if we keep going how we're going you're just going to build up tension with Violet. And she's a diamond that was MADE for this kinda stuff."

Fire Obsidian: She looks away, upset. "...Why did it have to be her... Anyone else, and... But... Her, a diamond?" She shakes her head. "I worked so hard for so long... She just turns up and deserves the keys to the kingdom?" "she doesn't know what we've been through. She believes she has the divine right to rule." "And that's wrong. We should have elected leaders."

Mercury: "Steven is a diamond. Rose quartz was a diamond. Does that change how you view them?" she sighs, "I feel deep down... it's taking something out of you... but you know yourself better than I. If you truely want to lead, then I will support you every step of the way," she smiles gently, "perhaps you need to understand that the homeworld isn't so different from the crystal gems."

Fire Obsidian: "...maybe." "Steven doesn't believe he has the right to rule. That's what's different. Violet thinks that by virtue of her birth, she must rule." "...And I resent that."(edited) "But maybe you're right, maybe I... Got lost along the way..." "maybe violet is worthy. But I've known her for two months and I don't like her any better. I like her even less. She's intriguing and charismatic, but..." "honestly merc? I can't stand her."

Mercury: Mercury is quiet for a moment, "true... the gem republic isn't hers to rule... but neither is it yours. It's a place where gems can come to live as they please, regardless of what they were made for. I don't like her either, but then again. I don't like Obama. I don't like a lot of things. But I deal with them because I know they're what's good for us." "Plus, she WAS made to rule... but maybe that's just me talking."

Fire Obsidian: "she was but that doesn't mean she should." "I... I need some time to consider it." "but I will consider it. Deeply. I want us to be happy."

Mercury: "But she's allowed to want to. That's the problem with politics... people want different things." she smiles gently, looking at their hands, "thank you. That's all I ask. I know it's a little selfish but... I really feel it would be better for you."

Fire Obsidian: Obby nods.

Mercury: "We can work something out when this is all over, with the crystal gems and violet and everything."

Fire Obsidian: "yeah. We'll figure it out."

Mercury: Mercury is silent for a moment, and she looks at you. Her eyes flicker with childish excitement, as she pulls you too your feet, "let's dance!" she grins.

Fire Obsidian: Fire obsidian grins as well, and without pause, starts to spin mercury around in circles.

Mercury: The two spin and dance soosley - occasionally Mercury takes a few steps, but for the most part she lets herself act freely, smiling with the biggest grin you've ever seen her. "There's no music yet, but that dosen't matter." she takes one final twirl, and lets go of Obby's hands, "we'll make OUR OWN!" she smiles, and you're thrust several steps back slightly dizzy.

Fire Obsidian: >laugh, stagger to catch my balance

Mercury: Mercury laughs with you, a genuine laugh that you've never heard before, she skips lightly while her head stops spinning. "Sorry! I've never done that before!"

Fire Obsidian: "never danced?"

Mercury: "Not yet, at least!" she shrugs, "I will someday. I'm only like, a decade old."

Fire Obsidian: She nods. "I promise you will."

Mercury: She yawns, and looks about," I was waiting for my Vermillion but... I know she's not coming back anymore. And that's fine, cause I'd much rather stay with you."

Fire Obsidian: >hug her

Mercury: She accepts your hug, and you can feel her body growing heavy in your arms. When she finally puls herself away, she sits down by the rock, and invites you next to her with a tired expression on your face.

Fire Obsidian: >sit down "time for me to go?"

Mercury: "Mm..." she looks very tried, but happy, "please stay. You've come such a long way... I wish you didn't have to. I wish I could've just told you all this..."

Fire Obsidian: >lay my head gently on her shoulder "I'll stay for as long as you like."

Mercury: "No... stay as long as you like. You're only here because I dragged you here," she yawns softly, "usually when Mercury comes through here, she's trying to get past as quickly s possible. This time she talked to me. There's a lot of stuff she wants to tell you, but she dosen't know how," she smiles weakly, "which is why I did."

Fire Obsidian: >smile in return. "But you look tired. I don't want to exauhst you."

Mercury: She closes her eyes, and seems to get heavier as she rests her head on yours, "Sleep with me..."

Fire Obsidian: >lay down, curl up with her.

Mercury: Her breathing slows, "I won't... remember any of this. But I'll feel it." you feel her smile, "sorry to bring you all this way."

Fire Obsidian: >kiss her forehead "it was my pleasure."

Mercury: Mercury dosen't respond, it seems she's fallen asleep.

Fire Obsidian: >lay with her a little while, before pondering how to get back to the surface

Mercury: The sky above seems like... water... no... mercury, except it's all white. It's kind of dreamy... you feel yourself nodding off too.

As your consciousness fades off into sleepyland, you feel... well... it'd odd. It's like you're dreaming, except instead of movement and images it's feelings... emotions. At first it fills your throat with joy, but it quickly senses, until you're filled with anger and pain. Then, it starts to fade out, until you feel... empty. But not for long. You can feel a little spark of joy, fear, anger, fear sadness, mostly fear actually, but all with the distinct undertone of... excitement... and one final emotion. One you can't quite put your finger on, but that seems incredibly familiar. You try to think of the first time you felt it, and all you can remember. Is copper.

When you open your eyes, you find yourself back in the captains room, curled up on the bed in a similar position to how you feel asleep inside mercury's gem. She sleeps just next to you, one hand loosly in yours, and her gem glows gently as she breathes. Drool drips from her lips... Mercury's snoring is gross af.