Farewell, O bane of my existence [THUNDS!]

[phunke]

Today is the new best day of my life. I love the Reaping. I love it so much.
Oh shuck, am I actually showing genuine affection for something?
Whatever. I'm allowed to show affection for stuff.
Especially, and by that I mean definitely, when it involves Mercury Duval stepping up to her death.
Man, the Cap comes up with some seriously good ideas sometimes, and I can't help but think that this is one of them.

I can't keep the bounce out of my step or the scowl on my face as I practically shucking skip through the Square of District Five. It's so tiny and dirty, nothing at all compared to our City Circle. I'm across it in no time; the crowd has mostly dispersed at this point, and few are aiming for the Justice Building like I am. When I reach its doors, I pause and smooth out my tank top. (This is a fresh one that I put on before I cut a hole in the fence; wouldn't want to look all dirty for my visit.) My thoughts flick back to intently listening to the Reaping from behind the fence, hearing Angel (also known as Mercury) volunteer, quickly cutting into the fence with special Capitol-provided tools. What? We had to have a way to get into the Districts without alerting the Keepers. That would just cause unnecessary trouble. But that doesn't matter now.

I smirk with satisfaction and push through the doors. After walking through the entrance area, ignoring any confused stares that shoot my way, I enter a side-area with two doors: one room has the girl-trib, and one has the boy. I pause before her door and listen. No talking that I can discern; I assume her parents have already come and gone.
Suddenly I'm not sure why I'm here. I guess I automatically made a bee-line for this place the minute Angel volunteered, but...why? To gloat? To yell at her for deserting our mission? To congratulate her on what is probably the best decision she's ever made?

My eyes rise into their signature roll. Whatever. None of this is of actual importance.

With that thought, I impatiently twist the knob before me and assertively stride into the room, slamming the door shut behind me.
Before me is my most important ally, and my most hated enemy.
Mercury Duval.

Despite the rage boiling inside me at the sight of her awful face, I suddenly burst into laughter. Because shuck it, her hair looks awful.

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Okay, so maybe seeing her parents' reaction to the fact that she had just volunteered to be sent off to some hell-hole of murder sort of rained on her parade. Just a bit. Today was a day for the record books. Mercury Duval became a tribute, and for the first time in her life, she brought shame to her parents' perfect imaginary dreamworld self which they pictured her to be.

"Darling, how could you do a thing like this?"

"How could you send yourself off to die?"

"You're not depressed, are you honey?"

"You're not prepared! Darling, you'd have to kill people to come back to us! You can't do that, you're too sweet!"

There were so many tears in that goodbye that Mercury wanted to yell at her parents and tell them to get the hell out of the room and stop acting like a couple of babies. Tears were disgusting, and her parents were completely embarrassing. No one was there to watch her goodbyes, of course, but she was ashamed. Ashamed that her parents were both complete and utter idiots. They let her down; why were they not supporting her decision!?! They always supported her decisions.

Whatever. Soon enough the goodbyes were over and her parents were sent weeping out of the room, leaving Mercury to sit by herself in silence.

But not for long.

Mercury actually jumped slightly when the door knob twisted again. Someone else was there to visit her? It was surprising to her, having been so cruel to everyone before. Who else was there?

Though the moment she saw who it was, she definitely didn't want to be there, sitting in that empty room anymore. Put her on a train. Send her to the Capitol. Kill her. Don't make her talk to Nala.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mercury questioned, though the level of anger in her voice was far below what she had actually expected it to be. She tried to make up for the lack of strength in her voice with a cold glare, and it confused her when even that attempt fell flat and the look upon her face was almost half-normal.

And then right there, right in front of her, Nala randomly started laughing uncontrollably. This brought an actual glare to Mercury's hazel eyes as she contemplated what was so funny about the situation.

"What's wrong with you?!" Mercury half-shrieked at her. She had to resist the urge to start laughing as well, because what was so funny in the first place?

Nala was always so confusing.

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[phunke]

ooc; You know what? I really, really need to go to bed now, but I'm not going to make you wait another night for some Nerctastic goodness. Since I cannot type a legit post in the one minute I have before I go to bed, I'm going to give you some BARE BONES dialog and actions. I promise I'll edit a legit post in here eventually. ^^ Enjoy

bic;

Nala chuckles at Mercury's surprised and slightly nauseous expression. When Mercury speaks, she just laughs more, almost doubling over with the force of it. She clutches her abdomen and her eyes are shut; she hears Mercury's indignant-sounding question and an actual tear [?!?!?!?!] leaks out.
When she hears Mercury's half-shriek, she makes a sort of 'Pffffffffffffft' sound and forces herself to stop laughing, then says the following words.
"Well Angel honey, we're buds! I simply had to come see you off. And..." She relapses back into laughter.
[If you can imagine the most sarcastic tone of voice that you have ever heard in your life, apply it mentally to the following words]:
"It's just...Oh Mercury, you just look so beautiful!
Nala strokes her own hair in mockery and smirks through more laughter, then steps across the room and sits down near Mercury.

ooc; Oh god, Nala in third-person just feels wrong. xD
Hope that gives you enough to go on for now. :]

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

The laughter in the room was uncontrollable, but Mercury no longer wanted any part in it. The amusement of the situation had only lasted a second, and was gone just as quickly. She didn't want to be there. She was tired of Nala acting as she did towards her. She just wanted to be brought to the freaking train already. Was the time up yet? Could she leave?

Then finally the laughter stopped, just long enough for Nala to say the words, "Well Angel honey, we're buds! I simply had to come see you off. And..."

The complete and utter anger that showed upon Mercury's face right then was apparent. Nala was laughing hysterically again, for whatever reasons Mercury could not grasp. She wanted to slap Nala across the face and she wanted to tell her to shut her mouth even before she continued with her comment, but she kept herself from doing so.

Yeah. Best buds, they were.

"It's just... Oh Mercury, you just look so beautiful!" Nala said in an obviously sarcastic tone. Though for whatever reason, Mercury's mind didn't register the tone of voice. She only realized the words that were spoken. It was oh so obviously meant to be a joke, but Mercury took it to be an actual compliment.

Her angered glare softened to a prideful glance that she had perfected over the years at the idea, and nodded calmly. Even a smile reached her face. "I know! I look amazing." Her voice sounded truly excited.

Even so, she uncomfortably scooted away when Nala came and sat next to her. Not only was it instinctive, but the idea of catching Nala germs still hadn't quite left her. Plus it was obvious where they stood. Or at least kind of obvious.

"Eww, get away from me."

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[phunke]

So scared of breaking it that you wont let it bend
I wrote two hundred letters I will never send
Sometimes these cuts are so much deeper than they seem
You'd rather cover up, I'd rather let them bleed

How can something - no, someone - so disgusting, so revolting, be so hilarious? I allow myself another glance at Mercury's hair, the jagged edge at the bottom, the way the split ends brush on her shoulders in an agitated fashion.
Oh. That's how.
I refrain from laughing again. There's been altogether too much laughing going on within the last minute or so. Seriously. Too much happiness, even if it is at Angel's expense. My head tilts to the side as I survey her hair again. It's so...brown. It looks like most other hair I've seen, but with fewer tangles and more shine. It pains me to even think it, but even with a large, rough chunk missing, it doesn't look so terrible. It's almost...more badass. And I am certainly someone who can appreciate badass things.
I snort half-heartedly as she exclaims about how great she looks. Yeah. Sure. You keep thinking that. It's funny and disgustingly awful how self-absorbed this chick is. It's like she seriously cannot get enough of her own perfection. Sheesh. She's so different from me, the recluse who doesn't like anything, least of all herself. In a funny way, we sort of...balance each other.
Not that that's good. Because it isn't. This is Mercury we're talking about here.

Almost the moment I sit down, she whines about my presence. It brings a smile to my face, one that almost feels natural. This is too fun. How would I amuse myself if Mercury weren't here to torture?
Oh. She won't be here.
It hits me, finally.
Mercury is leaving; she's volunteered for the Hunger Games; she's going to go there and she's going to die because she's a dumbass.
Why does this make me feel uncomfortable? It really shouldn't.
I feel my eyebrows contract roughly. This is wrong. I turn toward her, my body stiff on the plush couch. This room is too happy, like the mood was a minute ago. It's like the world is okay with Angel going and getting herself killed. I'm okay with that too, aren't I? She's the shucking bane of my existence. This girl is hell.
I want to tell her this and more. What comes out is "Mercury, you shucking dumbass, what the shuck were you thinking?! You just had to go shucking volunteer and you're going to get yourself killed, I don't even-"
I have to stop. How did my voice rise in pitch? Why does my whole face feel contracted? This is wrong, all wrong. I shake my head in disgust, at the Games, at Mercury, at myself.

So let me be and I'll set you free oh yeah
I am in misery there ain't nobody who can comfort me oh yeah
Why wont you answer me? the silence is slowly killing me oh yeah
Girl you really got me bad, you really got me bad
I'm gonna get you back, I'm gonna get you back

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

What? Wait, what? Mercury's face contorted into a look of confusion as she looked at Nala, who was once again muddling her thoughts and causing her to stare blankly at the ground as her confused mind tried to sort out the situation. Why the hell could she never make any sense? Mercury was always in control of every situation. Why was it that whenever Nala was involved, all of her careful control went right down the drain and her thoughts became muddled? Why why why?

Nala was evil. That had to be it. She was so evil that Mercury was intimidated by her presence, and this was the center of her confusion.

Yes, that has to be it.. She thought to herself, completely sure that this was the correct answer up until the moment that Nala spoke again. Today was supposed to be her day, and Nala was ruining it!

"Mercury, you shucking dumbass, what the shuck were you thinking?! You just had to go shucking volunteer and you're going to get yourself killed, I don't even-" Nala's voice was unusually high, and it was almost as if she was just as confused as Mercury was herself.

The words that were being tossed her way only made her confusion a billion times worse. She wanted to hate Nala and to yell at her and fight with her just as she always had, but now Nala was.. what? Going to miss Mercury if she died? The idea was impossible. They fought with each other like no one ever had before; there was no way that Nala was going to miss her.

Then what? Nala was playing some sick joke and pretending to act all nice?

And why the hell did it even matter?

For once in her life, Mercury Duval was lost for words. The pause seemed never-ending, multiplying the awkwardness of the situation by an exorbitant amount, let alone the fact that it only worsened her jumbled thoughts.

"But, but, but.. Huh?" She paused for another moment, still unable to gather her thoughts.

"...Why does it matter?"

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[phunke]

Could this be any worse? This whole visit, from stepping through the fence to walking into the Justice Building to opening the door to this very room. This whole visit is getting worse. I can't explain it. I can't explain anything; all I know is that there is a twisting, searing feeling somewhere around my lungs. It's uncomfortable, to say the least. I have no idea why I came here; I originally assumed it was to taunt her, but now I'm not so sure. Is there any point to me sitting in this room right now? I feel so confused and Mercury looks the same. Obviously I've just screwed things up even worse than they were before. Something inside me is convoluted and it's just started to bother me.
Mercury speaks, and her words confirm what I suspected from her facial expression. Neither of us has any idea what the shuck is going on. I close my eyes in frustration, and an actual growl escapes my throat. It's horrible! Why is she doing this to me? Volunteering, fighting, everything she does makes me feel awful. And now she's gone and asked my why it matters and "Shuck if I know. What the hell, Mercury? Why do you think it matters? Because it doesn't! You're about to die, remember?"
I'm not sure when the last time was that I was this angry. All my arguments with Angel were petty disagreements compared to this rage.
It's infuriating. And it's all her fault. I can't stand it, I won't take it anymore. My arm moves of its own volition, releasing huge amounts of pent-up energy and tension.
My hand flies across her face, with satisfying sound effects to go with. It was a hard slap, definitely; I'm surprised - did I mean it to hurt that much? Maybe, maybe not. Before she can process this, before I can process this, I make what may well be the stupidest mistake of my life.
One hand is on the couch for stability - as if stability exists in this world of ours - and my shoulders fling forward as I lean, uncontrolled, toward the hate of my life. My brain shuts off the moment our lips touch.

ooc; oh god, awful post. xD

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

I must be getting sick or something.. Mercury thought, still staring blankly at the ground and trying to sort out her thoughts. She started to tap her foot nervously against the ground, unable to vent out her anxious thoughts in any other way. She usually attacked and tortured people when she was feeling bad.. hell, she would attack and torture people even when she wasn't feeling bad.. but could she attack Nala?

She wanted to attack Nala, but whether she would ever be able to bring herself to do so at that moment was the real question. She was almost completely sure that she wouldn't be able to. Might as well add that to her list of confusing questions.

And it wasn't as if Nala was in complete control of the situation. She was just as confused as Mercury was, with the closing of her eyes and the noise that sounded something like a growl resonating from her. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with the both of them?

The words that next came from Nala's mouth only made the whole world seem ten thousand times more confusing than it already was. Which was to say that everything that made sense was no longer right, and control of the situation was the last thing that Mercury was thinking of.

"Shuck if I know. What the hell, Mercury? Why do you think it matters? Because it doesn't! You're about to die, remember?"

And then the next thing she knew, Nala's hand was flying straight towards her face, slapping Mercury so hard that her head was violently thrown to the side, quickly and painfully. It was probably the first time in her whole entire life that she had been hit without first provoking someone. Or did all of this confusion count as provocation? It didn't seem like it. Or else Mercury didn't mean it to be so.

WHAT THE HELL? Is the first thought that runs clearly through her mind as Nala suddenly leans in and kisses her. It was so completely and utterly unexpected that Mercury didn't even have a chance to feel angry about the fact that she was just bitch-slapped for whatever reason.

And then it all (sort of) made sense.

Kissing Nala? Why was she enjoying this?!? But then of course there was only one answer to that, and that one answer (sort of) cleared up all of her muddled thoughts.

Sort of.

Almost instantaneously, she pulled away from Nala and glared at her. Her gaze was weak, however, and it was completely contradicted by the huge silly grin that had somehow landed upon her face without her actually consciously putting it there. When she tried to frown, it didn't work. She couldn't not smile.

But then Mercury did the only thing that made sense right then, and that was to retaliate and slap Nala in the face as well.

She was satisfied right then to just stand up and leave so as to never speak to this confusing person ever again, but she didn't. She wasn't sure at all what she was doing, but the next thing she knew, there she was again, leaning in to kiss Nala and this time anticipating it.

Everything (sort of) made sense.

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