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    Never Skip Leg Day

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 7,126,000

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 28th March 2020, 2:47 pm

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    His returning teasing comment elicited a wider grin from her. “Is that so?” she said as he informed her that she wasn’t that much of a challenge. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to step up my game then.” A simple threat, but one he could be sure she would more than fulfill. If he wanted to sass back -- and she loved when he did -- then Mercury was only going to use it as an excuse to be even worse than she already was.

    And he wouldn’t have to wait terribly long for that particular shoe to drop, as Mercury inquired as to whether or not he was going to join her in fully indulging the setting or not. The mention of the chains got exactly the expression she had been hoping for out of him, his stony gaze quickly darting away as his cheeks turned a little pink. Themesycia and Simon both fed on the tidbit of information like starved beasts, his mother gasping in shock and voicing her pleasure over the insight into Vandrad’s naughty side that she probably assumed he didn’t even have after all this time. Simon was equally as impressed by the notion, going so far as to comment about how he and Themesycia apparently shared a kink.

    That seemed to be the cue for him to make a decision. Curly agreeing to the teased request, he did his usual schtick of grumbling and pulling her away, complete with calling her “woman” which Mercury had long since deemed a term of endearment, even though he definitely didn’t mean it to be. What was weird about it was that he actually took her by the hand, rather than dragging her firmly by her arm or elbow. It wasn’t something that she made a comment on or even thought too overly hard about, but she did make a mental note of it, tucking it away in the same corner of her brain that she’d stored all the other weird occurances away for later contemplation.

    She’d gotten ready and emerged from the station, proudly clad in her new attire and firmly expecting him to be brooding against a wall somewhere waiting for her to come out. Instead, Vandrad caught her by complete and utter surprise by having taken the time to don himself in an outfit that almost exactly matched how he’d looked the day Mercury kidnapping. Her green eyes went fully wide for a brief moment before she erupted in a deep, belly clutching laughter that almost caused her to lose her balance in her heels. Stumbling just a bit, she rested her hand on the nearest surface to steady herself, her torso bent over as she continued to laugh and laugh until one or two small tears dripped out of her eyes.

    “Oh my fucking stars,” she breathed, doing her best to collect and compose herself. It was the hardest she’d laughed around him before. Actually, it was probably the hardest she’d ever laughed at all, given that she was rarely if ever prone to boisterous displays of emotion. Normally all of her mannerisms were very subdued, even her flirts and grins and teases, but it seemed he’d found the right strategy to get a rather uncharacteristic reaction out of her.

    And he wasn’t the only one. While she had been busy laughing, apparently he had been busy admiring her own attire, and his satisfaction of it was nearly impossible to miss. Similarly unmistakable was the teasing look on her face when she noticed it, giving him a cheshire grin that was even wider than usual given how hard she’d just been laughing. He dryly congratulated her on fitting in with the locals, though the comment was a pretty feeble cover up. Vandrad must have recognized that because he didn’t even give her a chance to say anything about it, quickly turning and heading back up toward his family with her following in his wake, smiling wickedly.

    He somehow managed to get himself under control by then, probably pretty desperate to keep his family from making comments. Now Mercury was in a conundrum, however. Since the moment she realized what she was in for with this after party, she’d had it pretty set in her head that she was going to use every conceivable opportunity to keep stringing Themesycia and Simon along, curious to see how far she could push one or both of them before they exploded. And while she still greatly wanted to do that, there was also a part of her that was equally as interested in turning more of her focus on Vandrad.

    Not necessarily in an attempt to get him to sleep with her again; they’d already played that game, and she highly doubted he was very interested in a round two, betraying bodily reactions aside. Rather, it was the mild streak of sadism in Mercury that was greatly titillated by the idea of getting further such embarrassing reactions out of him in front of his family, feuling them with just as much dirt and gossip as they had done with her about the surly man. The idea sounded more than delightful to her.

    Well, she’d play it by ear.

    When they got back to the dais, Simon had supposedly run off somewhere. The two of them sat at the behest of Vandrad’s mother, with Mercury between the two of them. The prince inquired as to his uncle’s whereabouts, to which Themesycia explained that she was fairly certain he’d spotted another pair of relatives that Mercury had yet to meet. Knowing that the Silver Wolf mage would be without context, the duchess elaborated to say that the other uncle and aunt, Dudley and Everance, apparently were known for never coming to the formal galas but always showing up in time for the party that followed after.

    “I can’t say I blame them,” Mercury chirped. “Not that the gala wasn’t fun, because I did greatly enjoy it. It was the nicest event I’ve ever been to. However, this is much more exciting.” It took almost no time at all for the duchess to slip an arm around Mercury’s back and start trailing her fingers down her thigh, commenting on how much she enjoyed the change in attire, as well as to the woman’s hair, which was now much easier to hold onto. “Uh oh,” Mercury purred back teasingly, “She’s catching onto my ploys. I think I’m in trouble.”

    Themesycia reached for her drink only to find it conveniently empty. Glancing to her son, she asked him to fetch her another glass, and one for Mercury as well. No one was fooled by the tactic, least of all Vandrad, who narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his mother and wondered aloud why she couldn’t do it herself. She easily replied that it was kinder that he do the favor for his mother as a gesture of love, as well as saying how it would be rude for him to expect his guest to service herself in his own home.

    Whatever he did or did not take away from her words, it seemed it was enough to persuade him. He stood, confirming Themesycia’s drink request before looking to Mercury and asking if she wanted anything. “A beer of some kind would be lovely,” she told him. “Preferably something on the darker side if it’s available.” With that, he turned and made his way through the crowd and toward the bar, leaving Mercury grinning as she watched him go, entertained by how obedient he was at home. Not that she’d ever ordered him around before, so to speak, but she was fairly certain if she tried he’d just tell her to fuck off for the sake of being stubborn. There was only one time she could think of that he’d ever taken a suggestion or order from her without resistance, and that had been during a very real life or death situation.

    But of course, now the two women were alone again, and her attention could only stay so long on his taut, barely concealed ass before it was pulled back in the direction of his equally attractive mother. Mercury’s eyes twinkled with mirth and mischief as the duchess stated her open opinion of what the Silver Wolf’s attire was doing for her, feeling the woman’s hand squeeze a bit tighter on her leg. But rather than allow herself to be so easily baited into that kind of talk, she gave the older woman a wicked smirk and innocently remarked, “Well, it certainly wasn’t a reaction he was capable of hiding in that loin cloth.”

    Then, just as innocently, she allowed herself to follow up with a bit of verbal teasing of her own toward the duchess. “Though if I may, nothing was sexier tonight than you taking that self absorbed bimbo to task.” Mercury gave a dreamy sigh, turning her head up slightly toward the ceiling as though fondly reminiscing over the still recent memory. “I’ll admit I’m a little disappointed that my chance to take revenge and ridicule her myself was taken away, but honestly it was probably better that you and Vandrad stepped in before I could. Otherwise, they’d still be mopping the blood off the floor, and I’d hate to cause that kind of scene in your own home when you and your family have been so generous to me all night. Besides, it’s not like I was the only one of your guests she was harping on, so you had more cause to let loose than I did, and I greatly appreciated the show.”

    WORDS: 1645/13,111 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
    Position : None
    Posts : 792
    Guild : Fairy Tail
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 8,080,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 28th March 2020, 4:02 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    Vandrad couldn’t have been more pleased. Granted, in only a moment, it was going to go awry and rear its head on him but for the brief moment after she emerged, he had won his attempt. His joke had caught her for a moment in stunned awe before she burst out laughing, cackling away with a vigor unlike he had ever seen from her. Normally she was so cool and collected, even in her own amusement. But his obvious call back to their time in Desierto, poking fun at himself was too much for her to handle. She laughed and she laughed hard. He hadn’t honestly felt this proud in a long time. Yet his moment was lost the minute he actually took the sight of her in and had his own reaction against his will. And she was proud too, giving him a look of absolute satisfaction. But he wasn’t going to give her time to speak on it, retreating into the crowd and back towards the couch. By the time they returned, he had collected himself fully.

    Simon missing was… odd. Then again, it had been some time since he’d seen his uncle Dudley and aunt Everance so it was probably just as long for the rest of his family. They lived on the outskirts of Bellum, rarely taking time to come out as they had their own responsibilities and children to take care of. Still, Vandrad scanned the crowd warily as he sat down, even as Themesycia slid her hand around Mercury and made herself comfortable basically cuddling the Silver Wolf mage. “Oh I’m sure that wasn’t your intent at all,” the Duchess said with a chuckle, grinning at the other woman. “You surely don’t seem like one that wants to look for trouble.”

    It was only a moment later that she discovered – gasp! – that her drink was empty. She handed off the duty of getting a refill to Vandrad, who had looked at her curiously. She played it off as merely wanting her son to help her out, as well as getting a drink for their mutual guest. He didn’t buy it fully of course – the look he gave told them both just that. But he had heard Mercury’s statement about not being left alone for more than ten minutes. And between walking through the crowd to the bar, getting the drinks and coming back, it would be less than five. Hell, he could watch them from the bar once he was there. He knew he had plenty of opportunity to keep his mother from getting too handsy with the Silver Wolf mage… well, more handsy. So he agreed, taking Mercury’s beer order as well and heading through the dancing patrons.

    Themesycia was grinning with a bit more confidence than before, like someone that knew something others didn’t. Mercury idly answered her question about the Prince’s reaction, claiming it wasn’t something he could simply hide away. She chuckled softly. “Poor man. Finally participated in the dress up and you torture him by making yourself look like a delicious sex doll,” she said with a smirk.

    Yet Mercury wasn’t done, returning to the point she considered the sexiest moment – which was when Themesycia had verbally assaulted Sabine. As Vandrad arrived at the bar and looked back, he could see his mother chuckling while Mercury stared at the ceiling in an almost dream-like state. It wasn’t particularly concerning but it seemed whatever the Silver Wolf mage was explaining had the Duchess greatly entertained. “Believe me, I was truly tempted to let either one of you handle it. But for the sake of keeping of appearances and not starting a war with Midi, I felt I had to step in. There are only so many times I can ravage the Midian army before it becomes stale and boring,” Themesycia said between her laughs. “But I am truly glad you enjoyed the show. I like to keep my court tidy and if anyone steps out of line, I’m more than happy to step in and… advise them on how wrong they are.”

    “But speaking of shows…” she said a bit softly, her hand starting to tip toe along Mercury’s thigh. She leaned down close, though she gestured slightly with her other hand in the direction Vandrad. “It looks like my trap has been sprung perfectly. There stands my son, truthfully taken off guard – he rarely participates in these events and thus, has no idea of the ploys we discuss and run. So you’ll imagine his surprise when suddenly…”

    “Vandrad! There you are,” Simon came out from the crowd, throwing his hands out in excitement. “Come here, Dud, Ever.”

    Out from the crowd emerged two familiar faces; one incredibly monstrous and the other petite, at least in terms of her husband. Dudley was an absolute monster of a man – standing almost eight feet tall, he was all muscle and brawn and royal looks. Clean, evenly brushed ginger hair topped his head and a thick, exquisite mustache graced his upper lip. He was wearing a velvet jacket, fur lining the collar, yet with no undershirt so as to reveal his rippling body. He also wore a heavy gold belt that could be used to wrap up three people easily on top of black pants and stylish boots. Everance was a beautiful woman with eyes aflutter with mystery and playfulness. She was wearing a single black dress, that had triangle cut outs over the chest to reveal a healthy portion of her bosom. It was also slit up the left side, giving an almost full look of her leg up to her hip. She finished off the outfit with a pair of black heels.

    “Vandrad, my boy! How is the noble warrior?” Dudley stated in a deep, boisterous voice. Before the Prince could say anything, his uncle had bent down and wrapped his arms around him in a tight bearhug.

    “You look well, Van. I’m guessing your dalliance in Fiore has gone well then?” Everance cooed at the entrapped man, smiling up at him.

    "G-ck-“ Vandrad managed to croak out in the midst of the immense strength of his uncle. The Prince was strong, of that there was no doubt. But his uncle was far stronger and could easily hold his nephew without much issue.

    “My brother-in-law and sister. He’s quite the stud muffin but he’s truly a great soft giant. He loves his family and he always wants to catch up with them. So I simply asked Simon to let them know that Vandrad was back and to lure them over to where he was. My boy is strong but Dud is half-giant. Van can’t rival that just yet. So then my dear brother-in-law will hang onto him and…” Themesycia told Mercury the plan as it happened in action, her fingers now up over her side and gently rubbing against the fabric just over her skin.

    “Come! Your uncle Dudley wants to hear all about your adventures in Fiore!” The giant said, not letting go of the Prince. In fact, he switched his hold to one arm, essentially carrying Vandrad in a continuous hug. “Ever and I have a nice cozy booth over here in the corner.” As the Prince gasped, trying to speak up, he didn’t notice he was being led over to a corner that was far from the view of the couch. Simon watched them go, sliding over to the bar and taking the drinks for Themesycia and Mercury into his own hands.

    “Dudley is notoriously comfortable with touching people, especially family. He’ll take Vandrad to his booth and sit him down and probably keep him under his arm for the entire time. And he’ll want stories – he won’t let my dear son away without hearing something. Which buys us thirty minutes of free time to… get to know one another.” Themesycia whispered right into Mercury’s ear, leaning forward just enough to graze her teeth along the lobe. She then pulled back enough to smirk at the Silver Wolf mage, clearly quite proud of herself. “I do hope you don’t think me too bold. I just can’t help but want to have some time alone with you.”








    Words: 1368/1368 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 7,126,000

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 28th March 2020, 5:04 pm

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    Mercury had known there was some kind of scheme happening. She could feel it in her bones. Vandrad probably did, too, but he at least seemed pretty confident that he could out play it. The empty drink in the duchess’ hand had been much too convenient, particularly when it had been practically full only a couple minutes ago when they’d first arrived. From what she’d observed of Themesycia throughout the night thus far, she wasn’t the type to get rip roaring drunk and chug her drinks like a freshman girl at a frat party. No, she seemed more like Mercury, willing to enjoy alcohol but not to the extent that it hindered her ability to be in control of her body or mind. Thus, the contents of her glass disappearing so quickly was suspect.

    As was Simon’s own disappearance. The man had known that Mercury was going to return in a new get up that he was surely looking forward to, and had been hoping for since the moment he’d first laid eyes on her that night. Yet, now he was conspicuously absent to go speak with other family members rather than at least wait a couple minutes to witness her return? No, something was definitely up here, and frankly Mercury was just excited to see what it was. Or rather, she had a few theories of what, but it was the how that greatly interested her. The Silver Wolf mage had a feeling that she was presenting as more of a challenge than either Themesycia or her brother had been given in a while, clearly interested but not falling too quickly or easily into their arms.

    The duchess chuckled at her poor son’s shame, if one could call it that, and found honest entertainment in the fact that Mercury had managed to convince Vandrad to actually dress up for the party for the first time ever, only to tease him rather cruelly with her own choice in attire. For her part, she could only give a knowing grin because, while torturing Vandrad was also fun, it really hadn’t been him that she was looking to make squirm. Although she would probably try to do that, too.

    The duchess admitted that she’d wanted to let either of the two younger mages handle the situation with Sabine, but in interest of not starting a war had decided it was best to take care of it politically, rather than physically. She even went so far as to state that there was only so many times one could go to war with the same enemy before it got stale. It was the first statement the duchess had made that Mercury didn’t quite agree with, but the lavender haired woman understood the jesting intent of the comment and thus didn’t react outside of an honest chuckle. While she had fairly strong views on actual warfare, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t appreciate jokes regarding its nature, even ones that didn’t fully align with her opinions.

    And speaking of warfare, it seemed that Mercury was in for a first hand experience in the Ashen Dread’s tactical mind as the woman directed her attention toward Vandrad at the bar, baited and ready for a trap to be sprung upon him. She explained that he would be fully out of his element in this space due to the fact that he spent years avoiding it, and thus was none the wiser to just how elaborate his family’s schemes could get in trying to get what they want.

    Mercury watched with vested interest as the woman laid out the scene as it played out before them. Simon conveniently appeared before Vandrad could walk away from the bar, calling out to him and pointing him out to another couple. A man who rivaled Gangting on size and musculature approached, along with a gorgeous dark haired woman that was much smaller than her counterpart, but even from here Mercury could tell that she was taller than herself. The couple wandered over to greet the prince, with the man pulling him in for a hug that appeared to be more like a vice grip than anything else.

    She couldn’t help but snort her entertainment by the surprise and discomfort on Vandrad’s face as his uncle kept him in a firm headlock. Then they did exactly as Themesycia described, pulling him away to another corner to chat and catch up in a spot that just so happened to be out of eye sight of the pair of ladies up on the dais. A trick that Themesycia seemed very convinced wouldn’t cause any suspicion in her otherwise overly suspicious son, as the behaviors being put on by Dudley and Everance were standard fare.

    All this, the duchess said, was to supply the two of them with roughly thirty uninterrupted minutes of relative privacy. And even as she whispered it right into Mercury’s ear, Themesycia gave a slight tug on the Silver Wolf wizard’s lobe with her teeth, sending a number of goosebumps across her neck. Mercury turned to fix a very knowing smirk on the older woman, clearly both pleased and impressed by the efforts she had taken just to get some alone time with her.

    “Well,” Mercury purred, her tone for the first time that night dropping into something a little more deeper and silky, still teasing but now with a bit more open seduction. “I do seem to recall giving you the green light to be as bold with me as you wish.” How easily Mercury pulled from their first meeting only hours ago to flirt back with the other woman.

    She turned in her seat a bit to face Themesycia more fully, causing their legs to touch a bit more fully while her eyes made more of a show of looking over the attire that didn’t cover much of the duchess. But still, Mercury did not make any physical moves to push the line of touching they’d done so far, feasting with her eyes but showing immense discipline in not electing to be too forward with her own hands and thus showcasing just how dedicated and easily she was at committing to play hard to get.

    “So when you say ‘get to know one another’...” she said, the words rolling delicately off her tongue even as she eyed Themesycia. “Is this as a mother investing an interest into the random woman that popped up in her son’s life to shake it around a little, or did you have something in mind that was focused more on… immediate company?” Mercury smirked up at the woman, her eyes dancing even as she posed the seemingly innocent question like there was even a possibility that Themesycia had anything else on her mind other than what they both knew she wanted.

    But that wasn’t her only question. Deepening her wry expression of amusement, she added, “And at what point is Simon making an appearance to get his chance to… know me better?” Mercury wasn’t a fool. The siblings had been challenging one another all night to vye for the Silver Wolf mage’s interest, and the only way that the dark man would concede to a ploy to give Themesycia time alone with Mercury was if the gesture was intended to be reciprocated. They'd made a deal or pact of some kind to ensure they both came out winners in some way, or at the very least that they both got an equal chance to try, and that wasn't something that had gone over Mercury's head.

    WORDS: 1294/1294 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
    Position : None
    Posts : 792
    Guild : Fairy Tail
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 8,080,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 28th March 2020, 5:30 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    So the stage had been set and the plot had unfolded perfectly. Vandrad was being dragged off by his aunt and uncle to relay stories of his time in Fiore, against his will. Themesycia had planned it out quickly and carefully from the moment that the Prince had agreed to bring Mercury to the club. She’d left it open a little, just in case things had gone sideways and instead, perhaps Vandrad and Mercury would run off to have their own little party. She didn’t believe it would happen but she had to count it up to chance. How happy she was that the Silver Wolf mage had come down and been interested enough in changing to leave. Then everyone had been put to the task.

    Now it was just the two of them, sitting comfortably on the couch and Themesycia wasn’t being coy at all. Granted, she hadn’t exactly been slight in her flirtations and open remarks towards the other woman but now she was being quite bold. How many women had she gone through forging an intricate plan just to get her hands on them? Not very many; Mercury could count herself special within a limited group. Luckily, it seemed Mercury was just as interested as her, though she continued to play herself as someone to be won. She remarked about having given Themesycia permission to be bold, recalling her own words as an answer to the Duchess’. “Mmm that you did,” Themesycia said, her eyes looking over the Silver Wolf mage slowly.

    As Mercury turned enough to face the Duchess fully, Themesycia slid her hand out from behind her back and instead laid it on the woman’s leg, her fingers idly rolling over the soft flesh there. She listened and watched as Mercury put forth the question to what the intent behind getting to know one another was. Oh she was coy and aloof, clinging hard to that desire to remain noncommittal. Most women had already caved by this point but Mercury persisted and it made the Duchess desire her more. “Can’t it be both?” She asked innocently, batting her eyes. “I could have an interest in the random woman in my son’s life as well as have a desire to get to know you more intimately,” she explained, playing into the game that the Silver Wolf mage clearly liked to play. Thirty minutes was plenty of time to tease and tantalize the woman and if it didn’t lead to anything too physical, she would take anything at this point.

    Yet the woman wasn’t done. Amusingly, she asked when Simon would get his turn to sit in the hot seat that Themesycia was in. The Duchess couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. She leaned in towards Mercury, once more looking like she was intending of kissing her… though this time, it seemed that was her full intent. “After I’ve gotten to play. You see, Simon…” She started to explain. But then all of a sudden… she stopped. In fact, the entire room came to a sudden stop. The only things that kept continuing forward were the lights. The music, the people, the very air seemed to have come to a complete halt.

    “What she was going to say is that Simon has a lovely magical trick. One that allows him to halt time up to two hours, choosing what and who can realize it with him.” The dark Duke said as he approached the couch, sliding between the frozen bodies slowly and with a confident saunter. Smirking at Mercury as he approached, he held out the beer that had been ordered for her to take as he slid down into the seat next to her. “I agreed to help my dear sweet sister in her ploy so long as I got to have my way with you too. But my ability is so crisp and sharp, she won’t even be able to tell what we’ve done once I bring the world back up to speed.” Slowly he reached over and trailed his hand along the skin of her shoulders and from his fingertips came his other magic. A highly intense Pleasure magic that, when targeted correctly, could get all the right synapses firing across the body to bring one towards the ultimate crescendo of pleasure. A trick he kept hidden until it came time for him to use it.

    “So, my sweet Mercury,” he said, smirking down as he awaited his magic to take effect. “How would you like to get to know one another over the next two hours? I was thinking… less clothing and a lot more touching.”








    Words: 776/2144 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 7,126,000

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 28th March 2020, 7:37 pm

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    The duchess gave the answer that Mercury had been honestly expecting, that the woman was interested in both getting to know the Silver Wolf mage for herself and in the interest of looking out for her son. But when Mercury brought up the tidbit about wondering when Simon was going to reappear, the grin that spread across Themesycia’s face was well worth calling the strategy out aloud. Knowing that she had essentially been given a green light to press forward if she dared, the duchess leaned in toward Mercury, very much moving as if to kiss her this time as she started to answer the question regarding her brother.

    And then the world stopped, quite literally.

    Mercury frowned and blinked in confusion. The duchess, the music, the crowd was totally frozen, all except for the dark man himself, coyly wandering his way toward her where she sat on the couch. Her eyes narrowed on him suspiciously, though still very much dancing with interest at this sudden and unexpected turn of events as he confidently explained to her the things that Themesycia herself was about to relay: That Simon’s magic was the ability to freeze time for himself and whomever he chose.

    Mercury couldn’t help the way her brow quirked in interest, and not just for the obvious reasons. The scientist in her was also heavily curious about this phenomenon. “That’s a handy trick,” she offered, turning once more in her seat to face him this time as he approached. Mercury could think of a number of ways she would use an ability like that, some of which certainly fell in line with the way the duke seemed to make good of it. He explained to her that he had agreed to help with the scheme so that both of them could have their fair chance at attempting to woo the woman out of her clothing.

    He advised that he could keep time frozen for them for two hours, which was more than enough time for the two of them to make use of, stating that once they were done he could trigger the world back into operation and no one would be the wiser. She gave him the most wicked of smirks, and it was clear that his sneaky methodology had impressed her quite a bit, her eyes roving over his form openly. “Oh, I see,” Mercury said, her voice ripe with playfulness. “So you made the deal, but still fully intend on using this ability of yours to ensure that you got to lay claim to me first, hrm? I must say, I both admire and am extremely flattered by the underhanded tactics.”

    She watched as he reached out to trail his fingers along her shoulder, making no effort to stop him. And as he touched, her Mercury felt a rather odd sensation ripple across her flesh, like he’d sent a tickling of energy through her. Clearly she felt it as was evidenced by the way she shivered a bit and flicked her gaze to his hand briefly from the corner of her eyes. She wasn’t sure what he’d done. It had felt pretty good…

    ...though perhaps, not as good as he had intended it to.

    The only problem was, Mercury didn’t exactly realize that something hadn’t gone to plan for him. Not knowing what kind of magic he’d tried to enact, and in fact knowing very little about any magic at all, there was no way for her to understand that his spell didn’t quite have the effect he’d mean for it to have on her. “Mm, what was that?” she asked him, giving him a playful look that was certainly intrigued but not leading her to be any more hot and bothered than she already had been.

    WORDS: 646/1940 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
    Position : None
    Posts : 792
    Guild : Fairy Tail
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 8,080,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 28th March 2020, 7:51 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    It was quite the handy trick, if he did say so himself. For the ultimate playboy and womanizer, being able to halt time and entice their body with pleasure magic was practically a godsend. Simon made no motions to hide his wicked grin as he looked at her, her body turning to face him rather than his sister. She listened as he explained his intentions and how he had turned the scheme in his favor. She was impressed as she surmised his methods, admitting her appreciation of his efforts. “I’m very much a winner, my dear. My sister knows this and truthfully, probably expected something of this nature. She was just hoping to have stolen a sweet kiss before then.” He glanced at Themesycia, still frozen in time right beside Mercury.

    And so he went to work on his routine. His fingers trailed along her flesh, enjoying the sensation of her smooth skin against his own. But his magic worked its way into her body, riveting down through her veins and to parts of her body that it was meant to affect. She shivered in delight, which was a normal first reaction but soon it would become more. He sat and waited to watch as her eyes shot open and her body started to answer the call… but it never came. She was smiling and clearly still as flirty as she had been but there was no fog of lust overwhelming her. And for a moment, Simon looked stunned – though not altogether unpleased. “Why that was my pleasure magic. When applied to the body, it’s meant to arouse the senses and make touching that much more enjoyable. It usually makes the women I use it with ravenous but… you’re different,” he said, his smile returning with his curiosity. “You are quite intriguing, Mercury. And I’ll admit, I’m even more attracted to you knowing that I can’t simply flick a switch and make you see stars. I’ll actually have to work… and it’s been a long time since then.”

    But that didn’t mean the magic was completely useless after all. He slid his hand up her neck, continuing to pour magic into the limb if only to give her the fluttering sensation. It may not overwhelm her but it seemed she enjoy it so why bother stopping? “Now then, my dear…” he said, leaning in enough to plant his lips gently against her neck, allowing his magic to resonate from his mouth as well. “We’ve got some time to kill. Shall we introduce ourselves to one another properly?”








    Words: 427/2571 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 7,126,000

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 28th March 2020, 8:49 pm

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    He seemed quite happy with her calling him out on his tactics, admitting up front to being a winner and how his sister probably was more than aware that he was going to do something like this. The duchess had apparently just hoped to at least get a kiss in beforehand, but it seems Simon had been watching like a hawk and took a perfect moment to strike to steal even that from her. Or at least, so he hoped. Unlike Themesycia, Simon had yet to get any verbal green lights from her to do as he pleased, though of course the unspoken affirmation had been more than apparent.

    But as she reacted to his touch, purring with mild delight over the sensation, there was only a brief moment before the man’s face was overcome with confusion and surprise. Mercury raised a brow at him as if to silently ask if something was the matter, only for him to explain that what he’d just attempted to do was utilize a secondary magic on her that apparently was all about pleasuring the one subjected to his touch. According to him, that simple gesture was usually enough to send most women into some kind of lusty fog, and yet for some reason it hadn’t appeared to have the same effect on her.

    Not that he seemed displeased by this, of course. Simon actually went on to say that it actually made her all the more desirable to him, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to have the easy way and would have to work to get any rewards out of her -- something he hadn’t had to do in a long time. And Mercury herself only fixed a playful, narrow eyed gaze on him. “Oh, so you were trying to cheat your way into my pants, were you?” she asked him teasingly, clearly not as upset as most women arguably should have been by the notion of having a pleasure spell used on them without their consent.

    As he leaned down and placed a kiss on her neck, once more sending a delightful little shiver through her body, he posed the question: Were they going to do this? “Hmm..” Mercury hummed thoughtfully out loud, still not quite ready to cave to his touch no matter how delightful his lips felt on her neck. And given her track record throughout the day so far, he probably assumed that she was continuing to play hard to get. Perhaps a part of her was. She was still slightly on the cusp of deciding whether or not she should take the risk to sleep with any of Vandrad’s family members. After all, she was quite fond of how friendly the two of them were now, and it would be a shame to throw that away just for a one night stand with his uncle or mom.

    But then again, Vandrad knew Mercury and while he had certainly done his best to keep the three of them apart, there had certainly been a number of times throughout the night that he could have pushed harder but didn’t. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him anyway, right? Simon and Themesycia both seemed the type more than capable of holding a secret when they really wanted to, despite the ghastly level of juicy gossip that had been spread amongst all of them tonight. Mercury had only known the du Wolffs for a few hours, but they had already done more than enough to earn a great deal of her trust.

    If only it were that simple, however. Mercury just couldn’t get out of her head which of the two she wanted to sleep with more. Both were equally tempting, but she got the feeling that once the current distraction being laid on Vandrad was over, she wasn’t going to get many more chances to make good on any of this. A wicked scheme of her own was churning through her mind. Would they do it, she wondered? A part of her greatly wanted to know, devilishly pleased by the robust notion that would probably either make or break this tryst triangle.

    “On one condition,” she finally said, her tone the most soft and suggestive it had been all night as she turned her face as if to kiss him. But before their mouths could meet, Mercury gently placed the pad of a single finger upon his lips to say him, there faces barely an inch apart as her emerald eyes looked deep into his with an equal mixture of want and mischief.

    “Themesycia joins us… and you both get me, at the same time.”

    Equal winners. Everyone could be happy, right? But her gaze danced with pure impishness. Mercury fully understood the sheer boldness of what she had just asked of him. Most people wouldn’t be so audacious as to suggest that a brother and sister get into bed together, but if any pair of siblings were going to be up for it, it would be this pair. Plus, it wasn’t like they necessarily needed to fool around with each other. They both could put their attention on her, and she could simply play both fields.

    “Vandrad may have been caught off guard by this delightful little plan once tonight, but he won’t let it happen again once he starts to suspect that it resulted in anything. And even if he’s never going to be able to confirm it, he will suspect. He knows both of you, and me, far too well, and he is far more observant than he lets on. I don’t settle for less than the best in any area of my life, and you have both more than earned a bit of playtime… but I suspect this is going to be the only chance I get, for either of you. So, if this happens… it happens with both of you.”

    Her explanation given, she waited patiently to see how he would react and what he would do, all without ever removing her face from its close proximity to his own. No, Mercury would continue to stare him down with her heated little gaze, applying a bit of her own peer pressure to see what he would do. Would he agree and partake in what was sure to be on hell of a scandal, or relent their little game and admit defeat?

    WORDS: 1088/3028 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
    Position : None
    Posts : 792
    Guild : Fairy Tail
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 8,080,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 28th March 2020, 9:12 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    Accusing him of cheating his way in, huh? Most men may have balked at the statement, taking offense at it or trying to blubber out some kind of excuse. To his credit, Simon did look a bit pensive but he continued to smile through. “Not at all, my dear. My magic cannot be forced on a person that isn’t willing to it. If you aren’t desirous at all towards my affections, you will feel absolutely nothing. But there hasn’t happened in a long time and even a muted response, such as yourself, means you feel, at least, something.” The power was essentially useless in terms of forcing a person to feel affections for another. The seed had to already be soiled and his magic acted as a natural growth enhancer.

    It seemed she was still mulling it over, as she hummed gently against his lips on her neck. He didn’t slow his movements, continuing to place gentle, alluring kisses along her flesh as she toyed with the decision. Whether she was holding out for a viable reason or simply continuing to resist him, he would wait patiently for her to decide. But it had reached a point where if she didn’t want it, he may inquire if that were the case. He didn’t want to pursue her too hard and spoil the game to where it changed over into something, for lack of a better word, creepy. If there was going to be something, he wished to know so that he didn’t make her feel uncomfortable.

    After thinking it over, she decided… but it had one condition with it. She turned to face him, making like she was about to return his kisses with one of her own. But instead, her finger pressed itself against his lips, their mouths inches apart, their eyes staring back at one another. And it seemed her caveat was that his sister, Themesycia joined them and partook at the same time. She gauged his reaction, which was none at first, before she explained her reasons. Vandrad was smart and trying to operate around him would only get so far. He was aware of his family and he was more than well aware how Mercury operated at this point. She wanted to get as much as she could and she felt both him and his sister had earned some time alone with her. But she also felt this was the only chance they were going to get together and she wanted to get the most out of it. So that was her condition; both of the siblings at the same time… or nothing happened.

    It was a very, very scandalous offer, one that would make nearly anyone else pause and consider seriously. Most would turn it down, having absolutely no desire to do anything involving their brother or sister. Bellum or not, that was the kind of depravity that was looked down on everywhere. So it may have come as a slight surprise when the man grinned. “Why didn’t you say so?” he whispered softly, the breath from his words caressing her lips with his warmth and taste. His hand came up and he snapped.

    Themesycia suddenly moved forward, still caught in the midst of trying to kiss Mercury. When she felt nothing but air, she opened her eyes and looked around, finding her brother and Mercury almost mouth to mouth. A single eyebrow arched up as she looked at the pair. “Imagine how surprised I am,” she said, though her tone wasn’t all that unpleased. More amused.

    “It seems our dear sweet Mercury wishes to partake of us both at the same time. Or, should I say, she wishes to be partaken by the two of us.” Simon explained, though his face never left its close proximity.

    “Oh does she now?” the Duchess purred as she got up, just enough to walk over and sit down behind Mercury. But she angled herself so that she could bring her arms around the Silver Wolf mage’s body, her hands sliding along her form and finding places to caress and touch. She wormed her head around gently to kiss upon the other woman’s neck as she invited herself into the closeness between the two. “I suppose I don’t blame her. She would only get twenty minutes of petting from me. For you, two hours of whatever you two desired. That’s hardly fair.”

    “It seems we are agreed,” Simon said as he set his gaze on Mercury’s eyes once more. “How about we seal the deal with a kiss? The three of us?”

    “Sounds more like starting the deal,” Themesycia said as she continued to move her head around. Simon gently took hold of Mercury’s chin and moved himself so that they were all at the same angle, mere inches from one another. And counting that she didn’t resist at all, the siblings would plant their mouths upon hers at the same time, exchanging a three way kiss and what was certainly a wild beginning to a two hour pause in time.







    Words: 843/3414 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 7,126,000

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 29th March 2020, 10:58 am

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    By the time Simon released his spell and brought the three of them back in sync with the rest of the world, it was once again just Mercury and Themesycia sitting idly on the couch seemingly as before, talking and flirting, and perhaps looking a little more smug than they did before. Simon had returned to wherever he’d been before time had stopped, careful not to be seen up on the dais with the two women so that no suspicions of illicit activities would be aroused.

    Mercury had been more than shocked by how quickly the two had agreed to join in on a group effort together, and even more shocked to learn a truth that even Vandrad didn’t know: Themesycia and Simon weren’t actually siblings. They hadn’t told her much just yet, as they had been far more focused on other activities, but they had made sure to give her at least a quick confirmation on the matter so that she wouldn’t be thrown off by the two being arguably much more intimate than any brother and sister should be. They promised that one of them would explain everything to her soon, once there was a more appropriate setting to do so, before the three of them made the most of their two hours with one another.

    And the Silver Wolf mage was greatly curious about the story behind all that. The more time she spent with the du Wolff family, the more she liked them. They were a fierce group of people with as many secrets and quirks as she did… but somehow it seemed to have drawn them closer together as a family. Despite the way they picked and teased on one another, and despite their lascivious lifestyles, it was obvious that they loved and cared for one another deeply. It was a strange thing for Mercury to observe, as someone who had never had that, who didn’t even know what it looked like or meant.

    It had given her a lot to think about, though perhaps not right at this moment. For the time being, she and Themesycia needed to busy themselves looking for all the world as though no extra amount of time at all had passed, so that when Vandrad returned he wouldn’t be suspicious. Or at least, immediately so. As she had stated before, Mercury knew that underestimating the prince was a bad idea. He was sharp, and it probably wouldn’t take long for him to start wondering if his uncle had already managed to make some kind of move on the woman. They had all agreed never to tell him, of course -- just as Mercury had made it very clear she would not betray the secret about Simon and Themesycia’s lack of relation to one another.

    But to keep up appearances, Mercury turned herself fully onto the couch to face the duchess, her legs tucked up beneath her bottom on the sofa. She was practically snuggled up against the older woman as though currently in the process of being heavily wooed by her, staring deep into her eyes with a playful and teasing gaze. “Well, now that we’ve gotten to know one another so well,” she murmured, having first made sure that Vandrad wasn’t around to hear them just yet, “We should probably find something to talk about, shouldn’t we?” She lightly trailed her fingers along the duchess’ thigh, caressing the limb as though she were hoping it would lead to something fun.

    Or well, another round of fun.

    WORDS: 597/3625 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
    Position : None
    Posts : 792
    Guild : Fairy Tail
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 8,080,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 29th March 2020, 11:28 am

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    Well that had been delightful.

    Themesycia was more than a little pleased. It wasn’t often that she managed to pull a fast one by people, let alone her son. And it had been up to impossible for any of her liaisons to result in both her adoptive brother and herself taking part at the same time. None had dared poise the question to either of them, though they had shared the same partners separately. But Mercury was quite bold and she had put forth the challenge, one that she knew her brother would certainly not turn down. It just meant that the Silver Wolf mage was going to be far more informed than most of the world was and luckily, she seemed keen on keeping the secret. One of two secrets that the three would keep among them.

    Simon had shuffled off back into the crowd, making sure to take the drinks back that he had brought in the first place. Mercury’s warning about underestimating Vandrad had been taken seriously and it was best not to leave any kind of evidence to what had happened among the denizens. The Duke would return at some point, no doubt; but it would be when the Prince could see him with his own eyes. It was deliciously deceptive and scandalous and admittedly, the idea kept the Duchess’ engine running hot. It was moments like these that she wished she could stretch those two hours into three or four, so as to make sure she got everything out of her system.

    Not that she wasn’t fulfilled. She was quite satisfied. And even better was she got to return to flirting with Mercury as if they hadn’t been intimate, essentially resetting the game back to a previous point. It was delicious. So as the music returned along with everything else, the two women found themselves sitting on the couch alone once more. With Mercury pressed right up against her, her fingers trailing over her thigh, Themesycia similarly reached down and caressed the woman’s arm, rubbing the pad of her thumb along the inside of the limb. Smirking, she listened as Mercury deduced it was in their best interests to be in the middle of a discussion when Vandrad returned, so as to throw off suspicion. “Tell me about Silver Wolf,” the Duchess said with a soft smile. “I did very little research into the guild that Vandrad had associated himself with, that Fairy Tail as it were. But I don’t believe I’ve heard of Silver Wolf. I know you mentioned they were explorers and researchers to a point. Do they solely focus on magic or do they split their studies between magic and technology? Technology is… a bit of a sore spot for us in Bellum, at least others. I find it quite delightful for certain settings,” she explained, giving an idle wave to the room around them.

    "Cozy, are we?”

    Themesycia turned her head about to see Vandrad standing before the couch, his gaze flicking between the two of them. Though she didn’t show it, she was quite surprised. Her estimation of thirty minutes of free time had been reduced to perhaps two, at best. With an even smile, she looked up to him. “Vandrad, darling. Did you get lost while getting our drinks?” she asked innocently. “I was just getting to know Mercury a bit more intimately.”

    "Hmph. I’m sure,” the Prince responded before turning his attention to the Silver Wolf mage. "Come. My uncle and aunt are demanding stories of my time in Fiore and I figured what better advantage do I have than the person that harped me relentlessly being with me.” He held out his hand for her to take, so that he could guide her back to the corner he’d come from. In truth, that had been his means of escape. His uncle was insistent upon hearing tales and, no doubt, Vandrad would have been stuck reciting adventures until the large man was sated. But the fact that his being there was leaving Mercury and Themesycia alone hadn’t left his mind and, in a stroke of brilliance, he had suggested he bring the woman who had accompanied him in to help tell the tales. His uncle had agreed, letting him leave long enough to retrieve her.

    They hadn’t done anything from what he could tell, though they were awfully close to one another. A strange twist in his stomach was beaten down by his own pride in knowing he most likely stooped his mother before she could take advantage. Once Mercury had taken his hand, he would cast one more look at his mother before heading back from where he had come. As they mixed into the crowd, Themesycia let a soft sigh escape her lips. Her son was learning… as surprising as that was, she honestly couldn’t help but be proud. Though she did wonder if that had come from a particularly lavender outside influence. She remembered the ring on Mercury’s finger then and a small smile crept onto her face.

    On the other side of the club, Vandrad escorted Mercury over to the booth in the corner, past several couples enjoying one another in other booths. Dudley rose from his seat, towering over the pair as he chuckled. “My word, Vandrad – your friend is quite lovely. No wonder you wanted her close by!” his uncle said with a chuckle. “Mercury, was it? A pleasure to meet you. Careful now, I’m a hugger,” he warned her before leaning down to pick her up just enough to give her a tight embrace.

    As Dudley set her down, Everance came around his side to step up to Mercury. “Everance du Wolff. A pleasure to meet you, dear. How is my lovely sister? I haven’t had a chance to speak with her yet – is she enjoying her evening?” Making sure that Vandrad had glanced away, Ever gave the Silver Wolf mage a wink – a knowing look that foretold just how much she knew had passed.

    “Now then,” Dudley said, waving towards the booth and summoning them all to sit. He placed himself in the middle so he had an even view of all of them. “Vandrad insisted that you come over and help with some of his stories of adventure. Please, Mercury – tell me something exciting. It’s been so long since I’ve been on a proper adventure myself."







    Words: 1067/4481 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 7,126,000

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 29th March 2020, 1:18 pm

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    Ah, Silver Wolf. That was certainly a worthwhile discussion, and an honest interest that the duchess probably had. Themesycia admitted she had done research, if only a little, into the Fairy Tail guild that Vandrad had joined, but she hadn’t really heard much of anything regarding Mercury’s own guild up until meeting the wizard herself. She inquired as to what kind of stuff they researched, curious as to whether their work was focused only on magic or if there was also any interest in technology. While Bellum as a country seemed to have some issued with anything non-magical, Themesycia herself saw it for the useful tool that it was. Clearly, as she gestured broadly toward the room.

    Before Mercury could get the chance to answer, however, Vandrad had already returned. His mother masked her surprise well, as did Mercury but only because her sensors had warned her that someone was approaching them on the dais ahead of time. Still, he had come back much quicker than the alleged thirty minutes that the duchess seemed convinced her sister and brother-in-law would be able to buy them. He commented on how cozy they seemed, his expression as deadpan and suspicious as ever, and Mercury gave him an impish little grin like he’d caught her red handed letting herself get talked out of the rest of her clothing.

    The duchess played it off coolly, wondering why he hadn’t returned with any drinks and talking about how she’d been spending the last couple minutes getting to know Mercury better. There was no hiding the continued teasing desire in her voice, which was very much not faked. She had a feeling Themesycia had wanted more than two hours with the lithe mage, and could have gone on for longer, but had to make due with what she could get.

    Vandrad seemed unimpressed, which was par for the course. He turned to look at Mercury, inviting her to come with him to meet his other aunt and uncle, who were demanding to hear about his time in Fiore. Mercury already knew this, of course -- that had been the plan the whole time. What hadn’t been the plan was for Vandrad to decide to slip away long enough to come grab Mercury and bring her back with him, rather than leave her alone and out of his sight with his mother for too long.

    “You make it sound like you don’t enjoy my relentless harping,” she told him with a smirk. Turning to Themesycia, Mercury said, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he doesn’t trust us to be alone. This, despite the fact that I told him I could probably hold out against your charms for at least ten minutes. I guess he’s not as willing to test that claim as I am.” With a lamented sigh, she gave one last look over the bikini clad woman, fondly remembering the way it had looked without the metal coverings. “Alas. It seems I am being taken away. We’ll just have to find some other time to… bond.”

    Giving the woman a wicked look, she pulled herself away and took Vandrad’s offered hand, letting him help her to her feet and escort her through the crowds once more. They made only one stop at Mercury’s request to get that beer she’d asked for. A drink she’d already been brought by Simon, of course, but that had been a couple hours ago for her and she was more than ready for another. Then he brought her to the booth in the corner where sat a gargantuan man and his sultry wife.

    Dudley stood to his feet when they arrived with a chuckle, his first words commenting on his apparent understanding of why Vandrad wanted Mercury around. “He said he wanted me close by, did he?” she asked innocently, shooting the prince a teasing look. “That’s a first. Careful, your highness. I think people are starting to catch on that you actually like me.”

    Dudley confirmed her name before warning her that he was a hugger. Mercury chuckled, not at all upset over the idea of a man that big wrapping his arms around her, though she didn’t say so out loud in front of his wife. Such a comment probably wouldn’t have been an issue given what she’d observed of the du Wolff family so far, but better safe than sorry when it came to married couples, even married couples partaking in an orgy. The man gave her a great big hug, eliciting a small squeak of surprise and enjoyment from him basically having to pull her up off her feet to make it work properly.

    She did her best to hug him back, of course. She was far too small to wrap both her arms around him, and one hand held a beer bottle anyway, but she still tried. He set her down and then Everance came and introduced herself, inquiring as to the wellbeing of her sister whom she hadn’t gotten the chance to say hello to yet. But the way she worded it, and the hidden little wink that accompanied it when Vandrad wasn’t watching them, more than betrayed the woman was looking for some kind of confirmation on if the scheme had been successful.

    Mercury liked this woman already. “Well, I think she’s a little disappointed that Vandrad pulled me away when we were just starting to get comfortable,” she said innocently, “But overall she seems to have been enjoying herself quite thoroughly.” The Silver Wolf wizard ensured that she returned the knowing wink on the side of her face that Vandrad couldn’t see, then sat next to the prince when beckoned by Dudley for them to do so.

    “Something exciting, huh?” she mused, settling into her seat comfortably as she thought. “We’ve got a few of those stories. Ghost pirates, clones, gargantuan sea snakes… let’s see… Oh, we took down a cult not very long ago. That’s a fun one.” Mercury grinned wide, shooting a glance at Vandrad to see what he made of the adventure she’d chosen. It was, of course, another somewhat embarrassing one for him as he had fallen victim temporarily to brain washing and accidentally revealed his true heritage to her which he’d been trying to keep a secret.

    She took a couple drinks from her beer bottle before going into it. “This was actually the second job we ever worked together, and he wasn’t terribly pleased with me after the first one. Poor man was pretty certain, or at least hopeful, that he’d never see me again but unfortunately for him our guilds are allies and I rather enjoy the way his brow twitches when he’s irritated.”

    “So when I got a job posting I knew would intrigue him, I decided to surprise him at his guildhall. Found him brooding in a corner, staring at their own postings to try and find something worthwhile, and he wasn’t thrilled to see me. He couldn’t resist the job I’d brought, though. Some girl had run away from her family to be a part of this.. Sun worshipping group. They had this big tower that supposedly no one ever returned from, which I knew would catch his interest. He grumbled about it, but joined me.”

    Mercury nudged Vandrad playfully a bit, her foot playfully pushing his leg a little over the fond memory of the days back when he legitimately couldn’t tolerate her existence. “Turns out, these people were using some kind of light based magic to brainwash people into joining their little order. A discovery we made the hard way. Or at least, one that he learned the hard way.”

    She chuckled into her beer, getting another taste of it to wet her palate and give any of the others a chance to speak up with any comments if they wished. Then, she continued. “Apparently, Vandrad doesn’t like being told what to do. By the time we found the guy in charge of the place, little princey-poo here was fully under his thrall and had been given an order to kill me. Given how much he probably wanted to do that on his own time anyway, I was pretty surprised when he fought it instead of giving in. Managed to talk himself out of being mind controlled with sheer, stubborn willpower. It was pretty impressive, actually.”

    Her smile curled into a devilish little grin, as she approached the part that Mercury personally thought was the juiciest. “But, he did it by constantly reminding himself of his identity, out loud. Not sure if you’re aware or not, but no one back in Fiore knows who he is except for me. Shocking, really. The way he yelled his name and title back at this tower, I could have sworn the whole country heard him. Still, he was pretty out of it at the time and apparently wasn’t sure if he’d been talking out loud or in his head. I was actually a little disappointed. He’d been this great big, gruff and grumpy mystery that I was rather looking forward to unraveling myself, but oh well.”

    “I just kept the information to myself for a couple months. He actually wasn’t sure that I heard him until I showed up tonight and surprised him. It’s been a long night for him, poor thing.” The way Mercury pouted at him with playful empathy suggested that she’d been the source of a lot of the reasons the night had been so long for him, though arguably Sabine took the cake in that department. Since the couple hadn’t been at the gala, however, Mercury wasn’t entirely sure what all they had and hadn’t heard already. She’d already learned that word had traveled fast within the palace, and so she wouldn’t be surprised if they’d already gotten a few snippets of information regarding her bold arrival and all the bullshit that had gone down with the princess from hell.

    WORDS: 1720/5345 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
    Position : None
    Posts : 792
    Guild : Fairy Tail
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 8,080,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 29th March 2020, 4:52 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    Vandrad decided not to answer her remark about him enjoying her harping, simply meeting her stare before she turned to bid adieu to his mother. He didn’t need to reiterate that he didn’t trust the two of them together – that much was quite clear. He simply stood there as the Silver Wolf mage lamented being taken away, claiming they would find another opportunity to bond. They shared a rather naughty look that wasn’t all that strange in conjunction with the rest of the evening, so the Prince was none the wiser as he stood up and took his hand and he led her back to his aunt and uncle.

    Dudley twisted Vandrad’s words to make it sound like he’d wanted Mercury nearby, a statement that she didn’t wait very long to harp on him for. She pushed the thought further, expressing that people may start getting the impression that he even enjoyed her presence. "Tolerate is a far better word,” he corrected her, though his lips did slightly twitch. He wasn’t going to let her have that one without countering it quickly, even if it would go nowhere. All the banter did was make Dudley chuckle harder, clearly amused at the distinct and unique relationship the two shared.

    After that, the uncle wrapped the Silver Wolf mage up in his arms, giving a full bellied laugh as she squeaked within his arms. “I like the feel of this one. She’s got some strength to her. Any chance I can have her?” Dudley asked Vandrad, glancing down at Vandrad and grinning.

    “Oh behave, Dudley,” Ever said as she came around him, giving him a playful smack on the arm. But her tone wasn’t all that convincing – in fact, one might think she was thinking the exact same thing. That twinkle carried over to her eye as she wordlessly asked Mercury how the ruse had played out. When the other woman gave her a sly wink back, married with her words of enjoying herself, Everance chuckled. “I’m very glad to hear. Many of us, including myself and Dudley, do love to enjoy ourselves every now and again. With the right company.”

    Vandrad was unsurprised by his aunt and uncle’s words, rolling his eyes. If he’d been prepared for Mercury to meet his family, he would have created a full breakdown of each of his family members that she could possible meet. Granted, Ever and Dudley wouldn’t have been on the list because they rarely came to such galas. Still, they weren’t nearly as ‘dangerous’ as his mother and uncle but they were well known swingers and were always looking for women and men to join them in bed. By the sounds of it, they were taken by Mercury’s looks already. Knowing his luck, they would love her personality as well. Figures.

    Once they had all sat down, Dudley asked for an adventurous story from their time together, as Mercury ran over their times together. She did a quick rundown of the list of jobs they had been on before she settled on the Sun cult… because of course she did. Vandrad shot her a look that met her gaze, which honestly probably only prompted her to tell the story with even more conviction. Sighing, he settled himself in for yet another tale that would paint him in quite the light of being a damn fool.

    Mercury started the story out easily enough, explaining that it was their second job together and that Vandrad wanted absolutely nothing to do with her after the first. But, as she explained, their guilds were allied together which gave her clearance to visit and she had been quite taken with the way he glowered and glared. So she’d come across a job and brought it to Fairy Tail, waving it in front of him like a delicious meal that he couldn’t resist. Dudley chuckled. “An inescapable tower? A missing girl? Now this is a story I can get behind.”

    Vandrad glanced over at Mercury as she nudged him with her foot, twitching his leg to knock the invading limb away. She continued, explaining the magic that the cultists used and how it brainwashed its members. And she turned it into revealing that they – or rather he – had found that out the hard way. “Ah. With your ability to continually siphon ethernano, I imagine that influence was hitting you ten times worse than the others. That must have been quite frustrating,” Ever said, shining a slight defense in the Prince’s honor.

    Mercury continued, explaining that by the time they found the head of the order, Vandrad had been almost completely swayed to the side of the cult. He had been ordered to kill Mercury; a demand that he already very much wanted to do. But rather than follow through on his basic instincts, he fought back. He broke out of the mind control simply by being too damn stubborn to give in. Dudley laughed loudly and clapped his nephew on the back. “That’s more like the Vandrad du Wolff I know. Proud and stubborn until the bitter end.”

    But the Silver Wolf mage wasn’t done. She explained that his method of getting his consciousness back was by repeating who he was to himself. He did so a number of times before he was yelling it for all to hear, Mercury included. She explained that he had kept his identity a secret from the general public up until that point. Granted, he was swimming in a magical pool that was trying to influence him so he wasn’t even sure if his words were coming out of his mouth or echoing inside his mind. And she had been disappointed, as he had let slip the mystery and robbed her of a chance to dig and discover who he was all by herself. But she ended the story by revealing that she had kept the information to herself, letting him think that she hadn’t known it or didn’t plan on using it until the time was right. And apparently the time had been right that night.

    She pouted at him teasingly which only earned her a quick "Tsk,” on his part. While she wasn’t the sole reason for his night being troubling, she had certainly set a precedent. He stared at her for a long moment before he simply snorted and smirked. "And that’s also the day she learned that no one can or will control me.”

    “Your mother certainly tries,” Ever said with an equally amused smirk. “But then again, Themmy put you in quite the pickle. I’d apologize for missing your engagement party but it sounds like your betrothed was quite the noise some whelp.”

    “Indeed. It sounds like her manners weren’t properly beaten into her,” Dudley agreed, nodding to his wife. But then his eyes turned back to Vandrad and Mercury. “Come now, another! Your turn, Vandrad. Tell us another tale of adventure and excitement.” He snapped, an idea striking him. “Tell us one that even Mercury here doesn’t know.”

    Vandrad glanced up at his uncle curiously, a single brow arched as he stared. He considered the idea, his eyes scaling down the massive body and back over to Mercury. She’d been present for most of his more exciting times in Fiore, save for… Well, there was that one time. He’d never mentioned it to her before, simply because it hadn’t rung that important in his mind. Then again, hadn’t it? The form that Patty had showed was in his future was something he was striving for everyday now. In that case…

    "Very well,” Vandrad said, acquiescing to the request. "Some weeks ago, I had finished a small unimportant job for one of my guild’s aces. I was returning home later that evening when I was interrupted by this woman. Doctor Patricia Reeves. I had played guard dog for an expedition of hers a few days prior and apparently she was interested in purchasing the armor I had crafted for me time in Fiore.”

    “Is it the armor you’re wearing now? Because that doesn’t seem very protective,” Dudley asked, looking over the barely clothed Prince.

    "No, this is a… joke,” he said, glancing at Mercury briefly. "A prank. Nonetheless, she attempted to purchase the armor from me and insisted upon following me back to the guild hall. Only we didn’t make it that far; a tarot card had been placed on the street before us and the insufferable woman went ahead and not only touched it but read the words upon it. Just like that, we were swept away to some other dimension. One filled with stars and endless darkness.”

    "A voice spoke to us there, telling us that it intended to kill us. But we had a chance of escape; so long as we killed four of its siblings. And then it was gone, leaving a door in its wake for us to go through. The good doctor decided to risk it, as we didn’t have any other choice. I followed after her and we were confronted by a giant forest being. It’s entire body was made up of bark and leaves, looking more like a living tree than anything else. It took offense to us being there and so I engaged it in battle. Yet while I was distracted, she…” he paused, trailing off for a moment. He could still remember the sight of her hovering there, wielding a blade of energy similar to his own. The same magic. "She possessed a magic… eerily similar to mine. She managed to surprise the creature and finish it off.”

    “Similar to your Energy Monarch? That’s… curious,” Ever said, her brow furrowing in concern. As Mercury knew by know, Vandrad’s magic was extremely rare, only showing up in a handful of people only every couple of years. The fact that someone was out there with the same magic and had found Vandrad was… odd. “Go on.”

    "We fought and killed the other brethren, having to rely on one another to defeat them. They were strange beings, each one claiming almost other-worldly knowledge and bias. It was almost as if they were avatars of actual tarot cards. Whatever the case, we reached the source of the voice – a little girl who was determined to become more than she was. She’d used us to kill the role she wanted to become and then claimed we were next. I blew her away… but in doing so, the entire realm started to collapse. We were knocked around, pushed back against the wall and it seemed we would be overwhelmed. But it seemed the doctor had another ability that could unlock a form of mine from the future, an ascendance that lay in wait down the line. After that, she kissed me and –“

    “Kissed you?!” Dudley exclaimed, utterly shocked. “You? Vandrad du Wolff. Let a woman kiss you?!” He slammed his hand against his heart, as if he was suffering. “Call the presses. We must spread this news everywhere!”

    "She claimed it was for luck or something!” Vandrad hissed, glaring up at Dudley. "Whatever the case, it allowed us to get through the last door and escape. After that, she went back to wherever the hell she came from and I haven’t seen her since.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked about the table. "There you are. A completely unique story. I trust that was satisfactory?”







    Words: 1906/6387 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
    Cosmic Coins : 0
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    Experience : 7,126,000

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 29th March 2020, 5:59 pm

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    The answer of whether or not Dudley and Everance were the sharing type was quickly answered in the way that the large man inquired about borrowing her, while Ever protested with very little conviction. “You may have to get in line behind Themesycia and Simon, first,” Mercury said with an open grin, but clearly not looking unopposed to the idea herself. Hell, Everance had basically just propositioned her in a sly way, and now Mercury’s head was really going. Just how many of Vandrad’s family members was she going to get the chance to sleep with, she wondered? She probably shouldn’t make it a point to let all of his willing relatives talk her into bed, but at the same time his family was so charming and attractive it was a tempting possibility to pass up.

    Vandrad was clearly not all too pleased by the story Mercury had elected to tell, but then again there were few stories she had that wouldn’t be embarrassing to some extent for the prince. At least this time she had opted not to open with how the two of them wound up in bed. She wove her tale, pausing at regular intervals to let others get words in while she drank from her beer bottle. Unsurprisingly, the members of his family were aware of his magic and how it worked, with Everance confirming how difficult it had probably been for Vandrad to fight the effects as he was constantly soaking in energy from the world around him, whether good or bad.

    The tale was one that Dudley seemed to enjoy, with Vandrad taking a moment at the end to finally shed a little smirk and confirm that Mercury had learned a lot about him that day, especially how little he would let anyone control him. She grinned back at him, the two of them sharing their challenging and feisty expressions in the unique way that they’d developed with one another.

    His aunt and uncle took the time to comment on what they’d heard regarding Sabine, causing Mercury to chuckle darkly. A part of her was still toying with the idea of enacting some kind of revenge on the woman. She was still in the palace, after all. Mercury wouldn’t want to harm her in Themesycia’s house and get the du Wolff’s a political bind, but that didn’t mean Mercury couldn’t make other arrangements for once the woman was outside of Bellum. But before she could get into her own thoughts regarding the snobby princess, Dudley demanded another story, this time from Vandrad, and specifically requesting it be a story that even Mercury didn’t know.

    “Oooh, those are my favorite,” she told them with a bit of excitement, wiggling on her seat to face the prince better and give him her undivided attention. Between Vandrad and his relatives, Mercury had heard an awful lot of new stories about the prince that night, most of them from his childhood and younger years. It took him a moment to think, his gaze even glancing toward her as if trying to consider what he could tell that she hadn’t already heard. Frankly, ever since he’d come to find her in the Silent Glaciers and afterward invited her to come train with him on a regular basis, there weren’t a whole lot of jobs and experiences that they hadn’t been a joint effort on.

    But it seems he was able to think of one, and soon he was pouring into a story involving a doctor by the name of Patricia Reeves. Apparently, the woman had been interested in purchasing Vandrad’s armor. Dudley mistook this for the attire Vandrad was currently wearing, which the prince quickly corrected to state that the clothing he wore at present was a joke, his eyes flicking back to Mercury’s. And of course she was already grinning, this time a naughtier expression as she quickly interjected, “And that’s a whole other story.” The way she said it to the couple was sure to make them more than a little curious about that particular tale.

    Vandrad continued with his tale, stating how Patricia had insisted on not only purchasing his armor from him but also going back to the Fairy Tail guild hall to do so, which was weird to Mercury but not necessarily suspicious. Just something that the Silver Wolf mage passed off as being a bit stupid. However, along the way they didn’t get that far. It seemed there was a tarot card in their path and the dumb woman had managed to activate it, which caused them to be swept into some other dimension. The way he had described it made it sound like outer space, causing Mercury’s eyes to narrow with interest and curiosity.

    It was from that point that she listened to the story without any hint of wanting to show any amusement at the prince’s expense. He described for them the type of beings they encountered and were forced to fight in the realm at the behest of some ominous voice that was treating them very much like rats in a lab maze. And then he paused as if trying to find the right way to describe something the woman had done before admitting that Patricia’s magic was very similar to his own, and that she’d managed to use it to finish off one of the creatures he’d been fighting.

    Everance commented on the peculiarity with which two people with such rare magic had happened upon each other, an innocent sentiment that Vandrad seemed to brush off but Mercury did not. No, she was right in line with his aunt that the chances of that were suspect, though Mercury did not voice any opinion on the matter for now, tucking the information away in interest of allowing him to finish his story to see what else could be drawn from it before she started forming theories.

    The end game turned out to be a little girl that wanted to become more powerful than she already was. It seemed that the girl had used them to enact her wishes and planned on taking them out as well, but they managed to defeat her in the end. Unfortunately, it resulted in the realm itself beginning to deteriorate. Thanks to what Mercury considered a rather convenient skill on Patricia’s part, the woman was able to use another form of time related magic to fast forward Vandrad temporarily into a future, more powerful form of himself… and then she kissed him.

    Dudley exclaimed his shock to the high heavens, fully interrupting the story to proclaim his honest shock in letting a woman kiss him. And for Mercury’s part, she was surprisingly… subdued about the information. Oh, she smirked and certainly looked interested and amused by the knowledge, grinning all the more at his uncle’s excitement over such a feat. But there was a dark thoughtfulness to it, her mind already starting to churn and put pieces of a very curious puzzle together even as she took another few sips from her beer. Thankfully, it looked like Vandrad hadn’t quite noticed the look, as he was too busy defending himself to his overly excited uncle.

    And by the time the prince wrapped up his story, her face would be back in place even if her brain was racing. So this mysterious doctor had shown up, claiming to want his armor, insisted on going back to Fairy Tail with him, triggered some teleportation seemingly by accident, and then just so happened to share his rare magic and provided the surly, standoffish man with a kiss? Mercury had been watching her back for far too long to not recognize bullshit when she saw it. Something was up with this Patricia Reeves. She could feel it in her core. Vandrad didn’t seem to think much of it, but Mercury was very quickly making a file in her mind with the woman’s name on it, making a note to start looking into her in the very, very near future.

    “Very satisfactory,” Mercury told him with a grin. “Who gave you permission to go on exciting jobs without me?” For some reason, she didn’t even think to tease him about the kiss itself, despite how prime of ammunition it was. Oh, but she did give him a look that promised he was not going to like the next words out of her mouth. Eyes dancing with mischief, she turned to his aunt and uncle, particularly his uncle, and almost too innocently said, “If you liked that story, you should ask him about the day he lost his virginity.”

    If Dudley thought a kiss was astonishing, that comment was sure to completely and utterly floor him. Mercury had already given the broader details to Themesycia and Simon, of course -- or well, they actually were privy to quite a few more intimate details now that she’d gotten a chance to show them some of her footage -- but that story had not come up fully in Vandrad’s presence. And clearly, these two had no idea about their past liaison or else the uncle would probably have been pretty over the top about the matter. But this time, she wasn’t going to be the one to tell it, oh no. She had planted the seed for Dudley to snatch hold of, who was probably going to demand to hear the story from Vandrad himself… and Mercury was quite looking forward to hearing Vandrad tell it.

    WORDS: 1613/6958 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
    Position : None
    Posts : 792
    Guild : Fairy Tail
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 8,080,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 29th March 2020, 7:04 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    It wasn’t to say that Vandrad wasn’t suspicious of Patricia Reeves. In fact, given everything that she had shown in the other dimension, he had every reason to be concerned about her. All the thoughts that his aunt and Mercury were now tossing about in their heads had long since settled into his own mind. But his curiosity far outweighed his concern and if someone – including herself – had sought him out for certain reasons, he wanted to know. She had similar magic to him; hell, she had magic that was considerably beneficial to him in several areas. She’d tried to keep his attention, bickered with him and offered him a connection to the Rune Knights. Of course then she had kissed him as well. Even if it was for luck, it was still an odd thing to simply do. They’d already escaped several dire situations up to that point.

    So he’d decided to sit back and see how it played out. It probably wasn’t the safest thing to do but then again, Vandrad rarely did anything that was considered safe. He liked the dangerous parts of life and it sounded like a trap was being set for him. One of his favorite pastimes was to spring said traps and show the trappers just how useless it was to try and get one over on him. But that was far too complicated to explain and wasn’t essential to the storytelling. Nonetheless, he remained mum on the subject and finished out his story, much to the enjoyment of his aunt, his uncle and Mercury. The latter teased him about going on adventures without her and he scoffed. "I live a whole adventurous life outside of you, woman,” he stated, giving her a look.

    “Oh. Wait, you two aren’t?” Dudley said, flipping his finger between the two of them. “I thought you two were together.”

    That got a rise out of Vandrad – the first one since the actual ball. "What?!” He demanded. "That’s outrageous. What an utterly ridiculous thing to assume!”

    It was in that moment that decided to strike. Of course it was – she had a knack for seeing the jugular and going for it when the prey was least ready. She mused over his uncle’s enjoyment of that story and used it was easily transition the tale of how he had lost his virginity. He’d already been disarmed by his uncle’s words that when she said that, his head came around on a swivel and glared at her. Sure, he had been preparing himself all night for this eventuality. She’d been mum on the subject throughout all the interactions with his family, remarkably so. But then again, her showing up tonight was a testament to how willing she was to wait for the opportune time.

    Dudley gasped in utter shock. “You finally lost your virginity?!” He said, his mouth parting in an almost heavenly smile. “My goodness, nephew! How long we have been waiting! Oh you must tell the story.” He was practically wiggling in his seat, which was probably felt by everyone else in the booth.

    "Tsk,” he scoffed. "What is with everyone’s fascination with my sex life?” You are my family, my blood relatives. I would think any sexual activity would be considered heinous.”

    “My dear, have you forgotten where you are?” Everance spoke up, gesturing to the club in whole. Even now, there were some loud noises echoing out past the booth next to them… oddly in time with the music as well. His aunt chuckled. “Your family has always been open and honest about sex. You simply have been the singular member that isn’t interested.”

    "I highly doubt that. After all, I don’t see—“ He was about to point out that Bartrand was nowhere to be found. The son of Everance and Dudley had always been a similar spirit to Vandrad and frankly, he assumed that these activities didn’t interest him at all.

    But a loud pop of fire and smoke detonated just before the table of the booth and out from it emerged Bartrand, falling and landing on his feet right on the center of the table. And he was naked from top to bottom. “No fuckin’ way!” he said excitedly as he met eyes with the absolutely stunned Vandrad. “Cousin Van is here?! It must be my goddamned birthday!” He glanced at Mercury for a moment then looked away but then swiftly returned his gaze to her. “Well, well, well…” he said with a grin. “You’re the badass chick that came in wearing that shirt that got Van all flustered. I dug your performance, by the way – good stuff. Not gonna lie, I was really hoping you were going to get up and clock that Midian chick upside the head. That would have been awesome. I’m Bartrand, by the way. But you can call me whatever you like,” he offered his hand to her and, much like Simon had done, he made sure to take the offered limb and press his lips against it.

    "What… how… Bartrand! What the hell are you doing?!” Vandrad demanded, absolutely flustered.

    “Enjoying the party, Van. This and morning workout are the only things that get my blood pumping. I’m surprised you’re here though; I thought you were a real stick in the mud about these kinds of things,” Bartrand said as he flopped down on the table, sitting cross-legged before the party and doing nothing to cover himself up.

    “Enough, Bartrand! We were just about to hear the story about how Vandrad finally lost his virginity.”” Dudley interrupted, waving his arms playfully at the boy.

    Bartrand’s eyes snapped wide and his head shot to Vandrad. “What?!” he exclaimed. “You!” His hand shot to his heart, grabbing at it similar to how his father had only moments ago. But Bartrand went further, putting on a show of having his body shake violently and twisting until he fell right off the edge of the table, slamming into the ground – much to his mother and father’s delight.

    "I hope that hurt,” Vandrad called out.

    Only a moment later Bartrand popped back onto the table, crossing his legs in the same position as before. “Totally worth it. Alright coz, spill.”

    "Can you at least cover yourself up?” The Prince demanded.

    “What? I ain’t got nothin’ to hide. I ain’t ashamed,” he said with a shrug. And, as if to prove his point, he gave Mercury a quick wink.

    Vandrad sighed and rolled his eyes before finally settling into a place of… acceptance? That was about the only word that fit. "I was training within my guild’s training room when this one,” he said, jabbing a thumb at Mercury. "Snuck in and attacked me from behind and knocked me out. When I awoke, I was in this outfit, only marred with actual chains and being dragged through Desierto.”

    He waited for input but there was none… for the moment. His family was far too enraptured to the actual content coming soon to idly comment there. "She had a job that required a distraction so she wrestled me into helping her. Mind you, she did not tell me any of this and I essentially had to figure it out once we made it to a slave encampment. Once there, I was locked up and discovered Morli.”

    “Morli… you don’t mean?” Ever asked.

    Vandrad nodded. "The very same. They attempted to use me as a game for some of their more… higher paying customers. I made sure they understood what attempting to entrap me would bring them.”

    Tell me you blew them up,” Bartrand pleaded.

    In spite of himself, the Prince smirked. "Burned to ash.”

    “Fuck yeah. Goddamn slavers,” Bartrand said, reaching out to share a fist bump with his cousin… which, hilariously, Vandrad granted him.

    "Anyway, I was still infuriated with this one over her actions. So I sought her out with the intention of ending her life. We fought for a short time before I realized we would be going at it all night and perhaps longer. Apparently my body betrayed me and opted for a different resolution to our disagreement. I should mention that my wits were not about me during the ordeal; I was so enraged that I was acting out of feral instinct and made no conscious efforts. I only came to the next day and found the bloody woman lying next to me, sharing a bed and naked. She illuminated me with what transpired.”

    Bartrand turned to Mercury, eyes glistening. “I know we just met but I think I’m in love with you. You beat up Vandrad and you took his virginity? Mom, dad – I found the woman I want to marry.”

    “According to her, you may have competition in your uncle Simon and aunt Themmy.”

    “Pft. I can take them,” Bartrand said with a half-hearted scoff.

    “Fighting a woman and that leading into sex. I won’t lie to you, Vandrad – that is exactly how I envisioned you ever taking any woman to bed. Or well, I guess in this case, to sand,” Dudley said, laughing at his own joke.







    Words: 1521/7908 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
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    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 29th March 2020, 8:22 pm

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    Vandrad absolutely sputtered at the notion that he and Mercury were an item, causing the lavender haired woman to practically cackle into her beer bottle. She was so greatly entertained by how annoyed the very insinuation had made him that she didn’t even bother teasing him about how hard he was denying it. Frankly, the prince was doing a well enough job on his own in that department. Instead, she simply sidled the conversation into one that was arguably worse: Desierto.

    The prince turned his head so hard to glare at her that she was surprised he didn’t get whiplash from the torque. She continued to giggle a bit maniacally, pleased with herself and her timing as always. “Careful,” she teased. “You’ve given me that look before and it didn’t go quite the way you planned.” Then, Mercury winked at him. Oh, she was cruel, and she knew she was. But at the end of the day, he had basically asked for this. He was the one who invited her to stay rather than protest her presence, and he fully admitted ahead of time that he knew she was going to find every conceivable way to infuriate him through the night while exposed to his family.

    His uncle was practically seeing stars, completely elated over the knowledge and voicing how long the family had apparently been waiting for the day to come before demanding to hear the story. This in turn caused Vandrad to lament over his family’s seeming obsession with his sex life, stating how surely it was odd that relatives would take such a keen interest in such things with one another. It was Everance who spoke up and reminded the man where they were, gesturing to the room and the bodies writhing and moaning around them. To them, sex was simply a healthy, fun activity that there shouldn’t be any shame in, an ideal that Mercury felt was quite sound.

    She called Vandrad out on being the only one in the family that stood out against such views. The prince started to protest, speaking as though about to name another individual that didn’t appear to be present when the subject of his sentence appeared in a burst of fire and smoke appeared out of thin air, causing Mercury to jump in surprise. Without meaning to, she moved on instinct to reach for her pistol, which wasn’t there of course. Thankfully, it wasn’t an attack. Rather, a young man around her age, fully naked, fell out of the cloud and landed on the center of the table in dramatic fashion.

    The man’s eyes lit on Vandrad and went wide with excitement as he practically blubbered over the fact that Vandrad was present at the raunchy after party. By the time the man looked at her, she had managed to mostly compose herself and relax again, with her entertained smirk on her face, though her heart was racing and some if not all of them had probably seen the reaction, subtle as it was. He recognized her immediately, pointing her out as the woman that had made the dramatic entrance and taken Vandrad by surprise.

    He went right on to express his appreciation over her performance, the first such direct comment she’d received since the song. Of course the roaring round of applause had been enough to tell her how greatly everyone present had enjoyed it at the time, but this cousin was the first to actually bring it back up and compliment her for it. “Thank you,” she told him, for once in her life actually looking a little out of place at a compliment. Not enough to appear fully shy or timid to the people that didn’t know her well, but Vandrad would probably notice that the quick, somewhat casual statement had still touched her.

    Of course, the subject was quickly brought to Sabine and how the young man had really hoped she was going to let the princess have it. He introduced himself as Bartrand, offering his hand and charmingly informing her that she could call him whatever she wanted. That was enough to finally full her fully out of her temporary funk and back into a semblance of normalcy. “A pleasure to meet you, handsome,” she said, giving him a little grin as the man kissed the back of her hand much like Mercury had done to Themesycia upon her arrival. “And for what it’s worth, I wasn’t going to clock her. I had something much more painful and scarring in mind.”

    Mercury almost followed up with a comment about Vandrad stealing the opportunity by coming in red hot with anger in defense of her honor, but something about that felt weird to think, let alone say, so she opted to leave that particular subject alone for now. Besides, Vandrad was once again sputtering over things, this time clearly in shock at the presence of his cousin at the sordid shindig. According to Bartrand, this and fighting were the only two things he really lived for, and he expressed his own surprise that Vandrad was even present before sitting right down on the table on full display with no regard for his nudity.

    Unfortunately for the prince, all the ruckus wasn’t enough to stray his uncle away from the story he very much wanted to hear, informing Bartrand of the nature of the tale. Now there were three relatives primed and excited for the details, and Mercury was once more basking in the glow of being a right pain in Vandrad’s ass, giggling all the deeper with pleasure at herself, and then with even more delight as Bartrand made a show of falling off the table in shock as though he’d had a heart attack over the knowledge.

    With one last request for at least some modesty from his cousin -- which Bartrand promptly ignored, giving Mercury a lusty wink and getting a devious little grin out of her -- Vandrad finally got into things. The Silver Wolf mage was greatly looking forward to hearing this from his perspective, particularly now that she knew he remembered everything. She was already prepared for him to skip over as many incriminating details as possible, preparing her statements in advance.

    Even Mercury was surprised that no one had anything to say over the knowledge that she’d single handedly managed to sneak up on the prince and knock him out cold long enough for him to wake up in a completely different country, half naked and chained up. But it seemed they were far too enthralled with hearing of the whole incident, so much so that they didn’t want to interrupt. At least, not at first. Everance spoke up in concern once she heard Morli’s name, and then Bartrand pleaded to know how Vandrad had dealt with the slavers. The prince confirmed with no small amount of pride that he’d utterly decimated every single one of them, and Mercury was flabbergasted by his willingness to participate in the requested fistbump from his younger, energetic cousin.

    He summed up the rest of the story fairly neatly, going into how he’d been so pissed at Mercury that he’d tried to kill her, only for it to not exactly work out that way. He was even honest about how he had been so angry with her that he hadn’t even remembered anything in the morning, only coming to understand it when Mercury herself had gone over it for him in detail. It was abou the version of storytelling she’d expected it to be, quick and to the point with as little mention of juicy bits as possible.

    Bartrand turned to her with stars in his eyes, informing her that he suspected he was in love with her despite the fact that they’d just met. It seemed he was more than a little in awe of the fact that she had not only beaten his older cousin up, but also managed to push him to the point of finally having sex. It wasn’t until he turned to Dudley and Everance to inform them that he planned on marrying her that she even realized he was their son, as no mention of it had been made before then. Though truthfully, Mercury probably could have deduced that for herself if she hadn’t been caught up in a rare moment of traumatic reflex.

    Mercury grinned as Dudley remarked that he would have to fight his aunt and uncle for the honor, which Bartrand promptly said wouldn’t be an issue although he didn’t sound too convincing. “I’m starting to get the distinct impression that I’m not going to be allowed to return to Fiore,” she said with no small amusement.

    Clearly pleased, Vandrad’s uncle admitted that the tale was basically how he’d always envisioned the man losing his virginity. “Oh, but you skipped over so many great parts,” Mercury cooed, snuggling up against Vandrad with an impish smirk, slipping her arm under his and resting against it playfully. “Like how I got you into the arena in the first place by selling you like a slave, and at commoner prices.” She flashed a smug look at the family. “He was trying to hide his identity, and wasn’t aware I already knew it, though he did suspect. I threw him off by faking a name for him, and he was actually offended at how cheap I sold him.”

    Chuckling, she looked back at him with her wicked grin. “Or about how you quite literally tore my clothing into little pieces to get me out of it. Before chaining me up to the ceiling and calling me ten kinds of slut and going on about how you were going to make sure I wanted to come back for more later. Oh, or how about all the cuddling we did after?” Surely he was red in the face by now and ready to pummel her, but the way her devilish expression deepened, he could be sure that she had one more card up her sleeve. “If you’re not going to do the story justice, I can always pull out the recording for them…” She reached her hand up as though she were about to flick her tablet into it.

    WORDS: 1748/8706 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
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    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 29th March 2020, 10:09 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    Bartrand had was quite adept at making surprise entrances and exits. Many times the household was filled up with the bangs of him teleporting about, going here and there and pretty much wherever he liked. It was a bit surprising to experience the first time so none at the table were awfully surprised that Mercury nearly jumped out of her seat. But Vandrad was the only one that noticed her hand flinch to her side, looking for the weapon that wasn’t there. The others were so caught up in their own world but he knew a traumatic-induced reflex when he saw one. He leveled his gaze on her, even as his cousin was yapping at him, if only to ensure that she wasn’t about to have an episode. He’d seen far too many of those and frankly, he didn’t want to see another.

    Luckily, she was able to quickly compose herself back to a level of normalcy. While everyone had taken note of the surprise, none had but the Prince had seen her panic before it was already washed away. But Vandrad took note of it before turning his attention back to his family and the spectacle that they were. Yet even that didn’t last long, as Bartrand turned the attention to Mercury, taking the time to compliment her on her song from before. The boisterous woman faded for only a moment, her response soft and almost timid. To others it may have seemed normal but for her, Vandrad couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at her. All of this degenerative exposure and it was a heartfelt compliment that knocked her off her game. Then again, it did coincide with some of the words he had inadvertently said to her in the dressing room. She’d certainly been quite closed off then too, hadn’t she?

    Bartrand managed to finally break her awkwardness by bringing up Sabine, focusing onto a subject that Mercury could react and speak about with confidence. After greeting one another, the Silver Wolf mage was quick to inform him that she had no intention of clocking anyone; what she had planned was far more painful and traumatic. The young du Wolff grinned. “You and I are gonna get along great, I can feel it,” he said to her, pleased as punch.

    But it seemed that his cousin’s interruption wasn’t going to break any chance of Vandrad telling his story. So he got into it, weaving the tale as well as one might expect him to. He already had a feeling that Mercury was going to harp on him for leaving out more vivid details; specifically ones that made him look depraved or simply embarrassed him. If she felt inclined to add in addendums during or after, that would be her choice. He simply wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of giving into the pressure and revealing everything. He had his standards and he planned on sticking by them.


    By the end of it, Bartrand was infatuated with Mercury. He proclaimed his love for her and insisted to his parents that he would wed her without a doubt in his mind. Vandrad snorted and rolled his eyes, even as his aunt and uncle chuckled over the idea. Mercury herself remarked over the fact that there was a good chance she was never leaving Bellum. Ever chuckled. “Might I suggest we go shopping tomorrow for a vacation home for you? There are several houses available in the square. That is, if my sister hasn’t already fitted a place for you in her own bed.”

    “If she even makes it to the bed. Themmy may just try and convince you to fool around wherever you are with her!” Dudley said with a deep laugh.

    For a brief moment, Vandrad felt like he had escaped absolute embarrassment… but it was only for a moment, as brief and fleeting as it was. As his uncle admitted that losing his virginity after a battle seemed quite appropriate for the Prince, she struck. She mentioned all the details he had moved right by, wrapping her arm around his and leaning against him like a maiden with stars in her eyes. She went on to explain how she had gotten him into the arena by selling him like a common slave, revealing that she had thrown him off her trail again by selling him like cheap meat rather than a high priced noble.

    Oh but she wasn’t done. She continued, revealing that he had torn her clothes off of her like a rabid animal, used chains to string her up and then insulted her as a whore and several other negative connotations and synonyms. Or how he was going to ensure that she got addicted to what he could provide and afterward, they cuddled together through the night. He stared at her all throughout her teasing, his face unreadable as he met her gaze. But it wasn’t until she offered to show them the video, reaching her hand up as if to bring her tablet up that he reacted. He reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping it in place.

    "No.” He said it carefully but not as if he were demanding it. Despite the hard decline of her offer, it didn’t seem like he was ordering her or threatening her over the matter. He was simply drawing the line. He’d allowed her a great radius of freedom since arriving but there was a level he was unwilling to go to. So he made it very clear he wished for her to stop, right there.

    “Aw, c’mon coz. What’s a little porn between family?” Bartrand stated, rolling his eyes and chuckling.

    “Ah, it’s just as well. It seems the mention of chains and tearing off clothes has gotten your father all riled up,” Ever said, glancing up at the man with a smirk. “I’d suggest you run along, Bartrand. Probably best for you two as well… unless you’re absolutely interested in watching.”

    “That’s my cue then,” Bartrand said, jumping to his feet. But before he disappeared into another cloud of smoke, he shot Mercury a glance and a quick wink. “I’ll check in you with guys later.” And then like that, he was gone.

    Vandrad simply slid out of the booth, his attention now elsewhere. This time he didn’t make to take Mercury’s hand and guide her anywhere else. In fact, he made a beeline for the bar and tapped the glass as he leaned against it, requesting a drink. Once it came, he would take a long drag from it and glance over at the dancing just beyond, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.








    Words: 1110 / 9018 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
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    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 30th March 2020, 8:55 am

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    Everance ran with the playful comment regarding Mercury not being allowed to leave Bellum, stating that the two of them could easily take the next day to go find a vacation home for her. Of course, that was presuming that the duchess had not already outfitted a place for Mercury in her own bedroom. Dudley seemed pretty convinced that Themesycia wouldn’t wait long enough to reach a bedroom before trying to take advantage of the Silver Wolf mage, to which she only grinned as if she, too, agreed that would probably be the case. Because quite frankly, she already knew it was true, given recent dalliances.

    The story went on and finished, with Mercury doing her expected bit of bringing up a few of the details that Vandrad neglected to tell. The prince surely knew it was coming, so he just sat in stony accepting silence as she mentioned a few of the other more embarrassing moments during the story. And of course, her pièce de résistance was teasing with the possibility of pulling out the recording that he knew existed. To her credit, Mercury didn’t actually intend on showing the footage. She’d only wanted to tease about its existence, fully expecting Vandrad to stay her hand in some form of either panic or anger.

    Instead, what she got was… not what she expected.

    He did stay her hand, firmly but not aggressively. Rather than burning with embarrassment or rage, however, he simply looked her right in the eyes and gave her a rather serious, unamused no. It wasn’t a command, and it wasn’t necessarily anger. It was some other emotion that she couldn’t place, and it very quickly brought even her teasing mannerisms to a screeching halt. She was still smiling a little, desperately trying to keep from letting the situation turn awkward in front of his family, but the humor didn’t reach her eyes.

    Vandrad said nothing, even as Bartrand tried to carry on the joke insisting about how porn between family was nothing. Thankfully, it seemed the little tidbits of information had been enough to get Dudley going in need of his wife, who classily suggested that anyone who didn’t want to watch or partake should probably leave. Their son hardly batted an eyelash, giving little more than a mental shrug and stating his farewells before giving Mercury a wink and disappearing into another cloud of smoke. And then Vandrad simply got up and left without a word, leaving the Silver Wolf mage sitting there.

    She had just enough mental wherewithal to keep her easy going face on, smirking at the couple as she slowly stood to her feet. “You two enjoy yourselves,” Mercury told them with a small grin. “And thank you.” She cast them a knowing smirk, allowing herself a moment of more firmly acknowledging that things had gone to plan while Vandrad was out of earshot.

    Then, she turned and walked away, her gaze panning the room through the crowds to try to see where Vandrad had gone off to. For a moment, Mercury thought he’d simply left her there and decided his night was over, with or without her. A pit was very quickly working its way into her stomach, and was only somewhat eased when she saw him at the bar ordering a drink and taking a long gulp from it. She couldn’t get the notion out of her mind that she’d clearly pushed the line much too far, and for the first time in her life that bothered her.

    He would actually get a solid minute or two of solace at the bar before Mercury finally came up beside him, on the side of his body away from where he was currently staring off into nothing. She was completely silent as she gently set her empty beer bottle down on the counter. Her gaze made no effort to meet his. In fact, she seemed firmly interested in keeping her eyes locked on the counter itself where her hands rested. It was several long seconds as she struggled with herself, not to find words but rather to find courage to speak at all.

    “I’m sorry,” Mercury finally said, her voice quiet. It was the first time she’d ever apologized to him or shown any remorse for her actions or words. She hadn’t even really apologized to him in Desierto. “I wasn’t going to. I just wanted…” Her voice trailed off a bit and she stopped herself mid sentence. Whatever she’d been about to say, it felt like an excuse to her. Clearly, not one that she was happy with as she just elected not to finish the comment.

    Her fingers idly twisted the ring on her middle finger back and forth, a motion that she didn’t even realize right away that she was doing. When she noticed it, though, for some reason it just made her feel worse. Mercury was realizing that in at least some small way, she’d hurt him -- a realization that was all the heavier on her with the knowledge of the fact that she’d already taken the time to show bits and pieces of that recording to Vandrad’s mom and uncle. If he was this put off by even joking about sharing the content, he would probably hate her if he knew she already had, and it was a very humbling place to be.

    Mercury slowly pulled her fingers away from the ring before covering its view with her other hand, unable to bring herself to even look at the item for the moment. “We can go if you want,” she told him. If she had been quiet before, that statement was practically a whisper, though not so much that he wouldn’t be able to hear her over the music. “I know you don’t really want to be here anyway. And… I did do a lot of traveling today.” She did her best to feed him reasons to leave so he wouldn’t have to come up with any himself, doing her best in unfamiliar territory to make a conscious effort at making the situation right as much as she could. If she could.

    WORDS: 1045/9751 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
    Position : None
    Posts : 792
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    Experience : 8,080,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 30th March 2020, 7:11 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    Everance had noticed the small change in the mood between Vandrad and Mercury. It was small and well hidden, at least on the Silver Wolf mage's part, but she had picked up on it. Vandrad had told her no and she had obliged silently. And while her smile was still present, it was really only on her mouth. The humor had left the rest of her as she tried to wrestle with what had just happened.

    As much as she didn't truly want to dismiss the two, having been enjoying the company, she felt it best to separate the party so that the couple could have time to connect. She quickly explained that Dudley had gotten worked up over the story and she had to help him out, which wasn't entirely untrue. He hadn't truly but he knew better than to argue when she made such observations. She had her reasons and he knew his wife well enough to know when to simply go along with her words. Bartrand had been through this song and dance enough not even to bother questioning the stated fact. He took his leave, giving Mercury a departing wink and was gone in a literal flash.

    Vandrad needed a moment to collect himself so he went ahead of Mercury, heading to the bar. In truth, he wasn't even sure why he was bothered by her final tease. Well, he supposed he did; it wasn't really her tease or even the serious possibility of pulling up the video. She'd spent some time alone with his mother and uncle up at the ball and he had already assumed that she had taken time to show highlights. A fact that may have bothered him weeks ago barely acted as a blip on his radar. He'd spent enough time around Mercury; gotten to know her and understand how she operated. He'd adapted to it and for all intents and purposes, he was… comfortable with it. And therein lay the truth of the matter -- he was in new, uncharted territory.

    Despite his objections to the contrary, Mercury was his friend. He trusted her, he relied on her and he genuinely, as much as it pained him to say it, enjoyed her company. She was a constant challenge that kept pushing him to break out of his mold. She didn't allow him to fall back on weak complaints or excuses nor did she soften any blow, verbal or otherwise. And it was something he hadn't truly experienced in his thirty eight years of life. His direct family was supportive of everything he had done and accomplished and it was true that they did put obstacles in his way for him to surpass. But it wasn't constant, continuous and it didn't evolve each and every time. Mercury did exactly that and it had thrown him for a loop how much he honestly cherished it.

    He took down a solid gulp of his drink as he stared into the crowd, wondering just how the hell to explain his mindset without sounding like a sap. He felt her before she was next to him and it wasn't just her presence. It was her emotional state that was ebbing off of her like waves. It was a fairly new development for his powers that came and went as easily as the wind changed. With time he'd most likely be able to perfect it but presently, it did as it wanted. How ironic it chose now to allow him to feel just how off course she was. Her emotions were in a state of flux and it didn't take a genius to figure out what had caused that. He swore internally as she stood next to him, humbled and brought low by his singular word.

    Despite the throbbing music, he could still hear her apology, as pitiful and meek as it was. It was also the first time she had done so genuinely since they had met. She started to explain that she wouldn't have shown the video, starting to come up with a reason before falling silent. It seemed whatever she meant to say didn't feel right or authentic. He'd turned just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye, watching as she idly played with the ring he'd given her earlier that same evening. How odd that she seemed to keep playing with it. Her thoughts must have reminded her it was there as a moment later, she retreated from it and covered it.

    She told him they could go if he desired it. Her voice had fallen even quieter as she fumbled over an excuse, any kind of reason, that he could use to leave without having to craft one himself. Truthfully if he'd wanted to leave, he would have. But he didn't. And it hadn't been out of concern for his family taking advantage of her in his absence. If he hoped to ease her mind at all, he had to speak up now -- a damn challenge for a man like Vandrad, so full of pride. But wasn't he always trying to rise above all challenges? And Mercury… she was worth it, to look humble every once and awhile.

    "It's fine," he said gruffly at first, failing to convey his tone right at first. Bad form, Vandrad. He had to speak honestly. He turned to face her and, surprising himself, he reached out and put his hand over hers, still covering the ring. And even more shockingly, he pulled the hand off so as to reveal the emerald piece and still held the hand carefully. "Truly. I don't care about the video. You can show it to whoever you want. In a twisted way, I take a sort of perverse pride in it." he said with a small smirk.

    Then he looked at her fully, meeting her gaze. "It's nothing you did that gave me pause. It's me -- hearing that story of how I went to such lengths to try and kill you is… shameful now. I know in it's own way its entertaining but…" He trailed off and he struggled to lift the lid on his feelings taking a deep inhale. "The truth of the matter is that now, even a few weeks later, I can't imagine where I'd be without your partnership. You are a constant challenge in my life, pressing my buttons and pushing my patience. But I've come to realize that that's not a bad thing. You're the first person that hasn't gotten exhausted by me or driven away by my… well, everything. It's odd, odd enough that I constantly feel off my normal guard." He idly gestured to the room about them with his free hand. "The number of times I've set foot in this ludicrous place can be counted on one hand. And I never participated in any sort of dress up just for the sake of humor, ever. I did those things because of your influence… and that truly is not a bad thing. You've nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should thank you… for helping me open up better than I ever could myself. All my life I've made myself strong and improved upon my being without anyone's help. You're the first that has forced it upon me.. and look how far I've come."

    He gave her hand a squeeze before he let it go. It was as open and honest as Vandrad could possibly get at this point in his life, which was still leagues better than he had been almost the entirety of the rest of his life. His hand lingered for a moment longer before he used it to wave the bartender down and pointed at Mercury,  ordering her another beer. "Of course if you tell anyone I said any of that, then I'll really kill you," he said but a moment later, his smirk returned as he gazed at her, the best show that their relationship hadn't suffered at all from what had transpired.








    Words: 1356 / 10,377 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
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    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 30th March 2020, 8:49 pm

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    His first statement, when he finally spoke, wasn't exceptionally convincing. The tone of his voice was still as gruff as ever, and she was sure that he was only saying it just to avoid the conversation entirely. Mercury didn't blame him.

    But apparently, Vandrad hadn't liked the way the statement had come out. He turned to face her, even as she kept her own gaze turned away until he used one of his hands to take hers, pulling it away and stopping her from covering up the gem that had been screaming guilt at her so it could once more shine in the open light. It was an odd gesture, one of many that night. But this time, unlike in his mother's dressing room, he continued to hold the limb, speaking to her with more open honesty than either of them had broached up until that point.

    He told her that he didn't care who she showed the video to, telling her that there was a large part of him that did, in fact, take a bit of dark pleasure and pride out of it. It was a humorous comment that merited a smirk from him, and her lips did twitch briefly in appreciation, but she was so bogged down with feeling like she'd hurt him that she couldn't bring herself to allow for any kind of joy at the words.

    She could feel his eyes on her, wanting to meet her gaze. At first, she continued to keep her head down, scared of looking at him. It wasn't until he told her that what had truthfully been bothering him was simply the tale of Desierto itself  and not because of the sordid tryst they'd had but because he was now ashamed of his attempt at trying to take her life. It was only then that she cautiously forced herself to look up and meet his eyes, still upset with herself but also clearly surprised by what he'd said. Of course of she was surprised by that, Mercury would be utterly floored by how he continued on to tell her that her partnership meant so much to him by this point that he couldn't even imagine where he'd be now without it.

    Her emotions took a hard change there, a slight gulp working down her throat as she struggled to wrestle with what he'd just told her like it was the first time anyone had ever said something that nice to her before. He remarked on how she was constantly pushing his buttons and getting under his skin, but that it wasn't a bad thing. It kept pushing him beyond his limits. She challenged him, something he had apparently grown quite attached to. He went so far as to admit that she was the first person that didn't let his gruff, irritable exterior keep her from coming back for more, admitting in no so many words that there had been others in his past that abandoned him completely over it.

    It was unusual for him to feel genuinely appreciated by someone, and it meant enough to him that he was willing to come to the one place he had avoided his entire adult life just because he knew she would enjoy it, confirming that this was also the only time of those few that he'd even dressed up, if as a joke. She had pushed him to growth, something he usually had to rely on himself for. And as such, he felt that not only should she not be apologizing to him, but that he should be thanking her for forcing him to adapt and expand.

    Her face was a mostly unreadable mask, but her emotions were absolutely going haywire over… Well, everything he'd said. To the point where he could probably feel her hand trembling a bit in his own. And she herself was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize the limb was betraying her in that moment. She was still struggling, but now with something entirely different. Gone was the shame from feeling like she'd hurt him, and now ws she wracked with something she couldn't altogether describe, which in and of itself was the problem. For the first time in her life, Mercury felt the want to actually open up to someone, but how? How did she tell him that his words were so eerily close to her own struggle of having never really connected with anyone before long enough to form any kind of relationship? How did she convey to him without looking like a cry for pity that she had never had anyone say anything so nice to her as he just had, that she'd never had someone essentially express a caring for her and her wellbeing? How did she voice the fact that she'd never had a friend, never been in a position to feel like she could trust anyone?

    She couldn't. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know how, didn't know where to begin. Not without admitting things to him that she couldn't say without risking her life, or worse. So she stared at him with the look of a woman that quite clearly didn't know how to take and accept everything he'd just said to her, her emotions now in an even greater flux than they had been before. It was the nicest, most caring thing anyone had ever told her, and even if her expression was mostly neutral the story was probably written in her eyes.

    Vandrad gave her hand a small squeeze after a lingering moment or two before letting go and flagging down the bartender to order her a refill. A pregnant pause filled the air as Mercury took that moment to look away again, trying to get herself fully under control. He hand felt cold now after so long from being held, which was… Distracting to her train of thought. After a brief silence he innocently informed her that if she told anyone about how deeply he'd just opened up to her, he'd actually kill her. She flicked her gaze over to him again to see him smirking, a genuine expression that told her things really were fine between them -- not that his speech hadn't already done so. Finally, she smirked back ever so slightly. "Please. You couldn't kill me then, let alone now," Mercury teased him lightly, her eyes finally showing something other than confusion and apprehension.

    The fresh beer was slid toward her, which she thanked the man for before taking it in hand, though she didn't drink from it right away. Mercury still wanted to say something, return his gesture of honesty in some form. The struggle was deciding where to let her guard down without being so vulnerable that she would break completely.

    "Your family," she finally said, her voice soft but not as quiet or timid as it had been before. As she spoke, the sentences came pausingly as though she were still working out her own thoughts even as she tried to speak them aloud. "They're good people. Better than most I've ever met. Honestly, I thought I was going to get thrown out tonight. I never expected… Well, any of this, I suppose. They tease and jab as much as I do, but it's easy to tell how much all of you care for one another. It's… Comforting to observe. To be a part of it, even if in a small, fleeting way. It means a lot to me. They're kind people. Dangerous… But kind. You share that in common with them."

    She spun the bottle around idly in her hand, lightly making the bottom of it dance slowly across the surface of the bar as she stared at the counter's top. "It's… Not something I have a lot of exposure to," Mercury finally admitted to him.

    WORDS: 1332/11,083 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
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    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 31st March 2020, 8:19 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o

    Vandrad could sense that his words were affecting her. If he hadn't felt that, the slight tremble in her hand was enough to tell the story. He wasn't He wasn't -- this kind of open and emotional honesty wasn't something they did. And frankly, this was now the second moment in that one night. It was concerning of course; Vandrad would never claim to be that much of a caring, emotional person that didn't directly involve anger or pride. But his feelings had betrayed him, formulating of their own accord and against his will. He had always felt operating as a sole warrior was better, safer and more reliable. It was why he worked so hard to become strength incarnate. It probably didn't help that he got that sincere image in his head from his mother. She'd gone years without marrying and tales of her battles always told of her heroics as a sole soldier among and against many.

    He felt it easier to blame his inability to block out his pesky emotions on his absentee father. But even then, he couldn't do so in spite, hatred or anger. The truth of it was that he was glad he'd found someone he could rely on, found an ally he could trust and continually pushed him to be better. Her methods were insanely unorthodox, downright intolerable at times but no one could deny the results. And while he'd never admit it aloud, he found a part of him enjoyed her mannerisms. She reminded him of his family and despite his obstinate words otherwise, he did appreciate the family he had. Apparently, in a strange way, that included her -- even if their relationship was entirely different.

    He released her, despite a small voice inside telling him not to. He rarely listened to such annoying insecurities anyways. He took a moment to order her a refill and tease her, wanting to ensure she understood that nothing had changed between them. That was when the self-same Mercury showed herself again. Her eyes got their glimmer, which had been bogged down by her own conflicting feelings, as she claimed he wouldn't be able to kill her anyways. Her own words caused his smirk to deepen, relieved to see his rival getting back a bit of her form.

    He took that time to nurse on his drink. By his ordering of the refill for her, he had wordlessly told her they would stay. If she truly was tired, then he would oblige her and leave with her. But as her previous words felt more like escapes for him, he showed that he was fine remaining. After all, he was pretty sure his mother wouldn't forgive him if he took away her new favorite person while it was still… early? He didn't have any means of checking what time it even was. He imagined that was the whole purpose.

    Vandrad was mid-sip when Mercury spoke up again, focusing her thoughts on his family. He looked over to her curiously as she spoke, her words coming in halts and differing inflections. It occurred to him that she was speaking as the thoughts in her head were forming. She called his family good, comparing them in a better light than other people she had met. She spoke of what her expectations had been when she had made her presence known, fully ready to be thrown out for daring to trespass. Even from an outsider's perspective, she could tell how close they all were, despite their teases and pranks. She was thankful for the chance to be part of it, whatever amount that was. She considered them kind and dangerous… and she apparently felt he shared that with them.

    It was honestly the first time he'd been compared to his family in such a positive light. But as she swirled her bottle and explained that she hadn't gotten much exposure to it, he nodded softly. "I know you don't speak of it and I make it a point not to dig unless I need to… but I can tell that there is something rougher around you. Hardship, I would wager. That is why I eventually wanted you to meet my family. Because the truth of it is that I knew they would enjoy you. Not in the depraved way where every one of them clearly wants to get in your pants but simply as a person. You haven't gotten a lot of exposure but you'll get it now, whether you or I like it or not. My aunt may joke but I promise my mother is already making plans to either create a room for you here or a house out in the square. I don't know your family situation but I can tell you honestly that if you were lacking, you've found one now. My mother will make it so. And she'll destroy anyone that tries to hinder that or you."

    He snorted softly and took another long sip from his drink. "And how dare you call me kind. It's like you don't know me at all," he shot at her teasingly.








    Words: 836 / 11, 213 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
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    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 1st April 2020, 9:53 am

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    It was weird trying to open up. For a woman who was typically pretty eloquent in her speech, Mercury was having a rough time trying to find the right words to convey a great number of things that she wanted to say and couldn’t. To his credit, Vandrad listened to her quietly, letting her try to get the thoughts out of her head without interrupting her during the process. He could probably tell that she was struggling.

    She finally finished, her voice trailing off as she ended with an admittance that she wasn’t exactly used to being around a group of people that cared for and trusted one another so closely. He admitted that he had always been able to tell there was a lot that Mercury was keeping to herself about her own life, things that he imagined were related to hardships and traumas. Apparently, he did his best not to ask her about it unless he felt there was a reason he needed to, not wanting to invade her privacy. However, it seemed he had intended to have her eventually meet his family one day anyway, knowing that they would get along -- in more ways than he may have necessarily wished for.

    And it seemed it had been right. According to Vandrad, now that she’d already met them Mercury was sure to be adopted into the family, so to speak. Not as a relative of any kind, of course, but someone that they would welcome with open arms. His aunt Everance’s comment about finding Mercury a vacation home in the square wasn’t made in total jest, he told her, as most likely Themesycia would already have been making plans to either outfit Mercury with her own room in the palace or to find a home for her much like Everance had suggested.

    He ended his small speech by informing her that whatever her family life, or lack thereof, was currently like, Mercury had one now with his family. His mother would stop at nothing to make sure that the Silver Wolf mage felt that way, and apparently wouldn’t let anything keep it from happening. It continued to be a sobering moment for the mage, for a lot of reasons. At the forefront of everything was how strange it felt to basically be told that she was wanted. And not just sexually, although clearly that was also the case, but simply for who she was as a person, as more than just something to be used in some fashion or another before parting ways and being forgotten about. In all honesty, she wasn’t entirely sure she believed it. Words were pretty, and against her better judgement a part of her hoped that what he said was true… but it remained to be seen in how things went moving forward.

    But of course, all of this was entirely too much emotion and honesty for the two of them, so Vandrad quickly followed up with another jab at her, remarking on her boldness in calling him kind like she clearly hadn’t been paying attention to him in the time they’d known one another. Mercury was all too happy to cling to that escape from the direction the conversation had taken, letting it lead them back into familiar, more comfortable territory. She finally grinned up at him in full, turning her body to face him better as she lounged against the bar with one of her elbows. “First off,” she informed him, “Why go through the effort of giving me my own room when I can just let myself get dragged into yours every night?”

    She took a drink out of the bottle, finally cherishing that first delicious sip of a freshly opened beer. Her smirk deepened, emerald eyes glistening with the look Mercury always got when she had discovered some brand new way to twist Vandrad’s knobs. “Secondly, is that what I need to do to annoy you, now? Just start talking about how sweet you are when no one’s looking?” Oh, this new line of attack was sure to get him going, she could feel it. The Silver Wolf mage looked downright giddy with excitement and anticipation over whatever look he’d get as she managed to once more twist his words around on him to her advantage.

    “You don’t like talking about Desierto because you don’t like reliving just how mean you were to me. That’s fine. I can just start telling other stories that paint you in a much nicer light. Like how you came to try and rescue me in the Glaciers, or saving my life on our way to Ca-Elum. I’m sure I can go into great detail about how cuddly you were in Desierto, or all those nice things you’ve been saying to me all night.” The emotion in her eyes was downright mischief as she teasingly ran her fingernails along the underside of his arm and gasping in faux surprise like an innocent idea had just struck her. “In fact, you know who would just love to hear about all of this? Your mother!”

    Mercury flashed him a rebellious grin before hastily turning and moving away from the bar toward the direction of the dais like she was going to go pay the duchess a visit with a whole new set of stories that was sure to ruin Vandrad’s gruff reputation.

    WORDS: 917/12,000 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Vandrad Ragnos
    Vandrad Ragnos

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Traveller of the Multiverse
    Position : None
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    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Energy Monarch
    Second Skill: Ark of the Dread Masters
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Vandrad Ragnos 1st April 2020, 1:51 pm

    There’s no fair or unfair in battle.
    ( There is only victory or in your case, defeat. )
    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 RJtajUnz_o


    All of this was too honest, too open. Vandrad wasn’t sure how he felt about it but his words fell out of his mouth against his will. Her wounded and shy state was different for her as well. All of this was strange and unusual and not what their relationship had been prior to this. Was it a good direction to head towards? Maybe; he wasn’t entirely sure because he had never experienced any kind of friendship beyond his family. But whatever the case, it was obvious that it was happening almost too fast for the both of them. It was progress but progress required great effort and what they had done so far was going into a gray, unknown area. Trekking through that was going to require time and patience and it couldn’t be rushed.

    So he disarmed the conversation or rather derailed it back to their normal banter. He commented on her calling him kind, taking the intended compliment as an insult to his demeanor. It was made in jest, as was their usual routine, in hopes of further pulling themselves away from the emotional openness. Luckily for him, she was more than ready to follow him back onto their original path. She started it off with a first point, asking him why anyone would put the effort into getting her her own accommodations when clearly she could just get dragged into his room every night? He scoffed and shook his head. "It’s only so my uncle or mother don’t try and woo you into their beds. Or worse, you try to sneak off to their beds. I have to keep an eye on you,” he stated plainly, protesting just a tiny bit too much.

    Her second point was another question, realizing the fresh new ammo he had apparently supplied her. This caused his face to contort in confusion as he stared at her, Mercury mentioning that she could start talking about how sweet he could be when no one was looking. "Tsk,” he scoffed, amazed she would even consider going that route. Oh and she looked so excited over the prospect as she leaned against the bar, grinning up at him.

    She reiterated his explanation about Desierto, realizing that he didn’t like talking about it because he had been mean. Instead, she said, she would simply regale anyone that she could find with stories about how he had been nice and caring, such as coming to her rescue in the Glaciers and on the sea to Ca-Elum. She continued the train of thought as she said she could explain how cuddly he had been back in the desert or tell them all the sweet nothings he had apparently been whispering to her throughout the evening. It was a surprising attack… but then again, not too much. If Mercury was anything, she was adaptive. And once she realized their friendship wasn’t in danger, she went right back to being the notorious imp she loved to be.

    Her fingers trailed up his arm before she gasped, realizing that the person who would most love to hear all the niceties was his mother. And with that, she attempted to run away, to escape to the dais and reveal all the plans and thoughts she had come up with. Vandrad had planned on making their way back over to his mother anyways but now, in doing so, he was giving her an advantage. He couldn’t do that -- that wouldn’t be any fun.

    No, he needed something. What was that old practice that he’d seen once or twice here? In a flash, his hand snapped out to grab Mercury’s wrist before she was fully out of reach. He pulled back on her, inadvertently doing so in such a fashion that he spun her like they were dancing. And continuing on that path, as she came in, he pulled her close to his body, closer than they had been since Desierto. Their bodies were pressed up right against one another, their faces inches apart as he met her gaze. For a long, lingering moment it almost seemed like he was going to pull her even close and perhaps even meet her half way, pressing their lips together.

    But instead, his arms suddenly wrapped around her and he hoisted her up onto his shoulder, much like he had in the Glaciers. Placing his hand firmly on her ass to keep her in place, he cleared his throat before he yelled loudly over the music. "Ladies and gentlemen. Mercury Arseneault has been designated the night’s Naughty Queen. Let’s give a cheer and show our appreciation for her highness!”

    Ah, the Naughty King/Queen game. Essentially it was a practice that could be elected by any one person, designating someone as the Naughty King and Queen. They were to be carried through the crowd, their body heavily groped by any and all hands that could reach. They would then be escorted to their ‘throne’ for all to take in their brilliance. It wasn’t a practice that Vandrad truly supported or enjoyed but for the sake of taking her by surprise -- as well as a little humor -- he opted to make that his move.

    He started it off by pulling his hand back and giving her ass an audible smack, roughly around the strength he had used on her in the desert. Then as the crowds of people cheered and moved towards them, he carried her through the throngs of people. Hands reached out to grab and touch any body part that could be reached, giving the woman a full groping over most of her body. His eyes snapped up to his mother, who was smirking down at the sight of Vandrad carrying Mercury, before he turned away from the dais and… headed for the stairs. Up they went through more of the crowd, with people chanting ‘Hail the Queen’ all around them over the beat of the music. He brought her to a door, pressing a button to cause it to slide open. In he went with her through another door where he playfully set her down on the ground… right next to a stripper pole. It was a small room, lit in a deep red color with a magnificent glass window facing outwards to the second floor of the club. A loveseat sat on the opposite wall, for anyone that wished to get a closeup view. Cameras flicked on from the corners of the room and a holographic project of the pole and Mercury appeared above the main area of the club, eliciting cheers.

    “Well you heard my son, ladies and gentlemen,” Themesycia’s voice spoke over the speakers, the music lowering to allow her to be heard. “Mercury is our Naughty Queen for the night. For those of you that are new to our lovely club, that means she is to be referred to as ‘your highness’ for the rest of the evening, her lovely bottom must receive dutiful and honoring smacks and she has the privilege of wearing the sheer Queen’s gown… after she performs her inaugural strip show for all of you. Mercury -- whenever you’re ready, dear.”

    A loud hoot erupted from everyone as the music restarted, giving Mercury a tempo in which to move to. For Vandrad’s part, he had thought about leaving the room and leaving her to her wiles. But instead, he went over to  the love seat and sat himself down, lounging much like a king might do on his own throne. His eyes flicked to the pole for her and if she followed his gaze, she would see the words ‘Naughty Throne’ emblazoned on the golden metal form.

    "You heard the woman, your highness,” he said with a deep smirk, settling himself in. "Time to put on a show.”








    Words: 1326 / 12,539 | Tag: @Mercury Arseneault | © marzia at shine & gs.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Mercury Arseneault
    Mercury Arseneault

    Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- Player 
    Lineage : Gold Rush
    Position : None
    Posts : 690
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    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Gunblade Master
    Second Skill: Mecha Primordial Slayer
    Third Skill:

    Never Skip Leg Day - Page 2 Empty Re: Never Skip Leg Day

    Post by Mercury Arseneault 1st April 2020, 8:14 pm

    Mercury Banner
    Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects
    and discovering other peoples' weaknesses.
    Before she could get too far, Vandrad reached out and grabbed her firmly, though not roughly, by the wrist. Mercury was already giggling devilishly to herself, knowing that he was keen on stopping her from doing exactly what she’d proposed. He spun her around as he pulled her back until she was held right up against him, their faces intimately close in a fashion they hadn’t been since their trip in the desert. Her emerald eyes were locked onto his with their pert twinkle, her smirk just as mischievous as ever as she patiently waited to see what he would do. Was he going to kiss her? Perhaps, but Mercury felt she knew him better than that. If he was going to find a way to tease her, it would be with something far more aggressive than an uncharacteristic smooch.

    Though she also wasn’t going to complain about being held up against him, either.

    So, Mercury wasn’t surprised when his arms came around her and he hauled her up onto his shoulder like he had back in the Silent Glaciers, throwing her over his torso like a sack with his hand on her ass. She laughed merrily, obviously enjoying the gesture. But then it got better. In a sudden twist, the prince yelled out loud enough to be heard over the music, getting the attention of everyone present. Her gaze was wide with confusion, knowing that this was not the type of behavior Vandrad was known for, but also heavy with excitement for that very reason. He was trying something different, out of left field, to catch her off guard and surprise her.

    Apparently, he dubbed her something known as the “Naughty Queen”, to which the entire room cheered in celebration and affirmation. “The what?” she asked him through bouts of laughter as he loudly slapped her on the ass and carried her away, only to find that everyone came to surround the two of them. They reached out with their hands and started to openly touch and grope her, causing her to squirm with laughter, or at least as much as she could while being lugged over the shoulder. Whatever was going on, it was clearly a tradition of some kind that she had no knowledge to, and Vandrad was using that to his advantage to finally be the one to pull a fast one over her eyes for a change. Frankly, she loved it.

    He carried her up the stairs, with her laughing the whole while even as people began to chant about hailing her as a queen. All the way up they went until he directed them into a small room and lightly dumped her on the ground right next to what appeared to be a stripper pole. The room was basking in a deep red light, with windows for viewing from the outside and a small sofa to one side. Looking through the windows, she could see that she was being recorded for the rest of the patrons to view.

    Finally, Themesycia’s voice came over a speaker to confirm Mercury’s designation as the night’s Naughty Queen, which meant that she was apparently to be called by “highness” for the remainder of the evening. And not just that, but apparently her ass was also to become public right to touch and smack as anyone pleased, and she could also don a special attire of sheer material that befitted her temporary station.. But she had to earn it first by giving the party a worthwhile show stripping down to nothing.

    And oh, Vandrad apparently planned on staying for a personal show of his own, sitting down on the little loveseat with what was easily the most smug and arrogant grin Mercury had ever seen on the man. She followed his gaze to the pole, upon which were emblazoned the words “Naughty Throne” to indicate where she was supposed to “sit”. Then, he promptly informed her that she had a job to do, as per instructed by his mother, sitting back and waiting expectantly to observe.

    Any other woman probably would have been quite frustrated with someone essentially forcing them to put their bodies on display for a room full of people, and labelling her as being quite literally up for grabs. But not Mercury, oh no. If this was the game he wanted to play, she was going to steer right into that skid and make sure he regretted giving her this kind of power and attention. The look she gave him very much said that staying in that little room with her was a bold and dangerous choice.

    But that was the fun part, wasn’t it?

    WORDS: 786/12,786 | @Vandrad Ragnos
    Serilda Sinclair



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