One and One Makes Three

The Silver Wolf staff had been well trained and informed enough to know not to give anyone who came to the guild confirmation that Mercury was still alive, and to always notify her right away if anyone asked for her by name. At least, anyone that wasn’t on a pre-approved list of guests. For the most part, the caution really hadn’t amounted to much. The only people who would ever make their way to the guild at the top of the Phoenix Mountains would only do so because they were not a threat to the guild or any of its members. Anyone else, such as any enemies that may or may not be hunting for her out of suspicion that she may still be alive, would have to attempt to ferret her out the hard way – a task that was nearly impossible seeing as how Mercury rarely traveled anywhere these days that wasn’t within the protective confines of Silver Wolf, the Rune Knight Headquarters, Mythal and Serilda’s home, Lusty Titans, and New Rhaegar. Anywhere else she went, she was always in disguise. Everyone who mattered knew she was alive, anyway. The only reason she kept up the facade was because it was imperative that Maker not realize he was courting a counterfeit.

So she was greatly surprised to learn that a stranger had made his way all the way up to the mountain to ask for her. Lyvia, the receptionist, had wasted no time after the man’s departure to alert Mercury to the incident, drawing Mercury away immediately from her work with Blade and Cillian. Unfortunately, there weren’t as many cameras as Mercury would have preferred in the main foyer, mostly because the guild was safe enough that there had never been a need for an overabundance of them, and the few that were in the area had not captured a clear shot of the man’s face. All she could catch between the minimal video feed and Lyvia’ testimony was that he had been very tall, with dark skin, hair, and eyes. However, none of that was truly necessary the moment she’d been handed the note with the information he had left behind, a location where she could meet with him in three days, and his name.

Xavier Clarent.

Mercury’s gaze had narrowed sharply on the leaflet. She was more than familiar with the name that had been mentioned on several occasions from the Rhaegarians of their former king, the one that Vandrad claimed to have slain. Immediately she sent a message off to her fiance, inquiring about how certain he was that his one time enemy had died, in an attempt to ascertain whether this was real or some kind of misleading trap. The former prince had been pretty sure that Xavier had died, but ultimately had to admit that he’d never gotten the chance to confirm the kill in the midst of the planet’s impending destruction. The chances were slim… but it was possible.

Vandrad, of course, had wanted to act immediately, wanted to seek the man out and confront him directly, annoyed and angry that Xavier – were it truly him – had sought out Mercury. Somehow, she managed to convince him to wait and let her handle it. If this was a trap of some kind, surely it was more for Vandrad than herself, but the fact that the man had managed to make his way to Silver Wolf gave her doubt over the idea. She wanted to play things out, figure out what he wanted and confirm that he was who he claimed to be before letting Vandrad run buck wild with his punch-first-and-ask-questions-later approach. She had, of course, tried to run a search for the former god-king, but there were zero hits on the name. Most likely, he had been living on the planet under an alias.

There was very little she could do but wait for the appointed day to arrive, continuing her usual work in the meantime. When the day finally came, however, she’d made sure to arrive in Oak Town far in advance of the time he’d indicated that he would be there. Since she was out in public, she was cloaked in her guise of Merciala, dressed in striped wine colored pants with a yellow shirt that was tied snug around her waist in a knot, a dark green oversized coat, and a long pair of fingerless gloves that matched the color and style of her pants. Her green hair was pulled up in poofy pigtails on either side of her hair, with a swath of bangs framing either side of her face. Casually, she waited in a booth toward the back of the room where she could clearly see the rest of the dining hall from over her tablet, which she pretended to browse as she waited with her own drink.

Soon enough, the man of the hour walked in. He was dressed rather nicely in a rich purple tunic that was trimmed in gold and left the top half of his chest bare. His hair was pulled back from his face in rows of braids, and overall he was incredibly handsome. As he moved over toward the bar, Mercury zoomed her gaze in on him close enough to get a clear look, taking a mental image and swiftly sending it to Vandrad for confirmation. Despite everything, she was genuinely shocked to discover that this was, in fact, Xavier. Or at least someone who had disguised themselves to look exactly like him.

It left a number of questions and concerns, ones that she silently discussed back and forth via text with Vandrad even as the former ruler of Rhaegar took a seat at the bar and ordered himself a drink. Once again, Vandrad was insistent that he needed to be there, and once again Mercury gently talked him down. It didn’t take too much effort. After all, Vandrad more than trusted Mercury to handle things. He just didn’t like being inactive. So, Mercury distracted him with brainstorming instead, letting Xavier sit at the bar for a bit without approaching him as they sought to narrow down the reasons he had put this meeting together.

There was no uncertainty that his main interest was Vandrad himself, rather than Mercury. What was bothering them both was simply how he had come to learn of Mercury’s existence. Mercury’s “death” had happened only a week or so after Vandrad and the Rhaegarians had been brought to Earthland, which was hardly enough time for someone brand new to the planet to have the resources enough to hunt down such information. Vandrad had never mentioned Mercury to the man in their prior confrontations, as there had not been any need at the time. As such, someone had to have gone out of their way to give him her name and point him in her direction.

There was briefly a concern that perhaps he was still involved with Seberg, and thus with Maker… but the logic simply didn’t pan out. Maker was fully confident that he had won Mercury over to his side and that she was with him on his ship, so there was no reason he would have pointed some spy to her guild. Besides, his presence at Silver Wolf was more than enough evidence that he meant her no harm. Even now, her instincts told him as such. He wasn’t acting shifty, his vitals were calm and not indicative of any nervousness or tension. Eventually she had to conclude that the only way she would get answers was to speak with him. Informing Vandrad of her intention to do just that, she promised to fill him in on everything afterward and gently flagged down a waitress as the woman walked by.

“Another drink, miss?” the server asked, collecting the empty cup.

“Please. And also a refill for the handsome gentleman over at the bar there, if you wouldn’t mind?” Mercury nodded toward Xavier to indicate whom she was speaking of.

The server gave a teasing smile, likely assuming that Mercury was trying to pick the man up. “Sure thing, ma’am.” With a knowing wink, the woman was off. A minute or two later, Xavier would find the server setting two cups down in front of him with a sly smile. “Courtesy of the young lady in the corner,” she told him, pointing in Mercury’s direction.

The waitress dropped the drinks off with Xavier, pointing in Mercury’s direction. The Silver Wolf mage gave a little wave when the man turned to look at her, the slightest of smirks on her face. The look maintained itself all the way until he approached, thanking her for the drink and offering to pay for the next round. “You’re quite welcome, handsome. And I certainly wouldn’t say no to another drink later,” she told him. He nodded to the spot on the other side of the table, silently asking if it was okay for him to sit, and she gestured to the seat with a hand. “Please, by all means.”

As he slid in and set the drinks down, thanking her for the extra drink, she reached out and gently took one of them. “Well, one of these was actually mine… but play your cards right and I’m happy to keep them coming.” Mercury’s smirk deepened, giving him a small wink before taking a sip.

He introduced himself then, and she reached a friendly hand across the table. “A pleasure to meet you, Xavier. You can call me Merciala.” Presuming he shook her hand, she’d use the contact to collect a small surface sample of his DNA, a process that he wouldn’t feel or notice. The results were immediately conclusive, the gene sequence indicative of that of a full blooded Rhaegarian, meaning he was the real deal. There was no outsmarting that kind of science, not even with magic, meaning this was without a doubt the man that had imprisoned her fiance and fought a veritable war against him for half a year.

The knowledge should have concerned or even infuriated her, but it didn’t. Mostly she was just curious… and a little taken in with how attractive he was. It was a detail that Vandrad had left out, mostly because Vandrad didn’t care about such things, particularly with a man that was believed to be dead up until three days ago. That wouldn’t stop her from teasing and chastising her fiance later, of course.

“So, my guildmate informed me that you were looking for Mercury Arseneault the other day. I’m sorry to have to tell you that she was killed some time ago. I was told that you were looking for her assistance with some… perspective, I believe was the word she used. I am more than happy to see how I can help in Mercury’s stead. I presume you have some kind of artifact or magic of some kind you need help with..?” She was certain he didn’t, but at the same time she still had a role to play. Silver Wolf was known for their expertise in magic and technology, so that would be a safe and innocent assumption to make. The question now was: how would he respond? Did he have a cover story of some kind that he would use to attempt to distract her while finding a natural way to dig for what he truly wanted, or would he simply come right out with it? No matter which, she was all too eager to see what would happen next.

He seemed amused enough about the discovery that he’d been tricked into bringing her a drink, remarking that he’d have to bookmark the play for his own future use. While Mercury was more than happy to keep flirting with him – and she surely would – for the moment she was far more interested in getting more information about what he had been looking for her for. She put forth her inquiry on the subject, giving him a perfect avenue to slip in with a cover story of some kind, one that he admitted would make sense. In fact, he might very well plan on picking her brain about her magical and technological savvy at some point, but admitted he had sought her out for more personal reasons.

She tilted her head curiously as he admitted he was looking for an unbiased opinion, and it didn’t take much to figure out that he wasn’t planning on beating around the bush. He came right out with mentioning Vandrad, though given that he referred to the former prince as Mercury’s “friend” it was clear he didn’t know the actual extent of the couple’s relationship with one another. Mercury’s expression was unreadable outside of a reasonable look of curiosity as he explained that he had done some bad things to Vandrad and his family, actions that had stemmed from a lot of unfaced trauma that Mercury knew all about. At least, from the things Vandrad and the other Rhaegarians had told her. He explained what little he knew of the connection between Mercury and Vandrad, mostly just that they had worked a few jobs together, and that he had been hoping to gauge an idea of if he could arrange a peaceful meeting with Vandrad in an effort to make things right between them.

If that was even possible.

With a pensive look, she gently swirled the contents of her glass around while she considered him, the former Rhaegarian ruler giving a soft chuckle as he admitted that was probably a lot more than she’d been expecting to hear. “Perhaps,” she admitted after a brief moment of contemplation, “Though not as much as you might think… God-King.” She was gentle with the way that she admitted her knowledge of exactly who he was, no trace of condemnation in her tone. In fact, she still offered him a small smile that was more kind than playful for the time being. “I might be able to help you. Might. But this is not a safe discussion to have in public. At least, not if you want more than half answers.”

Presuming he indicated he was agreeable to moving their discussion elsewhere, she would wordlessly nod for him to follow her, standing from the booth with her cup in hand and exiting the restaurant part of the inn. The drinks were already paid for and they were allowed to bring them back to rooms, so they would only be stopped by the staff if they tried to leave the building with the cups. Making her way silently to the nearest elevator, Mercury wirelessly hacked into the inn’s system and searched for a vacant room. Finding a suite that wasn’t currently occupied, she updated the status of the room to indicate that it was booked, ensuring that no one that worked at the hotel would rent it out to anyone else. When they got in the elevator, she selected one of the upper floors, continuing to drink in comfortable, casual quiet as they rode up. Once the car stopped and opened its doors, she led him down the hallway to one of the doors and, rather than produce a card that she hadn’t been issued, merely held her own palm against the sensor which beeped and turned green to allow them entry.

It wasn’t an extravagant room, but it was certainly high end, clean and modern. They were greeted with a living room and kitchenette combination with black and white sofas and tall ceilings. There was no door blocking off the area that served as the actual bedroom, with little more than a wide opening where a single large bed shared space with a floor to ceiling window, a couple arm chairs, a desk, and a television. The bathroom was through an actual door in the bedroom area. When the door shut behind them, Mercury locked it wirelessly, adding an extra layer of her own security that would keep even a master key from the hotel staff from getting inside. A quick scan of the room was more than enough to tell her that it was clean of any bugs, whether magical or technological.

Satisfied, she turned back to him, and before his eyes her cloaking would fade away. Gone was the woman with bright, electric green pigtails and in her place was another woman, one with short cropped lavender hair that swept to one side of her face. She was wearing a short red jacket with her sleeves rolled up to the elbows and athletic tape wrapped around her hands and forearms. A white shirt with a blue collar was tucked into a pair of striped brown pants, and she regarded him with attentive, if playful, emerald eyes. “I’m sorry for the deception,” she explained. “I am Mercury Arseneault, Vandrad’s fiance… and as you can see rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated, though that is for my own safety. And while I would rather not threaten you, I do have to insist that keeping this interaction a secret is also in your best interest as well.”

True to her word, it wasn’t a threat. It was more to let him know that the safety of her cover in being dead was paramount to all else, and if anything compromised that she would have to take action. With that out of the way, and assuming he was agreeable to keeping the knowledge of her existence secret, her smile widened and she took a seat on one side of the couch, making herself comfortable as she leaned back and regarded him. “It was quite the surprise to see your name on the note you left. Up until then, we assumed you were dead. Vandrad was very insistent on joining me here, but I talked him into letting me handle it.”

Taking a sip of her drink, she continued. “Well, you were honest with me, handsome, so the least I can do is return the favor. I can’t deny that he won’t hesitate to punch you in the face if the need arises, and he doesn’t hold the highest opinion of you. If you truly are looking to patch things up with him, you have an uphill battle ahead of you. Not just with him, either. Vandrad and his family are good, reasonable people, but the things you did are not easily forgiven. The only reason I am being as nice as I am is because your face is far too handsome to break. It would be quite a waste of eye candy.”

Mercury smirked at him a little. It was true that she held some frustration with Xavier for the things he had done to the only family she’d ever cared about… but she was much better than Vandrad at being friendly with a potential enemy. Besides, he wasn’t an enemy. Or at the very least she believed that he was being earnest and honest with her. Her expression sobered a touch. “But there’s only so much I can do here. I certainly can’t and won’t make any suggestions on what would help you start to fix things. That effort has to come from you and you alone if you want any hope of Vandrad viewing you as sincere… and tracking me down instead of going directly to him hasn’t helped your cause, I'm afraid.”

Well, he certainly wasn’t complaining about her disguise being dropped, earning him a deeply playful smirk as he commented that she was even more attractive than before, before insisting that he would keep his mouth shut.

Together they sat on the couch and Mercury had a straight talk with him, laying out with very little deception where Xavier stood not just in Vandrad’s eyes, but in those of the du Wolffs and even to herself, to a point. He admitted he’d just felt it was better to be straightforward. By all accounts, he should have died, according to him. Even now he wasn’t sure what had happened. He just remembered waking up in a lake here on Earthland. Mercury certainly knew at least how he’d arrived on the planet, though how he’d managed to survive the wounds inflicted during his fight with Vandrad was anyone’s guess.

She informed him that going around Vandrad to approach her had not bought him any brownie points with the former prince, and Xavier admitted that if he had known Mercury was his fiance he probably wouldn’t have risked seeking her out, not wanting to give anyone the wrong idea. He’d just been looking to get some of what was bothering him off his chest where he could speak clearly about everything and, presumably, get his head on straight before approaching Vandrad himself – something he was grateful that she’d allowed him to do. “Hey, don’t let me stop you from coming across any way you want,” she insisted playfully, her emerald eyes darting down to the exposed V of his chest with an appreciation that wasn’t even a little veiled.

Xavier continued, explaining that he hadn’t wanted to just show up at Fairy Tail, concerned that doing so would start a fight that might put others in danger. He was tired of being the cause of other people being hurt and dying. Mercury nodded “Just as well. Fairy Tail and its members are not to be trifled with. I don’t think you would have gotten anyone hurt but yourself. That’s not to say that I assume you’re incapable. You were able to keep up with Vandrad, even if he was weakened at the time. But the members of that guild are powerful and fiercely protective. They would not have hesitated to overwhelm you… though I doubt Vandrad would have started a fight unless you gave him reason to. He can be a bit of a stubborn brute, but he’s not impossible to work with as long as you approach him honestly. He’s parlayed with people who can claim far worse crimes than your own.”

Likely surprising to hear, considering what Xavier was guilty of, but true nonetheless. Maker was far more of a concern than the former God-King. Plus, for all that Xavier had done everyone knew it was from a place of hurt and loss. Maker’s crimes were done from a place of malice, superiority, and disregard for anyone but himself. Mercury let the comment hang in the air a bit, giving him a chance to think and decide what else to say. He surely needed some time to digest all of this, a feeling that she was more than familiar with. How many times had she found herself in his shoes, struggling with the sins of her past and how to confront them, or even just talk about them?

When he finally did speak again, he asked about his people, wondering if anyone else had survived. Mercury gave him a slow, firm nod and a soft smile. “Yes. There are a few hundred of them that survived. Vandrad got them all safely off Rhaegar – including you, apparently – just before the planet was destroyed… though it took us a while to find them, and unfortunately some of our enemies here found them before we did.”

Mercury sighed a little, shifting in her seat to get more comfortable as she worked up to give him as many details as were safe to give. “Vandrad’s still not entirely sure how he did it, just as he’s not sure exactly how he got to Rhaegar in the first place. Some kind of magic that he wasn’t aware he had, that we still haven’t identified, truthfully. He discovered it by accident the first time. He’d been attacked by one of our enemies and nearly died. Anyway…” She waved herself on, not looking to get too far off track. “Toward the end of his fight with you, as Rhaegar was in its final moments, he knew it was his only chance at getting himself and as many others as possible out safely. Thankfully, it worked.”

“But when he arrived back here, there were no other Rhaegarians around that he could see, and he didn’t get the chance to search for anyone else right away. He rushed home to find me and his family, only to discover that I had been kidnapped and taken off world. The rescue attempt ate up several days worth of time, and only a few days after I was safely brought back the same enemies that had almost killed him before attacked again, this time striking out on several fronts: one against him, one against his family in Bellum, and one against me. I let them believe they killed me – hence, my supposed death.”

She smirked, clearly still pleased with herself over the ruse which had turned out to be incredibly fruitful thus far. Then, her expression sobered again. “One of our enemies betrayed the others in the course of the attack, however, He collected myself and Vandrad and took us to their main base of operation and together we wiped it from the map. As we were about to level the place, though, we found about two hundred Rhaegarians in a hidden room. They had been imprisoned, and from what we understand a few of them at a time were taken away periodically, never to be seen again. Most likely they met an ill and horrifying fate at the hands of a scientist that has very little by way of morals, I’m afraid – someone who knew about the existence of Rhaegar before even Vandrad and I did…”

It was sorrowful news, but Mercury knew that he needed to hear the truth. With a sigh, she carried on. “We managed to save the rest, though. They are living in comfort and safety along with the survivors of the rest of my own people, in a place they won’t be found without some significant effort and luck.” She fixed him with an even look. “Normally for any other Rhaegarian I would offer to take you there to rejoin your people. We’re still searching for other survivors that may have managed to avoid our enemies… but I’m afraid that’s more complicated for you, as I’m sure you understand. If you have any specific names of anyone you’re concerned about, I can confirm if they are at the sanctuary or not… but I will not be able to take you there. Whether or not you are welcomed there in the future will be up to the discretion of the du Wolffs and the survivors of Rhaegar.”

She wasn’t going to rule out the possibility of a someday… but the truth was that Xavier had hurt a lot of people under his rule, and it would take some time to know if he was trustworthy enough – and forgiven enough – to be allowed to walk among his own people once more. Still, she was sure the knowledge that he wasn’t the only life spared would be of great relief to him. “You do at least look like you’ve managed to fend for yourself well enough.” Mercury nodded to his attire, which was of finer make. “But as someone who is not a native to this planet myself, I know how confusing it can be to adapt here. I can’t help too much with Vandrad aside from telling him about our conversation and letting him decide what he wants to do… but I’m happy to try to help with anything else you may be struggling with when it comes to Earthland in general. Or even just to provide some riveting company.” She tossed him a playful smirk and took another sip from her glass.

She gave him a brief run down as best she could of the events that pertained to his people, believing him deserving of an answer, if not necessarily all the details that went along with it. Just enough information to give him some context. Not just because much of the information wasn’t his business, but also because the last thing she wanted was to drag another Rhaegarian into all the bullshit with Maker and the Dread Masters. If he had been able to eek out a relatively peaceful and comfortable life on Earthland, then she was content to let him keep it.

He shook his head, remarking on how much they had gone through in such a short amount of time. It brought to mind his first encounter with Vandrad, where he admitted that the man had been unsure of how he’d arrived on Rhaegar. At first Xavier had assumed Bacchus had used some means to purposefully take him and his family off the planet, but after Mercury’s explanation it seemed he held some doubts about that assumption now. The Xocili could have offered him a comment or two along those lines to confirm that not even Themmy and her siblings knew how they wound up here, but… she didn’t. It wasn’t her place to talk about, and there were some answers that would be better coming directly from the source.

Xavier expressed his condolences about her kidnapping, remarking that she looked incredible for a dead woman and causing Mercury’s grin to deepen. After explaining her reasons for not offering to reunite him with his people, the Rhaegarian merely nodded his understanding. He agreed that it wouldn’t be right, and that many of the people that were left deserved to live in peace away from the man that had hurt them. He also admitted that there really wasn’t anyone he was close to, not enough to be concerned about any specific person’s wellbeing. The only one he really knew was Seberg, and he was sure that the psychopath wasn’t there with the others seeing as how he’d be trying to finish what he started on Rhaegar.

“He’s not with us, no… but you should know that he is on Earthland.” Mercury fixed him with another look, one that betrayed her understanding how dangerous the man was. “He’s already come to blows with a couple of our friends and nearly killed them. They were able to all but confirm that he is working and allied with the same scientist that was experimenting on your kin. I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that Seberg probably helped round up and identify them for him. We’re working on a plan to take him out of the picture… but in the meantime, I would keep a low profile. He’s only become more dangerous and, like most other Rhaegarians, has acquired his own magic as well.”

There was no telling if Seberg cared enough about Xavier to go out of his way to hunt him, but Mercury figured it was still best to provide the warning, particularly since Seberg had told Saffron rather point blank that he and Xavier were hardly allies – just a means to an end with one another.

That topic aside, she brought things back to a lighter topic, one that he was all too happy to build upon as he expressed his contentment with the present company. Xavier focused on what she’d mentioned about herself also not being from Earthland, and admitting she was the most attractive alien he’d ever come across, which was a lot considering literally everyone here was alien to him. He had lived a while as a king but his roots were lower, skills buried deep that had come back out to help him survive here. Mercury nodded her understanding, more than familiar with the sentiment.

He thanked her then for doing him the kindness of a conversation and for her honesty, unsure of how he’d repay her but certain he’d find a way. “I mean, I have a few ideas,” she informed him outright, her gaze once more taking him in with very little doubt as to what the nature of those ideas was… only to gently plod along back to more innocent conversation, a master at teasing like a fisherman going back and forth with tug and slack on the line.

“Yes, I am an extraterrestrial, though unlike the Rhaegarians my people are still native to this universe. We’re unique beings, our biology both completely organic and completely synthetic – basically living, breathing computers. Up until recently we were all slaves to another race that had destroyed our planet, Xocil, killing off all but a handful of us. I was barely a toddler when I was taken and molded into a spy and assassin… which is what I was doing on this planet before I learned to fight for my freedom.” While she didn’t get into the nitty gritty of just how much death and destruction she was responsible for, he would perhaps at least get an idea as to why she wasn’t as quick to condemn him as others might be. She wasn’t without her own sins. “But they are no longer a threat, and now our two peoples have come together to form their own society where we can all heal in peace… though admittedly, the Xocili weren’t quite ready for the more rambunctious side of Rhaegarian culture.”

She smirked knowingly at him, obviously referring to his peoples’ penchant for physical intimacy. “All in all they get along very well together, though. I’d even say they’re thriving. More?” Mercury nodded to his cup to see if he was ready for a refill. They had certainly covered about all there was to cover regarding Vadrad and everything he’d sought her out for, but clearly she had no intentions of ending their meeting just yet. Polishing off her glass, she stood to her feet and crossed over to where a small wet bar was on the opposite wall. Finding an unopened bottle of whisky that looked good to her, she broke the seal on it and pulled off the cap. With perhaps the slightest saunter, she walked over to him, stopping right next to him to pour him some of the amber liquid with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So tell me: What do you think of Earthland? I know it’s not home, but do you like it here?”

Mercury both was and wasn’t surprised to hear that Xavier didn’t think he could have had any ability to stop Seberg. She’d assumed that Xavier was pretty powerful in his own right, and perhaps he was, but whatever level he was at paled in comparison to Seberg’s by his own admission. Beatrix’s brother had more or less allowed him to live, not seeing Xavier as enough of a threat to even go out of his way to kill, particularly since the man actively encouraged his hunt of du Wolffs. But the truth of the matter was that Seberg had never lost a fight, and his limitless power had terrified Xavier. Had terrified everyone. “Well, he’s up against us now… And we won’t stop until he’s dead.”

There was a harshness in her tone, a coldness that betrayed that should she ever meet Seberg herself, he would not be afforded the same courtesies and pleasantries that Xavier was currently being given. Her words spoke to a darkness within her, the danger of a woman that was capable of being just as ruthless and calculating as she was charming. While the former God-king had not been blameless in the culling of the du Wolffs, there was no mistaking that she ultimately blamed Seberg and Seberg alone for the blood that had been shed. His continued existence was a personal affront, and he would not find a shred of mercy between her and her allies.

But that was a topic for another time.

They moved on to more pleasant things, or at least things that weren’t focused on Xavier’s less-than-reputable past. She gave him some insight into who she was, details about herself that she no longer needed to hide from the general public now that the Nazru were gone and she was free. His comment that she was the most attractive computer he’d seen earned him another sly grin before he explained a bit about Rhaegar’s cycle with civil war. Then, when she mentioned the one major difference between their two peoples, he got a good laugh from it, admitting that his kin was a bunch of thirsty whores. Apparently they were so laid back about sex that he wasn’t even familiar with the concept of marriage until he’d come here. His father was the only one he’d known of that had been loyal to only one woman.

Mercury chuckled alongside him. “Vandrad certainly tried to warn my father, but it didn’t quite click. He still had to find out the hard way, which was hilarious to watch.” She offered him another drink and he agreed, downing what was left of his glass and watching her with open interest as she approached to pour him some of the whiskey. Her smirk deepened as she gave him a knowing look before asking how he was enjoying his new home.

Xavier snorted, admitting that Rhaegar hadn’t exactly been a wellspring of comfort. She was more or less aware of how desolate a landscape it had been, though she had to imagine there was still something to miss. It was where he’d spent his entire life, after all, the good as much as the bad. But by comparison, Earthland was a utopia. The resources on Rhaegar were frighteningly limited, and what little there was often was hoarded by the elite, forcing the rest of the planet into destitution. He had tried to stop it for a while once he’d taken over, but admitted that over time he grew more complacent about it. Earthland certainly had its corruption and fair share of wars, but overall the poor here was much better off than the poor in his world. He took just enough care of himself to be comfortable, but did his best to share what he earned with the less fortunate around him, clearly not impressed with his brief stint with royalty.

“That’s very noble of you,” she told him, her sentiment genuine. Mercury filled her own glass where she stood as he took a drink, slow to move away from him. When she did finally step away to sit once more, the seat she selected was much closer than where she had been prior, not completely in his personal space but close enough that all it would take was a small lean for one of them to be able to reach out and touch the other. Setting the half empty bottle on the coffee table, she tucked her feet up underneath her rump and sat sideways on the couch so she could face him directly, giving him her complete attention as she took a swig of her alcohol.

“I never had a home,” she confirmed when he turned the question back around on her. “Xocil had been annihilated roughly a decade before I was born, so I never got to see it. I have some vague memories of the ship of refugees I was on with my mother before the Nazru eventually caught up to us, but almost the entirety of my childhood was spent in isolation. The only exposure I had were to Nazru trainers that beat my skills into me. I had never met another Xocili until about a year and a half ago. Once I was old enough and trusted enough to be sent out on missions, I got plenty of exposure to other worlds. Most of them were beautiful and interesting in their own right… but none of them captivated me like this place did.”

She shrugged. “Honestly, this is the only place I’ve ever truly felt like I belonged – that made me feel like I understood how it felt to have a home. There’s so much of interest here, things that I had never heard of before, things that could actually offer me a challenge and push me to learn new things. Magic was the most prominent, of course – I’ve never come across anything like it on any other world. But things like religion, too. My culture doesn’t have any concept of things like gods and demons, so it took me quite a while to really understand it. To experience a ‘spiritual awakening’, as Vandrad puts it. Silver Wolf gave me a sense of purpose that was my own, not something that was forced up on me, and the people here accepted me as their own even when I wasn’t always the most altruistic of individuals; they didn’t judge me. When it came down to it, the choice to fight for a real life here was a simple one, if not necessarily an easy one to follow through with.”

Another mouthful of liquor went slowly down her throat, the Xocili savoring the taste of it and aiming to enjoy the liquid rather than reach any state of drunkenness – not that she could really get drunk unless she allowed herself to, anyway. Once more her emerald eyes drifted down to look him over. “Tell me more about you. Anything you want.” Her freehand drifted the minimal space between them to boldly and shamelessly draw the tips of her fingernails along his nearest forearm, tracing his flesh with light, meticulous strokes as her gaze returned up to his face.

She had to admit, she was rather taken by how bold he was being. Oh, perhaps he wasn’t reaching out to touch her, and one could argue that his flirtations were innocent and simply his nature – and she was sure that was true, as well. But considering his history with her fiance, one could argue that his reception of her own flirtations, and his lack of hesitance in displaying his genuine interest in her, was far more bold than her own behaviors.

He turned as she did to give her his full attention, listening raptly as she gave him a brief overview of her people and life story. When Mercury finished, he offered his condolences for the life she’d endured, though it was from a place of understanding and not one of pity, commenting that it was worth celebrating that she’d fought and won for a better life. “I agree,” she teased, though the statement was true enough, and as if to emphasize she took a hearty drink from her glass. Then, with the tips of her nails daring to trace along his forearm, she asked him to talk more about himself. “Oh, not all of them,” she insisted playfully when he asked if she was trying to learn his secrets. “Life’s more fun with a little mystery, after all.”

Mercury was quiet after that, all ears as he regaled her with a tale of his childhood, which he’d only shared with his father. His village had been poor enough that the single road in it could hardly be called as such, more of a space between homes where there was room enough to run. His father was attentive and supportive of his son’s ambition, even if it stirred some rebelliousness out of him in his teenaged years – rebelliousness that Xavier would later mention  had been handed down honestly by his father. The Xocili chuckled, tickled at the image Xavier had painted of himself as a ladies’ man. But his father was everything to him, and even now there was an obvious pride toward the late man and the kind of king that Xavier believed he would have been, had he not been robbed of life too soon – an event that the former God-King worded very carefully as to show that he no longer blamed Vandrad or the du Wolffs, crediting it as an unfortunate circumstance, one that he likely would never heal from.

She gave him a sober nod of understanding. “I can only imagine that kind of difficulty. I barely have any memories of my mother before she died, and I didn’t know I had any living relatives until about a year ago, including my father and brother. If I lost either of them now… well, I don’t imagine I’d ever fully recover from it, either.”

Laughing outright alongside him as he referred to Rhaegarians as “manwhores”, Mercury shook her head in amusement. “Oh trust me, I am more than aware. I can’t say I’ve ever been a prude, but I’ve certainly experienced some life changes with the couple of years I’ve spent around Rhaegarians.”

As if that prompted a more poignant question, one that many wondered at one point or another, Xavier leaned a bit closer to her before asking how Vandrad had managed to “land” her, given that they seemed to be completely opposite people as far as he’d been able to observe. A very sly and mischievous smirk of self satisfaction pulled on her lips. “You don’t have to be polite in front of me. He’s a jackass and a party pooper and we both know it,” she teased. “The stories I could tell you… and I’ll happily tell you a few. I love few things more than embarrassing him, and he hates every minute of it, even if he puts up with it every time.”

Mercury giggled to herself a bit, once more churning the contents of her drink about in slow, thoughtful circles. “He absolutely hated me when we first met. He was – and still is – the grumpiest bastard I’ve ever met. Refused to talk about himself more than bare necessity, and got in my face more than once for testing his boundaries with my curiosity. Unfortunately, I am a very curious woman, and his barbs simply didn’t do anything other than encourage me to pester him harder. The first time we ever had sex, he was actually trying to kill me. I may have kidnapped him without warning and briefly sold him into slavery – for a very low price, I might add – and he was so ripshit that he didn’t even remember the fight for a while, nor the fact that eventually he realized he wasn’t going to beat me, and thus he changed tactics.”

It was, and always would be, her favorite story, and the wide grin on her face told as much. “But, there are very few things as important to Vandrad as challenging himself to become a stronger, better person, and eventually he decided that keeping me around would keep him on his toes and force him to test and break his limits, not just with fighting but with every other aspect of his life as well. For my part, I was convinced I was simply using him to meet my goals here on Earthland at the time. And for a while, that was true. But despite everything I’d ever done to humiliate or even hurt him at times, he never pushed me away, nor did he let me keep my distance, almost in spite of my best efforts. Eventually, it just became clear that neither of us were going anywhere, and everything slowly fell into place over the years. If you get the chance to really know him… I think you’ll be surprised at how friendly and even playful he can be; he just needs to learn to trust someone before he shows them the other sides of himself.”

“Of course, that doesn’t stop me from telling people that he abuses me constantly and robs me of all my fun. Nor does it stop me from ceaselessly reminding him that if he ever slacks in wooing me there are plenty of other people that are lined up and waiting to take his place, including his mother and father.” Her grin redoubled and she drank from her whiskey. “Here’s something that will blow your mind: Themmy used to host engagement parties for him every few years, hoping to hook him up with a wife. She hosted one shortly after the first time we’d slept together, and I crashed the party without an invitation, very much out of dress code. Afterward, his mother invited me to the ‘after party’, which was essentially an orgy in a club, which Vandrad had always avoided for most of his life. Not only did he go with me, but he actually dressed up for it – in a loincloth slave outfit with chains and shackles, an ode to when I had kidnapped him.”

It was no surprise to anyone that had met him that Vandrad had a temper, though few realized how deep his anger could run until they were regaled with the tale of his and Mercury’s first foray into sex together. Even Xavier, who had spent literal months at war with the man, seemed surprised by the knowledge. But there was more to the former prince than his temper – much more. It just took some patience and persistence to find it.

Xavier nodded his understanding, admitting that he could see that side of Vandrad, looking back with hindsight. It seemed her fiance had tried several times to broker peace between them, only for Xavier to scorn him at every turn, pushing blindly ahead in stubborn bitterness. It wasn’t a playfulness, perhaps, but it was certainly evidence that Vandrad had a cool head on his shoulders and wasn’t keen on hurting or killing anyone unless necessary, and was in fact focused on trying to protect as many of them as possible. Then he smirked as she informed him about her fiance’s task of keeping her happy, lest he lose her to someone more attentive. Xavier smirked at her, less surprised when it came to Themesycia but proclaiming her “kinky” for extending it to Vandrad’s father as well.

“Mmph,” the Xocili hummed, shaking her head with a wistful, dreamy look off to the side. “His dad is an absolute stud, and is by far Vandaddy’s top competition. Even I can’t believe I managed to get him to break his hold out.” She could only assume Xavier’s surprise meant that he knew Vandrad was only half Rhaegarian, and thus that his father, being the Earthland parent, didn’t share the same propensities toward sexual looseness that the rest of Vandrad’s family did. Yet Mercury had managed to win him over, and she was very proud of it.

The story tied back around to the first orgy she’d attended in Bellum then, with Mercury laying down a quick and brief contextual overview before revealing what Vandrad had done. The act had clearly earned some of Xavier’s respect, the former God-King confirming that such a move of confidence toward what he assumed was one of Vandrad’s lowest moments only gave Vandrad some control over the humiliation, embracing it on his own terms. “Oh yes, he was very proud of himself, and for good reason. It was the first time in my life that I’d ever laughed so hard I was crying, which was entirely out of the norm for me, so he felt very good about getting that kind of a reaction out of me.”

Xavier seemed happy to know that Themesycia was keeping certain Rhaegarian lifestyles and traditions strong on Earthland, confirming that orgies were pretty standard back on their homeworld. He said that he and other friends his age when they were teens used to steal out into the sands for some privacy, braving the frigid desert nights to tangle up with one another for warmth and pleasure. By the devious little smile on Mercury’s face it was obvious that she approved of the tradition.

The smile only deepened into a smirk as Xavier moved some of the hair back from her face, the pad of his thumb meticulously drawing a slow, soft line down the side of her cheek. Mercury turned her face into it just a bit, causing her neck to elongate subtly. He admitted such activities were a great way to get to know people, the man admitting he’d shacked up with his fair share of strangers in the past only to become friends with them after. “That so?” she asked him, lofting a playful brow in his direction. With a knowing look, she moved her hand up from his forearm to his chest, the tips of her fingers brushing slow, light circles over the exposed flesh and the raised beads of scar tissue upon it. When she spoke again, the tone of her voice had dropped to something a little more sultry as Mercury looked up at him with a dancing, heated gaze.

“And just how well are you hoping to get to know me..?”

Xavier informed her that even as far as Rhaegarians were concerned, sleeping with someone and then also sleeping with their parents wasn’t exactly the norm, though it wasn’t unheard of or necessarily taboo – just not as openly admitted to. There had been plenty of individuals that held value in the sexual prowess of a would-be romantic partner for their children, much like an Earthland parent might hold their child’s partner to standards of integrity or respect, and such. But it still wasn’t a widely practiced approach. Even he couldn’t boast having slept with a woman and her mother, though it seemed he wasn’t ruling out the possibility of it happening someday. Mercury merely grinned, a cheeky expression. “I’ve done it more times that I care to admit,” was her only contribution. While she certainly wasn’t ashamed of the fat that she had quite literally slept with Vandrad’s entire family, immediate and extended, even with a Rhaegarian she could imagine it wasn’t exactly the sexiest thing to discuss while flirting. Better to leave the exact number vague enough to be interesting with an air of naughty daring.

Things took a turn then toward an entirely different interaction, the former God-King reciprocating her touch and laying down less-than-subtle indicators that he was interested in getting a more in-depth understanding of her, physically speaking. She was sure his major hesitation likely stemmed from not wanting to upset Vandrad further, and Mercury wasn’t going to relieve him of that worry, mostly because the knowledge that he was willing to be tempted against his better judgment was more than a little arousing to her. However, if she had thought that it would truly be a problem with Vandrad, she wouldn’t have allowed it to get this far. While Mercury’s lines were few and far between, she did have them, and she knew when not to cross them. Frankly, Vandrad was probably expecting that she would sleep with Xavier if given the chance. After all, she’d slept with Maker and his crimes were far, far worse.

So she teased him, coaxed and lured him in with his own words and invitation, giving him an opening to test just how far he was willing to play this particular game. He hummed a soft chuckle and leaned a little closer, brushing his fingers down her neck and sending a slight shiver of anticipation down her spine. In a low, somewhat husky voice he admitted that he very much would love to get to know here more intimately, in every sense of the word, right there and then. He hoped to make a thing of it for several hours, long enough so that she could practically brag about it to her fiance, though he claimed she might have trouble walking straight afterward.

Well, she was certainly all riled up now, staring at him through slightly hooded eyelids, her teeth biting her lower lip ever so slightly. Mercury highly doubted she’d have any issues walking afterward. After all, few men stood up to Gren in that department… but that didn’t mean she wasn’t turned on by the sentiment and the confidence. She leaned in closer herself, their faces barely inches apart from one another. “Well, I suppose it would be a shame to let that big old bed go to waste. And I don’t see Vandrad, or anyone around that might stop you…” she purred, “So why don’t you come over here and make my acquaintance?”

In typical Mercury fashion, she enjoyed luring him into making the first sure move, allowing him to close the distance between their lips. But once that was accomplished, the rest of her caution, what little of it she had, was thrown to the wind as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and pulled herself against him. She would have to go back to Vandrad soon enough to report on what she’d found out…

But he could wait a few more hours.