#dustaura

     ❛     are you gonna look at me?     ❜     he didn’t mean to sound so aggravated, but tensions had been unbearably high since the fall of beacon.  mercury had no doubt that this was difficult for vanil, but that didn’t make his course of action any clearer.   as he’d dragged her away from the chaos raging in vale, cinder had found him shortly afterwards, demanding to know how much information he had shared, threatening him with pain if their plan fell apart because of his big mouth.   but he hadn’t said anything then --- not really.  and he still hadn’t said anything, fearing cinder’s wrath more than vanil’s informed status.

    things had changed.   cinder was still healing from her encounter with ruby rose, and vanil was here, in salem’s palace where it was safe --- the only place he could think to take her where the chaos could not hurt her.   something about the eye of the storm, right?     ❛     look, i know this has been rough, and confusing, and i’ve been a dick.   but...  i can tell you now.   i can explain things to you, if you want.   so, uh -- got any questions?     ❜

     ❛     i said don’t touch me.     ❜     all composure flies out the window the second vanil made contact with his shoulder.   a shudder ran down his spine, violently shirking her hand free, as he whirled to face her -- body braced like he was expecting a fight.   realizing his hands were curled into fists, mercury shoved them into his pockets and offered vanil a grimace.     ❛     everything’s fine, i just -- need some fucking space, alright?   i feel like shit and you don’t wanna see that so its better if you just screw off for a bit.     ❜

          standing amidst living room of home was strange. she’d been gone for long enough now it almost felt foreign to have returned. things were shattered, others were broken, and a few things were merely tossed about. gaze drifts around to take in the damage before landing on blackberry wolf sitting on the couch holding her arm. sigh escapes faunus before she’s marching down the hall to the bathroom. within a moment she’s back, sitting on the edge of the coffee table that is surprisingly still in tact.

     ❛     what is it with you beacon students and having weapons taller than you are?     ❜    he’s eyeing up her staff, analyzing carefully, in case the girl becomes a potential problem in the future.   cinder’s orders --- they’ve read her files.     ❛     whatcha call this monstrosity, anyway?  its pretty impressive.     ❜

    the mission had been far from easy -- a long journey to southern vacuo, unruly rogue huntsmen, and wide variety of grotesque grimm had made the entire trip difficult.   mercury never thought he’d be so excited to see the menacing walls of salem’s fortress again;  but knowing that vanil was waiting for him had made everything a lot easier, a small skip in his step despite the ache in his bones as he made his way into the recreational wing of the palace.

   knuckles rapped against the door frame, small smile in place as he made himself known to his girlfriend -- a real sight for sore eyes.     ❛     hey, vanil.   did ya miss me?     ❜

     ❛     it’s so nice to see someone else properly utilizing dust in their fighting strategy.   it felt like an uphill battle trying to convince blake to incorporate more of it into hers.     ❜     weiss settled down next to maeve by the fireplace, disappointed to find the girl sitting alone while the others milled about their large residence in mistral -- vanil and qrow were still nowhere to be seen, probably off drinking at a local bar.  weiss and maeve had not had much time to speak, but she heard what ruby had said about their assistance, which meant vanil and maeve were friends of hers, too. 

   ❛     these dust cartridges -- is that how you do it?   do they release dust into the air somehow?   your style is so fascinating!     ❜

    ❛     ah.   i didn’t think anyone would be in here at this hour.     ❜     having a communal kitchen felt like a recipe for disaster when those who used it were made of murderers, thieves, and general ne’er-do-wells.   that didn’t stop his appetite from rearing its head, venturing into the kitchen at an ungodly hour of the night, only to find it already occupied.   hazel hadn’t spent much time around their newest at all, but he was increasingly intrigued by her.   anyone who could make mercury smile instead of smirk had to be someone of value.

   ❛     i’m not intrudin’, am i?   i just wanted to make a sandwich, hope you don’t mind..     ❜

emoji stuff : accepting.

🤗 - hug my muse.