open: the very pin of his heart cleft with the blind bow boy's butt shaft

[bymyheelies]

For those that care to spend time with Mercutio; they may note that today he is conspicuously hard to find. He is still reeling from the recent news of Romeo's fate at the end of their story, and not entirely sure how to proceed with it. Ideally, at home, he would find some way to take his mind off of pressing matters: spend time with his friends (friend, now, singular) or find someone entertaining to harass about the town and make merry. If he was in a particularly snappish mood he would invariably end up picking a fight with Capulets, one in particular.

That is not the case today. Someone attuned to the general sounds of the mansion might hear a steady sort of thunking noise coming from an out-of-the-way bar. It is there that Mercutio can be found, various bottles of alcohol open at his side. He has clearly been there some time by the looks of it, and is currently engrossed in throwing a small selection of daggers at the wall. Despite his intoxication, he is doing a reasonably good job at it; but judging from the stormy look on his face, he does not entirely wish to be bothered.

Comments

[tallyyoungblood]

Tally catches his mood a little, but she takes a few steps into the room anyway.

"What else would you want to be doing?" she asks curiously. "This seems pretty bubbly as it is."

[bymyheelies]

He shrugs. “I do not know, precisely.” There’s another thwack of the dagger thudding into the wall. “I would yell at my fool of a friend, for the most part; but he is not here.”

[tallyyoungblood]

"Oh, I totally know the feeling. Can I try?" she asks, pointing at the knives. She wants to see how it feels, compared to how it felt as a Special.

[bymyheelies]

"I pray for your sake, lady, that your friends are in better humor than mine." But he nods, and offers her a dagger. "Here you are."

[tallyyoungblood]

Tally takes the dagger. It feels very real in her hand, and she remembers that Mercutio's story, Romeo and Juliet, is real, too. It's so utterly strange to think she's talking to someone from a play she'd studied at school.

"Did you get some news from home on alternate self day?" she asks, before turning and aiming at the wall.

It's not like being Special, when it had felt like she could slow down time and see the knife's path before creating it, but she still has a new level of operation-enhanced coordination. Her first throw strikes exactly where she wants it to go, but hits hilt-first and clatters to the ground instead of sticking.

[bymyheelies]

"Well done, for a first try," he says, reaching to take an absent swig from the nearest bottle of liquor. "Nay -- that is...no, it was only a few days ago. I learned what became of Romeo after I, ah, departed Verona."

[tallyyoungblood]

"I'm really sorry, Mercutio-la." Tally reaches a hand to tentatively touch his shoulder. Guilt squeezes her. "I... well, I did know about it. It's kind of, um, a famous story where I'm from."

[bymyheelies]

He doesn't shake her off, so that is a start. Instead, he sighs and takes another drink. "I have been told that it is quite famous, yes. Bacchus informed me when I first arrived. It does not change the fact that Romeo is a fool."

[tallyyoungblood]

Tally bites back a duh and tries, again, to remember that Romeo is a real person to Mercutio. Selfishly, Tally's glad that her story isn't famous in other worlds.

"Yeah, um... killing yourself is beyond bogus." Tally takes aim with another dagger, and this time gets one to stick, though only for a moment before it falls out. Great, now she both sounds and looks like an idiot. "I'm sorry. I know you must miss him."

[bymyheelies]

"Miss him, ay, I would wring his damned neck were he here," he replies, scowling at his liquor bottle. "The boil-brained knave that he is, marrying his wench after three days." He shakes his head. "I did warn him, love stings sore; but I did not think he would be so foolish."

[tallyyoungblood]

Tally frowns. She kind of thinks wench might be misogynistic, but that's not the point. "He probably had some other stuff going on," she suggests. "I don't think people just kill themselves over thinking their girlfriend died unless they're screwed up in some other way too. I mean, getting married after three days doesn't seem like the choice of a guy who was totally logic-having at the time."

[bymyheelies]

He shrugs. "I do not know the whole of the story. I only know that he killed himself over a woman."

[tallyyoungblood]

"Oh, well, it was a whole thing where one of them thought the other died and killed themselves, and then the first one woke up and saw the other one dead and killed themselves," Tally says. "Either way, I do get why you're mad."

[bymyheelies]

"Foolishness upon foolishness, I see." He sighs and idly tosses another knife. This one doesn't connect; but in fairness, he is not making much of an effort currently. "I am not entirely surprised."

[tallyyoungblood]

Tally feels a little defensive of Romeo, since he probably had some kind of undiagnosed mental health problem--that always seemed to happen to pre-Rusties--but she's getting the sense that maybe Mercutio is a little like Shay, and he's angry because he cares.

"What were some good things about him?" she asks.

[bymyheelies]

That is in fact the case, yes. "He was loyal," he says, determinedly ignoring the pang that came to his chest at his use of the past tense. "Ay, loyal and funny and brave and charming, when it suited him; he and I could take each other word for word when we had a mind to it." He pauses, considering this for a moment or two. "I loved him," he says, plainly. "As a brother, as a friend. He was easy to love."

[tallyyoungblood]

Tally's eyes get huge. She's glad, more than ever, that Shay and Peris and even David are alive back home.

"He sounds bubbly. You're a good friend, to remember him so well. Um. Just tell me if I'm being totally missing, but do you want a hug?" Tally bites her lip.

[bymyheelies]

"I..." He sighs, and sets his bottle to the side with a nod. "...Yes. Please."

[tallyyoungblood]

Tally hugs him. He's shorter than even Gideon, so his hair tickles her chin. Up close, he smells kind of good, if she discounts all the alcohol.

[bymyheelies]

“Thank you,” he says to her shoulder, quiet and unwilling to admit he’s clinging a little. He still wants to do something; to go fight someone or annoy someone or just —work his emotions out, but the ache has subsided a little.

[tallyyoungblood]

Tally lets him cling, happy that she's able to be a good friend. When he draws back, she gives him a smile, trying to make sure it doesn't look pitying. She feels bad for him, obviously, but she doesn't think it makes him any less crim.

"Death is utterly bogus," she says. "I'm really not used to it, personally. I only really know, like, three people who have died." She thinks of The Boss, killed by Specials when the Smoke was destroyed, and Az, killed in captivity. Shen Yuan was also killed in captivity, she guesses.

[bymyheelies]

"Four," he mumbles, with a slight gesture to himself. "If we are counting my arrival here." He's still uncertain how he feels about all that, come to think of it. It had not been entirely unexpected, and perhaps he had been taunting fate -- but he does regret it, a little. If only because he misses his family and friends.

[tallyyoungblood]

"Gideon died to get here, too, so I'm not, like, counting that," Tally says. "I mean, of course it has to be totally upsetting to die, but you're obviously still alive in some way, you know? Wait. Do you think I'm dead, and I don't know?" Tally frowns, looking down at herself. "I just went to bed at home and then woke up outside here. I totally doubt Komachi Mansion would have let someone, like, kill me, though."

[bymyheelies]

"No, there are plenty that have not died here. If all you remember is going to bed, it is likely you are still alive, I would guess." He shifts his shoulders and picks up a knife to twirl in his fingers.

[tallyyoungblood]

"Right. I mean, I kind of think you're alive again, also. You felt alive enough."