[ON HIATUS] We're Not Dreaming (Mercury x OC)

Roadkill

Around the same time Blanche got out of class, Mercury and Emerald decided to go wandering around town.

Mercury's POV

It turned out the only thing Cinder had wanted to tell us was that we would be infiltrating Beacon tonight since the Vytal Festival was starting soon. I leaned against the wall of a building, hearing Emerald up to her usual tricks again about a quarter of a block down. She had gotten the bright idea of killing a White Fang deserter that Roman was supposed to take care of, except he hadn't yet. I didn't mind; it would get my mind clear. I had decided to ditch her a while back to mess with her. I knew she would get lost, I was the one who had a sense of direction. I heard her steps approaching and smirked.

"I knew you were lost." "Mercury," she growled at me,"I will seriously pay you to shut up." I raised an eyebrow at her,"That's not your money." "But it could be yours for five minutes of silence." I pretended to think about it,"Mmm.....no deal." "Hmph, fine," she pocketed the lien and threw the rest of the wallet to the ground. I grinned; getting her annoyed was fun as hell. "Whatever. You want me." I chuckled at my joke.

"So how much farther?" "A few blocks." I dramatically groaned,"Ugh this place is so dull!" "Eh, I kinda like it. Tall buildings, diverse culture-" "And nice dopey people who are easy to pickpocket." "That's every city." "Oh Emerald, Master Thief! Please don't take my money! I barely have enough to get by!" Emerald merely growled and shot me a glare. I internally rolled my eyes, and outwardly shook my head and sighed,"You're no fun today."

A few blocks down and we came across Tukson's Book Trade. "This is the place?" "No shit Mercury." We entered the place, a small bell jingling in the doorway. I started browsing through the books in the front while Emerald went to the counter in the back and rang the bell.

"Be right there!" A man's voice drifted out to us. The doors leading to the backroom opened and a burly man with large sideburns came backing out, two towering stacks of books in his arms. "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun. How may uh-" he hesitated briefly,"How may I help you?" "Just browsin'," I called out.

"Actually, I was wondering, do you have any copies of The Thief and the Butcher?" "Yes we do." "That's great!" I turned away from Emerald and rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to snicker. "Uh...would you like a copy?" "No, just wondering." I slammed the book I was holding shut with a loud snap. I noticed Tukson getting suspicious, his eyes darting between Emerald and me. "Oh oh! What about Violet's Garden in paperback?" I saw the book Emerald had just asked about. "He's got it. Hardback too," I waved the book in her direction. "Ooh, options are nice," Emerald assumed a mock thinking position. "Eh, no pictures." I slammed the book shut, the noise echoing around the store. "Hey!" I called towards him,"Do you have any comics?" "Near the front," he replied as a good-natured smile ghosted across his face.

"Oh! No wait. What about Third Crusade?" I watched as Tukson's expression changed to something akin to apprehension,"Umm.....I don't believe we carry that one." I snapped another book shut,"Oh." "What was this place called again?" "Tukson's Book Trade." ""And....you're Tukson?" "That's right." "So then I take it that you're the one who came up with the catchphrase?" "Yes." I narrowed my eyes slightly as I moved towards the wall. "And what was that again?" I asked. Tukson sighed,"Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun." "Except the Third Crusade." "It's just a catchphrase." "It's false advertising!" I retorted.

"You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep, Tukson," Emerald's voice took on a dangerous edge,"I hear you're planning on leaving. Moving all the way to Vacuo." I began shutting off the lights to the front, leaving the storefront dark. "Your brothers in the White Fang wouldn't be happy to hear that." I allowed a sadistic smirk to emerge as I shut off the last light. "And neither are we." I could see Tukson's brain racing as he stared at Emerald. "You know who we are, don't you?" she asked. Tukson's brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed,"Yes." "And you know why we're here?" "Yes," his voice took on a gravelly sound. I began walking towards Emerald as she started talking again,"So. Are you going to fight back?" Tukson hesitated, then roared out,"YES!"

Claws unsheathed from his fingers, and he leapt up onto the table. Emerald and I both back up a few steps. He launched himself off the table, slashing at Emerald. She ducked out of the way, and I stepped forward. He never had a chance.

My boot slammed into his head, a shell knocking itself through. The satisfying sound of his brains splattering across the back of the room was music to my ears. He fell back with a thud, blood oozing from his skull. I dusted myself off, and smirked at the corpse. Emerald and I made our way out of the store, and I snagged a comic book off one of the shelves. Outside, Emerald stretched in content as I flipped through the comic. "What's with that?" "Eh, I like the pictures." I snapped the book shut as we made our way back towards the warehouse.

Final version published September 25, 2016 at 8:52pm ET.