[ Senshi ]Mercy Giordano // Eternal Sailor Mu Arae

[Viva Viola]

Title: Stitches and Bitches

Characters: Mercy, Katrina, David
Time: 3:00pm
Age: 21
Mood: Hurting, angry, annoyed
Summary: Waking up in the hospital after you got your a** handed to you is cause for some really vengeful thoughts

Word count: 602

She felt like s**t.

Mercy tried to get up, but the pain that shot through her side was smarting something fierce. Her face hurt, her side hurt, her stomach hurt, her legs hurt…everything just hurt and she couldn’t even remember how she made it to the hospital without bleeding to death on the sidewalk. The nurse that was tending to her went to go get the doctor as soon as she was awake, she tried to bury her head in the pillow when she heard the familiar screeching voice of her mother along with the calmer voice of her father as they came into the room with the doctor. Mercy closed her eyes and tried to even her breathing, but it was already too late. Her mother came in, looking like a hot mess while her father had that look of concern on his face.

The doctor smiled and moved too check her vitals.

“Can you follow the light with your eyes Mercy? Thank you…Now, I’m going to check your breathing” he placed the stethoscope on her chest, “Take a deep breath…Hummn…” He had the nurse take some notes while her parents waited, and completed his assessment of her body. “Do you remember what happened to you Mercy? Anything at all?” Of course she remembered what happened to her, but she couldn’t tell her parents that she got beat up by someone with freaky strength that looked like a demented werewolf so she shook her head and tried to put on her best confused face. “A-All I remember was waking up…I’m sorry…”

Katrina was livid.

Ever since her daughter had found her cousins and started hanging out with them, she’s been getting into nothing but trouble! She looked down at her poor baby girl and glared at David since everything that happened to their child was his fault automatically. “You know this wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t hanging around that stupid girl Mercedes. Just because you are related doesn’t mean you have to just do whatever with them! You need to learn that sometimes it’s best to just leave family alone.” Mercy could feel her fists balling while she tried to ignore her mother as best as she could. Van had NOTHING to do with this and yet her mother was insistent on blaming her cousin since everyone was below her, everyone was not as important as her, it was just ridiculous and petty.

Before she could say anything, David sighed and placed his hand over her own. “Kat, maybe this was some sort of accident? I don’t think Van was to blame for anything that happened last night.” Before Katrina could even respond, David held up his other hand. “We came here to see our child, not to place blame on anyone. In fact, when your better baby girl I have signed you up with a personal trainer so that you can protect yourself.” The doctor nodded and Mercy managed a smile despite the pain on one side of her face.
She would be in the hospital for quite a bit, eating sucky food and probably losing a bunch of weight, but at least she survived to live another day. Mercy sighed and winced since the movement made her fractured ribs move, cursing the wolf agent for doing this to her. He was right though in the fact that she would want revenge, but she wasn’t going to come after him right away, she would bide her time. She would take these self-defense classes and build her strength up so that when the time came, she would skin that wolf alive and feed him his entrails.

Payback was a b***h and Mercy had her number on speed dial.  

[Viva Viola]

Title: Getting Out of the Ghetto

Characters: Mercy, David, Uncle Ray, Cousins: Allen, Derek and Liam
Time: 9:00am
Age: 21
Mood: Elated, Safe, Loved
Summary: Finally moving out of the ghetto is a big step towards moving on.

Word count: 730

Wow, she didn't think she would be moving into a better apartment, but here she was, packing her things while she thought of her new spot that she would soon be moving into. The apartment was in a better spot near her father’s restaurant, an affordable 700.00 for a studio with a separate bathroom and it was located on the middle floor and not the bottom like her current apartment was located. Mercy smiled while she finished wrapping her last plate in newspaper, putting it in the box she labeled “Kitchen Stuff”, duct taping it and placing the box carefully by the door.


The knock on her door was unexpected, but she figured it was just her landlord when she opened the door, squealing with delight when she saw the big frame of her father instead. She told him she was moving, but she didn't expect the big guy to show up since running a restaurant wasn't exactly something that could be right if you weren’t there to keep it running. “Hey baby girl, took the day off so we could help you move.” Mercy’s smile turned into a frown. “We? Who are you talking about?” David chuckled and stepped aside with his arm extended, revealing her uncle and a couple of her cousins.


She released a breath she didn't know she was holding, thinking that her father told her mother just what she was up to. Since that proved to be untrue [her dad did try to keep in touch with her mother despite how much Mercy protested], Mercy’s grin returned and she gave her uncle Ray a tight hug followed by her cousins Liam, Allen, and Darek. “Hey Merc! How have you been sweetie?!” Her uncle made his way into her apartment, grabbing boxes and loading the dolly he brought with him. “Doing good, finally glad to get out of this shitty apartment. How have you been? How is Tamika and the new baby?”


She started packing more things while she played catch up with her uncle, correcting Liam when he decided it would be a good idea to try and fit into a pair of her favorite leggings that she just snagged on sale at Macys earlier in the week. No, we would not be tearing up Mercy’s new clothing thank you, she will murder you in your sleep. All in all, it didn't take them too long to get most of her things loaded into a u-haul as well as the two suv’s and Allen’s sturdy Chevy Tacoma. Mercy wanted to get everything moved out in one day since she didn't trust these parts at night and she would feel safer living near her father.


Once everything was all placed in her new studio, David decided to take Mercy out to eat at his restaurant, figuring his daughter missed his good cooking. Katrina would often comment about how fattening his food was, or how their daughter would never be as small as she could have been thanks to his “soul food”. He knew those comments hurt her the most when she was younger, and they still hurt her today despite the fact that he was the one that taught her how to deal with her mother verbally. Mercy was enjoying herself and the food that she was currently eating, swapping kid stories with her cousins about the tree house they used to run around in just as the sun was starting to set.


This move has been the best decision she’s made so far and she hopped that it would also keep her from running into danger when she patrolled as a senshi. The scar from her battle with that crazed wolf officer tingled and throbbed even though it has long since healed, leaving a circular scar an inch and a half below her breast on the right side. This part of Destiny city was indeed a safer and more secure place for her to live and patrol, which made her feel like she could actually live long enough to be of some use to the white moon. She munched on some pralines and cream gelato while she leaned on the counter in her kitchen.


Yeah, she would be juuuuuuust fine now that she wasn't so close to danger.  

[Viva Viola]

Title: Family Dinner Chaos

Characters: Mercy, Katrina, David, Stefan
Time: 6:45pm
Age: 22
Mood: Hurting, angry, happy [towards the end]
Summary: Mercy already knew her mother was a b***h, but this was just a new low for her.

Word count: 2394

Mercy looked up at the intimidating building before her, taking a sigh before she calmly walked inside, the warm air giving her a bit of a shock as she walked up to the front desk. The security guard gave her a once-over before clearing his throat. “How can I help you?” Mercy took a deep breath, torn between deciding if she wanted to do this family dinner or not. As much as she loved her father, she wasn't sure if there was that much love in the world to go dealing with her mother and her poor lackey [she refused to believe that he was married to Katrina willingly] Stefan. But, here she was, about to walk into the lions den because she couldn't leave her father to fend for himself.

Besides, no one wanted to deal with Katrina by themselves so there was also that little bit of food for thought. She wasn't even sure if Van and her family came to visit and her mother was Katrina’s sister. The security guard looked ather quizzically, repeating his question. “U-Ummmn is there anything I can help you with Ma’am?” Mercy blinked and gave the guarda bright smile, apologizing. “I'm sorry. I kinda spaced out there. I'm here to see Katrina Santiago? She's my mother and I think I'm going to be late for the dinner she has planned for the evening.” The guard winced, knowing all about Katrina’s attitude towards visitors. He was informed about the dinner plans so he didn't think he would get yelled at for letting her up.

“Alright, she said to let you up. Have a great evening ma’am~”

Mercy smiled and made her way towards the elevator, the entire ride feeling somewhat short. She took another deep breath and knocked politely on the door, smiling when Stefan answered, embracing her in a tight hug. “Mercy! How are you?!” She winced, but gave Stefan a forced smile, “I-I'm fine Stefan...H-How are you?” he let her down so she could make her way into the apartment, taking off her shoes and hanging up her coat. The dress she had on was pretty modest and didn't really reveal too much that her mom would be complaining since she was always prone to complaining about her “fat a**” or her “cellulite thighs”. Man if she was a different person, she would be so hurt by the trash her mom spews towards her.

Now that her father was with her, things would be just a bit more bearable.

Stefan closed the door and walked beside her while they made their way towards the living room. Katrina didn't cook, she had a chef to do that for her which Mercy was highly appreciative of. While Katrina technically knew how to cook, her father was the superior chef and was also the one that taught her how to cook so well herself. Speaking of her father...Mercy held back a squeal, running towards her dad to envelop him in a hug that nearly knocked him over. “Daddy! Hey! How’s the diner?! Lele and Dae have been asking about you~” David gave his daughter a huge grin, chuckling at the antics of his younger niece and nephew.

“Hey baby girl~ The dinner’s just as lively as ever. Your uncle Jarvis was dancing to that damned Elvis music again, making the customers crack up with his skinny a** legs flappin everywhere~ “ Jarvis wasn't her actual uncle, but an old friend and regular of the dinner since she was really young, always providing entertainment and laughter even when they didn't need it. “Thats no surprise, his old a** really needs to sit down before he breaks a hip or busts his knee.” David laughed loudly about to say something when Katrina walked in shaking her head at the duo before her. “Language Mercedes...David.” Mercy held her tongue so she wouldn't say something out of pocket, giving her mom a forced polite smile. “Sorry Katrina…”

Katrina stiffened, narrowing her eyes slightly at her daughter for the use of her actual name instead of mom. Granted Mercedes hasn't called her mom since she was 13, but it still...Stung slightly every time. “I’ll let that slide...But never the less, try to call me mom if it doesn't inconvenience you too much.” She turned around, heading towards the dining room, fully expecting everyone to follow, which they reluctantly did. Once seated, Katrina smiled and looked to the chef that was bringing the food. She decided that they should have italian for this dinner, it was full of pastas and carbs, but she supposed she could make the exception for now.

Mercy made sure she kept from flipping her “mother” off, following her into the dining room with everyone and taking her seat. Italian huh? That wasn't something she hated so she had plans to dig in, thanking the cook when he brought the plates in as well as the entrees. When she looked down at her plate, noticing that it was smaller than everyone else, she frowned calling to the cook to come change her plate. The cook politely declined and walked back into the kitchen, feeling sorry for the woman. It was no secret that Katrina and her daughter did not really get along under any circumstances, with Katrina pulling off childish underhanded tactics to set her child off.

Katrina smiled, “Thank you Angelo~” She looked to Mercy with a smile. “Baby, that plate is there for you so you can control your appetite. You know over eating is what caused your figure to get so out of proportion~” David’s eyes narrowed and he made to get up, but Mercy put her hand on his arm, shaking her head. She wouldn’t rise to Katrina’s bait, taking some food and placing it on her plate. She was barely over 140 pounds, with her figure being all muscle. She thanked her dad for his genes because she got this lovely body from his side of the family and she couldn't be anymore proud. Stefan frowned just a little, but he didn't want to say anything that would cause him to be sleeping on the couch tonight.

Katrina kept her smile up, clapping her hands together loudly. “Now~ How was everyone’s day?” She didn't wait for anyone to answer, sighing after she took a bite of pasta, “The agency has been so stressful! The models just don't know the meaning of what it means to look coy...It's like they only know how to look like a stick thin porn star or something disgusting like that.” She laughed at her own “joke”, looking to David. “Sooooo, how has it been at the little diner you own? I'm sure you get plenty of customers yes? I make sure to keep your advertisements on my bulletin board whenever I have new appointments in the lobby.”

David repressed a sigh, knowing Katrina was really trying to get her licks in. “The diner has been doing well~ I get new customers in every day and business is booming. I’ll be able to expand pretty soon...I'm already looking into new venues that are close but not too far. I've seen some of your models come in too. They're always such pleasant customers.” They really were, often leaving big tips and even bigger smiles. It was obvious to David that the models didn't pay Katrina any heed or she never showed her a** infront of them since they often talked about how nice and wonderful she was. Katrina gave David a smile, nodding her head politely. It seems like this dinner would finished without much incident. She was really worried about Mercy though, she hasn't chimed in or anything, and that could only mean that her daughter was going to explode on her like she usually did.

“What about you Mercedes? What have you been up to? How is your degree going?”

Mercy snapped her head up, having focused on ignoring her mother while she was talking and trying to take credit for her father’s success with his diner. At first, she couldn't figure out what to say, but she quickly recovered. “Oh you know...The usual. My degree is going fine and can I ask you a question? Sure? Good. What is it with you and constantly messing ******** with my mental on my figure? For your <********> information, there is nothing wrong with the way I look. Just because---” David tried to keep her from raising her voice but she wasn't having any of it, shaking her head. “Just because I'm not a ******** walking board like you doesn't mean I'm imperfect or misshapen. In fact, if you only knew how many compliments I get just walking down the street.”

Katrina was about to try and speak, but Mercy stood up, holding her hand up to silence her. “I could ******** any man I want with this body and I do not feel ashamed at all.” The gasp she received from Katrina was well worth the shaking of her father’s head at her language. “In fact, I think you're just jealous that I am able to do more with what I’ve been blessed with than you ever will. You might think I look like some fat cow, but you're so wrong. Katrina,” she grinned maliciously when her mother winced, “If you keep disrespecting me like you're doing, I can and will hurt that pretty face of yours.” She sat back down, leaning over her food with a coy smile. “I do need to thank you though. Without your constant name calling and body shaming, I wouldn’t have the confidence I have today.”

She looked to her father then, giving him a hug. “I also have my daddy to thank for raising me up to be the woman he knew I could be. You on the other hand, my looks are all that I have to thank you for really. I might look like you, but I am nothing like you nor will I ever will be. Pray I don't have children because if I do, you will never see them if you keep acting like the ignorant child that you are.” She snorted and rolled her eyes, eating some of her food with a smile. “Angelo this food is amazing! Thank you for cooking it.~”

Katrina was speechless and surprisingly….Hurt. She was only looking out for her daughter’s health. Yes, she was a horrid mother, blaming Mercy for the death of her career since she never got her pre baby body back. David had tried tomake things work between them, but she saw his coddling of Mercy as spoiling. The encouragement of their daughter’s sassiness was something she didn't understand either but…”Your opinion has been noted Mercedes. However, I will not tolerate you being an ungrateful little b***h. Here I am trying to host a family dinner and you manage to ruin it with your apparent dislike of me and what I do. I tell you you're fat because I'm worried for your health, yet you think I'm body shaming you.”

Mercy’s eyes narrowed down to slits, her hand gripping her fork tightly. She was not about to stab her mom with the fork she has...She was not about to stab her mother with the fork she has...Katrina kept on, pointing out every “flaw” she thought Mercy had from her head to her toes. “And if you think I will not see my future grand kids, you are sadly mistaken. All I have to do is prove that you and whatever sperm donor you pick for a father are unfit and clearly mentally i'll...Therefore I will get custody of the children.”

Mercy didn't know what happened, but she snapped, leaping over the table with the fork in hand. “Mercy! Stop!” She didn't even hear her father as she knocked down her mother who was screaming at the top of her lungs, fork poised high above her head. “You wanna ******** threaten to take away what's mine?! How bout I ruin that ******** plastic face of yours you devils whore!” David managed to pull her off of her mom kicking and screaming in spanish while her mother was screaming for her and David to get out. David threw his flailing daughter over his shoulder, nearly leaping for the door.

Gawd that was a disaster.

Once they were in the parking garage, he set Mercy down, watching as she paced back and forth with her head lowered. He already knew what that meant, embracing his daughter while she struggled before settling down, crying into his chest. “It's alright baby, daddy’s got you….Calm down sweetie...My little chickadee….Shhhhhh.” He stroked her hair while she cried, smiling and rocking her as she calmed. “How about I take you to that nice Italian restaurant that's a couple of blocks away hummmn? I promise it’ll be Katrina free.” Mercy laughed, clinging to her father for dear life, wondering what she would do if she ever lost him. “I’d like that. Think I could get an italian soda?”

“Whatever chickadee wants~ I'll have someone come get your car okay? I’ll drive us there~” Mercy smiled and followed her dad to his car, leaning onto his shoulder while he drove. She hated her mother, but her father was someone she wouldn’t ever want to replace. “Think I'll be a good mom one day dad?” David laughed kissed the top of his daughter’s head, fussing at the slow driver in front of them. “Of course~ You had the best father after all and you love the hell outta your cousins. You’ll be perfect chika. You just have to find that perfect man you know?” Knowing his daughter, he was sure that was a while off yet.  

[Viva Viola]

Title: World Exploration For Beginners

Characters: Mu Aarae
Time: N/A
Age: 22
Mood: Amazed, slightly scared, Inspired
Summary: Mu Aarae's exploration of her planet was short, but at least it didn't mean that she wouldn't make a second trip.

Word count: 666

This brown jungle, this planet that looked like a cross between Jurassic park and 10000 B.C was where she lived ages ago? Sailor Mu Arae touched the nearby fauna with awe, being careful since she didn't know what could and could not attempt to eat her, even if it has been dead for a long time, poison could still possibly be there. This was all hers, something that struck her as haunting and horrifying at the same time. She wandered until she found a path of stone steps leading around the corner, feeling like it would lead to something that she needed to see.

The path before her was beautiful in a desolate way, her hands touching along a stone wall with markings carved in it that was probably beautiful once. Her fingers briefly touched one symbol, in particular, a small intake of breath and she stood before a gathering. There was a female reaching wide with the silhouette of a masculine figure bowed before her. “Onng Bac tu’la cha! Mas una te’ele!” (The trial of a true warrior begins!)

Mu Aarae stepped closer, wanting to see even though she couldn't understand, feeling a sense of loss when the small memory was taken from her just as quickly as it came. She looked up towards the roof of the jungle that was still dense even though there was no greenery to cover it. “That's not fair you a**!” Granted, she didn't know who or what she was talking to, but it made her feel just a little bit better. She continued along the path, marveling at the ancient ruins that were probably once great and intimidating.

The sight before her was terrifying and scary, making her wonder just what they were up to in the past. There was a statue of a face in front of her, but it was covered in vegetation so she couldn't make it out clearly. She walked up closer to the face, frowning in question while she reached out to touch it, blinking when it suddenly felt like she was in another place and time. The face of the statue before her was clear of overgrowth, and she could see the face fully. There wasn't anything particularly defining, but the symbol on the forehead matched the symbol on her henshin pen.

Maybe this was what her past self looked like?

Now that she was paying more attention, the face did give her the feeling that it was pretty important, or at least something worthwhile. Before she could investigate any further, the vision slipped away from her, which only made her huff with annoyance. She wanted to know more, to figure out how her planet came to be this way as well as what she was like in the past. Maybe if she came here more often, she could figure it out?

Mu Aarae smiled and stepped back from the statue, soaking in her surroundings. “Alright, I get it. I’ll try to come visit more often, get you cleaned up and I guess you’ll allow me to know more as well?” The history of her planet was fascinating, and she understood that you have to give in order to receive. Fine by her, she would give and give till she couldn't anymore if it meant that she would get to know her planet and by extension, herself. Maybe she could even take someone with her one day so they could see for themselves. Van might get a kick out of visiting the planet of her cousin or maybe she could visit her planet instead.

She was an eternal senshi, so maybe hers would be more intriguing to look at. With her mind set, Mu Aarae looked around one more time before she closed her eyes, preparing to beam home. It felt like she would be doing this planet visiting thing for quite some time, but she was okay with that.  

[Viva Viola]

Title: World Exploration For Beginners Part 2

Characters: Mu Aarae
Time: N/A
Age: 23
Mood: Fond, Calm, Collected
Summary: Mu Aarae's second trip to her planet was more reminiscent then the first.

Word count: 661

Mercy found herself staring up at the sky. She wanted to go visit her planet again, see what else she could find up there. It wasn't like she had to go to work tomorrow since she had the day off. She thought about giving a certain man a call, but she already knew if she did that, she wouldn’t make it into work for a couple of days and she was also running out of PTO time. That needed to be saved just in case she had an emergency, not because she had jello legs from great sex.

She was terrible.

Well, it seemed like her choice was made for her, she needed to visit before July anyway. Her father would kill her if she didn't make it to the family barbeque he had planned. She couldn't wait to see auntie Dee along with all her little cousins! Maybe she could take Ash to her planet as well. They could do al the exploring and take a look at the strange plant life. She wished she could actually see what it was like to be a native on her planet, learn their strange language and maybe even get to know what it was like to be the Mu Aarae of the past.

Perhaps she could have some more visions as well? It wouldn't hurt.

Mercy looked around before walking back inside of her apartment, Mercy powered up and crawled out of her window, leaping onto the roof. It was safe up here to travel without any nega or youma to distract her. She was wanting to test out her ability on some youma since testing it on a senshi, knight, or agent was out of the question. She learned her lesson the hard way on that and wasn't looking for a repeat. If the scar on her side wasn't any ******** pole.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling warmth radiating through her as she traveled to her homeworld, landing with a soft tap. The brown jungle still looked dead, but she could see some color where there wasn't the last time she was here. Instead of following the last path she went down, she chose another that was covered in dense forest. She touched some of the plants, feeling like she’s touched them before, back when they were vibrant and green. Mu Arae closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

She could still remember the smell.

She was running, leaping over dead logs and lush green fauna, chasing something she couldn't identify. It didn't matter, the feel of the wind in her hair, along with the scents around her was all she needed. Eventually, she came to a stop at a river, falling onto her back to stare at the bright purple orange sky. Reaching her arm up, she aimed for that sky, wondering if she would ever see beyond it someday.

When she opened her eyes Mu Arae found herself at the same river in her vision. It was dry, but what made her smile was the ever small trickle of water there, that made her think that maybe this planet wasn't as dead as she thought it was. She picked up a small pebble, rubbing the dirt off of it. She wanted to bring something back with her and while this small rock didn't seem like much, it was linked to a special memory she didn't want to lose.

Dusting the dirt off of her fuku, she stood up fully and looked to the same purple orange sky, bringing the pebble close to her chest. The way home was just as warm as traveling to her planet, and she wished she could stay longer, but she did have work soon. Adult responsibilities did suck indeed but her light bill needed to be paid some how. She dehenshined, running her hand through her hair. She needed to shower, get some pj’s on, and get to sleep.
 

[Viva Viola]

Title: Just Some Time....

Characters: Mercy
Time: 8:00pm
Age: 28
Mood: Sad, Self-loathing, Optimistic
Summary: Having one of her mood spurts, Mercy feels the need to take a bit of a walk

Word count: 650

There are these little pockets of time where Mercy tends to reflect on the choices she made in her life and how they affect her to this very day. Its usually not a good time to be around her, moodiness is rampant. So when she felt like she was about to spiral out and lose control today she gave Cass some excuse and went out for a walk. The boys were asleep so her poor husband wouldn't have to worry about them trying to do anything too exciting. As she walked, the chilly November air reminded her that she should've taken a scarf with her as well as a hat. But when you feel like youre on the verge of a mental breakdown, a scarf is the least of her concern.

Once she was sure she was far enough, Mercy powered up and leaped onto the roof of a nearby building, hugging her knees to herself.

While she prided herself on the fact that she managed to learn to love herslef, there are times where the dam that she so carefully constructed starts to show cracks in its foundation. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to will the dam shut so she could return home, but it seemed like the leak was determined to happen. For as much as Mercy learned to love herself she still wondered whether she should. After all, wasn't she the one that ended Katrina's career? Didn't she seduce most men because of how her body was shaped? Cause her poor daddy grief whenever she was late coming home?

Hell, she wasn't even sure why Cass was able to deal with her sometimes.

It wasn't like she was some troublesome street trash he accidentally knocked up and married out of responsibility, so she had that going for her at least. Still though, the thought does cross her mind every once and a while. Cass could have literally married a beautiful model or something, yet he choose her. His choice will forever remain a mystery to her, but she was grateful. Mercy could not have asked for a better man to be her other half, the cold to her hot, the calm to her storm and so forth.

She uncurled and leaned back to look at the clear starry sky. Thinking back on one of the more darker parts of her life, she did recall a time where she was propositioned to join the opposite side by some random agent she didn't know. If she could recall directly it was when she was doing her thing with Jack [That name took her back didn't it?], she couldn't remember why she said no, but she was glad she did. Who knows what her life would've been like if she had joined the Negaverse? As it stands she was already a bit of a chaotic neutral in terms of how she felt about this war.

That didn't mean she wouldn't attack a negaverser on sight, given what she went through with that stupid wolf abomination. A hand unconsciously went to her left side where she knew there was a familiar circular scar. Being thrown into some rebar was not fun, nor was the hospital stay. Her poor father was ready to make heads roll, and she wasn't allowed to go anywhere without someone escorting her or something. Annoying as hell but she was sure she would do the same if either one of her boys got hurt like that.

She didn't feel as bad now and thought she should be getting back home, she was sure Cass would have questions and she would have to be able to give answers. One last sigh and she leaped down into an alley to power down, jogging back home. Despite knowing how to fully defend herself, she didn't want to chance running into a youma or anything scary like that.  

[Viva Viola]

Title: Katrina

Characters: Mercy
Time: 11:0am
Age: 28
Mood: Sad, Angry, Accepting
Summary: Mercy thinking about what happened with her mother brought up a painful memory, but in the end, she finally felt at peace with what she had to do the night of the dinner gone horrid.

Word count: 733

Mercy sat in her car on her lunch with her arm over her eyes, continuously going back to the visit that went wrong. Truth be told, she knew Katrina did not deserve to hear s**t from her or be apart of her life, and yet....Here she was trying to think of ways things could be better. Because despite everything that woman put her through, she was still that sad little girl that only wanted her mother to pay attention to her. A sigh left her mouth, thinking of the memory back when she was younger:

Being eight years old, Mercy was quite full of energy and as her father called it, sunshine. It was during this age that Katrina started to become colder and colder. She gently knocked on the entrance to her mother's office, poking her head of curls in to make sure she wasn't on the phone before fully coming in, "Momma! Look! Teacher told us to draw our hero! I drew you! See!" Katrina was on her computer at the time, content on finishing the excel chart she had for her organizing of finances. David was a pretty frugal man so she didn't have to worry about him trying anything shady, but it still helped to keep everything in order. The woman sighed in annoyance but briefly closed her laptop to see what crayon monstrosity her daughter wanted her to hang up now.

"Mercedes...I am busy, you saw that when you poked your head in the door." Speaking of, Katrina would need to find a way to tame the messy fro that was her daughter's hair. Since it was not wavy like her own, she didnt have the time to figure out how to do it herself. Which meant that it was off to the salon after she was done with her chart. Katrina took one look at the drawing and raised an eyebrow. At least it was a bit more apparent that it was her in the picture and not some random drawing of a doll. "That looks.....Passible. Good job." Before Mercy could ask if she could hang it up in the office, Katrina held her hand up, "Have your father put it in your room or on the fridge or something. You know I do not want drawings in my office space. I have meetings in here sometimes and I dont think a child's drawing would make me look very professional....Do you think it would make mommy look professional?"

The smile on Mercys face from the comment fell slightly, "N-No...?" She lowered the drawing and rubbed the side of her arm, "But mommy I tried reeeeally hard! Please?" The look on Katrina's face went from mildly annoyed to full on annoyance in an instant, "Mercedes Adams, dije que no. Eres muy consciente de lo que eso significa, sí?" Mercy started to sniffle, head lowered, "P-Pero mamá yo..." Katrina's eyes narrowed, "Que te dije" Mercy was full on crying at that point, "N-No...." Katrina sighed and got up from her desk, squatting down to gently lift her crying daughter's head up, "Instead of sitting here crying in my office about something you already knew the answer to, why dont you change out of your messy dress and get ready to go to the salon. Your hair is a mess and I cannot have my child running around like she is not cared for."

Mercy whimpered out a yes ma'am and walked out of the office, ripping up the picture once she heard the door close behind her.

Just thinking about that made her eyes water. This was why she vowed that her two boys would know nothing but love and joy from her and Cass. Sure if she had to discipline she would, but she would never ever neglect and mistreat them like Katrina did to her. With a new found resolve, Mercy wiped her eyes and put on a smile. Was she proud of how things went down at Katrina's? No. But in the end, this was a new year and with that, she vowed to cut off all things toxic. If that meant cutting out the woman that birthed her then so be it. She wasn't worth the trouble or the tears.

[Translation:
"Mercedes Adams, I said no. You're well aware of what that means, yeah"
"B-But momma I..."
"What did I say?"]  

[Viva Viola]

Title: Planet Exploration for Beginners part 3.

Characters: Mercy
Time: 8:00pm
Age: 28
Mood: Happy, Excited, Determined
Summary: Mercy travels to her planet, leaving with a new sense of purpose and hope.

Word Count: 1642

It was about time she tried going back to her planet.

Granted getting married and having two babies did mean that most of her senshi things were on hold, but that was okay. Now that her husband is apparently a knight, she could simply be honest with him and maybe go to her planet more often. With a content sigh, Mercy walked a couple of blocks from her home, transforming into Mu Arae with a smile. Man it felt good to transform! Granted she has been doing it alot more, the feeling never changed. The connection to her planet was ever present, and she closed her eyes, “beaming” up. When she opened them, she was in the middle of the dense jungle, but not too far from the City she found. The trek across the jungle seemed a bit easier than the last time, the air was….Less dense. Granted, breathing wasn’t super easy, but she didn't feel like she was suffocating either.

Her hand ran itself across a big leaf that looked similar to a plant she saw on the internet for the Amazon rainforest. Tilting her head, she took a picture with her phone, noting how the color seemed more…green than a sickly brown. There seemed like a faint glow was coming from it as well. Something she can barely see but if she squinted, there was a bit of pulsing. “Wow…” This made her wonder if there were other plants that could do this and if so, would there be different colors? This one seemed like it would be a nice looking green, but she couldn't be too sure. The senshi continued to trek through the dense forest, looking up at the canopy as she moved. The animals that used to run through here must've been a sight to behold.

Pretty soon the forest began to clear and the city[?] that she found herself at the last time appeared. Mu sat back and took a couple of pictures on her phone with the intent to show Dmitry later since he was the expert on architecture. Maybe she could bring him with her to do some repairs? Seemed like a good idea. Mu continued her journey, looking at the big pyramid at the center of the city. She wanted to go there but something was telling her to maybe hold off for a bit.
Instead, she chose to go and explore one of the smaller buildings around the city, reaching out to touch some of the outer walls.

She wondered what the building looked like in its heyday, imagining something along the lines of a really detailed and decorated mud hut. The way the brick was laid reminded her of a pueblo, the roof has long since collapsed, but it seemed like it was made of the big leaves she saw while walking here. There was no door, so she stepped inside, looking around at the intricate furniture that lay about. Most of it has since rotted away into nothing, but that didn't stop her from trying to sit on what she could only imagine to be a table.

Of course the moment she sat on it she fell right onto her behind.

“Well, I knew that was going to happen….”

Maybe she could restore the furniture one day as well? It would be worth the try and could maybe become something of a side project for her when she needed to get away. One thing that drew her eye was something shiny in the walls towards the bottom, it looked golden in color, with Mu Arae coming to realize this used to be the trimming. There were no signs of gold deposits, but that didn't mean there were none….Maybe in a cavern somewhere? She could only imagine that maybe the upper class would be able to afford this but then again, it seemed like the gold trim was in the other homes as well.

She dusted off some of the dirt covering, taking a picture of the faded trim before moving deeper into the home. Originally, she thought she was back in the jungle till she saw walls with the golden trim. The room before her had plant life all around it that seemed like it was lovingly cultivated at one point in time. Her hands reached out to touch the leaves and flora, marveling at the almost restored flowers that were of many colors. Under each plant was something akin to label. She was unable to read it sadly, but she is very certain that these labels are for the plants.

Because of this, she is very afraid to touch them.

Instead, she took plenty of pictures and moved on to the final room of the home, which seemed like a bedroom. The flora seemed to take over the room due to the neglect, but she could make out something like a bed. It seemed like at one point the bed was made of leaves….Interesting. Granted she wasn't sure what Araens were like in the past, something she wished she could glimpse, but her last visions were pretty blurry and unclear. She only heard the language being spoken, which she understood none of it.

With a sigh, Mu Arae made her way towards the leaf bed with the intent to touch when a small glowing body skittered from underneath a leaf, scaring the mess out of her. “S-s**t!” The creature stopped in place, glowing a bright blue with yellow and black spots forming on its body. The senshi dared to get a bit closer, taking pictures as she went. It seemed like it was some sort of centipede…..A glowing sign flashing centipede….She should be grossed out, but for some odd reason she was very intrigued. “Well…I've never seen you before…Are there anymore?” She looked around and spotted no more of the insect, feeling a bit sad. “Are you the last of your kind?” She thought so, but maybe…

The senshi thought back to the fact that the forest looked….Greener than the last time she was here. Maybe her planet is trying to make a comeback! If that’s the case, then this means that she should definitely do more to contribute to that factor. Looking back at the insect, Mu snapped some more pictures before leaving the home entirely. Adding look for insects on her list, she moved onto a different building. If anything she wished she could find the falls that she saw in her last vision, but maybe that would be something for another time.

For now, she went towards some stairs that wrapped around one of the trees surrounding the outer edge of the city. The trek seemed long and she dared not look down, finally coming up into something like a lookout tower. Or so she thought. It seemed like a treehouse with all the material there. This lacked the gold trim of the house she left, but more than made up for it with the amount of carvings in place. She quickly took some pictures, wanting to show everyone when she came home, marveling at what she could only describe as a story being told.

What really caught her eye was a broken necklace. It has probably seen better days, but it was still quite pretty. Looked like it was made of gold with some sort of amber jewel that contained an insect that she knew she would never see. It seemed like some sort of spider, but like the centipede, it was glowing…Or at least that's what it looked like with the light reflecting off of it. She decided she would try to take this back with her. It wasn't a live creature or fauna so she didn't have to worry about the stress of a changing atmosphere causing it to die.

She carefully placed the necklace in the same bag she pulled her compass from and moved on, taking pictures as she went. The next item she found was a peculiar looking bowl of sorts. It was clearly made of wood with a border that was once a pretty purple color. Inside of the border were carvings similar to what she was seeing on the walls. “Can’t eat out of you, but I think I can have you restored for display at home.~” She placed the bowl in her bag and walked out onto the balcony that surrounded the small hut. The view that greeted her caused more pictures to be taken. She could see above the canopy, the two suns that Mu Arae followed were beautiful, something that she was sure she wouldn't be able to see unless she came up here.

Granted the city was surrounded by trees, but there were none growing within, something she wanted to look into next time as well. She quickly snapped some pictures and made her way back inside. She smiled at her surroundings, lingering for a bit before heading back down. As much as she wanted to stay and explore, she knew Cass would be waiting for her, especially since she was not in bed when she usually is around this time. Looking around at the city once more Mu Arae committed each detail in her head, a solid plan forming, a new sense of hope forming.

Yes, she could do this.

Hitting the button to go home, she closed her eyes and opened them a second later, finding herself back in the same spot a few blocks away from her home. She dehenshined, and made her way back home, locking the door behind her, placing the necklace and bowl onto the mantle. She then changed into her undergarments and climbed back into bed. The last thing she did before covering her eyes was smile when she felt Cass’s arm reach around to pull her close.  

[Viva Viola]

Title: Family Musings

Characters: Mercy, Cass, Lucien, Alistair
Time: 11:00am
Age: 29
Mood: Happy, Excited, Wistful
Summary: Mercy's sons find some interesting keepsakes on a family walk to the park

Word Count: 1022

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