You're Still You

You're Still You
Date of Scene:	19 December 2012
Location:	Traverse Town - Bodhum
Synopsis:	Mercade and the Mutate Avira meet on the beach of Bodhum, and catch up with each other while confronting the problems that they have both had to deal with since the Fall of Manhattan.
Cast of Characters:	Mercade Alexander, Avira

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Avira has posed:
In light of the conversation going on over the TDA frequency RIGHT NOW, Avira opts to just text the location of their meeting. She didn't want to go back to her guild house for this. This particular beach was nice! Beaches were nice in general!

The mutate looks down at her ma belle with growing consternation. "They just don't know when to quit, do they..." she murmurs, thoroughly flustered by all the teasing.

With a huff, she plops down onto the beach and waits for the (fortunately alive!) detective to show.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Considering the conversation on the TDA frequencies, a moonlit beach might send the wrong signals. But Mercade is trying to ignore the meddling and teasing of Celina and Tom as he goes to meet Avira on the beach. "They think they can hurry things up." Mercade says, as he sits down next to Avira. "They mean well, but they really need to learn to let other people decide things for themselves." He chuckles. "So, Avira..." He says, looking up at the black sky. "Are you doing all right?"

Avira has posed:
People could be so gosh darn nosy! These particular matters of the heart were her business and her business alone! Regardless...

It's n nice to get some time with Mercade. Time that isn't threatened by Rikus or Wills appearing and making things rage-inducing and awkward. "They really do." Avira 'smiles' up at Mercade before he joins her seated next to her.

The smile disappears, "Honestly...they could be better. They could be a lot better."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
It's been rather rage-inducing and awkward lately indeed. Mercade has been on a rollercoaster of emotion ever since the fall of Manhattan, but at least he seems to be regaining his equilibrium at the moment.

He looks over at Avira, looking over the dark fur in the moonlight, the inhuman shape. His expression is searching, considering... And then he reaches over, putting an arm around her broad, muscled shoulders. "I know they can be better, Avira. But we both know how it works by now, right? It's up to us to make it better. We'll find a way to cure you, and then we'll go kick ass. We'll find the answers we need on how to fight the Shadow Lords. It'll work out."

Avira has posed:
He looks at her and for that moment, Avira freezes, her stomach twisting in fear. Those horrible words that woman-that servant of the Gaudium Lords, still rings loudly in her mind. 'Monster.'

Yet much to his surprise, he slips an arm around her shoulders. Avira tips sideways slowly until she is leaning against him. "...yeah." she finally says, agreeing with Mercade wholeheartedly. "We have so much to do, don't we?"

"Still...you deserve an explanation. For all that you weren't here for." Avira goes on to describe everything that's happened, staring with the increase in Heartless and the battles in the Labyrinth.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade leans in against Avira too, resting on that fur. He absently ruffles the fur as he listens to her explanations. "Those bastards." He says. "That was a full, coordinated attack. No wonder why everything blew up so badly... And why Merlin warned me. Our opponents are starting to get organized and faster than we are."

He sighs. "Compared to that... Maybe my presence might not have done as much as I hoped." He looks up slightly. "I guess the question is really... Where do we go from here? We're out of our power base. Just some kind of... world refugees, now. We've got to pick up and get going again."

Avira has posed:
"We had no idea." Avira says sadly. "We simply weren't prepared. Not even Xanatos..." ...he'd been quiet, Avira realizes. Did he 'go down with the ship?!' "And we both heard Riku's...explanation the other day."

Without really noticing, she leans into where Mercade's hand is. It's kind of reminiscent of a dog being scratched. Darn animal genes.

"I still wish you could have been there fighting with us." Avira sighs, "But from here...we adapt. I did it before. We can all do it again." Her yellow and brown eyes peer down at him. "Together."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"Riku." Mercade frowns, his expression wrinkling like he tastes something bad. "I can't imagine why he thought this was the best way to handle this. But..." He sighs. "It's over now."

He stops scratching and just settles for holding Avira at this point. "I wish I was there too, but no amount of wishing will take us back there. You're right. We'll get this fixed together." He smiles. "I believe in you, Avira. Everything will work out, we just have to find a way to do it. And that's what we're here for."

Avira has posed:
"It's a horrible way." There's a considerable deal of emotion in Avira's voice when she declares it too. "He was wrong. So wrong to go about it like this." It's over now. Yes. "No...he still has to pay for his crimes...somehow."

That darkness stirs within her and a look of pain briefly flashes on Avira's face. No, not now, not when she's here with Mercade...

Only when the scratching ends does she realize how much she was enjoying it. A small noise escapes her before she decides to live with this. "And I believe in you, Mercade Alexander. If anybody figures out a way for all of this, I bet it's going to be you."

There is silence, perhaps awkward silence. "I was afraid." she says quietly, "I was so afraid you were gone." Avira nuzzles against him.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"This has got to be hard for you, Avira." Mercade says. "But you have to make sure to stay in control. Otherwise you're going to just play into their hands." He goes quiet, not seeming to notice the pain on Avira's face. "Riku... Is probably tormenting himself more than any of us can right now. He's capable of feeling guilt. He's not killed his soul, like some have."

He smiles, still leaning there on the beach on Avira. Even as she is, Avira's presence is still there... And he blinks. "You're still you." He says, seemingly without prompt. "That's what it is. No matter what's happened, you're still you..." He chuckles. "I appreciate your trust, Avira. I'll try to live up to it."

There is a silence as they both sit there in the darkness. He rustles slightly as she admits something, and Mercade looks up again. "I... was afraid too." He says, ruffling her fur along the back of the head as she nuzzles in. "The worst thing I could imagine was for you... And everyone else to be gone. I don't know if I could have handled it. You... You guys mean so much to me."

Avira has posed:
There's a shiver from the mutate. Mercade will feel it clearly with Avira curled up against him. "There's something inside me making it hard." she whispers, apparently so afraid others might hear this admission. "It wants me to hurt him. I want to understand him and make it stop, but every time I try, I just get so angry."

Loathing hits her and the words come echoing back to her. Monster. One of them. But then Mercade speaks and those memories evaporate. "...oh Mercade.." she says quietly, "...I was afrad of that too."

Afraid of Mercade's disgust of course.

She feels his hand touch the back of her head and all the sudden, a sedate look settles on Avira's face. Avira...liked that. It felt like a massage. "Let's promise..." she says in an odd voice. As if she weren't 'all there' for a moment, "..that we won't lose each other like that ever again."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"Don't give in, Avira. If you do, it will just get harder to control yourself. You can't let those bastards win."

Mercade doesn't look disgusted. Not that he's exactly digging Avira's new form, but he's not going to let that push him away either. He gives Avira some more pets. May as well take advantage of her doglike tendencies to help her feel better, right? "I'm not going to let you go, Avira. I'll be there for you whenever you need me."

Avira has posed:
"It's so true." she laments, peering up at Mercade. "...I need your help for that. You...you and the rest of the TDA." The 'rest' seems added rather hastily. As if she wanted to prove something to certain voices on the radio.

"Oh...keep doing that.." she finally murmurs, the nearest wing Avira has stretching out once, then somewhat curling around Mercade at her side. "I need you-" she starts before quickly speaking up again, "-we need you. We need you to help make sorts of all these emotions." If it was at all useful.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"I'll help you any way I can, Avira. Just be yourself, all right? We'll help you as much as we can with the rest." He smiles.

And he keeps petting while considering their mutual pauses and modifications in their phrasing.

Denial, it's not a river in Egypt anymore.

"As long as you need, Avira." He assures. May as well make Avira comfy while she's all doglike. He leans in, hugging and petting while Avira sort of curls up. "I... and we... will figure it all out in time. For now... Just relax, all right? Everything will work out."

Avira has posed:
"Good...good." Avira sighs, a look of guilt on her face. Part of her felt wrong for even needing to ask for this. Shouldn't she be able to fight this darkness herself? And yet, even in spite of all of her posturing, it was difficult for her.

But all that petting...it's definitely having a calming effect upon her. Not that Mercade can really sense the darkness inside the mutate at this point. Right not it wasn't wild enough. As he does, an arm wraps around Mercade as well and hugs him close.

"Thank you." she murmurs contentedly at him, that sedate look still upon her lupine face. It really did feel like she could relax right here and that Mercade would take care of anything that came up. But for the future...

...well, they'd just have to wait and see.