mercyfuls

[mercyfuls]

agent arachne  &  agent epsilon   :  mercy headquarters, common area ( @doghoods )

" i thought there was an odd smell in here, " jia says, having just looked up to see her absolute least favourite person of all time and immediately switching into attack mode. " turns out it was just you. is it cologne, or do you just naturally exude eau de dickhead ? " resists the urge to stick their tongue out at ward — best not to get childish, he'll only use that against them. " don't you have some special little throne in the biomed wing just for you ? what brings you out to associate with us commoners ? looking for more puppies to kick ? "

#int. ⌯ julia yun #if this doesnt make sense its jias fault #this is the second starter i owed u from forever ago #since event is over

[mercyfuls]

" it's not just you, " jia says. his own device sits untouched in their lap as he watches yejide work. " which is good, means we get fewer security breaches, but sucks when the directors decide they know best. " not that julia particularly cares about the details, beyond that they think it would make for an interesting read. he's always been more interested in entertainment than anything else, boredom being the only real fate worse than death in their eyes. " quite honestly, it's amazing we get told as much as we do, " they say. " if they could get away with telling us no more than the civilians, they probably would — but then we wouldn't be able to get anything done effectively. "

➥     STATUS  :  CLOSED  @mercyfuls ➥     FEATURING  :  AGENTARACHNE  +  AGENTBYTE

          "     is  it  just  me  or  was  mercy  a  lot  easier  to  hack  into  five  years  ago  ?     "     tablet  is  propped  up  against  her  rolled  up  sweatshirt  on  the  table  as  she  swipes  through  screens,  getting  steadily  more  frustrated.     "     you'd  think  having  agent  status  would  get  you  more  access.     "     yejide  huffs  and  sinks  into  her  seat.  while  she  was  stellar  at  cyber  research,  anything  on  these  clowns  was  turning  up  articles  and  posts  timestamped  just  after  the  governor's  ball.

#int. ⌯ julia yun #ft. ⌯ yejide muyiwa

[mercyfuls]

this is not how dom pictured the night going. then again, would anyone picture this sequence of events ? first the announcement of a new faction — not surprising for those in the know — then the lights went out, and now ' jesters ' and an evacuation. fortunately, the images they show are no worse than the sorts dom sees on the regular — medical fields tend to require a strong stomach, and working at mercy even more so — but the guests and other agents are not quite so desensitised. as he escorts a handful of guests out of the building, a hand reaches out, and with a quick excuse to the civilians, who continue on their way easily enough, he turns to face another agent. intel division, if dom recalls correctly, though her name escapes him.

what the hell is happening ... he knows what the question is about, but dom is just as clueless as her. " right here, right now ? nothing much. people are evacuating, the building is almost cleared. generally, however, i'm afraid i've no clue. but given the apparent scale of ... this— " said with a gesture that intends to encompass as much of the debacle of this night as possible " —i think it's probably best to stick with the present situation, rather than that which we can't control. "

( that's how he deals with his own fears and anxieties, anyway. puts them aside and waits til they become relevant or solvable. no point in fretting over something he can't control. if he's to be murdered by a secret terrorist organisation or his own employer, he'd rather spend his last moments in relative peace. )

𝐖𝐇𝐎 : PRUDENCE WARREN & OPEN 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 : THE GOVERNOR'S BALL 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 : MARCH 31, 2049

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐄. The GOVERNOR'S BALL was already perhaps the last place Prudence had wanted to find herself – a crowded room filled with revelrous partygoers, bumping shoulders and spilling wine, each joyous laugh piercing her ears like a knife. She fiddles with the gloves covering her hands – one misstep could spell disaster. Destruction. Annihilation. One wrong move, and the darkness consuming her will spill out for all to see – devouring everything in its wake. And, sure enough, disaster does come – but not from Prue.

Everything happens in quick succession – flickering lights replaced by grotesque images. Colleagues stretched out on metal benches, like animals waiting to be dissected. Prue's eyes quickly flit away, stomach turning at the images projected to the gathered crowds. ASSIST IN EVACUATION, DO NOT ENGAGE. REPEAT. DO NOT ENGAGE. The transmission comes through, and immediately Prue sets aside her fear and springs into action. Ignoring the thrumming in her chest, she rounds up civilians and escorts them to the exit – not stopping until she is free of the building, nighttime chill crashing into her.

Prue leans against an outside wall, breaths coming quick and shallow. Flashes of the macabre footage playing on the backs of her eyelids, sounds of the horrified crowds ringing in her ears. She blinks back tears – the situation quickly overwhelming her. Eyes latch onto a fellow agent passing nearby, and hands reach out – stopping just shy of contact, but close enough to grab attention. "What the hell is happening?" She asks, voice high and breathy. Another question rests on the tip of her tongue – are we next?

#int. ⌯ dom macruaid #ft. ⌯ prudence warren

[mercyfuls]

" look at you, verbena, expecting people to follow the rules, " julia says, tone lighthearted but mocking. " what the board don't know, can't hurt them. " besides which, nobody's going to be listening. they're too busy rubbing shoulders with each other, pretending they're the most important people in the world. none of them are going to care about what a couple of unremarkable mercy agents are saying in a corner. " i mean, i'm down for that, but this is technically work hours — so we'd have to find somewhere away from watching eyes, and sentinel hq is not that sort of place. " it's a tech company, they probably have security cameras up the wazoo, even if they're not visible ( though it would be unimpressive if the advanced technology company had visible security cameras ). " but i was more thinking ... mm, something that we could watch — a fight between senators, or something like that. "

               "  julia  …  we  literally  were  prohibited  from  talking  about  the  memo  ,  did  you  really  think  there  would  be  some  form  of  scandal ?  "     yeah  ,  sure  .  a  scoff  followed  her  words  ,  evidencing  how  absurd  the  idea  seemed  to  her  ;  mercy  controlled  everything  around  them  ,  and  sentinel  even  beyond  that  ,  something  akin  to  an  indiscretion  was  hardly  plausible  .  although  ,  if  sabine  was  honest  ,  she  also  expected  something  more  …  thrilling .     "  do  you  think  it  is  wise  to  look  for  entertainment  after  that  message ?  "     she  questioned  then  ,  dead  serious  for  a  second  ,  eyebrows  raised  in  challenge  .  still  ,  the  smirk  slowly  stretching  her  lips  let  the  other  know  she  was  on  board  with  the  implicit  proposal .     "  i  have  a  flask  with  tequila  and  …  uhm  ,  drugs .  "     the  offer  isn’t  shy  ,  yet  it  is  ,  somehow  ,  insecure   —   she  doesn’t  know  if  getting  high  as  a  kite  would  be  the  best  idea  ,  but  her  level  of  boredom  was  quickly  enticing  her  to  simply  drag  julia  outside  and  fuck  everything  else .

#int. ⌯ julia yun #ft. ⌯ sabine bogelot

[mercyfuls]

he gets it. this sort of thing is a necessary evil, but that doesn't make it any more enjoyable. " well, there are always things to be doing, in this line of work, " dom says offhandedly. " but it's not that bad, all things considered. " good food and drink, a nice venue and relatively little trouble — so far. all in all, there's not really anything to take issue with. " it does seem pointless for us all to be here, " he agrees, " but maybe the board just didn't want to face the wolves alone ? " unlikely, but better to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"it's been well." the woman nodded, an uncharacteristic smile on her face before she leaned in then turned back towards the crowd. sinéad sighed, leaning on her walking aid. it was all so false but at least she herself was meeting the same standard. good is what heroes did, so the evening would go well. sinéad is a little more 'perky' than usual, an effect of her actually following advice but at the same time, feels less herself. "what about you? are you having a fine evening or would you rather be working, talking strategy or, i don't know-" the woman sighed. "is there any actual point to this? i'm having a fine time but-" she shouldn't say any more.

#int. ⌯ dom macruaid #ft. ⌯ sinèad aldridge

[mercyfuls]

" hey, i'm just quoting the memo, " julia says. they aren't, but whatever — it's not as if vanessa knows that. and the gist is the same. " they said not to make a fuss. can't help it if everyone else panics the moment the lights go off. " there haven't been any explosions or genuine screams ( just rich people terrified of the dark ) — and even if there were, that's solidly outside jia's job description. " thanks for the suggestion, though. " they flag down a waiter and snag a couple of hors d'oeuvres. " as long as they lock us in with the food and drinks, i'm sure most people won't be particularly bothered. "

Vanessa   furrows   her   brows   together,   she   can't   help   but   to   chuckle.   "I   have   a   feeling   it   is   pretty   big."   she   gestures   to   the   quiet   panic   consuming   the   pair.   "Well,   it   is   a   huge   help   that   my   head   is   attached   to   my   shoulders."   As   a   waiter   passes   by,   she   seizes   the   chance   to   order   a   drink,   adding,   "I'd   grab   a   cocktail   and   a   snack   while   you   can.   I   have   a   feeling   they   may   lock   us   in   so   nothing   can   get   out."

#int. ⌯ julia yun #ft. ⌯ vanessa kang

[mercyfuls]

dom resists the urge to cringe at alistair's ... childish ... solution. if it works, it works — he ought not be fussy about the methods, when he's the one who asked for help. but still, it feels ... crass. " thanks for the save, " he says, once they're out of earshot. " if i never have another conversation about the economy again, it'll still be too soon. " he drags a hand across one side of his face in a mixture of fatigue and annoyance, resisting the urge to sigh. " i see you've been making the most of the refreshments, " he comments to alistair. the younger agent is lucky and seems to have escaped the worst of the night's obligations — domnhall is a little jealous. he's barely had time to snag a couple of bites of canapés between conversations — and if he hides away from the conversations, the servers aren't going to notice him. truly a lose-lose situation.

there   have   been   many   moments   when   domhnall   has   been   his   saving   grace.   a   doctor   of   molecular   and   cellular   medicine   was   a   godsend   for   the   newly   -   graduated   field   agent   that   had   his   whole   world   turned   upside   down   …   literally.   so   alistair   will   not   hesitate   to   return   the   favor.   including   saving   the   tactical   agent   from   an   undesirable   conversation   (   even   unknowingly   roped   into   one   after   stuffing   his   face   with   a   caviar   and   crème   fraîche   tartlet,   his   expression   contorting   to   a subtle   “   i   do   ?   i   do   !   ”   sort   of   display   ).   a   polite   nod   in   greeting,   free   hand   placed   on   a   mentor’s   shoulder.   his   snacking   had   caught   the   attention   of   two   men   that   had   cornered   dom,   interest   shifting   from   whatever   alistair   was   about   to   fabricate   about   the   conversation   of   economics.   simple   as   that.   “   they   had   just   put   them   out.   go   get   ‘em   before   it’s   too   late,   ”   he   informs,   nodding   his   head   towards   the   server   he   had   plucked   a   savory   pastry   from.   once   the   oblivious   duo   leaves   to   search   of   a   rare   taste   of   caviar   from   a   sturgeon   species   only found in   the   caspian   sea,   the   younger   agent’s   optics   flicker   towards   dom   with   a   self   -   satisfied   simper.   “   you’re   welcome.   ”   alistair   chirps,   even   if   he   had   just   done   the   bare   minimum.   

#int. ⌯ dom macruaid #ft. ⌯ alistair vasileiou

[mercyfuls]

" me, serious ? you need to get your eyes checked, " jia says with a scoff. they absolutely are looking serious — watching the crowd, deep in contemplation — but not for the reason their coworker assumes. no, jia couldn't care less about the safety implications of a security breach, only the promise of excitement and a hunt for the culprits through cyberspace when they return to work. and that requires a lot of thinking, which generally involves looking serious — just by virtue of it being an easy resting face. " besides which, everyone else is serious. the lights went out, it's not as if there's no reason for it. " also, quite frankly, anyone who knows them well knows it's safer when they aren't smiling. " now shush, i'm trying to concentrate. " not to pick out intruders — no, they're thinking how funny it would be to thread a tripwire around all the exits that would cause a chandelier to fall.

𝙻𝙾𝙰𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 … open starter ⟳ governors ball ; 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 .

❛   champagne   ,   thank   you   .   ❜   crystal   chimes   against   the   marble   countertop   adorning   the   bar,   the   round   of   applause   it   accompanies   almost   deafening.   zita's   own   hands   mimic   the   actions   of   others,   the   sound   hollow   and   empty,   a   reflection   of   truer   sentiments   towards   the   collaboration   –   just   another   stakeholder   to   appease   ,   the   voice   of   cynicism   muttered   within.   deft   digits   eventually   curl   around   the   tall   stem   of   her   champagne   flute,   the   glass   brought   to   lips   and   its   libation   savoured   ;   at   least   they   hadn't   scrimped   on   the   alcohol ,   which   was   so   often   the   case   at   such   galas.   no   sooner   had   the   glass   met   her   lips   the   room   descended   into   darkness   ,   emergency   lighting   swiftly   &   brightly   illuminating   the   concerned   and   confused   expressions   on   the   faces   of   the   attendees   ;   posture   rigid   ,   hues   assessing,   zita   mirrored   the   facades   of   others .   vibrations   from   within   her   purse   directed   her   attentions   and   with   her   phone   retrieved ,   the   message   was   read .   posture   relaxed   ,   lips   meeting   the   glass   once   more   for   a   calming   sip   .   ❛   don't   look   so   ...   serious   ,   we   do   not   wish   to   cause   a   panic   .   ❜   her   voice   was   low,   scarcely   a   whisper   to   the   colleague   beside   her   .

#int. ⌯ julia yun #ft. ⌯ zita farnese #apologies for this fucking nightmare of a person

[mercyfuls]

jia shrugs. " oh yeah, nothing big though. " ( it absolutely is, but they said not to make a big deal out of it — so jia is going to extend that to not telling the ill-informed tactical agent ) he glances around, and seeing that nobody is paying attention, opts for the worst possible decision mischief option. y'know, since nobody else is watching the pair. " you forgot your phone ? " they click their tongue. " tch, classic tactical agent. what next, going to forget your head ? " okay, maybe they're a little off their game — in jia's defence, it's been a long, boring evening, and even this isn't enough to fully wake them.

starter status: open, event post mini plot drop.

an   air   of   discomfort   clouds   vanessa,   yet   her   grin   offers   a   distraction   —   fooling   those   in   her   company.   for   a   moment   the   meticulously   crafted   mask   falters,   an   audible   huff   escapes   from   cherry   kissed   lips.   vanessa   watches   as   her   father   descends   from   the   stairs,   her   gaze   narrows.   "unbelievable."   she   swallows   what   was   left   of   her   wine.   the   lights   flicker   yet   the   trained   agent   keeps   her   composure.   vanessa   glances   over   to   her   colleague,   "i   left   my   phone   at   coat   check.   any   word   from   hq?" 

#int. ⌯ julia yun #ft. ⌯ vanessa kang #i apologise on their behalf #theyre a menace with no sense of propriety

[mercyfuls]

agent arachne & agent alter : governor's ball, as the lights go out ( @ofcybers )

" oh, finally, something interesting, " jia says with a huff as the lights flicker off. he spares a brief glance at his phone to read the message, biting back a scoff at the words. don't cause attention, how dull. well, in the interests of keeing their job, julia will go along with it for now. " oi, alter, you seeing this shit ? " she gestures at the space around them.

#int. ⌯ julia yun #hihi hope this is ok !!

[mercyfuls]

he wouldn't call it dreadful, but the event is definitely firmly on the side of obligation rather than enjoyment. and he can understand why demian would give it that label. " i can imagine, " he says — though his situation is different, dom grew up in the shadow of his prodigy siblings and knows the delight of managing others' unreasonable expectations. he knows better than to dig, instead seeking a new topic of conversation. " well, if anyone asks, we're having a deep and extremely important discussion about work that simply cannot be put off any longer, " dom offers. " or you can shadow me for a while, i've found it's useful to have agents from multiple factions in a conversation. "

               "     amusement  colors  their  expression  at  the  agent’s  answer  ,  he  doesn’t  look  directly  miserable  ,  but  demian  would  bet  a  fortune  he  is  close  to  it  .  they  take  pity  on  them  ,  though  ,  and  decide  not  to  make  him  one  of  the  victims  of  their  stupidity  tonight  ,  instead  ,  a  sip  is  given  to  their  drink  ,  followed  by  a  low  hum .     "  it’s  a  dreadful  night  ,  i  get  you .  "    and  they  do  ,  truly  .  that’s  the  reason  they  started  drinking  the  moment  they  arrived   —   to  make  things  easier  ,  to  avoid  this  dreadful  night  full  of  appearances  and  a  duty  they’ve  never  been  good  at  fulfilling  .  clicking  their  tongue  after  a  sigh  ,  demian  contemplates  their  answer .     "  i  can’t  afford  an  escape  ,  so  definitely  just  a  respite  .  my  parents  have  been  on  my  ass  since  the  invitations  arrived  and  …  yeah  ,  it’s  , uh ... exhausting .  "     everyone  knew  about  them  ,  demian  was  aware  of  that  ,  but  somehow  ,  deep  down  ,  he  harbored  hope  that  domnhall  was  one  of  the  few  absolutely  oblivious  about  their  parents'  reputation

#int. ⌯ dom macruaid #ft. ⌯ demian seo

[mercyfuls]

agent arachne & agent rage : governor's ball, a conveniently-located courtyard ( @w0rstcritic )

" if i have to listen to one more fucking rich-ass dickhead talk shit about poor people ... " jia trails off. he hasn't actually given any thought to what he will do, but it's sure to be deeply unpleasant for all involved. which goes for most things they do, to be honest. " hey, do you think spouting maoist ideology would be enough to get me kicked out ? " they query, looking over at imara. it'd be hilarious, they think, to just start quoting historical communist dictators — not that jia cares much for any sort of political ideology, bar anarchy, but it's about the drama.

#int. ⌯ julia yun

[mercyfuls]

agent merlin & agent epsilon : governor's ball, a conversation on medical advancements ( @doghoods )

speaking to a hospital director and a pharmaceutical ceo, accompanied by agent epsilon as a biomed agent to offer details when needed ( chosen to keep the younger agent out of trouble, for which he is likely not appreciative, though dom is fully willing to play dumb ), domnhall is very much in his element — talking medicine. so what can we expect to see out of mercy's research ? they ask, and he gathers his thoughts. " i'm not as involved in the medical division anymore, so agent epsilon will have to confirm, " he says, " but i believe they've been working on some ways to accelerate healing of broken limbs, and i've been involved in some discussions on cell regeneration with a view to heal damaged organs and the like. " the three of them all look to epsilon, awaiting his response.

#int. ⌯ dom macruaid

[mercyfuls]

agent arachne & agent verbena : governor's ball, wherever there's food ( @tvrmoils )

" well, this is rather dull, " jia says, a pastry in one hand and a glass of white wine in the other. " here i was thinking there'd be something exciting ... scandal, someone spilling secrets ... but it's all just people chatting. " she glances over at the unlucky soul who's ventured close enough to be caught in the orbit of their chaos. " any ideas on how to induce a little excitement ? "

#int. ⌯ julia yun

[mercyfuls]

agent merlin & agent aristotle : governor's ball, mingling ( @skyf4llz )

the conversation drifts like an unmoored boat, inanities bouncing to and fro, and dom finds himself resisting the urge to yawn. he doesn't particularly care about the weather ( which isn't terribly notable, anyway — it's cloudy ? how shocking ) and could not care less about the stock market ( it's all made up nonsense as far as he's concerned, even if he can actually understand it thanks to his knack for mathematics ). " as interested as i am in your insights into the stock exchange, " dom says, adopting the most diplomatic tone he has, " i think agent aristotle wants to say something ? " he glances over to the field agent, conveying as best he can without speaking, ask something interesting, save me from this conversation.

#int. ⌯ dom macruaid #hope this is ok !!

[mercyfuls]

" mm, i find it hard to believe i'm that interesting, " domnhall says lightly. particularly in a room full of mercy agents, wealthy benefactors, industry experts and more — a relatively ordinary doctor and tactician is hardly anything special. " well, it'd be a little challenging to cancel on such short notice, not to mention that as far as anyone else is aware, there's no reason to, " he says. " and it would be the height of rudeness to back out of something that's been committed to. "

Lara sighed loudly while she fiddled with the small poker chip she kept with her. "Well, its' rather exciting now." She told them with a smile. "I've been standing around, wondering something... Maybe about all the fancy outfits..." She paused and shook her head. "No, not that." She flipped the poker chip around again.

"Oh, I know..." She let out a chuckle. "Why would we be attending a governor's ball with everything going on." Agent Laverna sighed and glanced around the room. "At least everyone seems to be having fun."

#int. ⌯ dom macruaid #ft. ⌯ lara karsli

[mercyfuls]

" i'm aware, " dom replies, his voice reflecting the bone-deep tiredness that plagues him. small talk has never been his strong point, he deals in numbers and formulae ; and with how eventful things have been recently, he's really not in the mood to fish through his mind for conversation topics. " it's hardly been long enough to be exhausted, " he says, " but yes, it's been taking a toll. " he'll find some medical experts later, and spend the rest of the time talking shop, but he has to be seen to make an effort to talk to all types of people first. as much as he hates it. " what about you ? making an escape or just a brief reprieve ? "

               “     a  second  home  ,  that  how  this  event  felt  for  demian  seo  .  they  had  grown  among  affairs  like  this  —  dripping  with  luxury  ,  filled  to  the  brim  with  shows  of  wealthiness  so  extravagant  that  coming  from  lesser  people  would  be  considered  tacky  .  yet  not  from  them  ,  not  from  the  powerful  and  old  money  fossils  ruling  the  city  .  so  they  mingled  like  a  fish  in  the  sea  ,  charming  smile  in  place  ,  pleasant  greetings  leaving  their  lips  under  the  scorching  attention  of  their  parents  from  afar  .  their  mother’s  countenance  lacked  the  usual  scowl  that  adorned  it  every  time  she  observed  their  actions  ,  and  that  made  them  know  they  were  doing  a  good  job  ,  exhausting  as  it  was  .  in  desperate  need  of  a  respite  they  had  retrieved  to  the  bar  ,  asked  for  a  scotch  ,  double  ,  and  walked  close  to  the  walls  ,  nodding  as  a  polite  salute  if  required  ,  desperately  looking  for  a  wave  of  fresh  air  that  promptly  came  in  the  form  of  a  fellow  agent  whose  voice  reached  them  before  they  could  identify  its  source  .  demian  looked  around  and  the  first  genuine  smile  of  the  night  grazed  their  defined  features  the  moment  they  spotted  him  .     "  you’re  terrible  at  small  talk  ,  "     it  was  a  jest  ,  of  course  ,  even  when  the  words  were  laced  with  honesty  .     "  but  i’m  doing  fine  ,  better  than  you  ,  i’d  dare  to  say  .  too  exhausting  of  a  night ?  "     they  inquired  in  return  ,  glass  of  scotch  approaching  their  lips  ,  the  liquid  burning  down  their  throat  after  a  measured  sip  .

#int. ⌯ dom macruaid #ft. ⌯ demian seo