Characters: Levi & Mercuria Prompt: One tiny dog is trying to bring two big personalities together.
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2025 10:30 pm
Did Levi ever keep an eye on his dog? The question found itself floating around in Mercuria's mind more often than she cared to admit. Especially since it meant admitting that she was thinking about him.
This was not the first time she had come outside to lay on the bench in the gazebo and wallow. It was a perfectly nice place to mourn. It probably would have been a better sight in the spring. But the handful of crunchy brown leaves that were still stubbornly clinging to the trees around her and the bare vines that crawled up the side of the little wooden structure made for an appropriate backdrop for her mood. It was also not the first time she had lost track of time contemplating if it was worth it to just lay out here until she perished as a means of getting back at the Luna king and queen who had kidnapped her and spirited her away to this stupid school.
Which always seemed to be when Steve found her.
Her hand had draped down, knuckles scraping the paving stones lightly, when a wet nose pressed into her palm. That same wet nose soon turned into wet licks, eliciting a giggle out of the sad clown. "Little man," Moving the hand that had fallen down into the puppy's reach, her fingers gently ran the trail of his spine before moving to scooping him up. Letting him down onto her chest, she gave him a little frown. "You're really making it hard to wallow."
He didn't give half of a s**t.
Instead his wobbly paws crept him forward, inching ever so slowly until his little tongue was within range of her face. Then he went in for the attack. "Gross!" The shriek of delight did not match her words. Nor did the way she was gently petting Steve's head, giving him little scritches behind his ears as he licked her face. "What is it with dogs and going for the face?" The question was laced with laughter.
Before she realized it her shaking chest wasn't from laughter anymore, hot tears now being lapped up by Steve's little tongue as a sob shook her chest. "I miss them." The memories of Stella and Caelum were never far from the surface. Always floating around just beneath her skin. But she couldn't even contact them. Who knew if Stella was okay. Caelum's temper and fits when he was lost... The thought sent a well of guilt pooling into her stomach. Rubbing a palm into her eye she used her other hand to scoop the puppy back up and softly put him back on the ground. Clearly, sitting here and moping wasn't doing s**t for her.
It was time for a change of plans.
Using her sleeve to wipe the combination of tears and dog saliva off of her face, Mercuria sat up. "Okay, okay fine. We'll do it your way." With a flick of her wrist, a hoop manifested in her hand. With a flourish of the hoop, a flick and a toss and a twirl, she stood. It helped that the hoop was an illusion. Who was counting though? Steve? Doubtful.
Lowering it close to the ground, she let the tiny puppy hop through it before tossing the ring up into the air and letting her illusion shift it into a ball. Then she tossed it gently across the gazebo. "Fetch, little man."
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ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ ➢ "Time to get outta here!" ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Campus Gazebo ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Mercuria ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ No one ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ black and blue layers,brown beanie ᴇxᴛʀᴀ ➢ Steve
Levi held his fisted hand to his mouth but it did nothing to stop him from cursing. “Gross!”
“What is it with dogs and going for the face?”
He stopped in his tracks. He didn’t even need to see the person to know it was Mercuria. It was bad enough that he had classs with beg on the daily. Now this, with Steve? AGAIN?
Levi approached the gazebo but at the last second ducked behind one of the bushes that wrapped around the outside of it. He wanted to know more about what was going on between them. In the past when he caught the two of them together, Steve appeared and behaved as fine as expected, but what happened in that time where he wasn’t around? The sobbing sound that came out of her was not at all what he thought would come out of this. ‘Gods, is this what she’s been using Steve for?!’ He didn’t know much about the chick outside of the facts that she was new, and that she ate rage as part of a complete breakfast. Levi pursed his lips at the possibility of her bad form and… this sorrowful disposition being connected.
“Okay, okay fine. We’ll do it your way.” There was a change in mood all of a sudden, and Levi could hear movement. He really needed to see what the hell was going on now. He walked the several feet of grass to the opening of the gazebo and up the steps to see… a toy hoop change into a ball that was then thrown for Steve to catch. “What the hell…” he let out. The betrayal.
He shot a sneer at Mercuria before dropping down to a crouch. “Steve.” He whistled after calling out to the Yorkshire Terrier, then extended a hand out when he came. Levi gave him some head pets. “What are you doing out? Fluffy boys affectionate today.” He laughed a little to the feeling of dog kisses on his wrist. As Levi straightened up, Steve walked around the gazebo then sat and rolled over in a spot where the sun shone. His dogdad heart could rest easier, Steve survived Mercuria once again. Looking at her, his demeanor changed and he stepped further in. “Didn’t I say to stay away from my dog?” Levi’s head slangs with annoyance written on his face. He knew he did, more than once.
He also remembered Steve being in his room each time a situation like this occurred. This time he was on the floor with a chew toy in his mouth. Steve could not have gone out and sought Mercuria, not as many times as he found them together. Once again, he was face to face with the suspected culprit. “I don’t know what the rules were like where you came from but you can’t take someone’s pet just because you’re having a s**t time here.” Levi held his hands palm up in front of him in a pleading gesture. “I need to know that you understand that.”
OOC::
Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2025 8:03 pm
“What. The. HELL…”
Great.
If it was possible for her eyes to roll any harder, they would be in the back of her head. The little yorkie was a cutie. One that she enjoyed spending time with. But it was a double edged sword because, god damn, was his owner literally the worst.
Steve's name off of his owner's tongue had distracted the puppy, barrelling straight at Levi like it was his greatest mission in life. One that seemed to be reciprocated considering Levi was down in a crouch and giving the pup scratches and laughing at Steve's little kisses. It would have been almost cute if the dark haired man wasn't such a complete dickwad.
Letting her illusion fizzle out without any sort of bravado, Mercuria once again tucked her hand into her sleeve and wiped down her face. She knew her eyes were red from crying. But she didn't want him to know that. Stars above, wouldn't that be the worst ******** way for the day to go? Getting grilled to hell and back by captain cockwaffle because he noticed she looked like she was crying to his dog of all things?
“Didn’t I say to stay away from my dog?”
The scoff at his words was involuntary. That didn't make her mean it less, his entire demeanor just ripped the sound out of her before she could make a conscious decision to make it. “I don’t know what the rules were like where you came from but you can’t take someone’s pet just because you’re having a s**t time here.” Unfortunately, that didn't make him shut up like this wasn't a conversation that had already had a million times. Which was impressive considering she hadn't been here very long. “I need to know that you understand that.”
Her hand whipped out, gesturing off in the direction of Steve. Steve who currently didn't give half of a s**t about the fact that he had gotten her in trouble with his owner. Again."That's a conversation you need to have with him, not me." Then his wording processed in her mind.
Wait, wait, wait. Do you think I -" She gestured with both hands at her chest, fingers spread wide. "- am breaking into your room to take your ******** dog?" Indignation was pumping through her veins instead of blood. This a*****e thought that she, of all people, couldn't respect an owner caring about their animal? What did he think she was? It didn't matter that he didn't actually know her. The fact that he would insinuate it was bad enough.
The way her teeth were grinding did not match the red rims of her eyes. Nor did the piercing glare she was throwing at him. "Last time I checked I'm an illusionist, not a lock picker." To prove her point she snapped her wrist, throwing the ball she'd been tossing for Steve directly at Levi's head and watching it pass right through him.
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ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ ➢ "Time to get outta here!" ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Campus Gazebo ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Mercuria ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ No one ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ black and blue layers,brown beanie ᴇxᴛʀᴀ ➢ Steve
He couldn’t control the urge to roll his eyes at the scoffing harpy that he was calling out for dognapping Steve. There were better people for him that his four-legged compadre could bother instead. At least better people that wouldn’t leave him walking away mentally exhausted or annoyed afterward like she did. Levi expected no different this time around. They’d just hash out the same things until one of them stormed off. Looking back up to her from Steve, he could see the contrast between her usual complexion and the one she was sporting just now. He thought about pointing it out, but recalled the hard sobs. This wasn’t his circus. Even if he did ask, he had doubts she’d answer it.
Levi had had conversations with his pooch before, but Steve didn’t give a crap obviously. He glanced down at him, then raised his eyebrows from the idea that came to mind. He had not thought of it before. Didn’t even know if it would work. He couldn’t have a back and forth conversation with him, but maybe he could pick his brain another way. Before he had the chance to, Mercuria started up again. Looking back up at her. Oh, there was that vexation of hers he’d grown to know and loathe. Levi gave a knowing nod. ”I’m fresh out of prizes. I’ll bring two when we do this next time. How else does he always end up with…” He pointed two fingers at her. ”You?”
Mercuria was still denying she had any involvement in Steve getting out of his room and it was trying his patience. He didn’t understand what all she meant when she professed being an illusionist but learned on his feet when she threw the ball. It moved fast and he didn’t have the reflexes to get away. He let out a short yelp and flinched but nothing came. He looked around for it only to find it moving away from him. He looked back at her with a displeased glare of his own. It was a cool trick but like hell he was going to be paying her any complements. ”Whoop-dee s**t. Now can you prove you’re not a lock picker?”
”Don’t get too mad,” Had it not been for how raw her face was, he would have found amusement in how she glared at him. Levi leaned down to pick up Steve and held him in one arm while his other hand stroked his back. It then stopped right in the middle. He could already feel the outside corner of his eye twitching mildly as he gave his ability a whirl on his dog. ”I’d hate for you to pop a blood vessel in your eye.” Steve squirmed further into Levi’s arm then looked around until he spotted his fun human friend Mercuria, whom he squawked a bark at after. As for the human holding him, his glance drifted toward a spot in the gazebo though he wasn’t paying attention. His stupid sounding idea was actually working. It was surprisingly easy and going well. Until it wasn’t.
Levi quickly lifted his hand from Steve’s back then placed him down gently. By then his glare was gone and it was replaced with a softer, realizing expression. He knew how Steve was getting out, that Mercuria wasn’t behind it, and that he owed her a** an apology. His jaw tensed, not wanting to do that last part. ”Look… Lady Mercuria. I… may have been mistaken. You were rude about the whole thing, especially with your ball illusion, but I will still apologize for what I said you did. I am sorry. So there. Good luck.”
He looked around the ground and when he spotted Steve, he whistled to call him over. Levi didn’t think to bring a leash so he settled on carrying the Terrier back to his room while giving him a ‘stern’ lecture about slipping out to flirt with unsuspecting people. And once they were back, he’d give him a treat and apologize for reading his doggie memories, specifically the ones involving Mercuria. While it was helpful in solving the mystery of how he was getting out, Levi had seen and heard some of the things she told Steve in the process. Private, emotional things. It was the reason he stopped petting him and put him down. Had he continued, he didn’t know what more he would have found. Staying felt like a bad idea, but so did leaving. At least with leaving she'd be out of his hair and she'd also be free to... do whatever she was doing before Steve got there.
OOC::
Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 11:08 pm
Something real ******** weird was going on. Levi the sort of guy who was always on her, goading her like he was being paid to do so. And this conversation had started out that way, every single snarky little comment digging under her skin like fresh little needles to add to her collection. Ones that she had found herself responding to because, as much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t above it. So when he tossed out a comment about prizes. She responded with a ”Oh haha, how clever. You must be soooo proud. I don’t know, maybe because Steve actually likes me.” Or when he’d asked for proof she wasn’t a lock picker she’d offered him a finger for his trouble. Very specifically her middle finger. In a very creative way.
But then he bent to pick up the pup in question and his little taunts seemed to lose their wit. Like he was distracted. Which seemed odd because he might have been a d**k, but he was a d**k that actually cared about his dog. All she could manage at his stupid little comment about popping a blood vessel was crossing her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes, and cocking out her hip. Mercuria wasn’t hiding that she was watching him. Trying to figure out what the ******** he was on. When his hand snapped away from Steve like he’s been shocked her head cocked. Then he started talking to her with…
Well, it sure as s**t wasn’t genuine kindness.
The way Levi was looking at her was wrong. Everything about it sent a shiver down her spine, one she wasn’t sure if she liked feeling. For an apology, he was doing it all wrong. Not to mention he never changed his tune. Everything was always her fault to him. The fact that he would suddenly back off and take her word for it? It didn’t matter that it had only been a handful of days. Mercuria wasn’t buying it. Especially not after he called her a lady.
”What did you just do?” The words were tense, joined with the hard stare she was leveling at him as if it would help her understand what just happened. No one just turned over and grew a new personality in sixty seconds. And while she certainly didn’t understand what kind of powers a lot of countries had, she wasn’t stupid enough to think that it wasn’t a possibility that he just used his. After all, she had been out here using hers like it was nothing.
Taking a few steps forward, she closed the distance between them to grab his wrist. Part of her wanted to squeeze down, to try and be somewhat threatening, but she knew it was a lost cause. Instead she met his eyes, letting some of the confusion she was feeling bleed through. ”We both know I was only matching your energy, so don’t even try to get off saying I was being rude. We both also know you’re not about to start calling me ‘Lady Mercuria’ like you respect me or something.” She was looking into Levi’s eyes for something, anything to tell her that he wasn’t seeing through her right now. Because that? That would be the worst. Or… <********.
Didn’t one of the countries have to do with speaking to animals? Was he from that country? Did Steve blab about her entire life story? Her eyes darted to the side, sending a little glare at the puppy who might have just told the biggest a*****e at Utopia about her stupid little pity parties. The very idea made her stomach feel hollow and her cheeks feel warm. Slowly she licked her lips, hating how dry they were suddenly feeling. ”What the ******** did you do?” The words were a desperate whisper, one Mercuria didn’t like offering to Levi of all people.
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ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ ➢ "Merc flipping a lid in 5... 4..." ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Campus Gazebo ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Mercuria ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ No one ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ black and blue layers,brown beanie ᴇxᴛʀᴀ ➢ Steve
Levi narrowed his eyes at Mercuria. She could make her snide little comments to her heart's content and he’d return the favor, but he couldn’t deny that her last one had a little bit of a sting, like alcohol on a fresh scrape. He didn’t like how right she was on Steve actually liking her. It was maddening. He parted his lips and bobbed his head mockingly while flashing a middle finger of his own to her.
”What did you just do?”
”None ya.” He knew he wasn’t being graceful in how he openly scanned through the small pup’s mind, nor with how he apologized, but he wanted to be gone. There had been plenty of run-ins with her, and there’d be another eventually. Instead, he found himself being held by the wrist. ”The ********> Levi called out and looked at her with disbelief but didn’t do much else to free himself. He scoffed out a laugh and rolled his eyes. She had a funny way of explaining her rudeness and maybe it would have been believable to him had they not done this song and dance as often as they did. ”I didn’t know there was a trick to bringing you down from the eight and a half you’re constantly running at.” His glance met hers reluctantly and he pressed his lips together, waiting for her to stop looking at him so hard. He angled his upper body away from her.
Steve looked back up at Mercuria when she looked his way, then rolled over onto his back and yipped at something invisible in the air.
The way she asked her question so urgently told him she already had an idea of what he did. Did he really want to tell her? No. That was one power he was quick to keep secret when it manifested years ago. Even if it were accidental, there was this overwhelming want for being straightforward with her about it. Levi sighed and closed his eyes, one still faintly twitching but both heavy with guilt, then looked back at Mercuria.
”I read Steve’s mind and saw how he was escaping. Like I said, I am sorry that I accused you of snatching him.” His voice barely filled the air between them with words only meant for her. And he tried to be gentler with how they came out. The second half of what he was prepared to say had his jaw tensing. ”But I also saw some of what you told him.”
He paused before continuing. ”If I knew that would be there, I would have stopped sooner. Sorry for letting that happen.” Accidental discoveries, when he dived into the minds of others, were an occasional hazard that came with his ability. He reached over to his other wrist and tried to put his fingers between it and her hand to free it. ”I don’t know what all you got going on and it sounds like it hurts, so I figured I’d quit giving you grief for a day.”
He looked over to Steve tiredly. It was also pretty embarrassing that he doubled down on the accusation to only be wrong about it. Story of his life lately. ”I’ll keep your business to myself. That’s not somethin’ you’ll have to worry about.”
OOC::
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2025 9:20 pm
The sound that tumbled out of her mouth at Levi's admission was somewhere between a wheeze and a gasp. A sign of weakness that she definitely did not want to let him know about, but that tumbled out of her like she'd been punched in the gut. It also probably didn't help that she had pulled her hand away from him the second he had started to pull her fingers off of his wrist faster than she could register the fact that she was doing it.
Mercuria was used to dirty, underhanded bullshit. She was raised around slight of hand and guessing games. That was how people made money on the circuit. There was always some new game to be played that would leave the attendees several coins poorer than when they arrived. It might have been dirty, but it was survival.
This felt ten times worse.
Like someone ripping away her privacy screen while she was changing.
Cradling her hand to her chest, she listened to Levi for a moment. Processing. Trying to decide if he had just tried to read her own mind or if he was telling the truth that he'd only read Steve's little mind. The traitor. Not only had he snitched on her, but he didn't even seem to give a s**t.
Finally her blue eyes seemed to snap back up to the man before her. His comment wasn't meant to be a threat, but it didn't stop it from feeling like one. Maybe that was why her hand reared back. Why it flew through the air to meet with Levi's cheek in an audible slap. Her chest was heaving. Mercuria felt like a caged animal.
"What the <********> does that mean?" She was back to cradling her hand, trying to work out the sting on her palm with her fingers. When she spoke again her tone was juvenile. Mocking. "That's not something you have to worry about? Do you think you get to just say that like it makes everything go away?"
Teeth sunk into the flesh of her cheek. Anxiety bubbling under her skin like it could break free at any moment. She wanted to throw it back in Levi's face. Tell him he didn't know s**t about her. Unfortunately, he actually did know something about her. Something she definitely didn't want him, of all people, to know. Mercuria could nearly hear the threats against her family in her mind.
Hollow eyes met Levi's. Her expression soothing into something blank even as her body trembled. Fight or flight taking over in the worst way. "If you tell anyone, anyone, about what you saw I will hunt you down." Her voice was soft, calming in a way it should not have been when Mercuria was looking at him like that. "If I am left alive I will make it my life's mission to find you and give you a fate worse than burning in hell alive." Because if someone found out and she was alive? That was the fate he would be condemning the only family she'd ever known to.
And yet... was it something she truly thought she could do?
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He wore a look of shock after Mercuria’s hand flew against his face. Levi saw it coming but was too distracted by the realization that he was going to be hit again to move. He pursed his lips together and closed his eyes as he felt indignation light up his insides, then stormed across to the other side of the gazebo. Her mocking tone was of no help and he squeezed his hands into white-knuckled fists against the railing. Had he not walked away, he honestly believed he would have really flown off the handle at her.
Oh, how he wished he could make everything go away, as easily as she implied he thought he could. He didn’t answer right away. If she really wanted one, she could wait until he was good and ready. If she didn’t, oh the heck well. She was getting one anyway.
“No,” Levi turned back around and walked back over to her, his jaw tense from gnashing his teeth together. His cheek was red from where her hand struck him. “All I meant was that I don’t like my s**t out there, so I’m not gonna put your s**t out there. Who am I going to tell? Steve? Chef Susan?” He threw his hands out and up to shoulder level as he asked her incredulously. “There ain’t anyone in this crapshoot for me to tell, Mercuria.”
His neck and ears were burning and he took in a deep breath, as if that was any help. What glimpse he got about her, her home life, and how she got to Utopia was no laughing matter. He would have never guessed that about her. Greenish eyes looked down at the slightly shorter Mercuria’s face while he listened to her make her threats with an air of confidence. He let her finish.
“Fine. Hunt me down. You’re not gonna get the chance but if by some twist of fate I happen to breathe a word about you to anyone, I will go. Willingly. Is that a good enough deal for you?” Levi held his hands up, as if he were surrendering to her and ready to march in that moment. Whether or not she could, he didn’t question. It was a matter of if she would for him. He believed her to be capable of the attempt. If what he learned about her was true, it was good motivation. People had done more with less. “Joke’s on you though, I’d take burning in hell over whatever this is so you'll have to come up with something worse than that.” he scoffed.
This was draining. Mercuria was draining. Even with the weather getting cooler, he still felt warm. Now that he knew Steve was safe, his whole reason for being there was addressed and he didn't feel like being a glutton for anymore punishment. Levi peeled his eyes off of her and walked off to pick up the Yorkie pup from where he was continuing to roll around and pay no mind to all the trouble he caused. Turning back around, he looked at her again, then to her hand. “Ice it. Or don’t.” Whether she did it or not was her prerogative, but hopefully she didn’t think she was too good for ice, unlike that one turnip he had the displeasure of meeting during the art project. Levi shrugged as he walked down the steps.
OOC:
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