Morose

Powerbound: The story of Edwina, and Mercury

Edwina Fairfax

@Gilgex

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She chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm actually craving gelato now...But New York style cheesecake is always good."

She couldn't help but smile at watching Mercury relax, completely absorbed and happy with the desserts. The boy had a serious sweet tooth -- not that she could blame him, however.

"I'm good with whatever-- just order, I'm paying... Since I think all of your money was washed away, and my credit card is waterproof."

Her face light up, and she clapped her hands together. "Almost forgot! Magi is totally my favorite mask of yours. Warlord is such a dick. I'm going to say that again, so Warlord can hear: Warlord is such a dick."

Powerbound: The story of Edwina, and Mercury

Edwina Fairfax

@Gilgex

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Somehow, insulting her parents brought her mood soaring up. She cackled a bit, grinning, and found her appetite return to her. She nibbled on the pasta, keeping the entire ordeal out of her mind--or as best as she could. She'd rationalized her powers before a thousand times. Now, she had an idea about them, some sort of notion.

"Yeah, my parents had a lot of issues," Eddie chuckled. "I think my mom once saw my powers as an opportunity to pay less on the electric bill, but beyond that... They were pretty awful about this entire thing."

I'm not dead. I don't have human bone on my face. This is okay. This is fine, Eddie repeated to herself, sobering up more and more by the minute. Eventually, she'd head back to Lizzie Borden's house. Perhaps she'd get more definitive answers, or maybe, she'd find out something entirely else.

Drawing on all of her courage, Eddie let herself be her own light. She knew that she wasn't a monster. And she sure as hell wasn't going to let a demon kill her without putting up a fight.

"Do you want to split something for dessert?" Eddie offered.

Powerbound: The story of Edwina, and Mercury

Edwina Fairfax

@Gilgex

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Eddie sat there quietly. She had always loved being able to play with light, to do with it as she pleased. It was part of what made her special. And of course, the name Lucifer was always a joke, a play on words, the ultimate pun. The notion that something dark was inside of her...

It killed her appetite. She twirled the noodles on her fork, yet didn't eat them. Mercury's words were echoing in her mind. According to what he had told her, her life wasn't hers. It was pre-planned, decided by something that had attacked her as a little girl. While she had perked up slightly at Mercury saying it seemed friendly, the amount of alcohol in her system brought her mood down considerably.

I'm going to be dragged to hell... Eddie thought miserably. All because my parents wanted to go to Lizzie Borden's house...

She forced herself to take a bite of her food, yet she could hardly taste it. She tried to look calm and normal, rather than panicked and nervous. For all she knew, the thing was just waiting to kill her at any moment. Perhaps she still wasn't safe, even after passing the statue. Perhaps this was all it.

"Can they see the future?" Eddie asked, after being quiet for a while.

Powerbound: The story of Edwina, and Mercury

Edwina Fairfax

@Gilgex

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Eddie let out a huge sigh of relief once the mask was off. Hardly noticing Mercury switch forms, Eddie downed a glass of water, her head returning to some balance and order.

”I don’t know how to explain this… But, I know that demon. From, another lifetime ago?“

Eddie bit her lip. "So...Demon....?" she asked, gulping. She scratched at her arm a bit, as if that would be able to remove whatever it was that had tainted her. The possibility that there was something inside her maddened her to no end--she had always told her parents something happened that day. They always insisted it was just a dream, just a nightmare.

"Is there...a thing....inside me?"

Powerbound: The story of Edwina, and Mercury

Edwina Fairfax

@Gilgex

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Eddie nodded, mumbling an apology. Taking the napkin in front of her, she clumsily wiped off her face, wondering if there would ever be an achievement for wearing all of Mercury's masks. Maybe it'd come with some sort of cash prize, if she had any luck.

Eddie took the mask delicately. "I really wish you were plastic..." Eddie practically whimpered. Squeezing her eyes tight as if the mask might kill her, she lowered it onto her face, attempting to think about anything but the fact that some chick's bones were up against her skin.

Unlike with Warlord, Eddie didn't scream this time. She clamped down on her tongue, the drunken haze bringing to mind brief images of that fateful day. The creature. The lights. The feeling as it practically ran her through. The terror. All of it came rushing back to her.

"Can we get her off now?" Eddie asked, her words a bit slurred. She was clinging to the table with a death grip, hoping that this mask wouldn't be nearly as obnoxious as Warlord. She really didn't need another mask telling her what an idiot she was.

Powerbound: The story of Edwina, and Mercury

Edwina Fairfax

@Gilgex

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Eddie nodded, the entire world swimming. As far as she was aware, Mercury had just told her about his love of finding Nemo, and that he needed to get more water. When the food arrived, the colors of it almost blurred together, and she wasn't certain as to whether or not the pasta had sauce on it or blood. It could have been either, and she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

Suddenly, her brain clicked, as if turning the sound back on. Mercury came through loud and clear. ”I hate the thought of proposing this, I wouldn’t if it wasn’t necessary. But, would you be open to wearing Magi? She’d be able to give me all I need the memory of the event, and peek at your soul.“

"Uh, sure, I...." Eddie stammered. The instant the mask was brought out, she started to hurl, somehow successfully getting it all into a nearby trashcan. "I'll uh...wear the....mask..."

Powerbound: The story of Edwina, and Mercury

Edwina Fairfax

@Gilgex

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Eddie gulped down the entire rum and coke, her fingers twitching from nervousness. Instantly, it went straight to her head, and she chuckled a bit, watching as everything around her seemed to be a bit distorted. Mercury's masks even looked more playful than the human bone they normally were.

"Hypothetically... If a...demon...," she stopped, stumbling with her own tongue. It would have been much easier for her if he could read minds, then she could just show him what had happened. And then, after him confirming her worst fears, she could get on a plane to Rome and beg the Pope to get it out of her.

"Erm, a thing...thing charged at me, and erm, went in me and...," she clutched onto the table, the room spinning. She was a terrible light-weight. Chugging the rum and coke hadn't been the best idea, but it had seemed that way at the time.

"And it...yeah," Eddie stopped. The alcohol had gone to her head far too quickly, and there wasn't much of a point in her trying anymore to explain the situation.

Maybe he has a mask for mind reading...

Powerbound: The story of Edwina, and Mercury

Edwina Fairfax

@Gilgex

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Reaching for her glass of water, Eddie gulped the entire thing down in less than a minute. Still unable to respond, she took Mercury's as well, gulping it down quickly. A bead of sweat slid down her face, as she chuckled nervously.

"So, erm, what sort of powers can they give people?" Eddie asked, before thinking better of it. "Asking for a friend..."

Avoiding Mercury's gaze, she then grabbed one of the breadsticks on the table and shoved it in her mouth, giving her an excuse to no longer talk. Her mind was racing as she came to the logical conclusion that it wasn't just Lizzie Borden's ghost. She was some demon's puppet, probably placed here in order to ruin lives, or at least, become its own personal reality TV show star.

Swallowing thickly, Eddie really wished that she had choked on the bread. Or drowned in the ocean. Anything.

The Last Stand

Do you want to start this off, when you're ready?

Powerbound: The story of Edwina, and Mercury

Edwina Fairfax

@Gilgex

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Eddie glanced over the menu, quickly locating the same meal that she always ordered: spaghetti bolognese. In her mind, it was complete and utter Italian perfection. Nothing could ever surpass it, no matter how hard someone tried.

"Yeah... What do you know about ghosts and demons?" she asked, biting her lip as she smiled.

She didn't imagine telling him about what happened to her as a little girl would have been the best idea. Jackson had been extraordinarily protective--she could scare imagine how Mercury would react. Hopefully, he would simply tell her that ghosts can sometimes trigger dormant powers, and that'd be it. She'd have nothing to worry about.

But then again, there was always the chance that he'd want to know why she was asking these questions.