Night of the Porcupines (Kiki)

Tis was a strange night for Val, she was doing something she did rarely did often because she usually hated people but she had just moved out of her old apartment and after the events that forced her to leave a littler quicker then expected, she needed a night out, try to get drunk on cheap tequila or something. It was night, not too late but not too early, a prime time for drinkers Valkyrie could only assume, she never visited Bars much, maybe once or trice if she was planning something but never went their to drink, this would be a first time for her. Finding a rather nice looking bar compared to a few others, val would walk in and look around, her attire would be a plain black pair of Jeans and a Purple V neck t shirt. First thing Val would noticed was that  it was rather quiet in here, which made her plan of going out much better, less people meant she had to socialize less which meant she could possibly get drunk faster and fall into that lovely thing called a hangover, where all she had to suffer from was a bad headache. Ordering a few shots, Val would uncomfortably sit on a stool, moving every once and a while to keep herself from getting too comfortable on the bastard thing, sure she couldn't get strapped to it easily but it was related to the chair family and that was enough probable cause to hate it.

It was moments after her first shot that Val noted that a man had kept his eye on her for a little too long, long enough that she only needed to have small glances at his face to tell he was pretty drunk, her own thoughts confirmed when he started to walk towards her, his steps were awkward and out of balance yet not enough to make him trip over his own feet. Pity. When he closed in, Valkyrie did her best to ignore him, but the smell of alcohol littered her nose, yep, this man was drunk. "Say beautiful, whats a preety young thing like you doing here all alone?" He'd slur as he place a hand on her shoulder, the action was enough to make her fist coil up yet she wouldn't make a move, she didn't want to create a commotion that could get her kicked out, her eyes darting to each side of the bar, looking for someone to help her for as much as she wanted to kill the thing that was currently ruining her shirt, she also wanted to get drunk and she was sure that a meta wouldn't be liked around here, specifically one that would commit murder to be discovered as one.

"One thousand take seven equals nine hundred and ninety three." Val would mumble the numbers to help calm her nerves. Not that it helped much when he began to rub her shoulder, her face beginning to heat up in anger. "Get your hand off me, Or I'll rip off those things you call nuts." Valkyrie would threaten but only got a mocking laugh in return. Obviously this guy didn't take her seriously, it was going to be his mistake for both him and those things only the male gender owned.

Mercedes had just finished editing something on her computer, being a graphic designer, and was hoping that National Geographic would accept her. Fat chance, however, as she was up against some people who had years of experience. Her current job suiting her just fine - giving her enough money so she wouldn't be poor, but she was no millionaire either - she pushed herself away from her desk and stood up, stretching, and got a glimpse of herself in the reflection of her window. Her dark, curly hair was in a bird's nest around her head, she looked like she got her clothes from a homeless shelter, and desperately needed to put on deodorant. She hadn't been taking much care for herself, or of her apartment, for the matter. Her table was littered with coffee mugs, pizza delivery cardboard boxes, papers, pens, dirty plates and a disarray of silverware. Rubbing her eyes, she opened the window, letting in fresh air. It's been 8 months and 23 days since he had died, and still she expected him to come home, to hug her, to hold her, tell her to clean up.

But he'd never come back. Her boyfriends body lay in the grave, cold, alone, in the local graveyard.

Mercy let her arms hang on her sides limply and stared at her mess of an apartment. She should go out tonight. Get drunk, come back, cry, watch a movie, cry some more, vomit and then pass out on the carpet. Then wake up with a blistering hangover, and make the mistake of not cleaning up the puke immediately, and having to throw her carpet away after a couple days because the stench of vomit wouldn't leave the cheap fabric. Yup, sounds like a great day. Even my thoughts are sarcastic, she thought to herself, allowing a shallow, bitter smile pick up the heavy corners of her mouth.

She took a shower, and got dressed, pulling on a screaming  red top with spaghetti-straps, and torn jeans that were actually torn by age. Since it was a trend, society allowed it - not that she cared. Pulling on her black boots, she brushed her hair out of her face, and proceeded out of the apartment and down four flights of stairs. The elevator rarely worked, and knowing her luck, she'd probably get stuck in it the one time she'd use it. Murphy's law.  When she got to the bar, she swung herself on a stool and, using her fake ID, ordered a strong beer, and drank as she watched the ongoing football game. She was 20, but turning 21 soon enough. She was enjoying the commotion in the bar, letting herself join in when a goal was made and the whole pub exploded in cheers. When the game was over, she was sipping a coke-and-rum, and the pub had mostly cleared out.

A blonde girl sat down next to her, seeming way too young to drink, but Mercy guessed she had used a fake ID too. Compelled to tell the girl to leave for her own good, she decided to let it go. Maybe the girl needed a drink as bad as she. Halfway through her coke and rum, a man started bugging the girl next to her, pestering, refusing. The alcohol getting to her, she felt anger flush through her stomach, her hand around her glass white-knuckled. Thankfully the glass was strong, or she would've broken it with the amount of force. The idiot wouldn't leave the blondie alone.

Mercy swung her gaze on him, her golden-brown eyes still bright, not dulling by being tipsy like most people's do."Hey, get your head out of your ass - no means no. Or do you not understand because you never finished middle-school?" Her voice was sharp and oozing sarcasm, and an eyebrow was lifted in a nonchalant fashion.

"You'd like..." Was all he got out before he and Valkyrie were both surprised by the sudden voice, one filled with sarcasm. Val turned to the woman, only now realizing that her seat was next to the woman who came to her defense. Val looked at the woman a little more closely, mostly taken by those eyes of hers. The man let go of Valkyrie and turned to Mercy, a sort of hate in his eyes mixed with a little drunken confusion. It would look like he was about to say something when all of a sudden a third voice ringed out, calling for the man and he beckoned to it, seemingly accepting the defeat yet glaring at the two as he walked away, Val assumed if he was still awake later tonight, then this might not have been the last of him.

Looking to the woman who helped her, she would give a small smile, one that if looked close enough at, could ether be told as forced or a smile that was rarely shown and done. "Thank yea for telling the Bod off." Val would say with a little Irish swear.  "Names Val, Yours?" Valkyrie would ask as she brought her hand towards Mercedes for a handshake, she owed this woman for distracting her long enough to not do what she promised the man she would.

Mercedes glanced back at the girl, taking a sip of her drink, and shrugged. The curse that Val had used was unknown to her, but it brought a smile to her face. "Mercedes. Just Mercy." As the girl - Scottish or Irish, she couldn't tell - offered a handshake, Mercy didn't take it, but merely nudged it down with her drink-free hand. "You know, Goldilocks," Aaaaaaaand the nickname was adopted with the roll of consonants and verbs from her tongue, a sly, mocking grin raising her cheeks. "You might be a tad young for this place. If you shut it down, I'll sic the 'Bod' back on ya." Only half joking, she finished her drink in a gulp, made a face, and raised a brow.

"But you're already here. Why? Nobody just goes and drinks." She rolled her eyes, but despite her aloofness, she was clearly curious what a youngling like her was doing in parts like these. Funny how you can meet people through strangers. So far, Val seemed reasonable, maybe too posh, but alright. So far. Mercy was keen on the fact that looks can be deceiving.

Val downed a shot as she heard the woman's name, Mercy, such a fun name. Not the full name but a fun shortening to the name anyway. Still, their was no handshake which all in all Valkyrie didn't mind, she wasn't too big on physical contact anyway. Doe she learnt quite a bit about this woman, one who didn't seem to have much care for what others thought as she called Valkyrie Goldilocks which Val had to slightly nod too, she wasn't too wrong in the hair division of the fairy tail but everything else was far off.

When Mercy gave a statement of how Val looked far too young to be drinking, all she could do was give a small laugh. "Actually mo chara, I am Twenty three." Val would give a honest statement in her age as she took another shot and listened to Mercedes next question, seemed the woman had a curious side hidden away into that look of mock. "I like the idea of getting so drunk I don't have to remember a certain thing. Plus I'm moving away from my old apartment because of... Distractions." Val would say as she rubbed a scar that traveled along her elbow to her palm before taking another shot and drinking, knowing that it might take a a lot more of these things to get herself drunk. "What about you then? Why did you come to this wondrous place called a pub to drink?" Val asked back with a curiosity of her own, Maybe Mercy had something she wanted to forgot as well, if so then at least Val could relate with her. Doe as to what was what the real question was, one she thought Ms Mercedes might be wondering about Val as well. If she got an answer or not Valkyrie wouldn't mind however, she was contempt at drinking away with her new Cara.

As Valkyrie stated that she was three years older than herself, Mercy's eyebrows raised in surprise. So at 20, Mercy was the only illegal one here. It made sense, however - despite her youthful features, Val was a lot taller than her. She blamed it on her Hispanic heritage. Despite this, Mercy still felt 'taller' than her in a sense, something that made her feel different from Val, or maybe it was just the drink. Blame it on my own sick pride. That was a song, was it not? Her mind was getting a bit fuzzy from the drink, but her thoughts were still in order. As Val asked what she was here for, Mercedes let out a snort of sarcastic laughter.

"You left me hanging on your answer, and you expect me to reply to my own backfired question?" She rolled her eyes and leaned back on the stool, popping salty peanuts into her mouth that had been served with the beer prior to the martini, which was also finished. She always left the peanuts to the end, when her mind started being affected by the alcohol. The peanuts gave her a sort of reverie, something to keep her sane and not go ballistic upon the people near her. When she got very drunk, she had a bad reputation of violent outbursts. But then she answered, and she seemed to deflate completely. The light in her eyes seemed to flicker, the spark of her soul dimmed, but not diminished, as if a dark cloud settled above her.

"I came to forget."

A dark, pained silence ensued, and she stared at her cocktail glass dully. Numb, almost. She seemed to be trapped in thought, in grim memory. Then, as if her motor had been turned on to keep up this nonchalance, this I've-accepted-life facade, she turned towards Val in a spur of movement. Cocking her head to the empty beer and martini glass, accompanied by a now-empty bowl of peanuts, she gave a grin. "I saved you. The least you could do is buy me a drink."

Val smiled a little as her sarcastic drinking partner gave a burst of laughter when Val asked why she came, only to get a response of accusation. Val thought she answered the question, she liked the idea of getting drunk so she didn't have to remember, or was the tipsiness already setting in? No she didn't think so. Taking another shot, Val would look around the place before setting her eyes on the glass in-front of her. That's when she heard Mercy answer and Val felt a sudden yet certain connection to the girl beside her as they both came to forgot something in a drunken state, obviously not the best choice but what were you going to do?

Suddenly a spur of movement caught in Val's vision and she turned to Mercy to catch a grin, and somehow Val had to grin with her, she could already tell what was about to happen and as the words flew from Mercedes mouth, Valkyrie laughed a little as she waved the bartender over. "Mercy, I will thank you by getting you what you wish. What I wish. We shall be ólta!" Valkyrie would declare with child like glee. She was all to happy to get her new friend drunk.

A couple drinks later, Mercy's head was fuzzy and her senses were dulled. She had lost track of time, but according to the TV it was past midnight, meaning she had spend around an hour drinking with this blonde. About to order another drink, a realization crept up on her and hit her upside the head as she remembered a task. "Oh, balls!" She exclaimed loudly, her voice rather rimmed with drink, no seeming to care for the people around her. Some cast irritated glances as they spectated a football game, others  ignored her while some chuckled. She wasn't completely drunk, but heavily tipsy, so when Mercy got out of the chair quickly, she nearly toppled over. She spun towards Val, fumbling for her wallet.

"I have a Skype Job Interview tomorrow!" The bartender, who they had gotten rather acquainted to, hummed the melody of "That's When You Know (You Effed Up)", which got him a biting glare from Mercy. His reaction was laughter. Slapping the money down on the counter, she looked back at her companion as she adjusted a bra-strap. The taste of alcohol was still heavy in the back of her throat. "Are you gonna stay longer?" Not that it mattered to her decision, Mercy was going either way, but the statement was partially out of politeness and partially because she needed to know when she should ask for her contact information.

Val seemed like a nice person, and it was a big city. The chances that Mercy wouldn't see her again were high. She needed a drinking buddy, anyway.

For Mercy it was a couple of drinks, for Valkyrie however, it was a lot more then that. For the whole Hour, Val had spent drinking with Mercedes, she might have drunken enough to get two and a half men drunk and with her healing factor working against her to keep her from reaching such a feat. Yet even it failed to stop the murderous spree that was Val's slowly raising intoxicated levels. Her Mind was dulled and fuzzy and she wasn't sure if she was giggling half the time she thought she might have been speaking or not. Soon enough, her drinking Buddie made a startling cry of 'oh balls.' Giving chase to another outburst of drunken, childish giggles from the drunk Valkyrie.

When Mercy explained her reason for the encouraging giggle words, Val giggled a little more before laughing when she heard a faint hum to a song she just barely understood, almost causing her to fall off the chair she had gotten rather comfortable with. Before finally a question from her friend stopped the laughter and giggles to a stand still as Val gave Mercy a drunken if serious stare. "Cinnte Yea bedh mé ag techt in éineaht leat." Val would speak the Gaelic words rather horribly before realizing her mistake and proceeded to fix it by getting off the chair. "Pardon my Irish." A small giggle followed suit. "You leave. I leave... Cause, youu are my only friend and I hate everyone else! Except that guy." Val would slur as she tried to point at the bartender but instead ended up pointing at the chair she had recently sat on. Before somewhat slowly following Mercy wherever she went, her inability to think right did not affect her ability to walk too much but all that was on her mind right now was at least getting her new friend home. A distant memory trying to tug it's way though her head with a warning was squashed with little worry as Val decided her mission.

Mercy huffed, slightly annoyed by Val's childishness. "I didn't sign up to be your babysitter." She snorted, wrapping her fingers around Val's upper arm and guiding her as they walked from the bar. Mercy hadn't drunk nearly as much as Val, but still drank an above-reasonable amount. She had a higher metabolism, and was used to the alcohol, having some water and peanuts between drinks. She'd like to think she was in control with the consumption, but it wasn't always the case. For now, however, she seemed to be the more mature of the two.

"Do you even remember where you live?" In the worst case, Mercy could take Val to her own house and Goldilocks could sleep on the couch. Blinking at the street name in the darkness, she tried to orient herself around her fuzzy mind. She could already feel the hangover waiting to jump out at her in the morning - not a big one, but a headache that would pester her all day. Not good, especially if she wanted a better-paying job. The short Hispanic/African-American woman brushed her curly ebony hair from her visage, before turning abruptly towards her street, yanking Val harshly with her, perhaps forgetting she was pulling the drunk.

Then, she heard the footsteps - loud, clumsy, coming from her right. She turned to see the man who had been pestering Valkie - Ooooh, she was keeping that nickname - at the bar, and snorted. "Dude, if you want some of this, why don't you just suck your own privates? Being a creep ain't gon' get you no'in." Her tone was seeping sarcasm from every vowel, at which the man's face twisted in anger.
"Oh, crap, you're one of those drunks? Go and be hulk somewhere else." Mercy didn't quite know when to stop, did she?

"I don't pay overtime." Val would say in response with a small giggle as her plan to follow was turned into a dragging. Not to say Valk didn't mind, somewhere in that drunk ridden head of hers told her this was better then trying to follow her without a hold. However that didn't stop her from the occasional giggle and whine every few minutes. Soon, Mercy would ask her a question that she felt strange with. Where did she live?

"Not farish... Something Court... Cell Manor. Basement." Val would whisper the last few words to herself as memory struggled to connect the dots, did she live in a house or the cell? Which cell was it as well, the one with dirt or the one that was So White. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a harsh tug on her arm, which in her state, automatically brought her inner child back for a few brief moments, scared. "I don't wanna go back." She'd silently cry out before the tugging stopped and she was brought back to reality, her fuddled brain coming back a little with her. First thing she was to note was the loud footsteps coming there way, and with a flick of her head, she'd catch what made the obnoxious noise, a man. One she swore she seen before.

That's when she heard Mercy's insult after insult and Val began to giggle once more till she looked at the man's face and saw nothing but hate, causing her giggles to stop as her face set into a cold stone. Pulling herself from Mercy's grip, Val would walk towards the man, her face turning into a scowl as it would seem the two would collide but in a well what would be surprising turn of events. Val was holding the man by the neck with one hand, raising him up into the air as he grabbed at her hand to try and peel it off with no avail, her grip tightening. "Stupid. Stupid. Thinking you can do whatevvver you want without consequence." She'd feel a kick hit her thigh but remained unfazed, her intent clear as she fumbled with her other hand for his neck, missing on the first try and just gripping his shoulder hard.

Mercy had started to fumble for a spray in her bag, and as the man attacked she felt her hands curl into fists. Her senses were muddled, but she wasn't going to reveal her spike unless they were necessary. Val's reaction from before left her mind immediately, and before she knew it, Val was holding the man above the ground in a strength that seemed... Superhuman. Astounded, all she could do was stare as Val slowly chocked the life out of the man. Ho-ly cow. Being a mutant herself, she only knew of others from the newspapers, watching some alter egos and some unmasked superhumans rise up.

The man gave a gurgling plea, trying to grasp at the blonde's hand, no longer kicking. His eyes were wide with fear and horror, but also drunken confusion. This gurgle brought Mercedes back to reality, and she lunged forward, shoving Val harshly, in order to make her drop the man. They didn't need a murder - not with Val's fingerprints all over him. Besides, although he deserved punishment, he was drunk, horny and probably going through some tough stuff in his life.

"Let go!" She hissed at Val, fearful someone would see them, call the police. Her skin began to prick where her spikes threatened to break through, and it took a lot to keep them down. Not a good situation.

Valkyrie continued to fumble for his neck with her other hand till she felt a hard shove at her back, almost knocking her off balance but enough to awake Val from her drunken blood lust. Slightly realizing the problems of killing someone in her state as of now, she knew that she had best let him go and she did. Dropping the man, she'd stare at him for a few short seconds before turning to Mercy, Val would stare at the shorter woman with her eyes which were little bewildered and lost. "Sorry... I.. Sorry." Val said as she kinda realized that this woman would have been a little scared by what she just did. Which wasn't at fault, people with powers were just as easily shunned as those who were praised, maybe even a little more so the the latter.

With that, Val would hold her hand out for Mercy to take if she dared, because in the end, Val still wasn't sure she could make it home on her own. She needed a guide and she didn't want to be left alone right now in the middle of what her mind thought was no where she knew. "Nine Hundred and Ninety three take seven equals Nine hundred and eighty six." Val would mumble her equation as she waited, using it to try and help calm her nerves.

Mercedes grabbed Val by the wrist, staring at her. This chick was crazy. Not only did she have a power, but she was just flaunting it drunkenly. Did she want the government to take her!? It happened in the news every so often - that a mutant was taken in, trained, a weapon for the military. Not that that was a bad thing, but from the conversations they've had, Mercy doubted Val was emotionally stable to join the army. Val looked almost as bewildered as she felt, but it couldn't possibly be the first time this had happened to her... could it?

The feeling of responsibility was what kept her from running the opposite way, and she was about to break into sprint, still clutching onto Val, when it occurred to her that the man was still lying there. She let go of the blondie, striding up to the man, and placing a solid foot on his chest, leaning towards him menacingly. "Listen to me," The second she spoke, however, the man dissolved into a series of whimpers, talking about some crazies and not wanting to die, in clear hysteria and confusion. "Hey, dipshit, listen to me!" She snapped, her throat and words tight with frustration and panic, sending a backhand across the side of his face. The connection of the back of her hand and his cheek was a loud crack, but it caused him to go silent staring at her. Even in the darkness, she could see the welt starting to form on the drunkards cheek, and the bruises that Val had wrung around his neck like a necklace.

"You're drunk. You're gonna go back to your buds, cuz' you just got into a fight with a homeless dude, right? He was defending himself," She glanced up at Val, in an expression that read you owe me. She fixed her fiery gaze back down onto the man below her one-inch heel, who was currently shifting a bit as the bottom of her shoe dug into his chest uncomfortably. "You say anythin' else and I'mma finish the job, capisce?" He mumbled something, still squirming, until she pressed down onto him harder, her lip curled in a canine-like smile. It wasn't pretty. Anyone watching would've arrested her for being a madwoman with a snarl like that on her freckled features.

"Capisce?!" After he nodded, she pivoted and set her foot back down onto the ground. A trickle of blood ran down her arm as the first spike protruded through her skin. Normally such a small spike didn't bleed, but through her battle of trying to keep it hidden, the stress and pressure of the situation, it had caused a crimson drop to crawl down to her finger. The drunkard took no time in scrambling to his feet and hurtling back in the direction of a bar, scared out of his mind. He was lucky Mercy wasn't in a bad mood, or he wouldn't have ever stood up again.

She turned to Val, grabbing her wrist, "You're lucky I'm feeling merciful." By the time she had cracked the pun with a bitter smirk, she turned and ran in the direction of her apartment, dragging the blondie along.