r.i.p to my youth <<>> mercy mikaelson

twenty-one

| distraction (n): a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else |

   MERCY WAS FINALLY heading back to the Abattoir after she finished finalizing things with Hope over the phone. Her sister knew exactly what to do—Mercy had double-checked to make sure that Hope was okay with doing this, but the other Mikaelson girl was willing to do anything possible to bring their family together. Mercy wouldn't be able to stop Hope even if she wanted to, and she tried not to feel a little guilty that she was essentially using Hope as a means of distraction for the rest of her family. Not to mention that she was basically putting the idea into Hope's mind.

But Hope made her decision, and like Mercy, she was too stubborn to be talked out of it.

So Mercy was leaving the bayou, feeling a hand pulling her backwards and looking toward the source. She saw Tokala there, his eyes worried. While her father had sent her the same look multiple times before, when it came from Tokala, she felt drawn to subdue the emotion. If she could make him feel—at least just a little—better, then maybe he would allow her to go back to the French Quarter without too much of a fight. Considering it was Tokala, Mercy had her doubts.

"Are you sure about going back?" He asked the same question he'd been asking, but Mercy wasn't too annoyed by it, hearing the true worry in his voice. "You know that Jordyn probably already told your dad about what you did to her. How can you be so sure that everything will go the way you want it?"

She smiled gently, placing her hand over his own and squeezing once for reassurance. "It will," she said confidently, and she didn't doubt her own words. "And if not, then Hope will take care of them before they can get in my way."

Tokala sighed, his blue eyes boring deep into her own. "You sure you don't want me to come with you?" He asked, and she nodded her head resolutely. As much as she wanted Tokala to join her and support her in her decisions, she needed him in the bayou to look after the wolves. If her father or mother did pull something that had her out of commission, she wanted to be certain that someone was protecting the packs and keeping them guarded from potential threats. Tokala was just the person to do that, and she hoped that he could understand why she was making this decision. 

He seemed to know her reasoning before she could even respond, and she was grateful for the bond they shared for probably one of the first times ever. She didn't need to say anything in order for him to understand, but she did so anyway. "You know I need you here," she told him softly, but there was still a firm undercurrent that made it obvious that she was being serious about him staying there. "If anything happens, you know I'll find a way to contact you."

He nodded his head, and he seemed to see that she was ready to leave because he sighed, squeezing her hand again once more. "Be safe," he whispered, and she nodded quietly. They remained there for a moment longer, staring into the other's soul that only the other could read perfectly. She didn't want to leave—not really—not after everything that they spoke about and their shared kiss that further solidified the growing bond between them. She wanted to stay and protect the wolves together, but she had plans that needed to be dealt with, and she couldn't do that from here.