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

twenty-eight

"Well, now I understand the urgency to get back at him," Kol commented with narrowed eyes. "He's even more annoying and cocky than Nik."

Mercy rolled her eyes, meeting Tokala's gaze and gesturing for him to back up. He stared at her for a second, but eventually did as she quietly suggested him to do. Kol watched them closely, and Mercy reminded herself that she needed to prove that she was ready for this. Even if she liked Kol—and quite frankly, he seemed like the only other one in the family that actually wanted to have fun unlike everybody else—she was still suspicious of him. She knew that everything he saw would eventually get back to her father, if not by Kol's own choice, then by Klaus's use of force.

Unfortunately, there was one thing that she still needed from Aamon, other than her own revenge. She couldn't kill the vampire so quickly, even if she wanted to; she needed to get some information out of him first. She knew that Kol would take notice of it immediately, so she made sure to keep her words vague when she finally spoke up.

"You know, I found out that you used to be a military man," Mercy started off, tilting her head as she assessed Aamon in front of her. She saw it the moment that the vampire stiffened at her words. "Fought in World War II, right?" The vampire's silence was all the encouragement she needed, and she came to a stop in front of him. She barely realized that she held the knife from the table in her grip, the handle biting into her palm from how tightly she grasped it. "I also found out that the only reason you left was because of a girl."

Tokala chuckled, coming to stand slightly behind the girl. "Real looker, she is. Though with all the wrinkles, I don't know how you manage it," he said languidly, and Aamon jerked in his chains, snarling at the couple in front of him.

"Leave Alice out of this," he growled lowly, and Mercy smirked slightly.

"I wish I could," she replied softly, moving forward so that she stood only about a foot away from the hostage. Kol straightened in his stance, obviously filing away everything for later. She took note of it, but she hadn't quite revealed all her cards just yet. "But I need something from you. Tell me what I want to know, and I'll leave your little girlfriend out of this. Let her die of old age, just like you planned for her."

She found out about Alice shortly after she started looking for information about Aamon. The vampire used to be like anybody else, with a future and a love and a determination to stay alive for the future of that love. He left for his tour hoping to return to her, only to have turned into a vampire in the midst of battle. It took too long for him to control his thirst; he didn't see her for another twenty years, when she had already moved on and had children of her own. The story was a classic Romeo and Juliet, and while Mercy hated it, the situation was too easy to manipulate for her not to take advantage of it.

She briefly wondered what she'd do if the roles had been reversed. If Tokala had been in trouble, would she be willing to spill all her deepest, darkest secrets? Would she be prepared to give up everything in order to save him? Would he even want her to? For a short moment, Mercy was guilty.

But then Aamon opened his mouth again with a curl of his lip. "Go to hell," he muttered. Mercy expected just as much, but she slightly wished he would just give her what she wanted. Then, she wouldn't have to be mean. Then, she wouldn't have to be cruel.

She felt it the second her face shifted into a very familiar mask: it was the same one that she possessed when she had killed the vampires with Tokala, the same one she wore when she tore Greta apart. She pushed her previous doubts away, remembering the endgame that she needed to get to.

"Uncle Kol?" Mercy asked without looking away from Aamon's face. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Kol looked happily ruthless as he stepped forward. "My pleasure," he drawled, moving to the side of the room where a rusted crowbar sat. It looked brittle with age, but as Kol tossed it between his hands, she knew that he would be fine with it. Already, his grin was growing.