Groovy Tunes: Monday

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy was upset and embarrassed and depressed. If she hadn't had work she'd have hidden away again the way she'd been doing since she came back to herself Sunday evening.

How could she have believed that?

And yet, she remembered so clearly that other life, the one she'd wanted for so long. And worse, she remembered how ridiculously freaking

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[pulseof_life]

It had been a while since she'd seen Mercy, so Yeul had looked up, through the radio broadcasts, when Mercy was supposed to be at work, and showed up around mid-afternoon with two hot chocolates and her usual serenity.

"Hello?" she called into the quiet store, letting the door fall closed behind her. "Mercy? Are you there?"

[walkswithcoyote]

For a moment, Mercy considered sinking down behind the counter and pretending she wasn't here, but this was Yeul and hiding like that was just wrong.

So, she took a deep breath, put on what she could manage of a smile, and stood up from where she'd been sitting. "Hey, Yeul. Yeah. I'm here."

Okay, so maybe the smile was kind of wobbly, but she was doing her best here.

[pulseof_life]

And wobbly smiles were appreciated greatly. Yeul smiled back, making her way over to the counter.

"Hello Mercy," she said lightly. "I brought you a hot chocolate."

[walkswithcoyote]

"Aw, that was really nice of you," Mercy said. "There''s another stool back here if you want to come sit down."

Really, how kind of Yeul, not only to bring her a drink, but to remember she preferred hot chocolate. It made her feel just a little bit less lost.

[pulseof_life]

Sometimes the smallest kindnesses mattered the most.

"I would not mind at all," Yeul said, slipping behind the counter. "Though I hope I'm not disturbing your work."

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy shook her head. "No, I'm good. It's been really quiet today. I guess everybody's sort of still recuperating."

[pulseof_life]

Yeul hopped up onto the second stool with, not grace, but ease born from long practice. Her limp made grace sort of impossible when it came to getting up onto things. It didn't bother her.

"Some people have a great deal to digest," Yeul said agreeably. "It was good of you to come into work on such a day. If you'd needed it off, I do not think the Professor would have minded that you took it."

[walkswithcoyote]

That got a head duck as Mercy found something fascinating to stare at on the floor.

"No. I've been stupid enough already," she muttered. "I wouldn't want to push it any more."

"Is your, um... foot okay?"

[pulseof_life]

Yeul blinked at her, then peered down at her foot.

"It looks much the same as always," she said, smiling a bit. "I think it's alright, but thank you for asking."

She tilted her head slightly, sliding Mercy's hot chocolate down the counter to her. "If you have been stupid, then I would think there are a lot of people who feel the same way you do today. Not that I suppose that helps, even if it is the truth."

[walkswithcoyote]

"I just... I haven't been paying attention to anybody or anything but me," Mercy said, making a face. "Thought maybe I should try a little harder."

She took a sip of the hot chocolate to try and compose herself a little. "Yeah. I guess a bunch of people maybe do. Honestly?"

This was hard.

"I was so hung up on the wedding thing that I didn't really notice much of anything different about anyone. Even Jono and Cedric - now when I think about them, how could I have not noticed? But I just... didn't. Or didn't care enough. I must have just looked like the stupidest thing ever."

She was the stupidest thing ever, thinking she and Samuel were going to get married.

[pulseof_life]

"There's nothing stupid about being happy," Yeul said quietly. "Were you happy, while planning that wedding? I think it's very human to get so absorbed into something that gives joy that the harder things get put aside for awhile. I do not know if I would say that is a bad thing. You are not consumed by it now."

[walkswithcoyote]

"It's all I ever wanted," Mercy admitted. "I don't remember ever having been that happy in my whole life."

Which only made it harder now.

[pulseof_life]

Yeul watched her quietly for a moment, then asked, "Do you regret having been that happy?"

[walkswithcoyote]

"I... Yeah. I kind of do," Mercy said slowly. "It was something I wanted so very badly for so long and then, it all just came apart horribly and everything just went so wrong. So remembering being so happy just makes me remember all of that and... it's like all of it just happened all over again."

And it took her long enough to get over it the first time. Or at least to start getting over it.

[pulseof_life]

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Yeul said gently. "Again, that is. Do you think the island was being cruel? Or that it had a reason, though I would not venture a guess at what reason it could have, for doing that to you?"

[walkswithcoyote]

"Cruel? Maybe."

She sighed.

"Or maybe it thought it was being nice, giving me what I'd wanted and couldn't have in real life. Who can say with this place? Did it... did it play games with you, too?"