YOU SHOULD BE HONORED •• ivan rouxe

[Mercede]

MERCEDE

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diamonds are a girl’s bestfriend -

mercede f. callahan
the pitt
2 months


pronounced: (mur-say-dee)

general
female - marble cross fox (white, gray, black) - 2 months - Jervis x Fourthwall - no crush - no mentor

powers
mental manipulation

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---

call me your sweet baby —

[member=11964]Ivan[/member]

maybe this wasn’t the best of her ideas. but it didn’t seem like the worst either. Besides it’s was too enticing to just not do it. The outside world was scary but it was also unknown. It was something different.

Although she was young, actually she was very young. The girl was bright despite her faults and the last time her life was East was when she was nursing. Even then the world around her was filled with strife and bad things. Perhaps it got in the milk she drank and it tainted her little heart. Maybe the fact one of her earliest memories was watching her father be slaughtered before her eyes the very first time she ever got to meet him. Have people accuse him of bad things and regardless of what he had done they had robbed her and her sisters.

And now their other father was no where to be found? Unfair. If Mercede wasn’t so damaged she could’ve cried. But Mercede never ever spilled a genuine tear that didn’t benefit her.

Until she learned better she would do things because she felt like it regardless of if it benefited her. But experience was key. Truth be told a pup so small and petite should not have been able to make it to tanglewood. She was a little bigger than her sisters, and one thing that set them apart from them was her feline quirks. The little movements she had, her paws, the way she walked and the way she moved her tail.

Did she mind? No. It made her special. Not that she wouldn’t have been so without. The girl would be panting now, her paws aches and she did regret this. She had gone so far. So far. But no one could ever say she was weak!

The little cotton ball would see herself in a field, inhaling. She knew she wasn’t home but just exactly where she was? She couldn’t say. Immediately she would come under a single tree and sit to groom herself.

[sup][w]isker[/sup]

[Ivan]

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He kept fancying that Ivan was absorbed in something — something inward and important — that he was striving toward some goal, perhaps very hard to attain.

— Бра́тья Карама́зовы

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Ivan had been born into a nice family life, with a stable home and very alive parents. He grew up comfortable, it was only until his mind began to awaken and he suffered only by virtue of himself. He was the only cause of it, which was quite strange. His incredibly sharpened and mature mind forced him to skip a lot of his childhood. He was only three months now and the world felt heavy on his shoulders. Someone had to crusade against the ethics of some of the scientifically-inclined members of Tanglewood.

It was also rare for him to be out and about, but when he was, he usually had a lot of interesting experiences. It was enough to have two or three big events in a week, but after that he'd really need time to himself. So that was why Ivan had taken to patrolling and exploring the territory, constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure Aurum wasn't there. Hmpf. Adults. His slender form moved throughout the forest like a shadow, guided by his nose rather than his eyes.

And he certainly scented something out of the blue. Or perhaps, someone. Deciding it was worth taking a detour, Ivan followed it. He came to the edge of a field, ears pricked. The only sign of life out there was a young female fox, who smelled very similar to one he had recently seen on the border. Pitt. He didn't know the history behind the Pitt or Jervis' execution, nobody elected to tell him about it yet. But Ivan was usually gruff toward foreigners.

He dashed up a tree and leapt from branch to branch, finally coming to a stop on the tree that Mercede was sitting under. He leaned forward and dipped his head below the branch, his tiny claws gripping for dear life. "Hey! What're you doing here?"

[Mercede]

MERCEDE

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diamonds are a girl’s bestfriend -

mercede f. callahan
the pitt
2 months


pronounced: (mur-say-dee)

general
female - marble cross fox (white, gray, black) - 2 months - Jervis x Fourthwall - no crush - no mentor

powers
mental manipulation

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---

call me your sweet baby —


She was enjoying herself, grooming her soft luxurious fur. Bothering no one and no one to bother her. That is until someone above spoke to her.

Mercede stopped licking herself to look up, scowling, “I’m bathing myself! Don’t you know give a lady some privacy?”

How rude! Her large ears pinned to her fluffy head as her tiny mouth frowned, “Peeping Tom! This isn’t your tree anyways.”

[sup][w]isker[/sup]

[Ivan]

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He kept fancying that Ivan was absorbed in something — something inward and important — that he was striving toward some goal, perhaps very hard to attain.

— Бра́тья Карама́зовы

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    Almost immediately, a bashful expression overtook Ivan's face. He was normally stand-offish and turbulent toward male foreigners; Tanglewood itself was pretty much a sausage fest. He did remember Sweeney coming here but that was a bit different. Ivan had little female influence in his life. Of course, he had his mother, but he also grew up with four brothers and one sister that he hardly got to see because she was sick. For all his mysterious genius, yes, Mercede was right: Ivan did not know how to act around a lady.

    Flushing furiously, all he could say was "My name is not Tom. It's Ivan. Ivan!", slowly and deliberately drawing out the Slavic accented name. "Ivan Roux."

    The young black cat continued to cling to his branch, lashing his tail out for balance. "It's not yours either!" He shot back. Ivan was positive that could physically feel his brain cells leaving his body as he continued to childishly deal with this fox.

[Mercede]

MERCEDE

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[tr][td]

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diamonds are a girl’s bestfriend -

mercede f. callahan
the pitt
2 months


pronounced: (mur-say-dee)

general
female - marble cross fox (white, gray, black) - 2 months - Jervis x Fourthwall - no crush - no mentor

powers
mental manipulation

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---

call me your sweet baby —



Mercede was a little confused by his sudden change of expression. The boy’s smile alarmed her because she couldn’t figure out why he seemed so pleased to be scolded by her. It wasn’t the reaction she thought she was going to receive but it wasn’t unwanted.

She had to admit she liked all this attention. In fact she bloomed in it, she felt radiant. She held back her smile. He couldn’t know that though.

“You say your name like I’m supposed to care.”, but clearly it was her who had the best name, “I am Mercede Fallout Callahan.”

She returned as she held her chin up. The girl had also made sure to lay her British accent on thick and pronounce very syllable for effect, “feel free to bow.”

Oh now she was feeling quite fabulous. Very much so, “Well how do you know it isn’t my tree. Mister Ivan Ro-“

She stopped as she realized what his last name was. A roux. Like one of those Typhooners. Were they everywhere? She hated everyone who had that last name because in her mind they were to blame for the way her life was.

”Well this is my tree. Get off of it before you fall. You’re doing a bad job at balancing.”

[sup][w]isker[/sup]

[Ivan]

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[div style="width: 300px; max-height: 100px; height: overflow; overflow: scroll; padding-bottom: 5px; margin-top: -5px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 8pt; color: #152232; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;"]He kept fancying that Ivan was absorbed in something — something inward and important — that he was striving toward some goal, perhaps very hard to attain.

— Бра́тья Карама́зовы

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Attention-seeking was something Ivan was guilty of. For all his aloofness, he craved to be praised. He figured it was normal, that pride was a necessary evil to character. However, he had little idea that he was feeding into her love for attention. But even if he had known, would he had stopped? It'd be difficult to tell, because Ivan's rationality was tugging at him to go away. He closed his eyes. Any moment now Aurum should show up, he always did — but there was nothing.

Her British-accented introduction caused a singular eye to open once more. He had no idea of the weight behind her surname. Perhaps being raised by a pair of medics had stunted his admiration for politics. He noticed her change of demeanor when she repeated his last name.

Ivan was extremely frustrated to know he was related to nearly everyone. All he cared about was his nuclear family. He disliked the rude Typhoon kids who came to their border, despite them having the same surname. "Like you'd know." He scoffed. "You're just a fo —" His speech was cut off by a yelp as he lost his grip and tumbled to the ground in front of Mercede. He manages to land on all four paws but he stumbled on impact, his large ears laying flat against his skull. "Go away. You have a family, don't you?" He muttered in the dirt.

[Mercede]

MERCEDE

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diamonds are a girl’s bestfriend -

mercede f. callahan
the pitt
2 months


pronounced: (mur-say-dee)

general
female - marble cross fox (white, gray, black) - 2 months - Jervis x Fourthwall - no crush - no mentor

powers
mental manipulation

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call me your sweet baby —


Unlike Ivan, she was born into politics. In fact, the affairs and relationships between all the groups was one of the most prevalent parts of her life. Somethings children shouldn’t know and ignorance was certainly a blessing that was not bestowed upon Mercede and her sisters.

To make matters worse she was a child of the Pitt as well as the offspring of one of the most hated men. Let alone the most despised group. Her life had caused the girl to age far more than she should’ve and it left her with a whole lot of issues.

The world simply didn’t allow her to be a child.

So when she was receiving the same treatment she had given to the boy her ears pinned back. Her temper was rising but luckily for Ivan he had fallen out the tree. She couldn’t help but smirk in a smug way.

Told you.

Her mind echoed impulsively with the sudden wave of immense satisfaction. Ears pinned against her head as she realized it happened again, the girl couldn’t control her random mental retorts.

Of course, a real lady would help him and make sure he was okay. Mercede took pride in her manners and was going to force herself to help him despite wanting to shove in his face that she was right. The girl wanted to laugh so badly at him. Laugh at him and just really rub it in his face that he was a stupid fool. She certainly was doing so in her mind but she had to be polite and check on him. Which was what she was planning to do until he asked her a question regarding a rather sore topic.

“I’m not going anywhere and you can’t make me.”, her voice lowered, “Besides what’s it to you. You’re a Roux so I’m sure you know the answer to that question.”

Mercede’s high certainly came down along with her confidence. She felt weird and uncomfortable and really wanted to leave but she wouldn’t because that’s what the boy wanted.

”You only asked that to be mean. Get yourself up you look like a fucking idiot.”

In her sudden plummet of emotions she would turn and walk to the other side of the tree. A bit dramatic but who was Mercede without her theatrics.

[sup][w]isker[/sup]

[Ivan]

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— Бра́тья Карама́зовы

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Ignorance was bliss, certainly. Though he did not worry about the politics happening between Clans — he was also born during a period of peace — he had other things to mull about, things that had become more apparent when he spoke with Caustic. He was concerned with the order of the world. Allegiances were necessary, perhaps, but rather insignificant in Ivan's view. Of course, that proved to poke a hole in Ivan's opinions, because he naturally didn't like strangers.

Mercede had been different in that she drew his attention to something he hadn't considered — his lack of respect around females due to the sort of environment he was raised in. Like the fox, he didn't want to leave. It would display his defeat. Ivan was a scrawny little thing, but he was proud. He perceived an abrupt change of attitude that left him feeling similarly uncomfortable. He blinked twice and averted his gaze.

You only asked that to be mean. She claimed. Ivan stiffened. He had hurt a nerve, one he was unaware of. He sat up hastily and shuffled his paws in the dirt. He stared after her as she rounded the tree. "I'm sorry." The young cat offered, taking a step forward. "I don't ... know the history behind my name." It felt painfully stupid to expose himself like that, but he wasn't motivated by a surname. It was the least of his worries. "It doesn't mean much. I'm an individual. I carve out my own legacy." Granted, he hadn't made the brightest first impression, but he was rightfully stunned by her.

[Mercede]

MERCEDE

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diamonds are a girl’s bestfriend -

mercede f. callahan
the pitt
2 months


pronounced: (mur-say-dee)

general
female - marble cross fox (white, gray, black) - 2 months - Jervis x Fourthwall - no crush - no mentor

powers
mental manipulation

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call me your sweet baby —

Ivan’s view on his surname was so very different from Mercede’s. Her family name was so important to her, it was the largest part of her identity. It was a driving factor in what made her her and her life goals.

So far the boy was completely shocking her. She hadn’t expected him to apologize let alone admit he had no clue what his family had done to hers. It made her feel really good when he said sorry, no one had ever said that to her. This was the first time she ever really got her way.

A major contradiction in itself, Mercede felt tied to her name despite feeling very unique and special. That her purpose in life was to bring it back to glory and strike fear in people’s hearts. To make all who killed Jervis beg for mercy.

She would snort, “Well when I kill your family don’t hate me- or you can. Plenty of people already do. But I hate your family”

She looked at him. Perhaps she could play in this and his empathy to her favor.

“Goldie killed my papa right in front of me before I even got to know him. She ruined my home and people hate me just because my dad was Jervis.”

Uhh... she would think. Didn’t seem like enough. So she would frown and pin her ears against her head. Her eyes looked awfully big now as she stared at the floor.

“I have no family but my sisters.” Even then she hated them too but he wouldn’t know that. Play her cards right.

[sup][w]isker[/sup]

[Ivan]

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— Бра́тья Карама́зовы

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This encounter was full of surprises. Tensions rose and settled like the sun. Empathy was perhaps something he learned well from his childhood, growing up with a sister less fortunate than himself. He usually spoke with people to get different viewpoints, not to entertain them. This was different. Ivan danced around the trap he sensed being set out, and he had the strange inclination to place his paw on the spring to entertain it, just this once. Even if it hurt him.

He had been running in circles since he could remember, chasing the truth of life that philosophers bickered about for centuries in the old library in the center of Tanglewood. His restlessness could not be satisfied, but if he could find an antidote for it, something fiery and thrilling, maybe he could forget about it.

As Mercede launched into her explanation, it only gave Ivan more pieces of the puzzle he was trying to solve. And not even of the history behind Jervis — he would have nothing to do with what seemed, in his eyes, to be a war criminal. No, it all circled back to his righteous fury over suffering. Why did his sister Alice had to drag herself around because of a malformed leg? What did she do? She hadn't even been born yet! Mercede, as he was now figuring out, had become an orphan because of whatever her father had done.

He didn't want to say sorry again, but that was the only sentence pulling up in his mind for a response. Emitting a harsh sigh he finally said, "You didn't deserve to see that. I don't think so, at least. At least you have your sisters." Mercede didn't. Perhaps Jervis did. He really needed to brush up on his politics, didn't he? Ivan paused. "So, will you spare my life when you come for the Roux family and make a kingdom of your own?"