forum OxO with @menace-to-society

Started January 17, 2023 by @Emmrii

tune

Like I said in the PMs, the basic plot of this is loosely based off of the comic the Purple Hyacinth, with an assassin and a cop teaming up to take down an infamous gang.

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Sexuality:
Looks:
Personality:
Extra:

alr cool, do you have a preference of which character you are?

I’m normally best when rping as the cop, but either works :))

Name: Mercy Hayes
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Straight
Looks: Mercy stands at around 6’0” and is 137 lbs. She has thick, wavy honey blonde hair with curtain bangs and greenish blue eyes. She tends to like to wear her hair straight, and she will often dress in a more vintage-y style.
Personality: Mercy is a very intelligent woman, and she tends to come off as quiet but cunning. She has a somewhat sarcastic and even dark sense of humor, and she tends to be the voice of reason for many of her friends.

alr perf! i'll be the assassin then, just give me a sec to fill out the form

Alrighty, sounds good!

Name: Magnus Helvig
Age: 27
Gender: male
Sexuality: bisexual
Looks: Magnus has dyed-ash blond hair that is a bit messy with brown roots. His hair is just long enough to tie up into a half ponytail, which he often does while working, though it is too short to put into a full ponytail. He has sharp features, with an easy grin that more resembles a smirk than anything else, especially with his arched brown eyebrows that always make him look a little bit amused. He has a straight, ski slope sort of nose and clear blue-gray eyes. He has a sharp jawline and usually dresses in business casual attire. When he has a day completely to himself, he will dress in t-shirts and jeans. He stands at 6' 2" with an athletic body type. He is surprisingly graceful.
Personality: Magnus can be a bit too upbeat for someone who is an assassin, not seeming to take much seriously at first glance. He makes a lot of quips and one-liners, and loves Deadpool (it's not difficult to tell). He can get serious when it comes to his job, but will rarely seem serious at all to those who don't know him well. He likes teasing people, especially those who it annoys. Poking at people's nerves is like a game for him. He doesn't seem to care much about others or collateral damage, preferring to keep his mind on the task at hand. He uses humor as a coping mechanism. Often has bags under his eyes and is usually lacking energy when not on the job. A bit combative at times. He's not lacking in bravery, that's for sure, but he's honestly pretty apathetic about a lot of things once one gets past his joking exterior.
Extra:

((I love him!))

If there was a place that Mercy hated more than anything, it was a crowded bar on a Saturday night. The strong odor of cigarette smoke constantly assaulted her senses, and while she did enjoy being around people to an extent, the chaos of the bar was overwhelming for her. But, for some reason, she would return to this place again and again and again.

It wasn’t for the people. Sure, she would occasionally meet a few cute guys that she would hang out with for a while, but normally, the bar was full rowdy men that would hit on girls who had no interest in them whatsoever. However, the very essence of the bar— it’s unpredictable, loud nature— was addicting simply because it helped Mercy forget. It helped her forget about all the ways her life had gone downhill.

That evening, she sat in her normal spot near the corner of the bar, alone at a table. She had barely to spoken to anyone that night except for the bartender, and she was planning on keeping it that way. However, her plans quickly changed when she spotted another man around her age in the bar. A man that, for some reason, managed to peak her interest.

(thanks!)

Magnus was the exact of Mercy in their taste of bars. He thoroughly enjoyed crowded bars on Saturday nights. It gave him an opportunity to chat with others like friends, which he was sorely lacking. It was also quite likely he could find a pretty man or woman to flirt with and perhaps mess around with as well. He didn't mind the subpar drinks here; Magnus actually hated the taste of alcohol, never really finding one that he actually liked, just a few he hated less. But the feeling of being drunk was something that intrigued Magnus. He had less control over his body and actions, the exact opposite of what he had trained to do. It was almost humorous, the juxtaposition. He couldn't explain it to anyone else, because he couldn't exactly tell the other patrons he was a hitman for a living, and his colleagues would certainly not share his thoughts.

Magnus was a bit of an odd duck, taking things so lightly. Of course, no one knew for sure whether he did, deep deep down. But Magnus had always been great at putting his negative emotions in a little compartment where no one else could see them. At any rate, he was a particularly happy drunk, not too rowdy but also always in good spirits, even more so than normal. He laughed at even the worst of jokes and danced even though he knew he was a terrible dancer. Drunk Magnus didn't give a shit. But then again, sober Magnus rarely did either.

However, he wasn't drunk tonight. Maybe tipsy at most. His tolerance for alcohol was fairly high, and he didn't get drunk often. He had made sure he could still fight drunk if the need came to it, never passing the threshold of that ability. He may laugh most things off, but Magnus wasn't intent on dying anytime soon. There was a reason he was a good assassin.

He laughed at a joke one of the women at his table made, snapping back to reality and looking around at the small group that had amassed. He didn't even know half of their names. It was one of the good things about bars; he could pretend that he had friends. He wasn't entirely bothered by not having any real friends, but this socialization felt good. It was like he was a normal man. Tonight, however, his heart wasn't entirely in it. The bags beneath his eyes had gotten worse recently, and he didn't care enough to use makeup to make them disappear. He owed a small amount of the stuff, both for personal and professional reasons; makeup could transform one's face, he had found, though he hardly thought he was the first person to come to that realization.

As he scanned the bar, he noticed a blonde woman at a nearby table sitting all by herself. The noise seemed to bother her a bit, looking a bit dispirited compared to the small group Magnus was sitting with. And she was looking right at him. Her gaze looked sharper than most, clearer despite the glass in front of her. Interesting. Magnus excused himself from his small circle, a few of them looking disappointed but not overly so. They would likely forget about him soon enough, too entranced in the magic of alcohol and good company. Well, good-ish. These people were alright, but hardly the best company Magnus had had.

He walked over to the table with the lone woman, giving her a small smile that likely looked like a smirk. Most of his smiles looked like smirks, whether intentional or not. "May I join you?" he asked politely, not sitting down until she responded. Accosting women at bars was hardly something he enjoyed, and quite honestly, something that annoyed the hell out of him. If he was going to speak to women, it was because they wanted to talk to him.

(( You’re all good! Many of my replies tend to get pretty long as well. Also, this completely slipped my mind earlier, but for romance in RPs, I normally keep it PG. I am totally fine with kissing, hugging, anything like that, but I avoid sexual themes 👍🏻👍🏻))

She glanced up at the man, her wavy blonde hair falling out from behind her ear. How peculiar. There were a rare few men who had ever caught her attention, and this man was the only one who had ever approached her. She couldn’t help but admire his bravery, and not to mention how polite he seemed.

“Sure,” she replied, her gaze focused on him as he took a seat at her table. “You know, it’s not often I get approached like this in a bar.”

Well, that was semi true. Mercy had been approached multiple times, but by men who would rather hit on her without her consent than share a genuine conversation with her. This man seemed… different.

“What brings you over here?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink. “You seemed to be enjoying yourself with your little group on the other side of the bar.”

(oh i'm pretty similar, after a certain point i'd prefer it to "fade to black" lmao. idm implying stuff but erp makes me uncomfy)

Magnus smirked at that, a real smirk this time. He rarely ever actually smiled, just gave out smirks or amused glances. He had sat down once the woman had replied, making himself at home at the seat across from her.

"They're okay," he responded, glancing back towards the people who were clearly engrossed in their own little world. Not a single one had glanced over. Magnus didn't particularly care; he wasn't expecting anything from them beyond a conversation and some laughs. He didn't want to make lasting friendships here, anyway. Those were difficult to maintain with his job and general habits, to say the least. Besides, he was used to not trusting people, and he didn't want to get in any sort of position where he was expected to be trustworthy. He hated the expectations people set once you got close to them, and hated breaking them even more.

"I just couldn't help but notice you staring at me," he added with a chuckle. Whether that was true or not, he was unsure. He had seen her looking, though, so he knew she had at least glanced his way a few times. Perhaps she had been checking him out? She was pretty, though he doubted a hookup was the reason why she was at the bar. "Besides, you looked lonely. And generally annoyed with the world. So I was curious."

(Oh yeah I usually just avoid it altogether for a variety of different reasons xD Plus yeah it makes me super uncomfy too)

“Just okay?” She laughed softly at his comment. “Mm… well, they’re a bit loud for me. I considered walking over there, but I’m not sure we would get along.”

Mercy couldn’t help but blush faintly when he mentioned her staring. He was nice to look at. She had no trouble admitting that. But she was staring, and he noticed? How humiliating.

“Oh, pssh. Don’t elevate your ego too much, love. I wasn’t staring, I was simply looking in that direction.” She knew that was a blatant lie, but she would rather stick with a lie than the truth. “And don’t worry. Unlike some people, I actually find it enjoyable to sit here alone. But I do appreciate you coming over here to talk to me. It’s sweet.”

(totally valid!)

Magnus tried to keep himself from snorting. No one had called him 'sweet' in a while. It was just so opposite to his actual nature that it was funny. Again with the juxtaposition. Crowded bars really did offer entertainment, didn't they? He settled on another smirk, shrugging.

"If you say so," he said vaguely, propping an elbow on the table. "Sitting alone is fine, I guess, once in a while. I'd prefer to talk to people though. It's fascinating to see what sort of people you can run into at a bar. Sure, sometimes they're just sloppy drunks, but once in a while I meet someone truly interesting. At any rate, I'd rather waste my night here than sitting around watching television."

This woman was certainly interesting. He'd met other people similar to her before, other loners who would rather people watch or drink in solitude than approach others, or perhaps people who were too nervous to approach others at all. But there was something about her that Magnus couldn't quite crack. He wasn't sure what it was, maybe something in the way she held herself or the way she spoke, but he wanted to find out what it was. Magnus loved a good puzzle, and this woman was definitely a little puzzling.

"Ah, realized that I have yet to introduce myself," he added, remembering. "The name's Magnus."

This time, Mercy smirked back, leaning forward against the table. She wasn’t much of a flirt; to be perfectly honest, she was pretty awkward when it communicating with the opposite gender. However, despite this, she seemed to be getting along well with this man. Their personalities just clicked for an unknown reason.

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow, her smile widening slightly. “And do you find me interesting?”

At first, she had been slightly hesitant about talking with the man, but something about him intrigued her. Maybe it was the way he held himself, or maybe it was his apparent charm. She wasn’t quite sure, but whatever it was made her want to keep talking with him.

“Pleasure to meet you, Magnus,” she said. “My name’s Mercy.”

Mercy. What an interesting name. He'd never met anyone with a name like that before, though to be fair, he had met his fair share of people with unique names. He didn't know any other Magnuses either, after all. At her question, his eyebrows raised slightly, amused. So she was going to go along with his rambling, it seemed.

"Jury's still out on that," he teased, holding her gaze. "I guess we'll have to wait and see. What brings you here, anyway? This place is pretty crowded, yet you're one of the few people sitting alone."

He leaned forward, placing his chin in his palm, elbow still propped on the table. The other arm was now resting on the table as well. His table etiquette had never been great, but considering he was at a bar, he figured it probably didn't matter. He doubted many people in here were observing any sort of manners, and the closest he got was asking before he sat down (which was more rare than he would hope for). While he couldn't exactly consider himself a gentleman, at least he wasn't a piece of shit.

Mercy glanced off into the bar, watching a few of the bar goers dance while others were busy getting drunk. To be honest, she wasn’t fully sure why she was here. After all, she would much rather be home reading or doing research, but yet here she was. Sitting in a crowded bar with a man she’d met only moments before.

“Mm… what most people are doing here, I suppose. Letting loose for a night, forgetting their problems.” She sipped her drink, her gaze returning to him. A faint smirk appeared on her lips. “And me guess. You’re here to talk to all the women.”

She laughed softly to herself. To be honest, while this man did seem charming, she didn’t take him to be the womanizer type. However, she couldn’t resist teasing him about it.

Magnus chuckled again, shaking his head. "All of the women and men," he responded jokingly, correcting her. "I'm an equal opportunity sort of guy." He shrugged innocently.

"Can't fault you for wanting a break from everyday life," he added. "Though I wouldn't say my ideal way of escapism is sitting around drinking by myself. To each his own, though."

He didn't always frequent the same bars, getting bored after spending too many nights at one. Not that he spent every night at the bar, but probably more than he should. This one was pretty nice, as far as the local places went. It was mostly clean, had good quality drinks (though they weren't as cheap as the shitty ones he sometimes drank), and a bit loud, but not so loud that it was impossible to have a normal conversation. This place also served food, which Magnus had yet to try, though he guessed it was probably decent since the quality of the bar itself was good. Magnus was never the biggest fan of bar food, preferring something less greasy and shareable. He didn't eat much fast food, either.

“Mm… I don’t know, being alone can be nice. It gives you time to think.” She laughed softly. “Besides, you wouldn’t imagine the strange conversations I overhear.”

Mercy watched the man for a few moments, leaning forward against her elbows. She still somewhat confused by the man. Most people tended to avoid her because of her quiet tendencies, finding her boring and unapproachable. He was different, but why? Did he want something?

“You know, you don’t have to feel bad for me. Sitting alone and all. While I do enjoy some company, I’m perfectly happy sitting here.” She grinned and began to stand up. “But, since you decided to stop by on such a short notice, you could dance with me.”

Magnus snorted at her comment. "I don't sit with people out of pity," he responded. "I'm not that nice of a person." But at her invitation, he raised his eyebrows for a moment before his facial expression melted back into its characteristic smirk. He was a terrible dancer, but if she asked him then he supposed she was to blame if she hated it. He did actually like dancing despite his aggressive lack of any talent at it.

"Sure, why not?" he agreed, standing as well. "I do have to warn you that I'm quite terrible." He laughed, even though he was not wrong. His dancing was atrocious. But ah well. If she minded, it was her problem. Besides, this woman really was interesting. She was a loner, but didn't seem to mind the company, perhaps even enjoying it. Not a lot of the loner types seemed to like his company as much unless he was purposely laying on the charm, which he rarely cared enough to do. He would much rather talk in his teasing, sarcastic manner than actually try to be liked by someone he would likely never see again. So if he danced horribly with this woman, it didn't matter. He would probably never see her again, either.

“Oh, shh. You’ll do fine.” She led him out into the bar, flashing a brief smile back at him.
“Besides, I’m not too good at dancing myself.”

Once they made it over to the dance floor, Mercy pulled him in, guiding his hands to her waist before she placed her hands on his shoulders. She normally wasn’t this spontaneous, but hey, she would likely never see Magnus again. Might as well make their time worth it.

“You know, there are probably worse dancers out there,” she teased. “At least you’re not drunk. Then this would be much worse.”

He chuckled. "True, I do get worse the more alcohol I have," he agreed. "But I also get more confident, which is a very fun combination." Considering slow dancing wasn't very difficult, Magnus was more or less doing alright, though he wasn't doing much more than swaying like a middle schooler at the school dance. That was about his skill level right there, middle schooler who didn't really care about dancing. He had not improved throughout his adult years.

"Well, you seem okay at dancing to me," Magnus added, lips tilting upward again. He was suddenly glad he had actually remembered to wear cologne tonight, since half the time he forgot or was too lazy to. At least he rarely forgot to wear deodorant. It was probably difficult to flirt or talk to people at the bar if you smelled like body odor. Thankfully Magnus had never had that experience.

He glanced back toward the group of people he had been with earlier. Half of them had started dancing at a separate corner of the bar and the other half were getting more drunk by the minute. Maybe it was a good thing that he had left them when he did. He wondered what it was like to actually have friends to go to the bar with. It must be weird seeing people you know so well getting inebriated. Magnus couldn't imagine any of the people he had worked with drunk, and those were the closest thing he had to acquaintances.

Mercy focused mainly on her feet as she danced. She wasn’t sure whether this was because she was nervous to look into his eyes or because she was worried she would step on his feet. Maybe even both.

“You asked me why I came to the bar, so tell me. Why are you here?” She stole a quick glance at him. “Any specific reason?”

She continued dancing with him as he spoke, her gaze still focused primarily on the floor. While the bar wasn’t her favorite place, she did have to admit that this was nice. Being able to hang out with a guy her own age was a thing she didn’t normally get to do, and she found it enjoyable.

Mercy noticed him looking elsewhere, and she followed his gaze over to the group on the other side of the bar. “You can join them if you want, love.” She smiled faintly. “I’ll come with you.”

"Same reason as you, I suppose," he admitted, looking back at her. She was glancing at her feet a lot, though he wasn't sure if that was to avoid eye contact or for another reason. She was getting suddenly shy on him. Magnus couldn't relate; he was not a shy person at all. "Just want to relax and forgot about everything."

As she noticed him looking over to the group he had ditched earlier, he smirked. She was definitely misreading the situation. Magnus himself was pretty decent with social cues and body language, having studied up on those out of fascination and because he was sure it would help with his job. "Oh, no, I'm good. I don't actually know them that well," he replied, looking over at the group again. They had all been friendly enough, but not particularly exciting. From what he had gathered, most of them worked office jobs they hated and liked to go out on weekends as a way to let loose. Magnus understood the feeling, more or less. They had been alright company, but not anything he cared to pursue further.

Mercy watched them for a few more moments before she glanced back at him. This time, she actually met his gaze. “Oh, really? By the way you were talking with them, I would’ve thought you were friends with them.”

Mercy adjusted her hands on Magnus’s shoulders. Slowly getting used to the feeling of dancing with someone. She’d always enjoyed a little bit of dancing from time to time, but never before had she danced with a stranger. This was all new for her.

“I have to admit, Magnus, you’re quite charming,” she teased softly. “Very confident, might I add.”