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When Cleon said Mercy could go on a mission on her own, Mercy expected something like a fight or claim territory. Instead, she was sent to check an eye on one of the Bronx's gangs, and wich better than the Turnbull AC's. Seriously. Why do I have to do this?, she asked to herself, Why Cleon couldn't sent someone like Rembrandt? She was the one who speaks spanish, or Cochise, the most versatile. But then she remembered how they have been these months.
Rembrandt barely says a word, Ajax seems to want to kill everyone, Cowgirl have been on bars and passing out on the couch lately, Cleon seems distant and bussy with this of the new truce thing, Swan is a total chaos, who seems danger everywhere and seems afraid of everything, and Cochise- Well, maybe Cochise was the more... Stable? Maybe, but at times Mercy could see how Cochise would tremble with only putting a goddamn band-Aid. They were definitely not okay.
After a while, the train finally arrived to it's destination. Luckily for her, she didn't need to pass trough the Orphans turf; she would definitely punch those chickens anyway. She was about to knock on the Turnbull's Hangout's door, until something catch her eye. She saw one of them, presumely a bit younger than the rest, probably nineteen, carrying a bunch of orange bright flowers.
Mercy knew she had to talk with the leader, but something tell her to go and see. Once she turned the corner of the hangout, she saw it: there was a type of altar, fixed with a lot of candles, food, wine, photos and those flowers. "Woah.." said the woman out loud, making the boy to turn around. "Hey! What are you doing here?!" Exclaimed the boy, clearly not afraid of Mercy. "Don't worry! I come in peace! I promise!" Said the woman while putting her hands up.
"You sure?" Asked the boy of tan skin, still not sure if trust this woman. "Yes" answered Mercy, "Look, I came here to talk with your leader, about the truce of peace" explained Mercy. "You with the Warriors?" Asked the boy, and Mercy nodded, "I see... Tato is inside on that bus, the one with a big Puerto Rican flag". The Warrior turned around and, God, that flag surely was big. "Guess that someone really loves his country" she mumbled, then turn to see the boy again.
"What's that?" She asked, pointing at the table. "Oh, that? It's just my ofrenda" responded the young man, "Ofrinda?" Asked with a raise eyebrow the woman, not understanding. The boy laugh quietly 'cause of Mercy's pronuntiation, "No "Ofrinda", "Ofrenda". Mexican culture".
Mercy stayed quiet. "Día de muertos? You may know it as Day of the Death?" Asked the boy, Mercy just look at other point and back to the Turnbull AC. "Wow, the Orphans were not kidding when they said you never got out of the turf that much"
"They said what?"
"Nothing"
"Why the flowers on the floor? And the food? Why?" Mercy was intriged, it didn't make sense for her. "Every November 2nd of every year, in Mexico we remember the ones who have died with ofrendas; wich have candles, photos of the ones who have passed away, their favorite food, drinks and other things. And of course, the more important thing: flor de cempasúchil" he said while showing the flowers, "I think that you know them here as Marigold flowers"
"I see... And they're important?" Asked Mercy, "Of course they're important! Without them, our love ones can't visit us" explained the young man. "So, instead of grieving, you celebrate it?"
"We celebrate their lifes, we tell their stories, and we keep their memories alive" explained with a lot of deep knowledge the boy. "And who are you putting on the ... Uhh, ofrenda?" She tooked some steps closer to it, looking at the pictures. "There's my dad, he was the one who teached me the tradition. And I had to put Cyrus too, I really admired her". Both stayed quiet for a moment, until the boy speaked again, "I heard what happened to your friend. Lo siento". Mercy turned to see him, then looked at the floor, "It's okay... Gonna be honest, I barely knew her".
"Well, that doesn't change the fact that you also lost her" said the boy, looking empathically at the older woman. "I guess... What's your name again?"
"Nacho" he said, greeting Mercy with an open hand, who she greated too. "Nice to meet you, Nacho. Call me Mercy" said the Warrior, maybe Cleon's idea of peace between the gangs wasn't that bad. Suddenly, she had an idea. "You said that you celebrate their lifes with this, right?" Mercy now had a spark on her eyes, and a wide smile, "Sí, I said it" Nacho seem to understand what the Warrior was planning, "You know? I can give you some of the Cempasúchil, I won't use them all and I won't throw them with the trash".
The young Turnbull AC picked up some of the flowers and gave it to Mercy, "Thanks!" She was about to leave, until she realized she was missing something, "Wait, but what about the truce and Tato?" She asked to herself. Nacho was close enough to listen, "I can tell him about the truce" he said, "You would?"
"Sure! It's the less I can do" Maybe there can be real peace with the gangs, thought Mercy again. "Thanks Nacho, I'll see you later then!"
"Adiós, Mercy!"
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The plan was simple: make the altar and surprise the Warriors. The problem was that she doesn't have a picture of Fox, and she doesn't know where the Warriors keep them. She'll get it somehow, but first, she needed a table.
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"Have anyone seen my leather jacket?" Asked the enforcer to the rest. They all were on Cleon's apartment, it was one of those days where the gang felt low and wanted to be with each other since... That night. "No? Isn't it on the closet?" Asked Cochise, looking above Cowgirl's shoulder, who was still thinking in a way to move her piece on chess, "If it were there then I wouldn't be asking" said Ajax while sitting next to Rem, trying to draw something new that doesn't includes sadness, but nothing came to her mind.
"Co, just move your piece" said the shortest, yet older woman, "I'm thinking Coch, don't pressure me" said the woman with the cowboy hat. In a minute, Swan entered on the room, "Have anyone seen Mercy?" She asked, and the Warrior sounded worried. "She haven't come back from the Bronx?" Asked Cleon, "I thought she was already here"
"No, she's not back" answered Swan, "Don't worry, she's a tough girl, she'll be fine" said Cochise with a great calm. Rembrandt lifted her head up, "She got in a fight last week"
"And?" Asked Cowgirl, "She fought with a kid just beacuse he told her she looked ugly" answered the now youngest Warrior, making everyone go silent. "Well, she said she was a walking fire controversy" commented Cowgirl, going back her concentration in the chess board. "I might go and look for her" said Swan, but Cleon stopped her, "Hold on, I'm sure she's okay"
"But -"
"If she's not back before the sun sets, then we'll go look for her, okay?" Swan thought for a moment, she knew Mercy could handle herself. After some seconds and a sigh, she agreed, "Okay"
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"Thanks for the hot-dog!" Said Mercy while getting out of Nathan's. True, she never spent much time with Fox, but that memorie when she and the group where infront of Gray's Papaya, and seeing how Fox was starving, Mercy could say that one thing that Fox loved was the food, specially the hot-dogs. It was a good thing that the hangout was lonely, that way Mercy could prepare the surprise without the rest noticing it.
"Ok, hot-dog's here, almost done" she said to herself while placing the hot-dog in place. Now the table was an ofrenda: candles in different posititions, almost forming a kind of constelation. It also had some comic books that she found under the apartment's couch one day, Fox probably thought she lost it. Besides the hot dog, there was a soda and an orange juice, plus a cinnamon roll. And of course, Wonder Woman's action figure couldn't be missing. Now the only thing left was the flowers that made the road so Fox could pass and visit them from the other side, and the photo. She needed it, the sun was about to set, but she also needed to made the road of cempasúchil.
After thinking for a moment, she knew what she could do. She sighed, "Okay, "cempesutil", time to make the road" said the woman. It was an easy job, just making a road of flowers, nothing of the other-
"Mercy!" The mention one jumped of scare, almost dropping the large bouquet of flowers on her hands. She looked at every direction and decided to throw the flowers behind the trash can besides the door. "Hey, Cochise!" Said the woman with tatoos while waving at the other Warrior, trying to act normal. "Where have you been? You got us all worried"
"Sorry, I just, uhh, it was hard to convince the Turnbulls" then she laugh nerviously. "Okay...?" Said Cochise, knowing that Mercy was hiding something, "Ummm, by any chance, you wouldn't happen to know where you keep the photos, would you?" Mercy needed the photo, at least one, she didn't care if it was a blurry one, that's what made It special, right?. "Well, we usually keep them on a box in the hangout, behind the table of ping pong" responded the older woman, Mercy cursed herself for not having looked in that box before, but she didn't wanted to find a bunch of rats or something, beacuse once Cowgirl told her that Fox loved to help animals; once they had to put a snake back into the zoo. How did It even scape? No idea, but Fox probably would have keep it.
"Okay; thanks Coch!" Said Mercy, above to get in the Hangout again, "What are you doing?" Asked Cochise, stopping Mercy. "I just- uhh-" she needed a plan, but she couldn't keep the secret any longer. "Meet me with the rest here in twenty minutes, okay?", Cochise blinked twice, "Wh-?" She was interrupted by Mercy, "Please! It's important, and worthy". Looking that Mercy was being serious, Cochise nodded in agrement. "Thanks, I owe you one" and with that, Mercy went inside the hangout to look the picture.
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"The sun is about to set, we have to go look for her" Swan was on the verge of a panic attack, not knowing about Mercy made her nervous. "Okay, fine, time to-" before Cleon could finish her sentence, Cochise enter, "Mercy's back"
"Where?!"
"Calm down, stray" Swan clearly was not caring about Ajax's insults at the moment, "She's in the hangout, she said she want to meet us there in twenty minutes" explained Cochise while crossing her arms, "Why?" Asked the tagger. "I don't know, she seems to be planning something".
All the eyes were on the WarChief, expecting an answer or a silly explanation, "What? I don't know, okay? She says nothing when she's planning something" explained the blonde one. "Well, I don't think she's going to explode the hangout, ha" Cowgirl definitely wasn't being so funny lately, probably beacuse of all the drinks she have taken on the past months.
After a moment of silence, the WarLord speaked up, "We better go and keep an eye on whatever she's doing". The gang didn't question and follow her.
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"Come on, I just need one photo" maybe talking to herself was not going to help her, but she didn't have much time before the rest arrived, without mention that the road of cempasúchil was still missing. Mercy have took out almost every picture of the box, all of them showing the rest but no sign of Fox, Did this girl not like having her picture taken or what?, asked to herself the newest Warrior. She was about to give up when she found what it looked like a simple piece of paper, but it had something... Strange. Mercy could swear there was something in that paper.
"Ugh... Guess that this time will be without a photo..." Mercy took the rest of the flowers so she could finish the orange path. She didn't know where it has to end, so she would stop it until she arrived to the exit door, outside. How many flowers were there? No idea, but they looked really pretty. "And... That's it!" She exclaimed exited, as if she have just won to someone in a fight.
As she turned around, she saw the Warriors arriving, and the nerves came in no time. It was okay, the ofrenda was already done, except of the photo. She put the piece of paper she found on one of the pockets of her jacket and fixed a bit her hair.
"Where have you been? Swanny have been an anxious stray for the last five hours" said the enforcer, hands on the pockets of her pants. "Sorry, just... Follow me, I think you would like this" said Mercy, and then she got inside the hangout without waiting the rest. "She's acting weirder than usual, and her weirdness is already weird" said Cowgirl, and Cochise only nodded a bit. "Come on" said Cleon, convinced to lead her crew to whatever Mercy was planning.
When they arrived to the entrance, they couldn't help but notice the path of orange flowers, which seemed to glow on their own. "What the...?" The enforcer mumbled, "Cempasúchil?" Said under her breath Rembrandt, she have heard about them before. "Cempa- what?" Asked the second tallest, spanish was hard to understand, "Cempasúchil, Marigold flowers, they usually use it on Mexico" explained the tagger.
"Uhh, girls, I think you should come and look at this" said Cochise, who was a bit more infront. The rest followed her, but what they saw took their breath away.
Right in the middle of the place, there was a table with candles, a hot-dog, a soda, an orange juice, comic books and Wonder Woman's action figure. Mercy was putting on the center, on the highest part, the piece of paper she found. The paper had a drawing of the group, kinda in comic style, which could be seen thanks to the candlelight. Fox must have made it a time ago, before the night of the meeting.
"Mercy? What... What is this?" Asked Swan, trying to take a step forward, but going backward. "Surprise!" Exclaimed the woman, the rest stayed silent, confused. "Look" Mercy started again, looking at the floor and playing with her hair, "I know I have only known you for three months, almost four now, but I worry about you. This months have been hard, even for me, and I couldn't support with the idea of you suffering almost everyday. So... I decided to make this" she said while showing the ofrenda, "it's mexican culture, every November 2nd they celebrate the lifes of the ones who have left; it's not a day for being sad, it's to share stories of the ones we miss. And... I think Fox would have wanted you to move on. Bit by bit, of course!"
The place stayed in silence, no one daring to say something. Shit, I knew this was a bad idea, now they're going to kick me out of the gang; should I apologize? What do I do?, thought Mercy, until, as a surprise for everyone, Rembrandt took some steps forward to the table. Mercy took some steps away, leaving the tagger infront of the ofrenda. The youngest looked at the drawing of the gang, made by her best friend. Then, she took off the bracelet she used to share with her from her wrist and placed it in an empty space, close to a candle.
"Miss you, Foxy" whispered the tagger. Then, Ajax took some steps forward and took the bracelet she was keeping on her pocket. It was a little bracelete with red and black stones, Fox made it to her. Ajax place it carefully close to the Wonder Woman's action figure. She said nothing, she didn't wanted the rest to hear her voice cracking.
Cochise and Cowgirl were next. The duo placed different things below everything; Cowgirl placed her cowboy hat on the left, It was the last thing Fox sewed for her, the woman have take a real good care on it. Cochise took one of her rings, the one with a decorative stone on it, and placed it above Cowgirl's hat. Cowgirl would have said something if the tears wouldn't have got in the way. The older woman put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Tin man and Scarecrow are going to miss you, little Lion", and then walked away.
Then, Cleon took off her choker, the one that seems to be a kind of game with Rem's bracelete, decided to put it next to the comic books. "You were the best scout and little sister we could ask for. We could never replace you", said the WarLord. The only missing was Swan, who took three steps back since the moment Rembrandt left the bracelete. "Swan?" Asked Mercy.
The WarChief looked down, a hand on her arm, "I can't..." She said, "I don't think that I deserve to...". Mercy moved to closer to where her lover was, Interlacing the fingers of her hands with hers, "I know it's hard, really... But, I think Fox wouldn't have wanted see you like this, any of you" she said while looking at the rest, with a compassive smile, to then look back at the shorter woman. "Don't do it for me. Do it for her".
Swan smiled a bit, motivated by Mercy's words. After thinking for a bit, Swan took some steps not to the ofrenda, put to the old couch that was in the hangout. The crew all looked at each other, confused, not understanding what Swan was doing. Soon, Swan lifted one of the stones that were loose from the ground, revealing a small hole inside. She got her hand on it, trying to grab something. "Gotcha" she said to herself, grabbing the object, wich was pretty small.
Then, Swan walked to the ofrenda, and before placing whatever she had on her hand, she took a deep breath, and then she leave it. What the WarChief left was a book, "Blue Eyes", written by Toni Morrison, "She always loved that story" said Swan, "she would read it over and over again... She said she wanted to understand". The rest stayed quiet, looking at the ofrenda and feeling the warmth of the candles.
And for a moment, Mercy could say that Fox was there, happy to see her family together. Maybe a bit broken and hurt, but together. And that would be enough.