thinking about a light or somethin’ and vulnerability. specifically that we see more intentional vulnerability from swan in about a minute than we see from mercy in the entire album… except it’s being used defensively. she’s trying to skip straight to what she sees as the inevitable outcome - if mercy’s going to leave once she gets to know her, why not just get through that right now? it’ll hurt less.
and mercy, on the other hand… I don’t think she’s intentionally putting herself on the back foot, here, but “what do you see in me? what was it about me that made you stand up for a complete stranger?” is a hell of a vulnerable question to be asking someone you’ve just met. I think she’s used to a very specific form of transactional relationship, and she’s thrown by swan very clearly not expecting that. so she’s desperately trying to figure out what the parameters of this new dynamic are, and tentatively hopeful that swan might have seen something in her beyond physical attractiveness - might have seen her the way she wants to be seen, as someone brave and capable, who has a place within the warriors.
