This takes place about a month after Escape Velocity has ended. All injuries have healed, and they are back to their usual selves. I have recently edited this, to try and make the characters more in character. I may still be way off the mark, sorry!
"Goodbye Diabolus and thank you for the lift," Nero said as he and, Otto, Wing, Shelby, Laura, and Raven left the submarine and headed for the nearby parking lot. It had been just over a month since they had been reunited after Overlord's downfall, and in that time Raven had decided that it was severely unwise, (Her words "Practically signing our death warrants") to return to H.I.V.E. She had instead proposed, (Despite the fact that it would mean spending 24 hours a day with Otto and his not so merry gang of friends) that they bunkered down in a small "safe" house for a few months. Nero had agreed, (somewhat reluctantly) seeing that people were still out to bring him down.
"Otto," Nero "would you be so kind as to…" He paused, trying to find the correct word. Otto looked quizzically at him, Laura by his side. "Would you be so kind as to, borrow a car that would accommodate all of us?"
Otto obliged, (only after Raven shot him a glare that suggested he complied unless he wished for a very unpleasant ride,) closing his eyes. A car in the parking lot sprang into life, its headlights mercifully on low-beam. Raven jogged over to the car, and upon seeing that it was a six seater, slid into the driver's seat. When the others reached the car Shelby and Otto began to bicker, (Raven was sure it was just to annoy her) about who would sit on the window side. Nero gave a half-hearted attempt at breaking it up, before sliding into the passenger's seat and adjusting his tie. Eventually the four students bundled themselves into the car, (Otto and Wing on the sides, with Laura and Shelby in the middle) and began to chat noisily about what flavour of ice-cream was the best. (Laura and Wing weren't really contributing though.) Raven swivelled around in her seat to face them, cutting their conversation dead.
"Now I know that we are away from the school, but the usual rules still apply. Any breaches of these rules will be dealt with by me." She glared at them and was pleased to see some of the smugness disappear.
Otto, (who was sitting next to Laura) looked at Raven with concern on his face.
"Raven," he began. "You know you don't have to call Dr. Nero 'Sir' if you don't want to. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you called him 'your hotness', or 'sugarplum' or…" Otto was cut short as Raven leaned over the back of her seat and pinched him hard on the pressure point above his elbow. Otto emitted a strangled screeching sound, and shrunk back into his seat, away from Raven. Raven glared at the other three, daring them to say anything.
"Well," She said, with ice in her tone. "I see you are all buckled in. Please refrain from winding down the windows. It affects the air-conditioning." And with that she spun around, buckled herself in, started the engine and reversed out of the parking space.
She could feel the heat in her cheeks and Nero's questioning gaze. How she despised Malpense! As party music started to blare from the back, Raven reached for her Blackbox and headphones. Soon Russian classical music filled her ears, and she felt calmer. As she turned onto the highway, she pictured bashing Otto over the head.
Nero was her employer, her friend, and her ally, but nothing more.
I think that Otto is still OOC, but hopefully it is better than what it was.
Thanks for reading!
