Wow, I can't believe you all think the writing is good. It's just... I've seen so many other better written stories. Although yeah, they aren't stories about stuff like this, but most of them are long and roughly drafted. But still good nonetheless. *sniffles* I think I'm going to cry.
(Neo)- Don't get all in your feelings yet you deprived fanboy. The story isn't over and, hell, this chapter hasn't started. *mutter* And my paycheck is still flowing.
But it's emotional how my viewers are so supportive no matter how crappy the writer thinks the story is. It's good mental support and should be acknowledged!
(Neo)- Yeah well, that's because most of them are only reading stories and are critiques or have seen worse and shittier stories.
You really tried to hit the nail on the head with that didn't you?
(Neo)- I'm trying to help your ass! Now get up from my inspirational words and write those zero-er, Chapter!
At least you tried. Thanks, but anyways, enjoy the chapter!
(PS, I'll try to leave out the little snarky comments I put in that ruin the 'immersion' I make.)
Stirring awake from reoccurant thudding noises around her, Neo slowly sat up, only to be met with a bright source the moment she opened her eyes.
"Rise and shine!" Nora exclaimed happily as she pulled the curtains wide open.
Dammit you overly excited, pancake crazed freak! Neo thought as she tried to block the giant ball of light.
As her eyes adjusted, her ears picked up the jingling of two other door knobs and the clicking of each as they swung open to reveal two tired people.
"Ugh," Jaune started as he yawned and stretched in one of the doorways He was still in his pajamas. "Did you really have to wake us up and hour in advance?"
"Yeah." Ruby said tiredly, as she wiped her eyes standing in the other.
"Well sorry. It's not my fault you two didn't get to sleep on time." Nora retorted as she placed her fists on her hips.
"Nora, you didn't even sleep. I heard you all night, in my ear mind you, saying pancakes over and over again. If anyone of us needs to complain, it's me." Ren said, coming out of the kitchen with a mug, no, a cup of coffee. And he was right, his eyes were bloodshot, his stature was a little more droopy than ever, and he seemed to have a grumpy Aura around him. Plus, he wasn't even dressed! Everyone knew he was an early bird.
"I regret even saying anything about those blasted circles of deprivation." He said, taking a long swig of his coffee.
Everyone chuckled, even Neo, as he then walked over to the chair and plopped down, without realizing he sat on Neo's clothes. Now that she remembered...oh boy.
I can't believe I was that comfortable around them. She thought as a light blush crept up on her cheeks.
"Come on everyone, let's get up and at 'em. We got another long walk ahead of us to reach Haven. Oh, and I call bathroom first!" She announced, and blitzed towards the bathroom with her semblance, door closing as soon as she finished her sentence.
Jaune just groaned in annoyance, walking back into his room to fetch his clothes and a towel. Coming back out, he said, "I swear every day she gets faster and faster. I'm pretty sure if she tries hard enough, the speed of light won't have nothing on her." Jaune said.
"Hope not." Nora said, bouncing a little now and then. She was really excited about what a new towns pancakes tasted like.
A few minutes passed, and the bathroom door opened, only to have a blur of red and rose petals fly by through another door and close it. Jaune then walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Ruby came out if her room with her 2.0 outfit on, and looked towards Neo to see she hasn't moved from her spot yet.
"Hey Neo, why haven't you moved yet?" Ruby questioned.
Neo then proceeded to point to a now sleeping Ren, coffee almost spilling out of the cup. Ruby wondered why she pointed at him. Then it hit her, she remembered seeing Neo strip to nothing but shirt and underwear. A devilish smile formed on her lips as she slowly walked over to the bed.
Neo saw what was going on and quickly pulled the covers over herself. Ruby then grabbed the edge of the blanket and softly said, "Payback." She then yanked off the blanket to reveal a balled up Neo, her face as red as a tomato.
Ruby began to laugh, as did Nora, at the innocent and frightened look Neo gave them. That look then turned to anger as she got up and began to push Ren off the couch to grab her clothes.
"I didn't know you like Pumpkin Pete too!" Ruby said as she struggled with her breathing.
"Looks like Jaune found a match!" Nora tried to say, only to cause both of the girls to laugh harder.
Jaune came out of the bathroom to see the event unfold and an angry Ice cream coming his way.
"Something I do?" He asked, only to be pushed to the side and have a door closed in his face.
He then turned to the recovering girls, only to give them a stern look to get an explanation. Ruby was the first to answer.
"I pulled the blanket off the bed to see Neo in her panties. Turns out, they're Pumpkin Pete panties!" Ruby chuckled out, only to be put back into the mercy of her laugh. Nora following suite, and Ren chuckling off to the side. Jaune had to admit, he had a pet peeve about it, but it was funny as he chuckled some too.
The bathroom door opened, only to see a hand with the middle finger up pointing at Ruby. Jaune then laughed, as did Ren. The door closed and water began to run.
Inside with Neo, she heard them a laughing and began to cry, not out of anger or hatred, but out of embarrassment. She knew it was all fun and games, but that's just plain dumb.
Assholes. She thought as she pulled the plug on the faucet head to start the show.
Stripping herself, she then proceeded to get into the shower, flinching slightly as the contact of warm water with her scars stung a little. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she let the water run down her back.
It's been a while since I've had a nice wash. I wonder how Marq is doing? She thought, as she reminisced about the time she met another con man with Roman. She thought back to the first day they met.
Her name was Marquise Liner. What she considered a bigger sister to herself and Roman. She was an expert sneak, manipulator, and basically an all around hustler. They had hit it off when Roman went out to rob a dust store, and as Neo was walking around their little hideout, to which was an abandoned warehouse with a few homely touches, she saw someone shady staring at her.
Considering all of the odds, Neo drew her weapon, only to have the person cower some behind a nearby box. Deciding to investigate further, Neo edged close to the person, alert to and movement.
The person then spoke. "Please, I'm just looking for somewhere to sleep."
Neo then flicked her weapon up to get a good look at the girl. The woman complied and stood. To Neo's surprise, she wasn't much taller than her, probably by a few centimeters. Other than that, her figure was toned, abs showing as the girl only wore a black leather jacket over a sports bra, and a pair of skinny jean shorts that looked to be cut at the lower thigh. Her legs looked to be strong enough to rip Neo in half. And her shoes were slightly worn with socks that covered up to the knee. Her hair was short and spiky, and her arms were hidden by long fingerless gloves. She also wore two golden bracelets that wrapped around her arm like snakes. Actually, they had snake heads at the wrists, mouths wide open. Neo assumed those were her weapons.
Her face looked well manicured and her eyes told an entire story if you looked at then hard enough. This girl had been through some things, and it left her stranded in a tough situation. Neo could sympathise. So, she whispers her weapon and signed 'Wait here for a little.' The girl just raided an eyebrow. Of course, she didn't know sign language.
Neo huffed and fetched a piece of paper and a pen. Writing the message, the girl complied by sitting on a nearby couch. A few hours later, the girl fell asleep, laying out fully. Soon enough, Roman burst through the door angry to all hell.
"Damn that little girl in red, damn that huntress, and damn that Cinder!" He shouted, causing Neo to stand and rush to him. "I was this close Neo," Roman said, with his fingers almost touching, "This close to robbing the biggest dust joint in all of Vale! But then a damn huntress in training had to ruin it, then another huntress, then Cinder called off the entire thing, our cut included!" He finished, sitting in a nearby chair surrounding a table.
He then sighed and pulled a cigar out of his coat pocket. Neo glared at him.
"Oh can it. I know these things a kill me, but I'm still alive ain't I?" He said, chilling as he pulled a drag.
"I guess we're sleeping here tonight."
Neo then looked down, this was the 4th time they sleep without a bed this week. Then Neo remembered, a special someone has arrived. Looking over to Roman, she grabbed his hand and began pulling.
"What? What do you want?" He asked, following suite behind Neo.
Getting through a door, he saw the strange woman on the couch, fast asleep. He looked down at Neo and questioned, "Neo, who is that?" He began reaching for his cane, but before he could, Neo signed to him.
'Don't be so hasty. It's a girl I met trying to find somewhere to sleep.'
Roman withdrew his hand and flicked his cigar, letting the ashes fall, "Huh, so, know her name?"
Neo shook her head. Roman then proceeded to go to the couch and shake the girl by her shoulder.
"Hey, wake up. I got a few questions." He said.
The girl stirred as her eyes adjusted from the motion blur. She then passed as she saw the unfamiliar sight of Roman. Looking around, she saw Neo and calmed some.
"Alright, now that you're up kid, first question, name?" He asked.
"M-Marquise. Marquise L-Liner." She answered, sitting up.
"Alright Marquise, I'm Roman Torchwick, and this is my assistant and personal friend Neapolitan, Neo say hi." Roman explained.
Neo just rolled her eyes and waved a little.
With a chuckle, he turned back to Marquise and proceeded with the second question. "Second question, are some sort of huntress or something? You seem like the type. Well mannered, and not quick on the trigger."
"I was supposed to be going to beacon today, but then my boyfriend betrayed me and left me in this place." Marquise said with a sour tongue mentioning her boyfriend.
"So your not from around here?" Roman asked.
"No, I'm from Menagerie. I got accepted into beacon a few days ago and took the ferry here. My newly made ex lived here and told my parents that I would be safe in his hands, so they let him. They payed for my trip, and let me go." She explained.
"Alright, third question. It's optional to answer, and I don't want to pry, but what happened between you and your boyfriend to cause you to look in an abandoned warehouse for a place to sleep?" He pondered on, hoping for some explanation.
"Once I arrived here yesterday, he showed me around town and insisted that I crash at his place. The next day, he started to drive me to the landing docks for the ships to beacon. Along the way, I noticed how he started to talk about me being accepted into beacon and him not getting accepted. I knew where it was going so I tried to stop it and keep from an argument. Then he stopped the car, got out, pulled me out, and took everything I had, from wallet, to scroll, and left me in an alley telling me how I thought I was better than him. Then he left. Never hearing from him again." Marquise explained, voice getting more broken the longer she went on.
"Harsh. Do you know where he went?" Roman asked.
"If he went back to his apartment, I wouldn't be here right now." She said.
"Alright, we're on even grounds now. You can stay with us if you like. And we'll help you get back home if you want okay?" Roman told.
Marquise looked at him with surprise, like she was expecting him to turn her down.
"U-um, thanks. I would really appreciate it."
"No problem. And you mentioned Beacon, so what's your weapon?" Roman asked. Neo was now fully intrigued. She knew the snakes on her arms were it, but how did they function?
Standing and moving towards an open area in the room they were in, Marquise took a stance. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and when she opened them, they were a yellow hue. Next, glowing golden chains started to form at each rist, going down and hit the floor, still going. They ended at two blades that resembled snake fangs.
"Ooh. Nice, now, how does the gun form work?" Roman asked, cupping his chin and leaning back in his chair.
Marquise then started to swing the chains, wrapping them around her arms. When she was done, the snake fangs at the end of each chain now resembled that of double barreled shotguns.
"So a mix between medium-long, medium and long range eh?" Roman said.
The weapons began to fade from existence, as well as the hue from Marquise's eyes. "Yeah, and it took me a really long time to make. From the expensive 12 Karrot gold, to having it molded, to even the little Rubies in the eyes. Then don't get me started on trying to form weapons with my Aura."
"Okay, now, final thing. What your semblance?" Roman asked.
"I just can take in everything around me in quick succession. Such as putting me in a pitch black room, I can know where everything is, no matter the size. But the only downside is, I can only see what's in that room specifically. Nothing passed it. My semblance basically enhances my already powerful snake sense." Marquise explained.
So that's why she so snake themed. She a snake faunus. Neo thought.
"Now I know. And now you have to know that me and Neo are criminals. We lie, steal and cheat for our benefit. Are you sure you want to risk it with us just to get to us just to get back home?" Roman said, his expression in a serious grimace.
Marquise was a little taken aback. She didn't know that they were criminals. Now knowing that info, she thought about running and hiding, but then weighed her options. If she ran, the girl with the umbrella knife would probably gut her. If she stayed, she risked being imprisoned, or worse. Seeing as they were most likely her only option knowing they had info on her, and she them, she made a choice that would haunt her forever.
"I'm sure."
"Good. Neo will give you some training, and I'll look for the price to Menagerie. In the mean time, welcome to the criminal underworld Missy. Your new nickname is Marq, and it will be your cover up. Spell it differently everytime you are asked, and don't give your full name or be faced with charges in prison. Change outfits occasionally, and seeing as you're new, we'll spare you some luxuries. Until then, get some sleep. You got a big day tomorrow." Roman said, stay ding up and walking out of the room.
Marquise sat back down and palmed her head, what had she gotten herself into?
Long story short, she was shot in in the stomach going about her daily routine of going to the store. As she walked in, it was already being robbed, and the robbers were caught off guard as she fought them off. Making a wrong move, one of then managed to land a shot. When she was rushed to the hospital, her parents received a call. After Marquise was released, they sceduealed a boat for her. Saying the goodbyes, she was finally back home.
Neo mentally chuckled as she turned the water off. By then, her and Roman raised enough money to buy their own apartment. It was slightly run down, yeah, but it was worth it.
Stepping out, she redressed and walked out of the bathroom, only to be met with an arm and a nuzzle to the head.
"Sorry about before. It was just a joke." Nora said as she noogied Neo.
"Yeah, and by the way, those scars looked bad. I'm sure they hurt after a while. Sorry for laughing." Ruby apologized.
Neo just waved her hand and shook her head, signalling 'no worries.'
After Jaune and Ren finished preparing for the day, with a little more coffee and pancakes to boot, they all exited the inn and started to walk to the exit of the town.
"You know Neo, you can tag along if you want." Nora insinuated.
"Yeah, it would be better for another person to come. Especially with your semblance." Ruby said.
Reaching down to her side, Neo unclipped the miniature white board and marker she had, and wrote down, 'Sure, being with people is what I need anyways.'
"We have another party member." Jaune said.
Before they could reach the exit, Ren stopped everyone.
"Wait, Neo, don't you have a weapon?" He asked.
Everyone looked at her for the answer. She shook her head.
"Ugh! You couldn't have mentioned that earlier! Now we have to stay longer and make your weapon!" Nora groaned.
Getting her whiteboard again, she wrote down, 'Don't worry. The nearest blacksmith will probably have the pieces I need.'
"Good. Then let's get them and hurry along." Ren said.
The group then went to a blacksmith for a hefty load of parts and pieces that nearly left them all dry in cash.
"Jeez! Your stuff is expensive! Even with the first timers discount." Jaune said, looking through his wallet, only to find around 40 lien.
'Says the person who's weapon is literally a hand-me-down sword and shield.' Neo wrote.
"Why I oughta-" Jaune started, but was cut off when Ruby grabbed his shoulder.
"Jaune, calm down."
"Fine. But don't expect me to forget." He said, pointing a finger at her.
Neo then bit at the finger, causing Jaune to retract it quickly. Everyone chuckled some at what just unfolded. And then team RNNJR was off to Haven.
Off in the slight distance, a man slit the throat of an Ursa, watching as it fell to its death.
Turning back, he saw the five teens walking and chatting amongst eachother. Nothing one, he smiled and chuckled to himself.
"Turning enemies into allies. Just like Summer." The man said, taking a flask out of his jacket and took a swig. Putting it back, he dashed off, leaving a single jet black feather behind.
And there you have it! It's done! The longest, and maybe more to come, chapter here. I didn't want to egg on about Marquise, but I did enough to keep you interested. Anyways, I know most of you are probably going to be like, 'oh, you can't just build weapons like that and expect them to work without their Aura or soul juice inside of it.' and I'll be like, I don't know how any of their weapons function, so I just had them all buy her some spare pieces from a blacksmith, and she'll build it on her own. Anyways, I'm trying to follow the story some, so, as stated before, slight au. Just Neo is imported in all of this.
(Neo)- I appreciate the flatter. Also I have a complaint. Why in all hell, of all perverted things you could have done, you made me wear Pumpkin Pete panties!?
Relax, your lucky I didn't do anything more perverted. And besides, they were those one type of panties I can't find on the internet. You know, the ones that are boxers, just tighter, and have those flourish like designs on them. (if anybody can tell me the name, PLEASE do. It's been bothering me for a while now.)
(Neo)-*blushing* That doesn't change the fact that it had to be Pumpkin Pete!
Because who else or what else would it have been? Plus, I saw your little collection when I did the laundry.
(Neo)-*blushing harder* You and your insolent-hey! Hey I'm talking to you are you listening!?
Enjoy the next chapter!
(Neo)- Screw you!
Anytime!
