Teams CRMS, HERO and JNPR embark on a mission to uncover the source of the mysterious devices…will they solve the mystery and make it in time for the dance with those they hold most dear?
The Bullhead did not land; rather it neared the ground just close enough for the last remaining Huntsman and Huntress to disembark of their own accord.
If one landing strategy works…why change it.
Horatio slammed into the ground leaving a considerable dent. Cinder's strategy was far more refined, firing an arrow with a long band into a tree which wrapped around it to slow her fall, landing gracefully with a flip.
The Bullhead set them down outside a set of ruins leading to the coast; they had performed an aerial survey but could not get much closer due to the airborne Grimm activity. With the extensive mountains surrounding the region trying to go around the ruins would have cost them hours.
"If the map was accurate the coastline should be just past these ruins. Have you ever had an interest in history?"
Cinder looked them over, setting her hand on a stone carving of what appeared to be a woman holding an orb though the head and much of the shoulders had been worn away by time.
"Sometimes I wonder what they were like before us…what they were capable of," she mused, barely seeming to be talking to Horatio.
A bit of an historian in her.
The made their way through the stone ruins, it was quite beautiful with the natural ambiance of Forever Fall. The trees were a vibrant crimson with leaves that never seemed to end, falling from the trees and covering the ground as far as they could see. Even where there were no trees the red grass continued the trend.
The historical consensus was that Forever Fall was one of the few areas outside Vale where humans were able to hold against the Grimm in pre-technological days. They had built great stone structures similar to the ones in the Emerald Forest to hold the Grimm hordes at bay…though in the end they had either been overrun or merged with the growing Kingdom of Vale, many historians debated on which was more likely.
"If it weren't for the Grimm this would be a beautiful place to live," Horatio spoke aloud; it would not be long before they reached the end of the ruins.
"But would it be worth it?" Cinder asked him, not turning from the path.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…wouldn't it be too easy to just…live day by day? With the Grimm they must have held such pride defending their home from them. It would give living here greater meaning than without them…and driven them to becoming stronger."
What is she getting at?
"You think the Grimm attacking is a good thing?"
Cinder finally stopped, turning to give Horatio her full attention.
"What I mean is…if you live without opposition you stagnate, you have no need to improve yourself. You said these people lived during a time before technology helped them fight off the Grimm…would it be so far to theorize that the extreme increase in our technological prowess is due to their need for survival?"
"I…suppose not," Horatio had to agree…as much as he disagreed with the circumstances. "Still…I would like to think humanity can improve itself without impending destruction by soulless monsters driving us."
"That doesn't mean our current institution is our only option." Cinder put forward, unknowingly sewing her seeds for the future in Horatio's mind. "Huntsman have been fighting Grimm for…all of history, thousands of years with no end in sight. Does that sound like a good future, to fight monsters for all eternity?"
Where is this coming from? Horatio had never seen this side of her before. "If…you feel that way then why did you become a huntress?"
Cinder paused a moment, possibly regretting having said anything.
"Power," she answered honestly. "To be stronger than I was, is that not why you became one?"
Horatio thought about it, he had not considered his reasons in a long time, he had started combat training when he was still in single digits.
"I guess that was my reason at first…to become strong enough to protect those I care about. For whom did you want strength for?"
Cinder turned away again unwilling to answer. Horatio felt guilty that they had not spoken much during their portrait sessions…now he was intrigued by her more than ever…and a touch wary at what he may learn.
"We should start with opening this door," she pointed to the wall she had stopped at.
It was clearly the way forward; however it was blocked by an enormous stone slab. The slab, aside from the wear of the ages, was almost perfectly smooth without hinge or slot to attempt to pry or wedge it open.
Horatio analyzed the door, he could likely just break it down or a few of Cinder's dust arrows would do the trick, but that would risk a cave-in. On top of that his heart ached a bit at the thought of destroying something that had lasted so long. It had to weigh at least a few dozen tons, little chance of prying it open without a better wedge. The ruined structure was far from pristine.
"Ancient culture was a fan of puzzle doors," Horatio spoke aloud as he analyzed the area. "Most Grimm are incapable of complex thought processes until they are much older."
"That is correct," Professor Oobleck's voice echoed through his scroll. "Doors such as these would have required stone keys to use, likely fitting into that indentation on the right.
The Professor could see the area through the camera built into Horatio and Cinder's scrolls.
"Has this area been searched in recent years Professor?" Horatio asked.
"Not recently, and it's DOCTOR Oobleck thank you very much. I would advise searching the area, look in any crevices or devices that may have once served as containers. This may take some time, the ancient humans and faunus who lived here were known for their crafty…"
"Is this it?" Cinder produced a square stone block with intricate designs matching the door.
"Where did you find that?" Horatio looked on amazed.
"It was just in an old vase right over there," she motioned to a nearby collection of ancient pottery. A single vase was broken among the group…apparently the first Cinder had searched.
Neither Dr. Oobleck nor Horatio had any words and remained in dumbfounded silence as Cinder placed the block into the indentation with a resounding click. The door rumbled for a moment before sliding open and revealing the path ahead.
"Any updates from the other teams? We haven't heard from them since they touched down."
"No findings so far," Dr. Oobleck replied. "There seems to be some interference preventing contact between your scrolls, even my signal is just barely making it through. At last word they were all scouring their respective regions, some Grimm contacts but nothing they could not handle or anything out of the ordinary."
"Thank you Pr….Doctor. We're almost through the ruins here; no sign of ground-based Grimm yet, just the airborne ones and they seem to be ignoring us."
"No Grimm on land…at all?"
"None sir."
"Odd…most odd indeed, just six months ago that area had a spike of activity, we were worried about sending your teams in…most perplexing indeed. The rest of your teammates report similar lack of higher concentrations of Grimm….Team JNPR on the other hand has been wading through scores of them in Mountain Glenn."
"Maybe they just know better," Cinder remarked with a smirk as they found a passageway leading outside. Horatio had to squint as they re-emerged in the open to see the welcome sight of the sun above.
"I…don't think that is supposed to be there," Horatio pointed out sarcastically.
In the distance they could see a vessel, enormous in scope covered in metal containers sailing along the coast. It looked quite modern, its technology similar to Atlas only pitch black rather than the pure white and blue.
"How did this go unnoticed?" Cinder looked on, exasperated at how blind Vale must be to not realize ships of this size were in their very territory.
"That appears to be an active Merlot Industry vessel," Oobleck continued to explain. "But Dr. Merlot has not been heard from or seen in years. I must inform Professor Ozpin at once. Meanwhile I want you to investigate that ship, but please keep a safe distance."
"Understood Doctor." Horatio acknowledged before setting his scroll away. "It looks like there is a path leading up the mountain. We should be able to follow it along the coast."
"And here I was hoping we could swim," Cinder whispered in a suggestive tone, low enough that their scrolls wouldn't register it."
Horatio turned red as she let out a chuckle and started up the mountain path, Horatio close behind.
TEAM JNPR
Jaune rubbed the back of his head; a large throbbing bump had formed where he had hit it upon impact with the ground. Other than that he seemed fine, he still felt pressure on his chest though, had debris fallen on him?
His eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as he realized that Pyrrha was sitting on him clearly as dazed as he was. She had landed right on top of him in almost the same pose that Weiss had back in the Emerald Forest.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted, finally realizing her position. "Are you ok?" Strangely enough she was asking while still sitting on top of him.
"Funny," he groaned as she finally got up. "I was about to ask you the same question."
Ren and Nora were nearby in a similar position, only it was Nora who had fallen first breaking Ren's fall. Nora was lying on the ground humming cheerily, letting Ren take his time getting his bearings with no rush for him to get off her.
Where were they? Jaune wondered to himself. The last thing he remembered was their team coming up on the old Merlot Industries Headquarters only to be jumped by a pack of Grimm led by an enormous Ursa Major. They had managed to bring it down with coordinated attacks but the Headquarters and surrounding area suddenly began to collapse, dropping them down a dark chasm.
"Come….students….read me….?" Professor Peach's voice crackled to life over the scroll, Jaune quickly pulling his out.
"We are here Professor, everyone is alright. We appear to be in some sort of underground tunnel."
"O deary me, the collapse must have dropped you into Mountain Glenn's subterranean passages…we have no estimate on Grimm numbers in that area. Can you get out the way you came in?"
Jaune looked up, barely able to see the rays of light beaming through the hole they had made far in the distance. There were no grips or ledges to grab onto for a climb or jump up; he was astonished their auras handled a fall from such a height.
"Doesn't look that way ma'am."
"Confound it! Try to find another way out…but be careful! I will relay your status to the other teams."
Jaune put away his scroll, Ren had finally gotten to his feet and Nora was busy brushing dust from his clothes. Thankfully the tunnel system seemed to run in only one direction, with any luck it would lead to an alternate exit to the surface.
"Ren, scout ahead but keep out of site, Nora watch our backs in case anything tries to sneak up on us. Keep in contact via scroll."
They both acknowledged their jobs, in a flash Ren was out of site, Nora falling back to an appropriate distance to give fair warning of attacks.
"Pyrrha, if we run into Grimm we'll lock our shields and hold tight. With Nora behind us we'll be fine."
"Understood," she walked alongside Jaune as they made their way through the tunnels. She could not be more proud of him.
The tunnels were run down and stank of mold. The area was humid with trails of water leading through the ground. Jaune hoped if there was a split the water may lead out.
"I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been," Jaune finally spoke after a while of walking without incident. "To be trapped down here and Grimm everywhere…"
"They did not have the natural boundaries that protect Vale," Pyrrha explained. "The Grimm were just far too numerous…they always are."
"How?" Jaune was sounding frustrated; he must have been giving their roles as Huntsman and Huntresses a lot of thought. "How can they be so numerous that we never see an end in sight? They have to come from somewhere."
"And until we find that somewhere," Pyrrha reassured him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "We keep fighting them and make sure another Mountain Glenn does not occur."
Jaune turned, her smile never failing to lift his spirits.
"How did it take me so long to notice y…"
"Grimm," a buzz from his scroll sounded Ren's voice. "Several packs of Beowolves…and something else."
"What do you mean?"
"It looks like a Creeper but…it's green."
Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged confused glances. Creepers were a smaller breed of Grimm and noted as one of the least dangerous. They had little fear of them outside ambushes as they were notorious for their ability to burrow through the ground. No classes they had attended mentioned a green coloration.
"Green?"
"Some kind of cloud or miasma…the other Grimm are avoiding it which may work in our favor. The green one is following the same path as us. If we wait a little while the other packs should move on."
"Thanks Ren, find a safe place for us and we'll catch up. We can take a break while we wait for their numbers to thin. Did you get all of that Nora?"
"Loud and clear!" Nora's voice over the scroll sang in her usual chipper tone.
"Glad we brought supplies," Jaune chuckled as he dug through his pack. "Once we catch up with Ren we'll plan our next step…find out where that strange Grimm is heading, hopefully out of here."
Forever Fall Railway…
Roland and Emerald trudged along the abandoned railway as they had for several hours; they had been the second to be let off after Olivia and Ray. They had mostly been following it in respectful silence. They came across the occasional Beowolf or Creeper but nowhere near the packs they were fearful of fighting.
Roland was becoming quite impressed with Emerald, she wielded her weapons well. They at first appeared to be simple dual green pistols, however when needed in melee she transformed them into twin chain-scythes that could shred a Beowolf in an instant. He had intended to protect her in combat but unlike Esmerelda she needed to be mobile to remain effective.
"I know I said we could handle anything…but I was hoping to find SOMETHING," Roland griped as they surveyed the abandoned railway tracks before them.
"Don't complain of a chance to get an easy job for once," Emerald replied with great enthusiasm. She was always so kind and her demeanor never seemed to waver. "With how easy this is we'll be done and back in time for the dance easy."
Roland's spirits brightened at her words, a vision of the beautiful golden goddess shimmering into his mind. "You have someone in mind?"
Emerald only looked at him, tilting her head cutely. "Isn't it rude to make a lady talk first?"
Roland chuckled. "There's only one woman for me. I asked Yang before we left."
Emerald made the most over the top shocked expression she could muster. "No…you mean the girl you spend almost every moment with and talk about how amazing she is 24/7 is the girl you asked? Scoop of the decade that one."
"Call me predictable, I prefer the term reliable…it's my….golden rule." He looked at Emerald expectantly; he clearly was looking for her answer and to see what she thought of his pun.
"Mercury may have mentioned his intention to go," she admitted, ignoring his pun at Yang's hair color. "No word yet but no doubt after the mission…"
"I thought you two looked close," Roland chuckled. "You make a cute couple."
Emerald turned away and did not answer; he could swear he heard her stifle a laugh.
The two continued down the railway path in silence, they clearly had not been used in years. The tracks were cut off at certain points; it seemed that areas passing through cliffs or stonework had been purposefully collapsed. No doubt this was done by the people who lived there to prevent the Grimm from following them.
"How did someone transport devices to the Emerald Forest from Forever Fall without use of the tracks?" Roland asked aloud, hoping for Emerald's input. "You would need an airship to traverse these cliffs."
"Maybe it is the coast," Emerald spoke up at last. "If so our invincible leaders will be sure to find them."
"You really respect Cinder," Roland said as a statement rather than a question.
"I owe her everything," Emerald smiled. "I wouldn't be half the woman I am today were it not for her."
"What did she do? If I may ask," he added quickly.
"She saved me; don't you feel the same about Horatio?"
Roland thought for a moment. "I certainly trust him…he is like a force of nature."
Emerald glanced back to listen, trying to act only somewhat interested.
"You saw his fight with Mercury…as strong as he was, no offense to your team, he didn't even scratch him. I've seen him take hits from Grimm that would have crushed anyone else…yet he acted like it was nothing….if he ever got serious against something….heaven help them."
They finally reached the end of the tracks, only a crumbled tunnel entrance greeted them, no sign of any facility or similar equipment.
"Nothing," Roland groaned. The remaining sealed pathway ahead led underground and came out further up where Cinder and Horatio had been dropped off.
"I thought this tunnel was supposed to be open to us," Emerald pointed out. "But it's caved in…"
Roland looked around suspiciously. They had not felt any quakes or tremors that could have sealed it in the few scant hours since they were dropped off.
"Beowolves!" Emerald shouted, immediately picking off one that had emerged from the tall grass.
Roland turned, one had nearly crept up on him without his realizing it, with a powerful shield bash he sent it flying back the way it came.
Emerald was already swiftly making short work of the small pack that had surrounded her; clearly they considered her the greater threat. Performing a series of headshots she dropped the first two before transforming her weapons into their scythe form. With a leap she wrapped the metal chain around the necks of four of them, pulling hard with her body weight to drag them together to a central point. Once they were all together she leapt atop their shoulders, before they could target her she hooked a scythe around two of their necks each. Pulling the triggers, the force took all of their heads off; she jumped away and landed with a smile.
"Emerald…back away to me…now."
Emerald turned around, her eyes going wide, what they had mistaken for part of the rubble blocking the path had suddenly started moving…standing on two enormous feet. Emerald turned and unloaded a volley into the shape.
Every shot ricocheted away harmlessly.
"Wh-what is that?" Emerald asked as she complied, retreating behind his shield for the first time that day.
It was clearly an Alpha Beowolf…or had once been, possibly the pack leader of the ones they had fought…but it was wrong…an anomaly or mutant perhaps. It had strange green crystals all over its back and shoulders; veins ran throughout its body of the same color, even its red eyes had been twisted into a blank pale green stare.
And it was huge…easily twice as big as any Alpha Beowolf he had ever seen. It was nearly as tall as the enormous Ursa they had fought in the Emerald Forest.
But this time I don't have my team.
Roland glanced to Emerald as he thought this…he was not alone.
"Stay behind me, take shots when you can but nothing unnecessarily dangerous," he shouted. "Try to find a weakness in its skin, perhaps the eyes!"
The Mutant Beowolf bellowed out a powerful roar as it charged, claws slashing furiously producing enough momentum to carry it towards Roland and Emerald.
At the Coastline…
"This is huge," Horatio whispered to Cinder as they hid behind a boulder watching the ship pull in.
No kidding.
They had made their way along the path and found where the ship made port. It was a small dock but was filled with even more shipping containers. Upon prying one open they discovered why there had been a notable lack of Grimm in the area…they were being caged. Each container they opened was filled wall to wall with captured Grimm thrashing and gnawing in their attempts to escape. It was logical to assume every container was similarly filled.
"We have to inform Doctor Oobleck," Horatio pulled out his scroll and started inputting his information. As soon as he pressed the connect button a blaring alarm went off, a klaxon wail booming all around them
"They must have sensors to detect scroll signals," Cinder shouted over the sound, drawing her swords from her back.
As Cinder expected, the ship's countermeasures did not take long to arrive. In a matter of seconds loud clanks like metal on rock began to draw closer, she peaked over their hiding spot.
Near the ship were at least a dozen humanoid shapes, though that is all that made them appear human. It was clear they were made of technology mimicking or perhaps based on Atlas android models. The shapes were all mechanical androids each towering at least twice Cinder's own height. They were colored bright red and each held in their hands a massive energy Halberd longer than they were. The symbols on their chest matched the Merlot Industry logo that had been popping up.
And they were slowly approaching their hiding place.
"We cannot go back," Cinder pointed out. The path they had traversed up to the coast was wide open with little cover; they'd be outrun for sure.
"We fight then."
"If we shred their entire force the ship will have time to retreat and we'll never find the facility." With how small the port was it was unlikely this was their main base of operations.
Horatio lowered his head in thought, his mind clearly racing a mile a minute.
"I'll distract them," he replied at length. "I will fight to draw off as many as I can…when I do you can sneak around them. Once you are safe try to place a tracking device on the ship. If it is not seen Beacon can then track it from a distance. After the tracker is in place we withdraw."
"You don't have to do this," Cinder whispered, laying her hand on his cheek.
She knew full well he would do it, and this would give her a perfect opportunity to see what he could do…still she found herself genuinely hoping he succeeded with little injury.
Horatio took her left hand and kissed it as he had outside her dorm the first night. With that he leapt over the crates without a word, landing squarely on the shoulders of the closest android, slamming his fist down hard on its head.
The mechanical soldier was surprisingly durable, barely staggering at his blow, it brought the energy Halberd up and attempted to swat Horatio off of it. The other mechanical constructs surrounding it lowered their halberds menacingly and advanced.
In the chaos Cinder crept around the battle, locating a container still being loaded onto the ship. Without making a sound she clipped the tracking bug they had been provided for the mission onto the side.
Hmmm…those robots are quite formidable…maybe we could get a better look at their creator….
"Roman, change of plans," she started. Whatever the interference blocking scroll signals was it had no effect on hers. Dr. Watts was too good for that. "I have a signal for you to track…"
Upon activating the bug she cracked open the container with a blow of her swords, releasing its dangerous payload of Creeper and Beowolf Grimm. The monsters, desperate for freedom climbed over each other and scattered to the surrounding hills. After the small stampede had cleared she climbed inside, disappearing into the back.
On the other side of the port Horatio bull rushed the closest enemy, shrugging off the rapid Halberd blows, clipping it at the knees and bringing it to the ground. He had already smashed four of them but the remaining eight were grouping up in a phalanx formation.
Those halberds actually sting, what energy source are they using?
Horatio did not want a protracted fight, these things were immensely strong. He would be fine if he was careful but there were so many. Cinder was sure to be done planting the bug by now so he pulled back to the ship where he had last seen her.
Rounding a corner a hidden thirteenth android emerged and thrust its halberd squarely in his face, he had no time to dodge.
Horatio grabbed the energy blade of the halberd with his bare hands, pushing back as hard as he could. The glow of the blade seemed to brighten the tighter he squeezed; the heat burned his palm to the point even the aura surrounding his hand became visible, its golden shimmer started to crack.
Slamming his foot into the ground with a grunt Horatio pushed his hands together with renewed strength, shattering the blade in an instant, shutting off the annoying hum of energy.
Its halberd broken, the crimson android grabbed him squarely by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Horatio strained his neck against the vice-like grip, punching at its arm again and again, his first blows did nothing, but after the fourth strike the arm began to dent, it was working.
The android caught on and instead turned, throwing Horatio toward the nearest container. The container had been opened and he flew into the back with a metallic clang.
Horatio was unharmed, but as he got to his feet the door of the container sealed shut, locking him in absolute darkness. Before he could start pounding on the walls the entire container shifted, sending him hurtling to the ends and back as it spun.
We're in the air…the ship must be loading us aboard!
Horatio was thrown into the wall again; he put his hands in front of him in preparation for the hit, however this time he impacted something soft that cushioned his blow. The unknown object however let out a quiet grunt, much to his surprise.
"Cinder," Horatio asked in the absolute darkness recognizing her voice. "Is that you?"
"It is…and seeing as we are on a mission I believe it would be best for you to move your hands."
"Sorry," Horatio swiftly complied.
The two were lurched forward once more as the container was finally set down, likely aboard the very ship they sought to find. As Horatio fumbled in the dark again a sudden flare of light forced him to squint and shield his eyes. Cinder had ignited one of her dust arrows, not enough to detonate it, but enough for the dust catalyst to illuminate the room they found themselves inside.
"They got you too?"
"Yes," Cinder lied. "They are quite strong, I was forced to retreat inside this container…apparently they did not wish to pursue."
"Might be programmed to stay out to prevent any accidents with the Grimm…or maybe they are treating us like Grimm," Horatio theorized.
Cinder spotted his hands in the failing light; his aura was cracked but quickly mending itself…his palms red and inflamed.
So he has…SOME limit…
"You're hurt!" she sounded concerned pointing to his hands. "What happened?
"I'm fine, just an annoying run-in with a halberd of theirs," he reassured her. "I'll have us out in a moment." He started to wind up on the nearest wall.
"Wait!" Cinder grabbed his arm, deflating it of all strength. "Do you feel that movement?"
Horatio focused, the entire floor felt quite unsteady, there was no doubt they were on the open water.
"This ship must be heading to their facility," she explained. "If we wait for it to reach land we can find it and get to the bottom of this."
Cinder placed the tip of her arrow to the wall and very carefully used the heat to carve a small hole just large enough for them to peer through. It gave them an unobstructed view of the main deck and ocean beyond.
Androids patrolled the deck, wandering aimlessly or performing minor tasks such as moving containers or corralling Grimm. They did not appear to care about or be aware of the stowaways.
"Nothing but ocean," Cinder reported upon looking past the ship's hull. "I cannot see the coast either past this fog."
Horatio pulled out his scroll and entered the information for Dr. Oobleck. Only static greeted him.
"Dr. Oobleck come in…Dr. Oobleck do you read me?"
No response.
"If you can hear us," Horatio continued in case the interference only prevented reception. "We are currently inside a container aboard the Merlot Industries vessel. Current destination is unknown however sight of the coast has been obscured by fog. We will attempt to locate higher ground at earliest chance for better reception."
His message completed, Horatio relaxed, slumping against the very wall he had sought to destroy. "Professor Ozpin is not going to like this, we were just supposed to survey." Horatio thought back to the holographic readout they had been given for the mission, trying to think where the ship could be heading at such speed.
"There were no islands or nearby land masses according to the map…perhaps they have some sort of off-shore base they constructed."
"If that's the case we have no idea how long it may take to arrive," Cinder sighed as she stretched her arms, obviously annoyed at the amount of time they would likely be cooped up in that container.
"It could be worse," Horatio tried to reassure her. There was nothing they could do until they landed, any commotion made on deck might result in a course change. "Until then we can wait…or we can talk?"
"What about?"
Horatio looked up as if deciding on a topic despite already having one chosen. "How about…the upcoming dance?" He blurted out, immediately regretting his decision. This was hardly the time…but he feared it may be the last chance.
Cinder's smile creeped back onto her face though she did her best to contain it. "No one's asked me yet; I was planning on sitting the evening out. Mercury and Emerald were going to attend. I suppose you have a nice girl you plan on asking?" she asked coyly.
"I have one in mind," Horatio couldn't make eye contact or risk smiling. "Not sure if she'll say yes though."
O this is precious…
"Afraid she'll say no?"
"Naturally, we haven't known each other very long...for all I know she has someone already."
He knows no girl is this dense right?
"You'll never know till you ask." She started. "Plenty of boys used to ask me out…I turned them all down of course but I respect the fact they had the courage to try."
"I see…" Horatio concluded as he left them in silence within the darkness of the container.
I knew he wouldn't be able to do it, as soon as things get tough men just…
"Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the dance?" he blurted out so fast the words ran together. He locked eyes with her, his face serious and focused.
Cinder had a genuine look of surprise on her face.
He was supposed to chicken out but still harbor feelings…that would have given me a chance to infiltrate the Tower during the dance but continue to learn about him. He still asked even after everything I said before?
Cinder was still mulling over her brief lapse in playing her role back in the ruins. The plan shifted accordingly in her mind in an instant.
"Me?" she asked, sending enough heat to her cheeks to feign a blush. "Do you really feel that way about me?"
"I don't know," Horatio answered truthfully. "But I would love to have the chance to find out before you have to return to Haven." He ended with a heartfelt smile.
Cinder closed her eyes.
Emerald will need to take over for me during the dance…
"I would love to," she laid her hand on his. "Provided we can make it back in time." She looked out the makeshift hole at the sea beyond. "Until then…were there any other topics you wished to talk about?"
Horatio smiled as he relaxed in the container, popping his double jointed thumbs over and over as he did when nervous. He had a million questions and was ready for the duration.
"Well…I would love to start by knowing your favorite color…"
Horatio and Cinder begin their voyage to the mysterious facility, their fellow teams fighting for survival…what will they find? Read and Review, but most of all enjoy. :)