Chapter 35 – The Stanley Hotel
Ruby
The morning has risen across the City of Argus, the Sleeping Angel of Remnant…
Ruby walks out of the house of Saphron's, looking around as the people of this city begin to continue their daily lives. The way in which they all act as if the world is not going to hell is truly quite impressive, in a way encouraging. It shows the resilience of their people despite how many horrors in the world should leave them a crying mess in their houses. But they do not care, they just keep going with their lives.
They just keep moving forward for as long as they possibly can.
The bitter northern wind scrapes across their cheeks as they emerge, looking around at the huge city that expands before their very eyes. As she stands there, Ozpin stands beside her, holding his cane in his hands as he looks out as well. "Quite a view, isn't it?" He asks her as he admires it, and she frivolously nods her head up and down, not saying a word. Ozpin glances down at her as she stands beside him, and he looks back out across the land. "Something is on your mind, is it not?" Ozpin asks her curiously, able to read her quite well. A skill he has always been able to utilise at the best of times, especially when in interrogations with a prisoner.
Ruby glances at him for a moment with her silver eye before looking back down at the floor, then back to the city. "You can speak with me, Ruby. I understand your distrust with me, I have not exactly earned your trust after the amount of secrets I have kept – and the things I have done." Ozpin explains as he holds his hands atop the cane. Ruby stands there and she sighs, rather loudly as well as she stands there, tapping the barrel of Crescent Rose where she has holstered it onto her belt around her waist.
"I'm…I'm just scared is all." She says to him, and he looks at her.
"It's natural to be afraid of Umbra, Miss Rose, he is beyond anything we have faced before." Ozpin answers, although he clearly did not really understand the point she was trying to make just then.
"That's…not what I meant." She says with a sigh as a soft gust of air blows her black and red hair, and Ozpin glances down at her where she stands.
"Then what did you mean?" Ozpin inquires curiously, and Ruby blows out a shaky breath as she looks up at the seagulls that cry as they glide across the blue skies. Fluffy white clouds floating over their heads.
"I'm not scared of Umbra specifically, Professor…it's…everything else that scares me. The weight on our shoulders." She explains, and she turns to see a beautiful purple and red butterfly fluttering over to her, and she lifts her index finger and middle finger up to give the tiny and lovely insect a place to land. It sets itself down upon her slender fingers and it gently flexes its thin wings as it sits there comfortably on her finger. "Everything…kind or cruel, good or bad, Human and Faunus, Intelligent or Not…it will all die. And the weight of saving it all rests with us…I…I don't know how to cope with that." She stammers, and Ozpin looks at her and the butterfly that she tenderly cares for.
Then a kind smile graces Ozpin's face as he looks down at the young woman, for the answer to her stress, and why she has been chosen is right in front of him. "You already are." Ozpin tells her, and she looks up at him with a raised eyebrow of confusion. "The way you care for something so small, so insignificant like an insect, it shows why you have made it as far as you have. You protect the little ones, the ones that cannot defend themselves from those bigger and stronger and crueller. It is a spark like you, that can ignite a flame that can shine light through the darkness, and because of that, you will do whatever needs to be done to save them. Whether or not they may see you as a monster or not…those you are forced to kill left you no choice. You possess power but do not use it, only when you must." Ozpin explains as he crouches down beside Ruby, looking at her and the butterfly.
The little insect spreads its wings and it flies away with beautiful and peaceful grace, gliding away into the distance. "That, is who you are, Ruby Rose. And I feel the same way, having this weight on our shoulders can hurt and can bring us down…but we can beat him if we stand together. Vir Nominis Umbra is not unstoppable, nothing ever is. Everything has a weakness, and I believe it all comes down to a moment, a time when you can deliver the killing blow." Ozpin explains as he rises back up, and Ruby looks at him as he stands there. "The way to cope? Is to have people you trust by your side."
"Is that why you created the idea of Teams?" She inquires curiously, and he nods his head.
"A warrior can be powerful on their own, but their hide is rigid, easily broken. But a group of warriors who fight and live together? Bound by friendships and happiness? Why that is a hide that is far tougher to break." Ozpin states as he nods his head, and then he walks forward. Ruby turns when she hears Jaune emerging from the room behind him. Both the Professor and his Student turn to see everyone coming out of the house in their respective fireteams to locate the Activation Tower for the Tunnel Network.
As Jaune walks out with Pyrrha and Oscar, Saphron and Terra walk out behind them, standing at the door. Saphron holds baby Adrian in her arms as she smiles to her brother with supportive affection. Jaune stands before his sister and sister-in-law. "Stay safe, baby brother." Saphron says and he chuckles with that cheeky grin on his face that never seems to go away no matter how old he gets.
"Me? I'm always safe." Jaune jokes, and Nora spins round with a raised eyebrow of total disbelief at his words.
"You?" She questions, making Saphron snort as Jaune bites his lip with annoyance to his lovable friend, slowly turning to stare at her smug grinning face. She knows exactly what she did right there and shows almost no signs of regret whatsoever on her face. Through intensely forced cheer, Jaune replies to her.
"Thanks…Nora…" He grits through his fake cheer, eyes about to explode as he glares at her. She presses her nose and she blows a raspberry at him before she joins up with the rest of her fireteam, walking with Penny to Ren and Blake. Qrow walks down the steps and he gently ruffles his daughter's hair, and she groans, pulling her head away from him and ruffling it back into the way it was. She sits there like a grump after that, and Qrow winks at her as he leads his team down the stairs.
Jaune turns back to his sister and he reassures her once more – without the impending threat of Nora Valkyrie totally wrecking his words. "Don't worry, sis. Fingers crossed we can open that tunnel without drawing too much attention, but if it does go down…well just stay inside and stay safe, okay? We've handled Acolytes of Lien before, but I wouldn't say they care too much about collateral damage." Jaune explains as she approaches his family, and Saphron smiles and nods her head.
"Don't worry, Jaune. We'll be okay, won't we pumpkin?" Saphron coos to Adrian who coos back as he reaches up to his mother's long blonde hair that droops over before his little eyes. Jaune chuckles as he looks at him, and he leans down, and he gently holds his tiny hand in his finger and thumb.
"Keep 'em safe little guy, yeah?" Jaune asks the child, and the coo gives him a grin, and he chuckles as he rises back up.
"Jaune?" Oscar calls as he stands there with Traveller's Atrocity in his grasp, looking back at him as everyone begins their mission to investigate the Four Towers. "You ready?"
"Yeah. On my way. Stay safe you three…" Jaune begs as he goes to walk away from them, but Terra stops him, and he looks back at her.
"There's something I need to warn you about." Terra reveals and he looks at her with both confusion and concern.
"Huh?" He asks her.
"Open your scroll." Terra requests, so he does that, and he opens up the map that they took a picture of for reference on their mission, everyone has a copy on each of their Scrolls.
"What's the problem, Terra?" He asks her, and she points at the circled Tower that they are headed for, but then she traces her finger down to something else in the city right beneath it. He notices it as well.
Silver Bay Mental Asylum
"It was something that we overlooked, but I was looking at the map earlier and I remembered something. These roads can't be used anymore because there is construction happening here for a new Supermarket." Terra explains to him whilst the rest of his team walk up the steps to hear what she is saying to him.
"Naturally." Jaune says to her, and Saphron scoffs in agreement.
"Yeah, so there are only two ways through for you. You take the much longer route which requires going around the whole city…or…you go through the Asylum." Terra explains as she taps the screen, and they all look at each other and then at her.
"Honey…will they even allow that?" Saphron asks her.
"They're Hunters. Their scrolls grant them access to places like Asylums, if it has something to do with your investigations. Use that as a cover to get through, and beyond that there are some more old ruins that haven't been touched. I doubt that will be a problem for you guys, but this is the fastest route you have." Terra explains as she steps away from his scroll and he blows out a breath.
"It'll be dangerous won't it?" Pyrrha asks.
"As long as you stay away from the cells you should be fine." Saphron reassures with that supportive smile of hers. Jaune ponders on it before he turns to his best friend, Ruby. She looks at him and waits for his question.
"What're you thinking, Rubes?" Jaune asks her curiously.
She ponders as well, and comes to a good conclusion. "Well, we can't burn anymore time. We're wasting daylight as it is just standing here. We can't afford to circle around the city…it's a solid plan." Ruby replies with the shrug of her shoulders.
Jaune nods his head in agreement before looking at his Girlfriend and Ruby's Boyfriend – the two of them nod as well, since it is the best move. If not a bit disturbing to go through a maximum-security Asylum, but it is a path, nonetheless. "Alright, we head through Silver Bay Asylum. Thanks, Terra." Jaune thanks as he wraps his arms around her in a warm and thankful hug, one she returns the favour with, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Any time, Jaune." She promises as she holds him close, and then he whispers into her ear.
"Look after yourselves, okay? Things…are gonna happen…so stay alive." Jaune begs her, and the words truly do send a chill of pure dread through her body, but she bravely swallows it thickly and nods her head.
"We will, and stay safe yourself." Terra begs, and Jaune steps back with a grin.
"No promises."
Kassius
The music can be heard blaring from all the way up here in the hotel as the sun begins to fall behind the horizon. That really does show the contrast in time between the two locations, since Anima is ahead of Vale by nine hours. Kassius and the gang entered their hotel about an hour ago and found that there was already some rather nice-looking clothes left in here, quite an assortment as well. Turns out that the staff leave these dresses and suits inside of the wardrobes for the guests staying with them for their parties they have once a month for people to blow off some steam. And these are some pretty nice outfits too.
Velvet wears a beautiful blue dress with a split in the right-hand side that her leg can be seen sticking out of. They all have been asked to leave their weapons behind so that is precisely what Velvet does. She stands in front of the mirror, posing as she looks at herself and she touches her ears. "Are you sure this isn't a bit much, Coco? I mean…it's a bit revealing with my leg isn't it?" She asks as she moves the dress and looks at her leg. Coco stands behind her as she does her hair, already dressed up and ready for the party downstairs.
"Nah, it's fine. You look sexy as hell." Coco compliments, and Velvet blushes and looks away from the reflection. "Stay still, trying to do your hair isn't easy when you keep moving your head." Velvet responds to that by swinging her head back and forth, making Emerald chuckle as she zips up her Green Dress she found inside as well, matching her hair colour. Except this time, they have no need for disguises and new names, they can just go there and be themselves for once in their lives. "I will shave your hair off." Coco warns Velvet, and she gasps and freezes still.
"I'm sorry." She apologises, making Coco grin since that threat has always gotten her to stop…because she actually did shave her head once. That nearly shattered their trust with each other, but maybe Velvet shouldn't have pushed Coco to that point by being a little too cheeky with her.
"Thank you." Coco replies as she keeps braiding some parts of her hair together, not the whole hair into a tail though, just some areas to give her a unique look. As Coco does her friend's hair, she wears a familiar bronze dress, one so familiar that even Emerald notices that as she eyes it up. It is literally the exact same dress she wore at Fallingwater Estate…that cannot be a coincidence.
It even has some of the scuffs on it.
"Is that…the same dress?" Emerald questions with disbelief in her voice, and Coco turns around with a playful wink at Emerald.
"Oh yeah." She answers, and Velvet raises a brow.
"Wait seriously? I thought it was just a similar looking one." Velvet questions with a similar level of disbelief as their green haired friend.
"What can I say? This Vir Nominis Umbra fella has one hell of a great sense of style." She says with a smile on her face, in which Emerald looks away. She may have never really seen Vir Nominis Umbra when he saved her life by having Kassius and Cardin happen upon her, but his style is hardly what they should be worrying about. But at the same time, that is just Coco's way, she has always been one to joke these things around to lighten the mood and improve morale.
Better than dwelling on it twenty-four-seven.
In the other room whilst Coco is helping make Velvet look stunning – which really is not much effort to do thanks to her natural beauty – are Kassius and Cardin. Suited and booted, sat down on his bed Kassius is fiddling with the sleeve of his grey suit that he wears over his white shirt. He opens and closes his cybernetic arm and continues to play with the sleeves with frustration, whereas Cardin is equally annoyed with this outfit. "Gods…how to businessmen live in these things?" He questions.
"I know, damned thing keeps getting caught in the gears of my arm." Kassius complains as he keeps sorting it out until he just rolls his sleeves up to prevent the problem from getting any worse. Cardin looks at Kassius and he raises his brow, since he could never really understand the struggle he is experiencing.
"Well…at least yours actually fits you!" Cardin strains as he tries to move his arms, wincing from every movement as he tries to not burst a suture. Kassius looks at him struggle and he chuckles at him as he stumbles around in it. Neither of them like suits but it is stull quite entertaining to watch such a big man stagger around the way he is right now. "Oh, come on."
"Were you always this much of an idiot at Beacon?" Kassius curiously inquires.
"Oh…much worse." Cardin assures as he sits down on the foot of his bed, resting his arms on his knees, checking his watch as they wait for the girls to come out. "Gods, how long does it take? Been waiting half an hour." Cardin groans.
"You haven't had to wait for Weiss Schnee to get ready. That's when you experience true pain." Kassius says.
"Take a while?" He asks.
"Oh yeah. Yang and everyone else were ready long before she was." Kassius clarifies as he taps his metal finger against his human hand softly. As he starts doing that, Cardin makes a beat with his foot, matching the rhythm formed from Kassius' finger. They look at each other and grins form as they immaturely start forging a musical tune together with their bodies. They both bob their heads and Cardin starts beatboxing as they wait for the girls, and Kassius whistling as well.
Before they even know it, they have created an epic tune.
Which gets cut off as soon as they get to the base drop, the door opening and Emerald coming out, stopping and staring at the two boys, catching them in the act. "Aw…just as we were getting to the good bit." Cardin complains, and Emerald just scoffs before she rolls her eyes in disgust.
"Losers." Emerald insults as she sits down on one of the stools in here, catching a gasp from Kassius as he slaps his hand to his chest in total awe at her cruel words.
"How dare you…that was legendary." Kassius states.
"For a pair of losers." Emerald adds.
"You really haven't changed much from Beacon, have you?" Cardin asks her, and Kassius raises an eyebrow.
"What? Was she always a nasty stuck up little thief back then?" Kassius whispers, and Emerald spins her head round and narrows her eyes.
"I was not stuck-up." Emerald defends as she stares at the two boys sat there, and Cardin animatedly shakes his head as he bluffs to her.
"Oh no, not at all." He assures before giving her the thumbs up, leaning down to Kassius and whispering in his ear. "100%, she wouldn't keep her eyes off the girls." He whispers, and Emerald suddenly blushes as she springs up and glares at him, catching his words.
"That's it, Winchester!" Emerald explodes, until the door opens, and the guys turn, and their eyes widen when they see the beautiful Velvet Scarlatina standing before them. She is one of those people who somehow just gets prettier, like a fine wine. If Kassius wasn't already devoted to Yang…he would have fallen for Velvet most likely, if she were a little less innocent though. Kassius likes his girls having a dirty side, which is why he loves Yang so much.
Velvet looks at them with a shy smile as she shows herself and the makeup that her Fashionista Best Friend came up with for her, some beautiful sapphire blue eyeshadow and glistening lip balm. And she smells like that of the most wonderful flowers in an endless field. All that echoes in the guys minds is that she can really clean up well, and even then, she has immense charm outside of this kind of attire. Coco walks around her beautiful friend with a smile, holding her sunglasses in one hand and tucking them down into her bosom. "Whoa…" Cardin softly says as he looks at her in awe, and even though Kassius has no feelings for her, even he cannot help but be awestruck by her.
"Looking good, Velvet." Kassius compliments, causing her to blush and smile.
"Not too bad yourself." Velvet softly says to him with a nervous smile.
"Now, now everyone. Buffet isn't open yet, have to wait your turn." Coco jokes, in which Velvet blushes and covers her face in her hands with immense awkwardness at her dirty humour. Coco just winks at them and they chuckle. "Everyone ready?" Coco asks them and the two guys stand up and Cardin walks past Emerald as she flips him off, and he just replies by sticking out his tongue.
Cardin opens the door and holds it for them all. Kassius walks through last, following Coco, Velvet and Emerald at the front as they walk across the hallway as Cardin locks their apartment behind them. "So…what's the plan here?" Coco inquires to Kassius.
"Well, we know little to nothing about this city. At a party like this there are gonna be a wide range of people we could talk to or overhear. Maybe we can narrow down the search for this Activation Tower we need." Kassius explains as he walks past some of the guests in their dresses and suits, watching everyone dancing down on the dancing floor.
"Well and have a bit of fun." Cardin adds.
"Yes, but remember. We have a mission here, party boy." Coco reminds as she points at him, making Cardin chuckle.
"Don't worry, I know." Cardin promises as he walks with them.
The constant cascade of glasses clinking, overwhelming voices and conversation mixed with the booming music is very difficult to comprehend. However, this is the perfect location and event to find information, however they cannot notice that some of the people are still acting a little strange. They were expecting more people on the dance floor but really there is precious little. Then again, the party has just begun, and it is likely that most of the guests are far from drunk enough yet to be dancing down there.
"Soooo…anyone gonna comment on those weird receptionists earlier?" Cardin asks curiously.
"Yeah, that was a bit strange." Velvet agrees.
"Can't say I blame them. Working day and night in a hotel with minimum pay? Wouldn't be surprised if that is the reason why." Emerald says as she walks along, and Kassius looks at some of the staff members that walk around, offering drinks to people. They seem better now, better than they were before. Kassius nods his head, starting to agree with Emerald, it is possible that after Salem and everything they have experienced, they have just been jumping to conclusions too fast.
The smell of food and liquor is strong down here as well, walking down the rest of the steps and moving past some of the people that converse. Kassius leads them to the bar where they can see the waiter washing the polished wood with a cloth after getting some people their drinks. He looks at them with a smile, resting his arms against the table as he sees them, eying up Velvet but not in a creepy way. If anything, it seems so supportive and kind the way he does it.
And what he says strengthens that. "Hello ma'am, looking beautiful today. Nice to see more Faunus coming out of their shells nowadays." He says to her with a smile, a Human and he is actually happy to see a Faunus who has made the effort to look presentable.
"You get many Faunus here?" Emerald asks the waiter as she leans against the bar as well.
"Yeah, we get a lot around here at Queen's Cove, but very few tend to come to parties. They either stay at home, only go out for work or are more private people. Nice to see things are improving though." The Waiter says as he finishes the clean up on the table. Obviously, that is not completely true, considering what has happened to the White Fang, but none of them feel the need to correct the man on his compliment. He slaps the cloth down and he looks at them. "So…what can I get you all?" He asks them.
"I…will have the Rose Petal Dark Beer." Kassius orders with a smile, and the Waiter snaps his fingers with a smile.
"Very good choice sir." He replies.
"I'll have the same." Cardin agrees as he nods his head.
"Of course! I do love this particular drink, not too light but it won't knock you on your ass." The Waiter describes, making them all chuckle as he pulls the two dark beer bottles from the fridge, taking the bottle opener and pulling the caps off, sliding them down to them. Kassius catches it in his cybernetic hand and he raises his bottle to the waiter in appreciation. "What about you lovely ladies?"
"Ooh…" Coco coos as she looks at the many drinks available, and Velvet deep down can already tell what she is going to get due to how well she knows her.
Gonna be a cocktail
Gonna be a cocktail
Gonna be a cocktail
"I'll have the Almond Six, please." Coco orders, and Velvet smiles.
Cocktail.
The waiter approaches the ingredients and he pours the alcohol then the Almond and Apple juices into it, shaking it all together and forging this strangely delicious cocktail. He finishes it off by popping a lemon on the side of the glass, sliding it across with an umbrella in it as well. She catches it and winks at the Waiter in appreciation. "I'll have a Lavender Wine please." Velvet requests with a smile, and Coco pauses with shock, looking at her friend.
"You? Wow…You nearly never drink…especially after that party at Beacon recently." Coco comments.
"Oh yeah…you really did drink a fair bit, didn't you?" Kassius asks her, and Velvet groans, giggling as she covers her face in embarrassment, but Cardin stops them there.
"Hold on…Velvet Scarlatina…the timidest and kind girl I've ever seen at that school bar Ruby and Pyrrha…got wasted?" Cardin asks with disbelief.
"Oh yeah…totally wasted." Kassius clarifies with the nod of his head.
"I was hoping you'd forgotten it." She groans.
"How could I ever forget you trying to dance with a statue?" Coco questions, making Emerald chuckle as well at the mere image of seeing the beautiful and graceful Bunny drunkenly trying to dance with a statue.
"We talking about the Fountain Statue?" Emerald asks.
"Yep, she then fell into the fountain and claimed she was a Bunny Mermaid." Coco remembers vividly with a smile and Velvet groans with embarrassment at this story being retold.
"I wish I was around to see that." Cardin chuckles.
"It was something." Coco agrees.
"You are all terrible." Velvet groans with embarrassment, pressing her head to the bar with a heavy sigh. The Waiter comes back, and he sets her glass down and she lifts her head and picks it back up. "I'm gonna need this to forget that." Velvet says as she takes a sip from her wine glass.
"And you, my dear?" The Waiter asks Emerald.
"Um…I'll have the Cranberry Ale please." She requests.
"Coming up." The Waiter assures as he goes to fetch that drink, and Cardin leans over and looks at Coco.
"By the way…I know you guys weren't there…but back in that party when Jaune and Pyrrha finally got together that time…was there meant to be alcohol there?" Cardin inquires, and Coco raises a brow.
"Not to my knowledge." Coco responds as she looks at him, the Cranberry Ale Glass sliding past her and to Emerald's hand, she catches it instantly.
"Oh…I guess someone spiked my punch then." Cardin realises, biting his lip as he tries to remember.
"How bad was it?" Coco asks.
"I can't remember the last half of that night." He clarifies, making Kassius chuckle. "What about you, Kassius? Any cool End of Year Dances at Haven?" He asks him, and Kassius taps the top of his bottle with his finger as he remembers.
"Uh…yeah, kinda. I mean it wasn't on a scale like yours was, but my team and I went to a Dance Club and got wasted." Kassius explains as he remembers that one extremely well.
"No dance?" Velvet asks.
"Oh, there was dancing…bad dancing…but dancing." Kassius clarifies, making them chuckle at that one. "Gods, Draven was many things, but a good dancer wasn't one of them." He says, and it really shows a lot considering he does not seem to be showing any signs of grief whenever he thinks about his team despite them being long gone now. That is a very good sign for his mental state, which has improved since Yang reunited with him back at Haven years ago. Sure, he has moments of grief, like when a yearly anniversary passes by when he lost them…but apart from that, he can actually think of them without bringing back pain.
Being in a team again…despite his wishes against it…it has really been good for him.
Velvet looks around and then she looks at the Waiter, since he may be the best person to ask about this. "Excuse me, sir?" Velvet calls and he approaches.
"Yes, ma'am?" He replies.
"We're rather new here, and – if you couldn't tell – we're Huntsmen and Huntresses. We're on a mission, and since you live here…would you mind giving us a hand with something?" She asks him curiously, and he crosses his arms.
"Of course, you need to know a certain location?" He asks her.
"Sort of. We're looking for some old Towers, saw some of them on the way in. But one of these towers is important…I can't say why because it's classified…but what I can say is that it draws power." Kassius explains, which is a very wise thing to say. The Waiter stands there with a clean cloth as he cleans out one of the glasses in his hand. The Waiter contemplates and he looks across the large room at the people in here as an idea comes across his mind.
"Well I personally cannot comment on anything like that, however there are some people here today who work on the power grid of the city. If anyone would know about that, it would be them." The Waiter says.
"Where are they?" Coco inquires.
"Right over there." The Waiter answers, pointing to a booth that has some men with some pretty ladies chatting with quite a few drinks on them. Velvet looks at them and then at Kassius and Coco.
"Okay, thank you so much." Velvet thanks with a smile and Kassius pays the bill with the lien he managed to cash out from an A.T.M Machine. They all step away from the bar and they look at the men, and they look at each other.
"Be a bit suspicious if we all went there, wouldn't it?" Cardin asks.
"Yeah it would. Velvet come with me, we'll have a word with them. Rest of you, blend in, hear what you can, have fun." Kassius says to them, and Cardin grins.
"Can do that." Cardin agrees, and he walks away from them, drinking more and more of his beer, approaching the dance floor. Kassius looks at Velvet and he nods, she nods back and they both approach the many people that's it there with their decks of cards, making jokes and playing with the women. Clearly, they have been paid for their time here, since they are also clearly strippers. Definitely a strange Hotel, not many Hotels hire strippers unless they are personally paid for.
As they approach, one of the drunkards looks at them as they approach, eying up Velvet…not as nicely as the Waiter did. As his eyes focused on her round breasts and her curvy body. However, as Kassius stands beside her he seems to stand down for now. The men turn and they look at them. "Can we help you?" One of them asks.
"Yeah…" Kassius says as he pulls out his wallet and he shows some lien. "…We're Hunters, and we think you could help us out with something."
"Oh yeah? And what might that be?" Another man asks.
"Well, I know you all work on the power grid, and since you are all here, I'm guessing you came here to unwind, right?" Kassius asks them as he walks around their table, and they look at him constantly.
"I guess you could say that." Another man responds.
"Your point?" Another adds.
"My team and I have an important mission, one that links to those old abandoned towers around the city. Now one of these towers is extremely important and draws quite a lot of power from somewhere, now surely you may know which, wouldn't you?" Kassius asks them.
"Oh, fuck off, we're having fun." The drunkest says, standing up and approaching Velvet, smacking her butt and she jolts, her knees beginning to shake as he smells her neck. "But this pretty girl…maybe we could go upstairs…I could really make you feel good darling." He whispers to her.
"Get off her, Bill." One of the men demands.
"Find your own."
Suddenly Kassius' titanium hand clamps down on his shoulder and slowly pulls him away from Velvet, crushing down onto the shoulder and he gasps in pain as he pulls him from her. "Look Billy…I don't wanna cause a scene, but if you do that again to my friend…and I will crush your shoulder into dust." Kassius warns as he glares at the man.
"Whoa man, alright…just…your girlfriend's cute is all…" Bill stammers.
"She isn't my girlfriend, she's my friend. But that is not okay." Kassius states. "So, apologise." Kassius demands.
"I-I'm sorry." He stammers and Kassius releases him, he staggers away from the two Warriors, massaging his shoulder.
"Sorry about him, he's an idiot. Sure, we could help you out, but the problem is there are more towers that seem to draw power than you think." One of the men tells him.
"What do you mean?" Kassius asks.
"Well we found a stream of energy from an unknown source when fixing the grid one time, and it connected to three towers, I think more of them were connected but collapsed years ago. All of them are on the cliffs nearest the sea." The man explains, identical to the Towers at Argus when it comes to how close they are to the ocean itself. Meaning that it must be one of those three towers.
"We can work with that; which ones are they?" Kassius asks.
"The three ones closest to the sea, only three remain down there. As I said, all the others collapsed centuries ago." He says.
"Alright…thank you for the information." Kassius says with the nod of his head, walking away from the group, and as Kassius walks around, he notices that Velvet has veered off from them. He looks around in confusion, until he finally finds her, and she has wondered towards someone.
Someone…
…very worrying.
He is sat down at a table with two elderly women, wearing a white shirt and a wreathe of flowers around his shaves head. His brown eyes look at them as a couple of Crystal Beaked Crows watch them from beneath. Velvet stands near, listening curiously…completely unaware of who that person is.
It's Vir Nominis Umbra.
"Yes, the only ingredients I read were that there are honey eggs and spices." The woman says.
"I beg to differ, madame." Vir Nominis Umbra replies with that kind yet sinister smile on his face. "You omit the most important ingredient of them all – Time."
"Time? What do you mean time? As an ingredient?" The other woman questions in total confusion on the matter.
"Time gives the proper consistency. Time provides that ideal crunch on the outside, and the delicious moistness within." Vir Nominis Umbra describes as Kassius tries to get past the people in the line so then he can get to Velvet to warn her of who this man is. Because the man she saw in the vision did not look the same, it was a different form.
"So how much of this time does it take?" The other woman asks in curiosity.
"That you will not find in any recipe, my dear. You must surrender to your senses, for they are the key to the lock you have been fumbling around. Let all your senses lead you so close to time that you can sniff, taste and even stroke it. Time…time is the key." Vir Nominis Umbra says as he clasps his hands together with a smile, turning and walking towards Velvet as he leaves the women totally bewildered.
Velvet looks at the Soothsayer as he approaches her and she kindly smiles. "Greetings Velvet Scarlatina. Allow me to introduce myself – Vir Nominis Umbra." He bows before her, and her eyes widen when she hears his name, taking a step back and into the arms of Kassius as he finally gets to her. Kassius stands between Umbra and Velvet, staring at the man, yet that does not even seem to stop the entity as he walks straight through Kassius, looking at Velvet's blue dress. "My, what an absolutely exquisite dress. The colour suits your figure beautifully." Vir Nominis Umbra says to her with a smile.
"T-Thank you…I've heard a lot about you." Velvet says to him, still acting all polite to their arch enemy.
"I doubt it was anything good." Vir Nominis Umbra chuckles as he looks at Kassius who glares at him with a clenched fist.
"Of all the things though…cooking was never mentioned." Velvet softly says, and Umbra smiles with a soft chuckle.
"Quite frankly, I know quite a lot about everything." Umbra admits, rather braggadociosly. But as they converse, that man named Bill returns as he tries to flirt with Velvet again, sounding more slurred than before now.
"H-Hello darling, lemme try again yeah?" He asks her curiously, but she backs away in repulsion from him, in which Umbra glances at the man with a scoff. Kassius never forgot what Oscar told them, about how Vir Nominis Umbra aged that person to death right in front of him for getting in Oscar's way.
"Please leave me alone." Velvet requests.
"No…no…I didn't do it right."
"Like most things in your life, William Ranch." Vir Nominis Umbra suddenly says, naming him not only by his surname but also by his full name. Bill turns and stares at Vir Nominis Umbra, completely unaware of what he truly is at heart. And that he is a very dangerous person to get on the bad side of.
"W-Who are you? What do you know about me?" He slurs.
"That you're a terrible husband, slept with your son's girlfriend and you pray on young women because you have sick perversions at heart." Vir Nominis Umbra lists extremely quickly, as if he has known him for years, yet they have only just met. The man stares at him with total disbelief in his eyes.
"H-How could you k-know that?" He stammers.
"Just…who would I be, if the true nature of people remained hidden from me? Someone like you? Meaning no-one." Vir Nominis Umbra says with a smirk and shaking his head with disappointment.
"I would not want to get blood on this beauty's dress…but insult me once more, and I'll…"
"Do…what?" Vir Nominis Umbra asks him with a smirk as he holds his hands together, turning to face him. "I know you want to be like you mother, show how manly you are…but let's be real here – nothing will come of it. You're simply not like your mother or your father – just a sad perverted man left alone with nothing but the delusions of alcohol." Vir Nominis Umbra explains, able to read him exactly like a book.
"Rubbish! I don't pray on girls!" Bill argues, and Umbra scoffs.
"Really? Then why have you been fantasizing over what you want to do to Miss Scarlatina over here? I have done some atrocities, but never have I committed acts as cruel as sexual abuse." Vir Nominis Umbra snarls at him with viciousness. "Perhaps, that is why your friends treat you with no respect. Because not only do you want to try…but you have never succeeded…just like every other moment in your life." Vir Nominis Umbra describes.
Velvet and Kassius have learned more about this creep then they ever wanted to, he is nothing more than a drunk failed sex abuser. "Your lying, my friends don't hate me! They are always beside me!"
"The question is…have you ever been sober enough to hear the words that say around you?" Vir Nominis Umbra asks him, and Bill stammers as he stands there, before turning and stumbling away. He looks at Velvet and Kassius and he smiles before bowing his head. "I shan't keep the two of you any longer. Have a splendid evening for time…time is short." He says with a smirk, before he walks away from them.
"That…that was…"
"What the hell is he doing here?" Kassius questions as he watches him vanish into the crowds of people as if he were not even there.
"I didn't…I could've…if you hadn't…" She holds his hands and looks up into his eyes before releasing him and looking away with concern. "C-Can we…go outside? I need some fresh air." She says to him, and Kassius nods his head and he follows her outside. None of them aware of how much Cardin has been drinking right now as he stands at the bar. Something is very wrong with him, he has always been one to enjoy a good amount of drink, but this is something else entirely.
They both walk outside and Kassius crosses his arms, looking back at where Umbra just was, those women had no idea. And that is what makes him such a frightening adversary. "You alright?" Kassius asks her.
"I can't…those ladies had no idea." She stammers, as it is all hitting her now. Hearing about Vir Nominis Umbra is one thing but seeing it with your eyes is something else entirely. "How are you meant to fight something that can blend in like that?"
"Yeah…that's what we're trying to figure out. So far Ruby's eyes are the only thing that managed to actually hurt him." Kassius explains as he keeps an eye out for him, those damned Crows are most likely watching them right now. He steps round and leans against the railing beside her.
"This…is worse than I thought." Velvet admits.
"Yeah it is." Kassius agrees as he stands there.
"I…I wanna…" She stammers as she closes her eyes, blushing hard and trying to not look at Kassius. But he notices and he raises his brow.
"You alright?" He asks her as he reaches out to her, but she suddenly turns and grabs onto his shoulders…and kisses him. Right on the lips, it was short and sudden, and she steps away from him with a look that really looks like she is scared. And Kassius is just shocked, looking at her with confusion – but the more he looks at her he figures it out. "Velvet…was that…what I thought it was?" Kassius asks her with concern in his voice.
"I…I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that, oh gods!" She descends into a form of panic as she presses her hands to her head, realising she just kissed Kassius – a man who is already in a committed relationship.
"Do you…have feelings for me?" Kassius asks her, and then he remembers back to the looks she gave him and how she would blush whenever he would laugh at her jokes, even some of the bad ones. Always wanting to go with him on missions together, especially back at Fallingwater Estate. He sighs, pulling his tie off as he stands there, unbuttoning the top button so then he can breathe easier. "Now it all makes sense." Kassius sighs.
"I'm so sorry, I really am! I…please don't tell Yang, she'll hate me…I…" She stammers, sounding like she is about to cry, but Kassius immediately calms her as he approaches her and he gently caresses her shoulders, looking down at her.
"It's alright…You don't have anything to worry about, it was a kiss. Just a kiss, it didn't mean anything." Kassius tells her, but even those words hurt for her, because there is honestly a part of her that wants it to mean something. "Where did this come from though? How long?" Kassius asks her with worry for her.
"A few months now…you know when we all went on that camping trip? To Patch?" Velvet stammers as she looks at him. Kassius remembers, a few months ago…nearly a year now…they all went on a huge camping trip to Patch to see Taiyang and potentially help build a brand-new home where the old one fell. They were going to begin construction this year, until everything happened. "When you and I were fishing…we got talking…it started there…I just couldn't stop thinking about you…" She nearly breaks down into tears from the embarrassment and heartbreak of how it has come out. It was like an overwhelming pressure that was building on her at all times. "I…I am so sorry, I…"
But before Kassius can calm and help her, they turn to hear the infuriating voice of Bill – AGAIN. He staggers towards her, pressing his hand to the tree as he points at her. "Now…you leave buddy…lemme talk with her."
"WILL YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?" Velvet screams with anger at the man, but he grins as he stumbles towards her anyway, and Kassius stands in front of Velvet to protect her. Even after that revelation he still defends her, but hers has not been like the others trying to steel him away from his true love. Hers was simply an accident built on pressured nerves she couldn't control.
"If I have to kick your ass, then I will." He slurs.
Until…another voice returns.
Stood by the tree with all the fruits and flowers is Vir Nominis Umbra, not looking at him as he holds an apple in his palm. "William Ranch – this is your final warning. Leave Velvet Scarlatina alone, please." Vir Nominis Umbra commands as he stands there, holding the apple to his mouth. The drunken fool glares at Umbra and he growls, going to swing his fist at him, only for Umbra to roll his eyes and bite down onto the apple.
Bill suddenly collapses to the ground and shrieks in immense pain as he feels a searing burning pain in his skull, like someone had just bitten a chunk from his brain. He presses and smacks his hands against his head repeatedly. Both Velvet and Kassius stare at Umbra and then at Bill with fear in their eyes. "Get ye hence, or I will take you with me, and that grimy tent of yours will look like paradise in comparison. The choice is yours." Vir Nominis Umbra says before he bites another chunk out of the apple, making him screech again, and Velvet turns when she sees Coco and Emerald turning the corner as they heard the screams.
"What's going on?" Coco asks, but she pauses with fear when she sees him…she did not even need to ask who that is. The description and his reputation was enough of an answer. The man continues to scream and Kassius stares at Umbra.
"Stop torturing him!" Kassius begs, but Umbra just grins.
"As you wish." Vir Nominis Umbra says, looking at a plant pot and whistling to Bill. He screams in agony, and he picks it up and smashes it against his own head so hard that a shard of it stabs straight through his eye. Killing him instantly, causing him to collapse to the ground, and Vir Nominis Umbra smirks menacingly as he turns to Kassius. "Now he no longer suffers."
"You knew what I meant, you sick bastard." Kassius growls.
"What you think and what I think are two very different things, dear boy." Vir Nominis Umbra states as he taps his nose with his finger with that same grin ever present.
"W-Why did you do that?" Velvet whimpers with terror.
"I disposed of a pest, you needn't suffer his perversions any longer." Vir Nominis Umbra says to her. "And besides…now the two of you can continue." He says to her.
"How do you…"
"Velvet, darling…would you ask a bird how it knows how to fly?" Vir Nominis Umbra asks her curiously, and the scared girl looks at the suicidal corpse of William Ranch on the ground. "What matters is that William Ranch shall interfere no longer." Vir Nominis Umbra concludes. Kassius turns to them and he looks at Velvet.
"Get back to the apartment." Kassius orders, and they nod, he does not even mention Velvet's confession, for it is not his place to do so. Coco nods and Velvet follows them to the stairs that head back to the apartments. As they make their return though, they notice there is something wrong with the people yet again. So many people do not seem to even care about the screams outside…hell there is no emotion at all among any of them. They are just sat there in silence, none of them speaking with each other.
Cardin stands there, looking just as lost as them, and Coco yells. "Cardin!" Coco yells, and that makes him slowly lift his head to look at her. "Come on." Coco says, looking at everyone again, and he stumbles after them, and Coco glares at him for getting this wasted. Especially when this Hotel has something very weird happening inside of it right now.
Kassius remains outside with Umbra, thinking of everything…but it all comes back to some kind of guilt for Velvet. It is unfair for her, because she knows she shouldn't have these feelings, but she does, and he does not replicate them for her. "Ah…there it is. The race of a man who's failed to understand a woman." Umbra says with a soft chuckle at the end of his statement. Kassius turns to him, seeing Vir Nominis Umbra leant against the tree with his arms crossed.
"You think you understand women, do ya?" Kassius questions, since that is a problem man has been unable to solve from the dawn of time. But Umbra nods his head as he answers.
"Of course. Men and Women are easy to understand because both sides are the same. You are both hopeless fools who cannot bring themselves to confess how you feel." Vir Nominis Umbra states, and Kassius cannot even argue with his logic because he is right on that regard. Kassius stands there, finding himself confused on what to do now. "Dear Velvet, Scarlatina is going to make a show of being hurt, so bring her some flowers or something and be kind. She'll get over it in a snap." He says.
"Not that simple." Kassius says, since it has become very complicated now.
"Is it not? Or maybe…it could be simpler?" He suggests, pushing himself off the tree as he approaches him.
"What are you getting at?" He questions.
"Think about it…beautiful girl and a handsome man…could be a recipe for a magical night." Vir Nominis Umbra suggests, and Kassius glares at him.
"Yeah, no." Kassius replies.
"You surely cannot deny her beauty…" He whispers.
"Enough." Kassius snarls.
"Many women clearly cannot resist your charm, why not let her be the first?" He asks him...then Kassius realises and his eyes widen. He turns and stares at the entity with his hands held together and that sinister smirk on his face.
"It was you…you're the reason all these women have been trying to sleep with me…you're trying to break my bond with Yang, aren't you?" Kassius questions as he walks towards Umbra, staring him right in the eyes as he stands there. Umbra holds out his hands with that grin still on his face.
"Guilty as charged." He replies and Kassius grits his teeth.
"Why?" He questions.
"Well…look at the situation. All these beautiful women to satisfy you…might need it when she is gone." He coldly says, and Kassius retorts with rage, pinning Vir Nominis Umbra against the tree with gritted teeth and glowing orange eyes, both he and Hyde sharing this rage. Umbra however…let him pin him…because he smiles as he looks back at him.
"Don't you dare ever threaten her again." Kassius snarls. "And stop putting these thoughts in Velvet's head."
"What makes you think her feelings are my doing? That is merely coincidence this time…I mean sure I forced some emotions to make her kiss you earlier, but other than that…all those emotions are her own." Vir Nominis Umbra explains with a smirk still shown on his face. He then turns ethereal, walking straight through Kassius and he stumbles into the tree as the entity walks behind him with his hands held together. He really did let him do that, otherwise he would be dead. "I like you Kassius Locke – I promised I would take care of you. If I were you…don't mention it to Yang. Seize your chance with Velvet…and have fun." Vir Nominis Umbra states, and he turns to walk away.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He questions, and the entity stops, looking back at him.
"More than you could ever know." He replies, before fading away into the crows, flying away from him. Kassius watches him leave and he clenches his cybernetic hand into a fist, his body flickering for a second between his own and Hyde's. Something is happening between them…something new.
And only one thought echoes in Kassius' mind.
I will never betray her…I love her.
Velvet
She stares at herself in the mirror with total embarrassment, much different to the excitement she felt before they went down to the part. She scrubs the makeup from her face violently, whilst Coco and Emerald are out right now, checking on the Hotel due to how strange things are. Speaking with the Police Officers about what happened to William Ranch and what they saw him do. Velvet cries out with heartbreak as she takes the flannel and throws it across the room, nearly hitting Cardin as he walks round, hitting the wall. She looks at the drunken fool as he stands there, holding a beer bottle in his hand and reeking of booze.
"Not so hard…" He slurs as he staggers about and she looks away from him with an audible groan of disgust, continuing to get rid of the makeup from her face.
"Go away." She demands, but Cardin walks into the room she is in and she stares at him as he stumbles in. "Wrong room!"
"I like this one…just fine…" He groans as he stumbles around and sits down on the edge of her bed, looking down at his broken hands from how many times he has swung that goddamn mace. She stares at him, and after the night she has had she is right to worry about him. He looks at her and he rolls his eyes. "Oh, for gods' sake, don't worry…I'm not interested." He tells her as he sits there, so she just ignores him and continues to remove the makeup on her face, washing the once pretty eyeshadow from her face. As he sits on her bed, he slumps and catches himself, nearly hitting his head on the bedside table.
He chuckles softly. "If I faint…try and catch me…I'd rather not die of a broken neck or something."
"You had full control of your drinking, Cardin. Also, why should I give a damn of how you die?" She snarls, showing a side of her that very few people have seen before – her anger. But it is clear that most of her anger is not even pointed towards Kassius, but more at herself and how she is loathing herself for kissing Kassius the way she did. For falling in love with a man who is in love and in a committed relationship with a close friend of hers.
Now she knows why she should have kept it to herself.
Maybe helping Kassius was a stupid idea
Cardin looks at her and he does not even respond to her question, he just looks down with grief for how he treated her. "I was unworthy…I don't want your forgiveness, a fucker like me doesn't deserve it." Cardin growls at himself as he sits there, and Velvet pauses when she hears him say that. It is like someone else is in his skin, because the words that come out of his mouth are unlike anything, she remembers the Cardin Winchester of old saying.
She looks at him, but every time she sees his face, even with that long hair and that beard he has grown…she still sees that nasty guy that bullied her every single day. Made her feel worthless, made her feel like the whole world hated her and that nobody would ever love her. And after Kassius…it sure as hell feels that way. Cardin catches her stare and he scoffs. "There it is…there's the look – seen it every single day of my entire life…from Coco, from Pyrrha, from Ruby and Yang…you all despise me. Hell, even Kassius does." Cardin chuckles, remembering how he was judged immediately by Kassius when he first saw him in that cell.
He then starts listing the names he was given. "Cardin Douchebag…Honourless Huntsman…Murderer…" He lists, his voice breaking on the word Murderer as he stares at the bottle in his hand. He then looks at Velvet who puts her flannel down, listening to him a little but looking away from time to time. The drunken man then continues to speak.
On something she is not prepared for.
"You know about Vacuo? What happened there?" Cardin asks.
"Of course…whole world does." Velvet answers and Cardin softly chuckles.
"Not the whole story…they don't know about what dear old Professor Theo did. Tell me…did you know that Theo was the one that uncovered the first strand of Horridus Morbus in the Vault of Shade?" Cardin asks him curiously, and Velvet turns her head with total disbelief at that. Because that was the very last thing, she was expecting him to reveal right there.
"He had it in the Vault?" She questions.
"Mhm…a strand of it…modified over the years, lethal…and easy to replicate." Cardin continues to speak of it, slurring at times but never before has he sounded so honest. "So that's what he did…had his Pyromancer create more of it, wasn't his speciality but he had other scientists to help him."
"Why?" Velvet asks Cardin.
"Well, you see, good old Theo decided he would rather believe the voices in his head than the word of his advisers…or even me. A Huntsman he took in after I escaped Beacon with my team. He started seeing enemies everywhere, first it was Ozpin and Ironwood…then it was all of his Inner Circle Buddies like Lionheart and Glynda. Then it was the Huntsmen, the police force, even the civilians themselves." Cardin explains, and she can hear the sound of his inner pain as he talks about this.
This is what happened…
He is telling her the truth of what happened at Vacuo…the truth he never told Kassius.
"I saw him test it on someone, and he…he became obsessed with the shit. I loved to watch people mutate and wail in pain. His Pyromancer killed the captured prisoners who started to change before they could attack. And because Theo saw traitors everywhere…he had that same Pyromancer head out every night and place caches of Horridus Morbus underneath every single house and building in the city." Cardin explains to her, which explains why those caches detonated for absolutely no reason. It was not Merlot, it was not the Acolytes of the Coin, it was not even Umbra.
It was a paranoid madman.
Nothing more.
"He kept capturing and taking prisoners, at first they were from the Asylums, for his own enjoyment to see them suffer. But in time…families…started losing loved ones. And he wanted me to see it all…and stay silent. To prove my worth to him." Cardin explains, and clearly since nobody knows about this, he kept his word.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Velvet questions.
"I…pledged my services to him." Cardin answers, showing that he does have honour…it was just pledged to the wrong man. "But when more innocents started dying…I couldn't…so I took precautions and I sent the word out from a different name. And then…the day of reckoning came. Theodore shut off the C.C.T for fifteen minutes when the people started rising up against him for what he did, preventing the Atlesians to stop him."
"I remember the C.C.T going down…" Velvet softly says, it was wide panic for a full fifteen minutes because people thought it was yet another attack on one of the Academies. But wasn't, it was Theodore losing his mind due to the Relic of Choice manipulating him.
"I was with him…him and the Pyromancer…when people were calling for him to be put in prison for punishment for his crimes. Even his guards abandoned him for what he did, it was just the three of us in there. Theodore looked me in the eye…and he told me…to slaughter them all. To activate the caches and watch them all choke and suffer before turning into monsters." Cardin explains, shuddering as he remembers him ordering that. "He would have watched children suffer…I couldn't have…"
"I knew what I had to do…the people of Vacuo tend to forget things quickly…once the threat was eliminated…they would immediately go back to their normal lives. But I also knew that a Huntsman murdering his Headmaster is punishable by death…and a bounty would be placed upon my head." Cardin explains further, and Velvet looks at his face as he continues to speak, seeing the pain in his eyes.
He then looks her right in the eye. "So, I made the call…"
"I swung my mace into the face of the Pyromancer and killed him instantly…and just as Theodore tried to activate his aura…I…cracked his skull open with a downward strike." He tells him, the sweat dripping down his face reminds him of how much blood poured through Headmaster Theodore's hair and skull from that strike. "He tried to speak…but couldn't…all he was pointing at was the detonator. I couldn't risk him getting it…so I beat his head…until stopped…" He breaks down, whimpering as he sits there, crying heavily as he stares at his scarred palms, scars from swinging the mace so hard it split the skin over and over again. And all he sees is blood covering his hands, blood that cannot be washed away.
Velvet stares at the man who once bullied her…a man who is actually a hero.
But there is one thing that still remains. "If this is true…then why did you kill them?" He grits his teeth with anger at that question. "Why did you kill your team?"
"My Team? You think…the honourable…Team C.R.D.L…wanted to hear my side?" He asks her as he looks at Velvet's innocence. "They judged me…and said they wanted the bounty on my head…and they attacked me."
Her eyes widen as she hears the heartbreak in his voice, revealing that his own team betrayed him.
For a Bounty.
"I killed them…because they left me no other choice. I crushed their skulls, because they betrayed me. And I left them for dead…because they broke their honour." Cardin growls in anger as he remembers it so well.
Cardin breaks down into tears, covering his face as he cries. She sits there, and reaches out to him, so then she can comfort him. But suddenly he lifts his head and yells with pure rage.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE BROKEN INTO A THOUSAND PIECES AND TO BE FORGOTTEN!" Cardin bellows, his face morphing into a dark monstrous roaring face, one that causes Velvet to scream with terror as his eyes for a split second turn red…
…and he passes out on the bed.
Velvet stares at Cardin with wide eyes, and in the reflection…something is looming over him.
A monster.
A Lesser Demon.
Author Note - And now we know the truth behind the death of Vacuo's Headmaster
The man went insane, and Cardin saved the city, and became a criminal for it. He killed his entire team because they wanted the bounty on his head, and everyone hates him for it. And to top it all off, there is a Species of Lesser Demon possessing him. It's getting interesting isn't it? And not only that, Velvet has feelings for Kassius and now we know why all these women have been trying to get Kassius to cheat on Yang. It has been Umbra all along, and this is another example of why you should never get on the bad side of a man named Vir Nominis Umbra. Unless you wanna kill yourself with a plant pot. These two reveals have been things I wanted to show for so long, especially Cardin's story of what happened.
Velvet having feelings for Kassius is interesting too, because funnily enough I was (in a very early draft for Knights of Grimm) going to have Kassius and Velvet be together. But I preferred it being Yang, so this is what that idea became, one side having feelings whilst Kassius does not replicate them for her. I also wanted to show a different side to Velvet, one that gets angry at herself all the time.
And what is up with the Stanley Hotel? Any Theories?
Please review and lemme know what you thought! All feedback is appreciated! Please follow and favourite as well!
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Stay tuned for the next chapter - The Hym
- Matt