Setting: Desert
"I know I said this before, but this was a stupid, risky plan," Silver said from the back of Fantasia.
"And I've said this before too, but it was necessary," Violet responded with a noticeable, irksome edge. Even though she was driving and her back was to the gunman, it was clear to him she was tired of having this conversation.
They've been driving for one night and a day. Violet was behind the wheel the entire time and hardly took a break, despite Zelts's insistence he could take over, but she stubbornly held onto the mantle of the driver. Was she doing this as a form of punishment for withholding her scheme from all of them?
Her scroll was on the dashboard with a map of their current location. On the map was the delta symbol giving Remus's exact location. He was still far away, but he finally stopped moving two hours passed morning.
This location was not Corona. It was too far away to be in its territory. "Where are they going?" Violet wondered.
Setting: Crag
Crag was one of the few settlements in Vacuo that have stood the test of time. It was very old and it showed in its structure. It was stationed in a rocky valley so all every building was carved out of stone. The walls served as borders and barriers that kept some of the Grimm at bay. The people of Crag were just like their home: hardened, old-fashioned, and sturdy. Having lived in Vacuo for so long has made them all used to the harsh land and it has been embedded in their culture. There many weapon shops, smitheries, and other combat-oriented facilities. This was the place for anyone looking for combat equipment and master blacksmiths. At one smithery, a particular group stood in front of it.
"Do you think he'll be good as new?" Ebony asked her retinue.
The Charming Vantablack was accompanied by two people. The first was Brenton and the second was not Zinnia. It was Remus, legs bound by rope and hands cuffed by something special, a souvenir from Ebony's time in Atlas. Aura disrupting handcuffs that prevented him from using his semblance or using aura at all. He was still their prisoner.
A captured man was nothing new in Crag or anywhere in Vacuo. There were hundreds of bounty missions. To the citizens walking by, Remus was nothing more than a seized bounty. He watched them in silence as they conversed.
"Monochrome is a 'he' now? When did that start?" Brenton raised his eyebrow. He didn't know machines and robots had genders.
"After everything he did for us against the Hydra, he deserves a reward for all his hard work," Ebony answered merrily.
"Hmph. Does the Robot get a treat before me? Nice."
"Brenton, I got you an entire settlement and helped make you king. I think you're good for now," she told him with a teasing finger wave and the King of Flames grunted in humorous annoyance.
Their conversations were genuine. Remus could tell from this exchange and the ones he heard before. He was able to learn Ebony and her Champions care about each other.
"So, Rey-Rey," Ebony called him.
"Don't call me that," he responded with slight disdain. He didn't really like having a nickname when Remus seemed sufficient enough. Why be called anything else?
"Is it okay if I ask you some questions I've been wondering about for some time?"
He tilted his head in confusion.
"How does Zelts keep that beard and not feel the desert heat? His chin and jaw must sweat before anything else, right?"
That was not the question he was expecting. He couldn't even hide the befuddled look on his face. It felt so random. How did that give her an advantage?
"I… I don't know. He might… shave it eventually…" Even Remus wasn't sure if his statement was true.
"Hmm… Okay. Also, how do you know where Violet is when she's invisible? Do you guys have a special link?"
"No. My senses are pretty sharp so I could figure out where she was, but I can't do that anymore. She's gotten better with her semblance. I can't detect her anymore."
"...Nice…" He could tell she wanted more but settled for what he told her.
"Shouldn't you ask our prisoner more specific questions like weaknesses and such?" Brenton chimed in.
"Our lovely guest won't rat on his friends. None of them will, so it's more fun to ask about trivial matters. Right, Rey-Rey?" She leaned onto his shoulder in a playful manner he didn't like.
Remus turned away from her, "Don't call me that," he whispered lowly but she only grinned at his response.
A large burly man walked out of the smithery they were standing beside and he looked to the group. "Oi! Missy! I finished working on your robot. It's good as new."
Proving his statement true, Monochrome walked out of the building and turned to its owner. The scratches it received were mostly gone and the ones that remained were faded. They weren't noticeable unless intentionally looked for. Monochrome appeared repaired and it marched to Ebony with no change in its step or movements.
As it grew closer, Ebony could hear the Cobalt growling in hatred. She knew of his dislike for robots, droids, and the like ran deep, but he had to get over while he was with them. She approached the blacksmith. "Thank you for all your work," she said as she pulled out her wallet. She gave him the Lien they agreed upon for his work.
"No promise it was just like it used to be. Can't say I've ever seen a machine of this kind in years. I did the best I could, but maybe the creator could check it for you," the man offered as he accepted the money.
"As long as he can operate, I don't need to worry about anything else," Ebony responded quickly and with confidence. She really doubted Onyx would help her fix Monochrome if he knew what it was being used for.
"He?" the man wondered, believing wise not to say this out loud. It wasn't his place to question how people viewed their machinery. With their business done, he turned to return to his shop. "Have a good day, ma'am."
Ebony waved back then turned to Monochrome and found the robot had its head turned to Remus. The two glared at each other, or at least Remus did. With a black face plating, it was hard to tell what Monochrome was looking at. She probably figured its memory was playing back to their last encounter and viewed the Cobalt as a possible threat.
"Stop it you two. If we're going to live together, there has to be peace," Ebony told them, waving her finger at them like she was instructing children.
Of course, Monochrome did not react to her since she didn't give me a specific command. Remus broke eye contact and glanced at her. He didn't like this at all. What was taking the others so long?
"Where are you guys?"
"How many more months until he turns eighteen?" Ebony whispered to Brenton.
He turned his gaze to her in silent disgust. As a fellow apple of her eye, Brenton felt sympathy for Remus. Her gaze was unnerving whether she was looking at him or someone else. "You are insatiable."
Setting: Ebony's Airship
This was a rare moment for Alexandrite. She never expected to be able to do this while being held captive. She opened a door and stretched her arm out into the confines of the door then pulled out a wine bottle.
"That's not for you," Zinnia told her. "The agreement was non-alcoholic drinks."
She was sitting in the common area with a novel in her hand. Her eyes were on her book but she was still paying attention to her prisoner. Alexandrite was in the kitchen, pulling a bottle of wine from the refrigerator. She turned to the Paragon and scoffed, but put the wine back where she found it. On the island behind her was a plate with an assortment of food.
"It doesn't help your boss has several wine bottles in here," Alexandrite remarks as she just grabs two bottles of water.
"She doesn't have a case for them yet and they're for special occasions," Zinnia informed her without removing her eyes from her book. "Hurry up and pick something."
"Don't rush me." Alexandrite slammed the fridge door. Her action of disrespect made Zinnia twitch her eyebrow in annoyance.
"We have no idea when Ebony is coming back and we don't want Remus to see you. She prefers not to upset him while keeping the element of surprise," Zinnia informed her for the third time. She was tired of Alexandrite's ignorance.
"Whatever," Alexandrite responded like a typical teenager and earned an eye roll from the Paragon. The Bedazzled Behemoth hid a small smile. This was somewhat like her old relationship with Azura.
A chiming of the scroll and Zinnia peeked at it, seeing it came from Ebony. She knew what meant they were coming back. She needed to get the giant woman back into her room. The red-haired woman rose from her seat toward the silver-haired, rainbow-streaked woman who picked up her plate.
"It's time. Your recess is over. Get out of here before anyone shows up!" She got behind Alexandrite and shoved her out of the kitchen and out of the common area, moving her through the hallway back into her room.
"All right, all right! Quit shoving me. I'm going," Alexandrite said, stifling the laugh in her voice. She liked having someone to mess with.
"Zinnia!" Ebony called out as soon as she got into her airship, "We're back and Monochrome as good as new!" She had her arms wrapped around Monochrome's arm as they walked into the common area with Brenton and Remus. None of them saw her in the room. "Zinny?" Ebony called out.
"Zinny?" Brenton repeated. "That's a first."
"I just made it up. Don't worry, I'll make up something for you too… Bren-Bren-"
"Don't even," Brenton spat back, refusing to accept Ebony's nickname. She seduced him, entered his personal space, and touched him when he didn't want her to, he had to draw the line somewhere.
"Hello," Zinnia said as she casually walked into the common area and smiled at the group. Ebony eyed her and noticed her stiff shoulders and the faintest traces of sweat on her forehead. Something happened before they got here.
"Now that we're all assembled, it's time to give a flower a call." Ebony reached over to Remus and went into his pocket.
"He's still seventeen. Only go for the scroll," Brenton instructed her with authority. He had his arms crossed and a deadpan stare. He was serious.
"Agreed," Zinnia quickly chimed in. She crossed her arms and kept her eyes on Ebony's hands.
"I know, I know…" Ebony whined as she just grabbed Remus's scroll. She went through the contacts and found Violet's contact. "Get ready for take-off! We're heading home!"
An hour passed since their departure then showing up after them was VRSZ, tailing them by hovercar. The vehicle comparison was too vast. It was clear Ebony's airship would've covered a great distance in the course of an hour, but Violet already knew that.
Her objective wasn't to follow Ebony to the ends of Remnant and beyond, it was to keep an eye on her position so they can strike when she least expected it. Knowing Remus was too important a hostage to dispose of, Violet had the perfect tracer. Also, knowing Ebony's...perversions, she figured she'd keep him close to her person. She only hoped he wasn't tainted too much when they reunited and would apologize in some manner.
"Crag…" Zelts said as he read the small sign with the town's name on it, "Never heard of it."
"I like it," Silver commented as he took in the scenery, "Rustic."
"Doesn't seem like any place too special, but Ebony's crew has been here for some time. Let's ask around. Maybe we can learn why she was here," Clair instructed.
The group went around the small town, asking about Ebony's crew. They described what each Champion looked like and hoped anyone could give them any helpful information about what they were doing. All three separated to cover more ground, but it didn't help. They were able to find people who described the Champions correctly, but that was it. Their activity in Crag was surprisingly small. A red-haired woman, a lizard faunus, and a young woman many people have mistaken for a boy.
Most of what they heard were praises from onlookers. Men and women alike were talking about how stunning and eye-catching the black-haired girl was. Violet found it extremely infuriating. She didn't like hearing people saying nice things about someone she found incredibly annoying.
Not only did she hear about Ebony, she and Silver also heard people talk about someone with her. The talk of a captured bounty reached their ears and his description matched Remus. This piece of information was nothing new, but it was good to know the Charming Vantablack was keeping their teammate close to her sides.
Other than the mention of Zinnia and Brenton, There wasn't much Silver nor Violet learned about Ebony and her group. It was evident they were here, but their appearance seemed to be phantasmal. However, a stroke of luck came when Zelts made his way to the same smithery Ebony's crew was at an hour ago.
"Yeah, I know who you're talking about. She paid me to fix her big robot. Her group left right after that. Didn't say where they were going," the smith told Zelts.
Processing the information, he gathered Monochrome was active again, restoring the Champions' numbers, and making it more difficult for them to defeat Ebony. It didn't matter. Their purpose was the same. "Thank you for your help." He parted with the smith to inform the others.
News of Monochrome's return didn't bother them. Coming to blows meant fighting all of her forces.
"I'm sure Remus will love fighting that thing again… or maybe he'll just destroy it the first chance he gets," SIlver laughed as he and the others walked to Fantasia.
"I hope she isn't doing anything weird to him. She's…" Zelts hummed, trying to find the right word.
"Perverted," Violet and Silver said at the same time.
Zelts chuckled, "I was going to say eccentric. But we should speed this along. Any idea where they're headed next?"
Violet pulled out her scroll to check her tracker. The delta signal stopped at a location familiar to all of them. "Seems they returned to Corona. We can't take them down there, they have too many supporters."
"We wait until-" Her scroll began to ring. The caller was Remus, but she had a feeling he wasn't the one calling. She answered.
"I'm sure you know I have your Rey-Rey and you're searching for me. Am I wrong?" Ebony asked like a child flaunting her prize.
"Where is he?" Violet asked darkly. She was putting up a facade to get what she wanted. "Touch him and-"
"Too late on the 'no-touching' department, but you can come and see him if you want," Ebony informed her. Violet could feel the smile on the Vantablack's face.
"Tell me where you are," Violet demanded and it sounded like a growl. Silver and Zelts wondered if this was really an act.
"How about a rendezvous point. There's something I want to discuss with you and doubt you'd come willingly. Once we're done, you can have Rey-Rey back."
"Stop calling me that…" Violet heard Remus say on the other line. He was nearby like she thought.
"Shush, puppy. Mommy's talking," Ebony told him and returned her attention to Violet, "Do we have an accord?"
"...Yes," Violet said while gritting her teeth. "Where do you want to meet?"
"Perfect," she thought deep down.
"There's a place up north that's far from Nexus and my location. I heard about it not too long ago, but I haven't been there yet. A neutral area for both sides. What do you say?"
"...Fine. We'll see you there and you better bring Remus with you," Violet told her adversary with an authoritative tone to show she wasn't messing around.
"Of course. Remus and I are practically joined to the hip. He might not even want to go home with you."
"Yes, I do!" Remus shouted.
"What did I tell you about talking while I'm on the scroll? Anyway, I'll send you the coordinates and the time when we'll meet. Don't be late or I'll use Remus to relieve my boredom. Okay?"
"..." Violet did not like how Ebony phrased that last sentence. Even if this was a ploy, hearing how she would use Remus for…
"...Right," Violet accepted, but saying it without losing her temper was incredibly difficult. Even if it was a joke, talking about Remus like that was taboo in her mind.
"Good! I'll send the coordinates and the time. Be there tomorrow." Ebony ended the call with that. Violet lowered her scroll and clutched it tightly. Her fists were shaking with rage. Silver and Zelts could feel the killing intent coming off their leader. Neither of them wanted to talk to her, fearing her wrath would be directed at them, but one of them had to say something. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors. Best two out of three. First round: Silver. Second round: Zelts. Third round: Silver.
Pumping his fist into the air in victory, the gunman watched his slightly frightened friend approach Violet whose chest and shoulders were rising and falling with every breath. "Um….how did it go?" he asked recessively, waiting for a response.
She turned to him with a cold, steely gaze that sent a chill down the man's spine. How can someone shorter and smaller than him, make him tremble like this?
"I'm going to obliterate her," she said, facing Zelts but he could tell she wasn't talking to him. She was making a declaration. "We're leaving. We have a new destination. Get in Fantasia," she ordered and marched to the car, not waiting for them. Zelts and Silver trailed behind at a safe distance.
Violet was prepared to take Ebony down.
Setting: Corona
Still in her airship, Ebony put Remus's scroll back into his pocket. She had him tied to a chair again so she had to lean down to return it and she made sure her face was close to his as she did it. He found no point in struggling and just waited for her to be done.
"Our little flower will be here for you tomorrow," she told him after backing away. Remus said nothing and looked away. She put her hand under his chin and lifted his head so their eyes met.
She found a defiant face and thought it was adorable. Thinking about it, Zinnia's expressions were always refreshing and worth watching while Remus couldn't do anything she didn't find cute. Without thinking and on sheer impulse, Ebony pecked Remus on the forehead. His eyes widened from shock.
"Sorry. Wasn't thinking," Ebony apologized, not really regretting what she did, but it wasn't the same for Remus.
Now that he was with Violet, that kiss felt wrong, like his forehead was burning intensely. He sat there frozen and his face stayed astonished. Ebony noticed and put her hand on her chin. "I might've broken him,"
Even though he couldn't move, Remus wanted nothing more than to recoil, to back away as far as he could from her. Ebony's intent was nothing compared to the others. This was different when Clair kisses him. She kissed everyone she was fond of and she did it as a sign that she cared for that person. He knew that well so there was no harm in letting her do it, but Ebony's intent... Even if she did by accident, that kiss informed Remus of all she wanted to do to him and it scared him on an instinctual level. Ebony couldn't hide her true motives behind her charisma or facade from him any longer.
Remus found Ebony a little frightening.
"Again, didn't mean to do that, but it wasn't that bad, right?" He did not respond. "...Anyway, get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day for us." She walked away, leaving Remus dumbstruck in the common area.
"Tomorrow… VRSZ will be defeated by my hands. It won't be easy, but I have two aces up my sleeve. Be ready, Remus, Silvester, Zelts…. and you too, Violet," Ebony couldn't stop the grin creeping on her face.
Setting: Unknown
In the far north of Vacuo, a ravaged area could be found. Anyone who saw this place would see no signs of life. No humans, no faunus, no wildlife. It wasn't because the area too far from the kingdom or uncharted territory no one claimed for themselves. The reason no one lived around this area was that it was too harsh for anything to live there. No water for any living thing to sustain itself. There was no arable land for crops to grow as if the ground itself was salted to prevent plant life from ever taking root. Most of the vast land was decorated in stone and earth and every inch of it was scarred and damaged like it was the landscape of a never-ending battle. This place was harsh even by Vacuo standards. It embodied 'the survival' belief of the people.
However, with all these qualities, none of them were the biggest reason no one lived there. The real reason was the same as anywhere else: Grimm. But, the Grimm in this place was especially dangerous. They were few in number, but the ones who have made their home in this place have lived for several years and possibly decades. There were rumors that an exceptional few Grimm in that area have been alive for much longer. Centuries.
Ebony heard of these rumors as well and they intrigued her greatly.
