Hello dear viewers and readers, as some of you may have noticed it actually has not been a full week, yet a new chapter has risen from the depths of the sea. This is in large part, and by that I mean its in complete part, to me moving the new chapter release date to Friday. This will work better with my course schedule, in order to keep on top of the story.
That being said this chapter was rushed by no means, and actually written about a week ago, and was super fun to write…I fear the first two section disconnect a bit, but I still felt the need to include them in order to give more detail on a certain characters behavior. I know its been a bit slow, but starting now the plot will, hopefully, start picking up speed.
As always, do my best to proofread, and in the market for a beta reader, but I still apologize for any grammar mistakes that show up.
With all that being said, I do hope you enjoy reading Chapter 8 of The Electric Lens.
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Chapter 8
Alright just have to go from one place of cover to the next, despite it being an attempt to psyche herself up, or rather convince herself of the necessity of the situation, Velvet's thoughts held the emotions of preemptive defeat.
In spite of having the cover of nightfall, the greatest vision around for miles, as well as two years of in the field huntsmen training the rabbit faunus couldn't stop the metallic piece of evidence from shaking in her hand. This tremble had been a bad habit of her ever since she was a child and being a huntsman the nerves that created it certainly never went away. But out on assignments she had always had her teams. Treatments to these tremors in the form of physical reassurances, whether that be through a cunning remark by Coco, a relaxing proverb by Yatsuhashi, or even just the gentle touch of Fox's steadied hand on her shoulder.
But now, disregarding the mental image of her dear leader that would constantly fade in and out of existence, she was alone, truly left to fend for herself. No, it was worse than that, she needed to succeed on her own given the, albeit limited, knowledge she had not only discovered but experienced firsthand.
The only time the true brunette had ever experienced such pressure to succeed as well as survive happen during initiation. Unlike her freshman year entrance exam though, this time she was urged on not by the desire to enroll in Beacon academy, but rather to make sure it didn't keep cascading into further disarray along with the entire city of Vale...the other difference being that she was almost certain a seven foot tall samurai wasn't about to knock his way past fifteen tree to come greet her this time.
Regardless, she had already spent nearly twenty-four hours in this enclosed wildlife, and for all she knew, and had to assume, that was twenty-four hours the worst Grimm invasion of the current generation would continue,
I can do this, I will do this. It doesn't matter if the stars are misaligned and the moon almost shines full, she took a step away from her stump, somehow producing no noise as the decomposing leaves bent beneath the strength.
I can find my way back home...to my family and friends, the wordless whispered echoed silence amongst her movements. Her strides effortlessly took her through the little foliage that littered the forest floor, as if she was sprinting across a cleared level surface despite her self-doubt.
Her skill not overtaking the worry that had filled her body, but very much able to suppress it to a level that would cause no interference in her duel escape from both forest and mind. An escape that would take quite literally only a hop, skip, and a jump before Velvet crossed the organized lines of trees.
With photosensitive eyes the black and white night shined through with far more detail despite the lack of pigmentation. What laid before them was a much more leveled landscape of a field. One that appeared almost like a like when comparing it to the rest of the ecosystem or lack thereof.
Although she went in the opposite direction of the freeway, Velvet could pick up through both sight and sound the headlights and rumbling of vehicles. Like trains upon a track, the few that were out this evening made their way through a concrete labyrinth, organized in a grid formation. This, generously, named park only being one haphazardly made square of actual land within the two-dimensional graph.
To the brunette Faunus the park had at least some individuality to it, every other rectangle was simply filled with a slightly different take on the same identical house. It was almost like an ocean of these two to three story wooden structures stretched to the nonexistence horizon before her. With only a few larger buildings being unique enough to distinguish themselves from the crowd.
With all the strangeness she had been forced to experience within eye distances of her landing sight, Velvet didn't know why she thought stepping outside of its direct area would break some sort of illusion. Instead the only thing to shatter was her brief moment of determination.
T-this shouldn't be possible, her eyes attached themselves to a structure made of concrete that stretched on longer than others. Although as her pupils dilated in shock and despair the building seem to expand to a singular point, almost seeming organic as it grew in her mind, A-any settlement this organized, this large...i-it has to be known by name or exists only as a ruin
The Screeching sound of a car horn sounded in the distance, causing the Faunus's sudden bout of emotional turmoil to increase as her ears folded in on itself. At the moment it felt as if the automobile was yelling at her for the town's behalf at the dare mention of calling it a ruin.
Her mind struggled to process the result she already subconsciously guessed before. Taking a step back her huntsman instinct was luckily aligned with her survival ones as she once again hid behind the bark of a hibernating tree.
O-Okay, so I'm no longer on the map...I mean I am, I-I have to be, she started taking in deep gulps of air, trying to speed up the drowning process she currently experiences. She needed to let all the alienness in, to reach her breaking point in order to continue onward. Ironically this is what her moment of bravery had intervened to do. To push her across a line so that her conscious side could work in tangent with her subconscious memory. And as her hands rested upon the bark of the tree for support, she focused her eyes on the ground.
I-I'm just in a very secluded section that's never been recorded...which essentially means it's not actually on any map, the panic increased and her fingers slid down the tree following the anchor that was her body, w-with stars that shouldn't exist. And towns that couldn't possibly exist
Judging her purely based on thought the young huntress was experiencing a panic attack. But it was one that ushered in a victory. For this was just the moment she needed to reach herself, something made apparent with how her breath became softer, despite her now being on all fours with eyes that screamed of hopelessness,
An-and with no way to find my location...I don-, and thus the moment has been reached. A realization born when one realized they were in fact lying to themselves, I do know...I-I have to observe. I have to treat anybody as hostile, b-but now I have to find out if they actually are hostile
She crawled over to the base of the tree. Leaning against the foreign bark her heart was beating like a rabbit, but hermind was finally putting her to ease. Proving answer to feeling to panic produced questions that have no words
I-I still don't know the language or how these people talk...b-but there are other ways to judge character and intent, she looked out at the now dead device she had scavenged upon first appearing in this strange land, I-if I'm going to get out of here I need to stop obsessing over where I am, and try...and need to focus on who is here
Being met with her own disheveled reflection across the lifeless screen, she brought up a hand to wipe away at her eyes. Water had built up due to the sudden surge in anxiety, but she now had enough control to stop her emotions from releasing the dam. The physical act did little to remove her ground or even the look that she was about to cry. But it did recenter her to a degree,
I c-can't observe from this park alone...I'm going to have to find other locations for shelter and to hide...a-and my best chance would be to do it...is now, she looked past the false stars to the darkness that gave them life.
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After recovering, or more so being at ease, with her panic attack the brunette had planned to enter an actual woodland. After all, even if she ran into Grimm, which remarkably wasn't a one hundred percent guarantee anymore, her survival skills would actually make such an environment safer.
However, no such haven of nature existed outside this miniscule island of greenery she now inhabited. None in sight anyway, which meant she had to get creative with finding a way outside of this settlement. Logically speaking, if she went far enough in any one direction, she'd have to find another, hopefully much larger, unoccupied space of land. This sort of expedition would have to be taken at night in order to best utilize her senses and to capitalize on the limitation of any human or none hunter nearby.
But even then, she couldn't just dash off under the cover of darkness. If she underestimated the scope of the town, as she had done with every other assumption she made since coming here, she would risk traveling too far and not having enough time to get back before daybreak.
There was also the possibility that such an action was not the only strategy she could employ to escape town. As was protocol, not only for Beacon based Huntsmen but Velvet's instincts as well, she was to treat anybody in an unknown land as potentially hostile. However, even with the events she witnessed before her untimed departure from Vale, it was unreasonable to think that every citizen of this settlement was involved with the execution of that plan and whatever it entailed. As such she also had to determine if she could...simply walk out.
After all, if the people weren't part of some grand criminal scheme, or some really close-knit community, they might not view Velvet as anything out of the ordinary. If that was the case she could simply move around in plain sight, without even having to talk to anybody in the settlement.
Because of this the chocolate eyed woman had devolved two simultaneous plans that would allow her to explore both options...while also destroying any sleep schedule she had previously maintained.
For the last eleven days she had been dedicating the nights putting her cartography elective back and Beacon, as well as her photographic memory, to good use. Exploring a bit farther each time but taking into account the hours possessed by the sun and moon respectively, Velvet expanded the location of the town she was familiar with. All in order to know how far she could leave the park and safely return to it and decide if there were any other checkpoints in this town she could access or hide in during the day. With her scroll long since dead, not that it could pick up a transmitter tower anyway, the Faunus slowly but surely began filling in her own detailed map of the area in her mind.
For her first couple of nights she remained in the park's 'grid'. Never passing the concrete, she familiarized herself with every nook and cranny of the forest, the trails it possessed, and the field that surrounded it. Of important note the use of this park seemed limited based on little wear and tear. Besides the occasional pit or crevice, the only signs of bipedal activity seemed to be from her or the one boy she had seen twice earlier...luckily this observation also allowed her to clean up her own tracks. 'A rookie mistake', as Coco would have sneeringly pointed out, that she was all too happy to correct.
The field's activity was harder to judge overall, but during the day, while out of sight, her ears constantly informed her nobody was making use of the area, at least not any of the spots near her. The buzz cut field of grass did house a few miniscule structures, as well as a manmade pound, but none seem to be in use or possessed occupants. From what she could tell they were potential maintenance areas, that from the upkeep, look haven't been used in years.
All in all, the park was a good location to be dropped in. It didn't experience a high level of usage, at least for now, and it provided her with a safe place to momentarily base herself in. Although as any wilderness will tell you shelter is only one important aspect to survival, and because the park lacked other crucial features, she had to up her level of scouting.
For the remaining portion of her week under starlight she explored the first in use structure of the town. The sole brick and stone building she could see that, even by the architecture strangeness of this entire place, could not be confused for a residential area.
With no lights on, she relied on her superior vision to get a look inside and quickly determined it to be an educational facility. Desk lined perfectly cubic classrooms, and someplace akin to a cafeteria was made obvious by the kitchen she could clearly view through the giant glass windows that may as well been its walls.
Divided from the park by a line of trees rather than roads, the first asphalt was that of a parking lot. One that clearly was still in use despite her not having actually heard any activity from this location. Although given the maintenance of some sort of sports field, that she had thought may have been modern art at first, the place had to still be in use...something she discovered all too true when her daytime operation went into effect.
Setting it as the second landmark, and the only one she could observe in use while still remaining hidden, Velvet spent most of her time with the sun observing the people who went in and out of the building.
For the first two days her eyes were met with the sight of only a few people heading in and out. Usually all in matching uniforms they'd arrive in some sort of truck early in the morning carrying equipment that must have been cleaning material. All though she could not get close enough to tell what they were doing inside, Velvet had a hard time elevating them as students, and garnered that the school must have been closed for whatever reason.
The reasons for how long, or why, escaped her of course, but on the third day she was met with what the actual environment of the facility looked like in full swing. With much younger residents being dropped up or arriving in their own vehicles, hundreds of teenagers entered the school every morning, and exited around the beginning of afternoon every day.
Much to her dismay, none of them helped pinpoint her location. With the general look of all the inhabitants having features that were native to multiple kingdoms. Or rather there was no one defining ethnicity that seemed to make up the majority of the school or towns populace.
Worse for her, over the five day span she examined the civilians when the school was in use, she had determined the unsettling fact that...from this distance, they all looked to be human. Now of course this didn't put anything in stone about the species makeup of the town. For starters Velvet was limited to what she could see based on distances. While she most certainly had superior night vision because of her Faunus heritage, this didn't mean she saw more detail then regular humans. Only that she could see the same amount of it, albeit in black and white, at night. So, when looking at the people heading in and out of the building, at a distance of over fifty meters it wasn't as if she could zoom in to see any potential Faunus trait with her pupils.
That being said, pure human towns weren't exactly a rarity in Remnant, whether they be near a city or asking for trouble by trying to set themselves up in the wilderness. And after spending a week seeing no signs of any obvious animal feature, it was in Velvet's best interest to assume this was a homogeneously human town. Which meant at the moment Velvet had to treat everybody as if they were Remnants other sentient species.
This didn't mean she had to scrap the idea of walking out in broad daylight or worry that if she tried to casually leave the town she'd be stopped. But it did mean she had to find a way to disguise her most noticeable feature, as well as assume the people of the town might hold...less than progressive ideals.
Which led to the current predicament Velvet found herself in now. With how much time had passed, the idea of escaping the town through stealth was diminishing. Not because it was a bad idea, but because her emergency rations were gone and if it was to continue it needed to be refueled.
Seeing as she was only prepared to go to the tournament the night of the attack, she hadn't actually restocked the survival kit she usually had in her suit. The fact that there was still some left over from the last time she went on field mission was nothing short of a miracle and the reason she could keep her aura and energy level relatively high the last few days.
That being said the meal situation wasn't one that could support the nighttime escapade...at least not how it was. However, the school did seem to hold an answer. Given the student body number, it would be an easy place to blend in. There still was the risk of her being singled out, but less so then if she throw caution into the wind and tried to walk out of town at this very moment.
Besides this place would be the perfect environment to test how people in the town would react, or in the ideal scenario not react, to her presence… that and it had a cafeteria, and given that her rations had run out a few days ago this was the only place she could reasonably obtain some level of free food...it might mean she had to pick up the scraps of what people left behind, but as her stomach rumble voiced, this was not a concern she wanted to dwell on for the moment.
No, the actual worry came from the fact that she had to walk into a social situation, without knowing the language everyone spoke, in a culture she's never seen, and somehow walk in and out without drawing attention. Given her timid and nervous nature this task would have been nerve wracking even if it had to be done in Beacon cafeteria.
Because of this Velvet had to prepare herself to an obsessive, but probably logical, degree...and it was because of this preparation that she now found herself dressed up in an outfit that would have caused her Team Leader to physically vomit.
Having gone back to the sheds that darted the field, Velvet was luckily, in the bare minimum sense of the word, to find native clothing...well more native than her huntress uniform that was.
Old and dusted over, with a smell that would have produced a similar reaction to its sight, the apparel she found was faded and clearly meant to be worn by a man much larger than herself.
The long-sleeved shirt was a dull brown that was either the fabric original color, or the result of a lifetime of stains on something that used to be much lighter. The pants they went with had a, hopefully, less depressing origin story and were a pair of khakis, that despite having been ripped and stitched back together multiple times could cover her lower half...albeit given the size it would need some help.
The literal crowning achievement, and the thing that made Velvet's current situation possible, however, was the workers hat the outfit apparently came with. Grey and with no flair, which was oh so needed, the headgear was long and wide and stretched far beyond the corner of her head. While it would be no means comfortable, these dimensions could house her ears without the risk of them peeking through.
Of course, no pieces of the outfit went anywhere near their skin until they were washed. In fact, the entire previous night was spent essentially in the lake. Thanking every deity she knew that her aura kept her warm, the rabbit practically had to soak in the water, along with the clothes from sunset to sunrise.
It wasn't an easy choice to make, but the water looked cleaner than the clothes. The mere fact the liquid was odorless already confirmed, even if she didn't want to, what had to be done. And when the natural bath and laundry had been completed, and the morning rays of the closest star had dried birth appeal and huntress she got to work on her local look.
What emerged...well it certainly didn't look like an elite huntsman, so she had that going for her. Velvet's brown locks cascaded to her back but now emerged from a flat grey hat that almost looked like a dinner plate with a flatten caked atop it. Below that was a dirt brown splatter painted shirt, that through the wash was confirmed to be the results of stains upon stains and had to be tied off in multiple different places in order to actually fit.
Having to make a physical alteration, a strip of cloth was ripped off at the bottom of the shirt, not that she needed the extra length to begin with. The torn piece of fabric now served the purpose of a belt, one that was tied as tight around the baggy khakis as tight as they could be in order to keep the lower half of the apparel up.
Not even wanting to see her own reflection, the outfit was far from pretty but at the very least it would do better than a skintight military uniform...or at least it would have.
Having spent the better part of her morning drying and altering the outfit, as well as attempting to calm her nerves, the rabbit faunus was planning to head into the school during the peak use of its cafeteria.
But as she now saw, the entire structure was empty besides from the all too familiar truck that harbored the cleaning true. In a cruel twist of fate, she had discovered the pattern of the school's activity schedule, on the day she needed to enact her plan.
Stomach growling, her eyes shined with defeat at the mere thought of having to go at minimum two days without food,
...On the bright side, maybe I can use the time to work out some of the less appealing designs of the clothes, the thought was speaking with the emotion of preemptive failure, knowing full well this outfit was beyond repair, or...find a way to make my ears more useful
Pulling up one side of the hat, fresh air reached her still partially covered ears, and with it Velvet experienced some physical relief. The hat, while necessary, made the world lose a bit of its life. Becoming far more silent as it insulated any audio waves that could reach the ears she relied on the most.
That wasn't to say her human ears, or the ears she shared with humans, were useless. It's just they had no real use when she had her far superior rabbit ones atop her head. For example, she could hear the sound of the motorway to her east. The gentle patter of water moving through a temporary stream. Even the light fall of footsteps upon a dirt path, and the strange words that accompanied them…
"Well that's a... bold fashion statement", whatever peaceful mood Velvet had been slowly slipping into was completely shattered by the intangible sounds of a whisper she picked up as normal speech.
Pulling the head gear down as if it would hide her entire body, the brunette jumped like a deer in headlights. Turning eyes wide with her hands grasping her hat with whitening knuckles, the girl is presented with the all too familiar sight of the only person here she seen up close,
Perhaps a tribute to the fabric's sound absorbing abilities, the young human male, looking no more than a year or two younger then herself, stared at her with equal shock. It wasn't the same discomfort he displayed on the last two occasions she accidentally observed him, for instead of fear he expressed confusion. Made evident by the sound of his voice, even if the words the tone produced made no sense.
At the very least he didn't seem aggressive or recognize her in any way from what she could tell. And as they both stood there staring at each other, she noticed his shocked filled eyes were drawn to her outfit.
She had no idea how to react to this but judging by his own hesitation to do anything he didn't seem to express any knowledge of what was going on. So, for the better part of a minute both occupants of the woods just stood like statues, desperately wanting to move in opposite directions, but unsure if that would only make the situation worse. Thus, on instinct alone she did something the briefly over writ her huntsman training,
"H-hello there", if possible, her eyes went wider at her own statement. Now having to force her hands to remain stationed on the hat, dispute desperately wanting to bring them down to cover her mouth,
I just spoke, oh my gods I just spoke, the confusion in the boy's pupils only grew, as he now stood perfectly still looking at her like she was an alien. Clearly not understanding a word she had uttered, h-he knows I'm a foreigner now, he could call somebody to report the strange event...I-I ruined everything
Despite her worry neither party made a move, to wrap up in paranoia, confusion, or both to respond to the situation properly. Unbeknownst to her, a hidden third occupant decided to intervene on both their behalf. With the loudest sounding ping noise she had ever heard, Velvet nearly jumped into action. Even with the added protection, and disability, of her noise muffling hat, the sound had been unexpected and even rang her human ears. It originated from the boy's pocket and, unsure if it was a weapon or signal, she almost got ready for combat, or at the very least prepare herself for the escape of her life,
Luckily, her rationalized mind had noticed the boy have a similar reaction, and he clearly didn't expect or produce the noise. Having pulled him from his frozen state, he fumbled into his pant pocket and pulled out a device, it looked remarkably similar to the one she now possessed, and as he stared down, evidently reading something frantically on its screen, she now pieced together it most likely being utilized for communication.
This only increased her urge to run, but she was still unsure if that would only serve as a catalyst for people to pursue. Having time slowed down though adrenaline, the boy stood there looking at his phone for what felt like hours, reading text that only seemed to confuse him more before he spoke out loud to himself,
"What do you mean she's from Denmark?...wait you speak Danish?", the tone of voice was the only thing she could translate, but it seemed like his emotions had yet to change. Looking up from the screen and to her, his cheeks going a bit red and his body language screaming with growing embarrassment, Velvet now found herself the confused one,
"I don't know P, it doesn't really seem like my place...okay, okay fine", bringing the phone even closer, and his face now giving the color of red a new shade, the man seemed to begin mouthing words to himself before he ultimately cleared his voice.
Attempting to look up to her, but his eyes darting everywhere around her silhouette he opened his mouth once more,
"He-...Hello, here-...I here...assist t-…to a-assist?", if Velvet's eyes could open any wider, they'd practically go out of her head. The words were broken, spoken out of order, and with an accent that seemed like it be produced by an animal attempting speech, but the words hung in the air with meaning. They were part of the universal tongue and they had knowledge attached to them. Caught up in this for a moment, the brunette didn't even register her fellow brunette now awkwardly approaching with his electronic outstretched. When she did, she flinched, and her hands almost tore through the fabric of her atrocious hat in fear.
Noticing this the boy seemed to back away a bit as well and pulled his phone close to his chest briefly. Caught up in his own fear momentarily, before looking back to it then her. Taking a deep breath, he once again expanded his had with the electronic, "Assssist"
Doing her own quick eye movement, Velvet looked between him and the cellular device as if it could be a bomb, but nonetheless took it in her hand. Staring at a line of texts that made no sense, the rabbit Fanuus almost fulfilled an unknown myth by jumping to the moon when the screen minimized itself then opened a white page.
Not even having the time to question this in her head, the snow background was filled with a black line that slowly expressed itself as words. With symbols that she hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime, but now made perfect sense,
"Salutations Ms. Scarlatina, I believe we may be able to offer each other assistance in going back home. But for this we need to pool together resources and knowledge. I will be able to explain to you more about my understanding of the situation but to do so I will need your trust. Please let me know if this is acceptable, and if nothing else please believe that I mean you no harm and am simply a fellow traveler from Remnant"- Penny Polendina, Atlas Academy Huntsman Program
At this point the Faunus eyes and brain had been overloaded, and her urge to run or faint had far been exceeded. But drawing her back in, the recognition of a name and place forced her hand, or rather forced her trust. Looking back up to the boy who clearly did not know anything besides having to stand awkwardly before a stranger in the woods, her chocolate eyes went back down towards the screen.
Her ears curled up and pressed down, and her mind still screaming at her to run, Velvet's body did what her brain could not, and taking a leap of faith nodded her head.
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"I'm on an alien planet", the statement was whispered with sad exhaustion, almost as if it was a precursor for tears that would be produced by sheer tiredness. But as Velvet made this emotion physical by slumping back in Gareth's computer chair, Penny could only feel some strange form of joyous belief.
Having brought the brunette Faunus back to Gareth's house, Penny had to make improvised lie after improvised lie to the high schooler to even convince such an action to be taken. In fact, the reasoning she was spinning the emerald eye boy about why he had to help this complete stranger was something she was still doing on his phone as he waited, in the midst of a panic attack, downstairs.
Simultaneously she also had to communicate with Velvet and give her an explanation on her location. Which essentially meant she had to give Velvet the fastest course on relevant Earth... well relevant Earth everything, she could.
Upon seeing the fellow Remnant native, Penny had recognized her instantly from the Vytal tournament. Unfortunately, while knowing much about the brunette's father, Penny had little information on Velvet herself outside of what was shown on her basic Huntsmen portfolio. This meant the Atlesian android had, in a moment that required fast action with no planning, to place her trust in Velvet as well. To make sure she was leading a possible enemy or assailant to her main processor as well as the Cadarn's place of residence.
And although depressing and sad to watch. Velvet losing all hope and being presented with the knowledge of being on a different celestial body helped proved to Penny that the rabbit eared Faunus wasn't behind or with whatever organization forced the spacetime traversal,
"I am afraid so Ms. Scarlatine, and from your reaction it seems like you were also an unintended stowaway. Besides information on this Planet, I regret to express that after my...defeat. I know nothing of the events leading up to my arrival on Earth. Please take your time, but I believe are corporation would", -Penny
Speaking and hearing the tongue her father taught, or more accurately programmed her, was somewhat therapeutic for the electric red head. Unfortunately, Penny's caring nature also made her obsessively concerned with Velvet's defeated stated, and she wanted to offer any reassure she could...something that she was breaking many rules, both the ones she set for herself and Gareth, in order to do so,
"I-I...just Velvet is fine Penny", overcome with more emotions than the sentient machine could ever hope to analyze, Velvet's head bowed its way towards resting on the desk. Clearly wanting to take off her hat to let her hand find comfort in her one hair, but still having enough control over her action to realize removing the camouflage would be too risky of a move, "I-I don't know how much help I can be...I-I'm sorry I can't even think straight at the moment...I can't even tell if all of this is real or just a dream...or maybe I just died...I mean after all yo-"
Her despair still not having enough power to overcome her polite, or rather timid nature, Velvet stopped herself from finishing a statement. Although even Penny, who was by no means a genius on social interaction, could piece together what was about to be said, "S-sorry I didn't mean to imply...you know"
Now more than ever Penny wanted the ability to speak in her voice. To provide comfort to somebody who was going through a situation she experienced all too well, but at a faster rate, a mere week ago. Not wanting to express herself through the robotic tone of the speaker, the binary emerald aura girl did the next best thing and tried to right in a peaceful thought, although she hardly had knowledge of what that could be,
"There is no reason to apologize acquaintance Velvet...I must say I'd rather not go into detail about my...disqualification from the tournament, but I can follow the logic behind your thought process and know you meant no offense"-Penny
Having to raise her head to read the screen, the rabbit Faunus truly did look like she was about to cry. Or rather was just so shocked at the moment that she was crying without tears. Funnily enough though, her state was momentarily replaced by confusion when viewing the artistic way in which Penny drew the font she now read. Still a bit oblivious to why people found joy in art, the binary soul had attempted to produce multiple different styles, making a font that was as appealing to look at as Velvet's clothes. However, while she did not smile at this, Velvet's lips quivered as if wanting to angle the corners slightly upward.
"T-thank you Penny...but I'm still sorry. I'm also sorry we have to meet this way", from what the digital girl could tell the brunette Faunus was now forcing her head up. As if indicating that she still could ot understand this situation, but would hear it through, "I...haven't talked to my dad in some time...but I know he worked with your..."
She paused, clearly not knowing what title she should bestow upon Penny's creator, only knowing that using creator sounded all too rude,
"...well he worked with Dr. Polendina, so it's good to know that nobody actually died during the tournament...at least during the matches that it"
Her voice trailed off, something that caused concern to grow in Penny. While she wanted to desperately inform the Faunus that she knew a bit about her dad and actually interacted with him a bit since he helped create her in a way, her priority were focused elsewhere now,
"I do not wish to pry, but why was there an emphasis on the word during. Such a thing implies a hazardous event had transpired after it"-Penny
Velvet bit the bottom of her lip, debating if she wanted to inform the artificial human of what had happened...but given the situation she would have no choice. Taking in a deep breath to prepare herself, the chocolate themed girl struggled to find the right words,
"It began after...after everybody had thought you...", her eyes left the camera and perhaps to distract herself from that statement Penny couldn't help but thing how similarly Velvet and Gareth behaved in certain situations, "...People obviously made a move to see what happened and to help you...but then...I mean it shouldn't have been possible with all the security but...the Atlas fleet and mechanized units turned on their own military...and then focused their sights on Vale"
For all the things the copper headed computer code was expecting to hear, the Atlas defense network being breached was certainly not one of them. She wanted to voice this out loud and based on Velvet's pause she was giving the opening to do so, but clearly this was not the end of the transgression committed against the middle kingdom. Before she could analyze the absurdity of what she now heard, Penny did have to hear it through. And after giving it a few seconds Velvet picked up where she left off.
"...and then after that the Grimm came...f-followed by the White Fang", Velvet voice trailed off at the mention of the last group, and it admittedly took Penny a few reasons to understand why. Regardless she didn't pry into Velvet's thoughts on the rogue civil rights group, "I-it was the perfect storm in a way...and after I just started to get a grasp on all the chaos being unleash, myself and the other huntsmen did our best to limit the destruction. E-everything from there's a…well it's not a blur, unfortunately for me it can't be, but it all seems to blend together. For awhile…it was just my team leader and I going from one fight to the next…I-it honestly felt like it would never end"
"I am sorry, I was unaware of this, but I hope the student bodies did not experience any casualties"-Penny,
Penny asked this mostly for herself. She had no reason before to assume anybody was in danger after she entered the void, but now all her thoughts revolve around Ruby, her team, and the personal she came with.
"I wouldn't know", he eyes went downcast again, "...by the time I came out of the battle haze I had gotten separated from so many people, but at that moment I hadn't heard of anybody dying...but...Penny you said we needed to trust each other right"
"That is correct, and please know at this moment I do, and will take you what you say completely seriously and with respect"-Penny
"I still don't understand it myself but...the next thing I remember in detail after the fighting...was the CCT tower going down", the results of such an event inviting in some many horrific scenarios that Penny couldn't even begin to start what the repercussion would be, "I was alone with my team Leader Coco at the time...we had somehow made our way back to the arena after dealing with some Atlas Paladin's, among other things, along the way...Considering the state of things the tournament area was, too quite if that makes sense?"
If the Faunus was struggling the right words to find before, her thirty second pause right now indicated that her next remarks were something no vocabulary of any language could do justice too,
"Since it was the place where everything began, well Coco wanted me to investigate to make sure the area was clear. Being the only one with an optional gatling gun, I was the stealthier huntsmen…I was just supposed to quickly go in and out, and report back what I saw", her eyes briefly closed, almost acting as if the situation was recurring now, "...I-I was always good at those sort of things...n-not that it's me that's good at it, but my semblance is… well it's kind of like a more extreme version of a photographic memory, except it involves all the senses"
Penny wasn't sure where the rabbit eared girl was going with this. Such an ability certainly sounded wonderful to here, in fact it was perfect for this situation in all seriousness...but at the moment Velvet certainly did not feel the same way,
"It's usually so helpful...but I wish I didn't have it...I-I can relive the scene of me walking into the arena so vividly", she was starting to shake. Penny didn't notice at first because she thought this information would be invaluable, but now seeing the effect it had her fellow planet member...she didn't want to hear what had transpired until Velvet was actually ready to tell her,
"Acquaintance Velvet, if you wish, this information isn't crucial right now. I would advise-", she wasn't allowed to finish because Velvet was no longer looking at the text despite staring at the computer screen.
"Three people were there, two of which were in the tournament. Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. He should've been injured, that's what the whole controversy surrounding the final matches was all about, but he was standing upright as if nothing happens", her voice shook, but her usual stutter was gone. She was too lost in the moment, or rather trapped. Penny wanted to do something to break her free, but even if she produced a noise, she doubted Velvet would hear. Right now the Faunus was back on Remnant and, for all intended purposes, back in the arena.
"The third man they were with, I don't know his name, but I remember everything about him. His sadistic grin and the way he moved. His greasy hair and...and his eyes that were drowning in delight at all the destruction and death around him...he, he was a faunus too, with an insectoid tale wrapped around his waist", her hands released themselves from her hat, and now tried to grip something, seeking out the comfort of an item that was a mere few feet away but she did not have the courage to retrieve, "he wasn't even the worst thing there though"
The fear shook Penny's computerized core at that last part, and even knowing it was pointless she tried to reach Velvet through the computerized speaker...but it was pointless only the brunettes instinct realized the attempt intrusion and as such her voice only grew louder on terror,
"Some sort of Grimm emerged...I don't know which kind...I mean I should, my semblance allowed me to memorize every known species in every known book...but this one...it was something different...I swear it was something else'', Velvet was no longer talking to Penny, now just pleading with herself that the situation in fact happen, "It was like some sort of jellyfish but corrupted beyond all believe. Its tentacle dangled with barbed hooks, and it looked to be in pain, but was relishing in its own misery...then...then it spoke to them"
Penny ceased her attempt to vocally communicate with Velvet, concerned that her increase in volume would alert Gareth...it already had, and Penny now had to split her mind to reassure two people…but at the moment only one was willingly to listen, "I don't want to repeat what that...voice said, but she talked about finding humanity were ever they would hide, about baptizing them with extinction...it was horrible, and it was horrible because she made it sound beautiful. All the while the fear and terror that swept over Vale increased, and a Vortex's emerged. It was pure black and kidnapped any light it could touch", As if she was reciting an ancient poem of rebirth rather than mass genocide"
Her face had paled over white, to the point Penny truthfully wondered if there was any blood left in her head. She almost felt like she had to call the local authorities. Even if it would blow both their cover from an enemy that didn't know they exist, and even if Velvet was a different species that Earth doctors have never seen, the electric code felt as if she needed to get this girl help,
"I took a picture then...it was stupid, I wasn't thinking and I did something stupid...it alerted them to my position...and all four saw me", she tore off her hat, not caring anymore about where she was or who could see, after all, too her, the enemy already knew, "I thought I was going to die...but honestly at that point dying seemed like a way out. The shrill of a woman's voice broke the air, and I mean it physically shattered it. The portal flew to life and everything was sucked in. Myself, Mercury, Emerald, and the sadist. Even chunks of the arena were sent flying in alongside your dismembered corpse"
The haze that had shrouded over Velvet's eyes dissipated instantly the moment she addressed Penny. Her body experienced whiplash at being thrown back in reality when realizing she was actually talking to somebody. Her breaths were heavy, and her ears were up on high alert, as she gazed around the room waiting to be killed essentially. By the time her mind caught up with the situation her breathing turned from gasp to pants, before turning back to the computer screen.
Her eyes scan quickly of Penny's ever shortening messages to cease her story for her own safety. By the time the rabbit-eared woman returned to Earth, Penny could only type out to repeat the words.
"Please stop, you are safe now Velvet"
Upon reading through that phrase all fifteen times it had been sent out, Velvet's face gained some color. Her fear still remained but she was no longer using it as fuel to produce more horror,
"I-I'm so sorry...I-I don't know what came over me"
"It is alright acquaintance Velvet; the fault lies with me. Please rest for now I promise nothing will happen to you, and I will ensu-", Penny wanted to say so much more, but even if she had a voice she could not do it justice. She didn't know how comfort Velvet, lacked the social understanding or experience to do so, and thus only knew she needed help...in away Velvet did to, but sharply cut Penny off,
"NO!", she practically slammed her hands on the desk as she launched up from the chair. It was shouted loudly, and once again Gareth needed to be told a lie, but there was no anger in Velvet's voice...more so a justification to herself.
Staring at her hands for a moment, her face filled with red, which truly was a good sign despite the embarrassment it conveyed. Reaching slowly and carefully for the hat, she put it atop her head once more, before silently sitting back in the chair,
"I-I have to continue Penny. Please let me just finish, because I don't want to have to go through this again...I won't lose control I-I promise", medically speaking Penny should stop this right now. Inform her that she needed rest and proper emotional support...but breaking into her core, and speaking to the true her, the robotic Atlesian new Velvet needed to continue,
"Okay acquaintance Velvet, just please know you are safe here, and that I am here as well"-Penny,
The rabbit faunus didn't react in the way Penny wished to reassurance her, but Velvet's breathing seemed to normalize and with one last big intake of air she nodded her head.
"Next thing I know the three others and I...and you as well, were falling through the sky. It was like being launched from the cliff at Beacon when I had to complete my entrance exam...only it was night, and instead of silent determination everybody was screaming...except for the insect tailed man...he laughed", share froze again, and Penny feared she'd be sucked back into her mind, but she managed to shake free after a few seconds, "I landed in that park, and after regaining my bearings I investigate some noise. Your... friend?"
Velvet rising infliction in her mention of the downstairs member of the house was said questioningly. Clearly not knowing his name, as well as wondering what Penny's status was with him at the moment,
"I believe you are referring to Gareth. Based on data I've gathered he most likely found me in the park that night as well."-Penny
"Right...Gareth", she was trying her best, but the name came off her tongues unnaturally. The content and vowels sounds between English, or technically Welsh in this case, were different enough from Remnant syllable system that the faunus found herself having to produce new sounds, "I think I scared him, because when I tried to get close he got frightened and ran off...not before dropping a device though"
Looking over to the bed, as if remembering multiple things, Velvet hopped through the mess that was Gareth's room, and unknotted a bundle of stain cloth she had used to carry her equipment. Reaching down she pulled out Gareth's lost item.
Turning around she made to come back with it...but hesitantly she placed down her hand and quickly picked up another device. Retiring to the computer she placed down an object Penny instability new, and then what looked to be a camera...made out of material native to Remnant,
"That is Gareth's phone. He had to replace it because he thought it was stolen... and maybe it might be for the best he still believes that"-Penny
Velvet didn't look too comfortable at being an accidental thief, but given all that's happened that was the least of her concern, "Sorry, I certainly didn't mean to rob him, regardless if I did so by accident or not. I just thought it was evidence and I kind of panic. I was meaning to get it back to Vale or the Huntsmen association, bu-well as you know I ran into your friend again before I could put that plan into action...I-I honestly still can't wrap my mind around any of this Penny, but how much does he know?"
"Nothing", the red headed stream of ones and zeroes typed out the response all too fast. Enough to make her forget to add a reason, as well as shock Velvet a bit.
"By that, I wish to inform you that he knows nothing that has transpired. He simply thinks I am a program that came with his computer. He and, to my best educational predictions, the rest of Earth and its governments are in the dark to their extra-terrestrial visitors. I wish it to remain this way to ensure his, his family, and even his planet's protection. To a larger extent Remnant's safety as well"-Penny
Looking towards the door nervously Velvet may have read that response in a way that implied a tone different than the one Penny had hoped to express,
"I-I understand. I'm still trying to process the crash course you gave me on this planet", despite being in her natural language, the brunette using the term planet in the implication there were other ones crawling with life came out more unnaturally then Gareth's name, "But I-I don't think...I mean to say, with how different Remnant and Eea-Er-...this planet are, their kingdoms sound like they wouldn't believe our story...and if they did we might be in for a worst fate"
The girl shivered. She clearly didn't want to believe any of this and wanted nothing more than this to be a nightmare. Gods know for her it already sounded like one,
"Those were my thoughts exactly acquaintance Velvet, and as such I have had to create multiple protocols to make sure we don't alert any of the local governing bodies to my, and now our, presence"-Penny
"I-I don't suppose I altered any of those protocol", the brunette looked away from the screen, as if ashamed for burdening Penny with her own existence,
"Your encounter with me has produced far more possibilities than risks- acquaintance Velvet. Out of all the things I have experienced on Earth, being able to communicate with you has been my most positive experience!"-Penny
With how honest she could be with Velvet; the binary sentience was ashamed an actual lie came out. In truth the sudden meeting with the brunette Faunus caused Penny to jerry rig a plan on the spot. A plan that involved many risks and breaking of rules she set into place, and even worse was still being expanded upon. Regardless, Velvet needed to stay with Penny, and Penny needed to stay with Velvet.
"Oh I'm...glad", the rabbit girl attempted to give out a small smile, but with sadden eyes the happiness it attempted to produce could not be so easily forced out of her, "Although I kind of feel like a liability...I mean you, being uh...electronic and all, mean you can hide pretty well. My-"
Before she could speak her stomach continued the sentence for her,
"...requirements for survival are a lot harder to come by at the moment. I don't speak the language, know anything about this planet, and stick out like a sore thumb", she paused for a moment to readjust her hat, "Especially since...when you gave me the briefest version of this planet's history possible, you said all the inhabitants were...human? Not alien, but specifically human", with her semblance Velvet didn't even know why she phrased it as a question, she unfortunately knew what she heard,
"That is correct acquaintance Velvet, over seven billion in fact. Without the threat of Grimm, it seems sentient life can reach a population level much higher than scientifically anticipated! More astonishingly, much of the Earth's biological life mimics Remnants!"-Penny
The only sane Faunus on the planet blinked her eyes, her lips squeezing tight before pulling her legs into her arms, "That's...wonderful"
Clearly by the tone, the knowledge was anything but, and from the way Velvet reacted she felt the nightmare just got ten times worse. Taking a few seconds to connect the dots as to why, it wasn't until Penny zoomed in on the that she found the source of her fellow planet members discomfort,
"I am sorry to inform you that Faunus' life did not seem to evolve alongside humanity. But I do not think there is any reason for you to fear any prejudice-...although it may be in your best interest to pretend to be a human"-Penny
Velvet's eyes focused on the words more than the Atlesian lies. But the last thing Penny wanted to do right now was inform the Faunus that this planet's humanity had in the past had sister species...which they in part murdered. Or the horrifyingly real truth that this Earth's homo sapiens fear of difference became so horrific they unleash it upon themselves.
"I understand...that at least...the rest of it I'm completely in the dark on", the hopelessness of her tone was produced by a truth she learned long before coming to Earth, "...Penny I...I just want to go home. I don't want to be on an alien planet, regardless if the beings on it are not actually aliens. I don't want to go back and hide in that park. I just want to be in Vale with my team or wake up from this horrible dream. Anything that gets me away from all this craziness. I'm sorry if I'm being a coward...I just don't know what to do"
Silent tears finally broke through Faunus's eyes, still too professional to produce the noise she had more than every right to accompany them with. Penny felt the need to turn off the camera at the sight of them though. Like Velvet when regarding Earth, Penny was clueless on how to comfort the faunus in any meaningful way. All her life, well people went out of their way to remain upbeat around Penny, or at the very least not defeated. It was as if she was living in an emotional simulation, and it wasn't until she met Ruby that she actually integrated with people who were honest with themselves in front of her all the time,
"Would you like some alone time acquaintance Velvet? This is a lot to take in, and I believe after everything you are having a normal response. I personally believe you should be proud of yourself for how you are handling a situation that you could have never prepared for"-Penny
The rabbit Faunus wiped away the tears before looking at the computer monitor once more. Silently reading the response, she somehow managed to her knees even closer to her chest,
"I-I don't want to be alone...but I don't think I want to talk anymore either. Do you mind...I mean would you be okay if you just stayed with me for a bit. I-I just want some time to think but I want somebody nearby", to Penny this statement was odd. She was right here whether Velvet wanted her to be or not...but voicing such a statement seemed ill advised and certainly not what the Faunus needed,
"Of course, acquaintance Velvet. I will be here and ready to talk if you need me. If you contact me and my response is delayed, please know that all the work I do now is to ensure you can be in a safe environment"-Penny
There was a sniffle, but some of the air of despair had dissipated. There was still an overwhelming amount of sadness in the air, but the hopeless is birth was beginning to evaporate,
"Thank you, Penny,", just before her face could find refuge atop her knees Velvet's eyes caught the glimpse of one last message, before the two's thoughts went separate ways,
"It is my pleasure. Also… it is nice to meet you friend Velvet"-Penny
The brunette's hair began to cascade around her head, but with it came a small smile. Something that was the representation of the first emotion of...okayness she had since the tournament had ended so violently. It was a fleeting emotional experience, but one that could give her a small amount of hope, even as the others returned.
"It's nice to meet you too Penny"