Zrocker119: Well this certainly took longer than I would've liked. Reviews for the last chapter were pretty positive, so that's a plus! Glad everyone enjoyed the fights. And yes, when their lives are on the line, expect them all to end in a spectacularly brutal fashion as Valen isn't one to leave loose ends. That's Night Sentinal training for ya.
This chapter will pretty much wrap up this arc. Afterward, well I think it's time Valen and CO enjoyed some downtime.
-Redemption of a Betrayer-
-Start-
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By the time Valen had returned to the site of the attack with Maria and Nicolas in tow, the latter of which had to be carried due to the extent of his injuries, they found the place swarmed by police officers. As they approached a few officers tried to hold them for questioning.
Recent events had left Valen with a dangerously short fuse and he was not in the mood for any interruptions. Things may have gotten ugly were it not for the timely intervention of Chief Adkins, who quickly ordered the officers to help the others with securing the premises.
Once they were out of the way, Adkins faced the group. "I already spoke with Theo, but he wasn't able to tell me much." He noted the wounds Nicolas was sporting and motioned for them to follow. "Let's get the doc to look at him. I'll debrief you all afterward."
"There isn't much to tell," Valen spoke, irritation seeping into his tone. "We were attacked and retaliated accordingly."
"Yeah," They stopped momentarily as two officers carrying a bodybag walked past. "Two dead and the other is practically comatose."
"There is another. In a warehouse, a few blocked in the direction we came."
"Your handy work I presume?"
"...If only that were the case."
Adkins paused then. Glancing behind him, he eyed Nicolas who slowly shook his head before turning his attention to Maria. The girl merely kept her eyes down, refusing to meet anyone's gaze, and held her weapon close.
The police Chief softened his glare somewhat. Sighing, he reached for a cigarette but thought better of it. Best to save those for when he wasn't standing out in a storm.
They found Theo shortly after that. Both he and Alex were currently swarmed by the frightened children, doing their absolute damnedest to calm them down. The Wolf assisted by letting the youngest of the bunch stay snuggled against him. All of them had stayed within the confines of the Wolf barrier as it kept them sheltered from the heavy rain.
Sienna stood close by, keeping a watchful eye out for anything that could be perceived as a threat. Of them all, she was the first to take notice of the groups' approach. Gaining the attention of the others, she motioned towards them.
Theo caught sight of Nics wounds and immediately made his way over, not caring in the slightest about how the rain soaked through his clothes in a matter of seconds. Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, Theo let out an impressive string of curses.
"He's lost a lot of blood. I'm surprised he's still conscious."
Nicolas, despite the immense pain he was currently experiencing, gave an encouraging grin. "If anYoNE can Fix mE up doC, It'S YOu."
"Keep quiet," ordered Theo.
Before Nicolas could respond, Theo had retrieved a syringe from his lab coat and plunged it into his neck. The boys' eyes widened before his head lulled forward and fell unconscious.
"Do you always carry sedatives on hand?" Questioned Valen, adjusting his grip to better accommodate the now limp teen.
"You'd be surprised by how often these come in handy against thugs." Was the doctors' dry response. Keeping a hand on him, Theo began to glow a dull yellow as he tapped into his aura. Nicolas became enveloped in the same glow and immediately the dozens of cuts he had sustained from the assassin began to close.
After a few more moments his wounds disappeared entirely, leaving behind only the slight discoloration that came with freshly healed skin but the wounds on his arms and hands had been much deeper than the rest. Even with Theo's healing, scars would remain.
Finished with Nicolas' treatment, Theo moved to do the same for Maria but she flinched away before his hand could make contact.
"Maria," Valen spoke softly.
The two locked eyes. An unspoken conversation must have taken place in those few seconds as Maria slowly nodded. Theo carefully placed his hand on her head.
"One of her eardrums has ruptured while the other received heavy damage." She remained perfectly still as she felt the healing effects of Theo's Semblance.
Adkin waited until she was healed to the best of the doctors' abilities before speaking. "Now that no one is in danger of dying, I'm gonna have to take you all to the station for questioning. And don't worry about the brats," he added quickly before Theo could interrupt. "I've got my most trusted people here. They and Alex will be taken to a safe location. You have my word on that."
Theo turned his gaze to the smoldering remains of what had once been an orphanage. For several moments, the doctor simply stared at the ruins in silence. When at last he spoke, it was with a tone laced with anger. "Chief, we both know who was responsible for this attack. If the Neutral Zone is no longer safe, then how exactly can you guarantee anyone's protection!?"
"Was it him," Valen interrupted before the two could devolve into a shouting match. "The one you warned us about upon our arrival. Was this caused by him?"
The two men shared a look with Adkins sighing seconds later. "Let's discuss this back at my office." This was a conversation best had behind closed doors.
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A little over an hour later, Valen and Sienna were standing within the police Chiefs' office.
After a quick debriefing about the events that had taken place, the others had returned to Theo's clinic to recuperate from their brush with death. Valen had wanted Maria to stay with him as she was still reeling from the whole ordeal and he wanted to personally ensure her safety, but she had insisted on staying behind to watch over the others.
Valen hadn't liked it but upon seeing the tired look in her eyes, he had relented. They would speak once the immediate threat had been dealt with. Permanently.
"Of the four assailants, I recognized the man and the woman that still has a face." Adkins took a drag of his cigarette before gesturing towards the whiteboard plastered with notes and documents pertaining to the assassins in question.
"Their real names are unknown, but we do know their codenames." His hand smacked against their pictures. "Striker and Berretta. Two of Corsica's elite bodyguards and personal assassins, The Destroyers."
"And the other two?" Questioned Valen.
"Still waiting for confirmation on the woman, but I can hazard a guess and say that she was Sig, another long-time member of The Destroyers. As for the boy though," Adkins frowned. "Not a fucking clue."
Sienna raised a questioning brow but kept silent.
Adkins ignored the look and continued. "They used to have another member by the code name Barrett, real name Marcus Black, but he left and joined the Hearth guild a few years back. My best guess is that this kid was his replacement and judging from what the doc said about Nicolas' wounds, the brat was a real monster in the making."
Valen nodded in agreement. He had looked Nicolas' over before carrying him and had noted how many of his wounds, while shallow, had been made with the intent to inflict as much pain as possible before going for the kill. All done by a boy who had yet to reach his prime. Had he been given a chance to grow, to further his skill in the art of killing, then there was no telling how many lives he would've taken.
"Can-can we get back to the topic of Corsica," Sienna asked, shifting uncomfortably. She would rather focus on the man responsible for ordering their assassination than on the body of a young teen lying dead in the morgue.
Valen noticed her discomfort and spoke. "Do you have enough evidence to make an arrest?" He did not like how the Chief sighed. His knuckles cracked audibly at Adkins' next words.
"No. No, we don't."
"How," Valen's voice was little more than a guttural growl as he tried to reel in his mounting anger.
"We know of The Destroyer's association with the Corsica family. But," Adkins took a heavy drag, letting out a long breath of smoke a second later. "they are known to take contracts outside of his control every now and again. In this instance, there isn't enough evidence to accuse him of giving any orders. Let alone convict him."
Valen clenched his fists, the metal of his false limb creaking from the strain. "We can do nothing? Is that what you're saying?"
Adkins appeared every bit as irritated as Valen, but he still bit out his next words. "Should've thought about us getting a confession out of them instead of killing two and comatosing the third. We. Have. Nothing. Nothing but gut feelings and instincts."
"What about the group of missing White Fang? Has there been any word about their whereabouts?" Asked Sienna, changing the subject. The color immediately drained from her face upon seeing Adkins' remorseful expression.
"No," she whispered.
"We received a call about an hour ago from one of Theo's sources. They recommended that we send someone out to a nearby mountain trail about half a mile outside of the city"
"Cody went out to verify the call and found the remnants of what appeared to be a mass execution. The storms from the week prior and the constant humidity had done a number on the remains, but there was enough there for him to determine that most, if not all of the bodies were Faunus."
By the time he had finished speaking, his cigarette had burned itself out. The room fell into silence as Sienna processed everything. All of them. All of the people that she had sent here.
They were dead.
"Valen? Valen! Where the hell are you going!?"
Brought out of her despair-induced stupor by the officers' shout, Sienna looked over to see Valen standing in the doorway, his back to them.
"For too long, I stood aside as countless atrocities were committed. I was powerless to stop it then. But now," He held up a couple of pieces of paper. Ones that he had torn from the whiteboard. Sienna couldn't quite make out what they said, but one appeared to be an advertisement for...for a brothel?
"Now I know where to find one that gives such orders and have the means to end them." He looked over his shoulder then and the two of them could see the cold, unforgiving look in his one functioning eye. "No longer will I allow such wickedness to continue."
"You continue to do your work, Adkins. And I'll do mine."
And then he was gone. He just walked out of the office, passed the front desk, and out into the raging storm.
"Your friend just admitted to planning a murder in the middle of a police station," Adkins' mused allowed.
"Are you going to try and stop him?"
The officer said nothing for several moments. He just stood there. Taking a drag of his smoke, he let out a long, tired sigh. "...No. No, I won't."
Sienna didn't respond and simply followed after the aged warrior, leaving the police chief alone.
Maybe it was because Uranos had been deprived of his greatest weapons and bodyguards. Maybe it had been the look in Valen's eye. A look the promised nothing but swift retribution. Maybe he just couldn't bring himself to give a shit.
Regardless of the reasoning, Adkins knew that today would be the last of the Corsica family. In any case, he had some calls to make and favors to pull. It would take more manpower than he could muster to handle the fallout.
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Rain pelted against Valen's armor as he walked through the streets. The clouds above didn't appear to be letting up in the slightest. The thunder and lightning seemed to grow in both intensity and frequency the closer he came to his target.
It was as if the storm itself was attempting to match the rage that boiled within him. The thought made him chuckle. Even if that were the case, the storm would find itself lacking. Only the Slayer could truly understand and surpass such primordial wrath.
"There will be bloodshed." He spoke as he heard Sienna catch up to him. She had discarded the cloak that had been concealing her Faunus traits, no longer caring if people knew what she was.
"I'm counting on it," Sienna spoke, toying with the Tri-bladed chain that hung from her hip with a dangerous gleam in her eye. "I don't care who stands in my way. Uranos is going to die."
Nothing more needed to be spoken, the two continuing with only the sounds of the storm to fill the silence. The storm proved to be a blessing, keeping the usually busy streets empty for them to move unhindered.
They soon came within sight of the location of which according to the intel Adkins had shared with them, served as their target's main base of operations. Sienna didn't think it was possible for her to become even more disgusted with the man, but she was proven wrong once she saw the name of the establishment.
"Could he be even crasser?"
Valen didn't answer her. Instead chose to stare at the large, bright pink neon sign that simply read "Pussy". On either side of the word were the outlines of two curvaceous women, both neon pink as well and positioned in provocative poses.
Brushing off their disgust, the two drew closer. Flanking either side of the entrance were two bouncers, with only an awning to protect against the rain. Both were powerfully built men and wore matching suits. Any ordinary civilian would have found them intimidating.
Valen and Sienna were anything but ordinary.
The one on the right noticed their approach first. Once his gaze fell on Sienna, the bouncer gave an open sneer. "We're at max capacity. Besides, no animals allo-"
He didn't get a chance to finish speaking. Too busy eating his teeth as Valen's mechanized fist smashed into his face, the back of his head impacting the brick wall before sliding down into an unconscious heap.
His co-worker fared a little better. The same instant that Valen had struck, Sienna had as well. With Cerberus in hand, dodged a clumsy punch and got around the bouncer so that their backs were to each other and wrapped the chain of her weapon around his throat.
With a proper application of strength and gravity to assist her, Sienna kicked one of the man's legs out and pulled him up and over her shoulder. The bouncer hit the ground headfirst with a heavy thud.
She stood straight and followed Valen inside, where an attractive and now terrified hostess stood behind a small podium. Behind her lay another doorway with silk curtains in place of doors. Valen stared at the woman with an unreadable gaze.
"Is Uranos here?"
Scared for her wellbeing, the woman shakily nodded. He stared for a moment longer, searching her eyes for any sign of deception. When he found none, he jerked his head towards the door. Not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, the woman quickly grabbed her coat, carefully moved past them, and ran outside.
With confirmation that their target was indeed present, the duo made their way forwards, stopping just shy of the curtains. Even over the noise of the storm, the two could hear the sounds of the establishments' guests. Raising three fingers, Valen counted down slowly. When the final one fell, they pushed the drapes aside.
The room was large and lit with multiple lights that covered the place in a soft, pink hue. Dozens of booths lined the edges of the first floor, with two sets of spiral staircases in the back corners that lead to the second floor. A bar took up the majority of the back wall and was currently servicing dozens of patrons. The last thing of note was the grand piano on which a skilled musician played.
Several scantily clad servers, both men and women, carefully balanced trays filled with drinks as they moved about the room. Others could be seen leading customers up the stairs and into the rooms that lined the second floor, no doubt to service them in ways that weren't appropriate in a public environment.
"Ugh, what's that smell?" Sienna asked, covering her nose as a powerful scent assaulted her. It was an overly sweet smell. One that nearly made her head spin.
Valen could smell it as well. He didn't know for certain but given the environment, he would wager that it was some form of aphrodisiac. No doubt it was meant to get customers in the mood to pay for other services.
Their observations were cut short as several of the bouncers spaced throughout the establishment took note of their presence. The closest two stood only a few feet away on either side of the entrance, saw them as an immediate threat, and attempted to restrain them.
Once they were within reach, Valen grabbed them and slammed their heads together before letting them fall to the floor. Another that was nearby reached into his jacket and began to pull out a gun, but before it could even clear the holster, a chain wrapped around their arm.
With a sharp tug, Sienna sent the man spinning through the air and crashing into the center of the room, knocking over several patrons in the process. The entire establishment went silent as all eyes fell on them.
"I will only say this once," Valen stared them all down. "Everyone that isn't with Uranos, leave now. There will be no other chance."
Besides uncertain shuffles, no one made for the exits. Many were frightened and for good reason. It was clear as day that none present were fighters to any degree and were here for a good time and nothing else.
Valen grabbed his warhammer and activated it, casting himself in a hellish red glow that only served to amplify his enraged expression.
"NOW!" He bellowed.
That gave the patrons the motivation they needed. Men and women nearly bulled one another over in their rush to reach the exits or hide within one of the rooms upstairs. Within moments, the only ones that remained were the dozen or so security guards and the servers, the latter of which hid wherever they could find cover.
Valen and Sienna stood undaunted as the assembly of bouncers drew their weapons and lined up their sights. One began to pull the trigger, but Valen noticed. Faster than the man could react, the gauss cannon on Valens' shoulder snapped to him and fired.
The discharge sound was immediately followed by the man dropping to his knees, screaming in agony as he stared at the bloody stump left of his hand. The sight of their coworkers' mutilation caused the rest of the bouncers to step back in shock.
The cries eventually stopped, but only did so when the man fainted from shock. With the newfound silence, they were able to hear the sound of a door opening and closing.
From the second floor, a burly man wearing an expensive-looking, blue suit and striped tie leaned against the railing and glared down at the group. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, with dirty blonde hair tied into a ponytail, a thick mustache, beard, and sideburns. Lastly, there's a large scar that ran across his forehead.
"What, gentleman, seems to be the problem?" The man's glare shifted from the bouncers to Valen and Sienna. "And who allowed this animal into my establishment?"
Valen stepped forward, ignoring all of the weapons that now focused on him, and spoke. "Uranos, I presume?"
"You would be correct. Now, would you care to inform me as to why you stormed into my place of business, chased away my clientele, and crippled one of my men?"
"...No. The time for talk has long since passed. Now, there will only be blood."
Sienna made the first move. Grabbing her weapon, she sent the bladed end into the ceiling. With a strong tug, she pulled herself up and over the line of guards and straight towards the head honcho himself.
Spinning to give herself momentum, Sienna came down with a dropkick. One that Uranos was able to block with his forearm.
Glaring, he grabbed her by the ankle and slammed her into the door he had just exited out of, splintering it in the process. The wind knocked out of her, Sienna rolled back just in time to avoid a stomp right where her head had been.
"So, I take it my men failed." Pulling his foot out of the mini crater he had just made, Uranus slid out of his jacket and loosened his tie. "And they had shown so much promise."
Sienna had gotten to her feet. Shaking off bits of wood that clung to her, she held Cerberus in a defensive position. "Their corpses say otherwise."
"Tch," Uranos spat in displeasure. Rolling up his sleeves, the two began to pace the perimeter of the room, not taking their eyes off of the other. "All that time I spent training them was a waste then."
His arm shot out, snatching the blades of Cerberus right out of the air.
Sienna drew the chain taut in an attempt to pull him off his feet, but the tables turned when Uranos wrapped the chain around his arm and gave a sharp tug. Despite his age, his strength proved far superior to hers, and Sienna was yanked towards him.
But she wasn't helpless.
Kicking off the floor, she spun in the air and drove her knee into his face. The blow caused him to stumble and lose his grip on her weapon. Not willing to give him a chance to recover, Sienna wrapped her legs around his neck and leaned back enough to throw off his balance. When he began to fall, Sienna planted her hands on the floor. Using his momentum to assist her, she threw him completely over her and drove him headfirst into the floorboards.
Releasing her hold, she twisted around and delivered an Aura-enhanced heel drop to his prone form. But just as it was about to connect, his hand shot out and stopped it cold.
"That fucking hurt."
Gripping her ankle so tightly that her Aura flared, Uranos shot to his feet. Sienna found herself hanging upside down in his grip. She struggled, throwing punches and even kicks with her free leg, but nothing she did seemed to faze him in the slightest.
She winced as his grip tightened, feeling the skin beginning to bruise even through her Aura.
"You come into my establishment!" He swung her over his shoulder and slammed her into the floor, earning a gasp of pain. "Scare off my clients! Attack my men! And then have the gall to fight me!"
Each sentence was accentuated with Sienna being slammed into the floor. Again. And again. And Again. Each slam brought Sienna new levels of pain. It was much, much more than it should've.
Why? Her Aura hadn't been broken, yet she was in so much pain.
"Hurts doesn't it?" Uranos questioned and threw her into the wall. "My Semblance allows me to amplify the pain receptors of anyone I touch. The longer I maintain my hold, the more powerful the effects."
He picked up a piece of splintered wood and flicked it at her. Sienna smacked it aside but the moment it made contact, pain blossomed throughout her hand. She stifled a scream
"Given enough time, even a simple breeze would feel like someone running razorblades across your skin."
Sienna shakily got to her feet, but that action alone sent needs of pain through her body. This had to be one of the most bullshit Semblances she had ever heard of! But then again, she wasn't one to talk.
With that thought in the back of her mind, Sienna chuckled. "In that case, I guess just have to quit fucking around!" Sienna moved. With pain lacing her entire body, she grabbed her weapon and got into a defensive stance.
Confident that this was just false bravado in the face of imminent death, Uranos just shrugged and resumed his assault.
It had become quite clear for her that Uranos was not an ordinary criminal. He was quick and much stronger than a man his age had any right to be and knew how to fight. Sienna was put on the back foot, barely able to keep up with his unrelenting advance.
Each block and parry sent lances of pain throughout her entire body, pain that would increase in intensity whenever he landed a direct punch or kick. But she wouldn't allow herself to fall or blackout. Not when all she needed was a little bit more.
That extra push came in the form of a bone-shattering, spinning back kick that bypassed her defenses and connected directly to her sternum. She flew across the room and crashed through the wall. Sienna knew that her wounds weren't as bad as they felt due to Uranos' Semblance messing with her body's ability to register pain. But even knowing that, she screamed.
It was as if all of her bones had been replaced with shattered glass. Just the simple act of breathing was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
"All talk and no substance." Uranus spat as he approached her downed form. Gripping Sienna by the throat he lifted her until her feet dangled off of the ground. "It was to be expected. But even so, I find myself disappointed."
His grip on her neck tightened and Sienna could feel herself on the brink of losing consciousness.
If she was going to defeat this man, then it had to be done now.
Channeling what little remained of her Aura, Sienna grabbed the blade attached to her weapon with the other and drove it into his chest. The moment before contact was made, she activated her semblance.
There was a flare of red, followed by the sound of flesh being pierced.
The suffocating grip on Sienna's throat disappeared, leaving her to fall to the floor in a fit of coughs. The action caused her body to erupt in pain, but even now she could feel the effect of his Semblance begin to lessen.
Regaining her breath, she glared hatefully up at Uranos. The man had stumbled back into a wall, staring at the weapon impaled in his heart with shock.
"H-how?" He asked, blood spilling past his lips.
"Your Semblance inflicts pain. Mine does something similar." Grabbing the chain, Sienna gave a sharp tug, retching the blade free. "The difference is, I take all of the damage inflicted on me and put it all into one shot. You amplifying my pain only made my Semblance that much stronger."
With nothing to keep his wound closed, Uranos could do nothing but watch as his lifeblood flowed unhindered down his chest. He tried to staunch it, but the blood seeped between his fingers, staining his hands red.
"Y-you bitch-" He fell forward, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
Even as a pool of red formed around him, Sienna did nothing but stare impassionately at his corpse. After a moment she turned and began to make her way towards the door. But the second she took a step, one of her legs gave out, forcing her to a knee.
She bit back a scream. Despite being dead, Uranos' semblance still had some hold on her. Just trying to walk felt like stepping on a bed of nails. The sound of footsteps put her on guard, but she immediately relaxed when Valen stood in the doorway.
"Sienna."
He moved to help her to her feet, But Sienna warded him off.
"Don't touch me," she flinched in pain. "His Semblance fucked with my pain receptors. Just give me a few moments."
Valen followed her wishes and took a step back. His gaze fell to Uranos. "A troublesome ability to have."
"Troublesome, but it made dealing the deathblow that much easier."
Valen quirked a brow but didn't question her on it. He figured it had something to do with her Semblance and just left it at that.
"What of the others?"
"Incapacitated."
Now it was Sienna's turn to raise a brow. "That some new way of saying they're dead?"
"No. Uranos was the only one we came for. Besides, they aren't worth the effort. I'll leave Adkins to deal with the rest as he sees fit. "
While Sienna didn't quite see it that way, she was just too exhausted to argue against his decision. After another minute or so of waiting, the pain had faded enough for her to move without feeling like she was going to collapse. With some assistants from Valen, they exited the building, passing the dozen or so unconscious guards.
Just as they were about to exit the building, the front doors were kicked off their hinges and several police officers kitted out in full riot gear with ballistic shields and shotguns stormed in. From the back of the back came Adkins, who like the others, was armed and armored to the teeth. Raising the face shielding of his helmet, the Chief gave the two a look over.
"So…I take it that we're too late to the party?"
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Despite everything that had transpired just a few hours prior, all was calm within the clinic. That was good. Maria wanted, no, needed calm.
She was currently sitting on the floor of Dr. Theo's apartment, alone with the execution of Wolfie. She laid against her oldest friend, listening to the great beast's steady breathing. The gentle rise and fall of his chest soothed her. But despite her best efforts, Maria couldn't keep her thoughts from straying.
Had there been something that she had missed? Something else that she could've done to ensure a different outcome? One that didn't end with blood on her hands.
Maria shook her head the moment that thought crossed her mind.
No. No, there hadn't been anything she could've done differently. That boy had been out for blood and would've killed her the first chance he had gotten without a second thought. He had very nearly done just that to Nicolas.
She had been put into an extreme situation and had been forced to resort to equally extreme measures to ensure survival. But just because she could justify it didn't mean she enjoyed having to live with the feeling.
Her inner musings were interrupted by someone opening the door. When she looked to see who it was, Maria was surprised to find Nicolas standing in the doorway. His torn clothing was gone, replaced by plain shorts and a sleeveless shirt.
She was shocked to see him up and about already. After all, he had been nearing death's door just a few hours ago. As he walked through the room, Maria caught sight of the multitude of scars along his arms, with the most notable being the ones in his palms. Seems that even the good doctors' healing had its limits.
After looking around for a moment, Nicolas grabbed something from the table before heading towards her. Sitting across from her, Maria saw that he had brought over.
In one hand, he held a bowl filled to the brim with fruit. But it was what he had in his other hand that grabbed her attention. It was her book. Had she left it over there? She must have.
Nicolas grabbed an apple, opened the book to a random page, and handed it to her.
She glanced between the book in her hands to him. "What?"
"REad."
She tilted her head slightly. "Okay…why?"
He glanced to the side. A look of irritation flashed across his face before returning his attention to her, only now his expression was…awkward.
His face became the slightest tinge of red as he scratched his cheek. "CaN'T rEAd It."
Even with her inner turmoil, the sight of a boy she knew to be a highly capable fighter acting so meek nearly caused her to laugh, going so far as to cover her mouth in order to hold it in. She couldn't help it. Seeing him flustered was just oddly adorable. Was this how Valen saw her whenever she used to ask to hear his stories again? If so, then she understood completely why he always gave in.
Regaining her composure, Maria returned her attention to the book with a thoughtful expression. Given what she had learned about Nicolas during their short stay here, she felt that she had a good handle on what kind of tale he would be interested in.
And so with that in mind, Maria searched through the book. Finding a story that she believed that he would like, she checked and made sure he was paying attention. Seeing that she was, Maria offered him a smile and began to read.
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Unbeknownst to the young teens, Valen stood at the top of the stairs, leaning against the door with crossed arms as he listened in. For the first time since the fighting had begun, the corner of the aged warrior's lips had the smallest of upturns.
Taking care to be as quiet as possible, Valen removed himself from the door and made his way back downstairs. For now, he would leave the two to distract themself from the day's harrowing experience.
"That was quick." Commented a tired Sienna.
The Tiger Faunus was currently lying on one of the clinic's many beds. Though her injuries weren't nearly as severe as her brain had told her, Dr. Theo had her confined to bed at least until tomorrow afternoon. While she wanted nothing more than to call Franklin and have him fly them the fuck out of there, she was too exhausted to argue and just did what she was told.
Valen sat on one of the remaining beds, the frame creaking from his weight. "Nicolas wished to hear a tale from my home and I did not wish to interrupt."
From over by his desk, Theo gave an understanding nod. "No doubt trying to help take her mind off of the fact that she killed somebody."
Valen turned towards him. "I take it he has experience dealing with such trauma?"
Theo gestured to the still unconscious man Nicolas had nearly delimbed the day prior. "You think I'm able to save everyone that chooses to scrap with him? Arnold here got off lucky."
"He's killed before?" Sienna looked incredibly uncomfortable with the idea of a boy that young having taken a life.
Theo stopped looking over some medical records. Removing his glasses, he dragged a palm down his face before looking up with a sigh. Several moments of silence passed before he spoke.
"Everyone that lives here is some level of crazy. Nicolas…he's a bit more than most. Alex and I do what we can to make sure he never strays towards that tipping point."
He turned to Valen and saw a look of understanding shine in his good eye.
"He feels nothing for those he slays." Valen understood the sentiment all too well. For he too, along with many of his form brethren, was the same.
"Only for those that don't deserve his sympathies." The room quickly fell into silence. A silence ended by the sound of Valen getting to his feet.
"Excuse me for a moment." He offered no further explanation and stepped outside.
Closing the door behind him, Valen looked up into the night sky and stared at the shattered visage of the moon. Taking a deep breath he pulled out his scroll and opened his list of contacts. Seeing as the entire list was composed of less than a dozen names, he found the one he wanted easily enough.
Though it was coming close to midnight, Valen believed that the sooner he made this call the better. Much to his immense relief, he received an answer a few moments later.
"Hello?" asked a tired voice.
Valen couldn't help but develop the smallest of smiles. "Hello, Terra. It's been too long."
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-End-