Olivia crouched in an alleyway, watching her quarry as it travelled along the sidewalk ahead. Olivia's food had run out a week ago, the small amount of money she had brought, four days ago. Now all she had were the clothes on her back, the weapon in her hands, and the strange invisible limbs that she could make appear and do things when she wanted them to.
The first day in Mistral, Olivia had taken the time to see what they looked like as well as she could. She had bought paint to splash on them while they were out. They were definitely spider legs, four of them in all. The ends came to a very sharp point, the inside edge had barbs that she could hook to things, and they were incredibly strong. Olivia had used them, practicing as best she could to learn this new power. Climbing a tree had been literal child's play. It hadn't tired her out in the slightest. She had panicked when she realized they would be exposed for anyone to see now because of the paint, but the instant she retracted them, the paint vanished with them.
Olivia had used them to scale buildings around town at night. There were often doors up top, and even if they were locked, she could still get inside by forcing her way through without drawing too much attention. Olivia didn't steal, not at first, but as the hunger set in she had no choice. Olivia was hungrier than she'd ever been in her life, and the person ahead of her had just left the market, carrying an entire bushel of apples under one arm.
The woman was oblivious to Olivia's presence. She continued walking down the street, idly looking left and right as she winded down the road leading from the market back down into the residential district. Olivia felt a little guilt wrench at her chest, but it was overstepped by the hunger that ate at her stomach. She crept out of the alleyway, and approached the woman from behind.
"Stop right there! Don't turn around!" Olivia whispered, holding her brother's weapon up, in gun form at the lady's back. She had no intention of actually using it. People were just scared of guns, and not little girls. It was the only way these little muggings would work.
The woman froze in place, the one hand not holding the bag raised in the air, "Please, don't hurt me. I-I don't have much money," she stammered at the end.
"I just want the food. Leave it and go home," Olivia whispered again. She hoped it would help disguise her voice so that the grown up wouldn't know they were being held up by an eleven year old.
Still, Olivia had to yell "Don't turn around!" as the woman's head started to tilt her direction. At the squeak of her voice, though, she did turn around fully. Her eyes widened in surprise as she took in the bedraggled child, with a dirty oversized black hoodie and some kind of gun pointed directly at her.
"H-hey, listen kid. Are you okay? Do you need to use a phone? We can call your par-"
Olivia swung one of her extra legs, catching the woman against the chest with the blunt side, knocking her down with a sudden force she wasn't expecting. The air from her lungs was huffed out as she went sliding across the ground. Olivia sprinted forward and grabbed the bag, taking a moment to put some of the apples back in that had spilled out. The woman was getting back on her feet, fear in her eyes. She couldn't breath yet to scream.
Olivia sprinted back into the alley, out of the woman's sight, then used her extra appendages to pull herself up the side of the building. She had just managed to get over the wall when the woman burst around the corner. She ran down the alleyway to the next street, thinking that was where Olivia had gone. She watched the woman leave and sat down with a sigh, allowing her 'semblance' to fade away. The word was still weird, but she had followed some boys to the park after they left the local combat school and asked them if they knew what it was. They had told her what 'aura' was as well. 'None of it makes sense to me.' The boys hadn't been very good sources for the information.
Olivia ate a few apples, and decided where to sleep for the night.
There were some abandoned buildings in the warehouse district. Olivia started there, she'd already gone into the area many times. With the rolling hills and twisting streets, though, she wasn't always able to find her way back to places she'd already been. So, Olivia made it a habit of sleeping somewhere new each night. 'They can't track me down if I'm never in the same place, right?' That was the best reasoning she could give herself. All the buildings were tall, and looked so much alike. It was easy to forget where to go when everywhere looked the same as where she'd already been.
Olivia spotted a decently sized building. There were no lights on, and the street was abandoned at this time of the night. Bag of apples in hand, she crossed the street to the building. It was a warehouse, like most of the rest. One small door at the front of the building was only a few feet away from one massive door that could be slid open to let cargo containers inside. Olivia pressed her ear to the smaller door, listening intently. Silence. Her other sense wasn't picking up on anything either.
With one loud clang of metal that echoed down the street, Olivia stabbed a leg through where the door knob had been, and swung it open. There were cargo containers in here. She ignored the snowflake symbols on the sides and found her way to a nice, secluded corner. After shuffling a few boxes around, she had made herself a hollow to lie down in. Olivia pulled her hood up and used her hand as a pillow while she tried to fall asleep.
It was nearly half an hour later when she awoke with a start. There were people here. She could sense them, in the warehouse with her. 'Okay, okay, maybe I set off an alarm of something.' Olivia moved into a crouch and left the bag of apples lying on the ground. She didn't want to make any noise right now. Her faunus eyes could see easily enough in the warehouse despite the lack of lights or windows to let moonlight in. It was cold and grey. The world felt lifeless without light.
A figure stepped around one of the containers. She got a glimpse of white over black, and a grimm mask before she dropped back down to hide. 'It's her!' Olivia's initial shock and panic ebbed away after a few seconds, though. It wasn't her. Those were White Fang masks.
"I'm just saying, it's weird, okay? I'm telling you the door was already broken open," a man's voice reached her. He sounded young, maybe in his late teens. 'What are they doing here?'
"You sure Carnel didn't already go through that way?" another answered, both men.
"She said she was going around back. Unless her sense of direction is worse than mine, I don't think so, Crim. And, the way it was opened. It was like someone shoved their arm straight through it," the younger of the two replied.
Crim sighed, "Well, maybe there's another faunus in here with a grudge against the SDC, Reo."
"Hey, if that's the case, I'll be the first to try and get them on our side. That steel looked like someone stabbed a pencil through a piece of paper," Reo said, a tinge of admiration in his voice.
'What should I do?' It sounded like these White Fang had another member somewhere around. 'They're probably planning on stealing from the place.' Olivia paled from her hidden spot behind the boxes. You don't mess with the SDC. She'd seen scars from the brands used on faunus. 'On people!' It wasn't pretty. Olivia had no intentions in getting wrapped up in all that danger. She stepped back, content to just hide and wait for them to leave.
Olivia's foot hit the bag of apples behind her, toppling it over.
She sensed both of them stop, listening intently from only twenty feet away. 'Maybe neither of them has extra ears?' Olivia's breath stilled completely. She knew from experience how good someone's hearing was if they had four ears.
"Who's there?" one of the men asked, the older one called Crim, she thought. His presence drew closer. Olivia heard the whisper of cloth and a dry metal on metal sound. He had pulled his weapon out.
"Speak up! If you come out now, we can just talk. Don't make us find you," Reo threatened. Olivia couldn't think straight. Her entire mind was in a state of panic, 'What do I do!?'
The sound of a gun being cocked answered the question for her.
"Don't shoot, please!" her voice squeaked out from behind the boxes. The footsteps of both men stopped in their approach.
"Show yourself!" Crim demanded.
Small eleven year old hands were the first things to appear over the top of the box, then the rest of her as she stepped out from behind the crates, "Please, I didn't know this place belonged to the SDC. I just needed a place to sleep."
"You're the one that broke the door open?" Reo asked incredulously, his eyes darting around, "No way, who's with you?"
"It's just me," Olivia squeaked again.
"You're a faunus, right kid?" Crim asked, putting his weapon away as he raised his hands in a calming gesture and walked forward. Olivia nodded hesitantly and pulled back the sleeves of her hoodie enough to show the black veins running up her arm.
"Hey, I know another spider faunus," Crim said when he saw her veins, "You've got a good sense of when people are around, right?"
Olivia nodded again, curious but still all around scared of the situation.
"It's a sixth sense, vibrations in the air. She told me about it over drinks one time. It's a really useful talent in our line of work. What do ya say, kid? Wanna come with us? Learn how to help fight against the humans?"
Olivia's eyes went wide and she backed up half a step, "I-I um, no thank you."
"It's alright to be scared, but if you want to live a happy life, then you gotta help in the fight. The humans won't leave you in peace, so why should you do the same for them?"
"Hey, Crim?"
"One minute, Reo."
"No, but Crim!"
"What!?" Crim turned on him with a shout, frustrated by his interruptions.
"If she was the one that opened that door… then where's Carnel?" there was a hint of worry in Reo's voice, and Crim seemed to pick up on it as he drew his weapon again.
Crim turned back to Olivia for a moment, "Kid, do you feel her anywhere nearby?"
Olivia closed her eyes and let her sense stretch out across the surrounding area, focusing as she did. Her eyes shot open and she pointed towards the back of the building, "There's six people out back."
Reo and Crim both gave each other a worried look and moved the way she had pointed, back behind a stack of containers to the door on the other side. Crim did have an extra set of ears, and pressed the side of his head up against the door. He turned back with a grimace, "They're about to come in. Run back to the front and get out of here, kid." Sure enough, as he finished speaking there was a rattling sound. Keys being searched through to find the correct one for the door between them and the humans. Olivia didn't wait another second. She took off across the warehouse floor, around stacks of containers back to the front door.
Olivia's feet ground to a halt as she felt more people ahead of her. She threw herself behind a stack of crates as they neared the door. 'Three of them,' she thought. The sound of gunfire rattled out from across the warehouse. The back door had finally been opened. There was a muffled curse, and the door closest to her was slammed open, three SDC guards slowly walked in, keeping an eye on their surroundings. 'I can just let them pass. They won't see me here.' But then… 'They'll catch those other two from behind.' Crim at least had been nice, had seemed concerned for her. Memories of the people that had been branded flashed through her mind. A feeling of determination overcame her desire to run, to escape.
Olivia's semblance sprouted from her back as she prepared herself. The invisible appendages rose up above the crates, she could feel their exact positions, as well as those of the three closing in on her position. 'I.. I've gotta do this fast!' The gun shots from the back were beginning to die down, as the first two guards crossed in front of her. Olivia launched herself with her fourth appendage, closing the distance from her hiding place in a matter of seconds. The other three were poised to strike, to take out the guards the instant she was within range.
There was a startled cry from the one in the back, the only one to see her immediately after she burst from cover. The other two reacted quickly, turning their guns in Olivia's direction. The one in the lead was closest, and he paid dearly for it as Olivia's leg slammed into his chest. There was a cracking sound as a shimmer of color rippled across his body, and a muffled explosion of air out of his lungs. He was thrown back into the container behind him with a metallic thud that left a dent before he slumped to the ground.
The second man got a couple shots off, but they bounced harmlessly off her aura. The second leg swiped into him from the side, knocking him back towards the door they had entered through. His gun went flying in the air above him, completely forgotten as he hit the floor in an uncontrolled roll and grabbed at his chest, groaning in pain from the devastating blow.
The third, a woman, started to empty her magazine at Olivia. Her appendages swivelled up, protecting her aura and body from the bullets that pinged off them harmlessly. With another burst of speed, she flung herself at the woman, both legs that were blocking slammed forward like a wall. She let out a strangled cry and flew back into the second man, rolling into him in a tangle of limbs. Olivia took a moment to smash their weapons before walking to the door.
"You won't get away with this, kid," the woman gasped, rolling on to her side to try and get a good look at Olivia. Her hood was still up from earlier, and she made sure to keep her face averted.
"I-I didn't want to," Olivia whispered.
"You still did it, and that's all that matters to the law."
Olivia whimpered. Her hood hadn't been pulled up when she first entered. 'I hope they don't have cameras…'
It seemed like she didn't need to worry about whether the place had cameras or not. Olivia was three blocks away when she heard, and felt, the earth shattering explosion. An enormous sparking fireball that arced into the sky from where the warehouse had been, followed by a thick cloud of black smoke. 'I hope they got out okay…' Olivia didn't just mean the faunus. She hardly liked the idea that she had helped someone commit murder...
Olivia decided against sleeping in the warehouse district from then on.
The line at the store was long, and Olivia was impatient. She had managed to score some cash the night before off a fat human that had probably never been threatened in his life. A little girl with a gun pointed at him and he'd turned into a blubbering mess. Olivia had almost felt sorry for him. Almost. There was still her own empty stomach to take into consideration, and compared to his own rotund shape, she could deal with a tiny bit of guilt weighing her down.
Olivia had thought this line would go quick, but the human at the counter was having trouble finding his lien. 'Okay so maybe I should have waited until after he left.' It had been so inviting, though. So easy. His wallet had been practically popping out of his pocket, begging to be swiped by any poor orphan girl that crossed his path. The weight of it in her hoodie pocket was a welcome one. 'There might be even more in here than the fat man's.' The man eventually gave up and left deeper into the store to try and find his wallet. 'Finally. Honestly, I'm hungry enough right now that I would have bought your stuff for you just to get out of here faster. And kept the change for myself, of course.'
A calendar posted up next to the cashier caught her eye as she moved forward a few feet with the rest of the queue. Olivia wasn't really interested in what day of the year it was. They all blended together when you were struggling to live on the streets. What did interested her was how much time had passed since she started all this, though, 'Oh, I'm twelve now.'
The thought had no real substance to it. Who would she even celebrate a birthday with? What was so remarkable about them in the first place? Olivia tried to think back to a year before, about what she would have been excited about back then. She came up dry. 'A full belly is as exciting as it gets.'
Olivia's hand basket was filled with premade sandwiches in durable plastic wrappers. At times like this she would buy in bulk, enough to last a week at least, then hoard them away in an abandoned house she had stumbled upon. The place wasn't much, but it had a bed, moldy as it was. She'd also managed to get the refrigerator running, in a way. One stolen ice dust crystal in the bottom drawer put out enough cool air that her food wouldn't go bad for a while.
The man from earlier's voice cut through her daydreaming, "Thought you could get away with it, did you!?" Olivia turned in alarm, already preparing to defend herself, but it wasn't her that was getting yelled at. The man was standing in front of a couple other kids, about Olivia's age. They looked like they'd been living rough. The girl's orange hair was sticking out in places, her clothes an absolute mess. The boy had black hair with a little stripe of pink in it, and was standing in front of the girl defensively.
"We didn't take your money," the boy said, trying to draw himself up to an imposing height that was simply impossible at his age.
"Right, two gutter rats just happen to be waving around a fistful of bills after my wallet goes missing. What'd you do? Ditch it and just take the money?" the man seethed in rage, staring down at them with his hands on his hips. Other people were being drawn in to the scene, watching from the sidelines as they whispered to those nearest them.
"Oh how awful, who let those kids in?"
"Someone should call security. I don't want my purse getting stolen."
The two kids were looking around at the assembled crowd in fear. Their shoulders hunched, looking like they wanted to run but had no means of escaping. The boy spoke up again, "N-no! We earned this money fair and square! I'm telling you, we didn't steal it!"
The man scoffed, "Earned it? At what, the ripe old age of ten? Just give it back and I'll forget this ever happened." The whispering of the crowd increased as the security guard finally appeared through the massive throng.
"Alright, what's goin' on here?" he leveled an eye at the man, then at the children, who balked under his gaze. The girl stepped back into the display behind her, rattling it in place but not knocking it over.
To his credit, the boy faltered only a little, keeping his eyes locked with the security guard as he spoke, "This man is accusing us of stealing from him. We did not. This is our money."
"Said they earned it. Couple of children. Do you believe that!?"
The security guard's gaze swept back and forth between the three of them before he sighed, "Look kids, just give him his money back. I don't know if you're from around these parts, but theft is kinda frowned upon here. I'll overlook this, but you gotta give him his money. Now." The last word was demanding. An adult that knows full well he's talking to children and wants to make his authority known. Olivia's hackles raised. She'd heard too many adults try to use that voice when she was mugging them. They thought they held power over her life, just because they were older.
To her surprise, the girl stepped up past the boy, despite his protests, and held out a wad of lien that made Olivia whistle. 'There's a lot in this wallet, but that much? Not a chance.' The man also seemed to realize it as he looked at the tight wad of lien the girl held out. A flicker of greed behind his eyes betrayed his thoughts though, as he reached out and pried it from the girl's fingers. She stared at the floor as it happened, a few tears already starting to stream down her face.
The man stood up straight and headed for the exit.
Olivia dropped her basket full of sandwiches and followed, hunger forgotten.
She slipped back behind a group of people when the man's eyes darted back. He stepped out of the store and turned right. Olivia kept up with the group that was also leaving, then shot past them as they started to falter. 'You are not getting away.' The man's back was all she saw as he turned into the alleyway between the store and another building. Olivia ran to catch up then peeked into the alley. The man had stopped to count the lien in his hand. She took one final look around and nodded. No one should hear what happened next.
Olivia crept up behind him and let her invisible appendages unfurl around her. She winced as her foot kicked a can across the ground. She'd been too focused on the man. He flinched and spun around, holding the lien to his chest, then breathed out a sigh, "What do you want, kid?"
A sweet smile played across Olivia's lips as she looked at him, eyes beaming. She'd put on this act plenty of times in the past, "I just had a question~"
The man frowned and shrugged, "Go on."
"Did you want the lien back that I stole, too?"
The look of anger and confusion that began to make its way on to the man's face was cut unceremoniously short as one of her limbs collided with his chest. He was lifted off his feet backwards and pinned against the wall, the limb grinding against his throat to keep him from screaming for help.
Olivia bent down and picked up the wad of lien he had dropped, stuffing it in her hoodie pocket next to his wallet, "Now, the next time you think about shaking down some children, I want you to remember this. Remember how you were pinned against a wall. Defenseless. At the mercy of a child that could rip you limb from limb if she chose. Really think about that." Olivia ended it with another concussive blow to the man's head with one of her other appendages. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and she let him slump to the ground in a heap.
When Olivia turned the corner, she saw the kids outside the front of the store. The boy was standing behind the girl, rubbing her shoulders as she sat on the edge of the sidewalk, bawling into her hands. Olivia quietly walked up in front of them. The boy noticed her immediately, uncertainty on his face.
Olivia didn't focus on him, though, and bent her head down to look at the orange haired girl, "Hey, buck up kiddo. I heard some good samaritan taught that punk a lesson for you." As the girl's tear streaked eyes looked up at her, she punctuated her words by pulling the wad of lien out of her hoodie pocket, holding it out to the girl.
The girl's hands hesitated, but when Olivia simply pressed it into her palm, she gave one final sob and threw her arms around Olivia. She looked over the girl's shoulder as she picked her up and started rocking her back and forth through the air. The boy just smiled and nodded his head in thanks before he spoke.
"My name is Ren, and that girl holding you in a death grip is Nora. Nice to meet you…?"
"Olivia!" she choked out. The girl really was squeezing hard. 'Nora' dropped her the next moment, though. Olivia patted Nora's shoulder comfortingly, a realization flashing through her mind.
"So... if you guys go back in now, I doubt they're going to let you buy anything. Want me to get your stuff for you?"
The two shared a look. Ren turned back to her first, "We would hate to impose."
"Nah, no problem. Take it as thanks for giving me an excuse to beat on that guy," Olivia held up her hands as if to stop their protests, "So, watcha want?"
"If you're sure…" Ren began.
It opened the floodgates next to him that was Nora. The girl listed off a rapid fire series of foods and drinks. Olivia couldn't help but noticed she mentioned 'pancakes' about six times.
"Noraaaa," Ren said quietly. The girl hushed up and smiled, stepping back next to Ren who shook his head, "Just something for the road. We're headed to a small town outside Mistral tomorrow."
Olivia nodded and went back into the store. She bought her sandwiches and about a weeks worth of food that she thought would last on the road. Olivia realized as she placed the mountain of food down on the counter that it would be tough for them to travel with it all. She excused herself and ran to grab a backpack for them. It left her with only a handful of lien, but Olivia didn't care. After a year worth of only looking out for herself, there was a lightness to her step, and a smile on her face for the good deed she was doing. 'Pity I can't afford to get used to this.'
The two were still waiting outside a little way off. Olivia proudly handed the bag to Nora, "There's pancake mix in there too, along with a heating pad that's powered by fire dust. You'll be able to make them anywhere, as long as you have water with you."
Both of their faces were locked in shock as they opened the bag and gazed at the horde of food and items Olivia had bought them. When those eyes turned up to her, she just shrugged, "You said you guys were leaving tomorrow?"
"Y-yeah," Ren replied. Olivia could hear his voice trying not to choke up.
"Well then, why don't you stay at my place tonight? It's not much, but nobody goes there, so you don't have to worry about people. You'll at least be better rested for your trip tomorrow."
Even Nora was looking like this was all too much to ask of her. As she opened her mouth to protest, Olivia just grabbed her hand and dragged her along behind, setting off across the city to the residential district. They had no choice but to follow.
"Alright, so there's the bathroom. There's the living room, the couch is actually pretty comfy. There's the kitchen, you should put your pack in the fridge. It's got ice dust in the bottom that keeps it all cool. Aaaand there's my bedroom," Olivia gave them the grand tour of her little shack. Most of the places she listed were little more than areas with old stuff in them.
"Thank you, Olivia," Ren stated.
"Yeah, thank youuuu~!" Nora pulled her into the second hug of the day. They both sounded genuinely appreciative, and Olivia couldn't help but smile back at them. The little group made their way to the couch after they dropped their food off in the fridge. Olivia snagged out three of the sandwiches she had bought and handed them out. The three of them plopped down on the couch and dug in. Olivia was quickly reminded of just how hungry she had been before the day's events had transpired, and ate with abandon.
Olivia felt the presence of three people outside her door before there was a knock on it. Her mind flashed to a familiar scene, blood, and cold dead eyes. It was all she ever dreamed about. Olivia turned a smile to Ren and Nora, trying to sooth their frightened expressions, and excused herself to go see who it was. As she approached the door, her semblance activated. Olivia brought two legs in front of her, and left the other two poised over her shoulders. The first set ready to defend, the other two…
There was a knock on the door again before she reached it, "Who's there?"
"Just some friendly neighborhood faunus hoping for a place to crash for the night. We saw you three sneaking into this place with that heavy pack around your shoulders. Whaddya say, feel like sharing?" the voice was low and nasally. Olivia didn't recognize it in the slightest.
"Sorry, only three allowed. You can leave on your own two feet, or in a casket, your choice," Olivia threatened back. She wasn't about to let her good for the day get ripped out from under her feet on the home stretch.
"Ahhh, come on. Is that any way to treat a few friends?" the second voice was deeper, someone larger in size.
"I already have enough friends, which is exactly zero. Just the way I like it."
There was a much heavier pounding on the door, and Olivia's patience snapped. She flung the door open, the big brute in front of it looked shocked at first, fist still raised to pound on the door. That quickly turned to pain as he screamed. Olivia pierced clean through his shoulder, shoving him back in the same motion so that she could step outside and close the door behind her. She already felt Ren and Nora running in her direction, desperately wanting to help. Olivia didn't need it. Not for this trash. The end of one appendage curled around the door knob, holding it in place to keep her hands free as Ren tried to pull it open.
The other two thugs were staring wide eyed at the hole through their friend's body. Olivia decided to drive the point home, and lifted him off the ground by it. Blood ran down the appendage, revealing it, if they had eyes for anything other than the man screaming in agony.
"Now. As I said. On your feet. Or in a casket. Your choice," Olivia let all of her frustration seep into her voice. The two on their feet looked at each other, looked at their friend, and fled. Olivia laughed over his pain-filled groans.
"Some friends you've got. Didn't even stick around to carry you home," Olivia mocked. The man could only whimper in response. 'Pathetic.' Olivia pulled him back towards herself, then hurled him down the street. The man rolled across the ground a few times, crying out in pain as he did, before getting up with one last look back at her. Olivia narrowed her eyes.
He ran, literal tail tucked between his legs.
Olivia let out a long sigh. The two were still banging against the door behind her, trying to get out to help her. Olivia gave out a light chuckle, "Guy's, I'm fine," and let her semblance disappear. The door burst open and their eyes frantically swept the street in front of her. Olivia raised her hands in a 'what can you do' motion, topping it off with a shrug.
"What the… we thought you were in trouble for sure!" Nora shouted in disbelief, still looking past her to try and find the three thugs that had disturbed their peace.
"Nothing I couldn't handle. Let's go back inside, eh?" Olivia steered them back into the decrepit house and pushed the door closed again, locking it.
Ren seemed more doubtful now, his eyes looking closely at Olivia, but she simply smiled in return and sat back down on the couch, patting it invitingly, "So, tell me. How are two kids hoping to travel outside the cities when they're infested with Grimm?"
Nora sat down excitedly, ready to share. Ren sat down more slowly, but when it appeared that Olivia wasn't any danger to them, let the tension leave his body. "Oh, can I tell her Ren? Can I? Can I?"
"Sure, Nora."
"Ren has a superpower!" Nora exclaimed, head nodding up and down as if Olivia was going to proclaim it nonsense at any moment. Instead, she spared Ren an eye as he closed his eyes a fraction of an inch.
"It's called a semblance, Nora."
"But 'superpower' sounds so much cooler!"
"And what 'superpower' would make you comfortable enough walking between cities?" Olivia continued to press for information. She wasn't planning anything. She was just genuinely curious.
"I can hide us from the Grimm," Ren replied. As he said it, he reached a hand out to Olivia. She hesitated a moment, then touch hers to it. Immediately, an intense sense of calm overrode every other emotion in her body. The tension left her shoulders, and she slumped down further into the couch cushions.
"Oh, yeah. That's the good stuff," Olivia mumbled. The feeling slowly ebbed away as Ren's hand left hers, but a fraction of it remained. Olivia felt safe, for the first time in a long time, and for some reason, a bit sleepy. She yawned heavily, arms raising above her head to release the final tidbit of pent up anxiety. It drained from her body and left nothing but a warm fuzziness in its place. Olivia was suddenly very tired.
"I'm gonna go to bed. I'm glad I met you two. Don't leave tomorrow without saying goodbye, okay?" Olivia mumbled again, heading to the bedroom. She grabbed the thin blanket and curled into it, the pressure from all sides adding another level of security. She was asleep in moments.
The nightmares did not claim her that night.
"Wow, it's like the first time you used it on me," Nora said lightly. The door to Olivia's room was still open, the girl had been so tired she hadn't even bothered to shut it.
"It is quite draining to have so many pent up emotions let go of all at once," Ren replied in the same quiet tone as Nora, "I thought it would be… safest, if I did that for her."
"Safest? What do you mean, Ren? She's been nothing but nice to us," Nora asked quietly, but she knew the answer.
"Nora. You heard those screams, and you saw the blood on the ground. Olivia may be playing nice with us, but she's dangerous. Very dangerous."
"Isn't it good to have someone dangerous on your side?"
"Perhaps, but I didn't want to take any risks. She should be asleep like that for the rest of the night. Let's try and get some rest too. We have a long day tomorrow."
"We're still going to say goodbye though, right?"
"...Yes. We can still do that."
"Goodnight, Ren~!"
"Goodnight, Nora."
Olivia woke up feeling the most well rested she had in a long time. She stayed in bed for another half hour, enjoying the warmth of her blanket, thin as it was. A knock on her open door announced Nora's presence. Olivia had known she was standing there for the past thirty seconds, but was content to wait until she announced herself. She didn't think the girl had a bad bone in her body. Olivia rolled over, eyes finally cracking open.
"Wake up, sleepy head! Me and Ren are heading out soon!" Nora smiled at her. The pack Olivia had bought for them was around the girl's shoulders. Olivia couldn't see Ren, but she felt him just outside the front door.
Olivia extricated herself from her blanket with some reluctance. She hadn't undressed, and was still in her clothes from the night before. Olivia hopped to the floor and stretched, listening to her back pop in several places, "Ah, that is so much better."
The two stepped out into the morning sun. Ren was already outside, leaned up next to the door, another pack around his shoulders. He turned to them both and gave a small smile. Olivia was starting to feel like the boy just couldn't show emotions. 'Maybe his semblance keeps him from having strong emotions?' Olivia shivered. She didn't know if she would like that long term.
"Well, it was nice meeting you two," Olivia said, giving each of them a hug in turn.
"You too!" Nora cheered, hugging her in a third and final death grip.
"Good luck on your travels. If you're ever in Mistral again, try and find me. I'm sure there's nowhere to go but up from here," Olivia rapt a knuckle against the decrepit building.
"We'll certainly do that," Ren replied. It sounded sincere, and Olivia smiled more brightly because of it. She really would like to see these two again.
"Every pancake I eat, I'll think of you!" Nora gleefully announced, patting her backpack.
Olivia gave them one final wave, smiling as they left, off to some grand adventure.
"Now then, I have a bed to get back to."