Three Weeks since the First Voyden Incursion

The cool desert was something to behold in Vacuo, only enough light to just see the road and their buildings as most of the nightlife was held underneath Vacuo's streets. Velvet stood outside of a mechanic's shop as the black wagon was going through its maintenance. It was so easy to lose yourself in the sight of the stars, most other kingdoms had so much light pollution you could hardly see it unless you were a good distance away.

"Beautiful isn't it? Y'know you can't see the aurora borealis in the city of

Atlas or Mantle you always gotta just go a bit beyond its outskirt. Vacuo still has its stars though and you can't discount them. " Cael said as he walked up from within the shop's garage door.

"So you said you needed my expertise? I'm not sure what I could do for your team outside of work as a huntress, even then it would probably be better if Coco was speaking for the team." Velvet was nervous by the request to meet CASL's leader separate from everyone else.

Cael waved off her words, quick to reassure that he needed her for something only she could do. "No, I know for certain it's you I'll be asking for help. Specifically, we need to make a rare request of you. The best way to put it is how Coco has for the past couple of weeks. We would like to commission you for your expertise in hard light tech."

Velvet was a bit surprised by this but continued to pursue the conversation. "I'm not exactly a scientist now. Besides, if I were to make something for you guys it would just be too costly. Not making the weapons, but the amount of dust it takes is just…" she even seemed disheartened by this fact.

While she has one of the most unique weapons for huntsmen, it wasn't a weapon she could use repeatedly. Making her a liability in fights in some cases… at least that's how she saw it.

It didn't take an expert in reading emotions to tell she felt down about this. Her rabbit ears started to droop a bit as her head hung low. Until, at the edge of her sight, she saw some odd handle in Cael's hand before it was tossed to her.

"I aeeeh…. Uh, what is this?" She asked after catching it, Cael remained silent as he allowed her the time to understand what it was. The grip was rather small and was easily held in one hand. There was a point of it that caved in and she quickly deduced what it would do.

Holding it out a beam of light formed from the handle taking the form of a razor-thin hard light blade. "Wow… did you make this? I don't even think I can compare to this sort of work." Cael shook his head in response to her question. He seemed adamant on that aspect. "It's a souvenir from Atlas, the creator is probably a name you would have heard of. Arthur Watts, the design is an incomplete prototype I've had on me for a long time now."

"Wow, the General must have trusted you then." Velvet said aloud, but her father never mentioned anything like this before or anyone like Cael. Looking to Cael he shook his head again in response to her words.

"He didn't trust you… so you got this from Watts?!" She asked in confusion and a bit of worry. "Well, the short version of it is that I wasn't exactly an upstanding citizen…" There was a pause, as Velvet just stared at Cael comprehending what he just said.

"He's saying he stole it, you empty-headed girl." Gillian stepped out from the Garage to intrude on their conversation. Velvet glared at her with venom in her eyes as Gillian walked to purposely knock herself into the Faunus. "Dust and the technology here are all perversions of Atlas anyways… Vacuo isn't Vacuo because of them and I don't see how either of you make sense of what has been a new war being made to brew."

Another pause in the air before Cael let out a sigh… ignoring Gillian's words for the moment to finish his discussion with Velvet. "Right, before I talk to our guest here I'll get straight to the point. I want to commission you for gear and weapon enhancements based on this tech. You're the only hard-light tech specialist in the country anyways. Thought you might learn a thing or two from the design."

Velvet seemed ecstatic now, an opportunity she had not anticipated as well as something she could learn to improve her weapon. "Right well as you know, I might need a lot of dust for this… but I suppose we can talk about that later… I'm gonna y'know, dissect this right now!" She left in a bit of a hurry leaving the other two alone now.

"So you seem back to some kind of normal… was worried when you weren't putting up a fight as you used to in your days at Shade academy." Gillian seemed a bit surprised as he brought up her old school life.

"So what, were you a lower classman or something? Can't say I ever recall a face such as yours… a foreigner maybe? You do have an Atlesian look to you that's for sure. Could have easily seen some old recorded matches old Theodore was proud of." Her words were rather bitter in her sentiment.

"Just someone who watched your later performances from your days in the academy, and I never attended Shade academy. I'm not surprised Carmine hasn't mentioned me though… old childhood friendships don't tend to bring up good feelings for her." His words drifted in reminiscence.

"So what, just cause you were friends with her once upon a time I'm expected to be cooperative." She said bitterly, showing more disdain for the Atlesian looking man.

"It's to provide perspective, she seemed inspired by some old friends of ours… which had her move here for Shade Academy and eventually push to work with you. By the time I officially started working for Isis, she had already graduated." His voice often trailed as he spoke. Despite his youth, the exhaustion behind his eyes and the tone of his voice echoes his experience.

"And to your point already!" Gillian was annoyed with him working up to whatever preachy message this stranger had. He drew his eyes away from whatever thoughts he had and spoke. "My point… My point is that Vacuo doesn't need the Crown… it doesn't need anyone like your brother leading it." He said with disdain in his words a sort of venom she could easily recognize.

A fire flared in her eyes as she rushed to pull Cael in by the collar, yet he remained unfazed by her. "You're gonna want to watch your mouth Atlas Boy Scout!" There was a snarl in her words and it took a moment before Cael changed his expression.

"Ha...ahah...ahahaahahahahaaha-" The sudden laughing that continued for a good minute unnerved her and was quickly startled when his hand quickly clutched her wrist. "That's a new insult, but I'm more used to a house pet, mangled mutt… or filthy insurgent." His hands grew ice-cold as they squeezed tighter.

She tried to pull away from his grip, but he didn't let loose. "The sort of people like you and your brother… Can be so charming that many won't realize that you're leading them off a cliff. What's more pitiful is that you might actually believe in your own facade and by the time they fall you off to only then realize exactly who was behind you as you took a step off the cliff." There was a sharp look in his eyes and she recognized a murderous gleam.

"Cael…" His grip loosens as they both turn to see Ayla with a rather stern expression. "Sorry, it got a little personal there." He pulls his hand away as he turns back to Ayla. "Did you give her a proper drawstring Ayla?" Her stern expression softens with a smile as she walks up and jabs Cael in the side.

He winces in a bit of pain as she chuckles, but passes off the bow to Gillian "Custom made with refined Usagi drawstring. It may have been made with Atlesian materials, but if you restrain yourself by such childish principles as opposing a nation without consideration of what you or your people have to gain… then you won't be able to achieve your goals. Cael taught me that, he might not look it but he's a softie at heart."

Gillian sneers at her words "I'll make use of it and I'll be able to pick up on those damn techniques you're so insistent on us learning… just I want to be alone for a bit. You think you two could manage that?" Ayla shrugs and leaves with Cael following close behind her.

Gillian looked up at the stars that pressed past the light pollution of the city of Vacuo. Clutching tightly to her bow as she continues to wonder if her brother was truly alive like the team had started to speculate.