Far East Branch - Lobby
The days following the Amaterasu mission were fairly uneventful. After evading the veterans for a bit, Neo had slowly eased back into her normal routine. Ichiro could tell she had simmered down when she returned to his room once more, leaving clothing and other items in her wake. While the guardian was aggravated to, once again, have women's garments floating around his room, he was happy to see that her spirits had finally lifted.
Unfortunately, whenever Neo's spirits returned, so did her shenanigans. But this time, they weren't even her fault.
. . .
"I call it, the Lovely, Lindow-Luring Lineup!"
"The what?" Utsugi blinked.
The 1st Unit's other men stared incredulously at him as though he had sprouted a second head. Harebrained ideas weren't exactly a rarity for the eccentric gunner, but this was by far the most peculiar one of them yet.
Kota nodded enthusiastically, waving his arms wildly in the air. "Okay. So, you know how Lindow loves girls? So, I thought if we walked around with a bunch of girls, he'd have to come out of hiding!"
The group fell silent for a few moments as the other three tried desperately to wrap their heads around his ridiculous suggestion. He wanted to gather a bunch of women to lure out a transforming God Eater? They couldn't be sure what kind of thoughts were going through Lindow's mind at this point in time, but they were fairly confident that skirt-chasing wasn't one of them.
Soma was the first to break the silence, his eye twitching in sheer irritation. "Kota, that has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. And that's saying something, coming from you."
"Wha - hey!"
Ichiro scratched the back of his head, trying to show his agreement in a more tactful way than his teammate had. "I mean… it is a little strange, to say the least. Why on earth would you come up with a plan like this?"
"Because Lindow likes girls!"
"Lots of men like girls. That doesn't make it any less absurd."
Kota pouted, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. "So, if Neo were wandering around, you wouldn't come out into the open?"
Ichiro twitched, irritation gracing his features. "…That is a different situation, and entirely beside the point."
Lenka raised an eyebrow slightly at the exchange, noting the pause in Ichiro's response. "I gotta say, Kota. It's a… fascinating idea?"
The gunner sighed, shaking his red head at the three of them. "Ugh, you guys are no help. Jeez."
. . .
It was that unusual chain of events that had led them to that very moment, standing in the lobby as women buzzed around the floor. While Kota's idea was as asinine as it was pointless, he had somehow managed to recruit a few of the Den's ladies to his cause. It couldn't be said whether or not they had any actual faith in his plan, but at the very least, some of them were willing to try it.
Sakuya shook her head, sitting quietly beside the Ex-Captain with a look of exasperation on her face. "Hehe, the Lovely Lindow-Luring Lineup, right?"
Ichiro chuckled, mirroring her amusement. "Yeah, it's definitely something I would expect from him…"
"It's so Kota, I can't say I hate it."
He quirked an eyebrow, noticing the disappointment in her voice. "And yet you seem displeased."
The medic shook her head. "No, it's just… it just made me realize. I guess that really is the image everyone has of Lindow."
Ichiro's face fell slightly at the sadness in her voice. He sympathized with her frustration. It wasn't easy when everyone held misconstrued ideas about one's allies. It was especially irritating when it was someone they cared about. And he had had his suspicions from very early on that there was something going on between the veteran pair, though he had never bothered to voice it. "Many do, yes… but for what it's worth, I don't believe that to be the case. Lindow has always struck me as an honorable man. One whose heart is firmly in the hands of another."
Sakuya blinked, a bit surprised by his assertion. Then, she grinned, a light color rising to her cheeks as he offered her a knowing smile. "Yes. Much like someone else I know."
It was Ichiro's turn to grow nervous as the woman met him with a similar gaze. But their peaceful conversation was shattered as a commotion began to form on the other end of the lobby. Sakuya lifted an eyebrow at the growing noise. "Oh my, I wonder what's going on over there."
The other veteran sighed, slowly lifting himself from the couch. He recognized those voices all too well. If he didn't get over there soon, there was a strong likelihood that the situation would escalate. Offering an apologetic smile, Ichiro quickly made his way towards the babbling group. His eyes immediately caught sight of a yellow beanie, a blue jacket, and a fiery red hat, indicating his teammates among many others.
"I still think it's ridiculous." Soma muttered, leaning against the wall.
Alisa nodded vigorously. "I agree. To be honest, it sounds like the stupidest plan! Why would anyone think that would work?"
Gina simply laughed. "Who cares? When stupidity goes this far, it's kind of fun."
Kota frowned, narrowing his eyes at the sniper. "Wha - stupid?! Well, if my plan is so bad, why did you agree to come?" Turning his eyes on Alisa, he gave a victorious smirk.
Alisa blanched, startled with the spotlight now on her. Shaking her head, she crossed her arms. "W-Well, what was I supposed to do?! You asked me to join with a huge smile on your face. Turning you down would be just plain rude."
The gunner widened his grin. "Oh yeah? Are you sure you didn't have even a little faith in my plan? You didn't wanna be part of my team of hotties?"
The New Type's face lit up like a Christmas tree. In his brainless prattle, Kota didn't realize that he had called her attractive. And the thought, while enjoyable, was incredibly embarrassing. "What?! That's -"
As the two descended into bickering, Soma sighed. Turning, he instead looked at Kanon, lifting at eyebrow as she stuffed supplies into her bag. "Seriously? You too?"
She smiled sheepishly under his gaze. "When I heard that Lindow was alive, I tried my best to be as much help as I can for this search. But… I only seem to cause everyone trouble… I was invited to join Kota's plan, so I'll do my best to make it a success!" Kanon clenched her hand into a fist, a look of determination taking over her features.
Soma just shook his head. It seemed that everyone in the Den had truly lost their collective minds.
Gunter, however, only smiled. "I don't see what the problem is. I think it's a wonderful idea."
Soma's temper flared immediately, his gaze turning on the other God Eater. "Of course you do."
The blonde gasped dramatically, reeling back as though he had been stabbed. "I take offense to that."
"Why? It's the truth."
"For your information, I only have eyes for one woman, thank you."
"Yeah, sure." Soma scoffed, hardening his expression into a glare. He felt a smirk tug at his lips as Gunter scowled back at him. Apparently, he had struck a nerve and he was enjoying getting under his skin.
His fun came to a halt, however, as Ichiro stepped beside him, breaking their tension. "So, he's really going through with this, huh?"
"Looks that way." Gunter shrugged, looking over the small group. "I'm surprised though. I figured they would've headed out by now. They're losing daylight."
Kota paused, turning his attention to the other men, his argument forgotten. "We're going soon. Just waiting for one more."
Soma raised an eyebrow at his declaration. "One more? Who else could possibly be foolish enough to -"
The opening of the elevator doors answered his question. His words formed a lump in his throat as Neo stepped out into the hall. Striding toward them was the third and final member of Kota's Lindow-Luring Lineup… and she was dressed for the occasion.
Her violet hair was relatively tamed, draping softly over her shoulders and scarf. And beneath the scarf was far more skin than any one of them had come to expect from her. A black laced corset covered her bouncing breasts, stopping just above her midriff. Her entire stomach was exposed, the skin trailing dangerously low before vanishing behind a black skirt. The sides were similarly tied together with lace, and the belts surrounding it looked dubious at best. The garment rode high, stopping near the top of her thighs, exposing even more skin before disappearing once more beneath a pair of striped thigh-high stockings. And draped loosely over the whole ensemble was a golden fur jacket and black gloves covering her hands.
Soma didn't know what to make of it. With nearly endless shenanigans, paired with her small height, he consistently forgot that she was an adult woman. An adult woman with voluptuous curves and soft, feminine features. A woman that, at the moment, was stirring thoughts in his mind that he would rather not have in the center of the Headquarter lobby.
Beside him, Gunter and her guardian were having a similar malfunction. For once, the silver-tongued Casanova was utterly speechless. His eyes didn't know where to go, bouncing wildly from her face to her chest to her hips to her legs and back again. Unlike the other two, he was more accustomed to seeing Neo dressed up, as she generally put in more effort whenever they went out together. But this was something else entirely.
Her guardian found himself staring as well, growing frustrated both with the situation and himself. Having grown up with and frequently shared a bed with the rambunctious New Type, Ichiro generally boasted an almost saintly amount of discipline and legendary self-control. But it seemed that his companion had found a way to push even him beyond his limits as his eyes slowly wandered over her entire form. He had never seen Neo like that in even his dreams, which admittedly, were sometimes less than innocent. He had never imagined that such a sight would happen in his lifetime and now that it had, he didn't have a single clue of how to handle it.
Even Kota found himself pausing for a second, stunned by the sight of Neo in such a womanly fashion. It seemed the New Type was hiding quite a body underneath of all her ridiculous getups. After a few moments, he recovered and was the first to break the silence. "Wow, Neo! Holy - you look amazing! I always knew you were a hottie, but dayum!"
"Thank you." A typical Neo response. She offered little more than a careless shrug as she reached them, carefully adjusting her corset.
Gunter was the second to recover, sweeping his eyes once more over her attire. While 'dayum' was far from the response he would've chosen, he couldn't deny the accuracy of the gunner's appraisal.
Ichiro was the third to recover, his mind trying unsuccessfully to formulate words into a coherent sentence. "Neo, what - I don't… why…?"
"Shun."
"Huh?"
"Shun. He told me to."
"What?" Soma was the fourth and final to recover, the sound of her words jolting him out of his dazed state. "Shun made you do this?"
Neo shrugged. "I mentioned that I was going to join the lineup. And he said, 'You won't be luring anyone looking like that. Lindow likes sexy. You're strange.' So, I asked him for advice."
The group paused, taking a moment to appreciate her disturbingly accurate depiction of the Long Blade user. Then, they erupted into varying levels of chaos. Kanon and Utsugi stared, both astonished by the entire situation as well Neo's total indifference to it. Gina burst into laughter, once again amused by the New Type's straightforwardness.
"Shun…" Ichiro twitched, his own temper rising slightly at the revelation. So, he was the one responsible for this. The fact sent him nearly into orbit, primarily because he didn't know whether to thank him or to punch him. For a very brief moment, he contemplated doing both, in that order.
Confused, Neo tugged at her skirt, teasing even more skin as she tried to figure out the proper fit. "I haven't been able to find him since then. Did I do it right?"
"Eh?"
"Do I look sexy, Ichi?"
With that, her guardian's systems went completely offline. Her eye looked up at him with genuine curiosity, her head lolling slowly to the side. Her hips swayed as she rocked impatiently back and forth, and elongated fangs gently nipped her bottom lip as she grew increasingly unsure. The entire ordeal had short circuited his brain, and his silence was beginning to wear on her. Neo still wasn't used to being the center of attention, and her fidgeting hands signaled her nervousness. Finally, after a full reboot, he finally managed to answer with a single word. "…Yeah."
Her uncertainty ebbed a little at his eventual response, her face lighting up at his praise before moving on to her next victim. Ichiro nearly sagged with relief when she shifted her attention from him. Somehow, he had managed to dodge a violet-haired bullet. At the smile on her face, he was worried that she may try to embrace him… and his heart simply couldn't take it.
Turning her attention, Neo lifted her gaze to the blonde man standing close to him, offering the same look of curiosity. She had received good responses from both Kota and Ichiro. Now, she was seeking his opinion next. "Gunter?"
Gina rolled her eyes and smirked, prepared for whatever flowery accolade he would gift to her. But surprisingly, the God Eater said nothing. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. For the first time, the Far East's smoothest talker… had no words. He simply gawked at her, trying to compose himself under her piercing gaze.
After two failed attempts at speech, he finally managed to form an utterance. "Uh… huh." Then, he surprised every member of the group, as color slowly rose to his olive-colored cheeks. Gunter was blushing. He frowned slightly at the warm sensation, averting his eyes from her own.
It was the strangest thing they had ever seen.
Nodding in acceptance, Neo moved on to her final judgment, utterly oblivious to the stammering messes she had left behind. Turning her eyes to Soma, she silently inquired the same question. To her disappointment, the veteran offered no such praise and instead turned his head away from her and glared at a nearby wall. The woman deflated slightly, huffing and making her way over to join the other women by Kota's side. Soma thanked his lucky stars at her forfeiture, unable to stop the fire burning beneath his face.
With the addition of their third and final member, the Lovely Lindow-Luring Lineup was complete and ready for departure. "Alright, ladies! Let's bring Lindow home!" Kota cheered, all but bolting towards the doors with the three women trailing closely behind. Alisa and Kanon chattered quietly with Neo, commenting on different elements of her chosen outfit and her hairstyle. With the excitement ended, Gina and Lenka shook their heads, making their way towards the Mess Hall for a bite to eat. And as the doors closed behind them, the three remaining God Eaters let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
Neo was going to be the death of them.
. . .
Tranquil Temple
After leaving the Den, the four God Eaters made their way into the temple ruins. Their arrival was met with horrid shrieks as Fallen Zygotes came to give them welcome. With carefully placed bullets from the two New Types, the aerial units were easily dispatched. And it didn't take very long for their first target to arrive, attracted by the sounds of gunfire.
The battle was a short one. With two of the four members having grown accustomed to the Fallen Sariel's battle tactics, the Aragami was eliminated in record time. The most trouble that they had encountered was a stray divine beam reaching Neo, but that was quickly rectified by Kanon's recovery bullets. Now, the three of them continued trudging through the snow, their eyes peeled for their final target.
Taking point, the New Type keened her senses, listening for any signs of movement. From behind, Kanon observed her, blue eyes drifting casually over her provocative attire. It was odd to see Neo dressed in such a way, and even stranger that she seemed to have no qualms about it. It was as though the woman were utterly unconcerned with those around her. She was either extremely clueless, or extremely confident. And considering what she was working with, Kanon couldn't blame her for the latter.
At that thought, an idea suddenly came to mind. "Hey, Neo? I like your outfit, but… aren't you like, you know, cold?" The New Type shook her head, eyes still sweeping the area. Kanon's mouth fell open into a surprised 'O' in response. "Wow… you must really have a thing for these kinds of temps, huh?"
"I prefer the cold. It's… familiar."
"Oh! Was it cold in North America?"
Neo paused, shifting her gaze for a moment as she pondered her answer. "…Yes." Kanon nodded her head in acceptance, blissfully unaware of the meaning behind her words. Having been lost for nearly two years in the wilderness, the New Type had evolved and grown accustomed to the frigid temperatures of Ontario. And as Canada was a part of the same continent, it wasn't technically a lie.
Alisa shook her head, still astonished by Neo's utter disregard for subzero temperatures. While she fully understood the cause, the actual concept still amazed her. Sighing, she muttered to the gunner walking beside her. "I still can't believe you brought us out here."
Kota shrugged. "Lindow likes lovely ladies. It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"But why bring us? I'm not even sure I'm Lindow's type…" Alisa muttered quietly. There was only one woman that would be able to lure the Ex-Corporal out of hiding. And if he hadn't revealed himself to her, chances were the rest of them didn't have a prayer. Blinking, she slowly shifted her eyes, noticing that her generally noisy teammate had grown oddly silent.
When he finally spoke, his voice came out as a quiet murmur, rather than his typical shouting. "Why not? I mean, what's not to like? You're… uh…" His words faded into silence as his eyes fixed forward. Recalling what had happened upon their first meeting, he thought better of finishing his sentence, lest she snap at him again.
But Alisa wasn't angry. Instead, she lowered her eyes, trying to hide the color rising to her pale skin. She had initially given little thought to his first outburst in the lobby, assuming his compliment a result of overexcitement. But this time, he had spoken deliberately. Clearing her throat, she stammered, "W-Well… thanks for inviting me either way."
"Y-Yeah! Sure, no problem."
Up ahead, Kanon smiled as she overheard their exchange. The two of them were adorable, albeit a little dense. Maybe, with a little prodding, they could… "Oof!" The gunner jumped, suddenly bumping into the New Type. Distracted, she hadn't noticed when Neo stopped moving, every muscle in her body taut and ready for action. Startled by Kanon's outburst, Alisa and Kota ceased their conversation and went on high alert. There was only one reason that Neo would behave in such a manner. Their target was near.
The Prithvi Mata.
A roar signified the target's arrival, its ebony paws thundering through the snow. Curling her lips into a snarl, Neo readied her weapon in preparation for its challenge. Without a word, she lunged forward. Shield met claw with a metal clang as the monster revealed itself, leaping from over a nearby structure. Sliding to the side, she slipped beneath it, targeting the sensitive skin of its underbelly.
In seconds, the beautiful landscape was painted with red as the area became a battlefield. At Neo's challenge, her teammates followed quickly behind to aid her. Of course, it was unlikely that she needed much help against that particular opponent, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. Alisa especially kept a close eye on her, primarily providing support and keeping her teammate in her best condition.
Alisa had come to accept aggression as part of Neo's functionality, which was to be expected given her conditioning and background. But for some reason, her fellow New Type always seemed to display greater ferocity where the Prithvi Mata was concerned. As far as she knew, Neo didn't have any particular reason to hate that specific species of Aragami. Of course, she didn't exactly know every facet of her past. While she had experienced many critical moments of her life, there were still various holes that remained unfilled. She didn't know what the Aragami had done to her. Only that she hated them with a fiery passion.
Within 40 minutes, the mission was a success. With Neo's rapid movements and Kota's careful use of grenades, they were able to quickly subdue the creature and knock it off balance. Following its topple, Neo leapt to safety as the remaining three took point, placing the stunned creature in the center of a blazing triangular firing squad. Roasting under the hail of bullets, the Aragami was weakened, hardly able to stand as it tried, failingly, to climb to its feet. And true to her name, with a swing of her scythe, Neo sent its soul to the underworld and its head rolling through the snow.
With the primary threats neutralized and the area clear of threats, the four members continued on to the second leg of their mission. Hopefully, Lindow would find at least one of them attractive enough to come out of hiding.
. . .
Far East Branch - Lobby
Restless feet paced anxiously through the lobby; emerald eyes fixed pointedly on the floor. His mind had been wandering for most of the day, alternating between his to-do list, his mission reports, and the New Type with violet hair. The latter was under duress at this point, with Neo dominating the corners of his mind with or without his consent. For some reason, he couldn't get that woman out of his head, her presence always surrounding him like a shadow. And her little stunt earlier had only made his situation worse.
For your information, I only have eyes for one woman, thank you.
While it had been said primarily in jest to irritate the other God Eater, he found himself backtracking over the sentence multiple times. They were such simple words, spoken many times before, yet never with any real meaning. It wasn't as if he actually felt something. He never did. Not since…
"Ugh…" Gunter groaned, running his fingers through his blonde hair. And there it was. He was thinking about her again. What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn't he -
"Whoa!"
His pacing came to a screeching halt as the face in his mind suddenly became reality. Nearly walking into her, Gunter stepped back with a startled yelp. Silently, Neo observed him with curiosity, wondering what it was that had captured his attention. Arriving back in the lobby a few minutes prior, she had been observing him for some time. Leaning forward, she gazed upward, growing uncomfortably close as she gazed into his eyes for any abnormalities. "What are you doing?"
She was only able to get a small glimpse as the other God Eater quickly backed away, a look of surprise on his face. Gunter blinked, trying to still his speeding heart as the New Type inclined her head. It seemed that at least some of Otto's complaints about Neo were well-founded. Most notably, her poor understanding of personal space. A fact which honestly wouldn't have bothered him… had it not nearly sent him into cardiac arrest.
"Er… walking?" He inwardly groaned the moment the words left his mouth. Having been silent for too long, Gunter had quickly grasped for the first thing that came to mind. Now, he wanted to punch himself for sounding like a total idiot.
Neo's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?"
"Just getting some fresh air."
"…In the lobby?"
Gunter sighed. This was getting nowhere fast. Clearly, his nerves were getting to him, and a change of subject was in order, lest he continue making a fool of himself. Shaking his head, he shrugged and tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. "How did your mission go? Any luck with the lovely lineup?"
Her fallen face gave him his answer as her shoulders visibly sagged. Shaking her head, she quietly replied. "Not a trace."
Another sigh. Gunter placed a gentle hand against her shoulder, pointedly locking his gaze above her assets. "We're going to find him."
Neo's eye slowly drifted to his hand, following it up the arm to reach his face. The sympathetic look in his eyes told her he was sincere. Nodding her head solemnly, she agreed. "I know we will."
The two stood in comfortable silence for a moment, each taken solace in the other's company. After a few moments, Neo backed away with a curious expression on her face. "Were you waiting for me?" It had only just occurred to her that he was pacing alone in the empty lobby, an unusual habit for the man.
"Oh! Uh…" Gunter blanched, his mind working quickly to come up with an excuse. In truth, he really had been trying to ease some of his anxiety, and the area had proven a good place to do so. The goal had been to rid himself of the pervasive thoughts endlessly circling in his mind. He hadn't expected to run into the woman in question and now, he needed to come up with a legitimate reason. So instead, he decided to play along with her suggestion and casually shrug his shoulders. "Yeah, actually. As a matter of fact, I was."
"Did you need something from me?"
"In a manner of speaking."
Neo watched him, unamused by his indirect speech. It was obvious that he wanted something from her, but for some reason, he wasn't willing to voice it. Then, as his lips curled into a coy smile, she knew what he wanted. After all, they had now done this dance many times before. "…You wish to go out with me, yes?"
"You've come to know me so well." Gunter smirked, noticing her own grin threatening to surface. Of course, he had come to know her relatively well in return. "I know, I know. Later?"
A quiet chuckle was his response as the New Type shook her head in disbelief.
"Of course."
. . .
**AUTHOR'S NOTE**
New costume unlocked! This is also from the game.
Neo's outfits: h-t-t-p-s-:-/-/imgur -.-c-o-m /a/oRN8qWj