Sorry for the wait. It's been difficult the se past couple months. I gave a bit of an extended chapter, though I can honestly say I don't know if you guys will think it was worth the wait. I do not intend to let this story die, I have too many ideas for it. Anyways enjoy, and thank you for your patience.
Ch. 4 - First Impressions
-Team CFVY-
Yatsu refused to yield any answers as to what transpired upstairs. She tried and failed to remember how seeing the spider led to the hallway imploding. She had pressed him for a solid ten minutes after they made it back to the lobby, but she gave up once it became obvious what drove him to silence. She knows Yatsu better than anyone that wasn't his family, and after all the time the team spent together, Velvet knew that there was only one thing that would render her partner mute… Embarrassment. He's embarrassed because of something that happened upstairs. Velvet sat there trying her best to pull off the 'staring into your soul' look while Yatsu kept his gaze focused downwards.
The sound of them scrubbing the collection of grime off of their clothes was deafening compared to the surrounding silence. The light from their electric lamp illuminated an area of around 15 ft., just enough to keep their bedrolls and packs visible. The lamp could easily be turned up to light nearly the entire lobby, but they didn't want to attract more grimm to the front of the building. Night had fallen and any artificial light, no matter the size, could mean death in the environment that is Mountain Glenn.
After another course of silence with a pinch of glaring, Velvet and Yatsu received company in the form of Coco followed by Fox. The pair sat down by the lamp and began undertaking a similar process as V and Y, except with less grossness and more dustiness. Coco was eyeing the two of them with an expression of curiosity. It was a few moments before anyone decided to speak. Anyone, in this particular case, took the form of Fox.
With some over exaggerated interest reminiscent of family dinner scenes from movies, Fox gave his inquiry "So how did your search go?"
Though Velvet was eventually going to get Yatsu to fess up, she at least knew enough to not let C and F know about what happened. The spider alone was reason enough for her to keep quit, but if Yatsu thought it was bad enough to not tell her, then she knew it was something that Coco would never let them hear the end of. So Velvet decided to keep her answer vague.
"Imagine 'The Dead Walking' but it's a pest control worker's worst nightmare." Velvet's tone was enough to fill them in on just how bad their search went without letting them know how bad their search went.
"Do I even want to know what you two are trying to get off your clothes?" Coco's face now held more disgust than curiosity.
"That depends. Do you think you're capable of puking again?" This time the answer came from Yatsu.
It was now Fox's turn to add to the conversation "So I take it you guys haven't found any food either?"
"No, the second floor was just filth. Did you find anything interesting in the basement?" Velvet looked towards them and was a little confused. Coco had a mischievous smile on her face and Velvet could've sworn that Fox had a bit of a blush on his face.
"No we didn't find anything of interest" Fox said with almost forced nonchalance.
With the smile still on her face, Coco looked at her nails while she gave her little piece "But then again, we were a bit preoccupied" Fox's head snapped towards Coco. The moment it 'clicked' for velvet, her face went as red as Fox's hair which was followed by a small "oh". Even Yatsu was caught off guard somewhat, which was evident by his pause in scrubbing. Velvet now had a pretty good idea why they were so dusty.
"Anyway, where is Prof. Port?" Velvet's attempt to change the subject was greatly appreciated by the two guys in the room. Whether or not it was obvious.
"He is scouting the rest of the building. He said he'll take the first watch so we can go ahead and sleep." Coco replied while getting up and walking towards her cot. "And I'm not sure about the rest of you, But my day has been Exhausting." She put the emphasis on 'exhausting' while bumping Fox's shoulder with her hip. Fox now looked ready for death to take him.
Congratulations Coco, you've successfully revived the awkwardness that we had tried to put down.
"I agree with Coco, I am going to go rest. Goodnight." Yatsu had finished cleaning himself as best as he could and made his way to his bedroll.
"Yeah, I need a break. Night." It was obvious to Velvet that Fox needed a break. And so did she.
So Velvet reached for the lamp and turned it to it's dimmest setting. It didn't illuminate anything except itself. It was to serve more as a reference point for navigating the room. She made her way to her bed easily, seeing in the dark was not hard for her at all. She layed down and got settled in. When she got as comfortable as the floor would allow, she closed her eyes and spoke the last words of the evening "Goodnight."
Tomorrow we'll figure out why we had to come out here and hopefully we can go home. _-Inside the Hotel with Axle-
It had been at something of an hour since the group of four had gone "lights out", and Axle was ready to make his move. With great care, Axle rose from his hidden spot from the edge of the room and began a steady pace towards the sleeping forms. He had been very attentive in his wait, He wanted to see if he could glean any useful info from watching the group converse. He wasn't able to hear anything said in their conversation, his spot was too far away, but he did get a good look at them all in the light. They all seemed close to his age and their clothing couldn't be called anything except bizarre. Especially in the case of 'Big Fella'. His attire seemed asian in nature, the way the green robes shifted about suggested significant weight and the leather shoulder pad seemed to be of high quality, But it wouldn't offer any real protection in a fight. The redhead was even worse, but to be fair, his milky white eyes meant that he was blind, so there was no reason for him to fight at all. The way the Girl with the hat carried herself and the way she dressed reminded Axle of the 'fashionistas' from those old shows he watched back at camp, Her clothes were made to stand out in a crowd, Axle thought she looked ridiculous. That was a one way ticket to hell in the wasteland, whether it was because someone wanted the rags for themselves or because a warlord thought she looked like a nice 'toy' to play with. The only semi-reasonable digs were worn by the girl with the bunny ears. They were almost entirely brown and didn't really look all that different to a lot of what he had seen, but the ears were a definite no-go and so were the shiny gold highlights. The really strange thing about them all though is that they're clean, like REALLY clean. Which makes about as much sense as everything else so far.
Once he was about where he thought the bunny-girls bed was, he began feeling around the area for her bag. In his search, Axle's hand brushed up against something, this made him pause for a moment. He then very lightly touched around the object in an attempt to figure out what it was. It was hard to tell because of the strange material it was wrapped in. It was like a mix between plastic and fabric. Axle eventually got brave and ever so lightly grabbed the object of interest. He was able to deduce that the object in his hand was in fact… The girl's foot. Axle couldn't let go fast enough, he didn't need to see his face to know that it was redder than blood on sand. His soul nearly jumped out of his body when he heard the girl starting to shift. She let out a sleepy "go back to your bunk, Coco" before returning to silence. Axle took a moment to let his heart slow down, he damn near got himself killed, he was sure. Once he was settled, he realised that there was actually a good outcome of that… incident? If she's oriented this way, then her bag should be right over- Axle's thought was completed by the feel of rough burlap in his palm, he felt around for the zipper and got the bag open as quietly as he could. Celebrating the small victory in his head, Axle took the flashlight off of his jacket and lit up the inside of the bag. He was rummaging through it to see if it had anything for pain in it, and after a few moments, Axle found that and much more in it. He zipped the bag back up, threw it over his shoulder and was already starting towards the next one...
...until he heard the metallic click followed by "and who might you be, young-WOAH THERE!"
Axle had already done a 180 and brought around a brutal backhand which, even though blocked by whatever the man was holding, was enough to stagger him some. Axle followed up with a loud war cry and a door kick that sent the unknown voice down to the floor with a heavy impact. The four sleeping teens were obviously awake given the loud variations of "Huh-what" and "What's Happening?!". Axle wouldn't give them time to stand up and get ready, he was already running full tilt to the elevator he knew was at the back of the room. The sounds of confusion were getting quieter when "HALT!" was shouted by the man he kicked, the next sound was the discharge of a firearm which was quickly followed by a searing pain on the lower right side of Axle's back. He didn't want them to know he got hit so Axle just bit his lip and kept running. Whatever hit him wasn't big but it hurt like hell. Axle was too distracted by the pain to remember the closeness of the elevator and slammed into the metal door at full speed, jarring his broken wrist and probably adding a broken nose to his list of injuries. He fumbled over himself trying to press the button while he was disoriented. Once he hit the button though, he took a couple steps to the side. It could've only been a few seconds, but it might as well have been eternity for the doors to open up. As soon as the interior light of the lift was visible, Axle heard the 'Hat girl' Shout out "THERE!" along with a mechanical whirring. Axle, quick as lightning, darted into the lift, hit the button, and pressed himself against the wall just as a stream of bullet fire pierced the back wall of the lift. Even after the doors had closed, more bullets still came through. It wasn't until the lift had lowered itself before it was safe to move around.
Just when he thought he was in the clear, An impact originating from the ceiling had caused the whole box to lurch downward. He grasped his 1911 and aimed it towards the sky. And when he pulled the trigger this time, it fired. He emptied the whole mag and put the pistol back in its holster. Axle was unsure of the results for maybe ten seconds, then 'Big Fella's' gargantuan blade punctured the ceiling, missing Axle by a hair's breadth. Axle, remembering his plan, looked up at the floor numbers to see that it was go time. He looked towards the door and forced it open, he stood there for about three seconds before jumping through the secondary doors that he had lodged open in Garage 1. He watched behind him as the lift continued to fall until the top of it came into view. Axle watched the scene as if it were in slow motion. 'Big Fella', who had been focused on retracting his sword, looked up and locked eyes with Axle. His expression went from shock to rage as he continued to sink down, unbeknownst to him was his destination of Garage 13. Axle turned back around and tried to run, but that proved to be a mistake, the pain in his lower back, along with his arm and face, were too much to overcome. So Axle had to settle for a brisk limp towards the open garage door that seemed to be a mile away. On his way, Axle reached his hand under the back of his now blood soaked jacket and felt the wound which was costing him precious time, lancing pain shot up his entire back as soon as the tips of his fingers made contact with the injury. Axle clenched his jaw to bear the pain, he could not afford to NOT know how bad it was. Tracing the hole with his finger revealed that the projectile was extremely small, so it couldn't have penetrated very deep. So with sheer force of will, Axle dug the nails of his index finger and his thumb into the miniscule entrance of the wound and retrieved the object which had opened the skin of his back in the first place. He brought his bloody hand into the light and opened his hand to inspect the projectile. In the center of his palm laid a singular bb, presumably fired from a shotgun. The only reason Axle could think of for the lack of depth inside his flesh was the thickness of his jacket and the distance between him and the shooter, but even then a normal shotgun bb would've done a considerably larger amount of damage. Maybe it was a makeshift gun fashioned from scrap and loaded with poor propellant.
Axle didn't have any more time to question the firearm that hurt him as he passed through the large opening that led to the winding tunnel. He was thankful for the much shorter trip to the surface, because he sure as hell couldn't have made it up thirteen floors in his current state. Once he made it into the open night air, Axle made a beeline for his hidden wheels, he made it halfway across the street before his luck had run dry. A deep, rumbling growl filled with murderous intent drew Axles attention to the left. He took the time to clip his flashlight on his jacket and turn it on, an action he would later realize saved his life. He got to watch another of the tar/bone creatures, this time in the form of a 600 pound bear, take a swipe at him. Without the capability of dodging, Axle moved forward just enough to let the paw hit him rather than the claws. He was swatted a good 11 feet away from the beast and hit the ground hard, dashing his head against the pavement in the process. All Axle knew now was several different flavors of pain, the most prominent was that of blood.
He forced himself to slowly and painfully sit up, he refrained from moving any faster for fear of falling unconscious, which was a terrifyingly likely outcome considering how his head felt. If the saying "my head feels like it's swimming" was anything to go by, then he was feeling something more along the lines of "my head is drowning in an unending abyssal ocean while being torn apart by frenzied sharks''.
When he was finally in an upright position and he realised the ringing in his ears wasn't going to dissipate anytime soon, Axle decided to take a peep at his surroundings and hope it wouldn't hurt his brain more. Upon opening his eyes, Axle was greeted with the sight of an open maw bearing down upon him, threatening to remove the thing that kept his head on his body. With very little time left in the world of the living, Axle decided that there was only one course of action he could take to hopefully see another day. He took his left arm… and jammed it in the pathway of the descending teeth. The beast, even though not expecting to reach its target so soon, instinctively clamped down as hard as it could with its jaws. The metal bracer was not sufficient in stopping the bears much stronger munch. Axle got to experience the new flavor of several teeth puncturing into, and all the way through, his forearm. This time Axle was unable to hold back his cry of anguish. The beast slowly raised up onto both legs, and using the whole of its upper body, swung Axle around and slammed him onto the ground. Axle heard enough snaps, crackles, and pops to make the damn Kellogg's commercial jealous. His pain was to a point almost to where it wasn't pain anymore. The only image that kept appearing in his head was of an inky black night filled with stars, that's what his body felt like. His disconnected mind could just barely make out the sensation of being lifted up again. The edges of his consciousness were trying to pull the curtain of eternal sleep over his being, But right before the beast whipped him again, Axle felt a strange calm fall over him and then the world around him seemed to freeze.
Unable to even wonder at what was happening all Axle could do was listen to the deep, rugged, and heavily accented voice that rose from the back of his mind. "No. Not here. Not Now. Dying is not an option for you."
Axle didn't have strength to put emotion into his response nor to question who he was talking to, so it sounded a little more pitiful than he wanted it to. "But I'm too broken now. I can't fight back, I got nothin' left."
Though he didn't see it, Axle could FEEL the unadulterated fury coming from the entity, But he wasn't too concerned because he also felt that it wasn't directed towards him.
Axle expected the beings response to be a little more reprimanding, maybe? or at least a little more...wise? Instead all he had to say was "No. You've got an arm."
Time started to move again, except things went a little different than originally planned. Axle felt a tidal wave of anger force its way into his soul, filling it with hate, anguish, rage, and most importantly a torturous amount of FURY. With this newfound emotion and adrenaline that, peculiar enough, he instinctively knew all of it was not his own, Axle reared his arm back and threw an uppercut that would make any heavyweight wet themself. Even from the awkward position he was in, Axle's knuckle bolts had punctured through the underside of the bear's jaw and decimated the underside of the plate that protected the beast's brain. Although that was enough to kill any living thing, Axle's borrowed emotion wasn't satisfied. He jerked his arm forward to tear the gash open wider, and in a show of brutality that shocked him, brought his arm back and threw another uppercut. The Brutal part was him forcing his hand into the wound and through the bony plate at the top of its mouth, and once through the plate, sunk his hand deep into the flesh that was responsible for all the beast's action. The grand finale was tearing as much brain through the opening as possible, covering Axle in a spray of vile, black blood. The beast couldn't do anything but fall to the ground lifeless, which unfortunately involved landing on Axle's already battered frame, and already starting the process of suffocating him. So with the last morsel of strength to his name. Axle used his good arm to heave the corpse off of him. Axle's head fell to the side, his vision fading as fast as it was blurring, the last thing he saw was another shadowy form fast approaching him. As his mind finally faded completely, he made a final thought "Well, at least I got revenge for myself."
He wasn't too surprised (because he was honestly too tired to be surprised) when he actually received a comment from the voice in his head, the tone conveying a feeling similar to… pride? Except spiced to sound like indifference. "Don't worry."
"You'll get much, much more."
-With Team CFVY-
Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God
Velvet was currently in a pretty hectic state of mind.
ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmyGOD!
It was solely due to the destroyed man laying hopefully not, but most likely, dead in the middle of the street.
Velvet reached the non-moving form and crouched down. The sheer amount of blood he was covered in disheartened her and was enough to force her to gag. She had just arrived on the street as the Ursa slammed the man into the pavement. Her original goal had been to cut him off outside by taking a side exit and waiting for backup, but honestly, she wasn't the one in need of it. She was actually convinced that he was, in fact, dead. She was instead, dumbstruck by the man's strength and brutality with which he used to tear a hunk of brain matter from the underside of the Ursa's head. And just to prove that it wasn't a trick of her mind, the man moved the corpse off of him. As she looked at him now however, All evidence of the man's inhuman strength had all but vanished. She quickly held her hand in front of his face and was relieved when she felt the little gust of hot breath. Now sure that he was alive, Velvet needed to get him inside, so she threw her pack on and tried to lift him up. After several failed attempts to carry him, Velvet started to drag the man's limp body towards the entrance of the parking garage. She was then forced to halt, Her ears rapidly switching directions as they picked up the howls of beowolves closing in on their location, obviously drawn to the immense negativity between the two of them. Her efforts were quickly becoming frantic and desperate. Soon enough, the roar of trampling paws and the bloodthirsty barking were closing in, the pack couldn't be farther than a block. Tears began to well up in her eyes, she was already starting to cry as she realised that she might have to choose between herself and him. Sure, their only interaction with the guy was him trying to steal from them, but that didn't mean he deserved to die like this, especially after how hard he fought to live. Soon the sobs started to come forth in a storm. It was apparent that they weren't going to reach the door in time, But she wasn't sure if she could abandon him. But was she going to die for someone she never even met before.
"Velvet! what's -"
"HELP ME!" Yatsu immediately rushed forward and threw the stranger over his shoulder. His outward appearance seemed unfazed by the unexpected turn of events, but on the inside, he was caught off guard by the state of his partner.
"Call the others, tell them to meet us in the lobby with medical supplies ready" Yatsu would've given himself that task but they had to get going.
They ran to the parking garage that looked like a sanctuary to them. They ran to the first Garage, the one that Yatsu recognized as the thief's escape route. They barely took notice of the treasure trove of exotic cars that filled nearly all of the spaces and headed straight for the elevator. Velvet pushed ahead, and all but punched the call button. Yatsu took a glance at his partner and noted the desperation in her look. He knew that she had a hard time with the loss of life, whether it was inevitable or not. She had a kind heart, one that makes her enter a state of panic when the thief that just stole from her is critically wounded. Most people would be concerned, some would even be indifferent. But she would be left grieving over this man's death. It was a character that anyone could admire, but a very difficult one for someone in this profession. The elevator doors had opened and they stepped inside, and again, Velvet held no regard for the condition of the elevator button. When the short ride up had ended, the trio had exited the elevator and hurried to the rest of their group. Prof. Port was seated on the other side of a bedroll, facing the approaching students. Coco and Fox were standing with their backs to them, Coco apparently having a serious discussion with their teacher. When the Prof. turned his attention to the man on Yatsu's shoulder, the previous conversation had been dropped.
"Lay him down quick." Prof. Port wasted no time by asking questions. "Yatsu, help me take off his Jacket and shirt."
With a practiced hand, the unusually serious Prof. had cleaned and bandaged the exterior wounds with a speed and efficiency matched by few, showing just how much field time he had under his belt. After the last bandages had been applied, and the sickening experience of popping the boy's shoulder back into place, the Prof. made a decision that would ensure the man's condition would improve. He began the process of unlocking his aura.
As the Prof. spoke the familiar phrases they have heard several times before, everyone took a good look at the unconscious man's appearance. He had a young face, but it had prominent brown facial hair, just on the cusp of forming a beard. This was accompanied by long, brown hair that fell in natural curls and would hang a bit past his shoulders. His face was very masculine, squared jaw, strong nose and brow with prominent cheekbones. Judging from the grime he was covered in and the smell, it had been awhile since he bathed. It was difficult to accurately judge his age. Again his face was young, but he had real facial hair, not that peach fuzz the first year boys were so proud of, not to mention his complexion which was very tan, almost as much as Fox was. What made it really difficult was his physique. He was easily 6' 4" and laiden with muscle. He had almost no body fat, no leftover childhood chub. Yatsu may have been bigger, but even he didn't have a build like this man's. Eventually Port ran out of verses and finished unlocking the key to the man's recovery.
After he had felt the small drain on his own aura, the Prof. asked the question he, C, F, and Y wanted to know "Now, can you tell us what happened, Miss Scarlatina."
Velvet who had been in a mild state of shell shock, flinched some when her name was spoken, she looked up and blinked a few times before recounting what she saw. Everyone listened as she described with disturbing accuracy what she witnessed. From the slamming into the ground to the improvised lobotomy. The manner in which the ursa was defeated piqued the interest of them all.
"-and just as I thought I was going to have to choose between us, Yatsu had shown up." Velvet had told the story with a disconnected exhaustion, making it obvious to everyone that she was probably not in her right mind. Coco was now ashamed of herself for not wanting to use their medkits on the man. As a matter of fact, they were all upset with themselves, Port included, for assuming that the man had aura in the first place. There were several instances in which they nearly killed him. They were all silent for an extended period of time, reflecting on their choices.
"I can't fathom what he's doing here. He can't be living in these desolate ruins." Port's statement had them all thinking about the strangeness of the stranger.
"Maybe he knows the reason we needed to come out here in the first place" Surprisingly, it was Velvet who said this. "Maybe he knows why all the Grimm were concentrated inside the city."
"No, I feel like that was because of the storm" Coco was gazing into the shadows "What I want to know is how he's been surviving. People have a difficult time surviving in the Grimm populated areas, let alone among Grimm."
"Even stranger is that he's possibly been doing it without aura" Yatsu's statement helped to reinforce the sheer improbability that was this man, and even more so with his next. "Not to mention that he can't be that much older than we are, Maybe 20 or 21 at most. I feel that you need a lot more experience than that to live in these conditions."
"Is it possible that he got stuck here and lost contact with whoever he was with. He could be a missing member for a third year team." Her teammates thought that she might have the right answer, it was more sensible than the rest of their theories.
"I have to disagree. I have seen many students pass through the halls of beacon, some harder to remember than others, but I am certain that I have not seen any of them with such a striking appearance, nor weapon set. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he came from Vacuo, if his tan is anything to go by. In addition, he tried to steal your belongings. That's a strange way to greet possible saviours, don't you think?"
"Do you think he might be a wanted criminal who's hiding out here?" Fox's suggestion caused a cloud of unease to fall in the lobby. It was a very possible explanation for his actions. If he was indeed hiding here of all places to escape the authorities, then how severe was his crime?
Coco was the first to answer. "Well if he is then we gotta cuff him and bring him in. And I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted, and I really think we should restrain our 'guest' here and get some shut-eye."
"I am in agreement, miss Adel. Hopefully tomorrow we'll get some answers from him, if he wakes that is, and then we'll head back to the academy. Until then, let's rest ourselves, I think we can make it through till morning without any more incidents." Prof. Port stood and retrieved his own bag and fished out a pair of restraints while everyone started to ready their beds again. With assistance from Yatsu, they carefully moved the man over to the main desk and cuffed his right hand to one of the legs that were built right into the floor. It took several moments to arrange him in a comfortable manner, and taking his weapons as well, they folded his jacket for him to use as a pillow. After their prisoner had been dealt with, it wasn't long before everyone else had settled themselves into bed.
As the lights were once again dimmed, Velvet, as well as everyone else, continued to ponder the possible fugitive. Unlike the others however, Velvet was fairly concerned with his well being. She genuinely hoped that he didn't suffer any lasting effects from his near death experience. The chances of surviving an attack like that and not being traumatized from it were slim, no matter who you were. With a last curious glance at him over the shoulder, Velvet let her head fall into the pillow beneath it and closed her eyes, patiently awaiting her mind to shut down.
Just who have we found?
-With Axle-
The first thing Axle felt was a deep, all-encompassing hammering throughout his entire skull. His entire being felt drained of all strength and his ability to move seemed nonexistent. It was as if he was getting squeezed from all sides by some unseen pressure. The next sensation to come was a sort of humming vibration throughout all his muscles accompanied with an almost uncomfortably warm feeling that was reminiscent of regaining feeling after laying on your hand for too long. When he tried to force his body to move, Axle realized that that was the exact feeling he was currently having, but now with the addition of firecrackers going off through his limbs along with intense cramping. He took a moment to let them subside before continuing his movement, but at a much more measured pace, eventually propping himself up on his left elbow. He tried to bring his good hand to his head but felt an unfamiliar resistance preventing him from doing so. He opened his eyes to investigate and immediately regretted it. The intense light of day seemed dazzling after so much time spent in darkness, the escalation of the throbbing in his head caused his expression to twist into a grimace. Once they had successfully adjusted, his eyes were focused on the hand cuff that held him to...the front desk? Of the hotel? Wait, he was back in the hotel?
Axle's mind started to shake off the haze that had covered it. He then directed his attention to his bad wrist- which was now fine? Axle stared at it with astonishment, giving it a few twists and flexes just to see if it was really recovered. Not only was it completely healed, it retained all movement and flexibility, not the slightest hint of nerve damage that it should have. His whole body should have been rendered irreparable from the beat down he had been given, the fact he could move at all was a miracle in of itself. That was when Axle noticed the bandages covering various parts of his body, aside from the blood spots they were perfectly clean, a rarity to find nowadays. He had also noticed his missing jacket, which after a few frantic moments, he found behind him and empty of weapons. After the several scuffles he had recently, the jacket was tattered and blood-soaked, making him feel a little bad for ruining one of Francis' things.
Axle looked to the left and was again blinded by the source of the light itself, he held his hand up in an attempt to lessen the strain. As the bleariness faded away, Axle was eventually able to make out a shadowy blob which soon focused into three of the five persons he had tried to steal from, them being The 'Fashionista', 'Bunny Girl', and an old man that he didn't have a name for yet. Although, he is probably going with something Christmas themed because he reminded Axle of Santa clause. It seemed they were having a conversation, the topic of which, he didn't know. They were separated by a distance of some 25 feet, so they didn't notice his awakening. He concentrated on minimizing his movement, so as not to be seen, and inspected his restraint. It was unlike any handcuffs he had ever seen before. They were a flat white and felt like they might be made out of metal? The plastic appearance and cleanliness were throwing him off. He was also bewildered by the blue, flat beam of light that replaced the usual chain. The "flat light" was probably intentional though, as the light beam forced the two pieces to stay aligned with each other, it only allowed maybe a 15 degree flex for his wrist. He also couldn't identify a keyhole, the only discernible feature being a little gray rectangle on the gauntlet holding his wrist.
Damn. What is with these weird technologies?
Axle looked at the trio to find them still in their discussion, which has now turned a little heated on 'Fashionista's' part. He strained his eyes trying to discover if any of them had anything that resembled a "key" to his bonds. He then saw a small strip of something on 'Fashionista's' hip that matched the pristine white of the cuffs, which also happened to be placed next to his 1911 which was tucked into her pants where the left back pocket was. His first task was to get that back. How was he going to do it though? He couldn't move and risk losing his only advantage, which was at the moment, the fact that they thought he was still sleeping. The question was how to make them get closer without raising suspicion. He had nothing to throw, and even if he did he wasn't sure he could take that risk.
Feigning a disturbed rest might work, but I'm not sure. Damn, I am not at all prepared for this.
Axle was at a loss. He had never been held prisoner so he was without experience in this particular arrangement. Then he started to wonder why they were holding him captive in the first place. He had blatantly tried to rob them, that's an easily decided execution anywhere. Not only that, they treated his wounds, all of them. Axle should have a multitude of broken bones that would've been impossible to heal in… how long has he been out?
Axle's rational thought started to take ahold again, abandoning the fight or flight mindset that he had been stuck in. This was not the wasteland anymore. He couldn't deny it anymore, he had been shown enough proof, even early on. The tar animals should've convinced him on the spot, but of course his stubbornness could only be overpowered by his near death experience. He was somewhere different, he had to treat it as such and learn the nature of it. The only way he could accomplish that was through the people who lived in it. He was now offered another option of escape. He hadn't considered that maybe these people needed his help for something, It could explain why they kept him alive. Axle's next action was something that any wastelander, roadkill, or vermin could tell you was just ludicrously stupid in this situation, he decided to address his captors directly.
After sitting up proper, his back leaning against the desk, Axle gave an attempt to talk.
"Hey." *cough* It was not successful. The trio were still heavily immersed in a debate and his cracked voice needed a tune-up.
Let's try that again, shall we.
"HEY." The three of them all turned at once, silence engulfing the room, a silence he was unaccustomed to because of them. "Anyone mind telling me what's going on".
'Fashionista' turned to face him with crossed arms, the look on her face letting him know that she interpreted his question the wrong way. Well, he couldn't say that, He himself didn't exactly know which part he wanted explained first.
"I'll tell you what's going on, thief, You're in our custody until we turn you in. Meanwhile, you're going to tell us a bit about yourself."
She behaved like an authoritative figure to Axle, her tone left no room for argument and she seemed comfortable using it. He noted her as second in command. He looked towards 'Saint Nick' on the stool for confirmation of her statement, an action which 'Fashionista' didn't seem to like very much. He ignored the look she gave for the moment. 'St. nick' stood from where he sat and they all moved closer to him. "I am afraid she is correct. You did attempt to steal from us after all, which also brings us to my first question for you." They stopped in front of him and 'st. nick' leaned down a smidge to look at Axle. "What reason did you have to rob us?"
His voice sounded friendly and genuinely curious, very much different than the semi-hostile tone he had been given earlier. Axle decided to answer truthfully. "I needed medicine, anything for pain specifically. I had been injured that morning. A tar-wolf thing had gotten my arm bad."
Unbeknownst to Axle, for they hid their reactions well, the group was surprised by him having already been hurt. For he didn't seem very hurt when he was on the run. It also reminded them that he didn't have aura before they met him.
'I presume your arm". 'Saint Nick' gestured towards his jacket, and Axle knew further, the sleeve.
Axle nodded his response.
The next question (which sounded more like an accusation) was from 'Fashionista' "And You didn't think that, just maybe, you should've asked for some before trying to steal from five armed Huntsmen and Huntresses?"
Axle's next statement threw them off a bit. "I have no clue what that is supposed to mean, All I saw outside were thousands of bullet casings on the ground. I didn't want to end my day with more holes in me than a chain-link fence."
'Fashionista was now actually wanting some real answers out of him, she had almost completely dropped the accusatory tone. "You do know what a Huntsman or Huntress is do you?"
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it doesn't mean you hunt animals." Axle knew what a hunter was, but he had never heard of huntsmen or huntresses.
The three of them exchanged looks of concern/worry. Huntsmen and huntresses were commonplace all over Remnant. The only places they avoid are the ones devoid of any life or civilization and home only to the Grimm. To not have heard of them is virtually impossible.
"My boy, Where are you from?" the question from 'Saint Nick' was asked with a trace amount of concern, as if he internally feared the answer.
Axle paused, an amalgamation of guilt, anger, and mourning entered his eyes only for the slightest second before it was again replaced by the much more stoic expression he had intended to maintain throughout their conversation. When he gave his answer, Axle made it slow and clear, for he did not wish to repeat himself and draw more memories he would rather leave behind. "I used to live in a settlement in a region called 'the Steel rests', at least that's what I knew it by. Many years back it was called Michigan, My settlement was close to 'Detroit' or something like that. Although it probably isn't helpful, Detroit back in the day was a manufacturing city within Michigan, it was home to hundreds of thousands, the name 'Steel rests' came from all the factories."
"Hmm. I've never heard of any of those names before, and if what you say is true, then I should've, for there are more people in your 'city' than there is in the entire kingdom of Vacuo." 'Saint Nick' was being kind but he was obviously skeptical. Axle didn't know anything about this world at all, but he was not expecting to hear the word kingdom, and the way it was used suggests that it is not just some part of history he was referencing.
'Fashionista' was a little more vocal with her skepticism. "C'mon Professor, are you really gonna believe this crap? He is either blatantly lying to us or he is a nutcase. He also probably lied about not knowing what huntsman and huntresses were! He is just a criminal."
"Under normal circumstances I would likely agree that he was weaving quite the fantasy. However, Miss Adel, He has given too much detail to have made it up on the spot, not to mention his lack of aura, dust weaponry, and the unfamiliar brand of the said weaponry." The now revealed 'professor' turned to see the girl giving him a look of frustration, which he only slightly alleviated by adding "I still do agree that he must answer for his crimes, though I do not believe that he is a criminal."
Axle caught two pieces of info that he had taken an interest to. The first was in fact the title of professor, he would have to save it for later though, as the other piece seemed to pertain to him. "What do you mean by lack of aura?"
They all were looking at him strangely now. It hadn't occurred to them that if he didn't know what Huntsmen and Huntresses were that he wouldn't know what aura was either, and that in turn also meant semblances. It was Prof. Port who attempted to answer the given question. "Young man, You do know what Aura is, don't you?"
A shake of his head was Axle's only answer.
The Prof. looked at the others, their faces holding as much disbelief as he felt. He then cleared his throat and started slowly. "Well, the most popular way to describe it is the 'physical manifestation of the soul'. Every living creature has the potential to have one save the Grimm-"
"And I would presume that these 'grim' are the tar creatures I've been seeing all over the place?"
Now they were all stumped, Even in the impossible event that he truly didn't know what aura and huntsman and huntresses were, He would've had to know what the Grimm were. They plagued the entirety of Remnant after all.
"Change of plans, Miss Adel." This snapped 'Fashionista' out of her state of disbelief, her attention now on the 'Professor'. "We're going to be taking him to the headmaster. If anyone would be able to figure this out then it would be him." She was ready to start another argument with him but he stopped her in her tracks. "Can you please go inform Mr. Daichi and Mr. Alistair that our guest is awake." The order disguised question did not sit well with 'Fashionista', but to her credit she did what was requested and started to walk away, 'Bunny girl' went to follow but was stopped by a gesture from the Professor.
She was reluctant to stay. She obviously was upset by something, that something either being himself or something about him, It showed in the way that she went out of her way to avoid making eye contact with him. It was the Prof. who drew his focus away from her, which was probably for the best since she seemed to get more agitated when he looked at her. "I must apologize for Miss Adel's behaviour, The past several hours have been trying. Now then, I would like to introduce you to the one who saved your life. This is miss Velvet Scarlatina, She was the one who found you after you were attacked by the Ursa. If Not for her,I am afraid we would not be having this conversation."
The statement didn't really shake him, He had thought he was dead after all, but it did make him look at 'Bunny girl' again, this time being a little more attentive. She was the shadowy figure he saw last night. Any sane person would've seen his state and pronounce him dead before his heart even stopped. She ,on the other hand, chose to save him.
Unknowingly, Axle's expression softened. When Velvet made a quick glance at the man, He wasn't giving her the cold, hard look of distrust that he had held since he had started talking. She couldn't tell what that look was, it wasn't anger or disgust that she had seen directed at her from other humans, If anything it was… confusion? Whatever it was, it was an intense feeling, as if he was perplexed by some unknown question in his head. She was actually making eye contact with him now. She felt a little more at ease now. He wasn't necessarily hostile before, but he wasn't friendly. She mustered up the courage to give a little wave and a small "Hello".
Axle Regained his composure. He reigned in his emotion, mad at himself for showing it in the first place. He did not return to his original glare though, he decided to use a more mild attitude, something almost friendly but not quite there. "Thank you"
His words were genuine, and judging by the look on her face, she wasn't expecting them. It was like she was tensed up for a verbal berating from him. Before she could respond, if she even was, The Prof. cut in. "I thought you would've liked to know the one responsible for your rescue. You were in quite bad shape. It took your aura all of yesterday to fully heal you. That is one of aura's abilities, along with granting enhanced strength and forming an invisible barrier that shields you from all but the most devastating harms. That is the general information you need to know at the moment, we have more important concerns that require our attention".
Now it was Axle's turn to look at them like they were crazy. He kept his mouth shut though, It wasn't his place to argue with them. He didn't have time to think over the Professor's words before he continued.
"You must know that after you were brought back inside we had to hunker down, All the negative emotions that were floating around between us all had drawn a crowd of Grimm that we do not have the ammunition to combat. This poses a severe problem for us because we need to get deeper into the city to see what caused the Grimm population to triple over the past three days. Not to mention we cannot contact our transport to give us a rescue."
Now Axle was in utter disbelief by the emotions comment, Now he believed they were the ones full of it, that girl had a lot of nerve to call him crazy. He would save it for later, right now it seemed there was something that involved him in their problem.
"We had spent the entirety of yesterday trying to find a safe way out of this place. We have no food here, our hope lyng in anything we can find out there. Normally I would just call for food and ammo in situations like this but something has interfered with the signal, initially, we thought it was the storm but that has since passed." The Professor seemed interested in him. Velvet, as Axle now had a name to call her by, seemed on edge. She was looking at the old man like he was doing something wrong, when he noticed it he then added the conclusion to his little summary.
"Miss Adel did not want me to tell you any of this. She believed that you would only cause trouble, either by trying to escape or just being fearful of the situation. She also didn't want me to ask you if you could see some solution we-"
"Well good morning sunshine! I see you decided to finally wake up." The announcement came from the Redhead who had just walked in with 'Fashionista' and 'Big Fella'. They had joined The other two in standing in front of Axle. Axle took notice of the rather large curved blades that were attached at his forearms and extended up to his shoulders. He could honestly say that he was a little surprised. Axle was under the assumption that he was blind. "Big Fella' just stood next to him silently, ultimately indifferent to Axle. "My partner here has told us that you're insane, That true?"
Instead of answering him, Axle just gave him a question of his own, putting in a little note of sass. "Your Professor here told me you're in a tight spot and have no clue how to get out of here, That true?"
'Fashionista' Glared through her glasses at the Professor, Not even attempting to withhold her annoyance. "I thought we agreed to not tell him."
The Professor was unperturbed by her attitude. "We hadn't agreed on anything, I simply wished to know if-"
'I can help." Now Axle had their attention.
'Fashionista' Was simultaneously curious and skeptical of him. "And How is that?"
"First of all, before I tell you, you gotta uncuff me." That received a scoff from 'Fashionista'. "And return my things. Then I can show you exactly how to get out of here."
'Fashionista' wasn't having any of it. "Yeah right. Oh, let's let the thief loose and give him his gun back. You really think We're that dumb".
"I can get you food as well." By the look on everyone's face, that sweetened the deal. "I have some provisions stashed away, enough to last me a solid month. I am willing to let you have it, then I'll help you out of this mess."
For the first time this morning, Velvet actually spoke to him directly. "How do we know that we can trust you?"
If it were anyone else who asked, Axle would've defaulted to 'You don't'. To her though, he answered honestly, He felt she deserved that much. "I'll need your help in return."
"With what?" This time from 'Big Fella'.
Axle's answer was short, but he figured it would take a long time before it was solved. "I need to know what happened to me, how I got here, wherever here is."
They all seemed to take a moment to think it over. It was the Professor who spoke up first. "Well, I say we can do that. Is anyone else opposed to the arrangement?"
"Fine, If there's food involved, I'm in." 'Redhead' was second on board.
Next it was Velvet. With a nod and "Yes. I think that will work."
'Big Fella just shrugged and grunted, but he didn't disagree.
It was down to "Fashionista'. She stood there looking at the others who were looking towards her. Seeing she was outnumbered she just pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. She then walked over to Axle and took out the little white piece of plastic. Before she reached for the cuffs, she thrust her finger towards his face, stopping just before it touched his nose. "I will uncuff you, but you are not getting your gun back until I am convinced you're on our side."
"Understood." Honestly he thought they would've needed more convincing. They were either gullible or desperate, maybe a bit of both. Well here they could be, He, unlike so many others he knew, would actually help them. He himself was desperate after all.
'Fashionista' pressed the white thing against the cuffs, which in turn opened up and fell into two pieces, the blue beam disappearing from existence. Axle was perplexed, but he didn't show it. He then grabbed his tattered and bloodsoaked shirt and jacket and threw them on after he stood to his full height. The others seemed to be surprised to see how tall he was, the only one being taller was 'Big Fella'. He couldn't blame them, the only times they even saw him were either brief or he was on the ground.
"Now before we get on to the escape plan, I'm Coco Adel, That's Fox Alistair, my partner, That's Velvet Scarlatina and Yatsuhashi Daichi, and That's Professor Port." She pointed to each one as she called out their names. He needed to commit them to memory. "What's your name?"
Axle for a moment thought about lying.
I mean, Can I REALLY trust them.
He waved the thought away. There was no real reason to lie to them now, not when he needed their help. "It's Axle."
The name was a little unusual to them, breaking away from the color trend that had been going on for awhile now. 'Fashioni- Coco made a circular motion with her hand as if to say 'go on'. "Axle?"
No one had ever really asked for a family name before, He never needed to. The question from Coco made Axle remember something that he had actually forgotten, the memory though was vibrant, as if it was waiting to spring up at the right moment.
Axle was ten, It was during the hottest part of the year. He had just come from the settlement's mechanic, A place where he would spend almost all of his free time in his teens. Francis had called him in the small one story house they lived in. He had finished laying out the various jobs that Axle could now do to help out. He was in the middle of describing all that entailed in cookwork when Axle interrupted him. "Hey Francis, What's my name?"
The elderly man paused and gave Axel (for at that time he still spelled it that way) a look of confusion. "Your name's Axel, isn't it? That's the one you were given at your birth."
Axel shook his head. "That's not what I mean. The other boys were being mean to me. They said I didn't belong here, They said I don't have no family. I told them I do too got family and they told me to say my last name, but I don't have one."
Francis gave a slow nod in understanding. "Family doesn't have to be by blood you know, You're about old enough to understand that. Family can be your bestest friend in the whole wide world just as much as an actual brother."
Axel's face lit up a bit. "So you're saying' my family can be anyone I want it to be."
Francis was a little amused and his response had Axel confused at first. "No. Have you ever heard the phrase 'you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family'. The thing that most people don't get is that the phrase still applies to people who aren't your blood."
Axel was still a little confused. "Well then, how do you know when someone's family?"
"A good tell if someone is family is when they care about you very much, they don't ever want to see you hurt and they'll protect you from just about anything. They will be with you through thick and thin. Sometimes they'll even take your side when you're in the wrong, the only exception being is when you're real stupid. Other than that, you'll just have to figure it out yourself."
Axel mulled it over for a little bit and then threw on a grin. "So that means you're my Family?"
Francis chuckled and said "Now you got it. That's right, and don't you let anyone say otherwise. And Axel?"
"Yeah?"
"If those boys ask for your last name- or anyone for that matter. Tell 'em you're a Dumont."
Axle had withheld the smile the fond memory wanted to give him. He looked Coco in the eye.
'It's Axle Dumont."
