Vivian leaned against the wall, looking at Gran lying unconscious in the bed, and Nina holding his hand, weeping. The biggest question on her mind right now was: what happened to him? His condition was stable, but seeing him like that made her heart hurt, especially with Nina's reaction and distress. However, seeing him now, he looked the calmest she ever saw him.
"I shouldn't have left him," Nina started speaking slowly. "I wouldn't let this happen."
Vivian sighed. "We don't really know what happened. Don't assume that your decision would change this."
The Faunus girl looked at her, a simple sorrowful look that was enough to convey what she was going through. Vivian didn't remember the last time they were in a situation like that. She once again looked at Gran, motionless in a hospital gown. A mountain of a man with one more scar as a reminder he once again escaped death.
"All we can do now is hope he gets better," she said out loud to calm Nina.
The girl just nodded and focused her eyes on her partner. After some time, she calmed down enough to stop sobbing.
Vivian, meanwhile, was pondering over the situation. She did want to bounce some of her thoughts against Nina, but looking at her, she decided it's not a good idea. They were out of the city for not that long, and the shit is already hitting the fan. Vivian gritted her teeth as Raymond popped up in her mind. Everything started when he called. All the events that slowly led the city to ruin were his doing, and, in her mind, Merlot had to have something to do with Gran. They all trusted him, and that's how he repays his friends? She shook away the thought. After all, it was just wild speculation, and she had nothing to base it on.
Time passed slowly, in silence. Only when a group of people barged into the room has Vivian pulled away from her thoughts. Few doctors with men on gurneys and a sight that struck the girl like lightning. Neil Regolith slowly walking into the room. Her mind clouded and repeating: 'would you kindly leave me alone,' like a mantra. Her legs seemed to work on their own as she slowly walked towards the exit. Her heart started to beat faster as she had no control of her body.
The redhead noticed the girl and smiled, but the expression quickly faded as he saw the distress on her face.
"What are you…"
"You wanted to be left alone," she answered almost automatically.
He sighed and gently put his hand on her cheek, making their eyes meet. "You no longer need to leave me alone."
Vivian blinked a few times before she got to herself. Anger swelling in her eyes. The first reaction she had was to slap Neil. Nina jumped in place while the redhead stood there in shock.
"Ok," he said after a moment of consternation. "I deserved that."
Before he could even finish the entire sentence, Vivial already embraced him.
"Don't ever do that again," she said silently, almost like she wanted only him to hear it.
Her eyes almost popped out of her head when a familiar Faunus entered the room. She took a few steps back in total disbelief.
"Ame's alive!" Neil said, full of enthusiasm when he noticed her reaction. "Isn't that wild?!"
Her thoughts were racing, and her head started to spin. She needed to lean on the nearby wall not to stagger.
"Hey guys," the muscular Faunus girl waved cheerfully with her right arm. An arm that didn't look quite right.
"What happened to you?" Nina asked, concerned.
The girl chuckled, "it's a really long story."
"It's really getting crowded here," one of the doctors addressed the group of Huntsmen.
"We'll be leaving soon," Vivian assured. "No need to worry."
"Sure," the doctor nodded, "but remember that the patients need rest. And that woman requires police supervision by law."
Only now did the girls notice the silver-haired woman in one of the beds, handcuffed to it. She was conscious but didn't struggle.
"I'm designated to guard her," Neil stated, and the doctor eyed him.
"It looks like you should be a patient here as well and not a guardian."
The redhead just chuckled, "It seems that way. Still, duty calls."
"You really should just rest," a voice from one of the beds came to their ears. It was the sheriff. "You did enough today."
Neil sat down next to his bed. "How are you doing, chief?"
The man was looking into space with a blank expression. "I said I wouldn't do anything stupid, and yet, here I am. Should've known better not to mess with the bull."
"At least he's spooked," Neil stated. "He will think twice before showing his head again."
Alabaster chuckled, "knowing him, he already thought things through like ten times over, and his head is halfway through the door. You have no idea what he's capable of."
"Who are you talking about?" Vivian was intrigued.
"It's police business," the sheriff stated before he fell silent.
Neil was thinking for a while before he spoke. "If he's really such a big threat, then some help would be… helpful," he looked towards Vivian.
The sheriff turned his head away from the redhead. "Whatever, do as you please. I can't help you on this case anyway."
"Sheriff?"
"I can't even walk, Neil!" He exploded, screaming towards his subordinate. "I can't even walk." His eyes were getting watery.
"I'm sorry," Amethyst interjected to the surprise of everyone in the room.
"What are you sorry about?"
"I could've helped you… I could've done something."
"No, you couldn't," the sheriff calmed down. "The moment you freeze in fear, there is nothing you can do… I'm surprised I had it in me to even raise my sword."
"But…"
"Stop beating yourself about that," Alabaster was getting irked by her attitude.
"Is inciting fear his semblance or something?" Vivian asked, deducing from the flow of the conversation.
"No," the sheriff stated. "He's just that strong. Unnaturally so."
"Well, he's like Aria," Amethyst looked at the silver-haired woman in one of the beds. Her eyes slowly shifted towards her right arm, "and me."
"Like you?" Neil was concerned. He saw her arm but didn't want to believe his eyes.
"A human-Grimm hybrid."
Silence fell on the whole room. A lot of thoughts and emotions were running through everyone's minds and hearts. Vivian quickly connected the experiments from the warehouse they raided prior and Amethyst's state. If she survived, someone could've taken her and continued the project. And that someone had to be Aria, the woman she fought before leaving Ame to fend for herself. For a brief moment, Vivian wanted to say sorry to Neil and Ame. To admit her mistake. Even though the Faunus girl was alive, she still thought that it's the right thing to do.
She started to open her mouth when Neil grabbed Amethyst by her Grimm-arm.
"It's cold," he stated, looking at it with interest. "Do you feel my touch?"
Ame smiled gently, "I do."
Seeing this made Vivian feel strangely uncomfortable. Was this jealousy? It can't be.
"If we are to help, it would be nice to be in the loop," she suddenly said.
"Sure," Neil nodded. "It might be good for everyone to say what they know, and we can move from there."
Neil started to inform everyone of his experiences during the time they were separated. From the moment he started looking for Ame and joined the police force to the discovery and raid on Raddocks hideout. The redhead then asked Ame to tell her side of the story. He was very curious how she ended up in the same place as Vermillion.
The Faunus girl was thinking very intently when she told her story. For a reason that Neil could not yet understand, she weighted her words very carefully. She spoke briefly of her time as a prisoner and focused mostly on her experiences with the Grimm inside her she named Vucub Caquix. When she described meeting Vermillion, Neil almost jumped in place.
"He has the same semblance as yours?"
"I don't think that's the case," she said, narrowing her brows.
"He uses semblances of others," Alabaster interjected. "In the past, he needed to have physical contact with a Huntsman to use their talents, but it seems he grew even more powerful."
"That's not as useful as one might think," Neil stated, looking at the sheriff. "Using a semblance of his opponent, the main user should know it more and so would win in a fight."
"Normally yes, but Vermillion is much smarter than any average Huntsman," the sheriff stated, getting more and more annoyed. "You really have no idea what you're dealing with."
"How smart can a man be?" Amethyst asked.
Alabaster sighed, "he singlehandedly controlled Kuchinashi for years without revealing himself. Now tell me, how many people would be capable of that?"
Vivian chuckled, "imagine what he could do with Raymond's semblance."
The team turned their heads towards her. Neil's eyes almost popped out from his head.
"Do you think he might use Ray?" The redhead looked a bit frightened, "what if they already are working together?"
"Hold your horses," Vivian raised her hands. What meant to be a lighthearted joke turned sideways. "Highly doubtful. As the sheriff stated, Vermillion controlled the city for years while Raymond is fighting for control. If anything, they are at odds here."
The man pondered on it for a brief moment. "Yeah, that makes sense."
"It seems you already are treating me as part of your team," the woman stated with a smirk on her face. "I never said that I'm willing to help."
Neil blinked a few times. "If you really don't want to help, then you can leave," he stated calmly.
"Well," she got closer to him, "you might be persuasive enough to change my mind." She put her index finger on his chest and slowly moved it down to his belly.
He smiled and grabbed her hand, interjecting his fingers between hers. "I'm the master of persuasion." He looked her deep in the eyes.
For a brief moment, Vivian felt fear. Looking in his eyes started to terrify her, and she averted her gaze. "You're still no fun," she said, trying to sound tough.
"So, are you in?" Neil asked, now more serious.
"I never said I was out," she said, still not looking at him. "I just wanted to tease you a bit," she moved towards the window.
The redhead tugged his hair behind his ear as he observed the woman walking away. He turned to the other woman from the old team VNGR, "Nina?"
She was briefly surprised by being addressed. "Sure," she stated while looking at Gran.
"We still haven't heard your part of the story," he smiled.
Nina nodded. After Vivian and her left Kuchinashi, they quickly started typical Huntsmen work. One of the jobs was an escort mission to the city, and that's how they got here. An explosion alerted them, so they decided to investigate finding wounded Gran. At this point, Nina was too shaky to tell more, so Vivian continued.
"The sheriff came up, helped us get Gran to the hospital, and that's where we bumped into you. We never had any confrontation with Raddock or anyone really."
"Ok," Neil nodded, "so what's the next step?"
"To go home and don't share my fate," Alabaster interjected. "You kids are way over your heads. Vermillion ruled this city for as long as I can remember, and a bunch of Huntsmen won't change that. Just go home, leave this place."
Neil's face changed drastically. He was angry. "You're jaded, old man. We will capture him, and he will face justice."
The sheriff laughed. "Do as you wish; just don't hope I'll show up for your funeral."
"Having some time to rest does sound nice," Vivian said. "We might have some more ideas and a fresh look on things after a good night's sleep."
Neil looked out the window. It was getting dark, and he was exhausted. Still, he needed to guard Aria. "Would love that, but my duty," he stated, pointing out at the silver-haired woman in one of the beds.
"If we're working with you now, then I can stay in your stead," Ame interjected.
The redhead smiled, surprised. "That would be really nice of you. Are you sure you'll be ok?" He looked at her black arm.
"No worries," she smiled with her recognizable warmth, which quickly laid all his concerns to rest.
"So let's rent some rooms and rest," Vivian stated, "finally."
"I'll stay with Gran for a while longer," Nina said when the woman looked in her direction. "If that's ok."
"Sure, you're still using the same room as before?" Vivian turned towards Neil. "The one at the Vagabond?"
"Surprised you still remember the name of that place," the redhead chuckled. "We'll be staying there. Hope you remember where it is."
"I do," the mouse Faunus smiled towards her friends.
Neil and Vivian exited the hospital. Nina sat next to Gran's bed, grabbed his hand, and leaned in to put her head on his chest. A slow but steady heartbeat made her calmer, and before she noticed, she drifted away into sleep.
Amethyst sat next to Aria, observing her.
"So," the silver-haired woman started. "What's the plan? Take revenge? Kill me when I'm asleep?"
The Faunus was taken aback by those accusations. "Would you do that in my place?"
The woman turned her head away from her. "Probably."
"It's going to be ok," she stated back, not really knowing how to respond.
After a longer period of silence, Aria suddenly turned towards her guardian. "Why did you never tried to escape? Why were you so eager to just comply?"
Amethyst was surprised by the questions. "Well, any attempts would probably end in my failure, and I saw how alone you were then."
Aria raised an eyebrow. "How alone I was?"
"You needed help… Yeah, what you did to me was cruel," she looked at her Grimm-arm, "but you were just doing what you've been paid for."
"No one would be this understanding," the silver-haired woman looked her guardian in the eyes.
Amethyst wanted to hold her stare but averted her sight. "Maybe, but that's not the only reason why I wanted to stay." A small smile appeared on her lips. "I think you're beautiful," a flash of gentle red dotted her cheeks.
Aria chuckled, "really? That's the reason?"
Ame's expression quickly changed. "You don't have to laugh, you know?"
"Whatever," the woman again turned her head away from the Faunus. "Just know you're barking up the wrong tree."
The lizard Faunus exhaled heavily. "I know."
Before reaching the Vagabond, Neil and Vivian continued the talk about the plans. They still didn't have much to go on, unfortunately.
"The plan is to capture Raddock," Neil stated his concerns, "but finding him will be like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"You said that there was a Black Sheep attack on the Wave, right?" Vivian was thinking out loud. "It's not out of the question that it was a planned move from Vermillion."
"That's just crazy," the redhead shot down the idea.
"Your boss said that he is not to be underestimated, and if his goal is to control the whole city, getting rid of any competition wouldn't be so dumb."
"So you think that another attack is in the works?"
She put her finger on her lips, thinking. "That is very likely."
"So in that case, we should just wait until the fire starts and go directly for Vermillion when he peaks his head."
"That might be the best course of action. Still, he might consider that outcome and prepare accordingly."
"Second-guessing every single approach will lead us nowhere."
"You're right," she took a deep breath. "Nothing left for us but to wait, as much as I hate those kinds of situations."
They reached the inn, and Vivian rented a room.
"You need me to pay for it?" Neil asked out of courtesy.
"No need. I have some money from my last mission."
Neil smiled and nodded. They both went upstairs, where all the rooms were. The moment the redhead opened the door to his, Vivian stepped in and put both hands on his chest.
"How about we use only your room," she smiled coquettishly.
Neil chuckled. "I know you like to play, but this is going a bit too far. See you tomorrow."
"Ok, ok… You got me there," she smiled back and took a step back. "See you tomorrow."
Neil closed the door after waving her goodbye, leaving her alone in the corridor.
"See you tomorrow," Vivian sighed and got to her room.
