Get out of my way freak!

'I wasn't anywhere near you!'

It's your fault the deal fell flat.

'They didn't even know about me!'

I never wanted a kid in the first place.

'Would it make a difference if I was born 'normal'?

Neo hated waking up from that accursed dream.

Since Roman's death it constantly plagued her. Her peace of mind seemingly lost forever by his sudden demise…and she only had herself to blame.

If she hadn't taken Ruby lightly, if she had stayed on top of the ship, she could have stopped her dear friend's cruel fate.

But she had thought they would be alright…just like always.

There was no way they were in any real danger.

They chose the winning side…

And now Roman was gone forever.

It boggled her how thinking about him still hurt so much.

Time healed all wounds?

What a joke.

Stretching her tense legs a bit, she shivered at the cold creeping up her feet.

This was the last time she let Cinder chose where they would spend the night.

The cave might have been a more…low profile friendly option, but Neo was tired of freezing all the time.

'Don't have those fancy powers keeping me warm.'

The short girl had always had some sort of inkling that their new partner was a bit more special than she had let on, but the existence of actual magic just seemed so far removed from reality…and yet she had witnessed it with her very own eyes.

Years before Cinder had graced them with her presence.

Now you listen to me you stupid brat!

You better not come back before you apologize for whatever you did to the Branwen tribe, you hear me?

Shuffling her feet, Neo pulled them to her knees while sitting up, her mismatched eyes blinking through the darkness.

Cinder and her had build some sort of provisional shelter to keep the snow outside and giving them an opportunity to rest…though she couldn't be too sure if the dark haired girl had actually gotten herself some shut eye.

Speaking of which, where was her sassy companion anyway?

Grimacing at failing to locate her missing attire, she hobbled to the exit winding her thick blanket even tighter around her body.

'Of course she's outside.'

Cinder seemed to have trouble to let her guard down enough to sufficiently rest.

It was something Neo observed when they had traveled to Atlas together.

There was some nervous, tense energy around her. One that felt all too familiar to the shorter girl.

A cold shudder ran down her spine, as she pulled the spare blanket they had put up along the entrance to the side and padded outside.

'COLD!'

So maybe running through the snow barefoot hadn't been such a great idea after all.

But on the other hand, she also had no real motivation to turn back around to get her shoes.

Exhaling loudly, she let her eyes wander over the scenery in her attempt to spot Cinder.

Which appeared not to be as time consuming as she thought.

The dark haired girl hadn't strayed too far from their secret hideout, lying in a puddle of fresh snow, staring up into the dark, cloudy sky, watching the snowflakes fall.

There was something strangely serene about the picture.

Neo couldn't help but look at her companion in silent wonder.

She had never seen Cinder so…relaxed…no, that wasn't the right word.

'Vulnerable!'

That's it.

She had never seen her so vulnerable, so raw and open before.

Maybe it was the dim light surrounding them, as the moon was obscured by thick dark clouds, but the short girl couldn't help but acknowledge how beautiful the other girl actually was.

Even if it was somewhat begrudgingly.

After pondering whether to leave or stay, Neo sat down next to Cinder.

The snow was freezing, even with the blanket around her whole body.

Shivers ran done her spine, as she tried to huddle closer to her companion, finally seeming to get her attention.

"What the-?

Do you have a death wish, girl?

What are you doing out here?"

What is a small girl like you doing in a place like this?

xxxxxxxxxx

The tall boy mustered her with keen interest, his bowler looking oh so funny on his reddish hair.

She must have gotten lost on her way to the Branwen tribe's current location after all, because that definitely wasn't how she had envisioned a bandit to look like.

Before she could even try to explain herself though, a red, long and more importantly sharp sword was held to her head, pointing directly to a point between her eyes.

Its owner's face was hidden behind a…grimm mask of sorts?

Only two crimson orbs glowed dangerously through the two small slits, positioned perfectly over the other person's eyes.

She swallowed harshly.

This wasn't good, right?

She should have never sneaked inside this tent!

'I don't want to die!'

"Now, now Raven.

Your loyalty and commitment to my safety are honorable, but surely you don't believe me to be threatened by a mere child, do you?"

Behind the masked girl appeared an older, even more imposing woman, a fur coat hanging around her shoulders, carrying the proud emblem of a lone feather.

'The leader!'

Now this was bad.

On one hand she found the leader, on the other…

"My apologies, ma'am."

The sword disappeared from her view and relief washed over her, to be immediately replaced by another wave of anxious tension by the masked girl's next words.

"Shall I deal with this brat?"

She didn't like the sound of that.

And if she was being honest, she also didn't want to find out how the bandit wanted to 'deal' with her.

Not daring to move one inch, she stared at the leader in fear.

"She's just a kid, I'd say we have more pressing topics to talk about than deciding the fate of a poor streetrat.

Just let her go."

Finally the bowler wearing boy had spoken up, tipping against his hat with a grin.

The leader sighed, when Raven immediately whipped around, almost growling at him.

"I am second in command!

You don't give me orders!"

The redhead's grin widened, when he pulled out some keychain, causing the masked girl's posture to get rigid.

"I don't know about that, Robin.

Maybe you're getting soft."

He dangled the chain in front of her, revealing a photo of four young people, all smiling in the camera. One looked oddly similar to the masked girl, she thought.

Not that she cared.

She just wanted to get out of this alive.

Before Raven could retort anything, the leader stepped forward, banging her hand against the table with a loud, thud, splintering the wood and causing both of the other bandits to snap to attention.

"ENOUGH!"

Fixing the masked girl with a pointed stare, she ripped the keychain out of the bowler wearing boy's hand, her voice lowering dangerously.

"We will talk about this at a later time, do you understand, Raven?"

Nodding wordlessly, Raven didn't make a sound. Just her clenched fists indicated how furious she must have been right now.

"Good, and Roman", her attention now solely laid on the redhead, "the answer is no!

I will not approve of segregation!

We are bandits, not organized crime lords."

"But think about-"

"Not another word!

I gave you a home when nobody wanted you. I taught you everything you know.

Without me, you would be nothing.

Is that the extent of your gratefulness?"

The boy lowered his head and it was in that moment that she decided to bolt.

Running and crawling as fast as she could back into the air ventilation system, only managing to catch the muffled cry of what she presumed to be Raven and the cold voice of her leader.

"Let her go.

I won't waste resources on catching a little brat that is of no use to us.

She hasn't heard anything that could do us harm."

And still…she couldn't stop running.

Tears streamed down her face, as she realized just how narrowly she escaped death.

A death her father had gladly sent her to…

'Oh no!'

Her father!

…he wouldn't be pleased when she reported that she hadn't been able to change the Branwen tribe's mind after all.

The cold evening wind that greeted her once she finally submerged to the surface again made her want to huddle down.

It was so cold…

She was so tired…

She stopped completely and leaned against the wall, searching for a place to rest a bit.

Hobbling into an alleyway she ducked next to a trash container to shield herself from the freezing breeze.

She didn't know how long she stayed there, only that she couldn't seem to stop crying.

'Mommy…why did you leave me?'

Because she was a freak.

Wasn't that what her father told her all the time?

No one wanted a mute child.

"Well, hello there Neopolitan.

You look practically frozen."

Startled she looked up, her eyes widening in shock.

It was Roman, the bowler wearing bandit.

She had expected dread to settle in again, but surprisingly she wasn't as afraid as she thought she would be.

The redhead only smiled, offering his hand to her, almost as if he knew who she was…

But that couldn't be true…right?

"Let's get you home and warm you up."

xxxxxxxxxx

"-warm you up?"

'Huh?'

Neo blinked owlishly at the person now perched at her side.

Cinder seemed to have sat up, squinting at her incredulously.

She must have missed the question.

Cocking her head, she shrugged clueless, causing the dark haired girl to sigh exasperated.

"I asked if you want me to warm you up."

Just as she was reminded of it, the cold returned full front, making her shiver noticeably under her blanket, offering a small nod to Cinder, who rolled her eye and simply held out her hand for Neo to grab on.

A pang of sadness washed over her.

There were times when missing Roman was bearable…and then there were times she wished she could scream her pain out to the world.

When she wanted to find someone she could blame it on.

Cinder had been on the receiving end of it as well.

Her feelings for her companion were a jumbled mess.

She hated Cinder!

And the worst was, the dark haired girl hadn't even known why until recently.

Obsessing over getting her revenge on her had kept her going.

It had been the only thing driving her…

'Roman's dead and you left me!'

And yet…

Warmth spread through her hand as it entwined itself with Cinder's.

…she couldn't help but want to keep being around her.

There was this admiration she had for the other girl.

The way her face would light up for the most ridiculous thing she deemed useful to her.

Her cunningness, her over the top attempts to sound like a crime lord…

…her golden like, gorgeous eye…

'…huh?'

Where did that come from?

Giving Cinder a grateful smile she wrote in the snow before them.

/Do you ever sleep?/

The dark haired girl's expression soured, her voice changing, adapting the short girl's favorite uppity tone.

"I don't need sleep.

I am perfectly capable of reserving my energy."

Something cracked behind them in the distance, possibly a tree submitting to the heavy snow piled on top of it, but whatever it was, it made Cinder flinch noticeably.

'…are you afraid?'

That would probably be a bad thing to ask, though she doubted Cinder would ever be able to find some rest like this, seeing how high on alert she appeared to be.

It was time to change the game.

/Read me a story./

Her companion positively gaped at her.

"Excuse me…what?"

Pointing at the snow again the short girl wrote it out even more carefully, skillfully hiding her gleeful smile.

/READ ME A STORY!/

Cinder appeared at a loss for words, she was positively rattled.

It seemed to cost her immense willpower not to react to the fact that Neo had practically ordered her to do it, as she breathed in deeply.

Finding her voice again, she tried to compose herself.

"If you hadn't noticed, we are right out of books."

'You don't say.'

The short girl shrugged.

/Guess you have to make one up then./

Not even waiting for Cinder's response Neo lied down on the snow, staring up at the dark sky, just as her companion had done before her.

Befuddled Cinder stared at her, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment, as she realized Neo would probably continue to bug her to comply with her wish…

The shorter girl's grip on her hand tightened a bit when she tried to pull her hand away.

Neo wouldn't let her get out of this.

With a silent curse, Cinder surrendered and rolled on her back, glaring at the clouds.

"Do I really have to?"

A quick squeeze was the only affirmation she got.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, the dark haired girl began to search for words.

"Fine…

Ahem, once upon a time there was…a dragon.

He was strong and feared…and powerful.

One day he encountered a little girl who was shackled by a cruel fate and he saw the potential inside her, so he took her with him…"

'You have a nice voice.'

She really meant it. It was incredibly pleasant to listen to. So much so, that Neo had to be careful not fall asleep.

Not yet at least.

So she listened to the tale her companion spun, full of monsters and magic, thieves and wizards and, most importantly, dragons.

The sky began to tint its colors, chasing the endless dark of the night away as it slowly began to dawn…and Cinder's voice abruptly stopped.

Turning her head she saw that the dark haired girl's eye was closed, her breathing even and slow.

'Finally!'

It had been so hard to not simply drift off, but now that she had managed to get Cinder her much needed rest, she felt herself fade away as well.

Robbing closer to her companion's sleeping form she cuddled against her.

Yes, Cinder would probably never allow them being this close to each other after she stabbed her, but Neo couldn't stand the thought to wake up alone and cold again.

'Good night, Cinder.'

In hindsight, it probably had been a bad idea to fall asleep outside of their camp.

AN: Hello again ^^

Time for Day Two I guess…I'm probably not finishing until Spicecreamweek is

Over, but I'll still do all the prompts.

Enjoy ^^