Coco led Lykos down a series of endless hallways in the administrative building and they seemed to pass by a countless and needless number of cubicles and offices. From the size of the building, Lykos felt more like Beacon was a corporation than it was a school. They finally reached the end of the last hallway, a large black wooden door stood before them and Coco opened it up, allowing Lykos to enter the room before her. On the opposite side of the room stood the kid that had assaulted Bái, leaning against the wall with a smug look on his face. Now Lykos was finally able to get a good look at him, adrenaline and rage had kept him from noticing any defining details before.
The kid had black hair that was long and flowing with a golden highlighted streak along the right side of his face, stopping at the middle of his back. He had vibrant orange eyes, they observed Lykos cautiously as Coco closed the door behind him and offered him a seat, the only object in the small, empty room. Lykos nodded in gratitude and sat, watching the kid closely. He wore a black spandex shirt much like Cobalt but opted for a tan pair of cargo pants and a harsh golden cape that matched his hair highlight. The cape covered his entire body, with the exception of his right arm which was proudly exposed, holding the same dagger as before, but Lykos could see now that it was a kunai.
"Lykos, I've been informed that you've already met Mr. Paris Goldfinch, is that correct?" Lykos stammered a snicker under his breath, what a name. Lykos glanced up at Coco who motioned her head towards Paris. Lykos sighed.
"That is correct ma'am," He replied. Coco looked at Paris who still had the same grin plastered on his lips. Simple yet vicious. It was as if Paris thought he was victorious before he had even met his opponent. She smiled at him but he discarded her confidence and commenced staring straight through Lykos.
"Paris says that you attacked him. Is this also true?" She asked. Lykos could hear it in the tone of her voice, he knew that she already had the answer. He assumed that she found some sort of amusement in teaching this student a lesson, so Lykos complied and followed her prompts.
"Yes, ma'am." There was a silence before Coco removed her glasses and looked into Lykos' eyes. She was about to drive her point home. She was going to crucify this troublemaker before she sent him back to where he came from and in some strange interworking that he knew nothing about, she had made Lykos her weapon of choice. He was but one of two witnesses but he could feel that Coco knew just as well as he did that Bái would never have the confidence nor the willpower to sentence this piece of trash into expulsion. Lykos, however, had no qualms about it and would do it as many times as she desired of him.
"What else Lykos?" She asked. Paris retained his composure, nothing about where the conversation was going was causing him any distress, and Lykos began to worry that the attacker had other things planned. Perhaps Bái was just an inconvenience that had stood between Paris and his true goal, whatever it might be. Lykos looked at Paris, trying to pierce through the man's lack of empathy, but it was no use. It was time to stop toying with him and deliver the killing blow. Lykos' eyes glimmered for a fleeting second, causing his opponent's breath to catch for a moment. He might not be terrified of us, but clearly, he has a past with Grimm. Lykos smirked.
"He tried to sexually assault Bái Lung," Lykos stated flatly. Coco's attention turned back to Paris who had somehow found a way to smile even more wickedly, cackling under his breath.
"It's a great story, but you have no proof. I have cuts on my body that are from your shuriken, make no mistake. However, you don't have a scratch on you and neither does Ms. Lung. I think it's more than obvious who is at fault here, Mrs. Adel. I will take my rightful place now on Team CBLT, or whatever the hell we'll be known as now." So that was his angle the entire time. He had Lykos dead to rights and Lykos knew it. What else could be done? He didn't expect Coco to simply take his word for it, it was impractical to think that she would. To Lykos' surprise, he could hear Coco chuckling under her breath and he faced her. Her teeth were gritted in a wry snarl that rivaled Paris'. His eyes dulled for a moment as she removed her scroll from her pocket and marched across the room to him.
"You didn't really think that you were going to get away with what you did to Bái, did you?" Coco asked, her words casting darkness onto Paris as he trembled, looking away from Lykos to view the video. There was no denying the images. He had her pinned to a tree and explicitly declared what he intended to do with her. He looked up at Coco, her eyes daggers as she bit her lip. "What's the matter Paris? Never been overpowered by a woman before? You were the same one who asked if I was single during our trip out there, weren't you? There's a word for guys like you, but as a teacher, they don't allow me to use those words to describe my students."
Lykos watched in a mild form of fear that was overtaken by amazement. She was letting him have it, and she showed no intention of letting up at any point. If not for the sheer fact that Lykos was determined to obey the rules set out before him, Coco had further destroyed any iotas of backlash or rebellion. Lykos stood slowly as he noted Paris's ocular grip on him loosening, unable to concentrate with Coco intimidating him. She chuckled again as she put her glasses back on and placed her scroll back into her pocket slowly. She lifted her purse, transforming it into its gun form, and placing the muzzle against his stomach.
"You're not my student anymore though. You are hereby expelled, Mr. Goldfinch, and you are never allowed on the school grounds under any circumstance. If I find out that you've done something like this ever again, you better hope that the courts give you a speedy trial and the death penalty, because if they don't, we're going to find out just how much of this gun you can take up your ass. Got it?" Coco told him. It was as though she was a demon, and Paris was a lost soul that wanted nothing more than to escape and return to the light. That's the way it seemed for the moment anyway. She turned her gun back into its purse form and grabbed him by the clasp of his cape, clutching him close to her face. "Get out."
He smiled, either out of his mind or unimpressed with her scare tactics and freed himself. He straightened out his cape and began heading towards the door before stopping directly beside Lykos.
"You may have gotten the jump on me the first time Lykos, but it's time I return the favor. What do you say?" He asked. Lykos turned his head to face Paris, not completely understanding what he meant and without any indication or notice, Paris threw his weight at Lykos, tackling him and sending both of them through a rift that he had opened, throwing them out in the same room. Lykos slid away from Paris as he shoved him off and watched as Coco transformed her weapon back quickly, peering around as though she didn't see either of them.
"Lykos! Paris! What the hell's going on?!" She demanded. Lykos reached back and formed his whip quickly, lashing out and knocking Paris into the wall. Paris bounded off and knocked another attack away with his kunai, snarling as he stood ready in a battle stance, left hand reaching for something under his cloak. "So this is your defensive semblance. You little shit!" Paris cackled again, throwing his head back. Lykos crouched, whip gripped tightly in his hand as he slowly circled the room in the same direction as Paris.
"She's right. This is my ultimate defense. And unless you defeat me, it will also be your demise," Paris explained. Lykos didn't fully comprehend what was happening, why was he being targeted? He had only one enemy, and that enemy had succumbed long ago. Lykos lashed out again and Paris batted it away again with his knife, lifting his left hand and firing something that shot out several senbon needles. Lykos was able to dodge most of them, two slamming into his left arm and instantly freezing it. It was paralyzed and Lykos glanced at Paris in shock, trying to mask his instantaneous horror. Paris was more than amused. "Dust laced senbons? Will this be the end of my dear friend Lykos?"
Lykos had to admit that he was impressed, but he wouldn't allow himself to go out so easily. He activated a button on the handle of his switch, covering his forearms in shuriken as he strafed a touch more slowly now. He needed to be careful. He needed to read his opponent and take him down by whatever means were necessary. Lykos was convinced that at some point this psycho was going to mess up and when he did, Lykos would exploit that weakness, much like the one he already knew about. This kid had an unhealthy fear of Grimm, just the idea of Lykos using the illusion on him again earlier had caused him a brief moment of uncertainty. It wasn't much, but it might be enough.
Lykos noted movement under his opponent's cape once again and prepared himself, this time he was ready. With a quick lift of his hand, Paris fired more senbons at Lykos, all of which he deflected by scattering out his shuriken, returning to his forearms as the senbons exploded off of them. They both stopped moving, staring each other down for a moment. Lykos understood now that somehow Paris was able to produce senbon needles that were laced, or possibly made, with different kinds of Dust. He smiled at his opponent out of a mutual respect. It wasn't going to be an easy fight, and Lykos found pleasure in that. Paris threw his kunai, missing Lykos by a decent margin and Lykos scattered his shuriken again.
Paris lifted his left arm, all of the incoming projectiles tearing at his outfit, but seeming to spare Paris any pain, simply glancing off of his arm and returning to Lykos. He needed Paris to feel pain. He wanted Paris to know what he did was wrong and right now he was the only one who could make him see that. Lykos scowled and modified his attack quickly, recreating his whip and lashing out for Paris again, but Paris now held another kunai and blocked the attack as he had before. Lykos leapt back, sliding away slightly and stopping at the wall beside the first dagger. He had more than one, but why had someone as skilled as Paris missed him by so much before?
"Dammit!" Coco yelled out as she had exhausted all of her optic filters on her sunglasses. Wherever they were was a place that she couldn't see, and all that she could do now was hope that Lykos was victorious. She dialed Glynda on her scroll, not knowing what was happening around her. No answer on the first attempt and she quickly moved out into the hallway. As the door slammed, Paris glanced back and smiled again, this time it was different. It wasn't menacing. It was as if he meant it sincerely, the warmth from it touching Lykos and causing his guard to drop for a moment.
Paris sprinted forward, unaware that Lykos had feeling again in his left arm, and firing another hail of senbons. With his whip formed, Lykos couldn't avoid or deflect all of them and he chose to use the same arm again in defense, this time being hit with earth Dust. It dragged his arm to the ground, complete deadweight, and not unlike the first paralyzation, with the exception of this attack making his arm feel much heavier than it actually was. Paris slowed, coming to a stop and grabbing Lykos by the neck, examining the pelt. Paris sneered as he sliced his blade against Lykos' cheek, his aura confused between fixing his arm and taking the injury. It drew blood.
"I'm disappointed by all of this, really," Paris explained. He forced Lykos to look up at him by placing his blade under his chin. "I anticipated a better fight from the first year students of Beacon. Why, after seeing you all in battle, watching you take down that Beringel, I expected so much more. I was convinced that out of all of them, you'd be a worthy adversary, if not only because the idea of what I might do to that poor girl, would send you to another level of strength you didn't know that you possessed. I saw the look in your eye when you leapt down from the trees and attacked me. Those were the eyes of a killer! Who will protect her if you die?"
Lykos, just go before daddy hurts you too.
Who will protect me if you die Lykos?
Just go…
Lykos felt the same rage he had felt from the forest that morning fill his body once again and his left arm swung up despite the psychological struggle of thinking that it was attached to a boulder. His fist smashed into Paris' face and sent the man sprawling away, cackling as he came to a stop and threw the other kunai, this time missing Lykos to the other side. Lykos felt the nearly invisible Dust thread that was connected to the two knives brush against his chest but it was too late for a reaction. Paris flicked his wrist under his cloak and the wire tightened, throwing Lykos to the wall and pinning him there. Who was this man? Was he even human?
The throwing stars leapt from his whip to his arms and thrashed out towards Paris again who blocked them in the same manner. He hardly seemed to care as they once again ricochet off his left arm. Lykos noted the repeated tactic and concluded that his left arm must be covered in some sort of armor, where his right arm visibly wasn't. The shuriken fell to the ground and Lykos pressed the button on his whip's handle several times with no effect. Paris chuckled as he moved closer once again.
"Well this is absolutely tragic," Paris told him. "You're weaponless and your semblance is nothing more than a gimmick. What will you do?" Lykos' eyes lit up and a Beowolf appeared before Paris, roaring at the man as he laughed crazily. "No matter how hard you try to cloak yourself with this and distract me from where you are, you can't move, I know…" Without time to react, all of Lykos' projectiles tore across Paris' right arm and returned to Lykos. The pain proved enough and Paris quickly reached for his injured limb with his left hand, breaking the Dust wire's grip on Lykos and freeing him. Lykos felt the rage rush back in, maintaining the illusion and quickly moving past Paris, who glanced back at the wall where Lykos had been, knowing his nemesis was no longer bound.
"You underestimated me. Faking equipment failure? That's an old trick," Lykos spoke from the Grimm, still looming large over Paris. Paris scowled and lashed out blindly with his dagger as Lykos prepared to move in for the decisive blow. All he would need is to wrap his whip around Paris' right arm and pull him in, a hard and well-placed hit to the nose would take him down for sure. Lykos lashed out and caught his opponent, drawing him in. His fist stopped but inches from Paris' nose and the two of them looked at each other in confusion as they were both tossed across the room. Paris' dimension was torn open and they spilled out, Lykos falling onto his chest as his shurikens deactivated and slid across the floor. Paris was dragged to his feet by Coco, who had reentered the room after retrieving Glynda from down the hall.
"Headmistress, I'm sorry," Lykos began as he knelt, drawing in his projectiles and sending them back into his cloak. He attached the whip's handle to his hip and found his feet, looking at Paris who struggled futilely against Coco's death grip on him. He raised his left arm again and fired, watching his senbons fall harmlessly to the floor as Glynda deflected them. She looked at them and then back at Paris who still seemed undeterred. Again Lykos was convinced that there was more going on with this kid, but he knew he wouldn't get the chance to find out.
"Why are you apologizing Lykos?" Glynda asked. "This morning you saved Bái and now you saw it fit to save yourself. You have nothing to apologize for." Glynda threw the door open with her telekinesis and pointed with her switch. "Mrs. Adel. I will contact the authorities in Vale. If you would be so kind as to escort Mr. Goldfinch to the cliff side and see to it that he gets a proper ride back to the city, it would be greatly appreciated." Coco nodded and strong-armed Paris, shoving him towards the door as he cringed in pain. He snarled at Lykos on the way by.
"This isn't over Lykos. You will see me again," Paris shouted. Coco shoved her gun into his back, causing him to move a bit more quickly.
"Shut up kid," Coco told him closing the door behind her. Lykos moved to the seat in the middle of the room as Glynda walked around to face him. She gave him a soft smile and knelt so that she was at eye level with him.
"I'm glad that we have you Lykos. Bái could have been seriously hurt if you wouldn't have shown up when you did. We'll see to it that Paris doesn't cause the two of you or anyone else here any more trouble," Glynda reassured him. She stood and pulled him to his feet, grabbing his face and looking him over for any injuries. She noted the cut that ran across his face from Paris slashing him. She smirked. "It appears as though you'll have a nice scar to write home about." He smirked back at her as she let go and walked past him.
"I'll keep her safe," Lykos spoke as Glynda opened the door. He wasn't sure what was driving him to do it, but he felt a sense of responsibility regarding Bái's safety. She stopped for a moment, adjusting her glasses and grinning.
"You are dismissed."
Titus stepped out of the tower and held the door open as another student entered in, thanking him for his courteous move. He brushed off the compliment and walked alongside the building until he reached a stretch of wall that seemed void of any other students and leaned back against it. His resolve had been torn apart in a single day by that archer with the teal hair. Neela Xiao Long, daughter of Blake and Yang of RWBY, but that didn't matter to Titus. She was capable and she was strong. She had saved him from that meadow that caused him to go into a full-fledged fit of PTSD.
He didn't care about any of that! This was meant to be his day to be noticed! For the rest of his training, they would look at his team and say 'There's Neela and her team'. Everything would revolve around Neela now, and the thought of it brought a fit of anxiety and nausea to Titus. That's why he had headed to the tower while they hadn't been looking. He hoped that Winter was around and that he could formally request to return to Atlas. He would train harder if that's what the Atlas Military wanted, he just didn't want to train under Neela. However, when he placed his call, one of the other lieutenant generals had picked up and informed him that General Branwen was at a council meeting and couldn't be bothered at the time.
He placed his hands on his knees, the world spinning around him and sucker punching him until he was convinced he was going to have another episode. Why was he remembering this now, he had long forgotten everything that had happened that day. He had talked to countless counselors, psychologists, anyone that he could and was willing to give him advice until Winter had come along. She trained him so hard that he hadn't had time to remember any of it. She had replaced Ironwood, and it was his goal now to replace her when she retired. He was supposed to graduate at the top of his class in Atlas, not behind this damn prodigy in Vale!
He stood tall again, finally regaining his wits as he removed his scroll and looked over the map of the school that he had downloaded. With any luck, he could find somewhere quiet to train for the rest of the day and just avoid his teammates. The facts tumbled over in his head as he lost his concentration again and slid down against the wall, sitting on the stone tiling that surrounded the building as he shook his head. He could make the best of this, couldn't he? Though there was the fact that he had been placed on the same team as Ilia. There was something about her that irked him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"So this is where you ran off to?" asked Ilia as she sat down next to him. The hair stood up on the back of his neck as his body became stiff. Speak of the devil. He grumbled slightly and buried his head in his hands. Why couldn't anyone else come and find him? Did Neela send Ilia to go looking for him? Was she too busy with Eliana to send her or come look for herself? Titus sighed and moved away from her, standing as she leapt to her feet and quickly moved in front of him. "Where are you going?"
"Somewhere alone," he told her as he shoved past. She reached out for him but he slipped out of her grip and shoved her hand away. "Are you wanting me to thank you for earlier back in the forest? Is that it?" Ilia looked at him in confusion for a moment, taking her a few extra seconds to realize what was going on, even if she didn't follow completely with his train of thought. She had always thought of herself as a loner, but Titus was simply abusing the privilege and sooner or later he would have to come to terms with having a team. She was surprised that the Geist hadn't knocked more sense into him.
"No. Teammates have each others' backs. It's part of being a team. You're telling me that in all of the years that you were in Atlas, they didn't teach you the importance of relying on the help of others every now and then?" She asked him. His mind traveled back to the torn downtown being battered by a storm as the sniper stood over him, laughing in assumed victory. They had taught him once, but he also knew the value of being strong on his own. "I know when the time comes you'll return the favor. I don't need thanks. We were wondering where you went. You didn't tell anyone you were coming to the tower."
"I didn't want anyone knowing," he told her. "I don't owe any of you anything. I don't have to tell you where I'm going either."
"Don't be like that Titus. I'm sorry about the wallet, okay? Please come back to the dorm with me."
Titus gave her the cold shoulder, not even offering a reply as he slowly walked away from her and towards the front of the campus, planning on heading to the cliffs and taking an airship to Vale. He needed a change of scenery and planned on stocking up on Dust, perhaps even finding an arms dealer that would be willing to upgrade his kopides to use multiple Dust forms. He needed to get it done sooner than later and now seemed like a better time than ever. He'd be able to call Winter when he returned in the evening.
"I'll be back before lights out tonight," Titus called back to her. She gritted her teeth, balling up her fists and bottling up a sudden rage that had overcome her.
"Don't do this!" She screamed. He stopped in his tracks, head tilting slightly as he looked back at her. Everyone that was nearby the building gave them a look and Titus acknowledged them as he closed the distance between Ilia and himself, wondering what had gotten into her. "Titus, I have been alone for the last ten years! You don't think that I know what it's like, just because I've taken it differently than you have? Because I turned out differently than you did? You don't need to walk down that path anymore…" He grabbed her and pulled her close, she gasped at the pain his grip caused.
"You know nothing of the pain I endured. Being alone is easier. If you were truly alone, you'd know that," Titus told her. He let go of her and stepped away as she seethed, rubbing her arm.
"It's selfish!" She shouted. Her face was red with rage and her eyes glossed slightly, causing Titus to be taken aback. He imagined that she was stronger than this, why was she getting so emotional over the idea of him leaving? "Maybe I was wrong. Why would I feel safe around such a coward?" She asked. His eyes narrowed as his mind trembled. The sniper standing above him as he laid on the road, knowing that he wasn't strong enough to defeat the man. That was a moment of true fear, but he had chosen to be alone from that moment on for a good reason, hadn't he? It was the only way that he could carry on. He softened slightly, still on his guard as she handed him a key card. "If you decide to join us, Titus, that's the key to the room. Once we have everything set up we're going to head down to Vale for a bite to eat." Ilia started to walk away as Titus looked the card over in his hand.
"Did Neela send you to get me?" Titus asked. Ilia shook her head and continued away from him back towards the dorms.
"Nobody sent me Titus," she replied without stopping or looking back. He watched her for a long moment as she walked away before looking back down at the card in his hand. There was something about her, and somehow she knew all of the right buttons to press.
They needed to come together under the idea that no matter who was truly the strongest, they could achieve an even greater strength if they worked together.
Please, try and enjoy yourself while you are here.
Do it for yourself, Titus.
Titus gritted his teeth for a moment as he looked towards the cliffside. This was only the first day. He could enjoy himself for once, just for one day, right?
"Okay, so now the first thing that we have to figure out is how we plan on arranging the room. I feel like it's going to be a little on the crowded side, even just with the beds. I'm thinking we can probably sort something out, but does anyone have any suggestions?" Neela asked as she set down her bags and moved them out of the doorway as Eliana and Ilia stepped into the room behind her. She looked the room over. Two beds pushed to each side, room in the middle for a short shelf or dresser under a larger window. Four desks covering most of the rest of the walls closer to the door. On the left was a door that led to their personal bathroom and a door on the right opened up into a small closet.
"Did you ask something? I couldn't hear you while I was in the hall," Ilia told Neela. Neela's jaw slacked slightly and she chuckled. Off to a great start already.
"I was asking if anyone had suggestions on how to set up the beds," Neela stated again as she dragged her belongings further into the room as the other two girls brought in their own luggage. Titus knocked on the door frame and entered the room behind Ilia who looked back up at him and smirked. "Titus! Great! You're here!" Titus rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. Neela was relieved.
"We were just discussing how we should set the room up. There's not a lot of room in here for the beds and it looks like the three of us ladies have quite a bit more with us than the one suitcase you're carrying," Eliana told him. "We could try bunk beds! Your moms said that they had bunk beds for the year that they were here for!" Ilia shook her head.
"I'm not real big on confined spaces," she told them.
"I don't think that it would be the best idea for someone my size," Titus added.
"We don't have to do everything like my parents, Elli," Neela replied. Eliana folded her arms and sat on top of her luggage once again. She jerked her head to the right and stared up at the ceiling, giving off an aura of discontent.
"I was just trying to be helpful," she said acting pouty. An idea sprung into her head and she leapt off of her stack and shook Neela. "I've got it!" Neela pulled away and brushed herself off, laughing as Eliana smiled and bounced in place. Neela knew that Eliana always had the craziest ideas and wondered what her friend had managed to cook up this time.
"Okay, okay. What's your idea, Elli?" Neela asked.
"We could get rid of one of the beds altogether if you and I sleep together like we did when we were kids!" Eliana exclaimed. Neela didn't need to be told that she was blushing and Titus' typically plain demeanor cracked. He smirked slightly and nudged Ilia who startled and looked up at him. He nodded to Neela who gave them both a death stare, her eyes almost pleading for a way out, but neither of them seemed to be offering assistance. Either they were overly amused or just as lost as Neela for a reaction and were keeping quiet as she worked it out in her head. Eliana truly had no clue about Neela's feelings, did she? Unless her best friend knew completely what was going on and wanted to see how she would react to it, but Neela couldn't bring herself to agree to such a thing. Neela shook her head, covering her mouth with her hand to conceal her cheeks. "What?"
"Elli, we're a little bit bigger now than we were as kids. I don't think we would both fit," Neela told her. Eliana rolled her eyes.
"Sure we can! We'll just have to cuddle a bit," Eliana reassured her. Neela blushed harder and her eyes became frantic as she tried to think of another rebuttal. Titus chuckled audibly.
"I think that's a great plan," Titus spoke. Neela glared up quickly at him. So this is how he was going to get his kicks? Was it so obvious to everyone else that she had feelings for Eliana? If it was so obvious, why was Eliana so oblivious to the fact? "Actually, we can just get rid of another bed if I take Ilia up on her offer from before…" Titus yelped in pain and stepped out into the hallway for a moment, Ilia had stomped on his right foot and he cringed as he stumbled out laughing. Ilia smiled at them as Eliana turned to look back at her.
"You two can work this out in here. I'm going to have a quick word or two with Titus," Ilia told them. She left the room and slammed the door behind her. The girls listened for a moment as there was a loud thumping noise in the hallway, followed by silence. Eliana returned her gaze to Neela who had mostly come down from her embarrassment and she cleared her throat as she sat on the bed.
"I think it'll work if you and I do the bunk bed, and Ilia and Titus just keep their beds as is. It'll free up some space," Neela told Eliana. Eliana shrugged and smiled, sitting on the bed next to Neela.
"Sure! Whatever you think is best Neela," Eliana told her. "But if you ever get cold at night, you can always come snuggle with me." Neela swallowed hard and nodded slowly, returning with a sheepish smile.
"I'll keep that in mind," Neela told her. Neela and Eliana sat in silence for a moment before a knock on the door interrupted it. "Come in!" The door swung open and Titus and Ilia stepped back in, Titus biting his lip as Ilia gave him a stern look.
"What did we decide on?" Titus asked trying to keep his cool. Ilia slid her foot back and he stepped out from behind her to avoid her landing another easy attack. "Just so we can get this taken care of."
"Elli and I will do a bunk bed and the two of you can arrange your beds accordingly," Neela told them. Ilia nodded in approval but noticed that Titus was lost in thought.
"What is it?" Ilia asked him. He smirked.
"The three of you have really similar names," he told her. He grabbed his suitcase up off of the floor and threw it onto one of the beds, claiming it as his own. "It'll be a great time not messing them up." Ilia raised her eyebrow and shook her head.
"You'll be fine," she told him. "We can finish this later. Let's go meet up with CBLT for pizza." Eliana leapt up and pulled Neela to her feet as well.
"Let's go!" Eliana exclaimed.
A/N: Fun fact. When we began the story, it wasn't until a few days before writing began that we noted the fact that Ilia, Neela, and Eliana sounded pretty similar. At one point I wanted to name Ilia "Iliana" but it was changed for obvious reasons. We'd also planned to have a running gag where Titus constantly blended their names together but it was scrapped as it slipped my mind once we'd reached this part of the story.
Next week we see just how Remnant is doing as a whole in Chapter 15 - Remnant Peace Council!
A big thank you to Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.
Until next week, stay classy!