Jaune sat in the living room of the teacher apartment that they had been assigned to and flipped through the paper, reading briefly through the business section to see if there was any mention of the SDC. He was hoping to see that the mining was underway in Menagerie and that it was going well, but it didn't appear as though there was an article covering it this week and he continued on his way to the comics. He glanced over the top of his paper at his wife, the redhead smiling as she was deep in thought about something and folding laundry. It was hard to believe that she was here with him now after all that had happened. Ruby had watched her die as she reached the top of the tower in Beacon. Jaune was helpless as her aura drained before his eyes on his scroll. Yet, here she was.
After Cinder had watched her fight, the intention to kill her was out of the question. No, Pyrrha was too strong for such a fate and using her newly developed powers, Cinder had transported her to Salem's realm to be used later as a vessel. The plan was to put all of the maiden's powers into Pyrrha and give control of her body to Salem, but Team RWBY had arrived and killed Salem long before that became possible. Here she was. Saved from the destiny that the enemy had planned for her, and back on track with the one that she knew, deep down, that she always wanted.
"Jaune," Pyrrha said in a scolding tone and he looked up from the newspaper again to see that she was holding his Pumpkin Pete's hoodie.
"What?" He asked.
"Don't you think it's about time that we throw this out?" She asked. He leapt up and threw his paper down, moving to sit beside her on their couch and grabbing the garment from her.
"Are you crazy? I've had this thing as long as I can remember, and I've sewn it back up several times!" Jaune declared as he looked it over. "Plus I thought that maybe Blaine could wear it when he gets a little bit older." Pyrrha laughed. "What?"
"I don't think that he'll want to wear that Jaune," Pyrrha tried telling him but Jaune turned back towards the hallway.
"Blaine!" He called out. The young boy with blonde hair and green eyes came running into the room and smiled from the archway.
"Hello!" He called out like his mother. Jaune smiled and looked at him, holding the hoodie up.
"You want to wear this when you get a little bit bigger? I wore it when I was a kid!" Jaune exclaimed, convinced that the child would agree. Blaine looked at it for a long moment.
"Maybe," he replied unsurely. He ran back down the hall towards his room. Jaune looked at Pyrrha who covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. He balled it up and handed it back to her as he returned to his chair.
"I'm sorry!" She blurted out. Jaune settled in again and as he was getting comfortable his scroll went off. He removed it and looked it over. "What is it?"
"Coco says that she needs me for support on a mission," he told her. He stood and moved behind the couch, stopping to kiss her as he walked to the door and retrieved his sword and shield. "Don't wait up for me."
"Be careful," she replied. He nodded.
The moon leapt and scattered across the small waves that swept into the bay, giving off the sort of vibe that one might get from a romantic scene in a movie where the man and woman kiss by the waterside, professing their love to each other as loudly as possible to nobody. Orion shook his head, he didn't get the appeal, but that's what the bay looked like. Every step that he took as he paced back and forth across the old wooden platform caused the planks to creak beneath him and he pondered when they last maintained this part of the shipyard. As long as he had been with Mercury's crew he couldn't recall any ships ever coming in or leaving from this dock, and he figured it probably had to do with the inconvenience of the location. Sure, the boardwalk had been set up in such a manner that a ship could be docked there, but unless they planned on dropping their goods off in the warehouse immediately adjacent, getting anything out and into the city was a pain in the ass.
He glanced across the pier at the opposing boardwalk, pausing for a long moment for his contact to arrive before he got tired of waiting and activated the communication link in his ear that Mercury had equipped all of them with. No sense in keeping the radio silent if no one was listening anyway.
"Sirius, he's not here yet, but you're not here yet either. Usually, you're the punctual one, what the hell is taking you so long?" Orion demanded as he peered at one of the ships that were docked behind him and considered climbing on for a moment. "The cops are about to make round number two, we tested this the last couple of days, the twins can only keep the officers occupied for an average of five minutes even during a good run. Unless they opted for the alternative, but those two really don't strike me as the type. I can see it now. 'Sister is he suggesting we sleep with him?' 'Sister, he needs to be castrated.' 'Yes sister, castrated.'" Orion shuddered at the thought.
"If our supplier isn't present, then I guess it doesn't make a difference if I've arrived yet or not. We'll be screwed either way," Sirius replied. "I was stopped by a couple that wanted me to take a picture of them. Cute girls, but a tad too young for my taste." Orion found amusement in the statement.
"I didn't know you actually found interest in women. Not to say that you're gay, I just thought you were more of the loner type." Orion cleared his throat after an awkward pause. "Tell me they at least gave you a few Lien."
"I physically bumped into them, it was the least I could do," Sirius explained. Orion shook his head and headed for the cargo ship behind him. "And you're right for the most part. I'm much more of a loner now. Was married once. Beautiful woman, but it didn't work out."
"I feel like you and I grow closer every day," Orion smirked. "But seriously, you didn't even have them pay you, try to pickpocket them, anything?! You're not the best thief, are you?"
"It's called maintaining cover, but you're not exactly the best at that, are you?" Sirius offered as a rebuttal. Orion chuckled and started investigating the vessel.
"Touché," Orion replied. The ship seemed standard, though Orion was quite surprised to find that there wasn't any security, just a few crates that read Rose Petals on them in a harsh red lettering. Blood stained the deck, and judging by the mold that was forming on the corners of the wooden containers, he assumed that the boat had been abandoned for quite some time, perhaps a few months or so? A broken shipping container laid on the far end of the ship smashed completely apart. It gave him a chill for a moment before a blinding light was shone into his eyes.
"Care to tell me what you're doing up there? I'll let you go with a warning if you put your hands above your head and exit the rig peacefully," The person stated. Orion grunted and ran down the docking platform.
"Sirius, you have got to work on throwing your voice better if that is ever going to get me," Orion informed him. Sirius stopped briefly and looked around, as though he had heard something, sniffing the air as he headed for the opposing pier where the seller should have been waiting. It snaked around an old wharf, twisting out of sight. Sirius gave it his full attention, trying to spot what he had heard before, moving forward more quickly. If he reached them in time, assuming they were cops, he could get the jump on them and take them out silently. He ruled out huntsmen and huntresses, the location they had decided on was different than the one they had spread around town. He quickly moved around the corner and gripped the bone hilt on his hip before releasing it and smirking.
"False alarm," he reported over his earpiece. "Just a couple of kids making out." He retreated towards where he'd come from and Titus shoved Ilia off of him. He gasped for a moment, stumbling back from her.
"That was the only thing you could think to do?!" He seethed. "And how long were you planning on holding it, I was running out of air!"
"Quiet!" She reminded him. "Didn't they teach you how to blend in at Atlas?" She asked him. He shook his head.
"Why do you always have to drag my old school into this? Of course they did, but our methods are far more humane!" She put her finger to his lips.
"It was just a kiss so that we'd blend in. A person's first reaction when they see people kissing is to look away," she explained.
"I told you before I think of you as a sister though," he reminded her. "Also, why's that?"
"Beats me," she told him. She tried to peer past the corner without being spotted, but it was proving difficult. "Guys, I don't have visual on the other three yet."
"Two," came Neela's voice over the radio. "I see Orion." Neela grappled across from the roof to the ransacked boat that Orion had snooped around earlier. She perched on a stack of crates and activated her semblance. "Whatever we do, make sure that we don't move it until we identify and immobilize the seller."
"Right," Eliana replied, posted above the only alleyway that led into this stretch of the shipyard. They had all entrances and exits covered. All that they had to do now was wait for Neela's word. After nearly five minutes, Neela began to wonder if the contact had discovered them and they were now at a stalemate until NITE left, or they forced Stardust to leave. She hesitated for a moment. How could she set things in motion?
"Ilia, I have an idea, but Titus isn't going to like it," Neela informed them.
"He's fine," Ilia replied for him.
"Do I ever?" He asked.
"Good, I'm glad we're all in agreement," Neela exclaimed. "Elli, just stay put for now."
"Can do!" She exclaimed.
"Ilia, I want you to ride Titus and Titus, I want you to stumble out around the corner like you're drunk," Neela told him.
"How is this going to help us?" Titus asked.
"Don't know how to act drunk?" Neela asked. Titus shook his head.
"What? No, it's a legitimate question," He replied. Ilia chuckled as she gently placed her hand on his neck.
"I'm guessing he doesn't know how," Ilia replied. Titus threw his hands up in protest.
"It is a legitimate…" Titus began.
"Quiet, I have a visual on what might be the third party!" Eliana hushed them. She sprinted across the roof she was on and came to a stop close to the ledge, kneeling and keeping an eye on the new person of interest. "Neela, you'll see her if you use your semblance! She's coming in from between the buildings!" They were wearing a crude metal mask with brown eyes that could barely be made out through the viewing holes. A black hood made it hard to make out their hair, but obviously a woman from her shape. She stopped at the middle of the boardwalk and Astra and Asteria joined her a moment later, coming from the same direction. There was a long moment of silence as the rest of the Stardust Gang came together. The woman gave them a simple smile and met all of their eyes.
"Which one of you is Sirius," she asked. "I was informed by Mercury Black that I am only to allow Sirius to handle the goods." Orion moved to step forward in protest, but Sirius held out an arm, preventing him from pushing forward and objecting. He gave Orion a stern look and Orion backed off, choosing obedience for the moment, knowing that if he made any more mistakes or had another slip-up, Mercury would not let the rest of his team to bail him out, and would sever all ties with him.
"I am Sirius Canis. I have been sent as Mercury's representative in his stead, he was occupied this evening with a prior arrangement. I will graciously accept the equipment on his behalf," Sirius informed her. "This is Mistral tech, correct?" The woman didn't feign a response. "If that's the case may I inquire as to how you came into possession of an item that causes so much… chaos?" Still no visual response, but she gave a single chuckle in amusement.
"You seem like an elegant man or at least one who has talked his way out of many situations," she told him. "I don't care about what your employer is doing, and it is of no concern to you how I obtained the package. The only thing that matters is that both of the men that hired us get what they want. You will pay for the case and I shall hand it over to you and from there, it is out of both of our hands." She looked back down the alley. "If you must know, there is quite the Black Market that has developed on the outskirts of Haven. You can purchase just about anything that you can possibly imagine in some of those smaller villages. Sterling Stratford has gone about restoring the entire kingdom since he had taken over, but despite how large he thinks his army is, he'll never have enough resources to completely crush our kind."
"I was simply making small talk," Sirius explained. She finally smirked.
"And I am simply making a business transaction," she replied. "Now if you don't mind presenting the lien that I was promised, I'll be more than glad to hand over the weapon."
"Should we move in?" Titus asked. "They're about to make the handoff," Titus told her. He and Ilia had doubled back into the ship-house, slowly making their way to the closest dock doors so that they could eavesdrop.
"No, they aren't, neither side has their 'bargaining chip', so to speak," Neela told them, knowing better visually what was going on than the rest of them. "What's their mindset here, Mrs. Adel?"
"You can just call me Coco, Neela, but I'll let you figure that out on your own. I'm here as a fail safe. Worst case scenario if you will," she answered, clearly tapping away at a keyboard. Neela grappled across to Eliana's rooftop and moved in next to her, training her arrow on the masked woman. What was happening? This was supposed to be a Dust handoff, wasn't it? Sirius removed his scroll and selected several things, showing it to the woman.
"It's been transferred. That's what he just told her," Titus replied to them. Neela watched as the woman handed a small electronic device over to Sirius, showing him for a moment how to operate it before allowing him to fully take it from her.
"It's not Dust! They've made the handoff! Titus, do your thing!" Neela exclaimed. She grabbed Eliana and grappled down to the ground, training her bow on the masked figure but staying hidden in the shadows of the poorly lit alleyway.
"Now now children," Sirius spoke giving a smirk. The others looked at him confused for a moment before he reached down and removed his bone hilt, forming it into a sword. "Let's not be too hasty. You don't really think that you can sneak up on a man with clairvoyance, do you?" The woman watched Neela for a long moment before taking off down the pier where it was unguarded.
"Should we chase after her?" Eliana asked. Before Neela could inform Titus to stay back the door had been thrown open and Orion turned, blasting his light energy into the steam, hoping to hit anyone that might be on the other side. Eliana waited back with Neela for a long moment before Ilia leapt out of the cover and into the air. They all watched her for a long moment, the twins getting their blades up just in time to deflect Ilia's. Titus stepped out slowly, swinging his kopides and creating two waves of concentrated gravity Dust, throwing the girls back.
"Hand over the device and nobody has to get hurt here," Titus told them. Astra and Asteria found their feet again and posed in battle ready stances on both sides of Orion and Sirius. Orion reached back slowly for his shield, only to have it shot into the water before he could attach it to his arm. He glanced over and watched as Neela and Eliana moved into the light.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise!" He exclaimed. He pointed across Sirius' body. "Look! It's the two girls that tried to stop me that night! That's Neela Xiao Long." Sirius cast a side glance at her.
"So much fuss for such a young girl," Sirius stated. "They all assume that you're going to be great just because of your name, but your accomplishments speak for themselves. Be careful that you do not progress too quickly Ms. Xiao Long, the target on your back is already quite large enough and that's only based on potential at this point. You are no more impressive than Pyrrha Nikos was at this age, yet everyone viewed her in the same light. And she would end up succumbing to Cinder during the fall." Neela stood there for a long moment, looking at the man. Why would he give her advice, she intended on taking him in. Maybe he was trying to get in her head.
"Thanks for the history lesson, but are we going to fight?" Eliana asked. Before Eliana could react Sirius had already hit the ground and moved with an uncanny speed at her, Neela stepping in the way moments before he arrived and clashing her blade against his. Eliana turned quickly, firing ice rounds at one of Orion's light orbs and coating it, watching as it exploded harmlessly into shards.
"Impossible!" He shouted. Neela still struggled against Sirius, his smiled widening.
"Well as much fun as this has been, I need to return this item to Mercury. It has been an honor, and I hope to fight you again soon," he told her. "The others will keep you from leaving." Sirius pushed her back and she slid away, quickly flipping her sword back into a bow and reaching back in one motion but it wasn't going to be fast enough. Before he could move his feet had been turned to stone. He glanced down before glancing back at Eliana who smirked. Orion tore past Sirius and attacked Eliana who ducked under a few of his attacks, deflecting a blast of gravity with a forcefield. Neela fired at him but he blasted the arrow away with his gauntlet and then used it to free Sirius. Neela grappled the Faunus with her hook and pulled him in.
"What is the device and who sold it to you?" Neela asked. He chuckled.
"You remind me of my former wife, and I never cared much for her questions either," he replied. His sword became a whip and snaked around her, binding her arms to her sides. "You are only a child. Don't overestimate your abilities." He yanked hard, the bone tearing across her skin and leaving lacerations that her aura was able to heal, but causing her enough pain that he was left an opening. "Goodbye." Sirius was thrown against the wall of the warehouse and he dented into the tin siding. Grunting and noting Orion as the attacker.
Neela sauntered over to Sirius with Eliana beside her and Orion taking up the rear. He glanced up for the twins, but they were nowhere to be found. He looked his teammate over once more before grinning despite being surrounded.
"Who was the seller?" Neela asked again.
"You think that trick is pretty clever, don't you?" He asked addressing Ilia. "Though I will admit that it took me by surprise at first."
Little help? Titus requested over the comm. Neela looked back at Eliana and nodded, the girl took off running for the loading bay.
"It might be clever, but now it's two on one," Orion spoke. Sirius formed his sword again, arching his back and letting it crack before assessing the situation. Orion grunted it pain and stumbled back, moving back and forth across the dock as though he were drunk and struggling against someone helping him to walk.
"Not much of a limit I guess, but I do applaud your approach," Sirius told her. He struck out and she deflected, exchanging a few blows with him before giving him enough of an opening to transform his weapon into a two-handed blade.
"What can't that thing do?" She asked.
"It can't be a gun," he replied. He swung the sword over his head and her mind flashed back to her fight against Jaune. She needed to foresee what would come next and she knew that Sirius had to be stronger than she was. Blocking wasn't a good option, she'd have to try and redirect his blade. She moved into position, watching as all of his momentum was set into the swing and in a risky move, she sidestepped and fired at his feet, hooking his leg and pulling his feet out from under him. His sword transformed into dual daggers and he hit the ground of his chest, quickly planting the two blades and pulling himself up, launching towards Neela. She swung, knocking him back as she grappled up to the roof behind her, flipping the weapon back to a bow and watching from above as he smirked. Ilia flew past Sirius and slammed into the wall where he had been before.
"What should we do with her?" Orion asked. Sirius watched Neela and Orion met the location of his gaze.
"I'm more worried about her at the moment," Sirius told him. Orion nodded and grabbed Sirius arm, throwing an orb of light into the air and teleporting to it in a stream of energy, landing on the roof behind her. "At first I planned on simply leaving and letting you and your friends live, but now I want to teach you another lesson. I want you to see that the world is unforgiving because dealing with someone as experienced as me is unwise and you will get hurt."
"I was raised in the White Fang for most of my childhood, I know how cruel this world can be," she told him shuddering. She pushed the images of her birth parents dying out of her mind. "I just choose to remain optimistic."
"And for that, you are a fool," Sirius told her. There was a crash below and Orion watched as Titus slid off of the dock and into the water beside his shield, crashing in with a loud splash and watching the twins exit the building. The color left his face for a moment and he turned back to Neela.
"Maybe these students are putting up more of a fight than you think," Orion pointed out. Neela removed a tip from her pouch and drew her bow back as Sirius shifted his attention for a moment. The Geminis had formed into one person, they had used their Makhai semblance and were now joined at the hip, possessing two torsos that were back to back. "I haven't seen the girls use that power since the day I found them."
"Titus, you ready?" Eliana called out. Titus snatched the shield out of the water and climbed onto a forcefield platform that Eliana had created, holding the shield out and letting her bullets ricochet off and riddle Astra. The twins stumbled away from Titus, which he assisted by swiping the sword in his free hand, a wave of gravity crashing into them. Eliana grabbed Asteria by the right arm, pinning her left upward with a forcefield as Titus had returned to the dock, and she fired an entire magazine into the twin's chest, significantly diminishing their collective aura.
"Sirius," Orion told him as the Faunus had turned his attention back to Neela a while ago. The girl smirked.
"I'm sorry, what was that about getting hurt?" She asked. Sirius gritted his teeth and moved in to strike with sword and she fired the arrow, a flashbang that blinded both her and Sirius. He stumbled back, yelling obscenities at her as she activated her semblance. She could easily strike quickly and take the object, but she Orion grabbed her arm swiftly and held tight.
"I became an orb just fast enough that your arrow didn't affect me," he explained. He pulled Sirius' weapon away and gripped harder at Neela's arm, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Hold on Neela, we're coming in!" Coco exclaimed. Neela grunted and seethed through her teeth. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so much pain. Orion's gauntlet activated and the shockwave was concentrated, something snapped in her arm and her body fell limp from it, she was unable to pull away. He had fractured it. Orion flashed her an evil grin as she fell onto her knees and dropped the contents of her pouch onto the ground by accident. She shook as she gripped her bow, using what strength she had left to flip it into a sword and smashing it against the pile of specialized tips, closing her eyes. Several of the flashbangs exploded, causing Orion to stumble away as he swung the sword, tearing through the back of her outfit and slicing through her back. Unfortunately, the combination of the resulting focused explosion and repairing of her fracture caused her aura to teeter on the edge of breakage, leaving her nearly defenseless.
"Help!" She cried out. She used her semblance, straining against the pain, slight blindness, and deafness to move while using it, something that she had only done once before with undesired results. She picked up on of the new arrow tips she had been working on and mustered the rest of her strength, lunging and jamming it into the segments of Orion's gauntlet. It activated, the magnetized tip ripping apart his glove and scattering it about the roof. He looked down in shock and glanced back at the rest of NITE on the ground below.
"Eliana! Ilia!" Titus yelled, standing close to the wall of the warehouse. He held Orion's shield flat above his head, Eliana leaping onto a forcefield closer to the ground and vaulting onto the platform. Titus launched her, Ilia leaping out of Eliana's body as they reached the peak of the throw, grabbing Eliana's hand and throwing her up to the ledge. Ilia followed after her a moment later as Eliana scrambled up and opened fire on Orion who blocked what he could with Sirius' sword and grabbed his partner.
"This isn't the last you'll see of us, Xiao Long!" Orion yelled. "Girls, let's go!" He dragged Sirius across the roof to one of the ladder escapes on the far end, the twins audibly diving into the water as someone with a gatling gun could be heard opening fire below. Titus slammed his kopis into the ground, a stone pillar throwing him into the air, allowing Ilia to pull him onto the roof by gripping the shield. Neela laid dazed on the ground as Eliana ran to her.
"Neela!" Eliana shouted. Neela tried to smile, but she passed out long before she had a chance. As the comfort of darkness and void filled her mind, she could still hear bits of the conversation.
"Up here, Mrs. Adel!" Titus was calling. Feet shuffled around her as she began to lose consciousness. "Should we pursue them?"
"No," Coco replied. Neela felt her body lifted slightly. "Shit… Jaune!" Coco yelled. It was the last thing that Neela remembered.
Is she going to be okay? Neela's mind drifted through the darkness for quite a while, wondering if she was going to wake up anytime soon. She couldn't remember the last time that she had hurt that bad physically, with the exception of the training that children were subjected to in the White Fang, but she hated thinking back that far and pushed the memories from her mind. Was it always this hard? Had she always been set up for defeat… for failure? She received praise from everyone, they told her that she had potential beyond that of any other student. But she had lost her first battle.
That loser wasn't even the end game. His boss wasn't even the end game. He had injured her and her pride. She knew that she wouldn't win every time, but why did it hurt so bad? She had lost to the teachers before, so why did she think that she was so untouchable? They hadn't even managed to steal the device or stop the exchange. Had she waited too long to start the attack? She was a failure. Titus should have been picked to lead them. With his military expertise, he could have easily executed the objective. It should have been him.
How could she have escaped? Should she have grappled Sirius and pulled him into the way of the attack? Would she have had enough time? She knew that Orion had the ability to form into light, perhaps she should have destroyed his gauntlet first. It didn't matter now, did it? The pain in her body flared again, a soreness filling her joints as she felt her body rushing back towards consciousness and she struggled to open her eyes. Light poured in and Neela recognized the light fixture above the bed. The infirmary. She had only been here a few weeks ago when Eliana had overdone it in her match against Neo.
Neela strained and grunted as she tried to sit, noting the sound of someone shifting next to her, the cringe-worthy audio of a chair being dragged across the floor. Neela's eyes were still adjusting, undoubtedly due to the after-effects of the flashbang and passing out after the fight. She glanced over and felt someone throw themselves onto her, their arms wrapped tight around her, meaning that it could only be one of three people.
"Neela, don't scare me like that!" Eliana cried out. Neela chuckled and groaned, causing Eliana to startle and let go of her quickly.
"Aren't you overreacting just a little bit?" Neela asked. Eliana folded her arm across her chest and sat back down in the chair.
"No," Eliana replied. "What happened up there anyway?" Neela reached up and rubbed her eyes, the movement causing her to realize just how sore she actually was.
"I got in a tight spot and then Orion used his gravity weapon to fracture my arm. If I hadn't fended him off, I might have ended up even worse off," Neela explained. Eliana nodded and scooted even closer to the bedside.
"I'm just glad you're alright," Eliana told her. She looked at Neela and waited as her friend's eyes adjusted. She peered around the room before she met Eliana's gaze.
"What is it, Elli?" Neela asked. Eliana blushed slightly and looked away.
"There's something that I've been thinking about lately and wanted to bring up, but couldn't until last night. I feel like this would be the most appropriate time," Eliana explained. Neela's full attention turned to her friend and she hung on to what came next in anticipation
"What is it, Elli? You can tell me anything," Neela reassured her. Eliana looked up at her sheepishly.
"I don't know quite how to put this," Eliana explained. Eliana had piqued Neela's interest. What was it that Elli wanted to tell her? It wasn't… Was Elli going to confess that she felt the same?!
"Put what Elli? We'll still be friends no matter what," Neela reassured her. Eliana chuckled.
"It's nothing that severe," Eliana informed her. Okay, but what Elli?! Just spit it out! Eliana took a deep breath and exhaled.
"Mine are still slightly bigger," Eliana blurred out. Neela blinked hard.
"What?" Neela asked plainly.
"They had to undress you last night and get you into the gown. I was here with you and I noticed that my boobs are still slightly bigger than yours. When we were younger we used to compare our busts when they began growing. Mine are still bigger, not by much, but they are," Eliana told her. Neela blushed and looked away. Eliana had seen her naked last night? The girl clearly didn't know about Neela's feelings, she'd ask what was wrong with seeing her naked, they used to see each other naked all the time when they were younger. Things were different now, but not in Eliana's head.
"Lucky," Neela said playfully. Eliana smirked. "You could have gone back to the dorm."
"I wouldn't have been able to get a hold of you this morning," Eliana told her.
"Why not?" Neela asked. Eliana glanced out the window at students wandering across the campus.
"Coco took my scroll last night. Something about not wanting me to message your mom," Eliana informed her. Neela nestled back down in her bed, probably a wise decision on Coco's part. Neela sighed as she closed her eyes for a long moment. What was she going to tell Blake and Yang? She laughed to herself. Blake would be worried and Yang would be proud, that's how it always went.
"So, Xiao Long was I out for?" Neela asked looking at Eliana. Eliana's face twisted into an evil smile and she snorted, clasping her mouth shut. "What?" Neela sat up again. "What is it?"
"You made a pun," Eliana managed, her eyes tearing up.
"No, I didn't…"
"You totally did!" Eliana blurted out. Neela shook her head.
"No!" She exclaimed. Eliana leapt out of her seat and climbed onto the bed.
"You said Xiao Long, and it was adorable!" She startled Neela who was struck with a momentary paralysis due to shock before being pulled out by Eliana who began tickling her. The two girls giggled as Neela protested against the attack.
"Stop! Elli!" Neela laughed. Eliana pinned her down harder.
"Not until you concede!" Eliana blurted out. The door swung open and they both froze, glancing over at Ren. He blushed slightly.
"Uhhhh…" The sound stumbled clumsily out of his mouth.
"'This isn't what it looks like!" Neela shouted out blushing hard. Eliana gave her a knowing smile.
"Yeah, we're not having a tickle fight, we were actually making out," Eliana told him looking back down at Neela. She wrapped her arm under Neela's neck and pursed her lips. Neela heart crashed against her rib cage and she trembled. What?! Was this another one of her dreams!? Holy shit! Eliana was still coming closer!
Neela closed her eyes, partially resisting but preparing her own lips for the kiss. She could hear the door close and feel Eliana's hot breath in her ear now, lightly tugging with her teeth. Neela squirmed. It felt real, but she wasn't ready! It wasn't supposed to happen like this, was it? The sensation caused her to let out a sharp moan, her body buckling without her permission.
"Elli," Neela breathed. Eliana leapt off and Neela felt her pulse stop instantly. What was happening? She still wasn't following.
"I think we got rid of him," Eliana told her best friend. Neela trembled as she tried to pull her body up into a sitting position. She blinked hard. All of that was just to get rid of Ren. "It was pretty convincing!" Eliana smiled at her. "You even more so! If I didn't know better, I'd say that you actually enjoyed it! You really drove home the sexual tension!" Neela became pale and flopped back, covering her head with one of the pillows beside her. All that Neela wanted to do now was either scream into the pillow or tell Eliana that she hadn't been acting.
"You can't just do that Elli!" Neela scolded. She tossed the pillow at Eliana who laughed batting it away and stepped to the door.
"I'll let Ren in to discharge you," Eliana told her. Neela nodded.
"Thank you," Neela said.
Initiation. School. Training. Irreplaceable moments. The waterfall. The Ferris wheel. Fighting the Stardust Gang. The dance in a few days. The 1st Quarter at Beacon was about to end, yet Neela was no closer to telling Eliana how she felt.
Neela and NITE received their first lesson in losing as the Stardust Gang left their leader roughed up. Next Week, can a bunny hope to beat a scorpion? Chapter 29: Olesia Vs. Tyrian!
A big thank you to Sa-Dui, 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!