Neela laid in her bunk in silence after waking up that morning. There was very little sound in the rest of the room, a good indication that after the night that they had had, they were going to have a lazy Saturday. She sighed as she rolled from her side and onto her back, staring up and spacing out as she remembered everything. There was only one way that things could really get any better, and she was more than willing to wait it out at this point. Enhanced hearing put her at an advantage, she could hear Eliana methodically tapping away on her scroll, knowing that she was playing another one of her games, but she couldn't hear Titus breathing in the room at all. Perhaps he had stepped out to get breakfast with Ilia. Assuming Ilia had come back.
Neela knew Ilia long enough now to know that the girl was a loner, but she didn't think that she had up and run away. There was no previous indication that would have pointed to that. If anything she had probably pulled an all-nighter or had gotten in later than the rest of them. They had gone to bed at around two and it was roughly ten now, so that was more than enough time for her to have come home, though Titus had mentioned something about seeing her leave Beacon on an airship with some guy he didn't recognize. Was it someone that Ilia knew from when she used to attend Shade? It didn't make sense otherwise. The door of the room was tossed open, Eliana and Neela glanced over at him as he stood in the door with a slice of toast in his mouth.
"Mmhmm. Hmms im gim?" He asked them without taking it out of his mouth.
"What?" Eliana asked as she set down her scroll to look at him. He took a bite out of it and methodically chewed as he held it in his hand.
"Sorry. I asked how's it going?" Titus repeated himself.
"Well from the videos I've seen on Scrollbook, I'm not sure if I should keep calling you Gargoyle or Casanova," Eliana said teasing him. He brushed her off, turning away so that they didn't see him blushing.
"I don't see what the big deal is, anyone who has attended Atlas Academy can dance like that," he told them. He glanced at Ilia's empty bed. "Have either of you seen her this morning?" Neela shook her head.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Neela replied. The three of them exchanged glances at each other, Eliana shrugging slightly. "Well, now what?"
"Maybe she is over at Team CBLT's room?" Eliana offered in suggestion. Neela and Titus looked at each other before Neela leapt off of the bed and moved next to Titus.
"Why?" They asked in unison. Eliana joined them and shrugged again.
"At the very least, maybe they've seen her?" Eliana asked. Neela thought it over. Ilia didn't really talk to anyone on Cobalt's team, but maybe one of them had bumped into her in the hallway or cafeteria that morning. It was worth a shot.
"Alright, we can go ask CBLT," Neela told her.
"Great!" Eliana exclaimed. She turned and looked up at Titus who was on his scroll. "Texting that girl from last night?" He smirked.
"No, I was trying Ilia," he told her. Eliana smiled.
"So you're going to help us find her?" Eliana asked. He smiled back at her and put his scroll in his pocket.
"I've got nothing better to do until my one on one training this afternoon," He responded. He opened the door and gestured his arm towards the hall. "Ladies first." Eliana bounced out in her usual happy go lucky manner and Neela raised an eyebrow at him, stopping for a moment.
"Nothing better to do?" Neela asked coyly. "If I didn't know better Lieutenant General, I'd say that you're worried about Ilia."
"I'm worried about what happened last night if that's what you mean," he replied. He stopped her, Eliana still continuing down the hall towards CBLT's room.
"What happened last night?" Neela asked.
"We're given a lot of specialized training in Atlas to help us read situations, determine potential threats, diffuse situations, inciting-"
"I get it, Titus," Neela said cutting him off.
"After I finished my dance last night with Camellia I caught a glimpse of Ilia before she disappeared," Titus told Neela. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "She had this upset look on her face." Neela put her hand on his shoulder and he glanced at it. She smirked.
"I'm not saying that you're assuming she's interested, but you've said it more than once that you think of us as family," Neela told him. "It's okay to worry about her. Just proves that the army left a little bit of humanity in you." He inhaled deeply to reply as Eliana reappeared in the doorway.
"Are we going?" She asked. Neela let go of Titus and nodded to Eliana who smiled back at her, they locked arms and headed down the hallway. Titus followed after them. Of course, he cared about Ilia, she was his teammate, but he still had a hard time saying it out loud, or even admitting it to himself. He was getting better, he had been able to face Camellia, but Admon really had done a number on him and his psyche those few years ago. They stopped at CBLT's room as the girls knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Cobalt called out.
"Us!" Eliana yelled back. "Can we come in?"
"Not yet, I'm naked," Cobalt replied.
"No, he's not, come in!" Tawney yelled out. Eliana opened the door and they stepped in, Cobalt busy soldering something together at his desk, shirtless but wearing sweats.
"You fiends!" He yelled. Tawney threw her pillow across the room and it hit him in the back of the head. "Hey! Careful!"
"They let you use a soldering gun in the dorms?" Titus asked. Cobalt chuckled.
"No one else knows," Bái exclaimed from the bathroom.
"I'm pretty sure Ms. Goodwitch knows," Lykos offered from his bunk reading. Cobalt rolled his eyes.
"What makes you say that?" Cobalt asked.
"Well, she is the Advanced Dust Mechanics teacher, isn't she?" Lykos asked. Titus's eyes grew wide.
"You're in Advanced Dust Mechanics?! You're only a first year, how did you get into a class like that?" Titus asked.
"My dad's an… inventor of sorts. Taught me everything I know about fixing and creating mechanisms and devices," Cobalt told him. Titus leaned in to look at what Cobalt was working on as Eliana and Neela sat down on one of the beds.
"Is this a project or something?" Titus asked.
"Yeah. Tawney and I came back here early from the dance last night and she told me that she'd watch some anime with me because I enjoyed the concert. She fell asleep two episodes in and so I decided to work on my project. I haven't slept yet," Cobalt explained.
"I was tired! I was kind of interested. It was cool that he had that metal arm and his brother was a robot," Tawney replied.
"He's not really a robot. He's more of a suit of armor," he corrected her. He glanced back but she was ignoring him at this point, watching back what she had recorded from last night. "Anyways, I've been working on this for a week or so now and it's going to be finished just in time for Monday's due date."
"Alright, so, what is it?" Neela asked.
"It's a Dust Dampener!" Cobalt exclaimed. They all stared at him blankly for a long moment. "Any Dust that passes through it is either destroyed or the effects are weakened." Titus placed his hand over his mouth and nodded.
"This is a prototype or a scale model of something bigger?" He asked. Cobalt sighed.
"In theory, yes, but it's actually going to be used once I get it back after it has been graded," Cobalt explained. "Lykos and I-"
"Mostly Cobalt," Lykos interjected.
"-Decided to research something that would allow us to nerf Bái's abilities in a manner of speaking. The strange thing that I came to discover is the fact that this device has the same effect on Dust as it does on Bái." Titus looked back at Neela and Eliana, deep in thought.
"You're not suggesting that her powers are derived from Dust, are you? Semblances and Dust are different," Titus said out loud, though everyone in the room was well aware of these facts. Cobalt shook his head as he adjusted something on the bracelet.
"No, that would be absurd. If anything I think her power is just the ability to draw water and ice Dust from out of the earth and manipulate it," Cobalt told them. "This device will keep her from hurting or killing anyone when she has one of her outbursts when she gets upset or stressed."
"She can't help it," Lykos said sternly.
"I'm just stating the facts." Cobalt replied throwing his hands up defensively.
"Glad to hear you're making progress on your project and helping Bái and all of that, but we came by to ask if any of you have seen Ilia," Neela said as she stood up and pulled Eliana to her feet. "I don't think that she came back to the dorm last night." Cobalt shook his head.
"She never did," he told Neela. "I was up all night and after you guys returned to the room, no one came through the hallway until Titus left for food this morning." He stood up and stretched up, reaching above his head. "My scanner would have picked up on her." Eliana looked at Neela.
"Now what?" She asked.
"I guess we just have to wait for her to come back," Neela said. "We have nothing else to go off of, and I'm sure she's more than capable of handling herself."
Ilia's eyes opened slowly as she stretched her body out, staring up at a light fixture that she didn't recognize and trying to make sense of the situation. What had even happened while she was out last night? Her head was pounding and she remembered that she had been at the dance for a while before she saw Titus dancing with that girl. He seemed to be having a good time, but what had happened beyond that? She rolled over, realizing now that she was on a couch and she was faced with two sliding glass doors that led out to a deck that overlooked the beach and ocean in Vale. Where was she? Who the hell did she know with this much money, the place even smelt expensive! Cobalt? She always figured that Cobalt had a little more money than the rest of them, maybe she had ended up at his parents' somehow?
That didn't make any sense, she needed to remember what happened!
"Well, it's good to see that you're awake. I was starting to get a little worried," came a woman's voice. It was soft and soothing, similar to how she remembered her mother's voice. "I swear to Oum, Vincent, I am going to beat the hell out of you! What were you thinking!?" That's right! She had met him last night before leaving the dance! They had gone to Vale and had gotten some ice cream, a 'date' that she was thoroughly enjoying, so what happened? How did she end up here? "Are you okay?"
"My head hurts pretty bad, but I think I'll be okay," Ilia said as she sat up on the couch and glanced back towards a large kitchen. She spotted Vin, still wearing his Haven uniform like he had been the night before, the girl standing on the opposite end of the room from him, her arms folded as she leaned back against the countertop. This wasn't his mother, the girl must have been their age. She was the tall and slender, but it was obvious that she was still a force to be reckoned with. Her abs were toned and she wore a pink sports bra with skin-tight black leggings. She had long white hair that flowed past the small of her back and light blue eyes. Two large white wings protruded from her back, a bird Faunus.
"Forgive him, he's a bit of a dumbass sometimes," The girl bit at him and not in a playful matter. She seemed legitimately worked up over the whole thing. Ilia could sense there was something going on here… Wait… Oh, Oum…
"Are you two dating each other?" Ilia asked.
"Hmmph." The girl let out in a sarcastic and amused grunt. "Once upon a time we did, but that's all in the past now." Ilia thought for a brief eclipsing second about standing, but her head began to pound again as she shifted. What happened that caused this pain? She was determined to be careful last night, though she found herself slightly grateful towards this girl's presence. At least she could be relatively assured that he hadn't tried anything while she was out.
"If I might ask, can I get a name?" Ilia inquired. "And would it be stepping over the line to ask why the two of you broke up?" Vin groaned and moved to the refrigerator, the female pushed herself up off of the counter and walked over to the living room.
"Oh I like this one, Vincent," she called back as she sat on the couch next to Ilia. "I'm Ivory Aletta." She leaned over and cupped her mouth, whispering in Ilia's ear. "He's dreadful in bed." Ilia chuckled and glanced back at Vincent.
"So what happened to me last night?" Ilia asked.
"You slipped getting back onto the airship," Vincent explained as he poured himself a glass of milk. "I've never seen anyone hit their head so hard on a bench." Ilia raised an eyebrow and Ivory joined her.
"You didn't think to take me to a hospital?" Ilia asked. What had she seen in him last night? Ivory chuckled and turned back towards the patio, crossing her legs and allowing a glass coffee table to support her feet.
"His parents run Citrine Weapons Incorporated in Southern Atlas. Since it's his namesake, he's pretty much under a microscope and anything that he does that's bad publicity will get him punished by his parents. They threatened to take this beach house next," Ivory explained. "We don't attend Beacon… or didn't. Vincent managed to convince his parents that he should be allowed to study abroad, so they bought the beach house and we joined the exchange program."
"So you two are just really good friends at this point," Ilia asked. Ivory snickered.
"Not necessarily by choice," she replied. He sat down and shook his head. "He knows I'm teasing, but I'm here because we're teammates. Team IVRY. I'm the leader. My twin brother Rowan is also on the team, as well as our friend Yvonne Pervenche." Ilia nodded her head.
"Well it was nice to meet you," Ilia told her as she slowly stood up off of the couch. "I should probably get going before my team wonders where I am." She headed for the door and nodded at both of them. Everything turned out fine, but what if it hadn't? She wasn't supposed to be putting herself at risk like this anymore. "I guess I'll see you two around sometime. Vin, thank you for the ice cream last night."
"It was nice meeting you too!" Ivory called out as the door opened and closed.
"Wait!" He shouted out but it was a moment too late. Ivory folded her arms.
"Well, you've taken to her quickly, haven't you?" Ivory grabbed up the remote and turned on the television across the room.
"I only met her last night, but there's something about her," Vincent replied.
"Shut up before I beat you senseless." Ivory shot back at him.
The Kingdom of Atlas. The terrain and weather left much to be desired. Forests, but more taiga than anything. Rolling, infertile plains, devoid of wildlife and mankind alike. Airships were the preferred method of travel in the kingdom, there were very few villages and even fewer settlements between Mantle and The Capital. Traveling during the summer if ill-prepared would spell out cool nights that would require camping under the stars, but could also mean starvation as natural food sources were scarce, and travel by foot in the winter was suicidal. However, this meant that in the southern half of the kingdom, Grimm were scarce.
Salutem was roughly a day north of Mantle, the small settlement was slowly growing into a village that had a chance of standing the test of time, barring any attacks from bandits. As most villages, it began with a few small farms, a market, and an inn that doubled as a pub, things that would help them thrive long term. However, winter was beginning to set in, and things would be harsh soon. The people of Salutem would have to rely on the food that they had stored up over the course of the year. Visitors would be far and few between. An older gentleman clung tightly to his hood as he stepped into the inn and took a seat in the lobby.
He sat at the table, waiting for a long moment before removing his hood, revealing his short red hair and White Fang mask, but he hardly expected it to be an issue. There would be no outsiders around like there normally were, and the woman that ran the establishment knew him well. He smiled as she spotted him and she brought him a pint.
"Thank you," He replied and he took a swig, staring out the window at the snow that was beginning to come down in blankets. He shook his head, sighing as he could already tell that it was going to be a long and harsh winter. The door swung open again and the man smiled without having to look to see who it was, the owner still cleaning a glass as she glanced up at the doorway. She nodded, recognizing the additional patron, but was surprised to see that she had also come. The howling wind was silenced as the door was shut, and their boots clacked against the wood.
"I'm a bit shocked at the fact that you showed up here, all things considered," the woman said as she sat across from him and set her own mask on the table.
"Raven Branwen," The man spoke, pleased with her appearing. "When Benjamin Taurus commits to something, he never goes back on his word. I would've made it here even if there had been a blizzard and my entire clan had died." Raven looked up at the waitress and thanked her before shooting a murderous look at Ben. "My condolences."
"I didn't need them. They were never what mattered," Raven explained to Benjamin. "What has always mattered the most is my survival, and the tribe was a means of ensuring that." Benjamin nodded as he took a drink. "I know I don't have to tell you that when it comes down to it if you want to survive in Remnant, the only thing that can matter is yourself." Raven looked at her glass for a long moment. "No one can be allowed to stand in the way. I knew that they were coming for us. You told me that Mistral was coming, and you told me that Athena was determined to come for me as well. I've done everything that I could, and everything that I've had to." Benjamin chuckled.
"You've done everything that you've had to," Benjamin said as if recalling the story. "At first, when you left for Beacon, it was left in doubt whether or not you would return to the tribe. Your father told me that he feared that you had left for good. He didn't think that you'd be back to protect his legacy. That was all that mattered to him." Benjamin finished his drink and slammed down the empty glass, staring into it, as though he expected it to refill itself. "Though I guess that's all that mattered to me until Athena was born. It was then that I knew that all I could do at that point was fend for myself alone."
"When I returned at first, it was for the tribe, but the older I got, the more I realized it didn't matter. They didn't matter. So what if the tribe would continue on after my death, I wouldn't be there to see it," Raven stated. "So I let Mistral tear us apart. I allowed them to be ambushed, and I left." Raven stared out into the storm and her hand lightly rested on her blade's hilt. "Caring about the tribe was before I knew that Athena was coming for me… and the Neo-Salems." Benjamin picked up her mask and examined it.
"The perks of being such a powerful woman. You'll always be hunted." Benjamin paused for a long moment. "So you know that the Neo-Salem movement is still alive then," he said. She smirked.
"You knew as well?" She asked him.
"We've known each other for a long time Raven, you know that I'll always have the upper hand on you," he replied to her with a smile. He set the mask down and looked her in the eyes. "You can always come to join us. I know that you're not technically a Faunus, but you are the only person still alive that I trust. We can offer you protection." She chuckled as she motioned for the waitress.
"I'm flattered, but I don't think it would benefit us to both be in the same spot for an extended period of time. With Salem and Ozpin dead, you and I have more insight than most of the kingdom's leaders combined, and it would be too convenient for your daughter," Raven explained.
"At this point, I can only hope that Atlas and Mistral forces find her before she finds me," Benjamin said with a sigh. "She tells her members that she trains with me on occasion when she comes to look for me so that it doesn't appear as though she plans to usurp me. She's still as dangerous as ever, and she gets stronger with every passing day." He stood. "This meeting has exceeded our length restriction." He pulled up his hood and glanced back down at her. "Where will you go?"
"With my daughter. Her team is the most protection I can hope for at this point." Raven stood. "I will survive." Benjamin grabbed her by the shoulders, and they kissed each other on the cheek.
"You always will." There was a sudden and flat laughter as Raven palmed her hilt and slowly turned around. Qrow stood at the bottom of the stairs that led to the inn's rooms above.
"Ben, long time no see. And if it isn't Raven. It's incredible think that if I took both of you down right now, the bounty would be enough to cover Rosy's life. She'd never have to work once, and hell, I'd never have to work again," Qrow stated as he slowly walked over. Raven heard Benjamin unsheathing the dual katanas that formed his bow staff and she grabbed his wrist, effectively stopping him. Qrow stopped and smirked. "I'm unarmed, and I intend to keep this off the records." Qrow pointed at Raven. "I really just need a word with her."
"I can stay if you'd prefer," Benjamin told Raven. She tried to read Qrow's eyes.
"I'll be fine. You're free to go," she told him. He slid the swords back together, the wood clacking together as he secured it back into its staff form. He nodded at Raven and left, the building filled with the sounds of blowing wind before the door was slammed shut again. Silence. "What are you doing here Qrow?"
"No warm welcome? I'm the only family you have left, I think you could try harder than that," Qrow told her. He turned to the bar on the far end of the room. "Bring me a shot of whiskey. And put it on my tab for the room." Qrow sat and spread his arms out, gesturing for her to follow suit.
"Why are you here!?" She demanded. He cocked a grin and glanced up at her.
"Well, if you have to know so badly, I was on my way back to Vale from visiting my wife and daughter," he told her. "And what are the odds that I would run into you here and you would be confessing to being just as heartless as you've always been." Raven flushed, anger filling her. Qrow's expression became incredulous. "Oh, I'm sorry. You're the one who's pissed off?"
"Maybe it's time I finally ended you," Raven suggested as the waitress left the glass of whiskey.
"I think I need to down this quickly before we end up destroying this lovely establishment," Qrow told her. He slammed the whiskey and leaned back satisfied. "My patience is running thinner by the moment." Raven couldn't find the words. "Trying to make up for lost time. That's what you told me."
"I am," She growled through gritted teeth. Qrow slammed his fist down on the table.
"I heard everything Raven! Cut the bullshit!" Qrow shouted. "You only want to reconcile so that you can avoid threats to your life." Qrow stood up and Raven mirrored him.
"Qrow, if you-" He cut her off.
"I'll keep my word. On mom's honor," Qrow told her. "But I'm not lying for you anymore. If Yang asks about it again, I'll keep quiet." Qrow smirked as he turned away. "If you show up at the Xiao Long residence, our agreement is off… because I will kill you."
Raven's planning on coming 'home' but will anyone accept that? Next week: Chapter 33 - Solidarity and Cooperation!
A big thank you to Y8ay8a, 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!