"So, I am honestly just here in the hopes that you've found this Paris guy and that we're going to go in, steal the drive back from him, and be on our way. Minimal deaths would be preferred, but I know that you probably aren't going to listen to me really well. Also, is there any chance that we can get the Dread back that you gave away before, that would really be an added bonus, because that stuff sounds like it would be extremely problematic, especially in the wrong hands," Neela told Raven. Raven stared at her blankly the whole time before removing her mask. She fixed her hair and sighed.
"Listen Neela… here are my rules when we go out on missions, okay? You don't ask questions, we do whatever the hell I say, and killing is preferred over not killing. If you can get that burned into your memory, I think that these little 'bonding sessions' between us are going to go over much more smoothly," Raven told her. "But to answer what you asked anyway; Yes I know where he is, I don't care if we kill them all, and I also don't care about collecting the Dread, no longer my problem."
"If you want my help it's going to be your problem again," Neela told Raven. Raven groaned and rubbed her face.
"Fine, whatever… If we see it, we can grab it," Raven told her. "Actually, if you see it, grab it. You have a semblance that lets you see things, right?"
"Doesn't work quite like that," Neela told her.
"Then what good is it?" Raven asked.
"It's good for seeing people that are trying to sneak up on me," Neela explained. Raven brushed her off.
"Whatever," Raven replied. "Are we ready to go?" Neela shrugged and nodded.
"Sure, but I have one last question," Neela told her. Raven sighed and her shoulders slumped.
"Yeah. Okay. Why not?" Raven replied with zero enthusiasm.
"What are you hoping to get out of this? Why do you bring me along, you make it seem like I'm more of a hindrance than anything," Neela pointed out. Raven looked her in the eyes.
"When we get our hands on the drive I want you to tell Yang and Blake everything that you've learned and give it to them, but I want you to omit me from the details," Raven said as she opened the portal for them to enter.
"Why?" Neela asked.
"I'll make things right with Yang on her terms. I've been talking with Qrow and Tai a lot. I thought that tracking down this drive would be enough, but it won't be. So at this point, I'm doing it from the charity of my heart," she explained. She chuckled as she stared into the abyss of her semblance. "Or whatever is left of it." Raven stepped into the portal with Neela on her heels and they stepped out in the middle of a dirt road that led to a facility with a barbed wire fence running around it. Neela stared at Raven for a long moment. Was this the same woman that her mother had despised her entire life? Was Raven playing Neela now as well? No, she seems like a different person, and I want Yang to put the whole ordeal to rest. She deserves closure.
"What is this place?" Neela asked.
"Weapons storage for the Stardust Gang," Raven told her. Raven stared into the night sky for a moment before glancing back at Neela. "What kind of name is that anyway?" Neela had never really thought about that.
"Paris is here?" Neela asked.
"Every Saturday," Raven told her as she pulled on her mask and ran for cover behind a long stretch of fence that was covered in both bushes and an ivy-like plant that vined all over. She slid in next to her grandmother who pointed for the corner of the compound and they both kept low, running for the edge of the building.
"What's the plan?" Neela asked. Raven peered back around the corner at the front of the building, it seemed like she was counting.
"You tell me how many men are on the other side of the wall and we'll proceed from there," Raven instructed. Neela groaned.
"I'm sure I've already explained this, but I'll only be able to see the men that are immediately across from this wall. My powers aren't at a level yet where I can do anything too over the top," Neela reminded her. Raven nodded furiously watching the men in the front before looking back over her shoulder at Neela.
"I know. I was inside the building for an hour or so the other day in my bird form, I know the layout. On the other side of that wall is their 'break room'. It's closed off from the rest of the building and it's a good place to start," Raven explained, her voice sounding rushed. "Now hurry the hell up, we've got three hostiles on the way and I'm trying to maintain stealth for your sake." Neela placed the side of her head against the wall and activated her semblance. Three men. Unarmed.
"Three enemies without weapons," Neela said. Raven came back around the corner and dragged Neela out of the way, tossing her to the ground haphazardly.
"Alright, now we're talking," Raven responded. She unsheathed her blade with fire Dust selected, she cut a large square opening in the wall, kicking it in as Neela shifted quickly and loaded an arrow. Raven loomed large as she stepped in with confidence, the men panicking and grasping for anything they could. Neela fired past Raven, a lightning arrow striking one of the men in the arm, rendering him useless as he convulsed and collapsed onto the floor.
"Raven!" Neela shouted as Raven sliced through the other two. She turned away back towards Neela as she quickly entered the building and found that Raven had simply frozen them both. She sighed with relief and Raven stared hard at her.
"For your sake, I'll let them live for now," Raven said begrudgingly. She looked away. "That doesn't mean that I won't come back later."
"Behind us," Neela declared. Raven spun around to find the men that were coming for them before and swiped at them with her sword which was now re-coated in earth Dust. The quick slashes exploded as they reached the opening in the wall, sealing it once more.
"Now what?" Neela asked as she moved quickly to the door and made sure that it was shut and completely secure. These men were run of the mill, the only person they really needed to worry about was Paris. Raven looked her sword over before sheathing it, covering it in lightning Dust, and switching it to her non-dominant hand before placing it on the table beside her. She opened one of the drawers and found a towel, grabbing the sword with it and shoving it into an outlet. She was thrown back but it worked and the entire building's power was cut as she'd overloaded the system. "In what way did that seem like a good idea? I could have done that with a lightning arrow or something a bit safer."
"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Raven asked. She handed Neela a communication link and threw open the door before turning into a bird and flying up into the rafters. There was panic as the men scrambled, gunfire still riddling the stone wall behind Neela as they struggled to get in and stop her. "You're a Faunus, aren't you?" It was rhetorical. Neela sprinted out of the room, wondering when Raven planned to retrieve her sword but pressing onward despite the distracting thought. Neela slid behind a stack of crates and activated her semblance, noting two men on the other side who had removed their scrolls and were checking out the area around them.
"Find Paris yet?" Neela asked.
"Give me a minute, no need for impatience," Raven scolded her. Neela climbed the stack quickly, grappling up to the rafters as well, and maneuvering swiftly across them. She perched, drawing back her bow with a fire arrow and shooting one that landed in the main bay door's opening, the explosion drawing the men that had moved to investigate the break room away to check on the commotion. Neela released two more arrows that struck both of the men she'd been behind earlier in the heel and they crumpled to the ground, crying out in pain.
"What is going on out here?!" Paris thundered as he left a well-secluded corner of the building and swept through the main floor. "These files aren't going to send themselves, get the power back on right now or I'll kill every last one of you and declare it an act of Salem." Neela didn't understand why anyone would ask for Paris's services, he'd acted no better than a spoiled child the few times that she had the misery of being in his company.
"Someone cut the power!" One of the men informed him. Before the man could continue on his way Paris threw several of his senbons at him, striking him in the throat and he gasped for air as his body betrayed him. Paris retrieved the bloody weapons from off of the ground behind the man and wiped them off by pinching them and drawing his fingers across them. Paris glanced around the room squinting at the men who struggled to see in the dark but could hear their fellow soldier gurgling and struggling to breathe on the floor. They knew what'd happened, Neela had a feeling that it wasn't the first time he'd lost his cool.
"I don't want excuses," Paris told his men, his voice booming off of the tin walls that made up the old, worn down warehouse. "I want results."
"Neela, I'll take on Paris, I want you to move in and steal the files back," Raven told her over the link. Neela wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but a desire to fight Paris washed over her too suddenly to stop it and before she could blink she was standing a few feet ahead of him as the power roared back to life. Maybe it was the desire to get him back for emotionally scarring Eliana for a few days. Maybe she saw this as a sort of training for the tournament that was coming up. Whatever the reason was, it was too late to reverse her decision now and he looked at her for a long moment before he smirked and bowed slightly.
"Well if it isn't Neela Xiao Long from the school of preps and do-gooders," Paris said. "What brings you out here so late? Doesn't that prestigious school of yours have a curfew of some sort? Perhaps I should give them a call and let them know that their star, first-year warrior is romping about on her own to serve up some vigilante justice. What would they think of that? Not well I'm sure, they expelled me simply because I looked at that poor ice girl the wrong way." Neela's eyes widened as she looked at him.
"You're the one who tried to rape Bái?!" Neela exclaimed.
"More like molest," he corrected.
"Neela! I said I'd take him," Raven reminded Neela.
"This is my fight now," Neela said under her breath to Raven. Raven swore and grumbled.
"Fine, but once I get those files, I'm leaving," Raven told her. Neela nodded as she formed her bow into a sword and stood ready, Paris dropping the senbon needles in his hand onto the floor and removing his kunai. Neela moved in quickly, slashing down and watching as he deflected her. She countered with the arrow that was in her left hand that she'd concealed until the last moment, but he swung his body completely through with the deflect, another kunai attached to the first via Dust string twirled past his body, wrapping around the arrow and snapping it in half as she refused to let go. He gave a brief smirk at her before the arrowhead exploded and sent him reeling away. He landed on his side, finding his feet quickly as she moved in to attack again and he raised his concealed arm, firing senbons that she blocked with quick reflexes. He threw his kunai, missing her and she grappled away quickly, her feet sliding across the floor as she released the hook and came to a stop.
He was right in front of her, tossing the second kunai into the far wall behind her as well and she held her sword in front of her vertically, slicing the Dust string in two as it attempted to pull her to the wall. She was familiar with Dust string techniques, she'd studied them thoroughly when she'd first began training, thinking that she'd use them at some point. A massive pike of ice Dust protruded from under his cape and he swung at her with enough force to send her sliding back. Neela planted her sword in order to come to a halt and stared at him for a long moment. She knew a little about him from the debriefing after his battle, and that his semblance was more or less equivalent to a pocket dimension. Was he able to keep extra weapons inside of it in addition to fighting within it? She needed to be careful that he didn't trap her. She used her well-tuned foot play to dance back from him, all the while changing her sword back to its bow form and using the limbs to block his attacks.
She fired off a regular arrow which gave her space to equip a flashbang head and she fired it next as she was attacked from the side by one of the thugs. He blocked the arrow with the pike which dulled the effect, but it still destroyed his new weapon and he grumbled, letting the militant distract her as he pulled his kunai back in. Neela batted the man away, freezing his feet to the floor and shooting the weapon out of his hands before activating her semblance quickly and grabbing one of the kunai out of the air. The pull was greater than she expected and she leapt, her feet meeting his chest as she released the blade and kicked him back, his secondary kunai tangling around her leg and dragging her towards him as he opened the door to his pocket dimension. She quickly grappled the rafters above, her tow squealed and groaned inside of the wrist mechanism.
She swung at him with the sword in her free hand, but she couldn't reach him and Dust string was too thin to see. She looked back at him and smirked as he laughed, flames filling his crazed eyes.
"What do you have to smile about?" He asked. "Once you've entered my semblance you're all but done for. You won't be able to use your hook, you'll have no option for long distance, and your eyes won't be able to help you like they have up until this point." Neela felt a boot on her leg, watching as Raven sliced the gap between the two of them and Paris was thrown into his portal. Neela found her feet and brushed herself off.
"I thought that you were just going to grab the files and leave," Neela said.
"I couldn't let you have all of the fun," Raven mumbled as she turned away. Before either of them could react a portal opened in front of Raven a few feet away and Paris stepped out, both kunai in his visible hand.
"So you're the one they call Raven?" Paris asked. She smirked and slowly revealed her sword.
"I'll carve that on your tombstone as your dying words if you'd like," she told him.
"I think I'll stick around actually," Paris said. He attacked Raven, she blocked him with ease with one hand, covered a yawn with the other as he went all out but was barely even able to force her to acknowledge him. She glanced back at Neela and shook her head.
"You see how much more quickly we could have left if you would have just stuck to the plan," Raven said. "Come on Paris. Let's face the facts that you're just an angry child who never gets his way and just call it a day before I break the promise I made to Neela and kill you." Neela had paralyzed two more men during Paris and Raven's exchange and walked over to join them. "What do you say?"
"I don't give up that easily," Paris said. His portal opened and out stepped a man that was drowning in tattoos and didn't seem as personable as Paris, his blade large and at least as long as Raven's. "Have the two of you met Quake? He was really 'shaking' things up the other day in Menagerie."
"Is he human?" Neela asked Raven. Quake moved with astounding speed for a large mass and brought his blade down on Neela who blocked with both hands, a tremor rocking her body and throwing her to the floor as the entire building shook and the ground threw her away. Raven knocked back Paris and quickly maneuvered to Neela, watching Mercury's men as they suffered a similar result. She slid into Neela, scooping her up and passing into a portal that placed them back into the break room.
"Are you okay?" Raven asked. Neela looked up at her confused, her mother's face detail for detail, the only difference was her hair color. Neela nodded as Raven set her on her feet and she propped herself on a table for a minute.
"Just a little numb," Neela said. "Never been shaken that hard before."
"I know you've got the files. I honestly don't care if you take them at this point, all of this was a ploy to draw you out, either of you. Both of you was a consolation prize," Paris said. "That is the official drive. When Stardust left me out here and gave up my hiding spot, I only thought it fair that I sneak back in, take the drive that was actually in their possession when you asked about it, and let you steal it back. But I can't go down without a fight, Abigor would have my head."
"Abigor?" Neela whispered.
"Head of the Neo-Salem's, I'll explain later," Raven replied hushing her. She thought quickly about her options. How had they moved Quake from that island to the middle of Vale so quickly? I might not have a choice but to kill him if things take a turn for the worse, and while I don't care if we run and Paris throws a fit, Neela would care and it would tarnish what I've already built between us. Raven groaned as she glanced at the girl. It was said she was a natural leader and fighter, but the sight of the large tattooed fighter had clearly shaken her up a bit. Raven nudged her as she opened a portal. "As soon as you step out on the other side, fire an explosive arrow dead ahead, no questions asked."
Neela stared at Raven for a moment. She had to trust that Raven wouldn't kill anyone at her request. They both understood the game that was being played here and everything hinged on Neela's trusting of Raven's word. Neela nodded and stepped through, doing as she was asked and the arrow slammed into the side of a large militarized Jeep with a chain gun mounted on the back. She dove behind cover as it exploded and Raven rushed out, throwing Paris back with a wave of air Dust off of her katana, turning her attention to Quake and attacking before he could set himself. Paris took off for Neela, Raven had to ignore him, but she knew that Neela would be able to handle him. Quake kicked Raven in the chest, sending her through the air and she quickly took flight, turning back once she'd reached the cross beams above.
"How did you do that?" He asked.
"An ability of mine," she replied, "Something tells me that I have a bit more experience than you, however." He chuckled.
"Is that what you think?" He asked. He swung his sword around above his head in a display of strength before forcing it into the concrete floor beneath him. Nothing happened for a long moment and Raven wondered about his intentions before the beam beneath her crumpled and twisted together without warning, compacting and tearing itself apart as she leapt off. He had amazing control, she had to acknowledge that much, but it still wouldn't be enough to best her. She fought Salem once and despite losing, she could easily say that no one fighter alone held a flame to her after that battle. She swan dived for him, passing through a portal just before he could grab her out of the air.
He looked around for her frantically, removing his blade from the ground and swinging around himself in wide arcs. He didn't know exactly what she was capable of, but he wasn't about to risk his life with sloppy defense strategies. He had torn apart Mistral for years on end, a juggernaut that no one was able to compare to… before Alexander Latherus came along. Just a huntsman who had joined the police force, the quirky and soft-spoken man had torn him apart in a matter of minutes, Quake was captured just as easily as the average criminal. Not again. He was free for good. Alexander was long dead, and this Raven was nothing…
"Looking for me?" She asked several feet away. He turned to face her and laughed as though he had been overcome with hysteria.
"It took them years to put me away," he cackled. "I won't lose my freedom again after just one week!" Quake brought the blade down vertically and struck the ground, an initial wave through the air forced Raven to dive out of the way as it punched a hole through a stack of freight cars filled with Dust. She bounced off of her hands and placed her sword's tip against the floor, holding steady as she anticipated his follow-up. Normally the ground would have obeyed him, pulling her towards Quake in an unexplainable tidal wave of sorts that rolled the ground up and towards his epicenter. It didn't happen this time.
He glanced at his hands before looking up at Raven who breathed heavily, staring at her sword, her arms shaking.
"What's the matter?" She asked. "Didn't work?" She had used earth Dust to send a wave of kinetic back at his with equal force, canceling it out completely. He was good and she had nearly been too late. She sheathed her katana, shrugging her shoulders and cracking her neck, bouncing lightly on her feet. You might be the best Raven, but your days of ultimate power are close to an end. Most people would just be intimidated and run. Raven shook her head.
"I don't know what you did, but I know it won't end like that again," he replied. He lifted his sword.
"You're right," she agreed. He froze before bringing his sword to the terrain and looked at her. "If you try it again it will likely kill you." Raven gestured to the freight cars. "You'll end up like the train cars there and let me tell you, it'll be really messy to clean up."
"You're bluffing," he said.
"Willing to risk finding out?" She asked. Just a moment or two longer. "I can tell you exactly how it'll happen. That way we can find out who is the smartest out of the two of us." She grinned and he could hear the taunting nature in her voice. "I promise it's me." She placed her hand on her hilt. "Or you can attack outright and we'll never get to find out. The choice is yours." He lifted his sword, standing in a standard attack stance as opposed to a slamming stance.
"What am I going to do then?" He asked.
"You compensate for being large by using your semblance as much as possible. If I can't get close, I can't use my speed to my advantage. You'll use your powers one last time, but not to pull me in like you wanted to a moment ago, no, that didn't work. To make sure it works you're going to stop my momentum and then once I'm secured, you'll lop my head off. Easy win," Raven explained. "However, if you attempt that, I'll make sure not to touch the ground again during this fight and move in, out matching your speed and impaling you."
"My hide's pretty thick," he roared. "And you were right, but I wouldn't be able to stop you because of the bird thing you did." She nodded slightly.
"You're not stupid after all," she humored him. "Make your move." He shook his head and growled with laughter until it grew loud enough to shake the structure on its own.
"You're wrong though," he told her. "I can match your speed!" He took off for her and reached her more quickly than she'd thought he would, but it wasn't enough. She had switched to gravity Dust and sidestepped, slicing through his side and blasting a basketball sized mass of body, off of him. He grabbed his torso on the right as he tumbled across the ground and called out in pain. "Impossible!" Raven stood over him with her blade at his neck and he smacked it away as he thrashed.
"You're lucky I'm practicing a no-kill policy tonight," she told him and left to help Neela.
Neela found her feet after diving and rolling away from the explosion, coming to a stop as she used her semblance to spot Paris sprinting out of the building in the direction of the eruption and not noting her immediately, giving her ample time to plan. She fired an ice arrow and he spun around just before it reached him, throwing up his left arm and letting the projectile plant into it. She looked at him in horror as he chuckled. Was part of him android, or something worse? He pulled it out and tossed it aside, the ice seemed to have little effect as he fired senbons at her and she knocked them away.
"It's funny that we're on different sides really, we only want the same things," he told her. She slowly backed away as he followed after her.
"I somehow doubt that," she replied.
"Do you not want power?" He asked.
"Not if I have to hurt others to obtain it," she informed him. He shook his head, grabbing something from his pocket and holding it in his hidden hand.
"So naïve," he told her. "Are all of the students at Beacon so foolish?" His eyes darkened. "The only one who really seemed to know about how cruel life can be was Lykos."
"I know that someday I'll have to kill in order to protect my loved ones," Neela said. "But until that day comes, I'll take subduing as an acceptable alternative." She drew back an arrow. "What are you stalling for?"
"This!" He shouted. He threw the smoke bomb and she shot it out of the air. Activating her ability and blocking his foot with her arm as it came in, knocking it down and he spun around to kick her in the back of the head with his right. She blocked the follow-up as well, holding fast to his leg and smashing the blunt side of her bow into his stomach and letting him stumble away. She grappled him before he could recalibrate, her fist meeting his chin as he groaned, grunting in pain as his aura visibly flickered. He stared at her as she leapt back, allowing him a moment.
"That's the best you got?" Neela asked.
"Pride goes before the fall!" He shouted. He charged in, blocking her sword with his kunai and grabbing tightly to her right arm with his left hand. A chill swept over her and she stared down at his grip, her skin freezing slowly at first, but then climbing quickly across the rest of her limb. What was this?! She flipped her bow out as he was distracted with her amusement, knocking him off balance and she spun it in her hand, planting it into his left wrist. He jerked his arm away, allowing Neela to free herself and she pulled the bow away, catching his right arm and causing him pain. She leapt up, trying for a kick that she knew he'd catch and closed her eyes as a flashbang arrow planted into his chest.
"Embarrassed that you're getting your ass kicked by a girl?" Neela asked as the arrowhead ruptured and threw them back from each other. She landed harder than she expected but knew that he wasn't prepared for the aftermath and had ample time to stand and fire off her electrical arrow. It used a specific amount of lightning Dust that only rendered electronics useless and forced metals apart, but didn't harm the recipient. He glanced at it, blinking hard through his lingering temporary blindness before throwing it away.
"You think this is mechanical?" He asked. Paris rotated his arm freely, smiling and firing at her blindly as she grappled a pipe that was hanging off of the edge of one of the large metal cages that Neela assumed once housed Grimm inside.
"Not anymore I guess," she responded. She perched on the cage before glancing down at it again and her eyes widened. This cage… this cage was large enough to have housed the Grimm that they faced during the initiation ceremony! Neela knew that the new White Fang was working with Stardust, and she knew that the new Fang had been around the school the night before the initiation. Had they planted that Grimm?! It all seemed convoluted, but it all worked too well together. Neela fired three arrows in rapid succession, two that slammed into his left arm, and the last he caught in his right hand.
"We can drag this on for a while if you'd like, or…" The tips ignited and the gravity Dust jerked the left side of his body back, the arrow in his hand a decoy as he tossed it away in fear of it doing the same. She swung down by grappling a light that hung out from the front of the building, kicking him in the chest and landing on him, an arrow trained on his chest. "Think you've won?" He laughed under the weight of her boot grinding against his torso. "If you let me live, you'll never win. I'll keep coming back to finish you and the rest of your friends at Beacon later!"
"It's a risk I'll take," she said. Before she could fire the arrow he activated his semblance and they both tumbled into the pocket dimension, she leapt to her feet and swapped her bow for her sword. He laughed and shook his head as he slowly rose from the floor.
"I didn't think you were so stupid Neela, and I'm sad that you've proven me wrong," he told her. He sneered as he stood at the ready, legs slightly bent, kunai in front of him in his right hand, his best foot forward. He was going to pick her apart. That was his plan at least…
"I saw you in the library that day when we had Lykos trick you guys into thinking that you were being attacked by Grimm," Eliana said as she walked out to the middle of the field with Neela. Neela looked at her best friend, who had opted to mostly strip down, wearing only a sports bra that clearly wasn't quite big enough, and a pair of extremely short shorts that Neela would have blushed over having to wear. Instead, she blushed at Eliana's appearance, wanting nothing more than to remove those pesky workout clothes, and then work Eliana out… Her breasts just looked so squeezable, and her ass… Focus Neela!
"I was unprepared, you can't blame me for that," Neela told her as she stretched and leaned out to get a better view of Eliana as she stretched out as well.
"I can and I will," Eliana said. "You're prepared for everything Neela, nothing takes you off guard." Neela shrugged and rubbed her arms. "It was the fact that you didn't have your weapon, and that it was close combat. You've never been the best at hand to hand." Eliana stopped for a moment as she stared into the distance. "Hey, have you come up with a name for my guns yet?"
"Have you come up with a name for mine yet?" Neela asked. Eliana smiled and twisted her body back and forth.
"Maybe," Eliana replied. "Anyways, today we're going to train without our weapons. Hand to hand." Eliana pushed her boobs together and looked at Neela, almost pouting. "And I know they look soft, but try to keep the hands off of the girls, okay?" Neela blushed.
"Why would I do that?" Neela argued. Eliana laughed and dropped her bosom.
"I'm just teasing Neela," Eliana said. You're much more than a tease in my head Elli, but it's probably just my imagination getting the better of me. Neela tossed her bow and quiver away and Eliana took off her holster and chucked it near Neela's equipment. Eliana pointed to Neela's wrist. "Turn that off too." Neela looked at it.
"Why?" She asked.
"What happens if someone attacks and you're not wearing it?" Eliana asks. "I know you don't wear it all the time, even though I know that you'd like to." Neela couldn't really argue with Eliana. She could, but she knew that she wouldn't win, and so she begrudgingly turned it off and put up her fists, bouncing lightly on her feet. "Mom says that dad was great at self-defense and so inherently, you're probably learning from the best."
"Well I learned from the legendary Yang Xiao Long, so we'll see who has the upper hand," Neela taunted. Eliana laughed.
"Yes! That's the spirit!" Eliana declared. Eliana came in, a right uppercut that forced Neela to leap back, stepping back into it with a jab but Eliana knew her way around close combat better than Neela and a right hook to Neela exposed side forced her to catch her breath and reconsider.
"No using your semblance!" Neela tried to use as an excuse.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Eliana replied giggling. Several blocks, blows, jabs, deflections, hooks, and one headbutt attempt from Neela later and she'd collapsed on the ground with Eliana sitting next to her, her knees drawn to her chest as she laughed, shaking her head.
"I wasn't that bad, was I?" Neela asked. Eliana laughed harder.
"Bái has better hand to hand skills at this point," Eliana informed her. Neela tried to seem frustrated but she laughed herself and groaned.
"Don't make me laugh, it hurts!" Neela exclaimed. Eliana gave her an evil grin and began tickling her, Neela squealing as she tried to break free, but Eliana had her pinned and straddled her.
"Nowhere to hide now," Eliana exclaimed. "Better get really good at close quarters quick or suffer my wrath!" Neela was beet red, the combination of not being able to breathe and the realization that Eliana's thighs were squeezing the sides of her stomach was too much and she looked away.
"Do what you must!" Neela declared, an eye closed, the other peeking back up at Eliana. Eliana squeezed her breasts hard and Neela yipped, bucking her off and leaping to her feet. "Elli!" Eliana cheesed a grin as she found her feet with some help from Neela.
"Mine are still bigger," Eliana declared.
"Oh really?" Neela asked half violated and half frustrated. Eliana nodded happily.
"Wanna feel?" Eliana asked. Neela looked at them, her hands trembling over the thought.
"I don't… I don't know Elli, it's kind of weird…" Neela protested.
"You always say that Neela, but I don't know why " Eliana replied. She took Neela's hands and placed them on her breasts. "See? Not weird. Boobs. Just like yours." Neela squeezed slightly and drew her hands back as fast as possible. "Like I said, still bigger." Eliana began to walk away before stopping. "Why does that bother you?" Neela looked at her for a long moment and shrugged.
"No reason, I just figured you wouldn't want my hands on your body," Neela answered. Eliana laughed.
"Pfft! My body is yours to squeeze!" Eliana skipped over to their weapons. "I'm going to have you fighting as well as me without a weapon in no time." Neela smiled, but the gears in her brain were smoking.
Elli, you're the worst.
"You threw away your advantage," Paris told her. "I've read your file. It's hard to notice because you rarely fight up close, but as soon as the fight heads that way, you distance yourself and retreat. There's nowhere to go in here. It's a small space, even if we stood on opposite sides, you wouldn't have time to get an arrow off." Neela grinned and his eyes grew narrow.
"You seem pretty confident," she said. He frowned and prepared to move.
"And all of you Beacon kids are full of yourselves," he told her. He rushed in, her blade deflecting his kunai as he attempted to throw it past her, planting it in the wall beside them instead. She took a quick step forward, sidestepping an empty blow from him as she snatched away his second knife before he could catch it. His false arm swung completely around, driving her back as she sunk his blade into the arm and held on tight. She planted against the wall and ducked as he tried to deal a blow to her head with his right fist. Thinking on her feet she grappled his leg, yanking him onto his back as she stood over him.
"The difference is that we can back it up," Neela told him. "Give up now."
"Or what?" He asked. "You won't kill me."
"Nothing's stopping me," Raven said standing on the other side of the room. He looked up at her from the floor.
"Impossible!" He shouted.
"Improbable, yes," Raven declared. "It took me longer than I expected, but not impossible." Raven looked at Neela, impressed. She'd been watching for only a few seconds, but she saw that Neela had potential and skill that was beyond her years. "Come on Neela, let's go."
"You'll regret this!" Paris more or less screamed as Neela stepped off of him and through a portal that took them right back to the docks. Neela glanced around, still amazed by the ability to move anywhere in an instant. Neela looked at Raven who looked the drive over in her hand. She handed it to Neela and began to walk away.
"Hey!" Neela shouted. Raven turned and looked back at the girl, lingering for a few long moments as Neela jogged over to her. "That was amazing back there."
"I used to be a lot better," Raven confessed. "But I guess old age catches up to even the best."
"What's the name of your sword?" Neela asked. Raven raised an eyebrow.
"Nevermore," she answered.
"Did you ever think that you might be into girls instead of Grandpa Tai?" Neela pried.
"For the love of Oum, Neela!" Raven declared. "What's with the sudden barrage?" Neela looked her in the eyes.
"I want to understand you better," Neela told her. "I want to make mom see that she had you all wrong this entire time." Raven turned away.
"She didn't, Neela," Raven informed her. "I was a horrible person for most of my life, especially to Yang. All because I was too afraid to tell one person no, even though I knew it was wrong." Raven looked at her and chuckled, shaking her head. "You should tell me more about you, that'd be more interesting. I saw you back there, it reminded me of a younger version of myself. You had such precision, and you knew exactly what to do next with every move. That's not something you learn or gain from a semblance, it's something you're born with." Neela smirked.
"I'll give you answers if you give me answers," Neela offered. Raven folded her arms.
"I'm sure something can be arranged," Raven replied.
"Over a meal at A Simple Wok?" Neela asked. Raven sighed and began walking.
"Sure. Whatever." Neela chased after her. This was a good start.
Can Neela bend the relationship between Raven and Yang? Next Week, the other top students from each year get serious about taking Neela down while Coco documents her day in Chapter 63 - V.I.C.T.O.R.!
A big thank you to Carlomontie, Nliast, 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!