"You've been listening to that song, on repeat, without stop, ever since it was released yesterday. Are you actually going to sleep at some point? Did you sleep already? Did you listen to it while you were asleep? I need answers, with as hard as that song goes, there's is no way that you were able to sleep while…" Cobalt ranted before Tawney put her finger to his lips.
"Nevermore! Nevermoooore!" She belted out as Cobalt took a step back from her. He looked at Lykos and Bái and shrugged, shaking his head.
"We lost her. This is it. This is the end. It was nice knowing you, Tawney. I'll miss the way that you used to yell at me and the way that you'd tell me I was being a dumbass. Those were the good days, the best memories that I have of you, really," Cobalt groaned out, knowing that she couldn't hear him over the music. "Seriously guys, I really don't know how to make it stop and we still need to discuss our plans for Friday."
"What's there to discuss?" Tawney asked as Cobalt leaped in terror. He flailed about, turning around to face her.
"Could you hear me the whole time?" He asked in a panic. Lykos stifled a laugh behind him and Cobalt glanced back.
"Just at the end when my scroll died," Tawney informed him as she wrapped her headphones around it and placed it in her back pocket before stretching her arms out above her head. "So what do we need to discuss about Friday."
"I planned for us to go get lunch together at a nicer restaurant in Vale before we need to come back to the school and attend the graduation ceremony because 'reasons' or why ever they want us there," Cobalt said.
"They want us there so that we can visualize the goal that we are working towards," Bái noted.
"I'm aware of how graduating works," Cobalt moaned.
"It's more than that," Lykos added. "We should feel a sense of pride. A shared intuition that we're all working together to keep Remnant safe from the Grimm."
"Hey, does anyone else find it weird that the Grimm are still around since Salem is dead?" Cobalt asked.
"Did you pay any attention in history class?" Tawney inquired. He rubbed his neck.
"He's just trying to change the subject," Lykos pointed out.
"Agreed," Tawney said sitting at her desk. "What is there to figure out if you already have the lunch planned?"
"Isn't that the same day that the new manga you were excited about is coming out?" Bái noted.
"It is?" Cobalt stammered. "What a coincidence!"
"If we're late to the ceremony for whatever half baked scheme you have planned, I'm gonna kill you," Tawney threatened.
"I'll have you know that this time, it's not 'half baked'," Cobalt defended. "It's actually a complete plan with bullet points and a diagram that I will be presenting to all of you shortly." Cobalt winked at her and she rolled her eyes. "Prepare to take notes."
"Hey!" Came a loud banging on the door.
"Was that the thunder outside?" Cobalt asked as Tawney pushed him away from her.
"Come in!" Lykos replied. Titus opened the door, soaking wet and sopping as he took a step into the room and looked around.
"Really?" Titus muttered.
"What's up?" Bái inquired as she forced Lykos to move over so that Titus would have a spot to sit on the bed.
"Have any of you seen Neela or Eliana today?" Titus asked them. "Neela left this morning and hasn't been back and neither Ilia nor myself have seen Eliana today."
"I mean, it is Neela's birthday, isn't it?" Tawney noted.
"Spoken like a true rival," Cobalt fired back, sitting beside Bái.
"Shut up, Cobalt!" Tawney shouted. "Maybe they're off celebrating with each other. Maybe that dumb broad finally confessed to her even more clueless crush and the two of them are off doing who knows what…" Tawney blushed. "All speculation, of course!"
"I guess it's possible," Titus agreed. "I just thought that they would have been back by now. At this point, they'd be better either staying on Patch or staying with Neela's grandfather, with storms this bad, nothing is going to be heading in or out of Vale until it passes in the morning."
"When you see Eliana, ask her how the micro EMP worked!" Bái blurted out. Titus looked at her a bit confused before Cobalt leapt to his feet and attempted to push the lieutenant general out of the room.
"Well, it was nice seeing you big guy, stop in anytime that you'd like and we'll keep an eye out for those pesky useless lesbians," Cobalt laughed.
"What did Bái just say?" Titus asked.
"Nothing!" Cobalt yelled. "I don't have that kind of tech or that kind of money, so she must have mistaken what I gave Eliana for an EMP. Sounds like a dangerous thing for me to just be handing out, right?"
"Now I know you did it," Titus grumbled. "Bái never said that you gave it to her." Cobalt shrunk down.
"Please don't hurt me," Cobalt pleaded. Tawney shook her head and opened up her laptop, firing it up.
"Dumbass," She muttered.
"Where'd you get it?" Titus inquired.
"Peach's old lab," Lykos spoke up.
"You guys snuck in under the tower?!" Titus thundered. Cobalt hushed him, grabbing him by the jacket and dragging him into the room.
"It's not a big deal, but if you could keep it down, that would be great!" Cobalt huffed. Titus freed himself from Cobalt's grip and straightened out his supposed gig line.
"If it's not, then why do I need to be quiet?" Titus asked.
"We were just trying to help Eliana," Bái explained.
"How does a device like that help Eliana?" Titus questioned. "And who in their right mind would just leave one lying around? And how did you know it would be there for sure!?"
"All great questions that can be answered later, but Eliana told us that she thought Neela had bugged her so she could find out her birthday gift early!" Cobalt exclaimed. Titus looked at him bewildered.
"Maybe you can't hear how crazy that sounds because you constantly say things that are crazy, but you have to be kidding me," Titus sighed. "That cannot be the reason."
"That's what she cited," Tawney said defending him before plugging her headphones into the computer and turning her music back on.
"And you all just believed her!?" Titus stammered. "I cannot believe what I'm hearing!"
"What reason did we have not to?" Cobalt asked. "Besides, all Coco ever does is slap me on the wrist and tell me not to do that thing again." Titus balled his fists up, glancing around the room at them before leaving.
"Just tell me if you see the girls!" Titus called back.
"You think he's going to say anything?" Cobalt pondered closing the door.
"In year two, can we maybe stop doing things that might get us kicked out of the school?" Lykos requested.
"Agreed," Bái said.
"Mom," Shadow asked "Is something wrong with Sissy?" Blake knelt beside the small girl as she worked feverishly on a drawing with the crayons that she had strewn out in front of her across the table. Blake rubbed the top of her head, trying to think of something to tell her daughter that wouldn't cause her too much duress.
"Sissy had a really hard battle today and strained herself too hard," Blake explained. "She's just upset that she ended up getting hurt, that's all." Shadow nodded as Blake stood and looked at Yang.
"Okay, mommy," Shadow replied without looking up, scrawling something before coloring it in. Blake sighed as she stepped into the living room with Yang.
"I don't know if lying to her like this is the best option," Blake whispered softly to make sure that Shadow couldn't hear her.
"You'd rather tell her the truth?" Yang stammered. She folded her arms. "Hey, Shadow, last night Eliana tried to kidnap you and give you over to the White Fang. Yeah, that seems like a great idea to me. She's pretty carefree now, but you can never be too careful!"
"I know what it would do!" Blake aggressively replied. "But it feels wrong!"
"When would she ever find out or need to know?" Yang asked. "It's better this way, trust me, Blakey." Blake nodded and nuzzled Yang's hand as her wife caressed her cheek.
"I know," Blake exhaled. "I'm still just shaken up over last night." Blake looked towards the hallway. "Have you checked on Neela recently?"
"She wanted to try and sleep the morning off when we got back with her," Yang reminded her. "I'll go see how she's doing." Yang kissed her and held Blake close for a long moment. "Things are going to be okay." Blake nodded, wanting to believe her.
"Okay," Blake agreed as Yang left for Neela's room. Yang cracked the door open slightly to find Neela sitting on her bed, staring out at the night sky as the lightning streaked through the clouds, giving the world light for a fleeting moment before vanishing and leaving them in darkness once more. The door creaked as Yang pushed a little further, drawing a sudden look from Neela who smiled at her.
"You doing okay?" Yang asked. "Mind if I come in?" Neela shook her head.
"You can come in," Neela informed her. "And I'm… alright. Not exactly the best birthday that I've ever had."
"It's a lot to think about," Yang pointed out closing the door behind her and sitting on the bed beside Neela. "Everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours."
"I haven't slept at all since last night," Neela noted. "Not even after you guys brought me back from the school today." Neela shook her head. "I just keep seeing it every time I close my eyes. The White Fang. And they're taking Shadow away." Yang rubbed her back.
"I know the feeling," Yang told her. "It'll go away in time. When I lost my arm, I had episodes often. I'd see Adam in places that he wasn't. Sounds, smells, sights, all sorts of things set me off for the longest time until I overcame that demon."
"How did you do that?" Neela inquired. Yang chuckled.
"Every case is different. For Blake and me it just so happened to be killing the guy, but I can't recommend that you do that with Eliana," Yang explained. "Sometimes you just need to own the fear and realize that you're bigger than it. The White Fang can't hurt us, and even if it hadn't been Elli, I still would have obliterated their skull if you hadn't jumped in the way." Neela laughed before gripping her side.
"I had to," Neela said. Yang nodded.
"I know," Yang agreed. "I would've felt horrible if I had killed Eliana. I saw you at the last second and it was just enough time to keep from putting a hole through your chest." Neela grimaced.
"Lucky me I guess," Neela grunted. She sighed, laying back to eliminate the strain. "I want to forgive Elli, but I'm scared."
"I know, little bird," Yang informed her. "You do what's right for you when the time is right. You might be confused now, but unlike Blake, I know that you're ready to spread your wings." Neela smiled as Yang kissed her forehead.
"Thanks, mom," Neela replied.
"Don't mention it," Yang insisted as she stood. "Maybe try and get some sleep. Shadow is safe. You're safe. There's nothing to fear." Neela nodded.
"Okay," Neela agreed. Yang left the room quietly, nearly being run over as she turned to find Shadow had slammed into her.
"Where are you heading to so fast, kitten?" Yang asked.
"I need to give this to Sissy so she can feel better!" Shadow demanded as she used her clones to slip past Yang and into Neela's room. She slowly approached Neela's bed, grabbing her older sister's arm and shaking it gently. "Sissy! Sissy are you awake?!"
"Yes, Shadow, I'm awake," Neela informed her. "What's up?" Yang and Blake watched from the doorway without making a sound.
"I made you a present for your birthday," Shadow explains. Neela smiled and moved over so Shadow could climb onto the bed, giving her the picture with a grin from ear to ear. "That's your emblem and that's you!" Shadow pointed to everything so Neela would know what she was referring to. "You're fighting lots of Grimm and winning, of course!" Neela stared at it for a long moment, remembering the fight in the bunker from that morning, and offered a smile that was diluted with fatigue.
"It's great," Neela assured her. "I'll frame it later so it lasts longer." Neela set it on the nightstand and laid back down as Shadow watched her for a couple of seconds.
"Can I cuddle with you?" Shadow asked. "Mom cuddles with me when I have a bad day, and it makes me feel better." Neela chuckled and pulled back the covers.
"Come on," Neela insisted. Shadow snuggled in close, almost purring as Neela tucked her in beside her. "Do you know what the best gift that I ever received from Mommy Blake and Yang was?" Shadow thought about it for a long moment before shrugging.
"I don't know, Sissy. What?" Shadow asked.
"You are," Neela says with a warm smile.
"What are you talking about, I'm not a present!" Shadow declared. Neela laughed tickling her, Shadow giggling and Neela picking her story up where she left off as the girl settled down.
"The moment that Mommy Blake and Yang told me that they were going to be able to have a kid I was more excited than I had ever been before. The idea that I'd get to have a little brother or sister was awesome, I was an only child until you came around. The night you were born I just couldn't stop thinking about how cool it was that you were finally here and I was awestruck when Mommy Blake let me hold you for a couple of minutes. When we got you home I always wanted to play with you and for you to be close by," Neela explained to her sister, tearing up as she thought about them trying to take her. "You're the best gift ever!
And watching you grow up has been amazing. You're the best little sister I could have ever asked for Shadow and I love you more than you'll ever know. Thank you, for always being here for me, sis." Shadow laughed and hugged Neela tight, practically leaping on top of her.
"You're awesome too, Sissy!" Shadow said clinging to her. "Then you're the best gift I could have got too because you were already here when I was born and you're the best sister too!" Neela laughed, gingerly pushing Shadow off of her.
"Not so tight," Neela pleaded.
"Did a Grimm get you?" Shadow asked looking up at her sister.
"No," Neela replied. "I just… overdid it a little."
"Sometimes you need to take it easy," Shadow scolded her. "If you ever need a break you could come home and teach me how to fight."
"You're still a little young for that," Neela told her. Shadow folded her arms.
"Someday I want to fight by your side!" Shadow exclaimed. Neela laughed and made her lay back down.
"Someday," Neela agreed. "It'll be great."
"I love you, Sissy," Shadow yawned as she snuggled against Neela. Neela smirked and held her tight.
"I love you too, Shadow," Neela said. "This seems like just what I needed for the perfect birthday." Neela sighed as she settled in. "Would you like to help me with making arrow tips tomorrow?"
"One of the trick ones?!" Shadow excitedly perked up.
"Exactly," Neela told her. Shadow's eyes lit up and she laid back down.
"Yes!" She squealed. "I can't wait! Goodnight, Neela."
"Goodnight, Shadow," Neela replied. Blake and Yang slowly closed the door, Blake smiling thoughtfully as Yang made her way down the hall towards the kitchen.
"I'm so proud of them," Blake told Yang.
"I'm getting wine, want some?!" Yang called back.
"You just can't let a good moment be, can you?" Blake asked, chasing her down.
"Every moment is better with wine," Yang corrected removing two glasses from the cabinet and pulling the bottle down from the top of the fridge.
"I'm serious," Blake remarked. Yang nodded and set the bottle on the counter.
"I knew Neela would be fine," Yang replied. "She's tough. There's nothing to worry about there. As much as you think she needs us to watch over her, I think today's events proved that she's more than okay with handling things on her own, even if it wasn't the smartest decision or the right one, but that comes more with experience."
"Do you remember the first time that Neela held Shadow?" Blake asked as she poured herself a glass.
"It's hard to forget considering how excited she was," Yang noted taking a swig right from the bottle. "I thought she was going to explode."
"We have glasses for a reason," Blake informed her.
"Have you met my uncle?" Yang inquired, causing Blake to roll her eyes.
"I'm just glad they're so close," Blake said.
"It's been a ride, that's for sure," Yang added.
Yang leaned over Blake, smiling at her wife before kissing her and gently toying with Shadow's nose, the baby cooing and giggling a bit as it reached out aimlessly, fingers constantly grasping at the blurry images that appeared before her, squirming in Blake's arms as Blake soothed her. The door crashed open, revealing Neela who was silenced in an instant by Yang who put a finger to her lips and Neela nodded to acknowledge her. The doctor stood behind the girl and Yang gave him the thumbs up with a sheepish smile, knowing that Neela must have blown right past him despite being told that she needed to wait. Neela stood at the edge of the bed, sitting on the edge of the bed next to Blake so she could get a better view of her sister.
Neela looked at her sister in amazement, she had cat ears on the top of her head, exciting Neela to see that her sister was a Faunus just like her and Blake. It was the first time they'd used Aura to create a baby, so her Aunt Weiss had been unsure if it would end up being a Faunus or human, and if it was a Faunus, they were unsure if it would end up with the traits of the parent, or become an entirely different type of Faunus. It was extremely experimental and while trials and simulations had indicated successful results without any repercussions, there was always the slightest chance that something wouldn't turn out. But things had gone well, and Neela's sister was finally here! Just out of reach!
"She looks like Blake!" Neela gasped.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Yang noted as Blake beamed at the two of them. Neela leaned in closer to Shadow's face for a proper view. She was much smaller than Neela expected but just as cute and amazing!
"Can I touch her?" Neela questioned.
"Softly," Blake instructed. Neela reached out and let Shadow grab a hold of her finger, looking at her moms and giggling.
"She likes me!" Neela blurted out. Her hands were soft, Neela managed to pull her finger free, causing Shadow to fuss for a moment before Yang replaced it with her robotic one. "Don't scare her!"
"I won't," Yang assured her. "I want her to get used to it." Neela stared for a long moment before hugging Blake and Shadow lightly.
"I love her so much!" Neela exclaimed.
"And she loves you," Blake informed Neela. Neela looked up at Yang for permission.
"Can I hold her?" Neela inquired. Blake chuckled.
"Of course," Blake answered.
"You have to be very careful," Yang explained, positioning Neela's arms and instructing her on how to hold Shadow. Yang picked Shadow up, kissing her on the forehead before placing her in Neela's arms, Neela's face plastered with wonder and awe.
"She's perfect," Neela noted with a smile. "I'm gonna show her how to fight someday! And I'm gonna play with her all the time! Maybe when she's older I'll teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow! Oh! And I have to show her to Elli, Elli will love her too!"
"In due time," Yang laughed. Neela nodded, never taking her eyes off of the baby.
"I'm gonna protect her," Neela said. "I'll never let anything hurt her, just like you did with Aunt Ruby."
"She's lucky to have you as a sister, Neela," Blake stated as Yang sat on the bed by her legs.
"I'm luckier to have her," Neela mentioned.
Eliana found herself slipping in and out of taking naps for the majority of what she could only guess was a day, Glynda had come by once to check on her, not saying a word as she simply looked her over, standing in silence for a long couple of minutes before leaving Eliana in silence again, offering her a tray from the cafeteria with some food that they had rounded up for her. It seemed like a normal lunch, the school's pizza that dripped in more grease than it could possibly absorb, a few cartons of milk, and a piece of buttered bread. She ate it slowly, having nothing but time to consider the moment that everything went wrong. Meeting with Athena. Agreeing to her terms. Was her mother okay? Were they going to let her know when they found her?
She slept, woken up this time by Sun and Neptune who seemed their usual talkative selves, not able to get a single word in edgewise as they argued like a couple of idiots and gave her dinner, more cafeteria food. They told her that Raven had saved her mother, Neela had been omitted at Yang and Blake's request so that Eliana wouldn't feel any worse about everything than she needed to and despite feeling relieved, she was still anxious. Why hadn't any of the Xiao Longs come to check on her? Did it have something to do with the police investigation? Were they going to arrest her? Eliana felt nauseous at the thought that she'd become the very thing that she swore to protect her loved ones from. I'm sorry dad. I'm not as smart or as strong as you are…
She tried to sleep again, drifting amongst her thoughts. At ease knowing her mother was safe. On edge knowing that they hadn't managed to catch Irving. She was alone. What if he found her? What if they knew where Eliana was being kept and he was going to take her to replace losing her mother? Every time that Eliana closed her eyes she saw his looming figure, felt his breath hot on her face, his heavy and disgusting body pushing against her own. She woke up in a panic, leaping off of the floor and grasping at her chest, suffocating from the nightmare. Dammit. Dammit! She would never be as brave as her father, no matter how much she had convinced herself in the past.
At some point she passed out from exhaustion, the elevator cranking to life once more and startling her as she stirred, squinting at the figure that approached from down the hall, hoping and praying that they'd sent Neela and that she could straighten things out. I'm sorry, Neela, you know that I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose! I had no other choice! I… But hadn't she already tried to explain herself? She wanted to tell Neela what she realized about her feelings, but what if Neela hated her? What if Neela rejected her, what if Neela never wanted to see her again? That was a fate worse than death. It had to be. Neela, I love you. I don't know how I didn't see it all this time, but it's true!
"Good morning, Eliana," the voice called out, dropping Eliana's hopes suddenly.
"Velvet!" Eliana shouted to her before she'd reached the halfway point of the long and grandiose corridor. "Please! Please! You have to let me out! I need to speak with Neela! You have to let me talk to her, give me my scroll back if nothing else!"
"Coco wants to keep you in here until after the graduation ceremony," Velvet explained as she came closer, presenting breakfast to Eliana who graciously took it. "Glynda actually wanted to keep you in here longer in accordance with local and kingdom-wide laws, but Coco is doing everything in her power to make sure that you aren't tried. She's even pulling a few strings by having Ruby speak on your behalf." Eliana turned away. "That's not to say that Glynda wants you arrested! We all understand why you did it!"
"What about my scroll?" Eliana pleaded.
"It's being kept for now as evidence," Velvet explained to her. "I can send your mother here to talk to you later today if you'd like?" Eliana nodded, though she still seemed upset.
"Why won't they come check on me?" Eliana asked, holding back tears. "Yang! Blake! Neela! None of them have checked on me since the next morning!" Velvet was unsure how to answer, and the silence only drove Eliana further towards madness. "They hate me, don't they?"
"You know that's not true," Velvet asserted. "Blake and Yang love you like a daughter and you're the world to Neela! It's going to take them some time to accept what happened, but they will forgive you, Elli." Eliana shook her head and began sobbing.
"Why should they?!" Eliana yelled. "I don't deserve it! I tried kidnapping Shadow! I was working with the White Fang, what reason do they have to forgive me?!" Velvet approached the bars and grabbed Eliana's arm to force the girl's attention onto her.
"Because they love you!" Velvet repeated. "What you need to do now is forgive yourself. Once you do that, things will begin to go back to the way that they were." Velvet released her and began to walk away.
"Velvet!" Eliana called out sniffling.
"Yes?" The Faunus asked as she stopped.
"Please tell Neela I'd like to see her," Eliana requested.
"I can't promise that she will," Velvet noted.
"I know," Eliana replied. Velvet nodded, leaving Eliana once more to her thoughts.
I'm sorry, dad. I really am.
A sweet moment between Neela and Shadow. Next week, Chapter 135 - Distraction!
A big thank you to AG_Nonsuch, Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. The 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 safe, stay healthy, and stay classy!