Another day, another chapter, but I wouldn't have it any other way now it's time to get this show on the road. Ok, so change of plans I need to set some things up for down the road, so I'll be putting the tournament arc on hold for a chapter.
Chapter cover- Neo holding someone's hand and smiling from a first-person view.
Ch18- An Icy reputation
Meanwhile
Currently, team Cinder is relaxing in their dorms, when Indigo gets a message on her scroll, she checks it and jumps off her bed before racing to the bathroom.
Emerald knocks on the door, "Uh, Indigo you good?"
"I made a promise to someone that I do something with them today, and I let it slip my mind," Indigo explains what making her rush.
Indigo walks out of the bathroom looking like she's about to go on a date, she's wearing a sleeveless red dress exposing her back, and light red heels.
"I'll be back later tonight," Indigo walks out the room before peeking her head back in, "By the way, if you follow me, I'll shoot, swear to my mother." Leaving this time for sure.
"We're following her, aren't we?" Mercury asks, already knowing the answer.
"Yep." Cinder replies making Mercury sigh.
Cinder and co' follow thirty steps behind, and hide whenever Indigo turns around until she reaches an ice cream parlor, where Neo is sitting at.
"This doesn't seem like a good place to go in date clothes." Emerald chimes in.
"And how would you know?" Mercury retorts, "When have you ever been on a date, Emerald?"
"I have my own life away from you two," Emerald tells Mercury, who rolls his eyes.
"Yeah right." That the breaking point for Emerald before trying to assault Mercury.
Cinder pulls them in an alley and breaks them up, "Enough you two, Indigo almost spotted us."
Indigo thought she heard Emerald and Mercury, [Something up?] Neo types on her scroll.
"Huh, nothing Neo." Indigo pushes the thought out of mind, "I jus-!" Neo interrupts Indigo's train of thought by kissing her on the lips.
Neo breaks away before lifting her Scroll again, [You forgot about our two year anniversary, didn't you?] Indigo starts to visibly sweat.
"What? Me of all people forget, that's impossible." Indigo tries to deny Neo's statement by laughing, "I still remember the day that it all started."
Three years ago
Indigo is waiting around at a cafe for someone associated with Roman Torchwick as they've recently been very disruptive and now Indigo has been sent out to deal with them by any means necessary.
"Now if Natasha's details are correct, then my target has pink and brown hair, and is on the short side." Indigo thins out the crowd for anyone with those details, "This would be much faster and easier if Natasha told what gender my target is." Indigo is a bit ticked off by her sis forgetting to mention such an important piece of information.
"Ah, there you are." Indigo spots someone matching the information she was given eating a bowl of ice cream a few tables down from her.
"So my target is a she huh? That just makes things better for me." Indigo waits for her target to finish eating and walk away before tailing them, she follows some distance away as not to catch her target's suspicion.
After a few turns, her target catches on that they're being followed so Indigo has to change her tactics, and walks behind them and her gun against their back.
"Call for help and I'll pull the trigger." The target keeps their mouth shut, "Good, now let's take this somewhere less crowded." Indigo walks her target to a quiet alley.
"You must think that you'll be able to escape since you didn't even ask me one question during the whole trip. Turn around for me, I want to see the face of someone so bold." The girl does as she told, revealing her short stature, she barely reaches Indigo's neck with heels on. The girl looks angry at being held at gunpoint.
"Listen, before you throw your anger my way I should let you know that you were causing problems, and I was sent to deal with the problem by any means necessary. If they sent anyone else you would already be dead, let me make this clear, I won't kill you. But let me make this clear, keep doing what you're doing and someone else will finish the job." Indigo lower her weapon after stating why she did what she did.
"Note, if we fought I could easily kill you, see that can behind me." Indigo points to the can sitting on top of some garbage, before firing her gun at her feet, however, the bullet doesn't stop and continues to spin on the ground before zooming at a wall and bouncing off it, it does that two more times before hitting its mark.
Indigo picks up the can and shows the girl the exit point, tossing the can away after she proved her point, "Look we both come from some shady backgrounds, and deep down we're looking for someone to call our friend. So how about it?" Indigo holds out her hand, the girl looks at Indigo and then her hand a few times before shaking.
"Great, I'm Indigo Cresta, and you are?" Indigo puts the pieces together when the girl doesn't reply, "You're mute huh?" The girl nods to which Indigo takes a deep breath.
"We'll work around it."
One year later
Over a year, Indigo has made some real progress with the target turned friend, she learned that the girl's name is Neo Politan, and she learned how to communicate with Indigo by typing what she wants to say on her scroll and Indigo learned how to read Neo's face, it nowhere on the level that she and Roman have.
Speaking of Roman, he found her out in the cold with nothing to her name and pretty much gave her the life she has now, but that's all the information either of them will give on the subject. Indigo and Neo have sparred a few times with Indigo teaching Neo how to properly fire a gun and Neo showing Indigo the exercises she uses to liber up making Indigo more agile in the process.
Their relationship has been progressing smoothly but it's hit a major snag, about a month ago Indigo realized that she has feelings for Neo but is scared that if she tells Neo how she feels that Neo might feel disgusted and never want to see her again. So Indigo decided that it would be best if she kept it to herself, however, Neo has learned how to read people and see something is bothering her friend.
[Hey Indigo, what's on your mind?] Neo tries to check that Indigo is alright, but she ignores her by turning her head away, Neo puts her scroll back up to Indigo's face. Indigo gets up and leaves, after that for the next few days Indigo avoids Neo, not answering any of her messages and refusing to hang out.
Neo starts to get worried and talks to one of her sisters to see if she can get some answers, she finds Ulrika, the priest of their group, munching on one of the empty dust containers.
[Ulrika, do you know what's going on with Indigo she isn't talking to me for some reason.] Neo types on her scroll to which Ulrika stops eating and swallow what she still has in her mouth.
"Let me explain, Indigo isn't avoiding you because she hates you, in fact, it's the opposite, Indigo loves you Neo but is afraid that if she told you that you wouldn't feel the same way," Ulrika explains, which shocks Neo.
"Listen, I can set something up for you so you can clear this up yourself." Ulrika offers to help Neo.
[I would appreciate it.] Neo replies.
"Leave it to me."
A day later
Neo was told by Ulrika to head to the docks and wait for Indigo to come, Neo has been waiting around for two hours but Indigo has yet to show up. Neo thinks that Indigo won't show up at all until she points Indigo running down the road wearing her combat gear.
"Ah...ah...sorry for keeping you waiting...ah...I got held up by some Grimm." Indigo states the reason what took her so long and hunched over, catching her breath not noticing she's talking to Neo.
After getting her breath back Indigo finishes what she was about to say, "Anyway, why did you tell me to meet you here, NEO!" Indigo is surprised to find herself talking to Neo, she attempts to walk away before she says something she might regret, but Neo grabs her arm holding her in place.
Neo open her scroll to show the message she prepared for Indigo, [Indigo, Ulrika told me why you've been avoiding me. She said that you are in love with me.] Indigo pulls down her hat to hide her face.
"If you know then I should tell everything. Neo, you're the first person I considered a true friend and I was afraid that you would hate me." Indigo's hat does a good job of hiding her face, but the tears and her voice breaking up tells Neo what's going on under it. Neo can easily move the hat out without much of struggle from Indigo where she finds her trying and failing to hold back tears.
Indigo finally breaks down and falls to her knees, Neo crouches so Indigo can cry into her shoulder, "Please don't leave Neo, Please don't leave,"
Neo types something out on her scroll and pulls Indigo back to show her the message, [Indigo youre the first person besides romen to truly care about me' so i wouldnt mind the idea of us going out] Indigo crying on her shoulder made Neo make a few mistakes but the message still gets the point across. Neo wipes the tears from Indigo's eyes.
"You really would want to go out with someone like me?" Indigo makes sure she read that right, Neo nods and even helps Indigo up to her feet.
Back in the present, Neo finished her ice cream, just as Indigo finishes the story. Neo smiles and starts tapping her spoon against the table.
[Cinder, been, watching, us] Neo taps out in morse code before pointing to the alley, where Cinder and co are peeking from.
"I think they know we're here," Mercury says just as Indigo pulls out one of her revolvers.
"Yep. They know we're here!" Mercury confirms his own suspension, running away as they're showered in a hail of bullets.
"I'M A GIRL OF WORD, WHEN I GET BACK TO THE DORMS YOU'RE DEAD!" Indigo shouts as fires at her teammate, Neo stops Indigo by grabbing her hand and looking her in the face.
"Right, today is about us, I can deal with them later." Indigo tilts Neo's head up and lock lips before they walk away.
Writer: Well this was a lovely change of pace and yes, Indigo and Neo are going out. I'll be working on their relationship as time goes on. That's all I have for now, bye-bye.