Rogue Huntsman
Recruit
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GHOST took them to a dining area, adjacent to the open kitchen separated by a long, bar countertop. The kitchen, from what Arex could see, was mostly white. Everything had that clean, gleaming design to it. Simplistic in a modern way, and with technical marvels.
She couldn't see all of it from over the countertop and where it resided behind its half wall. Its lights were dim in the background too, taking the color away from most of the utilities Arex glimpsed.
And Arex desperately wanted to see more of it. She needed to. She wanted to. She was a kitchen addict because she found comfort in places like that.
It was where she spent most of her younger years, especially in her bakery. The main floor was just that. A big kitchen with a foyer for customers, and just a forge in the back.
So, she felt a little weird staring longingly at the kitchen over the bar as she sat down at one of the wooden tables, positioning herself comfortably in the padded chair.
Her eyes finally worked their way back to the other two here in the dining room, her fingers still interlaced with GHOST's as the AI took a seat to her immediate right.
And Kareina stood just at the large table's edge, placing down one of the kitchen towels handed to her and resting the hot pot on top.
"I can bring a pair of bowls in for you, assuming you haven't brought your own," GHOST suggested, her gray eyes turning to face Kareina.
"Oh, there's no need," she spoke, snapping her fingers. Wisps of white Aura flowed from her fingertip to form three separate bowls and spoons. "There we go!"
She could… make matter too? Outside of just storing and transporting a pot of stew…? Or were the bowls just stored the same way?
Arex lightly plucked one of the spoons up and slid a bowl toward herself, a little surprised to feel actual solid weight in them.
"That works, I guess," Arex spoke softly, tipping her bowl back and forth as she scanned it with her eyes. It looked just like any other glass bowl, just with entwining ornate black motifs decorating its exterior.
"Mrs. Kitsukami, I can't actually eat this stew," GHOST spoke politely as she sat down. "I don't have any organs to digest it."
"Oh? Maybe a spoonful then?"
The AI offered an apologetic smile as she shook her head. "Not even that, I'm afraid. I'm not human. I won't even be able to taste it either, unfortunately."
"Ah, how unfortunate… I assumed you had such a function based off of young Dante's machine friend, Darwin. Sweet lad he is."
"She'd have to be able to break it down somehow, if she did," Arex commented idly, looking back and forth between the two before glancing to the stew.
"The only thing I can consume is water, for the synthetic skin, but solids would destroy the internals of this body," GHOST explained calmly. "If it's any consolation though, the stew looks well-made."
"And smells good," Arex added, more to herself than the others, though. Her stomach lightly growled at her realization, and that only reminded her how light her dinner was before coming here.
She was afraid it wouldn't sit well due to her nerves about coming to the Vault. But now that she was inside, she felt comfortable enough to actually eat something filling.
"Well, help yourself then, sweet Arex," Kareina said, filling up a bowl and sliding it to her. "I hope you'll find the taste quite delectable."
Arex exchanged her empty bowl for the full one and lightly took in some of the scent wafting up from the stew steaming inside it, her tongue already watering from the thought of how savory it must've been.
She was still nervous about just talking with her, but she was brave enough to finally slip her hand out of GHOST's now. If only to make eating easier.
"How… hot is it?" Arex asked quietly, dipping her spoon in to stir the food around a little, a puff of steam wafting up from where her spoon touched. "I'm just asking because I don't want to be… rude, if I don't eat it right away. I'm bad with heat."
"Oh? Well that's fairly strange… With your element being flame I would have assumed heat would be of no consequence to you."
Arex grimaced as Kareina's face turned toward her again, and she couldn't help but shy away from it with a look of mild shame. "Yeah… you'd think."
It was always something she was envious of. Since Anoel didn't have the problem.
"Well, it's not entirely unnatural… I have known dragons that did not fare so well with heat."
Arex's gaze slowly drew back up as she rested her hands in her lap, trying to discreetly let her food cool off. "Dragons?"
The forger's gaze fell on GHOST's for a moment, but she quickly realized her databases probably didn't have them either, if they didn't have phoenix heritage.
"Ah yes… Perhaps since I am here, I should start referring to some as Faunus… Dragon Faunus sweet child. But of course, actual dragons are still quite difficult to hold a conversation with…"
"Okay…" Arex didn't know how to make sense of that. She didn't even know dragons existed on Remnant, if that's what she was referring to. "With Faunus, it makes sense. Since I'm… me, anyway."
She was a mythical creature herself, she figured. But she never saw herself as 'mythical' in the magical sense. Just… rare.
"It makes sense for other types to be out there too. Like Kitsune," Arex said, her eyes finding their way back to Kareina's tails for a moment, her mind immediately drifting off to Kit's own.
They looked… similar, but that may have been just a trait Kitsune shared.
"Indeed. In our society where we came from Kitsune ranged from single tails to nine, with nine being the highest degree of power. Some are born with one tail, others five, and very few with nine. Even so, there is a chance to surpass their current level to gain an additional tail," she explained.
Tails… depicted power? Arex's gaze defaulted to GHOST again, just for the moment, as her mind jumped back to Kit. Her partner only had the three, but the last she checked, she was also pretty sure Kitsuki's lineage had nothing to do with where Kareina was from.
All of… this was so… different. Seeing this woman perform these kinds of things. It was a kind of magic Arex had no idea even existed.
"You're saying that a kitsune can develop more tails the more powerful they get?" Arex asked for clarity, her eyes tracking back to the kitsune in front of her.
"Why yes indeed!" Kareina spoke as her ears perked up happily. "Though, power isn't the only determinant for gaining another tail. There are many other factors involved. Emotional state can also be a factor."
Arex's tongue poked the inside of her cheek as she tried to mull over the facts, trying to figure out if Kitsuki fell into this category or not. She was… leaning toward not. Because she was pretty sure Kit was born with three tails, and it's looked like they've stayed like that.
"It's good to know, I guess," Arex offered, her voice sounding soft again as she returned her attention to her stew. Maybe she could eat a little this time.
She took back up her spoon and lightly lifted a small portion up, blowing on it for a few seconds to make the lingering steam go away.
Thankfully, it wasn't hot enough to burn her. She managed it, but it was still fairly hot.
And unsurprisingly… it tasted as good as it smelled.
"I have a question," a light voice from Arex's right stated collectively. "Why do the tails always come in odd numbers? As opposed to even ones."
Arex lightly smiled at that as she finished her first bite. She couldn't imagine seeing Kit with two or four tails, now that she thought about it. But GHOST may have taken that a little too literally.
"I think they can have any number between one and nine," Arex lightly spoke, a tiny puff of heat leaving her lips from the stew. It was good. Really… good.
GHOST turned to her with a pensive stare. "I see… Interesting. And what threshold of power constitutes an additional tail?"
"Usually by surpassing a previous tier of power. But again, having raw power doesn't necessarily allow one to advance and gain another tail. State of mind plays in the equation, emotions, etc. In fact, my daughter unlocked her ninth tail when in an heightened emotional state."
Arex lightly prodded at her cheek again. That meant… Kit wasn't entirely ruled out, then. If she was stuck in an emotional state all her life without being able to move on.
The AI nodded in understanding. "So… they'd have to be mentally and emotionally stable before they advance?"
"No. They can be in an angered state if the event happening at the time induces strong, emotional reactions. Its other factors come into play besides power."
GHOST's eye momentarily flashed green as she nodded. The AI crossing one leg over the other as she let her hands rest in her lap. "Does this progression only come when the kitsune in question pursues it? By training? Or can it happen naturally?"
"Either or really. For those of us 'born' with nine tails, we unlock our tails one by one as we progress and grow. Other kitsune born with lesser tails have a chance to evolve and gain another tail or two. For instance, a kitsune with three tails can potentially gain nine in the future."
"But… not all, right?" Arex asked, a few bites into her stew, but just idly stirring her food now. "Especially if they've had trouble emotionally?"
"Some may never gain another tail. Others may stop evolving after gaining a certain amount. One aspect of evolution doesn't completely impede or halt one's progression."
Some may never develop, huh…?
"Even if they have the potential to gain another tail? Is it possible to keep that locked away from them?" Arex voiced again, her tone staying soft as she lifted another bite of her stew just over her bowl.
Could someone… keep a kitsune's power capped, just like that? By controlling their emotions?
"The best one can ever hope for is to introduce a physical seal. Even then, it wouldn't last for an extended period of time. It's one of the reasons monks did not particularly enjoy our kind back in older times. We were just that uncontrollable," she said with a shrug.
If that's the case… then maybe Kit just… didn't want to get stronger. Or she didn't fall under this category of kitsune at all, even slightly.
Arex didn't have anything else she wanted to add to that, so she slipped the bite she'd been staring at into her mouth to slowly finish off.
"Is there mayhaps an issue with your partner, sweet Arex? Is that why you have been asking so much about our kind?"
The girl's delicate brow knit together as she chewed, her eyes immediately falling away from the question at hand.
"I was just curious," she muttered after swallowing.
"Now now, no need to be shy. Inuba has told me much of your adorable counterpart. Share, if it would please you."
But… she couldn't help but be shy about this, and avoidant. "I'm just… worried about her, is all."
She hoped that admission was enough.
"It is only natural to be worried about… Oh…" Kareina paused, raising a hand to her mouth to hide a brief flash of a smile that soon crossed her lips. "I see I see… You must worry on a daily basis then."
Arex grimaced again at seeing the look Kareina gave her, confused. "I do… but I don't see why that's important."
"Look look ms. Ghost," the kitsune started as she leaned toward the phoenix, hand still covering her mouth. "See how flustered she becomes when mentioning her partner?"
O-oh… so that's what she meant.
Arex's reserved grumble sounded more like a whimper as she shrunk a little under the announcement, her face immediately reddenning.
GHOST nodded and turned to Arex, offering the girl a smile before returning her neutral gray eyes back to Kareina.
Arex was glad GHOST didn't make a big deal of it. She was probably used to it, by now.
"Can we not talk about that?" Arex muttered, half tempted to just shovel a small portion of stew into her mouth to give her an excuse not to respond.
GHOST suddenly looked a little startled, staring distantly at the far wall before muttering to herself. "Oh, a new record…"
After a couple of seconds of staring at the wall, her eyes and face relaxed before returning her focus back to the table and its occupants.
"Ray?" Arex asked, her eyes taking in GHOST's weird side-track.
The AI just hummed affirmatively in response.
Ray was distracting himself, it seemed. And making sure his arm worked.
"Oh? Is he practicing for a task? Learning something new mayhaps?"
"No, he's making sure his arm's fully functional still after I patched him up," GHOST returned coolly. "He also doesn't want to be here right now."
"Understandably." Kareina nodded. "Did he once cross paths with a kitsune? Is that perhaps why he seems somewhat hostile towards me?"
The AI reluctantly nodded as she gave Kareina an apologetic look. "He doesn't like your kind for a reason I'm not at liberty to discuss. In fact, he doesn't get along with most people, but he has a particular grudge against kitsune."
"Now that I think of it, my daughter has mentioned a rather unbearable ruffian as of late… Now I know who," she eagerly stated. "Though I suppose young Dante wasn't much different when he was of a younger age."
"Oh… Ray really doesn't like the extraterrestrial…" GHOST murmured.
"My 'leader' doesn't either," Arex added. "I've never asked why."
"How strange… Has he been misbehaving? I thought I told him to behave himself and avoid getting into trouble… Oooo, the conversation I will have with him when next I see him…"
"Ray's not a fan of people poking into his private business, from what I understand. And from what Ray has told me, Dante is showing an interest that is unwarranted and… annoying," GHOST explained carefully.
Kareina let out a sigh. "That boy… Honestly… I'm afraid that is simply how he is. Once something catches his interest, he makes it a point to understand it completely, curious lad that he is."
GHOST grimaced slightly as she heard that. "Ray hates that kind…"
"Well… It's not a childishly driven curiosity really. How did he once put it...? Ah yes, 'I'd rather take the time to understand something in its entirety for as long as I need to so I don't get screwed over later', is the phrase that he used."
"Then he's in for more verbal abuse. Ray's privacy means a lot to him," GHOST stated, though her tone was a little lower than before.
"Understandably. I will have words with young Dante when I can. He may attempt to avoid our weekly phone calls, but I assure you… there's no escaping…" she said speaking in an ominous tone briefly, keeping her smile about her.
Arex swallowed hard at that tone in a slight shiver, having been picking at her food and eating more of it as she avoided the conversation.
She… really didn't want to talk about Niro.
He'd hear her.
"It'd be much less stressful for everyone if Ray was just left alone. It's how he prefers things," GHOST said softly. "It's always been like that, too."
"I'm sure he and young Dante will find common ground. Eventually."
'Eventually' was the key word there, Arex figured. It… took a lot for Ray to warm up to anyone, especially after rough starts.
Though Arex's involvement in the conversation flipped when GHOST turned to the phoenix with a firm gaze. "Arex, I think it's nearly time for you and Ray to go back to Ly's. He has something for you, regarding your membership."
"Oh, right…" She'd just joined Sentinel and all, she didn't really know what came next. Just accepting the offer took a lot out of her.
The girl quietly stood up, her bowl mostly empty now as she fixed her chair, giving Kareina an apologetic gaze.
"Oh? Is this a membership for a secret club?"
"I'm not supposed to talk about it," Arex replied, giving a small dip of the head. "Thank you for the food. It was good, and I liked the way you marinated it. It really made the beef tender and tasteful."
The phoenix offered a small smile in return to the meal as she pushed her chair in.
"I'm not usually a fan of meat, so..." Arex trailed off, but she got the point across.
"Ah, your words of praise alone have more worth to me than gold, Sweet Arex. I am very humbled," Kareina said with a polite bow.
She keeps calling me that… Arex's smile turned awkward as her shoulders shrunk in a little. "It's… polite to thank a cook for good food, so yeah."
She didn't know if she should return the bow.
But she didn't need to, since GHOST was already helping to escort her out of the room.
"I'll leave you to exit the same way you entered. I need to get Arex and Ray onto a bird and fly them out," GHOST spoke behind her, and Arex glanced back too just to give a small wave to the woman.
"What?! You possess large creatures to ride upon in the skies here as well?!"
GHOST flashed a very confused expression before slowly shaking her head.
"No… I meant aircraft…"
Arex was a little disheartened to leave the Vault after only seeing 4 levels of it, but they needed to head back.
It was just a visit, anyway. It wasn't supposed to be an all day endeavor.
Still… she kinda wanted it to be.
She stayed on the open door of the dropship for a few long seconds, almost reluctant to drop onto the marble below and finally let go of any chances of heading back to the Vault tonight.
But she resigned to it. Eventually.
The coastal breeze from the ocean had died down a little once she stepped out. It was much stronger earlier in the day. Black sneakers landed softly on the balcony ground as the wind slipping around the airship's hull wrapped around her now as well.
It was an inviting embrace, its cool touch sifting through her black hair as she straightened up on the balcony and glanced to the windows.
GHOST mentioned Ray had something for her, and a little information as well regarding her admission into Sentinel once they were back.
She didn't really know what that'd be though, or if there were any special protocols she'd need to know about.
Ray hopped out of the back of the dropship and landed on the balcony just behind her, waving off the quiet aircraft to dismiss it from the area before he turned to face the phoenix.
"Arex," he spoke out to garner her attention.
The wind fluttering Arex's glossy hair disturbed some of the golden blonde locks protruding out from the hem of Ray's violet beanie as he looked to her.
"You're going to need this. I trust you'll know what to do with it, but you won't be much of a member without it."
His amethyst eyes regarded her neutrally as he pulled a small box out from the pocket of his purple jacket.
The box he offered Arex was small, even smaller than the one her holographic projector came in, and it had Sentinel's all-seeing eye symbol on the lid.
A symbol Arex suddenly realized she should get used to seeing.
Because her name was attached to it now.
She gently took it when he offered it, pulling it into a careful grasp in both hands as she looked over its golden engraving.
It was light, but it almost seemed like the box itself was slightly weighted.
Not from the contents inside, but just from the encasement.
The phoenix silently pulled the lid off to find a black cushioned CPU chip nestled inside. Something she recognized to be compatible with her scroll.
Or any scroll-device, actually.
"This chip was designed specifically to closely mimic the one you use now, plus a couple of upgrades here and there while I had the time to do so," Ray explained casually as he maintained his gaze on her. "It shouldn't feel any different to your one, save the speed and power efficiency."
Arex's eyes slowly traced the golden soldering on the black chip's thin surface, a small smile forming in thanks, but also in growing meekness.
She'd custom-built her scroll's chip over the expanse of a year…
It was… almost embarrassing to know he could easily replicate it just like that.
"You can put this in your scroll, or go out and buy a whole new one for it, but you're going to need it in order to do anything Sentinel-related," Ray continued. "It'll grant you free, open access to the Vault, and GHOST can seamlessly connect to your scroll, instead of the patchy bullshit she uses now."
Arex gently slid the lid back into place to close the box as she looked up from it with a nod, keeping a careful grip of it in the calming wind. "I still like using my own scroll, so I'll install it tonight. Thank you."
Her mind immediately jumped to the open access of the Vault, and she couldn't help but smile a little at that.
It'd also be less straining on GHOST too, to stick around in her scroll so often. Which was nice for Arex to hear.
"There's a soldering iron in the toolbox under the kitchen sink, spare solder too if you need it. I figured you'd want it in as soon as possible anyway," Ray placed his hands in his jeans pockets as he spoke. "I also don't need to ask you what your nickname will be either. So welcome to Sentinel, Sparrow."
Arex's smile grew when she heard that name, her eyes looking out at the ocean for a second as she realized what that meant.
Was she… actually moving up a little, with her projects? Like Ly was hoping she'd do? Or did she already know Ray was going to recruit her eventually?
"I've grown fond of the name, so I'm happy to use it," Arex replied, looking down to the box again for a few seconds before her voice grew lighter in the soft wind. "Do the others know?"
"They've known for a while, and were probably betting on when you'd say yes." Ray's reply was blunt and straight to the point as he turned and leaned against the corner glass railing, facing the distant night ocean.
Arex's grin grew a little sheepish as she tilted her head with an awkward chuckle, still feeling nervous, but at least willing to get past her apprehension in accepting. "Of course they would. I got the impression everyone just silently knew about it, but never said anything to me."
It was probably to keep the pressure of the decision from feeling forced.
"I wanted to convince you to join while still making sure it was your choice. With the money, you took it but looked apprehensive about doing so. With GHOST, you came to me to investigate her and then accepted her protection without a second thought. And with the Vault, I knew from the look on your face that you wanted to go and visit," Ray listed off evenly as he spared a moment to look at her.
He… he didn't have to rub it in like that. These kinds of decisions were always hard on her.
"In the end, this was your decision, not a peer pressure impulse."
Arex's fingers started to fiddle awkwardly with the box in her hands as her sheepishness grew, eyes looking away again as they found their way to the dark waves below. "Sorry for taking so long, even after all that. And… thanks for being patient with me."
"You're a valuable asset, Arex. Don't apologize for acting like one. In the end, you did what I wanted in the first place. And that was make a decision," Ray said calmly, returning his gaze to the rising tide below. "Doesn't matter if you said yes or no, at least I can safely say you're not the puppet I thought you were after I hacked you."
She still felt bad he had to do so much to lead her to that decision, but she was happy to have actually gotten that far in her little world. She usually always avoided things like this. "I'm excited to see what I can do then. I just… hope all the effort pays off."
"And I look forward to handing you the new forge I'm building and a near limitless supply of materials to work with, it's a win-win for both of us." Ray placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder as he pushed himself upright.
Arex's eyes brightened as she averted her gaze again, realizing how much she could actually do with that freedom.
"Once this Quinn shit is over, I'll also help you with your affinity. If that's what you want, of course."
But it all came reeling back in for a moment, the girl's eyes losing their luster as they lowered slightly against the night backdrop. "You don't have to do that."
"You're right. I don't. But I have a facility built for the sole purpose of helping other people. Wouldn't make sense if I didn't offer that to you," Ray began walking toward the apartment as he said that. "After all, I think we can both agree that Beacon still isn't the safest place to train you."
He was right when he said that. She knew that. But… she didn't know if she could actually get past her problem in the first place.
Not with how much it held her back.
"I'd…" she slowly started to say, lowering her chin as she heard his steps grow closer to the sliding glass door. "I'd love to say yes, but I doubt you'd get very far with me. I'm just happy to help in non-combat scenarios for now, if I can."
Ray's steps stopped just before the door. "I'm not asking you to fight. There are others that can do that in your place. I'm giving you this offer because you need it."
Her grip on the box in her hands grew tighter as she heard the glass door slide open, light from inside pouring across the balcony as the curtains were ushered aside.
Then the door closed, and that light disappeared.
Leaving Arex in the dark again.
She wished he knew… just how much she wanted that.
She didn't just need it.
"She coming in soon?" Anoel asked, arms resting on the top of the couch's backrest as she peered over it.
Ray returned the gaze she gave him and shrugged. "She has some things to reflect on. I can't give you an answer."
Ano hummed softly as she placed her chin on her folded arms, eyes regarding him with a careful, but neutral stare.
It was actually more tired and relaxed than anything else.
"She'll come in eventually. She gets cold easily," Anoel said, glancing over to the hat she rested on the top corner of the couch.
Seyda was still asleep at her side, cuddled into the cushions and pillows. Anoel had long since extracted the feline's tail from her tight, protective clutches.
It gave her something to pet. And she wanted to show Kitsuki that it was alright to touch it.
The kitsune wasn't being subtle about how longingly she was staring at the furry appendage either.
But, after a little while of the mute girl petting Seyda's tail Anoel draped over the kitsune's lap, the info-broker managed to curl the girl up with the tail and put her to sleep with an extensive ear rub.
It was cute. Seeing Kit curl her own fluffy tails up around her body to entangle themselves with the fur of Seyda's long tail and entwine with her tucked legs.
It'd only taken an hour for Ano to finally wiggle herself out from under the dense thing.
But at least she was finally out.
"You know she's gonna want to go out once she wakes, right?" Ly called from across the breakfast bar, the thief fixing herself an adult beverage. "Seyda's not one to sit at home and do nothing."
Anoel glanced down to the feline faunus with a quirk of a delicate brow, eventually turning that gaze back to Ly by the kitchen. "She's slept all day. But I suppose she'll want to work once her nocturnal shift rolls around…"
She frowned for a moment that it might involve waking Kit up, but it'd be amusing to see.
"She'll have to deal with a sleeping tail-offender when she does. But I'm sure she won't mind," Ano said.
"Why do you think she's slept all day? You two kept her lulled into unconsciousness," Ly replied with a little smirk as she walked over and took a seat on the couch next to them.
Anoel adjusted herself as Ly joined her, moving to a more open position away from the mess of white tails between Seyda's and Kit's curled frames to welcome the thief.
It took a little crawling, but her eyes drifted over once she and Ly settled in.
Ly held a drink in both hands as she pulled her legs up and laid them across the cushions, body sinking back into the couch as she curled into Ano's side.
"Well, it's not my fault my fingers can get a little heated when I touch things. If anything, it's Seyda's for deciding to sleep with her tail accessible in my curious vicinity," Anoel offered, peering into the glass Ly walked over with to try to distinguish what it was.
"You stole her tail out from under her with more care than I put into that emerald you tipped me off to," Ly countered as she rolled her eyes playfully.
"I really wanted it," Anoel said, resting her head on Lylac's shoulder. Her own body was still sore, so she didn't want to move very much.
Ano held a sharp breath as she brought her own legs onto the couch and rested them over Ly's lap, tucking into the woman's side to enjoy the heat she brought with her.
"Whatcha drinking?" she asked in a quiet hum, keeping a half-lidded gaze in her comfort.
"I dunno. I just mixed it together, like a lab experiment," Ly replied, pink eyes peering into Ano's own. "Try some."
The little hum leaving Ano's pressed lips grew curious as the info-broker delicately plucked the glass from Ly's fingers, taking a little sip to test the flavor.
It wasn't startlingly strong, but it had a little kick.
"Sweet," Anoel concluded, eyeing the blue color for a few moments. "And no aftertaste. That's good."
"Yeah… it almost tastes like fruit." Ly's smirk widened knowingly as she stared at Ano smugly.
Anoel took another sip to hide her amused smile away, slipping the glass back into Ly's grasp a moment later to rest her head on her slender shoulder again. "Do you know what else tastes like fruit?"
Her voice was happily innocent as she spoke that, closing her eyes peacefully against Ly's body.
"You do," Ly's voice was happily guilty as she quickly replied.
A small blush formed on Ano's cheeks as she hummed in thought, opening her eyes again to peer back at Ly's amused gaze.
She wondered if she could see her red cheeks.
"I was going to say juice," Ano murmured playfully. "But I guess not all juice comes from fruit."
"If you're thirsty, I have both…" Ly remarked casually before sipping her drink.
Anoel gave a long hum as she watched Ly's face, soon nuzzling herself back into Lylac's shoulder as she let a relaxed smile splay across her lips. "I think I'll be just fine drinking in your warmth like this and sharing that little drink you made."
Ano's body settled in again as the sound of the balcony door opening quietly cut into the room, wind rustling the white curtains slightly before it closed away.
"Hey Arex, how was your visit?" Ly asked as she turned to regard the girl with a happy smile.
The girl's eyes turned back to look at Ly as she returned the smile, hugging her lithe arms to herself. After a moment, Arex quietly made her way further into the warm room to cross into the living area.
"I only got to see a few levels, but I'm excited to go back. I already have a favorite room there, too," Arex responded evenly, leaning down to cross one foot over the back of the other as she rested her arms on the couch's backrest.
"Would it be Level 7, by any chance?" Ly asked amusedly.
Arex's smile grew softer as she tapped the tip of her sneaker against the carpet, eyes roaming down to her partner curled up on the cushions. "Easily."
Lylac's smile widened a little as she nodded. "Yep. You and Ray both. GHOST seems to attract nerds."
The AI's holographic figure appeared on Ano's legs staring up at Ly with a cross look on her face, her arms crossed, and tapping her left foot.
"In the good way."
Arex rolled her eyes at that as she smiled in amusement, watching Anoel's slim finger start to poke and prod at GHOST's little head. "Well, she had no trouble attracting a nerd like me then. I didn't stand much of a chance."
Anoel's own gaze cocked to the side for a moment as she smirked. "Arex, I can put you on the end of a fishing line and still reel you around like a little fluttering feather if it meant taking you somewhere you can cutely geek out."
Her little sister's face immediately went red in retaliation to that.
But it was still true.
"I'm sure her next visit will be a lot of fun, considering there was no way in hell she'd see everything in a single night. It'd easily take a week to see all the interesting things the Vault has to offer," Ly supplied, casually ushering GHOST's avatar toward Arex.
Anoel's gaze dropped back down as Arex's averted, the action almost impossible not to read in full from her sister as GHOST floated beside her.
It was surprisingly straightforward.
"Well, it's a good thing she can go back with GHOST whenever she wants then," Anoel commented, dancing a casual set of delicate fingers over Ly's bare arm playfully. "I'm sure she has full access now."
Arex's eyes immediately went a little wide as the short girl stared down at Ano on the couch, the older sister smirking to herself as she rested the side of her head back against Ly's arm.
Ly turned to face Arex with a little smirk. "Yeah… we know."
The young phoenix's gaze danced between the two sitting together on the couch before sighing, slumping into the arms she had pressed into the top of the backrest.
"I-I guess it was pretty obvious then, wasn't it…?" she asked lightly.
"Honey, there wasn't a single one of us who didn't have money down on when you'd finally cave," Anoel commented back, gazing over Ly's shoulder now with a coy smile.
"Even Kitsuki there placed money on it," Ly added, mimicking the info-broker.
Arex just gaped at that, face going a little red as she lowered her chin away from the twin stares. Reflexively trying to hide from them. "S-Seriously?"
Ly giggled before shaking her head. "No, I'm just kidding. She probably had no idea. She was more interested in Seyda's tail, took her an hour to really realise you weren't here."
"O-Oh…" Arex muttered, drifting her gaze back to her partner curled up on the couch beneath her. It wasn't until now the phoenix noticed the foreign tail clung possessively to Kit's sleeping body.
She told Kit she was leaving, so she knew that must've been an act from the kitsune.
But she didn't think Kit would try so hard to absently distract herself before getting tired enough to fall asleep without Arex being here with her.
She always hated it when the phoenix wasn't around.
"That reminds me," Arex quietly said, eyes growing softer now as she returned them to Ly's gaze. "Will Ray freak out if I bring Kit with me to the Vault?"
Lylac's smirk dropped before her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Define 'freak out'."
Arex sucked in an unsure breath as her voice rose a little in pitch, mulling over how she wanted to put that. "As in, he won't let her in."
Ly took a small breath herself before setting her glass on Ano's legs, hand still clasping it. The chilled glass pulled a tiny whimper out of Ano and a deeper cuddle for warmth in response.
"It depends on how much he trusts her… He's… not a fan of Kitsune, to say the least."
Arex silently nodded to that. She… kind of realized that with what happened at the Vault earlier. With Kareina. "Should I wait to bring it up? We just had a run-in with one today… I don't think he'd like it if I asked him about it tonight."
"He had a run-in…? At the Vault?" Ly asked as her eyes narrowed slightly.
Arex just bit her lip in response to that, not really sure how to put it. "It was… my classmate's mom…"
"Inuba… Yeah… not sure if you can tell, but he really doesn't like that group of people," Ly murmured as she brought her glass back up to her lips. "They irk him."
"Yeah, I could tell," Arex murmured back, fingers starting to tug a little at the material of the couch as she tapped the tip of her sneaker into the floor again. "Does he associate Kit with that group at all?"
"Not that I can tell. He takes the Vault very personally and likes to know exactly what's going on at all times there. I suppose if you were to ask him, he'd take the request more seriously," Ly softly replied. "So long as she's not prone to touch everything she sees, it should be okay."
Arex pursed her lips for a moment as she sighed, resting the tip of her sneaker down to balance behind the back of her supporting foot. "Then… I have a chance of convincing him to let me, so long as I keep a careful eye on her."
"He won't have to worry about her touching anything, though," Anoel chimed in quietly, sounding a little drowsy as she rested her head more comfortably into the crook of Ly's neck. "Kit's only point of interest inside a place like that would be the girl taking her in with her."
Arex's eyes fell back to Anoel for a moment in a blank stare, before looking away again in a growing fluster. "She's not really a fan of techy stuff like I am."
"I'd like to think he'd be okay with it. But to really find out for sure, you'd have to ask him," Ly supplied calmly as she smiled again. "And put up a pretty strong set of conditions to follow. He tends to favor people who keep to their word."
Arex let out a little breath as she nodded to that. "I'll ask him… and I will, thanks. I just… need to think of a good way to word it."
"Tell him you'll put her on a leash and he'll be fine," Anoel cut in again, starting to try less and less to keep herself upright on the couch.
She was starting to lean more of herself into Ly's body as her arms wrapped around Lylac's torso, starting to drift off.
"Comfortable, Ano?" Ly asked as she raised her arm to wrap it around the info-broker's shoulders.
As Arex watched Anoel hum drowsily in response to that, she couldn't help but smile a little at the interaction between them.
She'd been kind of waiting for something like this to happen.
"She gets tired when she's on the mend from injuries," Arex informed quietly, tilting her head slightly to sway her raven hair a little. "It happens every time."
"I know…" Ly murmured with a smile. "Feel free to join in, you look a little tired yourself."
Arex bit her lip again as she actually considered that, but she slowly shook her head before pushing herself away from the couch to stand again. "I'm tired, but I have something I want to install tonight. And I should probably put Kit to bed, too… before Seyda wakes up."
The girl's eyes drifted back to her partner on the couch, her lithe body still curled up loosely beneath the cover of her three tails. Two fox ears twitched silently on the kitsune's head, but only from the subtle sounds of the room around her.
Kit had that passive, lax look on her cute face. The way she always looked when she was sleeping peacefully.
"If you can successfully pry Kit from that bushy tail in her arms, I'll be surprised," Ly replied amusedly as her eyes fell on the two sleeping next to Ano. "Argent will probably mock Seyda all week if he sees it."
Arex quietly made her way around the couch to get to her partner, giving her a passive look of thought as she entertained what Ly mentioned for a second. "I'm almost tempted to leave her here long enough for Argent to witness it, but I don't want Seyda getting mad at Kit for stealing her tail."
"What's the time, actually?" Ly asked the phoenix as she lifted Ano's bare legs from across her own, shifting the woman slightly to move her body fully onto her own lap.
"Late. Almost eleven, actually."
The blonde hummed in response, Arex watching for a moment as Ly wrapped her arms around the sleeping info-broker's frame, the thief keeping a careful and affectionate gaze on Ano's face to make sure she wasn't disturbing her sleep.
Arex really appreciated that.
"She really likes you, you know," Arex pointed out quietly, leaning over Kitsuki's curled up body to gently pinch and rub the kitsune's ears from base to tip.
After the second stroke, the kitsune's arms went lax enough for Arex to softly withdraw Seyda's tail, the phoenix making sure she moved one of Kit's own tails over to replace it.
"After getting her butt handed to her like this, I can tell," Ly replied softly as she brushed some of Ano's hair out of her sleeping face, then tenderly held her head against her chest. "The feeling's mutual though."
Arex calmly lifted Kitsuki's light body into her arms. The kitsune's legs draped toward the ground while her white head lulled against the phoenix's chest, but the girl otherwise stayed fast asleep.
Her gaze drew back to Ly as she stood up, a distant, but caring look meeting with Ly's own.
"I don't think she's accepted that yet… That anyone can feel that way about her," Arex said softly, gazing at how tenderly Ly held Anoel against her.
"She may have good eyes, but she's still blind…" Ly murmured.
Arex drew her gaze away as she slowly made her way back around the couch, drifting her eyes back to the door to the room she was staying in.
But her voice found its way back to Ly, even quieter than it was before.
"I don't want to be the one to say it… but I know she's too afraid to admit it on her own. Even though she acts like she can." Arex turned a soft gaze back to Ly on the couch, keeping Kit held closely in her arms. "She's in love with you, Ly."
Ly's face went lax as the tiniest hint of red emitted from her cheeks, her eyes briefly breaking contact with Arex's to look at Ano for a moment before returning to the forger with a smile.
She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to.
"Just…" Arex's voice fell into a breathless whisper as she dropped her gaze to the ground, "don't let her run away from it. She's afraid of taking that leap."
When her gaze drew back to the couch, she caught the small nod of Ly's head.
Smile never falling.
It was a reassuring sight to see. Arex just wished Anoel wasn't going to be quick to run this time.
She gets that way when something really mattered to her.
Especially when she wanted to hold onto it forever.
She was… good at denying herself that.
Arex quietly turned around, eyes falling to a figure standing in the hallway behind her. But all she met was a pair of shades when she cast her gaze up to his face.
Argent was awake.
The boy silently stared down at Arex for a few moments before nodding at her, face neutral in its pale appearance.
She just gave him a faint smile in return before making her way past him, his frame stepping aside to let her through as she disappeared into her room.
Oh, hey, Arex is part of Sentinel now.
Also shipping.
And character relations. Plot's calming down. Conflict incoming?
For now, Favorite and Follow.
I look forward to seeing REVIEWS for this. You'll be introduced to a LOT of concepts of mine. Feel free to give me your thoughts.
Cya XP
Omake: by Xera Stark and andy2396
"Look look ms. Ghost," Kareina stated as she leaned towards Arex, hand covering her mouth. "See how flustered she becomes when mentioning her partner?"
Oh… Arex whimpered softly as she shrunk a little under the announcement, her face immediately reddening. So that's what she's on about…
She didn't eat the kitsune's stew to be called out like this… she was eating it to be polite.
And she was hungry.
She missed most of dinner, after all, despite helping make it.
"So…?" Kareina asked, failing to pull GHOST's attention as the AI regarded Arex with a neutrally casual look. She was used to this kind of behavior from the phoenix.
It was practically predictable by now.
"Have you courted her yet?" Kareina asked excitedly.
What little food was currently in Arex's mouth quickly made its way down Arex's throat in a fiery swallow, coughing as soon as it was out of the way.
Face turning redder with a squeaked response coming back out of her.
"W-What?"
"Young Dante has spoken tales of how you take longing glances at your little partner. I believe he said 'She's very likely head over tails for her', or something to that degree."
Arex's chin dipped down into her arms, bowl quickly scooting ahead of her as she tucked away viciously red cheeks behind her sleeves.
"T-That's not h-his place to say…" she murmured in a soft muffle into the light fabric of her sweater.
Even her arms felt the heat radiating straight through the fireproof fabric, Arex's nose burying further into the crook of her arm.
"I thought 'to court someone' is usually referred to in the sexual manner," GHOST chimed in, eyes glancing up for a moment as if reading from a definition. "To which I can safely say, Arex has not 'courted' Kitsuki as of yet. But is close to."
Arex's eyes immediately narrowed into a heated glower at the AI, her heart screaming in very loud and thumping betrayal from the pain of that backstab.
"Courting isn't entirely sexual you know? It starts off with wooing your target in a manner of ways until finally one takes the other spontaneously."
"S-Spontaneously…?" Arex's voice cracked, as quiet as it already was.
"Yes… Anywhere…" Kareina said as she leaned in closer from across the table, "at any time…"
Arex adopted the very old strategy of imitating a cute tomato as she buried her face fully into her arms, steam starting to slip up from her bangs and around her ears.
"I believe one of those steps has already been achieved, though. From my observations and conversations with the kitsune, she's already been enthralled," GHOST informed, not helping Arex's case at all. "If anything, Kitsuki would be the one to take Arex if given the chance."
"Oho!" Kareina said with a pleased smile. "Careful now young Arex. Our kind are known for 'pouncing' at unexpected times."
The poor phoenix reached full red as she simmered in her little heap of feathers at the table, trying and failing to shrink even smaller in her seat with every passing second.
This needed to stop. She couldn't handle this.
"Oh, I think she knows. She's just waiting for it because she's afraid Kit doesn't feel the same way," GHOST chirped teasingly, having the nerve to smile innocently at Arex's side. "Notice how she hasn't denied anything yet."
A sudden quake softly shook the mountain overhead, flashing the lights of the Vault for a moment as Arex whimpered into her arms.
Was the room getting hotter? She was feeling hot… really hot…
The room was definitely getting hotter.
"That's… odd," GHOST murmured, looking up at the ceiling. "We're leagues underground. Tremors from the surface shouldn't be reaching this far."
"Perhaps there are tiny creatures digging about?" Kareina offered.
"We did have an invasive Dremoha problem a while back, but that was swiftly dealt with," GHOST replied, turning her gaze to the eastward wall. "This is…"
Another quake cut the lights this time, violently shaking the entire kitchen and compound before the white lighting kicked back on.
"Definitely not something small," GHOST finished. "It's closing in on us."
Another quake, this one actually cracking the eastern wall of the kitchen as the occupants rocked on the shaking floor.
"This is bad," GHOST quickly surmised, glancing around rapidly for the defensive protocols to take action. "It's drilling through the planet to get to us. I don't... There isn't anything installed to drill out there and-"
The crack in the white, metal-plated, armored wall shattered in a webbing of dislodged, broken fragments in an inward explosion of debris.
Sunlight broke through the seams of dust and cascading rock, revealing a dark, muskily shrouded silhouette in the catching rays of the sun.
And how that sunlight was even reaching them was beyond GHOST's comprehension.
The figure was humanoid. Dangerously so. And it held something blocky and solid in its right hand.
Maybe a hammer?
Wait…
GHOST's scanners immediately picked up signs of something bready and saucy inside the presumed battering device, the AI's eyes widening as Arex stood up from the table.
When the dust finally settled, Arex groaned inwardly, her blush still bright and simmering on her cheeks as she eyed the one who just literally broke into the Vault.
"Couldn't you have called?" the phoenix asked, closing the distance between herself and the new guest to brush some of the heavy layers of dirt resting on his coat.
Of all places, Niro just had to come here.
"Your sister wanted me to give you this," Niro returned evenly, as if this wasn't out of the ordinary. The layers of dirt and stone riddling his attire slipped away in the next moment, as if his body repelled the damn stuff as he lifted a lunchbox into view. "Ly fixed you something to eat."
This… this was unimaginable.
"Y-You could've used the door…" Arex muttered, softly taking the black lunchbox Niro offered her. "GHOST would've let you in."
"I did use a door," Niro deadpanned.
Arex's feathers immediately bristled. "T-That's not what I meant!"
Niro simply turned away and started heading back where he came from.
A steeply diagonal, nearly vertical tunnel straight back to the surface.
Arex just stood there panting, still red.
Why was everybody Arex knew so weird…?
"Well now, that was a pleasant surprise. We had the opportunity to see what people call a westerner, or cowboy," the kitsune stated, the only one unperturbed by all that.
Arex sighed in another tiny whimper as the hole in front of her started to close up, reassembling itself after Niro's exit.
"I-I'm…" the phoenix quietly whispered, an uneven voice matching how lost she suddenly felt. "I'm going home..."