Setting: Kingdom of Atlas
"This is the place. Nice, right?" Silver asked the others.
The team stood in front of a large multistory building that served as a hotel. It was impressive to them, but not Silver and the other citizens of Atlas who saw this as another run of the mill building within the kingdom.
"Impressive," Zelts answered while looking at the extravagance of the building.
"That's an understatement," Azura replied.
"Can we actually afford to stay here?" Lily asked, doubting whatever amount of Lien they had would cover a room.
Remus didn't say anything because he was looking straight up to figure out exactly how tall this building was. They were all acting like tourist which was pretty accurate since this was their first time in the kingdom of Atlas.
"Enough gawking. Let's get some rooms." Silver led the team into the hotel building's lobby.
Zelts and Silver went to the front desk to see what kind of rooms they could get, leaving the others to hangout in the lobby. Azura and Lily sat on a sofa while Remus sat on a chair, looking up at the chandelier with his mind on a usual subject.
"How close do you guys think Violet is from here?" Remus asked aloud.
Azura and Lily looked to him then each other before Lily answered, "I'm sure she's close by. It's only a matter time before we see her."
"She'd better be here," Azura answered curtly. "We went through a whole lot of shit to get here so if she's not here, I'm kicking her ass the next time I see her."
Remus smiled at Azura's strange way of saying Violet was in Atlas. "I'm sure she'd like that."
"I'm sure she wouldn't," Lily said, not understanding why Violet would like getting her ass kicked.
"Okay, we got two rooms," Silver said as he approached the three of them with Zelts.
"Unfortunately, we spent almost all of our money just to get standard rooms and we only have them for tonight," Zelts informed.
"Guess we'll have to make tomorrow the big day. We find the Underlands, grab Violet then get out of here," Lily summarized.
"What'll we do once we have her?" Azura asked.
No one said anything for a while until Zelts said, "We'll figure something out."
"That does not inspire confidence," Azura said.
"True, but we've been winging it all this time so it doesn't really come as a shock," Lily retorted as she got up from her seat then asked, "Which floor are our rooms?"
Setting: Penthouse
On the top floor of the same hotel, Ebony was wearing the tuxedo she planned to wear at the Schnee Dust Company Charity Concert. Ebony was rather similar to Violet when it came to their taste in clothes. She hated wearing dresses and skirts just like Violet at felt more comfortable in a suit. Ebony appeared more like a boy than a girl thanks to the suit combined with her androgynous looks.
"How do I look-" Ebony was about to ask Blood but stopped when he entered the living room in a suit and tie.
Blood was dressed in a black suit with a red shirt and a dark red tie. His wings were out but he planned to have them kept to his backside so they wouldn't draw too much attention. His white hair with his red highlights gave him an attractive allure that was working on Ebony.
"Aren't you handsome? And I get to have you all to myself. I hope no one gets jealous."
Ebony's teasing made Blood slightly uncomfortable even if it reminded him of Clair's usual jesting comments. The bat faunus saw a lot of Clair in Ebony since he starting working for her. He didn't if it was because they similar personality-wise or if these were genetic traits of the Vantablack family. Blood also noticed that Ebony enjoyed fawning over men. In a way, she was also like C.P. who constantly hit on any women with a pulse.
"My liege-"
"We're not in the presence of others, Ash. Just call me by my first name. It won't kill you," Ebony interrupted as she admired her retainer in his suit. She even took a mental image to fawn over later.
"E-Ebony, do we have to wear these now? The Concert Charity is tomorrow."
"I know. I just want to see how we look in these before going out. You can take yours off, Ash. I know a suit make you feel restricted."
"Thank you, my liege," Blood responded before going to his room to remove his suit and put his normal clothes back on.
Ebony rolled her eyes at him because he called her liege again instead of her name.
Setting: Team VRSZ's Hotel Rooms
It was finally nighttime and Team VRSZ were in their rooms on the sixth floor. There was nothing else they could really do today despite Remus insisting there was. Zelts explained that their fight with the Wendigo, surviving an avalanche, getting to the kingdom, and finding a place to stay was enough for them. Remus started pouting but Zelts knew he'd get over it soon.
Tomorrow was the day Team VRSZ planned to find Violet. Her teammates knew her backstory so they were aware her family was a noble one so asking about the Underlands wouldn't be as difficult as it was in the slums. Once they learn where the Underlands lived, they intend to get Violet and figure out a way to leave together. After all, Violet has always been the strategist of the team. She'll have a better plan to escape than any of them. For now, they just had to enjoy the night.
Silver talked with Zelts earlier about what to do with the Lien they had left since it wasn't enough to book another night here. Zelts said there wasn't much they could do with the money anymore. It served its purpose of getting them to the kingdom and they wouldn't have gotten this far without it. Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Silver made a suggestion to Zelts that his friend agreed with.
Using the last of the Lien, Team VRSZ took advantage of Atlas's extravagance and spoiled themselves. Silver and Lily had masseuses come into the room everyone was in and give them massages. The two of them laid down on the massage benches and let the masseuses do their job.
"Ooooooohh…"
"Aaaaaahhhh… AH!"
Lily and Silver moaned in joy at their knots and backs being tenderly massaged by professionals. After everything they've been through to get to this point, they felt like it was well deserved.
Azura, Remus, and Zelts used the last of the Lien to order gourmet food with room service. They ordered an array of food to burn the last of the cash and stuff their faces. Azura ate like a savage beast, not even trying to use utensils. It was a grizzly sight for everyone, but no one tried to slow her down out of fear she would blindly attack them. Remus and Zelts just left Azura to her food while they ate theirs.
Silver finished his massage and joined his friends at dinner. Lily's massaging session ended a few minutes later and she was about to join the others, but Silver asked her to go to the ice machine on the first floor for their drinks. She was so relaxed by the massage that she didn't mind completing the task. Lily walked out of their hotel and headed to the three elevators.
She pressed the button and waited for whichever one would open first. It didn't take long for the elevator on the left to arrive first. Lily entered the elevator but she wasn't alone on the ride. The other person riding the elevator was Blood.
"Hey," Lily said happily to Blood before getting on the elevator.
"Hey," he responded back but said nothing else.
Lily was about to press the button for the first floor only to see that the button was already pressed by Blood. The two of them rode in silence, though Lily was kind of humming to herself, still feeling good from the massage. Blood glanced at her but thought nothing of her behavior. This was the first time Lily and Blood have ever encountered each other so neither had the need or desire to alert their respective parties.
It would've been a different story if Blood ran into Remus, Silver, Zelts, or Azura, but Lily was someone he has never met. They've heard stories about the other but have never seen their face. The two of them were complete strangers riding an elevator together.
They made it to the first floor and parted ways there. Lily walked to the where the ice machine was and Blood left the building. If Lily turned around, she would've seen Blood spread his bat wings and take flight. He couldn't fly casually in the kingdom during the day because of the faunus prejudice, but he could late at night though he still had to fly low to stay out of sight.
Lily got a bucket of ice and returned to the elevator to be with her friends. The team enjoyed their night of luxury together. They wanted to have a good reprieve for all the work they've accomplished to get to this part of the journey and because the most difficult part of the plan began tomorrow. There was no turning back.
Setting: Violet's Hall
It was the middle of the afternoon and Violet was in a situation she thought was rather uncomfortable. She was in her bathroom being dressed and pampered by a team of maidens. They were ordered by Tarax to have Violet ready for the SDC Charity Concert. The maidens brushed the blonde wig Violet was going to wear, applied make-up on the Violent Flower's face while she just sat there and let it happen.
The maidens were fearful of Violet because they heard stories about how she battled against the castle guard, but that fear was extinguished by Tarax. He assured them Violet wouldn't retaliate out of respect for him and so far, Violet has been docile during the whole process. She didn't plan on rebelling because she knew her father would use the shock implant to discipline his daughter. Rebelling and being shocked into submission who tell everyone that no one in this house could go against Tarax L. Underland's wishes.
The process took an hour and a half and the maidens stepped aside so Violet could look at the result of their work in the bathroom mirror. Violet looked at her reflection in the mirror. She wore a blond wig with long flowing hair that reached to her backside. The bangs of the wig were getting in her eyes so she moved them out of the way. Her face had mascara and eye shadow to help accentuate her purple eyes. She also received blush to match her skin and double as an attempt to cover the small scar across her face. All the makeup was not only to make Violet seem more attractive but to make the scar less noticeable.
Violet to note of the dress she was wearing was a multi-colored ruffle dress that reached down to her ankles. The dress consisted of three colors that Violet thought were an odd choice; cobalt blue, silver, and gold. These colors reminded Violet about her teammates and friends. This was actually a dress Violet liked wearing and she wondered where Marigold got the inspiration for creating this. She was also given purple high heels to complete her look.
Purple, blue, silver, and gold. Violet was given all the colors of Team VRSZ to wear for the SDC Charity Concert.
"Lady Alyssa," one of the maidens said to get Violet's attention. "Your father is waiting for you in the foyer. It's time to go to the Charity Concert."
"…Right," Violet replied before exiting her bathroom.
Setting: Underland Manor
Tarax L. Underland was waiting for his daughter to meet him in the foyer before departing though he wasn't alone. Standing beside him was Marigold who was humming to himself but was purposely doing it loud enough for others to hear. Tarax knew why his least favorite nephew was here with him; Marigold wanted to see how Violet looked in his dress. He was inspired by the color scheme of Remus, Silver, and Zelts yesterday and incorporated it into his newest dress.
Violet arrived in the foyer, walking down the stairs to meet with her father and cousin at the front doors. She looked at each of them with a neutral face, hiding her disdain for both of them.
A controlling father and a manipulative cousin. She hated her father the most and Marigold was a close second.
"My Alyssa, you look positively breathtaking!" Marigold exclaimed with joy. "I'm glad to see how well my new dress suits you perfectly."
"Yeah. I really like it," Violet admitted. The nostalgia from this dress was reason enough for her to answer honestly.
"Isn't this a surprise! For someone like you to compliment something I created is such an honor. Perhaps I'll add this to my next fashion show," Marigold said.
"It's time to go, Alyssa. The Schnee's Charity Concert begins in two hours," Tarax stated so they wouldn't waste any more time.
"Yes... father," Violet replied.
"Then I wish you both a wonderful time," Marigold said before walking up the stairs. "I must be going. There's something I wish to discuss with the others."
Violet and Tarax exited the manor and before them was a black limo. The two of them got in the back and the vehicle took off, escorting them to the kingdom of Atlas to attend the SDC Charity Concert.
Setting: Team VRSZ Hotel Room
The members of Team VRSZ were in a sorry state. The merry time they had last night was greatly needed, but the late-night luxuries caused them to sleep through the morning, pushing their rescue schedule back by hours.
Remus was the one who was most shocked and disappointed by their tardiness. He urged everyone to get up and they did though it wasn't just because of him, but also because they were almost pass the time for them to vacate their hotel rooms.
Almost everyone was out of their rooms and waiting outside the hotel. The only person that wasn't with the group was Azura who was in the elevator right now, waiting to reach the lobby to meet with the others. She was the hardest to wake because of the food coma she had due to eating herself to sleep, but the Sky-Blue Warrior had no regrets. The elevator reached the first floor and Azura was about to walked through the doors, but she almost collided with someone trying to get into the elevator.
"Ah! Sorry," Azura said, trying to sound apologetic.
"Not a problem! It's no one's fault really," Ebony said with a charming smile.
Azura exited the elevator and Ebony entered it to reach her penthouse. The Charming Vantablack was dressed in the tuxedo she planned to wear for the concert so she thought Ebony was just a handsome boy. She flashed Azura a smile before the doors closed and Azura thought nothing of the encounter before leaving the hotel.
It was another encounter between complete strangers who had no idea how connected they really were.
Setting: Kingdom of Atlas
Driving through the streets of Atlas was the limousine Violet and her elderly father were riding. The concert was starting early in the evening and Tarax wanted to be there as soon as possible so he could show off his daughter to the other aristocrats.
Tarax spoke to Violet, informing her of all the expectations he had for her and Violet simply nodded. He also told her that they would go to a hotel to stay the night afterwards. Tarax wasn't as young as he used to be. He didn't have the stamina to experience this event, associate with his friends, then return to the manor. He needed rest. It was a sigh he was getting too old to remain the head of the family and having Violet take over in his steed was his goal.
She wasn't really paying attention to him or what he was saying and she had her eyes on the window, looking at the massive city around them.
"Once we start this there's no going back," Zelts informed the others. "We find where the Underland family lives, infiltrate, search for Violet, then take her back home with us. And remember, we're not looking for a fight. This is a search and rescue operation."
"Right," Lily replied.
"Got it," Azura said.
"Understood," Remus answered.
"And if a fight arises and we can't avoid it?" Silver asked out of curiosity.
"Then we fight," Zelts stated.
"Alright. Where do we go first?" Silver asked.
"We just ask around. I'm sure people here will just tell us if we ask," Zelts answered.
"Are we gonna just stand her and talk all day or get a move on?" Azura asked.
"Standing and talking all day's not our style. Let's go," Silver said.
The team began walking down the streets of Atlas. They planned to learn where the Underlands lived and rescue their leader. The mission to save Violet begins now.
Violet watched the people on the sidewalk go about their daily lives as she continued her ride to the charity. Her father finished telling her how to behave so they rode in silence. Violet sighed at the boredom she was experiencing and the forced mingling she'd have to endure in the future. She had her eyes on the window then she looked down at her dress, focusing on the colors and thinking about her teammates. On a hopeful whim, Violet pulled out her scroll and looked at it to see if Remus's delta symbol was flashing on her scroll.
She debated several times for several days if she should try to open her scroll and use the delta symbol tracer to find Remus herself, but two things were stopping her: Those things were her lingering doubts about him and the team being in Atlas and the fact that her scroll was critically disabled so she couldn't access it if she wanted to. The signal went off on its own, but that was all it could do.
Seeing the device in her hand and her attention not on him, Tarax snatched it away right out of her hands. Violet snapped her head up and glared at her father for his actions but he showed no remorse.
"No scroll during the concert. I don't want you to be distracted during the event. Understood?" Tarax said.
Violet kept her glare but relented by saying, "Yes, father."
Just as they finished their conversation, the limousine drove down the street the members of Team VRSZ were walking by. The car passed them while Violet was looking at her father, completely unaware of their presence. Remus was looking at the road during that time and noticed a blond girl in the limo, but it didn't register to him that person was Violet. The wig threw him off.
Remus continued looking but stopped walking. He turned around to look back at the limo. He felt something when he glanced at it, something familiar, but that feeling faded quickly.
"Everything okay?" Lily asked Remus since he stopped walking with them.
"…No. It's… It's nothing," Remus answered before continuing to search with his friends.
Setting: Hotel
Violet's limousine passed the hotel the team was residing in a few minutes ago. Two people exited the hotel and they were Ebony and Ash. The two of them were dressed in their tuxedos though Ebony lacked a tie like Blood.
Ebony had her arm out for Blood to take. The bat faunus accepted, holding her hand as a sign of him being her date and escorting her to the event.
"Hey Ash, if we walk to the building the charity is taking place, we might not make it there in time. Do you know any alternative way to get there faster?" Ebony asked with a smile.
Blood realized what she was doing and he was grateful for her permission. He scooped his liege in his arms and proudly spread his wings. He took off right in front of the hotel building for all to see. He flew through the air feeling exhilarated from flying in the air.
Ebony was happy she could make her retainer happy like this.
Setting: Underland Manor
"And that's the story," Marigold just finished telling his cousins about the vision Aster had with Clairvoyance.
The Underlands were in the dining hall to discuss the matter. Marigold and Aster sat at the head of the table since they were leading this conversation while the others sat around and listened.
"So, people are going to come and attack the mansion?" Bluebell asked with his hookah by his side.
"Yes, however we have no idea when, who, or how many." Aster answered.
"That's really-" Linnaea started.
"-not good," Linnaeus finished.
Both of the twins felt rather displeased with the lack of information. They couldn't properly mobilize the castle guard.
"HA! For once, your semblance is pretty useless, Aster," Dahlia said as she chuckled.
Aster wasn't offended or get goaded by her sister as she continued saying, "While we don't know what we're up against, we do have one advantage."
"We know intruders are coming, meaning we can prepare for their arrival," Marigold said.
"We have more than enough traps and toys lying in wait to deal with any trespassers. All it takes is a little bit of scheming from our side. I'm pretty sure we can have this place fortified in just a few hours. Do you think that'll help, Aster?"
The white-haired Underland nodded as her answer and Mariogld smiled as he said, "Fortune always favors the prepared."
"That's great and all, but how exactly are we suppose to prepare for the intruders. We have a lot stuff we could use but where do we start?" Bluebell asked.
"We can't predict our enemies, so be unpredictable. Do whatever, use whatever you want. This is a no-holds barred battle we're preparing for. Nothing's against the rules. Go crazy!" Marigold answered.
'Go crazy'
Those two words were all the Underland family needed to hear. Bluebell, Dahlia, Linnaea, Linnaeus, and Marigold all had wicked smiles on their faces. Aster's expression may have been neutral but she felt the same way her cousins did. This battle was one they were all looking forward too.
In one hour, the Schnee Dust Company Charity Concert will commence.
Lily encountered Blood, Azura encountered Ebony, Violet and Remus almost encountered each other, and Violet almost encountered Ebony and Blood.
Ebony is a bit of a pervert when it comes to men and hides it very well. When she first met the male members of VRSZ she was more on the flirtatious side with her compliments and physical contact especially toward Remus, her favorite. If asked why she likes Remus the most, she'd say it's because of his innocence and her desire to corrupt it. In other words, he's currently a fine boy and Ebony can't wait to see him become a fine young man which is why she's waiting for him to turn eighteen.
