Chapter 5: Coffee with a Hint of Red and Yellow

After getting his bag he was led to the river that split the city of Vale. The girl silently led him to a ferry and they crossed the bay to the commercial district of the city. Once there Fenix quickly found a coffee shop and suggested the two sit and talk for a bit. The girl nodded in approval and he led her to a small table that sat out front of the coffee shop's window. He set his bag down before walking to the opposite chair and motioned for the girl to sit in it. He took the chair for the girl and scooted it in for her after she had sat in it like a true gentleman should. He then took his seat across the small table from her as the waitress appeared. A blonde haired girl with blue eyes donning a red apron smiled to them and took their orders.

"Mocha frappuccino for me please." The waitress nodded and turned to the other member of the table. The multi colored girl looked intently at the small menu and then pointed to something. She turned the menu so the waitress could see her selection. The waitress nodded again and turned to go fill the order. Fenix took this as the time to start questioning his companion.

"So, what's your name?"

The girl looked at him and pulled out her scroll. She typed something into it and Fenix was a bit upset that the girl would rather text than answer his questions. He then realized what she was typing was meant for him as she turned her scroll to him so he could read what she wrote.

My name is Neopolitan, but I prefer to be called Neo. Yours?

"Ah, Neo. I really like your name but you realize you misspelled Neapolitan right?"

She shot him a glare that made him feel like she was holding a dagger to his throat.

"So Its supposed to be spelled that way huh?"

She nodded and relaxed her death glare on him.

"Oh, mine is Fenix."

She typed on her scroll again and then showed her new message to him.

A pleasure to meet you Fenix.

"A pleasure to meet you as well." Fenix paused for a moment and decided to go ahead and ask his next question. "So I may be touching on a sensitive subject, and if it is please don't feel obligated to answer, but why don't you… talk?" He hesitated with the last part of his question afraid he would offend her and effectively ruin their coffee date before it had barely started. Wait was this a date? As he thought about that question to himself Neo was typing up a storm on her scroll. She then got his attention and showed him her reply.

I'm a mute. Well rather mostly. I can still talk but it's very painful for me to do so. So I don't do it if it isn't completely necessary. And before you ask no I'd rather not say why I have difficulty speaking at the moment. You can't get all the answers from me on our first date ;).

That last sentence completely caught Fenix off guard and his eyes shot open in surprise. "So this is a date then?"

Depends. Are you going to pay?

"Of course. I asked you here after all. It would be terribly ungentlemanly of me to invite a cute girl to coffee and not pay for her." He finished with a wink. She rolled her eyes but smiled brightly at him.

Alright my turn for a question. How old are you? You look younger than me. I'd guess twenty.

"You would be a tad over on that one. I'm actually eighteen." Fenix replied sheepishly after realizing she had to be at least three years older than himself. He had always seemed to have a thing for older women anyways but this was near the edge of any age gap he had ever had before. It made him slightly nervous for some weird reason. He noticed a surprised look on Neo's face as she typed again.

Wow. I'm twenty three. Don't have anything against cougars do you? ;)

"Another winky face eh?" He laughed warmly at the obviousness of his statement. "And no, I have always actually liked older ladies. So now it's my turn for a question. Is that fair? You ask one then I ask one?" He received a small nod from her to signify her agreement.

He then began signing with his hands his next question. He asked her if she preferred to communicate using sign language or use her scroll. Her eyes shot wide open in her surprise. She signed her surprise and then replied stating she preferred her phone. It was a personal choice but it was nice to know she could communicate with somebody else this way. Apparently no one close to her could talk to her that way.

"Alright then, just know you can always use which ever method makes you most comfortable at the time. I know sign language is a bit quicker sometimes. Your turn for a question now." He nodded to her but they were interrupted by the waitress retuning with their order. She placed the mocha frappuccino in front of Fenix and then placed a plain looking coffee in front of Neo. As the waitress walked away Fenix caught Neo's eye and motioned with his head towards her drink. She understood the intended question and picked her scroll back up to revert to typing her answers again.

It's just a French vanilla. So why did you get a frapp?

"Let's just say I'm a bit warm natured." He chuckled at his own joke and then remembered his intended purpose of having coffee with her in the first place. "So what's your full semblance? Back in the alley your yes and no answer got my attention. To make it fair, you show me yours and I'll show you mine." He waggled his eyebrows at her playfully with his last statement. Neo responded with a snort followed by silent laughter. She had to cover her mouth with her hand for fear of spraying Fenix with the coffee she had just drank as he asked his question.

Well that sounds fun ;). Ok so you see how my hair and eyes have two different colors? Fenix nodded and she typed again. Well its called heterchromia iridum. Surprisingly enough my semblance is the same. I have two. Care to take a guess at the one you don't know yet?

"Well the teleportation one was pretty obvious. The other one… I'm gonna say cloaking?" Neo shook her head. "Then… manipulation?" She gave an intrigued look and he decided to elaborate. "You vanished into thin air right before my eyes. So it's either you can manipulate your surroundings to make it look like you aren't there. Or you can manipulate what other people see."

Ding ding ding we have a winner!

"So which one is it then?" She held up two fingers to signify her answer. "Ah so you can actually make people see whatever you want?" She nodded and to prove her point Fenix noticed that there were now two Neos sitting across from him. He quickly blinked a few times to make sure his eyes weren't just messing with him. Nope, definitely two copies of the same cute girl were sitting across the table now. He noticed that one had Neo's normal eye and hair color patterns and the other had the reverse. He assumed the reverse one was a mirror image and grinned at his quick discovery of her tricks. "Oh I'm in heaven now." His quick wit caught Neo off guard. The two Neos began a silent fit of laughter which Fenix found absolutely adorable. When she turned her semblance off, the illusion in front of him shattered like glass leaving only the real Neo sitting where she had been the entire time. She then motioned with her hand for him to show her his semblance now.

"Basically I can create and manipulate fire to my will. I've gotten pretty good at using it in all sorts of situations due to some intense training in aura control." Fenix then held out his right hand to the side of the table. His eyes caught fire and an intense flame burst to life in his palm. Neo marveled at his ability but she did not seem as surprised at his hidden power as he had come to expect from people. To impress her a bit more he closed his right hand and made a lose fist. The flame within his fist flickered and seemed to grow in intensity until it all the sudden it relaxed. A gentle glow emanated from his fist and he relaxed his hand to let it fall open. Neo's eyes grew even larger at the sight of what was now in his hand. A butterfly made of fire was resting on Fenix's palm. It appeared to actually behave like a real one would with it slowly crawling up his arm and moving its wings to steady itself. Once the butterfly reached Fenix's shoulder, he turned his head to look at it, and it fluttered its wings. It released tiny flames from behind its wings as it started flying. It was a mesmerizing sight as the fire butterfly danced around the two of them for a few moments. Fenix then focused on the butterfly again and it flew to hover directly before Neo's face. She reached out to touch it but as she did she winced and drew her now burnt hand back from the pain. The butterfly evaporated before her and the fire in Fenix's eyes went out.

"Ya know it IS still fire. Not wise to touch." He chuckled as he held out his hand as an offering to inspect her now injured finger. She relented and put her hand in his. He drew it closer. After a quick examination he turned her hand to face the outer part of her hand towards his face. Neo realized only too late what he was doing as he gently placed his lips on her hand and kissed down on her knuckles. He focused the center of his kiss on her index finger since it was the one that had the burn on it. He released his lock on her hand and she pulled it back faster than she had intended to. He had obviously flustered her due to her flushed cheeks, wide eyes, and overall shocked demeanor.

"Don't worry it's only a small burn. First degree, so it may sting a little but it will be alright. Nothing a little aura can't fix. By the way it is your turn for a question." He then leaned back and began sipping on his frappuccino awaiting her question.

Neo's thoughts however were spinning. This boy had pulled some good moves on her so far. He was handsome, had unbelievably polite manors, a pleasant personality, and had shown he was at least a decent fighter. All traits she preferred in a guy. She quickly glanced down at the hand he had kissed to inspect it as if she expected something to be left there from the kiss itself. She had thought of a few questions but now that her train of thought had been derailed. She was grasping for anything to continue the conversation and save her from the continually extending awkward silence between them. She grabbed her scroll and fumbled to type a question to him.

So why are you in Vale?

"I'm going to be attending Beacon Academy. We are supposed to arrive tomorrow but I wanted to come a day early so I could check out the city. So far I'm glad I did." He ended with a wide smile towards her. Neo's blush appeared to darken as she averted her eyes so he hopefully couldn't see her slightly embarrassed state. 'God he's smooth' she thought to herself. After a slight pause Fenix asked his question. "Speaking of hunter academies, did you attend one? You seem like you can handle your semblances well and you carry yourself like you know how to fight."

Yes. I attended Haven Academy and graduated two years ago. So students typically start at age seventeen. Why are you starting a year late?

"Well I was actually planning to go sooner but some…stuff came up and I had to delay my entrance to the academy by a year. Here let's get going. I need to find a hotel so I can drop this bag off without having to lug it around all day." With that Fenix got up and went to the counter inside the shop to pay the bill. They paid and walked to a nice hotel closest to the airport for the trip to Beacon tomorrow. Fenix got his room and unloaded his stuff minus his precious swords. Neo then had the idea to take him to the shopping center of the city so Fenix could look to see what was offered.

They only had a short time to go browse the shopping center but Neo made sure to hit the essential shops before they closed for the day. Between fighting a teenaged gang, getting coffee, and walking the streets of the city, it was late in the evening when they even got to the shops. She showed him the weapon supply shops, ammunition stores, and a few clothing stores. She also got to show him her favorite dust shop named From Dust Till Dawn. Her uncle Roman (uncle being a strictly honorary title seeing as how they weren't really related but Roman looked after her like family so she adopted to calling him uncle) had robbed the place a few times since they were stockpiling dust munitions. Neo always felt bad for the shopkeeper so she tried to help support the man by shopping there frequently. When they arrived today the place was under reconstruction due to one of her uncle's thefts being thwarted by some red hooded vigilante girl.

After visiting the dust shop the duo noticed that the sun was going down signaling the time for them to part ways was fast approaching. Fenix knew he didn't want this time with her to end. He had only spent the majority of one day with this girl but he felt a connection with her. Her silent joking with him, sarcastic yet sweet nature, and maturity were all attributes he had noticed over the day. They all seemed to pull him into wanting to be around her more. He knew he had only figured out a few details about her and that there was much more to her than she was letting on. To dig deeper and truly get to know this girl was going to take time. Instead of this discouraging him, he found himself feeling elated at the thought of spending more time around her.

Neo was feeling the same about the fire wielder. She hadn't exactly spilled all her secrets to him about her speckled past but she felt she could be more honest around him than most of her co-workers. Sure they were nice but they didn't have the same friendly comradery with her that Fenix had already built with her. The funny thing was that he didn't seem to be doing anything special to gain her trust. He was just open and friendly with her. She was used to people in her line of work giving her a false sense of friendship that really only amounted to acquaintances who sometimes did some dirty work together. She concluded that Fenix was somebody she wanted to understand more. There are so few truly good people in this world and it seemed like she had stumbled upon one today.

They stood there awkwardly in their own thoughts. For a few uncomfortable moments neither could think of what to say to the other. Both seemed to be searching for some way to extend their time together. All of the sudden Fenix brightened up, took one step forward towards Neo, and stood up straight with his hands behind his back. Neo arched an eyebrow knowing he was up to something. Fenix then offered his left arm to her.

"Milady? May I escort you home?" She rolled her eyes but smiled and took his arm. He loved how she was always rolling her eyes at him. It never seemed out of annoyance but more out of playful appreciation. She quickly typed with her free hand and then shoved her scroll in his face.

You are so old school you know that right?

"I prefer the term traditional" he replied. She just shrugged in acceptance of his self-labeling.

They walked into the evening arm in arm down the streets continuing to enjoy each other's company. It was obvious that they enjoyed the closer proximity to each other. Neo's blush had resurfaced and Fenix made the mistake of pointing it out to her. This led to Neo attempting to push him into a light pole or street sign anytime they got near one. Fenix was for the most part able to avoid her attempts to embarrass him. She succeeded a few times which caused Fenix to playfully retaliate. He used his superior height and strength to manipulate her movements causing her to sway back and forth. After enough jostling each other about they continued their stroll with small talk. Their arms never left their intertwined state through the entire trip. She led him towards a large building that appeared to house a nightclub inside of it. As they neared the building Neo began to slow her pace. Fenix turned to look at her and noted the sadness on her face. She gave a halfhearted smile and began to make her way towards the club. Before she could completely release her arm from his, he pulled her back and turned her so she was facing him. During this move his arm had slide from hers but to insure she didn't get away he held her hand. Neo was blushing again and he took a moment to absorb how adorable she looked before he began.

"I have two more questions for you." He kind of rushed his reasoning to her not completely sure of what the second question was. Ok, he knew what it was. He just had to think of a good way to ask it. That wasn't what was worrying him though. It was the serious nature of the other question he had for her. It had been nagging at him since he had first met her in that alleyway. However, that wasn't exactly a question to just blurt out either. He noticed he had been inner monologuing and she was giving him a 'well are you gonna ask or not' look.

"Actually it's a few more than that." With that he received her signature eye roll accompanied with her taking her hand from his. She then put her hands on her hips and popped it to the side. She had the body language to show she was a little annoyed with the wanting to ask more questions about her now but she wasn't leaving. That showed Fenix that she was willing to tolerate him a little bit more.

"Ok. Well first off, you live in a club?"

I live in an apartment above the club. It's not much, but it's nice.

"Neat. Ok second question. Well… uh-" He never got it out as a loud explosion rocked the club they were standing in front of. The entire upper level's windows shattered simultaneously as the explosion emitted flames. A fraction of a second after that, an object was thrown from the building and landed down the street from them. After a brief moment to recover from the initial shock, Fenix and Neo both noticed the object was a man. He was dressed in a black suite without the coat, a white long-sleeved dress shirt underneath the black vest, and a red tie. He was unconscious and lying sprawled out on his back. Then a figure jumped from the window the man had been thrown from.

It was a blonde haired girl. She had A LOT of hair and he could swear it was glowing when she had first landed. But that wasn't the part that caught Fenix's eyes. She had huge… gauntlets on her arms. He figured they were some sort of modified weapons. What with what he thought looked to be shotgun shells incased in the gauntlets. She was also dressed rather revealing so as to show off her womanly figure very well. A mixture of brown, yellow, orange, and a hint of purple combined to make her outfit's color scheme. Before he began checking her out fully, he shook his head so to focus his mind.

She looked to be angry at the man. Fenix could only assume the man had flirted with the wrong girl and gotten what he deserved. How dare women defend themselves right? He internally laughed at his little joke at the poor bastard's expense. He was then caught off guard by a high pitched voice.

"Yang? Is that you?" Fenix turned his attention to the small black haired girl standing above the unconscious man. She had the whole gothic look going on except for a red cape that she had hanging off of her shoulders and a red frilly skirt.

"Oh! Hey sis!" The blonde greeted the small girl with a wide smile. Now that he knew they were sisters he noticed that they looked nothing alike. He shrugged it off remembering how different in appearance he and his own sister had been when she was still alive. The thought brought him some grief but he brushed it aside with the happy reunion that was occurring right in front of them. Speaking of them, he turned to look at his own companion. She was just watching the whole event unfold before them with her mouth hanging slightly open in surprise. He was going to make sure she was ok but then was brought back to the conversation of the two girls.

"What're you doing here?" The petite black haired girl then put her hands on her hip as if to chastise her sister. He assumed she was the younger sister but taking the motherly stance in this instance. It would have been funny to him had it not been a direct result of a grown man getting his ass handed to him by what appeared to be a teenage girl. To his surprise he noticed the older sibling look down in defeat and slump her shoulders.

"It's a long story" she muttered. Fenix barely heard it. For some reason that was enough of an answer for the caped girl. He was thinking of what to do next but then the sound of incoming police sirens rang in his ears. The two sisters in unison scurried away towards a yellow motorcycle and quickly sped away in the opposite direction of the sirens.

"Nooooooooooope!" He halfway yelled upward slurring the o's and accenting the p with a pop. As the sisters made their escape Fenix took that as their queue to do the same. He grabbed Neo by the arm and started dragging her away from the scene.

"We need to get out of here." His voice left no room for complaints as he led her away from the scene so as to avoid the girls and the police at the same time. He took to the lesser populated streets and even the alleys if need be to avoid anybody seeing them fleeing the scene. Once they got out of immediate danger Neo tapped his shoulder from behind. He turned to realize he was still half dragging her by her arm. With a jump he let her go so she could compose herself and he could explain himself.

"Look we needed to get out of there. I'm sorry I pretty much hauled you halfway across town but I didn't want to risk the police finding us there. Kind of don't want a run in with the police in which I could possibly be accused of beating up that man to be on my record. Especially because 'A' I didn't do it and 'B' it may look bad the day before my first day at Beacon." He cut off his rambling asking her if that made sense to her. She responded with an understanding nod, grinning at how flustered he was. Then suddenly his embarrassed state was replaced by a confident one. Complete with a cocky smirk and flicker of his fiery eyes.

"So, since the police will most likely be sealing that club off as a crime scene, I have an idea where you can sleep tonight." Her eyes widened at both the realization he was correct regarding the police. Her shock deepened a moment later when she further understand what he was implying about where she would be sleeping tonight. Gathering her thoughts before they went into the gutter she gave him a stern look and began to type into her scroll with a fury.

I don't put out on the first date

"Aww such a buzzkill." With that Fenix brought a hand up to his cover the laughter that threatened to escape his mouth. He had a difficult time stifling himself and thought he had it under control. Until he looked back at Neo to see her looking both offended and surprised at his laughter at the same time. He then lost it and began an uncontrollable fit of loud laughter. His laughter was cut off after he heard her unsheathe her sword from her parasol. He then felt the cold steel touch his neck.

"Hold up!" He held up his hands in surrender. He got his laughter back under control and ended it with a loud cough to clear his throat. She hadn't lowered the sword from its threatening position yet. "I wasn't making fun of you or insinuating anything. It was just a joke and I'm sorry if it offended you." Neo held the blade there for a bit longer as if expecting more of an apology. Fenix then thought maybe he needed to sweeten the pot to save his neck, literally.

"How about this? You can stay in my room at the hotel with me. I'll take the chair and you can have the bed. Deal?"

She pondered his offer for a brief minute. Then the sword was removed from Fenix's neck and returned to its sheath. She then motioned to her outfit with both hands.

"I'm sure I have a shirt and pair of shorts you could borrow for one night." He then extended his arm to her again hoping she would accept his peace offering. This time she gave an annoyed look at him and brushed past him as she started walking towards the hotel. He caught up to her and the two walked in silence to their destination.

Alright one more chapter of character building before we actually get to Beacon! Fenix is going to be reunited with an old friend of his in chapter 7. Can you take a guess who it is? Also thanks for the follows/favorites/reviews! They seriously help drive me to pump these chapters out quicker!