The rain falls at a steady pace, which finally wakes the short woman from her short slumber. Somewhat drenched already, she stands up quickly and groans, opening her soaked parasol, to at least prevent herself from being inundated with water. She must have been asleep for quite a while, noticing the lack of light around the place. Rubbing her still tired eyes, Neo looks down at the ground for several moments.
Running away from her problems was never going to work, and so, she made an attempt to get through to her old boss. Of course, as was the usual story, she could not get through the Torchwick, the redhead clearly not wishing to be found by someone like her. It crushed her heart in a way she never knew possible - Roman was the only father figure she knew, and now with him out of the picture, her mind and thoughts spiralled into first sadness, but then anger and rage surfaced, giving her a reason to get on with the misery she found herself within.
Making her way out of the alley she had found herself within, her eyes flickered, rather than remaining as active as ever. Her lack of energy and motivation certainly had something to do with it, a bleakness in the distress that was her current life. Maybe getting away from them wasn't the best idea, but it was thought up herself, by her own mind and decision. They just couldn't accept it, especially Cinder. The fiery vixen always had to be in control, no matter what, but for once Neo didn't stand for it, not after what she did to the ice cream.
The rain intensified, the storm rolling on through with the rumble of thunder, and the strikes of lightning seen off in the distance. As though a light in the darkness, she saw it - Beacon Academy, still shining despite the rain which hazed its light. A glimmer of hope emerged, but with it, her eyes faded into grey. This was the state she had been hoping to reach, not the in between, but one extreme - her true face. Neo was a complicated figure, but grew simpler the more extreme she got. The opposite end of the spectrum only saw destruction, and so, she thought of this side as creation. Two halves of the same whole, but not in beautiful, perfect harmony.
She stepped out onto the road, the roaring wind picking up, before she sighted the truck barrelling straight for her. Instead of moving out the way, however, she just stood there. Neo closed her eyes, thinking. She needed to know where she was at, at this moment in time, without the other extreme present. If she survived this, she'd know exactly what she needed to do, though her lack of even a listening ear caused this risk to come to fruition. There was no telling what damage it would do to her, considering her aura was already low to begin with.
The half-brunette looked on, before the collision occurred. Several thoughts went through her mind, and yet, her body moved all at once with not a second thought to be had. This was important, because it meant she could utilise at least some of her Semblance while being in this toned down, grayed-out state.
Luckily for Neo, only glass shattered, the illusion working to the degree she was hoping, but there she was, upon the sidewalk with a hold on her already sore leg. This time, things took a true toll on her minuscule body, and that was cause enough for concern. Cinder had delivered her punishment in the most brutal way - disabling one of her legs would mean she was less effective to even ineffective in combat, and after holding the thought and illusion for so long, it finally broke and now she was feeling it. Already the ice cream hated her, but now, this was another layer of hatred to be had.
Already, the pinks and browns of her eyes were flickering, the other side wishing to come back into being, to go back to the White Fang base and fight Cinder, but Neo couldn't allow that to happen. Hobbling somewhat toward the nearest alley, she shuddered at the pain she was feeling, not used to it. No, her entire life, that other side had been controlling her every action, but maybe it was for a purpose she did not understand yet. In any case, the short woman sobbed lightly as the reality of her situation hit.
The only salvation she could think of was at Beacon Academy, to beg and forgive what she had done, and what she may have done if a lone figure hadn't snapped her out of her crazed state. There was a true fear for the figure back on the train, but... her concern was always on the blonde. Maybe, just maybe, she would find a way to get through to her, and recover enough to use her semblance in its fullest state.
For now, however, she would have to wait the rain out, shivering in her little corner within the alleyway. Such a familiar feeling washed over her form, but... maybe everything was meant to be this way.