{Exhibitionism}
The cliffside was once more lined with the same group of students I was with the last time I was here.
Only this time, we had an alcoholic educator here instead of two 'qualified' instructors.
Unsurprisingly, she had pulled me to one side and questioned me on my decision to ignore both of her instructions.
"I need these."
That was my simple response before I walked away. Though Caza looked like she couldn't care less anyway, just letting me catch up with my team.
Which left us here.
A couple of hundred feet higher than the ground below us, looking over the edge for some kind of B-roll shot or something.
"Now, I'm sure you all had landing strategies during initiation. But, of course, that was with your weapons and equipment," Caza's voice carried its way to the ears and souls of everyone around us, "Your first assignment of my class is to survive this fall but without any assistance from external mechanisms. You are only allowed to use your body and your aura; any violation of that rule will result in an immediate failure of the task at hand."
Aura?
She was asking us to put faith in ourselves and fall freely, only using the physical manifestation of our souls to break our fall.
Isn't this what you teach children, for God's sake?
Well, I guess we were children, I meant young ones, those that have been recently toilet trained.
Or was this unnatural?
I couldn't tell.
My eyes fell to the ground below us, my HUD displaying it as 257ft below.
Not enough to reach terminal velocity, but enough to gain some speed.
"Is anyone here feeling confident enough to give us a demonstration of what I expect of you?" Caza asked as I turned my attention to her eyes scanning each of us with a narrowed gaze.
Someone with the urge to show off would take the challenge headfirst, so I'll wait until then.
"Nobody?"
Caza almost looked surprised when no one came forward immediately.
Wasn't my problem.
"Mister Dante, would you care to be our demonstration?"
It was that guy again…
And his team of dominoes.
I watched with cold indifference as they exchanged glances, they all looked like someone 3D printed stickmen.
Where was the colour…?
Eventually, Mr Dante – I wasn't sure if that was the correct formality – acquiesced and stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the plateau beneath us.
"So then, nothing but body and aura?"
"That is correct," Caza confirmed, crossing her arms as she evaluated him.
I could see the drunken glaze in her blue eyes from here.
"Well, at this height, aura isn't exactly needed. Would it be breaking the rules to go without it?"
Get on with it, you take more time than your pet fox does.
His chin-length white hair fluttered in the passing current of wind and the tails of his white button-up coat did the exact same.
His coat was decorated with black trim – you know, to add some 'variety' to his blank canvas appearance – and yet it only slightly covered the grey jeans that lead down to his black running shoes.
Was he going to jump yet?
Don't make me be the first, please.
A few moments of hesitation passed and I finally pulled my hands out of my pockets, ready to take the leap for him.
All focus appeared to be on him now, and if that were the case, I had no problem jumping down myself if it meant the sheep weren't watching.
Given my unnatural weight, I didn't want people to question why I would end up sinking into the soil below.
Having metal grafted to your skeletal structure had its drawbacks after all.
It did mean I could survive the fall without Aura though.
But unlike this douchebag, I had no intention of painting myself as a pretentious asshole today.
That comes later.
"Without Aura? I won't allow you to potentially kill yourself, Mister Dante, if that's what you're asking for," Caza replied to his earlier question with a serious tone in her voice.
This prick had 30 seconds before I stole his first place…
"I don't mean to be rude, but I'm sure I can handle it. I know where my capabilities lie. Falls like this are nothing. I've done them several times in the past without aura, and several more at even greater heights," The boy listed his wonderful achievements like we were obligated to give a fuck.
If you're so fucking special, then why don't you demonstrate for us then?
We watched the little snowflake who could take a step back as he regarded the professor with a neutral glance.
"Very well, I expect you to be successful then," Caza gestured to the cliffside as her pet bird walked over and paused by the edge.
A living parachute, how quaint.
I was still waiting on Prince Charming to plummet to his death, finally contributing positively toward the class instead of talking shit.
He took yet another step back before walking forward and letting himself fall over the edge. I watched him as he made his descent and landed safely at the bottom, not long followed by his girlfriend and their two children.
"Took your time..." Kyzal muttered to my left as he dropped from the edge himself.
The whole class was moving forward now, actually getting somewhere instead of standing around with one finger stuck up their ass and another picking their nose.
Gabriel didn't take long to join his partner as Scarlet and myself stayed by the edge, watching as the other students all jumped down and cushioned their falls with their multicoloured assortment of auras.
"Shall we?" I asked as I turned to face my partner and leader.
Scarlet was alternating her gaze between the outcrop below us and the students each jumping down, chewing on her nails with a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
"I-is it safe?" she meekly asked, crimson eyes briefly meeting my own for a moment.
"Do they look dead to you?" I deadpanned, gesturing to the students at the bottom of the cliffside, standing around idle.
The tails of her armoured tunic swayed in the breeze, red hair fluttering as the wind swept through her radiant locks.
After a moment, she finally mustered the bravery to speak, "Y-you go first… I'll join you guys after…"
I raised an eyebrow, trying to determine the legitimacy of her words as she anxiously waited.
I sighed, shrugged my shoulders and took a single step toward the edge before my ears caught the aggravatingly sharp screech of a voice not yet tempered by the fires of puberty.
"U-uh, professor? I'd, uh, I'd like to take a pass on this assignment… if that's alright with you."
What the fuck was that?
My head snapped in the direction of the whining, finding my visage regrettably filled by a scrawny, tall, blonde kid looking not only out of place but terrified.
Scarlet must have heard it too, as I noticed she had also turned to face the boy in my peripheral vision.
"Mister Arc, backing out was not an option. You either jump and land on your own, or you jump and flail until Lanza catches you in his claws. The first step is always taking the leap," Caza was clearly having none of his attempt to weasel himself out of danger.
But if Jaune wasn't keen on getting hurt, why the hell was he here in the first place?
This was a combat school, after all, the professors here aren't going to hand you candy and plaster you in bubble wrap, moron.
"Fuck this, c'mon Scarlet…" I wasn't interested in Jaune's dilemma, this task was easy, and I'd see to it myself that my partner and I prove that to him.
I leaned out over the edge, letting gravity pull me as I pushed off at a 45-degree angle, giving me enough energy to perform a frontal somersault before dropping at around 60mph.
I landed, my additional weight compelling me to make use of my aura to absorb the impact of my fall and cushion myself as the ground beneath me failed to hold and I sunk into it by about 2 feet.
I pulled myself out of the hole I made, assisted by my other two teammates.
"Woah, you packing heat there, Ray?" Gabriel asked, flashing me a smug grin as he chewed contently on a toothpick he had found somewhere.
"No comment," I replied as I dusted my jeans off, dirt and blades of grass silently falling to the ground.
"Heads up," Kyzal warned, forcing us to all look up at the little red flailing girl falling toward us, all the while screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Should we do something?" Gabriel asked, slipping his hands into his pockets as he watched Scarlet fall.
"Probably…" Kyzal replied, his face partially concealed by the shadow cast by his hood.
I sighed, pulling out a lollipop from my bag, removing the wrapper and sticking it in my mouth as I walked forward.
I had calculated her landing trajectory, including the impact site, and was slowly making my way there.
[3 seconds]
I stopped right beneath my partner, held out my arms, and waited until the girl came screaming down with her eyes clamped shut.
And with less than half a second until she became a red smear, I caught her, carrying her light frame as she continued to scream.
"You can stop now," I mumbled with the candy in my mouth.
"Nice catch!" Gabriel called out from behind me as I turned around, listening as Scarlet's panicked wailing finally died down as I carried her to the other half of our team.
Gabriel taking the liberty of patting her lightly on the head, "And great landing, Red. Top marks."
That was just before the girl, now silent, opened her eyes and processed what position she was in as I held her, my right arm supporting her upper back as my left was underneath the back of her knees.
"Caza pushed you, didn't she?" I asked condescendingly, my eyebrow quirking as I felt the girl in my arms nod slightly, "Is that because you took your time?"
She nodded again.
Sighing, I put her down so she was standing up again, "You can tear seven Ursai apart but a little fall scares you?"
Scarlet's head dipped in a mix of embarrassment and shame.
Or something like that anyway.
"I-I'm not a fan of heights…" she muttered softly, turning her gaze to the floor.
I sighed in response, shaking my head in disapproval, "But Grimm are fine, yeah? You ought to reprioritize your fears."
"D-don't j-judge me…" Scarlet whimpered in retaliation as her cheeks glowed red.
I was hardly judging her, but she had a way of contradicting herself often.
An absolute demon when fighting Grimm, but hopelessly paranoid with everything else…
Speaking of Grimm, the class was quickly surrounded by the dark creatures of the night as soon as we touched the forest floor, as teams DICL, RWBY, and JNPR were all engaging in combat.
"Time to get to work," Gabriel spoke confidently as he picked up a stone and imbued it with his purple energy, throwing it at the nearest Beowulf, piercing through its hide like a bullet.
"Uh, Gabe?" Kyzal intervened worriedly, "I don't think we have time for that…"
My eyes followed Kyzal's pointed finger, leading it straight toward the black asteroid hurtling toward the ground at speeds faster than terminal velocity.
It was safe to say I knew there and then why people didn't trust Niro Ezdeil.
The entire forest floor was in ruins when he made contact with it. Earth shattering force tends to do that.
The ground ruptured beneath our feet, forming cracks in Remnant's crust my sensors detected were up to tens of meters deep.
More than enough for a mass grave.
Seems that he didn't intend to kill anyone in the class though.
The rifts in the soil shot right past us and the Grimm lurking behind every tree, bush and blade of grass was swallowed, if not completely obliterated by the shockwave that followed…
The forest was devastated in a split second, along with any non-humanoid creature with it.
What the hell was he?
It wasn't even the case of who he was anymore.
Niro was something else.
No one that age should have that kind of power.
No one human, at least.
Freedom came at a cost.
In my case, it was completing the menial homework we had within five minutes of returning to our dorm, bidding my team a farewell, and hitching a ride to Vale.
Thank fuck it's over…
I was heading toward the North-West region of the city. The rendezvous location Ly having given me being an open restaurant and bar.
I was more interested in the latter.
I took a seat on a cushioned stool on the bar side's open veranda, analysing the scenery.
The veranda was covering a stain oak decking, littered with comfortable, lounge outside furniture from couches to deck chairs for customers to enjoy themselves, kick their feet back, and drink money.
Not like there was much else to do in this kingdom, other than cowering behind walls and pretending the outside world doesn't exist.
Humans and Faunus really were pathetic, wrapping themselves up in bubble wrap, putting ear defenders on, and clamping their eyes shut, oblivious to the world outside of the daunting walls that protected them.
Their sad little reality is that so long as they stayed inside of the cage they built around themselves, they'd live.
I couldn't rationalize that way of life.
Without fear, life has no meaning, without exploration, you'll never discover new things.
Those that resided in kingdoms didn't care for the giant bubble they were in.
They chose to sacrifice their liberty for security, their curiosity for ignorance.
This wasn't living, this was surviving.
Enduring.
Persisting.
Twinkling little lights decorated the trim of the veranda I was sat under, tilting my stool to lean against the wooden railing that paired nicely with the little garden out the back.
On the ceiling of the terrace was a multi-coloured assortment of mood lights, illuminating the decking with their non-invasive glow.
As my eyes continued familiarising myself with my environment, I noticed some flowerbeds sat by the three double doors that lead inside the bar - each stocked with more than enough flowers for people to idly stare at, if you were into that sort of thing - and all three of the doors were wide open to allow for fresh air circulation.
It was a surprisingly pleasant establishment, given what I could see on the outside. I knew for a fact that Ly had picked a good spot to meet.
This whole region of Vale was nicer than the rest, but what can you expect from the Upper-Class district?
This entire province was built with tourism in mind, those that built it was apparently desperate for the Lien it attracted.
Unsurprisingly, it also had a higher police concentration, given the wealth to be had here.
The wealth that was crying out to be taken, or so my cousin would say.
The police force had seriously upped their game in the recent years, stamping out crime when and where they could.
For all the good that would do them though.
Their increased efforts meant nothing to Ly, whose net worth consisted almost entirely of stolen treasures.
Her looks, the way she dressed, the way she held herself, and her exceptional ability to deceive others.
All of it met in the middle to make her a world-class thief.
She was damn good at her job, made it look laughably easy.
Her reputation was a formidable asset to her.
People hired her on name alone, assuming she even gave it to them.
Lylac was quite literally a ghost.
And with that in mind, slipping into a place like this, blending in with the locals, and concealing her true profession was nothing but child's play to her.
Which is what allowed her to walk with composure out of the bar carrying drinks in both hands and discretely stealing a wallet off of a table as she passed it without anyone suspecting a thing.
As far as anyone was concerned, an attractive young woman just left the bar to relax for the evening.
"Showing off again?" I asked contemptuously as she took the stool opposite me and gently placed the drinks on the table.
"I told you I was going to make this stay worth it," she replied flashing a little smirk, "it's only natural for me to take a big, fat wallet left all alone on a table. It was begging me, really Crying out for my graceful self to plunder inside and secure the bountiful riches insi- 300 Lien? Are you kidding me?"
I rolled my eyes and took a sip of the spirit in front of me as my cousin discontentedly poked around further inside the faux leather wallet.
Vodka, cola, and ice, a typically cheap social drink.
"Unbelievable…"
"They sure as hell serve some factory-processed crap here…" I murmured as I begrudgingly swallowed it, drawing my cousin's attention from her most recent distraction.
Ly smiled as she daintily sipped her own drink, setting the wallet on the table, despite the previous owner being less than 12 feet from us, "True, but not all of the bars are this bad though. I know one or two that are semi-decent, and there's one that I've been dying to take you to for a little while now. I think you'll like it."
I shrugged my shoulders with ersatz interest as I slipped my scroll of out my pocket and placed it on the table between us.
"So, you going to tell me where this safehouse is at some point?" I asked lightly.
Ly casually curled a lock of lilac-tipped blonde hair around her delicate index finger, her other hand tipping her glass, watching with mild interest as the dark fluid inside swirled around it, "I will… Once you've told me how your day was," her opalescent pink eyes quickly met mine as her lips curled into a challenging smirk.
"Terrible."
I immediately plunged straight into the negativity, "Just about everything inside that academy is worse than I expected, their Huntsmen training program is mediocre and those that attend it are fucking brain-dead."
"Sounds pleasant, I'm so envious of you," my cousin mockingly teased me as she continued to innocently curl her hair around her finger.
There was absolutely nothing innocent about her.
"Additionally, the others in the same year as I are all far dumber than I thought or hoped they would be," I was ranting now, nothing out of the ordinary…
"I don't know what I was expecting, they're all moronic, hyperactive, trigger-happy swine that want to do nothing but go out and murder Grimm instead of learning tactics, rules of engagement, and the most basic of protocols."
"Well, not everyone can be as privileged as you, Ray. You were trained by your father, who was, without a doubt, one hell of a Huntsman."
I paused to drink some of my vodka, ignoring the watered-down taste in favour of resuming my rant.
"Yeah… well… I have no idea how I'm going to get that last piece to his sword and there's a fucking Affinity user running around with an aptitude for destruction."
Ly's attention doubled the moment I mentioned that.
"Affinity user?" she asked evenly, leaning forward a fraction, "What element?"
"Fire."
My straight reply intrigued my cousin as she nodded her head a little and switched her regard from my eyes to the garden.
"Is that user the only one you've come across, or are there any others?" she asked, her eyes soon meeting mine again.
"Your guess is as good as mine, I don't know who possesses the fragment, but they sure as hell know how to use it," I replied in a low tone, once more drinking my vodka, "and that concerns me."
"I can imagine so, I know very well how much you love their kind."
I rolled my eyes and scoffed, "Oh yeah, we get on like a house on fire. I adore them, they're all fantastic people…"
My hands were thrown into the air as I expressed my grief.
God, I hated those assholes.
Ly shifted her body as her left leg crossed over her right, "You can quit with the sarcasm, Ray. I know you detest them."
Her right hand left her hair as she propped her head on it, elbow resting on the table for support.
"Have you tried scanning for them, so you know who it is you need to avoid?"
"It's a Fire Affinity, Lylac. The extra heat their body produces would interfere with my equipment."
She smiled, "Then all you need to do is point Darkstar at people, scan, and look for the interference, easy. Don't make things more complicated than they need to be."
I sighed in contempt, "You don't need to tell me that, I'm just pointing out the fact that in a group of people, it'd be hard to scan and determine which one possesses the fragment, even if I do detect the interference."
"Then you rule out selective scanning and begin to examine body language, see who holds themselves in a higher regard than the rest, if you're forced into a game of elimination, then play it." Ly's smiled lightly at me, speaking delicately as if she was taming a caged lion.
I've always hated that…
"You'll get your answers eventually. Fire tends to be the brightest and most dangerous of all the elements," Ly explained carefully, calm and composed as always, "Look for anyone with those traits, and I'm sure you'll find them rather quickly."
Was she encouraging me to find them, or just telling me how?
Ly rarely held ulterior motives, but as a naturally deceptive girl, she was good at hiding them.
I've seen her play some very intelligent men like cheap fiddles, using her looks and their inner desires to get exactly what she wants, then leaving them blind and moneyless.
The irony?
She was the furthest thing from heterosexual.
Which meant she was equally as effective with her female victims. Probably enjoyed it more too.
Her orientation was her business though, not going to say that I won't judge her for it, but as the only close relative I have, it was my obligation to make sure she wasn't putting herself in danger.
She could frolic with whoever she wanted as far as I was concerned.
It was something she despised, that I knew, but I would bet money that she appreciated being looked after.
"Why are you telling me how to find them when I only intend to avoid their existence?" I asked with the quirk of my eyebrow.
Ly smiled, "It's only natural to help out my baby cousin when he's struggling, can you blame me for that? You're basically my brother after all."
She flashed that condescending grin she knew irritated me as her lips clasped around the rim of her glass and she took a sip, still smiling smugly as her eyes not once left mine.
"Ly, you struggle to open jars of pickles," I retorted, rolling my eyes.
She placed her drink down on the table and frowned, "That's because my hands don't have a vice-like grip."
"I think it's because you're weak, or lazy."
Her frown deepened, though I could tell she wasn't upset, "Really? Do you want to bring laziness into it? Tell me Ray, which one of us chose to spend three weeks in Mistral doing nothing but drinking and gambling in quite possibly the worst establishments they could possibly find - while the other searched relentlessly for any clue on Avramosis' last part?"
It was my turn to smirk this time, "When we left Sukariko to meet up with your contact in Mistral, you told me to take things easy. So, I did just that."
The young woman groaned as she rubbed her forehead, "That's… I actually hate your ability to selectively cherry-pick responses, you know that?"
"I appreciate your honesty, Lylac, shows how much you respect me."
"Duly noted," Ly responded sarcastically as she checked a gold-plated pocket watch she pulled from the breast pocket on her coat, "We should head for the safe house soon, these drinks are disgusting, and I have better stuff there."
I downed whatever was left of my drink and watched as Ly took hers into her hand and did the same.
"And here I thought we'd never leave."
I picked up the blue scroll I had left on the table and slipped it into my pocket, "Is there a bill we have to pay, or did you pay at the bar?"
Ly hopped off of her stool and flashed a cheeky smile, "Who said we're paying? Let's go before they realise that the blonde girl that walked behind the bar and poured herself two drinks doesn't actually work here."
I sighed, "Rein that kleptomania in before you get yourself into trouble…"
"Oh, I'm long since past the point of trouble…"
"What else have you done?" I questioned with narrowed eyes, which met with her wide, shit-eating grin.
"I poured some drinks for the patrons here," she answered nonchalantly, her simper stretching from ear-to-ear, "they were 'on the house'…"
I immediately pinched the bridge of my nose at her response, "For the love of… why?"
We left the restaurant via the garden, opening a wooden gate onto the high street, the verbal cursing of someone realising they misplaced their wallet and the bartender's aggressive use of expletives over stolen drinks filtering out from behind us.
Ly's head turned toward the commotion with that mischievous light glistening in her amused rose-gold eyes, "Sharing is caring."
We were trouble, my cousin and I, but I doubt that either of us would have it any other way.
"This is where you set up shop?"
This place was far from what I was expecting in a safe house.
A large, illuminated hotel stood before me and my vertically challenged cousin.
Its exterior was decorated with fauna of all varieties, mainly shrubbery and flowers flanking the lit stone pathway the led straight toward the lobby via immaculately clean glass doors.
"This place? Really?"
Ly giggled as she dragged me toward the entrance by my wrist, "I think it's really nice, c'mon."
"47 and a half million Lien, Ly… What did you do? Buy the whole fucking hotel?"
She dragged my ass toward the front desk, currently being manned by a girl that looked to be about 18 years of age. Her straightened, flowing, brunette hair reaching just her upper back as she tirelessly hammered away at her holographic keyboard.
"Good afternoon, I'd like to introduce you to my cousin."
Ly was far better with pleasantries than I was, and to make matters worse, she was excited.
Now, a normal Lylac was someone that most others could get along and converse with.
But an excited Lylac actively approached anything with a pulse, donning a huge, warm smile on her face as she was ready to make sure the aforementioned individual dropped whatever they were doing to donate their undivided attention to Ly's cause.
In this case, she was just saying hello…
"Oh, hello Miss Chroma," the girl's chocolate eyes left her terminal, met Ly's gaze and the moment they connected, the attendant's cheeks reddened slightly.
"Hey sweetheart, this is my cousin Ray, I'm having him over so could you tell any potential intruders to not bother us?" Ly was sweetening this girl up, I could tell.
Didn't look like she had any significant incentive to follow through with any of that though, not on a long-term basis, at least.
Probably her way of getting away with inappropriate behaviour.
Crafty little menace, this one.
"S-sure thing, shall I mark you down as unlisted?" the counter clerk stuttered in response.
Ly nodded, still giving her a sickeningly sweet smile, "That would be lovely, thank you."
She was exaggerating her syllables, protruding her will through her speech with a well-practised gesture.
Her fingers curled as she waved the girl goodbye as she hauled me toward the golden elevator doors on our left.
That gullible girl was leaking lust from her legs.
You're such a manipulative nuisance, Ly…
When the elevator doors opened, a carpeted corridor was revealed on the other side. Hanging lights were mounted on the wall in an even interval, illuminating the hallway adequately as Ly escorted me to the wooden door at the end.
"Here we are!" the girl chirped, swiping a golden key card inside the digital lock.
"You know that can be easily hacked right?" I asked, eyeing her scornfully, "Not much of a safehouse if someone can break in just be replicating an 8-digit NFC code."
"Oh, shut up, you nerd," Ly replied as she beckoned me to enter.
This place was big, not just for an apartment, but for a habitable place, this penthouse she had bought was almost excessive.
"Home, sweet home!"
I entered the penthouse slowly, taking everything in.
To my immediate left was a walk-in cupboard for storing shoes, coats and other outdoor clothing alongside containing the relevant laundry equipment.
Of course, Ly told me to wipe my feet and take my sneakers off…
After ridding myself of footwear I walked into the expansive living area, where to my left sat the kitchen.
It had all the appliances required to cook a decent meal; stovetop, oven, microwave, food processor, blender etc.
You name it, it was there.
The whole apartment was painted in a contrasting black and white, with a stained wooden flooring to match.
"Kinda blank, isn't it?" I asked as I entered the main living space.
Space was definitely fitting, I could practically go for a jog around it.
"Well, duh, I haven't decorated it yet." My cousin's eye rolled their sockets as she passed me, heading toward the kitchen.
"Yeah…" I mumbled as I spotted the literal stack of gold bars in the far-right corner, right beside the glass wall that led to an outside balcony.
Curious, I walked toward the glass wall, passing a mahogany dining table before pulling back the curtain to witness the sun's golden rays painting a canvas of pink and blue across the evening sky.
It was coincidentally similar to Ly's eyes.
Fitting.
"Here," I heard the clinking of ice cubes against glass emanate from behind me as I turned to face my cousin holding a glass of acolyte.
"Thanks."
I took the glass in my hand and took a sip of the liquid inside, the bittersweet fiery taste stinging the back of my throat as I took a chair out from under the table and sat down.
Ly sighed in content as she took the one opposite from me and sipped her own drink, "This is much better."
The distinctive honeyed aftertaste of my amber drink absently reminded me to take another sip.
I could already feel the effects of the absurd alcohol content, this was some really strong liquor.
Kudos to the unknown soul who made the recipe.
Getting rich off of intoxicating huntsmen.
Genius really.
I turned my head to face the wall of glass beside me once more, but my eye caught onto something that intrigued me.
"Ly…" I began, trying to format the words inside my head, "why are their crates of fruit on your balcony?"
My cousin almost choked on her drink as soon as I asked that, her cheeks flushing a bright red as she tried to catch her breath.
"I uh- well, you see… uh…"
My eyes narrowed, she was hiding something.
The girl cleared her throat before donning a serious expression.
"I was making uh… fruit salad."
That was vague and completely unconvincing.
"Where's the salad then?"
"In the fridge." That response fired from her mouth as she cleared her throat again.
"In the fridge with the other uh… desserts I've been making."
My eyes narrowed even further, "Enlighten me on these other desserts, Ly."
"Oh, y'know… nice desserts… for eating…"
Do I smell bullshit?
"Like ice cream?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow.
"Yeah! Yes, ice cream and- "
That was bullshit alright.
"You don't store ice cream in the refrigerator, Lylac, you're hiding something."
She suddenly went very quiet after my response.
I recorded the past 2 minutes for reference as I sipped some of my drink before setting it on the table between us and leaning against it.
"So, you want to tell me why you're wasting your talents on groceries?"
Ly's cheeks were suddenly very heated.
I had a feeling she was trying to garner someone's attention.
But as for who the hell wanted to know about 19 crates of fruit being stolen, I had nothing.
Was she trying to impress someone?
"I-it's nothing, don't worry about it, I was going to donate the fruit to the orphanage anyway," Ly mumbled as she hid her mouth behind her glass of acolyte, "they need the food more than I do."
"I bet, but there are other ways of giving to the needy, that don't involve stealing 7 crates of apples."
It was odd… seeing her getting flustered over something she'd been doing for years.
And I couldn't figure out for the life of me why the hell she chose to steal fruit…
I hoped it was fruitful though.
Pun not intended.
Author's note:
Since my PC has taken what seems to be the equivalent of a dirt nap, for the time being, one that I'm unable to diagnose, I'm currently passing the time by writing.
Not going to say that you should expect a more stable upload schedule, there are other ways to procrastinate after all, but I should hopefully be writing a bit more often.
Those that are up to date with Rogue Huntsman know where this chapter is going, expect something fruity with Ly soon.
On that note, for those that have forgotten or don't know, on order to understand what the hell is going on in this story, you need to read Rogue Huntsman by Xera Stark, and additionally, for another great story coinciding with them both, go and read Knights of White and Black by andy2396
I graciously hope you'd consider leaving a Review, and if you do, please Favourite and Follow.
Have a good one!
-Hydra