The morning brought about a blessed cleansing for the two companions, but it wasn't determined to last long. As the sun crackled through the darkness, Neo found herself shivering in the absence of the warmth she had come to embrace. Slowly opening her eyes, blinking the light away, she found the normal spot occupied by Roman to be empty. Trudging into the kitchen, she found him making peanut butter sandwiches. He looked up at her with a smile, noticing the adorable yawn she succumbed to, stretching her arms as high as she could. He noticed her eyes had returned to their normal pink and brown, grateful that the anniversary of her worst memory was over.

He thought back to the night before after the two had fallen asleep. He had woken temporarily, the girl curled up in his arms, her beautiful hair strung out behind her. Roman tried to switch positions, but the girl refused, snuggling herself deeper into his embrace. There wasn't anything intimate about the exchange, just an innocence between the two friends, aiding the other in their worst times. He smiled at the memory.

Neo plopped down at the island where Roman was preparing sandwiches for the two of them. He set one down in front of her, and she immediately took a large bit out of it, giving him a peanut butter-filled smile. He grinned back, taking a bite out of his own.

"I have a few presents for you," he said, slightly muffled due to the food in his mouth.

She gave him a questioning look, her eyebrows raised and her eyes boring into him. He swallowed down the bite before he started again.

"I tried looking for you in Vale yesterday, but while I was there, I decided we needed new clothes. And if you want, we can go to Vale again so you can shower before changing into them," he explained.

Neo lit up at this. It had been a while since they had stolen clothes, leaving her in the dirty and holy grey t-shirt and leggings she currently was wearing. She could also feel the weight of grease in her hair, and her entire body was full of grime. She nodded vigorously, scarfing down the rest of her meal in her excitement to finally shower. Roman chuckled at her haste.

"C'mon, I'll finish my sandwich on the way there. You look like you really want that shower," he said.

She nodded again and watched as Roman slung a black backpack on his shoulder that she hadn't noticed earlier. Cocking her head to the side, she wondered what was in it.

"It's a surprise."

The two smiled at each other, and then they set out for the walk to Vale. Neo was in such a rush to shower that they arrived at the community bathroom shortly. She hurried in, leaving Roman to sit on a bench and contemplate.

What was he to do about Loden's request? Of course he still wanted to be a huntsman, but at the same time, he didn't. The huntsman that had abandoned his family in a time of need harmed his ideality of them, and he wasn't sure he could continue with it. At the same time, living at Signal would be better than living in their rugged apartment. Would Neo be able to come along with him? She was still too young to attend a combat school, and he didn't know if they allowed anyone younger. Maybe he could ask? Tell the headmaster he had a friend who didn't have anywhere to go, that she was dying to start her training and didn't even have parents to enroll her in the school. Of course he would have to ask her first, and assuming she said yes, he would force Loden to bring her with them. There was no way he could say no.

The young girl peeked her head out her shower. He hurried over with the backpack. He pulled out a pair of jeans for her, and grinning, the blue kitten shirt. She glared at him as she snatched them in her hand. She started to fully retreat to get dressed.

"Wait."

Roman, feeling his cheeks growing slightly hot, handed her a pair of undergarments. Her face turned red, and she quickly stole them from his hand and left him alone. He hurried back to the bench, calming his burning face. He wasn't sure why it embarrassed him so much; they were kids who needed to do this to live. It still got to the both of them though, but neither of them acknowledged it to the other.

The girl finally emerged in her punny shirt and jeans, her hair still wet and clumped around her shoulders. She glared at him, gesturing to her shirt, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"What? It's funny!"

She gave him a little shove, trying to hide the grin on her face, but Roman didn't miss it. He loved to make her happy, especially after what he learned the day before.

"Want to stay in the city for a bit? We can work on our pick-pocketing skills," he offered.

Her nose scrunched up in dislike; she had never been good at pick-pocketing, getting caught every time and nearly reported. Roman, however, had nearly perfected the technique, coming in handy for saving up some Lien. They had a jar back at their apartment filled with the currency, hoping to save some in case of an emergency. Neo still became queasy at the thought of stealing from others, but Roman delighted in it. His previous life had been stolen from him, so why couldn't he steal something as small as a few bills?

"You don't have to, but I want to add to the jar."

The girl crossed her arms and rolled her eyes with a smirk. He shot her a smile back, knowing he had won. He hurried off to hide behind a trashcan, and he saw Neo sit down on a bench out of the corner of his eye, swinging her legs since they didn't touch the ground. She was so innocent; he was already feeling the dread creeping through him at telling her his decision.

Roman took his time picking out an easy target, stalking behind them for a few seconds before slyly slipping from them, a treasure stuffed in his hand. He smirked; this was way too easy. The people in Vale were barely worried about criminals.

Neo carefully watched her companion, picking out the technique he used on his victims. She was still amazed at how well he managed to pull off his thievery; meanwhile, she became queasy and nervous every time she remotely came close to stealing from someone. She had been stolen of her life, but she didn't think it was fair to steal that from others, and Lien could definitely be a big part of that. However, she didn't mind that Roman did it, and she understood that they needed a little Lien in order to survive. As long as she didn't have to do the deed, she didn't care what happened to keep them alive.

A slight heavy feeling dropped into Neo's stomach. She noticed something different about Roman, a small shift in his actions. She couldn't help but worry that her telling him her worst memory had made him dislike her, and she thought he would leave her. She was too much of a mess for him, too dark of a past, to deal with. The way he studied her more today, almost as if weighing something in his mind, made her anxious. What would she do if he left? Of course she had lived on her own for three years, although barely alive, starving and dirty. He was her only company though, and if she had to resort to stealing if he left, she knew there was no way she would do it.

Roman came trudging over to her, a big grin on his face, and she could see his pockets bulging. Neo forced a smile upon her face so he wouldn't think anything was wrong. He sat on the bench next to her, and she looked away, keeping her eyes trained on the road filled with passing cars. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Roman glancing at her occasionally, but she didn't return it for fear he would see the nervousness in her eyes.

Roman looked at the young girl next to him, finally deciding he had to tell her. He had already made up his mind, and all he had to do was tell her. Nevertheless, he couldn't bring himself to say it, and after a long look at Neo, he finally sighed, mustering as much courage as possible.

"Neo?"

She looked at him, her mismatched eyes glittering. He recognized a small hint of anxiety in them, but he couldn't stop his confession now. All his courage was built up and rearing to be released.

"Yesterday," he started, now not daring to look at her, slowly drawing out the three syllables of that one word, "I saw an old friend from combat school. He told me that I was welcome back to the school at any time and that I really should come back. And I'm thinking I should."

He finally looked back up at her, and he hated what he saw. Tears were gathering in her eyes, shimmering in the sun. Her chin wobbled slightly. Finally, her face scrunched up. She set her hands on his chest and gave him a good, hard shove, and he slipped off the bench. Then she fled from him, tears streaming from her eyes. He watched her run from him, momentarily stunned at the strength she had pushed him with, his butt already feeling numb and bruised.

After the slight frozen momentum, he darted up and followed the running girl. Despite his much longer legs, she was surprisingly fast, darting through people and around obstacles like it were a simple game. She made it through the small hole in the wall and continued on, and he had nearly caught up to her when they closed in on the apartment.

"Neo!" he called.

She paused to turn, and he could see the menacing glare in her brown eye. She flicked her hand towards him, and an Ursa appeared before him, giving a guttural roar. Roman, despite the knowledge of it only being an illusion, felt a flicker of fear. She was already so strong at such a young age, unlocking her semblance, able to create something so powerful.

He squished the fear gathering inside him and barrelled through the Ursa, causing it to shatter. The broken pieces sliced his skin open, but none of them were deep. He told himself to remember that for next time.

Roman hurried up to their apartment, but the girl was nowhere to be found. She couldn't have gotten far in the few seconds he hesitated, and he didn't think she would dare to wander the abandoned section of Vale, knowing what she had endured in her past. There was only one place he could think she would be, and he realized that was where she had most likely been the previous day.

Silently making his way up to the roof, Roman found the young girl sitting near the edge, facing away from him and looking out at the city of Vale as the sun started to set, her knees tucked to her chest. He could hear her sniffles, and her hand moved to wipe away a few tears. His heart contracted at the hurt he had caused her; he never wanted to hurt her. He only wanted to protect her, and becoming a stronger fighter would help him to do that.

"Neo?" he said quietly, slowly stepping his way toward her. She didn't even look at him.

"Neo, I swear, I'm not going to leave you alone. I never intended to leave you alone. I want you to come with me. I don't think they take anyone as young as you, but they can't just throw you back on the streets. They wouldn't really be huntsmen if they did. My friend Loden is meeting me in six days to take me back, and you can come with."

Roman was close enough to the girl to crouch down and set a hand on her shoulder. Still sniffling, she turned to look him in his emerald eyes, a questioning look holding them.

"Yes, really. If they won't let you stay, I'll leave again. I swear."

A few more tears escaped her eyes, and he wiped them from her cheeks. She launched herself at him, wrapping her tiny arms around him and squeezing him with a surprising strength. He smiled and ruffled her ice cream hair.

"You're strong for such a small package."

She looked up at him with a grin.