Cerebella found herself in an all to familiar waiting room. It has been several months since the last time she meant with the heads of the Medici Family. She took in a deep breath as she waited in the waiting room between the office and the head of the family's office. "How am I going to explain all of this?" She asked herself to reflect on all the crazy things she has seen. "(The alternate world with crazy shadow monsters, wacky abilities. Just so much to say.)"
A loud buzzer caught her attention. She looked up to see that the secretary was answering the phone. "Yes, Lorenzo sir. She is here, Shall I send her in?" The Secretary, a blonde-haired woman in a blue button up shirt and black skirt stayed quit as she heard the voice from the other end of the phone. She would nod once or twice during the call t\while glancing at Cerebella almost uninterested. "I'm certain she is aware of the where bouts of the circus sir." She voiced as she looked down on her desk typing on a typewriter.
As the two talked Cerebella zoned out the questions looking out toward the city of New Meridian below. The Medici's tower was always the largest building in the city housing the city's most popular casino, The River King as well as the Medici headquarters and penthouse manor on the very top floors. Every other floor side from those where they are rented out as high-end housing as well as a hotel. She continued looking until she heard the buzzer go off again as well as muffled talk coming from behind a set of very thick mahogany doors. Whatever was going on in there, the muffled voice was clearly yelling.
"The boss will see you now." The secretary spoke up as she flipped a switch unlocking the heavy wooden doors. Cerebella enter to see the familiar red stained walls colliding with ivory arches as well as several elegantly made vases lining the walls. All of this laid on top of an ivory and granite colored linoleum. Cerebella walked up superficial as she could as her eyes looked out at the New Meridian skyline. An elderly man sat calmly at the desk he looked as if he had finished yelling. Beside him was a tall woman in a black mask and a grenade launcher for an arm. Cerebella recognized the two as Lorenzo and his body guard Black Dahlia. She shivered a little as she turned her gaze elsewhere. She began to smile when her step-father, a surly looking man in a crimson suit was off in the corner. "Hey Father." She yelled happily "I'm back."
Her father looked at her in shock. She had disappeared for several months for no reason. Many members of the mafia thought Eliza had got her. "How are you alive?" He asked in shock.
Cerebella kept the happy look on her face as she looked at Lorenzo for permission to sit. He waved his hand silently as she sat down. "Shortly after you made me work with Eliza to track down the last Fish bone gang member she tried to kill me by draining my blood out of me." She spoke as she lifted part of her performers suit to show the scar Eliza left. "I actually have to thank the fact that the magnum opus of lab eight is reckless. If there was no car crash I would have been killed by her. She fled in a hurry thinking it was police." I spent a good week after wards in a hospital where I broke out." She realized she never reported to them after that incident. "I was ashamed that she got the best of me so I went to even the score. Tracking down Peacock I convinced her to help me find the double-crossing bitch." She took a pause here.
"Cere." Her father spoke up in her pause. "That only accounts for a few weeks of your disappearance. What else happened."
She was hesitant to continue her story since the next segment came off as if she had gone mad. "You might not believe the next part." She said looking at Lorenzo.
Lorenzo eyed her slightly angered that she was withholding information. "I will be the judge of that." His voice, though old, had a lot of strength in it a trait that Cerebella adored about him.
She nodded as she recalled the next set of events. "As it turned out Peacock was also tracking Eliza down. She used a weird device from lab zero to warp between planes of existence." The entire room looked at her with a look of disbelief. "The next thing her team knew we were attending a school to fight these shadow monsters, we got these crazy abilities and we even found another person from here Who was being chased by Eliza. After two months of insanity we chased her back to New Meridian though we lost her upon arrival."
Lorenzo glared at her thinking that she was telling an unfunny joke. He was about to yell when her father intervened. "Cere how about you go back to your apartment. Your circus troupe is out of country at the moment but they should be finishing their tour soon." He suggested trying to make sure Lorenzo did not burst out yelling again.
She looked at him her eyes showing she was telling the truth. "But I… "
"Now Cerebella" He demanded
Hanging her head in shame, she got up to leave. She was halfway toward the office door when she looked at the portraits of the family that were next to run the Medici crime family after Lorenzo's death. She herself was un eligible due to the fact she was not blood related but they did treat her like family. She looked at them noticing some of the kids. The most eligible teenager was a female with blonde hair and a black hairband. She looked at it curiously.
Her step father looked at her almost getting angered. "What now?' He asked annoyance in both his tone and face.
She snapped out of it and turned back to him. "Who is this?" She asked confused as to who she was looking at the portrait of the teenager.
"She is none of your concern!" Lorenzo yelled angrily as she began to run out of the room she was in.
The secretary saw that entire event unfold. Though she kept quiet as Cerebella looked at the two giant doors with a melancholic cowl on her face. "You asked about her, didn't you?" She spoke up concerned.
Cerebella perked her head up confused for a second not exactly registering what she just said. The moment it clicked in her head her face widened in a shocked expression. "You know what happened?" She asked redness forming in her cheeks. As the secretary nodded.
"That was one of the future airs to heirs to the Medici family." She spoke calmly. She leaned back in her chair as she spoke gesturing for her to come closer. "I never meant her myself I snuck a peak at the portrait When they returned to the mansion for the night." She caught the glare of the Medici muscle girl as she spoke. "A year ago, though she disappeared."
Her last statement caught Cerebella's attention more than the Secretary's criminal charges of trespassing. "Missing?" The secretary nodded as the thought entered her head.
"Shortly after her disappearance most of the original mansion staff was fired with their records of employment were burned the next day." Cerebella looked at her with interests. "Word is they left the missing heir's room the same after her disappearance."
Cerebella leaned back thinking on what she just heard. "(If I could solve the mystery of her disappearance I think they would accept me as an official member of the inner family rather than a step daughter.)" She liked the thoughts behind it. The problem with it was the fact she had no way of getting into the mansion not even the Black Egrets, Parasoul's personal military team have a solid plan of breaching the fortified penthouse mansion. She was never permitted entry meaning she would have to break into her own family's house track down the room in question and search for clues as to her disappearance.
As Cerebella left the secretary waiting room the secretary looked at the elevator and the door. She pushed on the intercom button. "Boss, I'm signing out early." Her voice said as she got up and went to the stair weld. She was walking down her face holding a demented grin. "All going to plan, Lorenzo will not know what hit him." Her voice as she spoke had a secondary echo of several voices as she went down the stairs.
Back in Little Innsmouth.
"…Fil." A voice was going through the blackness of Filia's slumber. She couldn't discern the voice outside the fact it was female. "Filia?" The voice called out again despite a lack of answer. She began to open her eyes to see a mesh of red white and yellow. She began to get up as her vision returned. She could finally make out the blurred masses as Ruby, Wiess, Blake, and Yang.
"Where are we?" She asked trying to make out the figures still. It seemed she was getting a sharper image from her eyes now. She closed them again and shook her head accidently waking Samson in the process. They looked as if they were in a restaurant they must have dragged her back to Yu-Wan's shop when she lost the exhibition match.
"You okay?" Blake asked looking at the markings on her. Most of them were just cat scratches side from a few blunt forces strikes from Ms. Fortune's tail. "You were out for almost an hour. Nadia said she knew a place for team Jnpr to stay while here. Apparently, it was an old safe house the gang she was in used from time to time."
Filia's eyes widened as she turned toward the clock, it was going on ten thirty. She got up shook off the remaining wooziness from the fight. "We need to hurry." She said panicking. She fell to one of her knees before getting back up gritting her teeth.
"Why the rush?" Yang looked at her confused. Filia was always uptight though slightly easy going in most situations, minus whenever she was trying to hide Samson.
"The last train to Maplecrest leaves at eleven fifteen." The tone in her voice holding a sense of urgency. Blake and Wiess' faces showed the same thought.
The entire Team looked at each other silently. "Filia." Ruby spoke up "is that where our hideout is?" Filia nodded as Ruby grabbed her small Travelers bag and strapped it thoroughly to her shoulders. "To the train station." She ordered as she ran outside. A minute later she poked her head back in smiling embarrassedly. "Um, which way to the station?" She asked in child-like manner slightly muttering in a low tone.
The inside of the diner stood there stunned at her actions before Filia managed to shake of her own shock and went to walk out. Yu-Wan dashed out from the back quickly "Filia wait!" She turned around and noticed he was holding something. It looked like a light brown coat, a long one at that. The heavy stitching suggested a long time of use and a hefty amount of self-repair. "You left it here in the summer before disappearing." He explained
Filia's eyes widen recognizing the article of clothing. It was her beloved trench coat that she got the third day with Samson after dumpster diving for it. Back then it was old and musty but a few discount tailors and a trip to the laundry mat made it good as new, or at least usable. She walked up and bowed as she grabbed it strapping it on.
Outside of the dinner she gestured for them to follow her. She kept her hands in its pockets as they traversed Little Innsmouth's maze of walkways. Ruby noticed that a lot of people were looking at her as they appeared to be looking at fear of Filia. They then noticed why. She did not have anything hiding Samson. This was clearly putting the hair monster on full alert as Filia mindlessly walked through the streets.
Ruby walked up putting her hands on Filia's shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" she asked as the two turned left down a strange street with a stairwell leading to a large bridge. Filia looked at her confused slightly.
She turned her head to look around noticing that she was getting unfriendly stares from everyone in the area. She thought about it before noticing that she did not have a baller cap anymore. "Oh right, I'm fine." She spoke calmly. "Curse of being infected I suppose." She let out a weary smile as well as a light chuckle.
"That feared?" Ruby tilted her head clearly feeling sad for her situation.
"Don't sweat it red." Samson spoke up. "this kind of attention is like her own type of protection. Only an idiot would try to attack her with me around." He was showing a lot of over confidence about himself as he looked.
The group stopped on the bridge hanging over a section of railroad. Ruby for a minute thought the group was just catching their breath. She leaned up against the railing looking at New Meridian's bright skyline. Skyscrapers surrounded them and it looked as though it went on for miles. She has only seen the Beacon city harbor town for the most part but even then, it was no metropolitan like this place. She looked into the air seeing a bunch of flying balloon looking machines in the air lazily floating by as though they were in no rush.
"It's a lot to take in." Blake said beginning to observe the environment as well. To her she saw lots of faunas and full animals quickly moving left and right trying to get from someplace or another. Her ears twitched as she heard something coming. She turned her head spotting a tower of smoke coming closer. "Is that the."
"Eleven fifteen right on time." Samson interrupted Blake as Filia climbed onto the railing of the bridge. "Get ready now, we got a short window." He finished as Filia inhaled slightly closing her eyes.
Ruby looked in shock seeing what they were expected to do. "Wait were jumping onto it?" She spoke shocked at the realization.
Filia opened one of her eyes to look back at her. "Transport fees are expensive, it's just easier to freight hop." She looked back forward as the sounds of the train got closer. "You are going to want to get ready Maplecrest is across the city." She added in as the horn blew.
Wiess and Ruby looked at each other concerned. While Blake hesitantly got onto the railing next to Filia. Yang who was across the from Ruby looked at her sister gave a simple shrug as she got on the other side of Filia. Ruby Opened her mouth to say something but the train horn showed it was coming closer, in fact it's lights could be seen in the distance. She quickly dashed up onto the railing beside her sister.
Wiess looked at the four of them as if they were crazy. "We lost our aura and you three decide to go play caution to the wind because of an amnesiac and a daredevil hair monster." Her eyes were twitching angrily as she looked Samson in the face since everyone was looking away from her.
The train lights from the road turned on as bells began to ring signaling it was closer. Wiess stood her ground. "Someone give me a map I am not doing this." She stomped her feet on the ground signifying her statement.
"Too bad princess." Samson yelled over the trains horn wrapping his tentacle like hair around her waist hoisting her into the air right as Filia jumped. After Wiess cleared the railing Blake, Yang, and Ruby all jumped, screaming as they landed onto a flatbed car.
Team Rwby were completely at a lost for breath as Filia bundled up her coat sit it did not flail crazily in the wind. She turned around looking at the others all of them except for Blake were gasping a little from the screaming they did. She walked up to help Ruby up as Samson got Yang and Wiess onto their feet. Wiess angered stormed off though the far end of the car. Filia smiled wearily as the group were calming down over the sudden change of pace.
Ruby sat calmly looking at the fast changing landscape around them. Buildings moving by them at a fast pace as the locomotive approached a giant suspension bridge. She looked toward New Meridian's ever-expanding vista as the train crossed the dark abyss below. Surprisingly she noticed that this maybe the potential for a world without Grimm larger city boundaries, taller buildings, safer ways of life. She thought that continuously as she looked at the moon that in her world was shattered but here it remained purely intact without an over looming threat. For once it felt as though her dream job was unneeded which was saddening in a way.
Wiess on the other hand once calming down approached Filia angrily. "You have some nerve." She yelled angrily at her. It was obvious that most of this was directed at Samson. "Why would you do that to someone?"
Samson blew her of as something special. "Cut with the high and mighty crap will ya." He spoke in a more threatening tone. "You may have had some fancy title back on Remnant, but here ya mean squat."
"Samson." Filia spoke up slightly nervous.
"What? I'm sayin it as it is." He responded to Filia with the high authority figure he just hypocritically called out seconds earlier. He began to respond in mass pain as Filia bit her lower lip Yanking on her hair hard to make sure he got the picture. "OW! ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT I'LL LEAVE HER ALONE!"
Filia looked at Wiess "Sorry Wiess. he means well, but he can be brash about it." Wiess walked off to watch the visit as she kept her nose slightly elevated.
Yang leaned into Blake as they watched that thing happen. "Boy I would hate to have that stuck with me." Her tone was in a whisper to make sure few people heard her.
Forty-five minutes passed before the train came to a complete halt. at small sized station. The towering skyscrapers of the downtown city were behind them still in view. They hopped off the flatbed car and had their first good view of the new area. Filia turned around looking at her teammates. "This is Maplecrest." She spoke up getting their attention "The place I have regarded as my own home. I have a higher likely hood of finding someone to take me in for the evening here. Tonight, however we are staying at a different house."
Ruby turned her gaze in fascination toward the small suburban development. Not much now seemed to be going on but since it is close to midnight it was to be expected. "So, who are we staying with?" She asked looking at the roads that went all over the area.
"We are staying with a soldier named Panzerfaust. He normally is not around since he works with the Black Egrets. So, he lets us stay there time to time as long as we restock the fridge." She explained as she began to walk toward the richer looking houses.
Panzerfaust's house was gigantic possibly do to the experiments he went under. Filia approached the door of his place only to knock on a sheet of metal on the door. It looked like a garage door if it was being used by dogs. Ruby looked at the massive two-story structure. A lot of the house looked like it was for someone close to nine or ten-foot person. The metal dog door opened as something began to come out. A strange green looking thing that smelled as if it was using fuel. Ruby looked to see that the rest of her team side from the guide were looking in complete shock. She turned to see what answered the door. To her surprise it was a tank that's barrel was at waist level with their heads.
"Oh, Blitzer." Filia spoke with shock. "Is your master home?" She asked to only get it to shake of its nozzle no. "Oh, training?' It shook it's barrel up and down signifying a yes. "I see." Her eyes widened in shock "Oh right! This is Team Rwby they are out of country visitors that need a place to stay. Is it alright if we stay?"
The tank stood there motionless as if thinking. It slowly backed into the garage door in the door. Several sounds could be heard as the door unlocked. The group realized the tank's answer. The door opened showing surprisingly a decent amount of space.
Filia walked up to the tank. "Oh, Thank you. I'll get you more of the crude oil when I go shopping for groceries." She declared as she hugged the turret pivot. The tank let out a small puff of gray steam as she hugged it. She got off it as she turned to look at the rest of her team. "Find anywhere but the master bedroom to sleep. I need to train you tomorrow on how to make block buster attacks."