Hey everybody, and Happy Halloween! I hope every one of you has been well. I was really unsure about this chapter, since it's not really something I'm used to writing, but I did my best!
YeTianshi: I had considered having him panic more during the student assembly, but as I began to outline the rest of the story, it felt like I would be rushing things a bit too much if I did. Hopefully the scene was still believable enough, and thank you for the kind words!
candrariski155: I don't really feel like I could write any of the BNHA characters as themselves, but I would definitely consider it! I'm not sure what I would use as a premise, so I doubt I'll get started on that any time soon, so sorry about that.
Batman9117: I'm glad you did!
K.C. Joker White: I fixed the link (as I'm sure you're aware), and I'm glad you did. Hope to hear from you again, Your Majesty.
lapidot16: Thank you, and you'll have to stick around to find out, I guess!
Greer123: That was the whole premise of this story, I'm glad somebody finally said it!
(Guest) StrategicChamp: I'm very thankful to hear such praise, I did my best to write that scene as best as I could, and I'll answer what questions I can without spoiling the story. As for your first one, I don't know if I can give you my own guess, given that I'm writing the story. For your second question, the version of Kaneki I'm using is pre-Haise. For your third question, well, I don't want to give any absolutes, because I feel that if I confirmed or denied that Kaneki would join either faction now, it would sort of take away from any tension or build up I would like in write leading up to such a decision, so I guess I can't answer this one either. I don't mind long reviews, so don't worry! As for the suicide victims, this can be my own wishful thinking, but I just don't see Vale as a place to have a particular severe suicide problem, and if it did, I'm not sure if there would be 'suicide hotspots' that Kaneki can visit regularly. I guess I should have put this in the story, but I guess I was relying a bit too much on the suspension of disbelief.
Sukracharya: I feel bad for putting Velvet through all of this too.
KnightOfZaku: Salem's reaction to seeing Kaneki in his Ghoul form made her angry because he represents a totally unpredictable variable. In my interpretation (which can be totally different than yours and everybody else's), Salem is a figure that works from the shadows scheming to use people and having a plan. Kaneki is an unpredictable variable that can possibly ruin the beginnings of her plan to attack on Beacon. Her whole deal was to use Cinder and her faction to strike when Vale wasn't expecting it (despite Breach upping security), and using the worldwide feed to spread panic and fear. Kaneki's presence and appearance would make Ozpin and co on much higher alert, since he resembles a human Grimm so much. I don't know if that would make sense to everybody, but it's the best I can really articulate that without taking up too much room here. If you want a further explanation, feel free to join my Discord!
Sturdivant: That's for certain, but that doesn't mean he won't try to delay that discovery.
a543321: That's what I was going for!
Phantommore: Shhhhh, don't tell everybody! Haha.
Kragh: Thank you, and like I said to Phantommore; Shhhh!
Itharax: I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed Salem and Kaneki's reactions, I wasn't sure if I could pull them off believably! I love Roman and Neo and since I sort of used them as Kaneki's first acquaintances, I thought it would make sense that he would protect them a tiny bit. I feel like Ruby and Blake rarely ever talk to each other (excluding the newest volume) so I thought I'd add a little bit of a heart-to-heart here, so I'm glad you appreciated that. Kaneki's, CFVY's and RWBY's whole interaction, that took a few attempts, I won't lie, so I'm glad that I got so many reactions out of you! I'll explain the Hardlight Dust thing at the end of the Author's Note. Fox's Semblance is something I thought could be fun to play with, since I don't recall him every speaking in the show, even in combat, so I thought, 'eh, why not'. Velvet giving Kaneki that excuse was my version of her feelings starting to come through. I wanted to incorporate the quote a friend told me when I was in a toxic relationship, "When you wear rose colored lenses, red flags just look like flags" or something like that. Anyway, thank you for all the input, I love reading and rereading your reviews.
Imperial Stormtrooper: That is definitely an interpretation I can get behind!
artem-abramov-2004: Just so you know, I had already had written a particular scene in this chapter before I posted the last chapter, and I don't want to confirm/deny your idea, but to be frank after this chapter, it'll be apparent that you might be a bit closer (although not entirely) to my plans.
Hellibleri: Neo's interest is definitely something I'm struggling in writing, but I felt like it would be an interesting dynamic, so hopefully you're okay with it!
808Joker808: I am beyond honored to hear that, I cannot even express how happy that makes me feel.
Daneu: Update!
(Guest): Update!
HeartstringsBlue: Thank you so much! I loved Tokyo Ghoul and one aspect was following how Kaneki never really felt like he belonged anywhere after becoming a Ghoul, and I tried to capture that in this story. Velvet's assumptions and thought processes are something I thought could make sense considering how one would often observe somebody they're interested in a bit closer than normal, as well as wanting to wish the best from them. Seeing how much you enjoyed the interactions between characters makes me smile like an idiot, because that's what I always wanted to be good at. Please, feel free to write as much as you'd like, and if it feels like too much, you can join my discord and write it there! If not, I'm more than happy to read your thoughts in a review.
Okay, so I wanted to address the Hard-Light Dust here, since I felt that a few more people might be curious as to why I decided to make it particularly effective against Kaneki. Well, the simple answer is that, in my opinion, it just seems to be much more effective at cutting than the regular versions of the weapons. I would cite when Velvet first used her Hard-Light constructs against the Altesian Paladins at the end of Volume 3. She was able to cut one in half with Crescent Rose, cut an arm off with Gambol Shroud and slice limbs off using Penny's swords. When Team RWBY, Sun and Neptune fought the prototype, it took a lot more effort and Yang's Semblance to defeat it. Now, this can also be attributed to other factors, but it made sense to me. I also went down the train of thought that Ice Dust would be effective at making his Kagune brittle since his particular version is compared to liquid, so in earlier chapters, that's why it was able to do more damage than, say, fire or electric. Anyway, hopefully this line of reasoning has enough logic behind it that you can at least understand where I'm coming from. If not, you can figure out why I made this decision narratively, I'm sure.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!
The two teams sat in silence as Velvet finished informing them of her new discovery. She had tried to answer what she could, but it was obvious to everyone that she didn't have all the information. Still, the idea that the Faunus Killer wasn't just a cannibal but seemed to enjoy inflicting pain on his victims made a shiver go down all their spines. The Faunus Killer was not only dangerous; he was absolutely insane.
"I hate to say it, Velvet, but we might have to ask him about what happened," Coco said reluctantly. "If what you're saying is true, he's had the most contact with this freak. It might be painful for him, but it could give us some insight on him."
Velvet looked down. She didn't like it, but she had gone down a similar train of thought. Still, it felt wrong. "I don't think he'd want to have us all interrogating him. He's a civilian, he shouldn't have to relive that."
"Perhaps it would be easier if you were the one to coax it out of him," Fox suggested. "You are the closest one of us to him and I might be blind, but even I can see that there's something going on between you two."
Velvet tried to glare at Fox but couldn't find the conviction to. That, and he couldn't see her expression anyway. Coco looked over to their underclassmen, who still seemed to be digesting what they've learned. "Are you four going to be okay?"
"We'll be fine," Weiss answered, speaking for her leader. It was obvious to the heiress that Ruby was taking all of this harder than the rest of them. "It's just… a lot to take in."
Coco crossed her arms and sighed. "Hey, why don't you four get going? It's getting late and we're going to wrap things up anyway."
"We'll get out of your hair then," said Blake. Much like Weiss, Blake had noticed that Yang was silently seething in her seat, her hair dimly glowing from her struggling to keep herself in check. She put a hand on her partner's shoulder and gently pushed her towards the door. Ruby and Weiss followed suit, leaving the older team.
Yatsuhashi stood up, gathering the various mugs and plates. "Are you sure it is wise to bring up trauma like that?" he asked carefully. "If what Velvet said is true, Ken may shut down again and have another episode."
"That's why I want you to go with her," Coco said. "If Velvet can get the information she needs, you can use your Semblance to make him forget that he ever spoke about it."
Velvet and Yatsuhashi looked at her in alarm. The Faunus girl found her voice first. "Coco, that's wrong! It's unethical, we can't just poke around his head like that!"
"Velvet's right," Yatsu added. "You know how I feel about using my Semblance; besides, who knows what would happen to him if I did?"
Fox arched an eyebrow, turning towards the gentle giant. "Yatsu, what are you talking about? You said that people always regain their memories after you use it, as long as you don't wipe too much."
"Did you forget that Ken is suffering from memory loss already?" Velvet asked, harsher than she intended. "What if that somehow affects his ability to come back from what you want Yatsu to do to him!"
Coco frowned at the two but understood where they were coming from. Steadying her tone, she continued to explain herself. "Look, the kid lived through whatever was done to him, he's adapted to working here and seems pretty functional to me. I'll admit I'm not an expert in trauma, but you all remember that mission we came back from before the breach happened, don't you? I understand that he's not a Huntsman in training or anything, but the fact that he's able to carry himself the way he does now proves that he's not as fragile as you two are making him out to be."
"She does have a point," Fox added, shrugging a bit. "But so do they, Coco. We can't guarantee that he's not just putting up a front."
Velvet shook her head defiantly. "Ken would have no reason to put on a front, why would you say that? He's one of the sweetest guys I've ever met, and he actually cares about me and my mum. He's been honest with me; I know he has."
Coco raised an eyebrow. "Velvet, nobody said anything about him being dishonest with you, just that he's keeping things from us."
Velvet's eyes widened at Coco's statement. Why had she said that? She then felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She didn't need to turn to know it was her partner.
"We're living in some stressful times, Velvet. Perhaps we should all go home to get some rest." Yatsuhashi looked over to Coco who simply nodded to him. "I'll walk you home, Velvet."
"I'll close up for you," Coco offered. Velvet wanted to argue but she noticed the expression Coco wore. This was not up for discussion. Defeated, she allowed Yatsuhashi to walk her outside. As soon as the door shut, Coco let out a sigh.
"What's on your mind?" asked Fox, turning his head towards Coco. "Sounds like you used your serious face on her."
"I'm just worried about Velvet," she admitted. "I mean, I'm worried about that Ken kid too, but as selfish as it may be, I'm more worried that Velvet will get hurt because of him. He clearly has some issues… I just don't want Velvet to be a part of those."
Fox hummed in acknowledgement as he leaned back into the chair. "You're more concerned about him getting hurt and that hurting Velvet." His tone wasn't accusatory nor malicious, but Coco found herself flinching. "I get it, you just met him… but it's our job to protect people like him. We can't let personal interests affect that."
"I don't need you to lecture me about what we signed up for," she uttered, annoyed. "I know what our job is, but he has information that can help us."
"And what exactly is that Coco? How twisted the killer's mind is? The exact method of how he scooped the kid's eye out? Even if we do learn that what will that serve? I doubt the guy gave Ken a giant monologue of some sort of master plan he has."
Coco crossed her arms in defiance, before deflating. She had no way of explaining the gut feeling she had, and no doubt Fox would dismiss it as being overprotective of Velvet. For a moment, she doubted herself. "I'm just making sure that we cover all of our bases. If we find a more promising lead, we'll follow it, but right now, Ken's the only one we got. We won't interrogate him any time soon, but I can't promise that we won't ever. Who knows, he might remember something."
"Just don't stay up too late thinking about it," Fox warned. He stretched his arms out and let out a yawn. "When's the next meeting?"
"I'll let you all know if I find anything," Coco assured. Fox nodded, and headed out the door, leaving Coco to finish cleaning up for the night.
"Following up our top story this week, the Headmaster of Beacon, Professor Ozpin, finally released a statement on the strange Grimm that breached our Kingdom's walls a few days ago. Here is footage of the meeting he held earlier this morning."
Professor Ozpin approached a podium with several microphones with various logos of different news stations. As he adjusted his glasses, he let out a tired sigh, obviously exhausted. His eyes slowly scanned the crowd, his demeanor stoic. After a moment, he cleared his throat and spoke.
"I wish I came bearing better news. It is with great regret that I must announce that the final total has come up. As you are all aware, our city was swarmed with the Creatures of Grimm a few days ago. There was chaos in the streets, and although my students as well as students from other kingdoms were able to mitigate some of the damage, the battle was not without casualties. With the help of the Vale Police Department, we have confirmed that the attack caused over two hundred casualties, and of those, sixty-three fatalities."
From off screen, several questions were shouted out towards the Headmaster. He gestured towards one side of the crowd, and the reporter asked, "What are you going to do about the new Grimm many witnesses claimed they've seen during the attack?"
Ozpin's expression hardened. "The Council and I have been working together to organize an effective task force with this new threat. Unfortunately, one of our best minds was among one of the lives lost. Regardless, the Council has decided that it would be in the Kingdom's best interest to temporarily close the doors to Beacon's classrooms to focus all of our resources into the one involved in the attack in our city."
Once more, clamoring reporters talk over each other until the Headmaster signaled another question. "What of the Vytal Festival? Will that be postponed, or have you and the Council decided to cancel that?"
"The Council and I have come to an agreement that if my task force is able to eliminate the threat to the lives in Vale, the Vytal Festival will continue as planned. As of now, we have only a few weeks to accomplish this task." Ozpin adjusted his glasses, shutting his eyes tiredly. "I'm afraid that is all the time I have for questions. Thank you."
The news cut back to rocky footage of the breach. The new 'Grimm' emerged from the smoking crater as a tall teen engaged him. As the fight began, the news was paused and rewinded back to the beginning of the fight. While the footage was grainy, the viewer could make out the silhouette of the new 'Grimm'. Going forward frame by frame, a very faint outline could be made next to the new threat, only to dissipate into the smoke cloud around them.
"..."
Kaneki's eyes slowly opened as he stirred awake. He looked around his new home, though it left much to be desired. In fact, Torchwick's barren safehouse was better off than the unit he got for himself. The half Ghoul sat up, as he thought about this home. It was in a rather poor area; a decision he made purposely to keep a low profile.
He thought back to the night before and how close he was to being found out. Velvet has given him the perfect excuse to explain away most of his circumstances, which only confirmed to him that she has been thinking about it extensively. Still, even if his story wasn't airtight at first, having somebody vouch for him would definitely be a bonus. Deciding to check the time, he reached for his scroll that sat on the nightstand. To his surprise, he had a few new messages.
'Got a new scroll, Jack' the first one read. He almost forgot Roman's fake name but decided to save it under that name. It wouldn't look great to have a criminal's number as one of the only contacts in his scroll.
The second message was from Neo. 'I got the new model. You owe me 600 Lien :3'. Kaneki rolled his eyes at the message, but found it the smallest bit amusing, nevertheless. He decided to save her contact simply as N.P.
Going through his last message, it was from Velvet. "And that's 3 out of the 4 people I know," he thought wistfully.
'Hey Ken, I'm sorry about last night, I had no idea that it would bring up such bad feelings. I'm always here if you need to talk, you know that and hey, since I'm not going to classes, maybe we can spend time together that isn't at work.'
Kaneki only thought about the invitation for a moment before writing out his response. He wasn't hungry, which meant he should be safe to be around, although he felt as if he should look into getting some food to store. Though the atmosphere was a bit tense with the two teams crowded together. 'Will it be just us?'
Almost immediately he got a response. 'Of course!' Followed almost immediately by another. 'Unless you want more people to come!'
'Just us is fine,' he wrote. 'What did you have in mind?' He noticed this time that Velvet was taking a little longer to respond. Perhaps she had not thought this through? Or maybe she didn't expect him to accept? Regardless, he began to think of his own suggestion to offer.
Velvet sat in her room staring at her scroll, unsure of what to respond with. It was still early in the morning, so she hadn't expected Ken to respond so quickly. Still, despite the circumstances that allowed the two of them to be free, she genuinely did want to get to know him better as a friend, not a co-worker. Yet here she found herself a bit flustered at the prospect of spending time with a boy her age. It was stupid; she trained to risk her life to fight the darkness in the world, and while that did get some getting used to, here she was almost more anxious than her first day at combat school.
She looked around the room in an attempt to get an idea. At first, she saw her team photo framed by her bed. Immediately she got into the headspace of her leader. 'What would Coco do?' filled her mind. She began to type a response she would expect from Coco, but almost deleted it immediately from how flirty it was. She then thought of her gentle giant of a partner, Yatsuhashi. She didn't want to meditate or drink tea with Kaneki, or rather, she didn't think he would think it was very fun. Finally, she thought of Fox. He was a bit more grounded than Coco and a bit more outgoing than Yatsu, but not by much. Instead of ideas, she heard his snarky remarks and sassy jokes.
"What do I say…?" she asked herself. Velvet's ears flopped down as her thumbs hovered over the holographic keyboard on her scroll.
"Velvet!" her mother shouted from downstairs. "Can you help me down in the kitchen for a minute? This coconut is being particularly stubborn."
"Coming down!" she called back, heading downstairs. Perhaps she should ask her mother?
"Thanks honey," Marble said with a smile. "It's Libby's birthday tomorrow, so I figured I'd make her some of those little coconut confections she likes, you know, the ones drizzled with dark chocolate?"
"She did name her daughter after the thing," Velvet joked, grabbing the coconut. "Don't tell Coco I said that…"
Marble laughed at the comment. "Of course not, honey. So, what are you going to do today?"
"I, um… I'm not sure yet," she admitted. Velvet could see her mother's curious expression from the corner of her eye as she hammered a screwdriver into the coconut. "Don't look at me like that, Mum!"
"Look at you, how?" she asked innocently.
"Mum!"
Marble laughed again at her daughter's expense. "Is it about Ken?" Velvet didn't say anything but nodded slightly. "I knew it!" she exclaimed.
"It's not like that! I was going to invite him out to get his mind off of everything going on. You see, last night I had that team meeting with my team and team RWBY, but Ken was at the café, so he stuck around too… and the discussion got to him."
Marble nodded in understanding; her expression now concerned instead of teasing. "I see… That's very good of you, dear. So, what's the issue? Take him out to a movie, go to the park swings and chat, grab a bite to eat. There's plenty of things to do around the city."
The Faunus girl sighed defeated. Her mother made it sound so easy, but maybe it was Velvet that was making it too complicated. She looked back towards the coconut she was draining when the three holes sparked an idea. As soon as the coconut was empty, she took her scroll out and wrote, 'Do you like bowling?'
'Haven't been before,' he wrote back. 'Sounds like fun.'
"We're going to go bowling," she announced to her mother.
Team RWBY walked around Vale, not wanting to sit in their dorms doing nothing. Ruby then noticed there was something off about the city as they wandered around.
"Have you guys noticed that General Ironwood has pulled those demonstrations about the new Atlesian Paladins?" she asked. The three others looked around, Yang and Blake sort of shrugging it off.
"That is a bit strange," Weiss chimed in. "Being the technological leaders of the world, Atlas would definitely want to show the world that they're constantly working towards something. For General Ironwood to pull the adverts… something must have happened."
"They did get a bunch of them stolen by the White Fang," Yang pointed out. "Maybe after seeing them attack students, they decided to try to save face by taking down their new toys."
"I guess…" Ruby conceded. Her thoughts drifted back towards her upperclassmen, as well as the poor one-eyed barista. She touched her own face, wondering if the Faunus Killer would have done the same to her. "I hope they catch him soon…"
Blake gave Ruby a sympathetic look. The team leader was definitely not as fearless as she so-often claimed. She looked over to her other two teammates and signed. "Why don't we just take the day and take a break from all of this?"
"What if he shows up again?" Yang asked, clearly holding back a tinge of anger. "We can't let this freak just wander around."
"He's not going to show up anytime soon," Weiss interjected. "We went over this last night, the Faunus Killer only really shows up once every few weeks. It's been three days, so he's probably not stalking around chasing his next victim."
"What about the string of murders downtown?" Yang asked. "You don't really think there's two killers out there, do you?"
Blake put a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Yang, we've been over the evidence. It's most likely a poor copycat. The scenes didn't resemble any of the crime scenes where the Faunus Killer was actually spotted. I want to get him too, but you're the one who told me to slow down when I was chasing after Torchwick. Take your own advice and just let yourself rest a little."
"We can go to that arcade you like," Ruby offered. "The one with the punching machine and the pool tables."
Yang took a deep breath and exhaled tiredly. She knew they were right, even if it pained her to admit it. "Fine," she said after a while.
"Sen-sational! Where is this arcade?" asked a new voice. The four girls all jumped back in shock as Ruby's newest friend stood directly behind them. She had her ever-present smile on her face, clearly oblivious to their stress.
"What are you doing here Penny?" Ruby asked. "I haven't seen you since you put me in that dumpster."
"She did what now?" asked Yang.
Penny gave her a small salute. "I have been with my team getting ready for the tournament, but with the uncertainty of it happening this year, I have been given a bit more freedom to explore Vale! I have not been to an arcade."
"Oh right," replied Ruby. She looked over to her team who were once again giving her a negative response to inviting the strange girl. Ruby, however, again ignored their advice. "Why don't you come with us?"
Penny lifted Ruby in a hug and began to spin her around. "You really are the best friend anybody could ever have!"
Yang, having lightened up a bit from the tense atmosphere, elbowed Weiss. "Looks like you've been replaced."
"Oh, shush," Weiss said, rolling her eyes. She walked over to the pair, separating them. "Where is this place, Ruby?"
"It's not too far from here," she replied, silently thanking Weiss for saving her from being crushed. "It was that way, right Yang?"
"You're hopeless," Yang said, shaking her head. "Come on, I'll lead."
Kaneki sat on a planter in front of the bowling alley Velvet had told him to meet her at, noticing that there still weren't many people out and about. It made sense to him, but it didn't stop it from feeling odd. As he waited, he wondered how Marble was doing in regard to rebuilding the Faunus community. He had offered to help, but she explained that the Faunus community was rather tight-knit, and while she appreciated his offer, many Faunus would likely not feel the same. She told him that when humans intervened in Faunus affairs, it was often for some sort of PR move or as a way to make the Faunus as if they would 'owe' humans a favor back. It was an unfortunate reality, but Kaneki tried to understand.
"Hey Ken!" Velvet called out as she came running down the street. "Sorry I'm late, I was helping my mum bake some things for Coco's mum."
"No worries," he replied with a gentle smile. He stood up from his seat, reciprocating the hug Velvet was already wrapping him in. "I hate to ask, but how did your classmates take the information last night?"
Velvet frowned a bit then tried to hide it. "Well, it's complicated," she replied, not wanting to get into it. She thought about it for a moment, before sighing. "Look, I want you to know that Coco is a wonderful person, okay? It's just that this whole situation has us all a bit on edge, so she's not acting like herself."
"What happened?" he asked.
"She, um, wants me to… you know, it doesn't matter, because it's not going to happen. Besides, today was about getting our minds off the whole situation we're in, let's not bring the mood down. Come on, let's go inside."
Kaneki pursed his lips slightly but kept his questions to himself. He knew that there would be questions and it seemed that Coco was the most suspicious of him. "Well, if she wants to ask me something, I'll do my best to answer," he offered. He touched his cheek and smiled at Velvet. "But I'm not worried about that. Let's go."
Velvet nodded; a bit surprised by his reaction to Coco. Still, it was clear to her that he wanted to get his mind off of the Faunus Killer just as much as she was. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the building, unaware that they were being watched.
Kaneki allowed himself to be dragged around, taking a bit of joy in the novelty of the outing. He also noticed that Velvet seemed to be much more excited for this than he was, which only made him want to match her energy, but the task was impossible. "So, do you bowl a lot?" he asked her.
"No, not really," she admitted. "I just didn't know what else to do. This felt like the safe choice if I'm being honest."
"Nothing wrong with that," Kaneki replied with a shrug. "Won't know if we like something or not unless we try it. But what do you like to do?"
"Well, I love photography, but I didn't think that you'd want to be around while I took pictures of stuff," she admitted, laughing a bit awkwardly. "I don't think I'll need to take many photos for a while. Besides, getting my hands on Hard-Light Dust has been a bit hard with all the Dust robberies a few months ago. I don't think most shops have stocked up on them. What about you?"
Kaneki hummed in interest. "Well, I like reading," he replied simply. "I don't really have many hobbies outside of that, and with how crazy things are right now, it doesn't feel right to just be cooped up with a book while the city is burning…"
Velvet hesitantly agreed with him. The two walked over to the mostly empty bowling lanes, Velvet typing the names in. "Alright, so did you want to go first?"
"I don't really mind either way," he replied, inspecting the bowling balls. He vaguely knew how to bowl but wasn't entirely sure what ball to use. He picked one randomly and walked back towards their lane.
"Sounds good, I'll let you go first then," she said, "Oh good, you have a ball. I'll go get one too. Go ahead and start."
Kaneki nodded and approached the lane. He rolled his ankle a few times, still adjusting to the bowling shoes. He looked over to another bowler, observing how he approached it. Unsure, he mimicked the man, swinging the ball back and walked forward ready to toss the ball.
Only for his feet to slide out from under him and fall on his rear, causing his ball to go straight into the gutter. "Well… shit," he muttered to himself, looking up at the ceiling.
"Oh my god, are you okay?!" Velvet asked alarmed. "I should have told you; the shoes are really slippery, you have to use your heel to stop from sliding." She helped Kaneki up to his feel, who brushed himself off.
"I tried," he replied, looking down at the shoe. Upon further inspection, he realized that the shoes were heavily worn in, and the heels hardly had any rubber. "I should ask for another pair," he mumbled to himself. "I'll be right back."
"Right," Velvet replied. She wanted to go with him, but figured he was embarrassed and need a few moments to himself.
Kaneki took his shoes off, walking towards the counter, unsure of where the employee was.
"Smooth going, Eyepatch," said a familiar voice. Kaneki quickly turned around, alarmed at hearing his criminal name. To his surprise, it was a familiar blonde with her arms crossed. Her teasing smile disappeared as she noticed his expression. "Hey, it's just a joke. You okay?"
"Kaneki," he said, composing himself. His voice was even, but firm. "I would appreciate it if you would call me that. I am not very fond of that nickname."
Yang immediately felt a bit embarrassed. "Oh, I didn't mean it in a bad way," she replied. "I didn't know that was such a touchy subject."
Kaneki shook his head. "It's fine, you didn't know," he replied. He decided to ease the sudden tension with a joke. "Although now I wonder if you'd call somebody in a wheelchair something along the lines of 'Wheels'."
"That's messed up," she replied, stifling a laugh. "But point taken. Anyway, I saw you eat shit just a moment ago in front of your date. How's that going for you?"
Kaneki shrugged nonchalantly. "I just need to get new shoes," he replied, gesturing to the bowling shoes in his hand. "The soles have been worn almost completely off." He remembered his first interaction with Yang in the café a while back and smirked. "I didn't realize you were still stalking me after all this time."
"I was never stalking you," she huffed jokingly. "No, my team is in the arcade over there, but it's about time for lunch, so I came to order a pizza for the five of us. I didn't know you and Velvet were here too." She looked back towards the Rabbit Faunus who was inspecting her own bowling shoes. "So, what's the deal between you two?"
"We're just friends," he replied, looking over to the bowling alley employee returning from wherever he was. He walked over, placing the shoes on the counter. "We haven't had much time to spend together outside of work hours, so she decided to take me here," he further explained.
"Wait, she asked you out?" Yang asked, as if impressed. Kaneki ignored her comment as he exchanged shoes. "Well, you two are free to join us in the arcade if you want to get your butt kicked in some games."
"We'll see," he replied with a shrug. In all honesty, he had no interest, but if Velvet wanted to, he wouldn't mind tagging along. "It was nice talking to you, Yang."
Yang watched as the one-eyed barista walked back towards his date. Something about the interaction she just had with him felt familiar, but she couldn't place it. Unsure, she walked over to the food counter to place the order for her team. Yang did herself no favors in getting rid of her 'stalker' nickname as she walked over just enough to watch the two on their date. Kaneki seemed like a totally different person when he was around Velvet, which he wasn't sure to attribute to him having a crush on her or hiding something else.
"What's taking so long?" Ruby asked, walking over to Yang. "We're about to play that go-cart game, but we can't until you join."
Yang turned around, wearing a faux smile. "Ah, well you know, the food in these places always takes a long time to make. Do you know if we're allowed to eat in there?"
"Oh, probably not," Ruby replied. "I'll go get the others; we can eat out here. Oh, and by the way; Penny beat your punching score!"
"Wait, what?! Not on my watch," Yang replied, heading back towards the arcade. "You wait for the food; I need to get my title back.
"So, did you want to get something to eat?" Velvet asked, as she sat down from her turn. She was winning narrowly, but it was still anybody's game. "I think we can put an order in the terminal here."
"I'll have a coffee if they have it," Kaneki replied, grabbing his ball from the return. "I'm not really hungry."
"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you eat," Velvet said offhandedly as she looked through the menu. "Hmm, I don't think they have coffee here. Do you want a soda or something instead?"
"That's alright," he replied. He approached the lane once more and tossed the ball as straight as he could. He wasn't invested in the game at first, but seeing how close it was, he decided to take it a bit more seriously, just to make it more fun for Velvet. To his disappointment, he only knocked down four pins. He could still catch up with his second toss. "I'll have a water."
Velvet nodded, tapping away. "Did you want to play another round after this, or did you want to try something else?"
"Your underclassmen are in the arcade," Kaneki replied. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to hang out with them after this."
"Team RWBY?" she asked. "Huh, I guess they had the same ideas, huh?"
"Seems like it," he shrugged, taking his second shot. "Yang invited me when I went to change shoes."
"Did you want to go?" Velvet asked.
"I don't really mind," he replied again. This seemed to make Velvet frown a bit.
"Well, what do you want to do?" she asked, getting up to take her turn. "I would feel bad if I just dragged you around to do stuff I wanted to do, so suggest something."
Kaneki sat across from her, a bit confused. "Well, I don't know," he replied, "I mean, they're nice, but I was under the impression that it would only be us today," he explained awkwardly. "It's not that I want to or don't want to."
Velvet was thankful that she was facing away from Kaneki as she felt a blush forming. "R-right, well, then it's all the more reason that you suggest something," she answered. "It doesn't have to be with them, but after this game, we'll do something you want to do."
Kaneki sighed defeated. "Well, I did want to get some books…" he admitted.
Velvet sat back down, as she just got a strike, although she didn't really seem to be in a celebratory mood. "Okay, sure, we'll go to a bookstore after, then dinner."
As Kaneki reluctantly agreed, he noticed Yang from across the establishment looking towards him before she turned away and left after her team and some redheaded girl he hadn't met yet. He got up to take his final turn.
Velvet and Kaneki sat at a small restaurant near the bookshop Kaneki had been taken to. He had left with only three new books, as many didn't seem to grab his attention.
"You really like coffee, huh?" Velvet asked, taking a sip from her iced tea. "It's pretty much the only thing I've seen you drink."
"Uh, yeah," he replied with a smile. "I spent a lot of time in coffeeshops, so I guess I just developed a taste for it."
"More like addiction," Velvet joked. "Does that mean you remember more about your life before working for my mum?"
"Sort of. I get flashes of moments in time, but they're blurry," he explained, resting his face on his hand as he thought. "I don't know if those are exactly memories. For instance, I know that I love to read because I'll get moments of me in my father's study reading books he'd left behind. So, while I don't exactly remember my father or what books I read, I can safely assume that I spent a lot of my childhood reading. As for my 'addiction' to coffee, every moment I recall that includes coffee is pleasant. That's really all there is to it."
"I've never heard you speak about your father before," she said. She didn't press further on the subject but smiled softly at him.
"You don't talk about yours either," he pointed out.
"Oh, well, I mean, he's not really around. He's up in Altas working as a scientist."
Kaneki was surprised. "Oh, I didn't know that."
Velvet shrugged. "Did you think he was out of the picture or something?"
"I mean with how you reacted to thinking I was dating your mom that one time, kind of, yeah."
Velvet recalled the memory and giggled. "Oh, I mean, they're not together anymore. It's sort of complicated, but to simplify, my dad felt that Atlas needed him more than my mum did. He did his best to be there for me growing up, but it was weird having a scroll be your dad, you know? I mean I still love him for trying, but it's not the same, is it?"
"Ah, well, I mean, I didn't really have either growing up," he confessed. "I mean, I had my mom for a while, but she passed away when I was really young, and my father, even younger…" Velvet remained silent, feeling as if she had accidentally brought up some sour memories. To her surprise, he smiled at her, and shrugged it off. "Well, it just makes days like these that much better."
"You're amazing," Velvet said without thinking. She noticed Kaneki's surprised look and blushed. "I mean, like, you're so resilient! I would have never guessed that you carried so much weight on your shoulders by how you carry yourself. Not having your parents, losing your memory, living through torture and still being able to just carry on day by day… you're just amazing."
Kaneki scratched his cheek in embarrassment, ignoring the torture remark. "I, uh, thanks," he replied, looking away. As he did, he didn't see Velvet also sporting a blush as she nervously looked away. Luckily, the waiter had come with their food.
"Here you are."
"Thank you," the two said in unison. Kaneki looked down to his plate, which consisted of a small cut of steak and some veggies. He had hoped that it was plain and small enough that he could force it down without it coming back up. He looked over to Velvet, who got a Shepherd's Pie. He watched as she took a bite, clearly enjoying the tastes of it as she did. He carefully cut a small piece of steak, perhaps too small, judging by the way Velvet eyed it.
"How is it?" he asked her, trying to delay.
"Oh, it's great," she said, taking a spoonful. "Do you want to try it?"
"I'm alright," he said, laughing nervously.
"Come on, it's good," she said, holding the spoon out expectantly. Kaneki relented a bit longer, before giving in to Velvet's expression. He leaned forward to take the bite, which he didn't realize made Velvet grow red.
As the mixture of potatoes, lamb and veggies filled his mouth, he nearly gagged as the fragrant rosemary assaulted his ghoul senses. The texture reminded him of muddy sewage, and the chunks of ground lamb made him feel as he had put rotten fish eggs in his mouth. He kept his face as stoic as possible, leaning back, pretending to chew, before swallowing it whole. His body wanted to curl in on itself from eating the foul food, but he forced a smile on his face and let out a satisfied 'ah'.
"That's pretty good," he lied, feeling his stomach churning. He noticed Velvet looking away and used that opportunity to fling the piece of steak off his fork. He cut a bigger piece, holding it out to Velvet. "You try this now," he said innocently. He wore a disarming smile as Velvet turned beet red but mirrored his actions.
Velvet's ears flopped down over her face, trying to hide it. "That's good," she said, embarrassed. Kaneki once again used this opportunity to scoop more of the food off his plate, wrapping in the napkin on his lap. He proceeded to cut up his food as normal as one who hasn't used cutlery for the past few months could. After a few moments passed and Velvet composed herself, she looked up to her friend. "Thank you, Ken."
"You fed me first," he said confused.
"No, not that!" she replied, another dusting of pink gracing her face for a moment. "I mean for spending today with me."
Kaneki smiled at her, putting his cutlery down. "I should be thanking you," he replied. "I mean you're the one who invited me after all. Not to mention that I wouldn't have ever gone out to go bowling, especially by myself. I had a lot of fun today."
Velvet beamed at him, shyly taking another bite of her dish. Unsure what to say, the two continued to eat in silence.