A/N: EDIT! Aw, look at the widdle flamers, they think they matter. Ain't that precious?
As ever, we're going by the now infamous Embers rule for this story.
This WILL be deleted if folks don't like it. So by all means! speak up!
Make yourselves heard! Every bit of feedback counts!
That's no joke!
I really look forward to reading and chatting with you all after a long day working back to back shifts. What little downtime I have is often spent writing these days, and that really has a tendency to wear me out these days.
Now, then lets answer your burning questions!
Q: Is Lisa Lavender like this in the show, or...?
A: Who can say? Considering she has less than a MINUTE of screen time in the show, and that's only in the news, we never got a good grasp on her character.
As we know so very little of Lisa, I've had to go the Coeur route and create one for our crazy newscaster.
You'll never see it coming~!
Q: Do you have a plan for the Grimm?
A: Naturally. Can't say it aloud yet, though...
Q: Is Naruto's Gift of the Grimm growing stronger?
A: Gift of the Grimm, eh? I like it! If it helps, you can think of it like a muscle. The more he uses it, the stronger he grows. Of course, Naruto doesn't know that; if he did, he'd be running around trying to tame every Grimm in sight.
And as we all know, its not a sure thing each time.
Case in point! That Sea Feilong wasn't having it and gave him a good smack. After all, the Grimm can sense him just as much as he can sense them. Its a two way street.
Q: Surely Ozpin will suffer repercussions for that?! Lisa got footage of him trying to kill an innocent man!
A: *zips lips*
Q: Well, Remnant's going to burn, isn't it?
A: Well, there's all kinds of burns, first degree, second degree, third degree, ANNIHILATION...
Alright, I've kept you long enough.
I'll let the chapter do the talking for me. Hopefully everyone enjoys it.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one.
Now, I do hope you're prepared for this...
"Men do not fear swords. They fear monsters. They run from them. Sometimes the world no longer needs a hero. What it needs is a monster."
"And you believe you know what it is to be a monster? You have no idea.
But I'm going to show you."
~?
Never Tell Me the Odds
Naruto knew what it was to be strange.
Since he'd first awakened to his Gift, he'd witnessed all manner of...unusual things. Strange things. Eerie things. Sights that would drive a man mad, sounds to curdle the blood, curses so black -and mostly directed in his direction- that they would turn a sailor pink. As a man who could talk to and convert Grimm, he liked to think he ranked pretty high up there on that list of oddities.
"She's doing it again."
Naruto snapped his journal shut with a sigh as Alpha prodded his ribs.
There would be no more writing for him this day this day.
Because this? This baffled even him.
"Fascinating~!" Lisa cooed as she gently pried a Beowolf's gaping maw apart. "I've never seen a Grimm this close before! Its downright tame. Do they need to eat, I wonder?"
The poor creature -recently tamed at that!- offered a piteous whine but otherwise didn't protest.
"Lisa Lavender! Remove your head from the Beowolf this instant!"
"Awww!" She pouted, yet nevertheless pulled her head from the jaws of the docile dog. "You're no fun!"
"You've been at it for the better part of the day, now." Naruto shook his head as the creature all but scarpered back into the woods. "If you want to do research that badly, study Alpha. She doesn't bite." He offered a bit of meat to the hybrid in question and grimaced a little when she bit his hand to get at it. "Well, relatively speaking."
His ally slumped against his shoulder, lone eye closed, tail swaying in visible bliss.
"But that's no fun!" the reporter flopped down on the grass beside him. "I've already wracked up enough footage of her!" she flailed her legs, forcing Naruto to look elsewhere lest he inadvertently get an eyeful under her skirt. "I know what she is! But no one knows anything about the Grimm! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Merlot would have loved this woman. So curious. So inquisitive. So exquisitely infuriating.
"Well, you can learn later." he gestured toward their simmering fire and the pan placed atop it. "Dinner's about ready. Best eat up. I want to make it there by by morning."
"But its nearly night!"
A blond brow quirked at her. "And...?"
The journalist slouched over with the air of someone marching toward the execution. From there, she plonked down on the log and snatched up the meal he'd made. She gave it a cursory sniff, and her shoulders slumped even further.
"Beans again?"
"If you don't want it, I'll eat it." Alpha opined.
"No, no, I do!" Lisa yanked the tin away. "Keep your paws to yourself!"
The hybrid pouted. "Boo...not even a nibble?"
"No!"
Naruto shook his head as they quarreled anew.
Their camp was a ramshackle little thing; a trio of tents and bedrolls around an equally simple fire-pit in the waning light of day. By now the shadows were long and the sun had already begun its inevitable descent. In the span of a few hours it would be dark. That suited him just fine.
He'd much rather travel light...and at night.
Some might have said the latter was unwise; but really, who was going to notice a fire burning out in the wilderness. Only the Grimm, and he had nothing to fear from them. To expect any more than this would have been greedy, and he'd long since learned to live off the land.
In his peripherals, Lisa finally managed to finish her meal. "How long will it take us to get to Vale?"
He frowned at her as Alpha curled up beside him. "Couple of days, tops. Why?"
"Because that's where my studio is, you mook." she winged a pebble off his shoulder. "How else are we going to break this story?"
"To be honest, I'd forgotten about that."
"Well, I haven't!" Lisa held up her scroll. "Don't you want revenge? He put a bounty on your head!"
Alpha's tail twitched once in agitation. "And anyone who tries to collect it will die."
"Hey!" he flicked it. "We've been over this. No killing innocents."
A lone silver eye rose to regard him gravely.
"Bounty hunters aren't innocent, master."
Lisa grinned. "On that, we agree."
He'd seen the footage she'd recorded on her Scroll; it wasn't the best quality, but the video was clear enough. Once that hit open channels, it would blow Vale wide open-to say nothing of Ozpin's reputation. That would go right down the drain, no matter how quickly the media managed to suppress it. Assuming they even bothered. When there was blood in the water...well. You knew the saying.
It would also paint an even bigger target on his back...as if there wasn't one already. He'd seen the bounty on his head.
Nine million lien. Wanted for crimes against Remnant. ALIVE.
Great. Just great. It had been difficult enough slipping in and out of civilization before. Now it would be all but impossible. Perhaps it was vindictive of him to take his anger out on Ozpin in such a manner. Then again, the man did try to capture him and Alpha. He'd probably do the same Lisa too, if he was aware of her. Man deserved a little misery for all the trouble he'd put him through.
"Can't we just fly to Vale?"
Alpha sneezed once, and he gave her head a pat.
"Sure," he sighed as his fingers stroked her ears. "A giant nevermore over the city would go so well. Fancy falling to death?"
"Urk." Lisa made a noise of discontent and leaned back. "No need to be mean."
Why did it feel like he was kicking a puppy?
"I'm not being mean." he sighed into a hand. "Just pragmatic. You sure you don't regret throwing your lot in with me?"
"Ha!" her laughter reminded him a country girl, musical and sweet. "You think this is the first time I've roughed it? No, no, no." a finger wagged in is face. "You're not getting rid of me that easy. Besides...
Naruto quirked a brow. "Besides?"
"I'm not wanted." she favored him with a shit-eating grin of the highest degree. You are~! I could walk into Vale without a care in the world. So could Alpha. If she keeps her clothes on."
The hybrid huffed and tugged at the blue-on-silver tunic they'd stolen for her. "Don't like clothes. Itchy."
"See?" Lisa leaned back on the log, grinning from ear to ear. "She gets it."
He rolled his eyes. "So loyal."
Alpha stirred at his side, creaking a silver eye open.
"I'm a journalist, bub." Lisa drawled right back. "I'm loyal to a good story. Right now, that's you. So? How about I test you?"
Naruto smashed his head his palms. Once. Twice. Thrice. Four times for good measure.
"I swear!" he flung up his arms! "I'm surrounded by crazy people!"
Lisa grinned. "Sooo, is that a yes, or...?"
Naruto glared at her. "Not the time!"
"Can't blame a girl for trying...
A hand closed around her throat. It didn't belong to him.
"You are not a part of this pack." Alpha surged up with a hiss, fangs flashing in the gloom. "If you betray him," she snarled, "The nevermore will pick your bones."
Lisa's expression didn't waver in the least. "Now, now, don't threaten me with a good time."
"Hey, now." Naruto's frown redoubled. "Are you afraid?"
"Terrified, really. I'm just a good actor." A bead of sweat ran down her brow. "She's hardly the first to try and choke me out over something they didn't like." Her eyes sought his, bright and earnest even as those clawed fingers dug into her windpipe. "But I won't turn on you."
There was something about the way she phrased that last bit. "Why?"
Lisa pried a hand between the claws digging into her throat, giving herself precious breathing room.
"Because you! Are! History!" the fervor in her eyes, so close to madness, startled him. "No one knows what Grimm are! What they do!" her legs kicked out as the snarling hybrid hoisted her off the ground. "What they can be! Are they people? The souls of the dead? Do people become them after they die?! I want to know! I need to know! I MUST know!"
Alpha scoffed. "So its only curiosity that binds you to us. What happens when you've had your fill? The truth, now."
"You want the truth?" Lavender's right eye burned with fresh tears. "Fine!" A lone droplet ran down her pale cheek. My father tried to look into the Grimm. He died for it. His only crime was curiosity, and the Council made him disappear. I want the truth just as much as you do!"
Naruto perked up. A man interested in the Grimm? That almost sounded like...
"Should I kill her?" Alpha's voice tugged him back to reality.
.
..
...
Naruto sighed.
"Alpha, enough. Release her."
The hybrid complied with a frown. "As you wish.
"Oomph!" Lisa fell back with a might wheeze, clutching at her throat. "Quite a -ack!- grip she's got there...
Did nothing faze this woman?!
"Look, he hedged, helping her stand. "We can't just go straight to Vale. Its too close to Patch. They'll be looking for me there. We need to lay low for awhile."
Lisa pursed her lips. "Then what do you suggest?"
An idea dawned and he winced. "I...may know a place."
"Oooh, a hideout!" her eyes all but shone with stars. "Where?"
Naruto wore a death's head grin. "I'll warn you now, you're not gonna like it...
(.0.0.0.)
Ironwood hated surprises.
A good general planned ahead; creating contingencies for every scenario. He was no exception. Throughout his storied career, he'd thwarted many an enemy scheme, outmaneuvered his foes at every turn. Shock was the enemy of reason. Surprise meant death on the battlefield; and so he had striven to make sure his soldiers were ever prepared.
But this? This threatened to change everything; it threw all his plans out the window and dashed them upon the ground.
"You're certain of what you saw?"
"I am. He must be dealt with, James. Immediately." Ozpin's image was flecked with static through the Scroll upon his desk, a sure sign of the distance between them. "I've told you everything I've seen. Will you help me in this? Its imperative he be taken alive. I fear what might happen should he be killed."
A muscle jumped in his jaw. "Is that why you put a bounty on his head?
Ozpin didn't bat an eye. "It was necessary."
"Of course, old friend." Ironwood leaned forward, showing none of the inner turmoil he felt. "You'll have all the support Atlas can provide. On that, you have my word."
"Good...good." the immortal heaved a sigh. "We're already preparing to run tests on Summer. One way or another, we'll get to the bottom of this."
James frowned. "Wouldn't that be in poor taste? She's only just returned to her family."
To his credit, the immortal paused. "Its only a bit of blood. Taiyang will understand. If you see this man...
He wasn't that daft to say no to Oz. Not in public. There were certain lines you didn't cross; things you just didn't do. Semblance or no, he had control of himself. But his old friend was being reckless. Ozpin was letting his emotions get away from him. Anyone could see that this experience had rattled him. Still, an argument would avail them nothing.
...I'll inform you." he said at last.
"Excellent." A spark of life came back to the headmaster's gaze. "I've already told Leonardo to keep watch in Haven, and Theodore in Shade. Keep me posted.
The call ended with a click.
A moment passed.
Then another.
At length, James stood. Three quick strides carried him to his liquor cabinet; from which he retrieved a clear amber bottle and a pair of crystal glasses. He returned to this desk, uncorked the bottle, and filled the leftmost to the brim. Firm fingers closed around the glass, pressed it to his lips, and knocked it back. Whiskey burned his throat. It centered him.
"I'm sorry, Oz." He sank into his seat and sighed into the silence. "Where you see peril, I see...potential."
So much potential. A man who could control the Grimm. Tame them. Convert them. If such a talent could be bred...reproduced...it would revolutionize the world. To that end, he must be protected. Salem would never countenance his existence. Worse, she might try to turn him. Doubtless it would be an appealing offer. If the world was arrayed against him, where else could he go?
James shivered and poured himself another glass.
For a fleeting moment he imagined it. An army of living, thinking Grimm, capable of assuming human form at the drop of the hat. Saboteurs, spies, sleeper agents slipping into the populate; shifting back to wreak untold havoc. No. He wouldn't allow it. He could not allow it. Atlas must find him first; after all, if the worst was true, so too was the best.
Someone knocked on his door.
He turned to face them.
"Enter."
Clover swept inside, sealing it behind him. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"At ease." he waved the man down when he tried to salute. "I trust you heard all of that?"
Here at last, the specialist stopped smiling. "I did, sir." he looked away and shook his head. "It sounds almost too good to be true. You said he was last sighted in Vale?"
"I trust Ozpin, if not his judgement." James replied. "I'm sending you and the rest of the Ace Ops to secure this individual and extract him to Atlas. Under NO circumstances are you to attack him." when his subordinate didn't speak, he barreled onward. "You'll be going off the grid. No one must know of this operation. If you're caught...
"With all due respect sir, I understand the risks." Clover coughed into a fist, "But from what I've heard, he won't take kindly to an armed squad. Might be best to send few rather than many...
"Who did you have in mind?" he steeped his fingers and laid his chin atop them. "Whomever they were, they'd need to stand on their own, never mind defending themselves. They'd need to be calm under pressure." the faintest grimace touched his clean-shaven face. Not Agent Bree, then. Her temper was known. Vine was the sort to follow orders to the exclusion of all else. He would've liked nothing more than to send Clover himself, but he was needed here. That left...
Clover smiled, sensing his thoughts.
"Elm and Marrow have begging for a little shore leave...
(.0.0.0.)
What manner of man crawls into his own grave in search of hope?
Some might say a desperate one. Right now? Naruto was feeling mighty desperate. Mountain Glenn was a ruin, a corpse picked clean of valuables long ago. Just as well; because Naruto had no desire to resurrect it. Nothing short of an army would be able to rebuild this place. He pitied the fool who tried. But that worked in their favor. No one would think to look for him here. Only the foolish or the greedy came to such a place.
In hindsight, perhaps he was a bit of the former.
Now if only someone would stop shouting before they brought it down on their heads.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Naruto and Alpha winced at Lisa's shout.
Her startled yelp pierced the dead city, echoing on for miles.
"This is your idea of a safe place?!" Lisa rounded on him with wild eyes. "Its chock-full of-mmph?!"
"Shh." Naruto pulled his finger from her lips as they slipped out of the shadows. "Keep your voice down. Grimm don't mind me, and they probably won't care about Alpha, but they'll come howling if they get a whiff of your negativity." he sniffed once. "And right now? You reek of it."
Alpha scented the air once and frowned. "She really does."
"Meep." Lisa's hands flew to her mouth. "M'sorry." her words where a whisper. "I'll be good."
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at that. Meep indeed. She was starting to grow on him. Like a fungus. This latest bout of paranoia aside, he was sure she'd be fine once she had time to acclimate. They didn't need to stay here for long, and he didn't intend to. Just enough to recover, let the heat die down before they ventured out once more.
He'd been here with Merlot when the city was in its prime. Before the Incident. Before their good intentions claimed so many lives.
"Alright, happy thoughts." he heard Lisa mutter behind him in the street. "Positivity. Kittens! Puppies! Breaking news!"
"Slaughtering the weak and unworthy?" Alpha offered her own equivalent as they dodged down an alleyway.
Lisa warbled. "I wouldn't consider that a positive emotion...
"I would~!"
High above them, the mountain rumbled; it was a low ponderous sound akin to a giant stirring in its sleep. The trio looked up as one.
Naruto gave the girls a bleak look.
"What the hell was that?!"
"I'm sorry!" Lisa wailed! "I'm a journalist for crying out loud! Negativity is in my blood!"
A wolf howled in the distance. It was too much to hope for a normal one. Before long the first howl was taken up by another. And another, now. Another still. Another. Naruto hung his head, praying to whatever god he could think of, hoping they were attracted by something else. Someone else. Anything that wasn't them.
It wasn't to be.
Before long he felt the ground shake underfoot.
He tried to conceal his presence. Tried to close himself off from the Grimm and hide. He really, truly did. He took hold of the metaphorical door in his mind and slammed it shut, throwing the weight of his soul against it. A strange weightlessness settled over. Inhale. Exhale. He was at peace. He was calm.
Something sensed him and wrenched it back open, shattering his control.
The channel of his mind snapped open and hundreds of red eyes opened in the dark.
"No!" A shout tore from him.
Naruto looked up just in time so see a tide of black-and-white death rounded a bend to the south some blocks down. So many. Too many. Ursae, Beowolves, Deathstalkers, and other ghastly breeds he'd not seen before. Visible even here from here, it mowed down the ruins in its path. He could see clawed paws reach for him, paws that would mow Alpha and Lisa down in an instant.
"Move!"
He pivoted quickly, only to find another such wave approaching from the east. From the West. The North, now. There was nowhere to go.
Alpha gnashed her teeth. "We're surrounded."
Here at last, Lisa faltered. "No, no, no! Not like this! I don't wanna die!"
Naruto took her by the face and forced her gaze away from the chaos. She struggled in his grasp, to no avail.
"Look at me." he spoke slowly, modulating his voice to what he hoped was a pleasant hum. "Calm down, or we're both dead."
"I can't!" Frantic eyes flitted away from his, toward the rapidly approaching tide of death. "I thought you said you could control them! Do something!"
And what was he supposed to do?! Trying to corral this many Grimm at once would only knock him out. Then where would they be? Even now their thoughts and emotions pressed down on his mind like a physical force, threatening to drown his very sense of self. It was a struggle just to stay afloat.
He raised his gaze, suddenly realizing the quake had stopped.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw the sea of masked faces staring back him. They were well and truly surrounded now, hemmed in a rough semicircle by the horde. And yet for all that, they hadn't closed the circle; all their attention was fixed on him. No, he realized. Not just him, but Alpha as well. Their presence baffled them. Confused them. Slowed them.
Maybe there was a chance. If he was quick and careful...!
"We're just passing through." he flung his words and will out like a net, wincing as a migraine exploded behind his temples. "Friendly. Friends...
Some of them slouched. He dared to hope.
And the mountain erupted.
"Bugger."
Naruto flung up an arm to shield his face, but it was too late. Molten debris rained down from on high, crushing Grimm far and white. Alpha flicked a hand in a lazy swat and batted one such chunk away from them before it could render them a messy smear upon the street.. Still more fell, deadly shards of rock striking near and frar.
He dared to hope that would be the end of it.
Until something descended from the pitted corpse of the mountain.
The sheer force of its landing made everything lurch, battering the remaining Grimm aside.
Naruto looked up. Up. Up some more.
Lisa whimpered.
"Ohhhhh." Naruto rasped, feeling his throat close. "You're a big girl, ain'tcha?"
The beast was massive, easily thrice the size of the Sea Feilong he'd encountered. All black and white, limned with pulsing red veins, it was quite possibly the largest Grimm he'd ever seen. Mighty wings unfurled from its broad back and stretched toward the sky, blotting out the moon. He realized what it was a moment later. He'd read of such a creature in Merlot's books, but he'd never seen one up close, nor did he ever have any desire to. A lone word escaped numb lips as he gazed upon death itself and knew its name.
"Wyvern."
With a triumphant cry, the dragon threw its head back and howled at the heavens. A gout of wild blue flame burst from its jaws, bathing the night in azure light, casting twisting showers against the ruined buildings as it cried unto the skies. Its wings beat once, not in flight, but a simple stretch; even then it nearly sent them stumbling.
A swathe emotions hit Naruto a moment later.
Freedom!
It had been contained for so long, trapped by forces outside of its control, sealed by a man with a scepter. Every thought was disjointed, fragmented, mere pierces of a greater whole. They were shards of glass under his skin, stabbing poking prodding; merely standing in its presence threatened to knock him out.
Lisa groaned. "We're dead."
Then it saw them.
The Wyvern moved frightfully fast for something so large. Massive jaws parted as it lowered its head to regard them, revealing teeth as long as he was tall. Naruto felt it inhale and braced himself; planting his feet against what he knew was to come. A wash of fetid breath hit him a moment later, blasting his hair and cloak black.
Alpha hid behind him. "Do something!"
"Here goes nothing..."
He knew better than to clash wills with such as this. And yet for all that, he felt stronger than before. Not strong enough to win in a contest of wills, but better than before. Why? He wondered why. Had converting Alpha to human form strengthened his gift? Did it correlate to the number of Grimm under his command? Why? Too many questions, not enough answers.
"Easy, now." he raised a hand. Golden sparks trailed across it. "We're not your enemies."
The wyvern trilled softly.
"You were trapped under that rock for an awfully long time, weren't ya?" he cooed at it. "Who put you there...?"
That frightfully large head swept froth to regard him, close enough to touch.
It didn't answer him, but he felt something from it all the same.
Hungry.
Could a Grimm feel hunger? He didn't know.
"Tell you what." he gulped. "Maybe you don't eat us, and I'll find you some tasty treats, eh? Humans have all sorts of delicious foods...
The Wyvern snorted, nearly ripping him from his feet. A headache stabbed at him then, bringing with it a snatch of memory. Not his. It belonged to someone else.
"Weak! You can't help anyone!
You can't save anyone!"
"Who decided that?!"
He pushed past it. All the pain, all the hate, all the hunger. It clawed at him, trying to drag him down, but he slipped through. Not to attack, but to nudge. Firm fingers brushed its snout. He winced, half expecting it to bite down -and knowing there was nothing he could do about it- but the pain never came. All he felt was a deep and pressing need from this creature.
So...hungry...
"I'll feed you whatever you want." he beamed up at the beast. "Promise. Just don't eat us, alright?"
Its eyes closed as he felt its mind brush his.
Hungry.
"I swear." his throat closed a little. "You'll never go hungry again."
Light.
Golden sparks scrawled across the wyvern's hide as its massive bulk folded inward in a rush of scalding steam. The beast didn't so much break as it did explode from within. The sheer force flattened the remaining Grimm like dominoes, battering them aside. This time Naruto was prepared for what he found within, if only just. He flung up an an arm, squinting into his haze...and blond looked down.
She looked up.
Her body was that of a normal teenage girl, her complexion fair, but any humanity she might've held was overwhelmed by her more draconic features. Her emerald eyes bore red pupils and she was blessed with long flowing pink hair, a pair of pink-horns matching equally pink scales covering her four limbs and...other areas. Thank the gods for small mercies. And really, was with the color pink?! Idly, a part of him noted her distinct lack of silver eyes. Well, that threw his theory right out the window...
He swallowed once, regarding her warily, half expecting a feral outburst as he had with Alpha. "And who're you?"
"Rim." her voice was surprisingly soft as she looked to him with wide eyes. "I'm hungry."
Naruto's jaw clicked open with an audible pop. Lisa's jaw joined it.
The little girl blinked up at them. "You said you'd feed me."
Alpha coughed into a fist, refusing to speak.
Naruto blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice.
Lisa absolutely squealed.
"She's adorable!"
A/N: YES. "That" Rim from the Dungeon of Black Company. Look her up. She's an adorable little bugger.
As ever, we're going by the Embers rule. This'll be deleted quickly if folks don't like it.
So speak up! Make yourselves heard! Every bit of feedback counts! Seriously!
Strange at it may seem, I can't write without reviews. That's no joke.
Worry not, we haven't seen the last of Summer or the rest.
Didn't see that coming now, did you?
Aaaand there we go. As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I cannot write.
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
Have some new previews!
As ever, a disclaimer:
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD!
BEWARE!
(Previews!)
"Suuuure she can change back if she wants. Of course she can. Because I totally needed a pet dragon...
"Our long-awaited meeting has come at last."
"Don't be foolish, boy. You're outmanned, outnumbered, and outgunned. Surrender."
Naruto tilted his head. "Is that what you think?"
Lisa shivered.
Summer scowled at her reflection in the mirror. "I'm still me."
Her reflection smiled right back. "Are you?"
She smashed a fist into the glass.
It shattered with a laugh.
"You let him walk into Mountain Glen. A place teeming with Grimm. What did you think would happen?
"We'll send a detachment-
No, don't bother. He's already left."
"Sir? Do you know where he's headed?"
...I have a suspicion."
"Hello!" the newcomer waved cheerily. "I'm Elm. We've come to bargain."
Marrow palmed his face. "Don't mind her. She's an idiot."
Ironwood watched the footage intently. "Remarkable."
Naruto frowned. "You never did tell me who your father was."
"Hmm?" Lisa looked up from her mug, cheeks flushed. "I got my last name from my mother. My pa's name...well...
His eyes narrowed. "Well? Don't keep me in suspense. Out with it."
Her shoulder slumped. "He was a real wacko. Suppose I got my curiosity from him."
No.
"Is that so?"
No, no.
"Yeah, you're gonna laugh. His name's weird."
No, no, no.
"Merlot." she said at last. "His name was Merlot."
Naruto crashed back with a guffaw.
"You must be joking...
R&R~!