V3E8: Loose Ends
The fairgrounds were as busy as they were last Hope had taken the time to properly enjoy it. Games were still on, still cheaty to scam you out of your money unless you can adapt to whatever bullshit trick you need to pull to win. Performers were still drawing crowds and doing weird and dangerous things for the thrill of their audience. Stalls were still selling out the most disgustingly delicious food you will regret eating the next morning. Hope had no interest in getting indigestion, especially not in his still fragile, if well healing, body.
He rolled through the crowd of ghostly shades with no real goal, save kill time until the final stretch of the volume, where his work will get cut out for him pretty hard.
He passed by a cotton candy stand, not making much of it nor paying much attention, until he rolled into a tall blond heavy man that fell ass first into his lap. Hope bit down a groan of pain while his unfortunate victim did not, having received Hope's wheelchair into the back of his knees.
"OH MY LIGHT THAT HURTS!"
Hope hissed, his lap aching and stinging.
"Fuck, that's unpleasant."
"Jaune!"
A trio appeared into view, having heard the commotion and their friend's aching moans. *NPR looked at their friends and hissed sympathetically. Jaune looked behind him, seeing his friend's grimace.
"Anon!?" He looked down and then jumped to his feet. "Oh my light, I'm so sorry!"
Hope waved his hand dismissively, still grimacing.
"Nah, bruv." He groaned. "That was my bad for not paying attention."
JNPR stood around their crippled friend fussily, still worried for his health after all this time.
"How are you?" Ren asked.
"I'm getting better but I'm still a ways off until I'm healed."
"Did the doctor give you an estimate?"
"About a year."
Nora inhaled sharply.
"Yeesh, we'll be second years by the time you come back." She smiled cheesily. "But hey, it just means that your cool seniors will be helping you in case you get bullied by the new kids."
Hope gave his hyperactive friend a lidded stare.
"Need I remind you of what happened to the previous pillocks who thought they would get away with messing with me?"
Jaune felt a chill.
"No, we don't!"
Nora giggled to herself.
"Heh. Pillock."
Hope noticed that Pyrrha looked withdrawn. Something felt wrong with that glum look on her face.
"Why the long face, Pyrr?" he asked. "You look like you dropped your cotton candy."
"No, that was Jaune." Nora corrected.
"H-Hey! don't remind me!" Jaune complained.
Pyrrha rubbed her arm guiltily.
"It's just... We kind of got some bad news."
"What happened?" he sighed.
Ren shook his head sadly.
"The jury decided to disqualify us for excessive violence on a surrendering opponent."
Hope heard a mirror crack in the back of his mind, much to his confusion and worry.
"Wait, you're out of the tournament?!"
"Sadly so," Ren confirmed. "We received the news two days ago."
Hope held his fist to his chin.
"That would explain why I didn't see you guys during the duos... I thought you guys would have been reinstated at the last minute."
"We thought so too," Jaune admitted. "But it looks like the jury decided to throw us out since RWBY had won their matches and brought Beacon to the semi-finals."
"Guess they thought we were redundant..." Nora pouted.
Hope felt a wave of dread hit him.
Pyrrha isn't going to be the finalist... then, who's going to be? Who's gonna face Penny?
"We kind of saw it coming in a way," Ren said. "It would look pretty bad if they let us continue after what happened."
Pyrrha sighed sadly.
"I'm so sorry..."
The yellow page put a cotton candy cone in his partner's face, to her surprise.
"Cheer up, Pyrrha." he smiled. "We don't blame you."
He scratched the back of his head, slightly red in the face.
"Besides, you did it because you were worried for me so... I can't be mad, in all honesty."
Pyrrha took the cone, mostly to hide her brightening face.
"I-I see..."
Hope pinched his nose before it could burst but instead, he ended up with a mouthful of blood that dripped down from his mucus membrane.
"Oh sweet merciful fuck, that's so much worse."
Jaune continued, ignoring the bleeding man in front of him as best he could.
"There's not much we can do anyways. I mean, other than cheering on RWBY when they win the tournament for Beacon."
Hope, managing to stem the flow of blood coming out of his nose, pondered Jaune's words. An ominous cold brushed the base of his nape.
I have the worst feeling about this. Please don't let it be Ruby. She's the worst person this could happen to. Merciful Zadkiel, please spare her from such a miserable fate...
Hope had left his other friend group to think about the immediate future. He transferred his damaged body to a wooden bench farther away from the fairgrounds. It was peaceful despite overlooking the controlled, lighthearted chaos of the festival. His mind wandered to his last prayer.
When was the last time I prayed to the Higher Powers for mercy... Too long.
He joined his hands and closed his eyes, muttering quietly.
"Great Michael, grant me strength for when the calamity comes, the strength to protect the innocent, the strength to fight my foes. Merciful Zadkiel, spare my beloved ones of the worst torment that my enemies have to offer. Cast it on me, if needs must."
He hesitated for a moment before exhaling sorrowfully.
"Poor, poor Azrael... Do not weep for me for when my time comes as you have done to all others. And although you objected to my pledge to your sister, I must beg for you to not come for my soul as you had tried before. Spare me your soft, gentle embrace, for only when my oath is fulfilled shall I let go from this ephemeral coil. Forgive me, but I must go on. No matter what."
He paused.
"Holiest One, Ye who took on the sins of mankind and absolved them, Dearest of all Heaven and Earth... Lord Joshua, Son of Joseph, Christ Almighty... Forgive me, for my heavy burden shall only increase. Forgive me, Lord, for I will sin."
He leaned back, his head hanging over the backrest.
"Amen."
He finally opened his eyes, only to be met with green orbs looking right back at him. Startled, Hope went to swing his head back up, but the green-eyed person grabbed the sides of his head and locked lips with the displaced seer. Hope struggled, disoriented and utterly confused as to what was happening. Things only got worse once the person's tongue found its way into Hope's mouth. Hope was mercilessly frenched until the kisser needed to take a breather. He swung his head forward, coughing from the lack of oxygen.
"Who in the fuck?!" He blurted.
Hope whipped around, stopping completely once he came to face with the perpetrator of the unwanted smooching. A diminutive woman with black hair held in twin tails with minty green eyes. She licked her lips, still savouring the taste of his saliva with a weird smile. Hope palmed his face, knowing damned well who this cute but mentally touched girl really was.
"Neo, what in the fuck do you think you're doing?" he asked with an annoyed tone, as if it was expected of her to act this way.
Neo grinned before pulling out her scroll and pointing to a specific message she sent previously.
Me: 'STUDDY!?'
'YOU KEPT YOUR PROMISE!'
'NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, IMMA SMOOCH YOU!'
'WITH TONGUE!'
Hope blanked at the scroll as she slowly mashed it into his face.
"Ok, I saw it, you can fucking stop now."
Neo pulled her scroll back as she twirled around the bench to finally sit on Hope's lap, pulling him into a suggestive embrace. Hope rolled his eyes.
"It's a bit late for you to finally make due on that promise, innit?"
Neo pouted, pulling her scroll into view.
Me: 'Not my fault every other time we had were ruined by all those assholes! '
'┻━┻ ︵ヽ('Д')ノ︵ ┻━┻'
'I just wanted to get a piece of dat Hope at the dance but then noooo'
'U HaFTo PReteND to bE cIndER while she does some spy shit! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻'
She threw a tantrum, flinging her arms in the air.
Me: 'And then Cinder just haaaad to get interested and try to steal you from me!'
'And THEN the fucking train happened!'
She pointed to him dramatically.
Me: 'And look what happened!'
'They turned you into a godsdamned mummy!'
'They are hiding your beautiful body away from me! (;'༎ຶД༎ຶ')'
Hope blinked multiple times before sighing.
"You're still an idiot for actually going through with it."
Neo brought her face closer, smiling flirtatiously.
Me: 'Maybe I'm just that dedicated to you. ❤'
Hope thinned his lips, not sure how to take what she just said.
"That is quite worrying in its own way."
Neo waved her hand down dismissively.
Me: 'Nahhhh'
She locked her arms behind his head, already raring to give him some more lovin'. That is until her stomach made an abominable noise. Neo pouted.
Me: 'Me want ice cream...'
Hope snorted as he gently pushed her away.
"Sure, why not."
Hope pulled out a lien card, offering it to his dubious friend(?).
"Be a dear and get me a coffee shake while you're at it."
Neo brightened as she snatched the card and hopped off his lap. She skipped and pranced into the crowd, disappearing altogether. Hope slouched in his seat, wondering how he managed to dodge that bullet again. Running would have been easy but his condition stopped him from getting an easy out. Could he just dip into the crowd like he did during the Vytal dance? Unlikely, seeing as he nearly drowned in the darkness that time. Surely it would be much of the same.
A beep on his scroll would give him something else to think about. And to Hope's surprise, it came from someone he hadn't seen in a while.
Brazen_Bull_Samurai: 'Sup man, you at VytalFest?'
Hope stared at this message for a solid minute before nodding to himself. Something is happening and this might be his only shot. That and the curiosity was plain killing him.
Me: 'Yeah, surprisingly enough. It's almost like I fucking live here.'
B_B_S: 'Geez, what crawled up your ass?'
Me: 'A fucking Ursa did, damned near killed me too, the fucker.'
B_B_S: 'Wait, really?'
'Were you at the Breach of Vale?'
Me: 'Yup. Damned lucky I just ended up in a wheelchair and not the fucking grave.'
There was a pause in between his message and Samurai's, almost like he was stunned at the revelation.
B_B_S: 'Fuck.'
Hope snorted.
Me: 'Indeed.'
B_B_S: 'I'm sorry to hear that.'
'You're in a wheelchair?'
Me: 'Ye. I got chewed to shit but I still got the last laugh since I'm alive and it ain't.'
B_B_S: 'Now THAT is a silver lining if I ever saw one!'
Me: 'Hey, gotta find the good in the bad.'
Hope felt a chill sensation on his cheek, reminding him that Neo left just to get ice cream. She had that same sweet smile she left him with. Hope grabbed his shake, taking a sip as Neo sat down with what had to be the biggest monstrosity that he had ever seen. The kind of sunday that makes you question the person that ordered it. It had everything, chocolate and caramel sauce, three different types of glazed fruits, eight different flavours of ice cream, a dinky flake AND it was on fire. How? He had not a damned clue and he wasn't keen on learning.
And Neo just buried her face in it like a dog eating from a bowl.
Hope sipped his cold treat as he stared in morbid fascination as Neo ate her quadruple-decker super sunday special deluxe whateverthefuckthatthingis. He tapped on his screen.
Me: 'Anyways, got company with me.'
B_B_S: 'Gotcha. I'll leave you be.'
Hope hesitated for the second time today and a strange thought entered his mind. Even stranger, he didn't feel the cold breeze that usually accompanies this sort of out-of-the-blue idea.
Me: 'Are you still in Vale for that business trip you talked about a week back?'
There was a pause.
B_B_S: 'Yeah. I'm actually on break and at the fairground right now.'
'Why?'
Hope inhaled sharply. This was his chance.
Me: 'I just thought that maybe we could meet up like you said you wanted to.'
'You know.'
'To have a chat, face to face.'
There was yet another pause.
B_B_S: 'This isn't some weird sex meetup thing, right?'
Hope bit on his tongue with a vicious smile.
Me: 'I'm straight, dumbass.'
B_B_S: 'Could have fooled me!'
Hope took a second to chuckle at the line-stealing prick.
Me: 'And they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.'
B_B_S: 'Yeah well, you have a habit of entertaining me with the bullshit you and your friends spew.'
'So I just feel like showing my thanks that way.'
Me: 'So we'll meet?'
B_B_S: 'Yeah, sure.'
Hope's smile became victorious as the Bull took the bait.
Me: 'Here's the meet-up, come by in an hour or two. My friend'll have left by then.'
'Look for the guy on a bench next to a wheelchair.'
'You'll know it's me when you'll see me.'
B_B_S: 'Gotcha.'
'See you then.'
Hope closed his scroll and slurped on his shake. Adam wasn't the same creep he knew from the original story and their previous interactions reinforced that thought. Hell, Adam even patched him up when he got napped by Neo.
Maybe. Just maybe, he can be turned around.
It may be a stretch to call the man known as the Red Swordsman innocent, but Hope deeply doubts that he is completely without conscience. But maybe the embers of the good boy Blake told him he once was could be reignited. Maybe the monster is just a mask, like the one he wore.
Maybe. Just maybe, he could be brought back into the light.
But that's for later down the road... Or rather, later this afternoon. Right now, he had to deal with the ice cream-coloured shortstack stuffing her face with cold custard.
"Why are you here?" He asked coldly.
Neo stopped eating and slowly turned her head towards the seer. Her face was covered in three different kinds of creams but a quick cartoony swipe of her tongue cleaned her up nicely. she pouted cutely.
Me: 'What? I can't hang out with you too?!'
'Aren't you glad that you're in the presence of such an innocent beauty?!'
Hope closed his eyes tightly, sighing in anguish.
"What fucking narcissist actually says this kind of shit?"
Me: 'The one in front of you!'
Hope shook his head.
"Good fucking heavens."
Neo sighed silently.
Me: 'Fiiiiiiiiine.'
'Cindy asked me to keep an eye on you.'
This made Hope raise a brow.
"What? I thought Emerald was my observer."
Neo had a silent chuckle.
Me: 'You knew?'
"I'm far more observant than muppets like Cinder thinks."
Neo giggled silently.
Me: 'Heh. Muppets.'
"Anyways." Hope continued. "Why are you still working with that shitty witch? You know she's the one who threw Roman to the wolves."
The diminutive criminal angrily tapped her foot on the floor, grinding her teeth.
Me: 'That bitch told me that Roman was the one who agreed on the plan.'
Hope smiled mysteriously.
"You're gonna go bust him out and wreak havoc with the Honourbound once the defences are down?"
Neo recoiled as she glared at him with big eyes full of shock.
Me: 'Fuck?'
'You know?'
Hope's smile widened.
"I love that reaction." His smile disappeared. "Want me to tell you a secret?"
Neo leaned forward nervously, attentive.
"Busting out Roman is an event that will trigger a red flag. Ruby will interfere and he'll beat her. He'll start to gloat."
Neo's nervous worry deepened.
Me: 'Then?'
Hope stared at her grimly.
"He'll die, eaten alive by a griffon."
Neo's pupil rescinded and she gripped him by the collar, a sinister look on her brow.
Me: 'Be real with me.'
'Just this once.'
'And don't even think about bullshitting me.'
Her eyes trembled and she started to subtlely shake. Her expression didn't change but her body language betrayed her fears. Her grip loosened.
Me: 'Is Roman really gonna...'
Her expression changed into a pleading grimace.
Me: 'Is Roman really gonna die?'
Hope gently held the hand that gripped his shirt.
"Not if I can fuck up the script further than I already have."
Neo let go of his shirt, her eyes desperately looking for a good answer.
"The plan is simple, really. Once you get him out and you come face-to-face with Ruby. Run. Don't fight, don't taunt and don't even think of throwing an 'I'll get you next time, hero!' while impotently shaking your fist in the air. Get in, get him, get the fuck out."
Neo nodded her head slowly. Makes sense. just don't waste time and don't bother letting your anger take over in the middle of a warzone. She felt a hand caress her scalp suddenly. She looked up to see Hope patting her head.
"Do me a favour, Neo," he asked. "Once you and Roman are on the ground, get the fuck out of the city. Lay low and don't get involved with Cinder any further."
He looked into her eyes, that deathly serious look made her shiver. but not in dread or even anticipation. It was a nice shiver that she couldn't explain even if she could.
"That road is way too dark, even for the two of you. If you don't want to get swallowed by the darkness, I recommend you cash out while you're ahead."
She looked down pensively. Cinder was powerful, she could just hunt them down. After all, leaving them alive would be a loose end that could bite her in the future, and Cinder is anything if not thorough. She looked back up once more, looking determined.
Me: 'Ok.'
'but I have a favour to ask.'
Hope matched her expression.
"Name it."
Me: 'I want you to guaranty that Cinder will never come after us.'
Hope smirked victoriously.
"I'll break her back so hard she'll forget you even existed."
Neo smiled honestly, untainted by her usual sweet/sick act. She ruffled through an unseen bag at her hip before holding out something that Hope had dearly missed.
"My gun!"
In its holster was Hope's handgun, as shiny as when it got pilfered by Neo. Hope took it back, looking into his reflection. The reflection looked surprised, then overjoyed at being reunited with its true master.
"Glad to have you back too, partner."
The reflection saluted before Hope put it back in its leather sheath. he strapped it under his shirt, tucking it snuggly under his arm. he shivered with excitement.
"Oh! How I fucking missed the weight of it!"
Neo grinned.
Me: 'Glad you like it!'
'I kind of hadn't found the right time to give it back after...'
'You know.'
Hope sighed contently before sipping his shake.
"I should probably be mad that you stole it in the first place... But you know what, I don't feel like ruining our good vibes right now."
Neo acquiesced, leaning into Hope as he drank his shake peacefully, safe in the knowledge that he had his gun by his side once again. But also in the knowledge that once more, he had fucked over Cinder.
Your allies are turning coat... the rigging is still going and I'm stacking Aces... Now...
To stack Royals.
Hope sat cross-legged on the bench. Neo left about an hour ago, apparently because Cinder needed her for something.
Good. He was getting tired of her hanging from his arm trying to make out with him.
He gently bobbed his leg up and down as he stared at an intact cigar. He already broke the no caffeine rule and he was seriously craving some nicotine. Should he...
Nah. Ruby already scolded me when she found out I had been drinking Mongers behind her back. Fuckin' Blake.
He put the cigar back in its airtight container and began fiddling with it. He flipped it in the air, twirled it between his fingers and generally showed off his dextrous fingers. Hope felt a strange tingle in the back of his head and discreetly looked about his surroundings. three people caught his attention. One of which was Blake, who was blending in a group ordering some kind of fried noodle dish reminiscent of Japanese yakisoba. Another was Adam, who was disguised as some kind of businessman. The guy went as far as to get a large eyepatch, coloured contacts and brown hair dye. His face was always hidden behind a mask, so it didn't surprise Hope that no one recognized him from the shape of his face and stand-out horns. The last person that Hope noticed was a little rabbit Faunus that looked familiar. The boy had a girlish face, short brown hair that covered his ears and a little bunny's tail popped out of his back. The kid looked lost, if his nervous expression and him looking everywhere were any indications. Hope saw the kid beginning to shake, his eyes glistening with nascent tears. Hope hopped into his chair just as he went to go check on the kid, someone beat him to the punch.
Adam had seen the child about to cry and immediately went to see what was wrong. The kid recoiled at being talked to by a stranger but kept quiet, getting closer and closer to bawling his eyes out. Hope sighed as he rolled to see them. once he got close, he could finally hear what Adam was saying.
"Hey hey hey! It's ok. I'm not gonna hurt you."
"I-I-I-I... I..." the child stuttered.
"Are you looking for your parents? Do you want me to help you find them?"
Adam sounded so gentle and caring that Hope momentarily forgot that he was a respected commander of a terrorist organization. The child looked around in a hurry and saw Hope. The child's face lit up and he dashed behind the man in the wheelchair. Adam's eye followed the kid before landing on Hope, his single ocular widening in surprise. Hope smiled at the bunny.
"Easy, kid." He reassured. "Did you come here with your friend?"
The child nodded frantically.
"Y-yes. I-i was looking at the stalls but I got shoved by some old lady with bad teeth." he looked down sadly. "I think she didn't like the colour of my tail..."
Adam became visibly agitated at the statement, his brow scrunching in fury.
"Of course..." Adam growled lowly. "It's always some human jackass who thinks it's fine to push kids around."
Hope snapped his fingers, catching the commander's attention.
"Take it down a notch, you'll scare the kid."
The kid in question hid further behind Hope, holding unto the small of the seer's shirt. Adam looked down sadly, his brow waving in guilt.
"I'm sorry."
Hope held his hand out to the child.
"Your name's Velour, right?"
The bunny's face lit up, taking his hand.
"You remember me, mister?"
"I didn't at first, but I don't know any other bunnies other than Velvet so."
His face lit up further, his eyes turning into stars.
"You know my big sister?!"
Wait, Velvet has a brother? Actually, both of her parents are also rabbits, so I guess that checks out if she's any indications... Probably has more than a few siblings too...
"Yes, we're-"
Hope paused, unable to just say that he and Velour's sister are in a lewd sort of deep friendship.
"We're close."
"Really? How close?"
Hope thinned his lips, thinking about something not very not PG concerning Velvet.
" e..."
Hope shook his head.
"Anyways. Want me to help look for your friend with you?"
"You would?!" Velour asked excitedly.
He shrugged, looking coyly at the bull commander.
"Sure, we can help out."
Adam jolted to attention.
"We?" he asked.
"Why not?" Hope smiled. "S'not like we have other things to do since we finally met, Samurai."
Adam's eyes slowly widened as the realization hit him.
Followed by his own palm.
"Something came up?" Hope asked with a big grin.
Adam slid his hand down his face with a squeaky noise.
"No, I just realized how dumb I can be at times."
"What brought this on?"
Adam really wanted to snarl but at the same time, he couldn't help but have a little restrained smirk on his face. He came over, going past Hope and Velour.
"The fact that your nametag is really not subtle, HeCalledHope." He waved over the two. "Now come on, we won't find his friend by just standing there."
Hope scoffed as he put the kid on his lap.
"You're no better, Brazen_Bull_Samurai."
"So that's how you managed to solve the dragon sorcerer problem..." Adam pondered.
"I mean, yeah." Hope said matter of factly. "If you don't allow for spells to have interchangeable elemental attributes across the board, the only type of DS that would be worth playing would be Red and Blue Dragon Sorcerers because the spells with the FIRE and ICE keywords are the most numerous. the rest gets piss all, and god helps you if you're a green dragon sorcerer with your pitiful TWO caustic spells."
"Make sense."
Adam and Hope had been looking around for Chartreuse for the better part of an hour now. To avoid having an awkward silence, as well as connect with Adam, Hope had begun talking about TTRPG issues that he and his friends back in his world solved with house rules. Adam walked behind Hope, scanning the crowd for a green-haired girl while listening to Hope with actual interest. Velour swung his little legs between Hope's as he sat on his lap, politely listening in on their conversation.
"This game you guys are talking about sounds really complicated," he commented, fascinated but confused.
Hope and Adam shrugged.
"It has some mathematics and arithmetic in it but otherwise, it's just about remembering lots and lots of lore and rules," Adam explained.
"Yeah but that's a game master thing, players don't have to worry as much about this kind of thing unless they really want to get into the hobby instead of just wanting to kill time with their mates and roleplay." Hope added.
"Do you think I could play it too?" Velour asked shyly.
"Sure, if you've got friends to play with and they have a moderately good imagination. Otherwise, it can get generic really quickly."
The little brown bunny looked forward pensively. He did have friends to play with, although they were more the sporty kind. But they did like playing pretend a lot...
"Is roleplaying a type of pretend?"
"A very elaborate game of pretend, yes." Hope and Adam said in unison.
Adam snapped his fingers while grimacing.
"Jinxed, damnit!"
Hope rolled his eyes.
"Superstitious maggot."
Adam flipped him off.
"Screw you!"
Hope chortled evilly. His chortle was interrupted by him seeing from the edge of his vision a certain cat girl stuffing her face with pseudo-yakisoba.
Staring straight at him and her Ex with the biggest What-The-Fuck expression her face could produce.
Blake downed her fried noodle in one slurp before throwing away the container and immediately running for cover. A barrage of texts hit his scroll with the fury of a social media mob cancelling some fuckwit over some stupid and offensive joke they made when they were still in their dad's ball sack.
LilKitty: 'what'
'what'
'what'
'what'
'what the fuck'
'how the fuck'
'why the fuck'
'why the ungodly mother of fucking hell is adam here'
'?'
'is that a kid?'
'did you kidnap this kid?'
Hope was already hovering his finger over the mute button but chose to answer in a clear and concise manner as to reassure her to his plan's efficacy.
Me: 'Fuck it, we ball.'
LilKitty: 'ANON YOU BLITHERING IDIOT!'
Me: 'Chill, I got this.'
LilKitty: 'Anon, I will literally send you flying into the Emerald Forest.'
Hope looked to where Blake was hiding looking both mortified and ready to jump in with hands akimbo to smack Adam into the next dimension. The seer sighed before texting her one last time.
Me: 'Blake, I'm only gonna say this once.'
'Trust me.'
Blake looked at her scroll, her animosity disappearing, replaced with nothing but fear for her friend's safety. Hope stared into those yellow scared eyes and smiled warmly. Blake took a few calming breaths before returning to her hidey-hole.
LilKitty: 'Alright.'
'But if he tries ANYTHING, I'm jumping in.'
Me: 'Got'cha.'
'Just watch.'
Velour looked at the phone next to his head, curiosity having killed his cat.
"Who's this little kitty you're talking to?"
Adam flinched, already knowing who it was.
"A shared acquaintance of me and Adam," Hope said, obfuscating his actual relationship with Blake from Adam.
Adam looked down guilty, rubbing his arm.
"Yeah... Acquaintance."
Hope shook his head.
"Plenty of fish in the sea, my dude."
"I don't like fish. it smells salty and stinks after a while."
"Why the hell did you stay with her then? Every time she comes back from a night on the town she smells like the pier."
Adam did not comment but did not deny it either. In the distance, Blake was sulking. Adam finally said what he wanted to say the moment he heard mention of her.
"How is she?"
"Pretty good, all things considered." He smirked. "A damned snitch, but pretty nice overall."
Adam snorted.
"She told on you? about what?"
"As you can see, I'm on medical leave. Can't have caffeine or tobacco, two things I very much enjoy."
"She caught you sneaking a cigarette and told on your doctor?"
"No, worse. She knew I drank some energy drinks and told on me to her team captain, which is a thousand times worse since she's the mother of all worrywarts about this stuff."
Adam spittled.
"Energy drinks? Why would anyone drink that junk?"
"Cause it tastes like soda and it doesn't make me go piss every twenty minutes like coffee does?"
"Drink tea, you peasant."
"I'm not interested in leaf water! It tasted like hot grass!"
"You have bad tastebuds."
"Let me enjoy my lab-grown, genetically modified energy additives in peace, you ruminant prick."
Adam found himself snorting at that, despite the possible implications of his heritage. It just... didn't feel like it was meant to be a serious offence. A light jab at his tastes that could easily be misconstrued. Adam just... Didn't feel any animosity from him. Like Hope didn't consider him an enemy. maybe that was why the insult lacked the enmity, vitriol and general venom he was accustomed to.
Velour looked at Hope strangely, then at Adam.
"Are you two friends? You talk an awful lot of... Awful, at each other."
Adam went to say something but the words were caught in his throat. Hope wasn't his friend, that much he's sure of. But then why is it so easy for him to speak with him? They wrote to each other constantly before they met and Adam would have easily said that HeCalledHope was someone he was fond of as a fellow forum goer and that he admired the stories that he and his friend wrote through play. But now he knows who HeCalledHope truly was. A huntsman, and someone who was good friends with Blake.
An enemy of his current superior.
Could they really be friends, even though there is a high likelihood that they would end up fighting each other? As he was busy thinking, Hope answered the question he couldn't answer.
"Adam's not a bad sort." He answered honestly. "He's a bit edgy but deep down, he cares about people."
Hope pointed at Adam with his thumb.
"Ain't no way someone who still worries about his ex-girlfriend and genuinely wants her to be happy and healthy despite being dumped could be a really bad dude."
Adam had no recourse to hide his surprise. Hope thought well of him? The seer in question continued.
"Sure, his current friend group is a bit wack, but just because there are bad eggs doesn't mean the whole dozen has to be thrown out."
Hope smiled, knowing Adam could see a part of his face.
"I know that deep down, the samurai has a good heart and I'd love to be real friends with him, instead of just pen pals."
Adam stopped in his tracks, dumbstruck by his kind words. Hope continued rolling forward, his smile unfaltering. He looked from the corner of his eye and Blake looked just as amazed by what he said as Adam was. Blake then looked at Adam and her reaction told him that Adam was making one hell of a face. One she wasn't accustomed to. Hope looked back to see what was up.
Adam Taurus looked at him regretfully.
Was it guilt? The seer was a victim of something the Brazen Bull had helped in creating. Was the guilt more symbolic, in that he saw how wrong his way of thinking is? Hope didn't know, although he wished to. Hope waved at him.
"Come on, once we find Velour's friend, I'll buy you a pint."
Hope rolled forward, looking around for Chartreuse once more. Adam looked down, caressing his eyepatch. His old scars were hidden but even still, he often felt the phantom pains of the hot branding iron melting his eyelid shut.
But it didn't burn this time... Why didn't it burn?
Another hour passed and finally, the trio had started to lose heart. No signs of the green-haired little girl that Velour followed around. The young boy had begun to nervously rub his arm.
"I wonder where she is..." Velour quietly whimpered.
"Think she went home?" Adam asked.
Velour shook his head.
"Chartreuse would never leave me behind unintentionally."
"and if she did?"
the bunny pouted angrily, failing miserably at any attempt at looking imposing or demanding.
"She would never!" he exclaimed. "You take that back!"
Adam had a bead of sweat dripping down the side of his head.
"Calm down, it's just a hypothetical."
"I don't know what that means, but that doesn't change the fact that Chartreuse would never abandon me!"
Hope heard an exclamation from the crowd and two familiar figure managed to pull themselves out of the crowd. From the mass of shadows came the young tomboyish girl with golden eyes and green hair that they had been looking for, accompanied by two men's charge's older sister, Velvet. Chartreuse panted, having emerged from the suffocatingly packed crowd, before reaching out to Velour. the boy hadn't yet registered that his friend was nearby and was still fuming at the bull-man.
"Vel-" Chartreuse tried to call out to, only to be interrupted.
"CHARTREUSE IS THE COOLEST PERSON I KNOW, EVEN COOLER THAN MY OLDER SISTER AND TEN TIMES CUTER THAN ANY OF THE GIRLS IN OUR CLASS!"
The girl in question has a smokestack's worth of steam escape from her head, with the requisite kettle noise and red face to match. Velour huffed indignantly.
"So take that back, you meanie!"
Both Hope and Adam couldn't restrict their smiles long enough for Velour to figure out that something was amiss. until he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"So that's what you think about her..."
Velour turned to see his older sister, who was all smiles, flanked by an unresponsive Chartreuse. Velour's head turned into a tomato and all of his spaghetti fell out of his pockets as he turned into a stuttering mess.
"Uh-uh-uh uhm I-I-I mean uh... You're uh... you- you're..."
Chartreuse began fiddling with her fingers, her face still a deep crimson.
"Do... Did you m-mean that?"
Hope grinned ear to ear as he pushed the child off of him and motioned him to go ahead. Velour's head began spinning as his own timid nature came to bite him in the ass. It really didn't help when he felt a trio of eyeballs plus one singular eyeball stare at him in anticipation of his answer. Suddenly, he finally blurted out his response.
"I-I-I... Y-YEAH, I-I think you're super awesome!"
The two children stood in silence as Hope saw a bunch of flowers appear and frame the two awkwardly cute kids. He felt his nose dribble with a warm fluid of familiar taste and viscosity.
Oh hey, twice in one day!
Velvet giggled to herself as she watched her brother.
"I'm so glad my hopeless little brother finally opened his heart."
Velvet pulled out a handkerchief and wipped Hope's nose.
"Thanks."
"I should be the one thanking you for looking out for my little brother." she countered.
Velvet closed in on her intimate friend, sitting on his lap and surrounding his shoulders with her arms. She layed a gentle, loving kiss on lips, which Hope returned courteously. She reluctantly separated, smiling warmly.
"Thank you, Anon." she thanked softly.
Hope returned the smile.
"You're welcome, bun-bun."
Velvet cuddled close to the seer, who returned the embrace. Hope noticed that a small crowd had formed in front of him, composed of the two children he had previously helped. They looked in admiration at what they taught an adult relationship was like.
"Wow! So that's what you meant when you said that you were close to her..." Velour said like he had an epiphany.
Hope wanted to tell him a sanitized version of the truth but at the same time, he just couldn't be bothered.
at the same time, Velvet noticed that a pair of eyes were boring a hole through her head. She looked forwards and amidst the shadow, a pair of furiously jealous yellow eyes were pocking through. The eyes in the dark looked like they were grinding their teeth.
Velvet knew exactly who that person was.
Velvet smiled smugly as she snuggled closer, pulling her tongue out at the hidden cat. Something Blake responded with the old reliable double birds.
Hope was, of course, aware of what was happening behind him and was so beyond giving a fuck that he just accepted that they were going to be pulling on him like a weird, sexy but probably painful tug of war.
After asserting her position, Velvet left Hope's warm lap to give her little brother a stern talking to.
"You were lucky that Anon was there but you shouldn't follow people around when you're lost."
"I know..." Velour admitted guiltily. "When lost, stay put."
Velvet softly rubbed her little brother's scalp.
"Good. I'll forgive you as long as you reflect on what happened." She winked at him. "Chartreuse was worried sick about you, you know."
Velour's cheek returned to their previous carmine shade.
"I-i get it!"
Chartreuse reeled her arm back and gave her friend's arm a light slugging. the sudden pain startled the little bunny, who looked in pained confusion at his pouting friend.
"I was looking for you all over, you know..."
Velour held the small of her shirt, looking at the floor guiltily.
"I'm sorry."
"Never disappear like that ever again. You hear me?"
"I won't."
Hope smiled at the unfolding scene, his mind filled with nostalgic memories of a more innocent time.
"All's well that ends well, huh?"
Velvet nodded along his statement, her hand lovingly rubbing the back of her beloved's head.
"Want to look after them with me?" she asked shamelessly. "They'll be in bed by ten~"
Hope thinned his lips, deadpanning her.
"Velvet, I'm on medical leave."
"I swear I'll be gentle."
Despite his trust in Velvet, Hope had no intentions of gambling his hip and spine again. Especially not now.
"Sorry bun-bun, got a prior engagement," he said pointing his thumb at Adam.
Adam scoffed in exasperation.
"Oh, now you realize I'm still here."
Velvet looked Adam up and down, a dubious look marring her face. She tilted her head to the side, a hint of recognition on her face.
"You look familiar," she said. "Have I seen you before?"
Hope cursed to himself at how sharp Velvet was but luckily, it seems like this wasn't the samurai's first time doing this.
"I don't think we have," he replied calmly, holding out his hand for a shake. "Name's Evan Holstein, I'm a professional Faunus rights advocate and a net friend of Hope."
Velvet squinted at him, taking his hand.
"I'm Velvet Scarlatina, second year here at Beacon and... 'Friend', of Hope."
They shook hands but Hope noticed that Adam was sweating quite a lot. He looked down and saw that his viciously carmine aura was glowing around his hand. Velvet's on the other hand was veiny as all get out and trembling. She was grinding her teeth and glaring at Adam with what could only be described as barely contained, envy-fueled aggression.
"I hope you two have a ffffffFUN afternoon!" Velvet not-so-subtlely threatened.
Adam gulped loudly.
"We will! I promise," he said, his voice cracking under Velvet's pressure.
Velvet gripped harder, making Adam sweat harder. She closed in on him, glaring at the bull like a mad woman.
"You better."
Velvet finally let go of the bull's hand, much to his relief. Velvet returned to her sibling's side.
"I'll be taking these two off your hands."
Hope thanked her with a kiss on the cheek, resulting in a melting bunny and a fuming cat.
"You're a sweetheart." his flirty smile disappeared. "I'll make some time for you tomorrow so for god's sake, don't do this kind of shit ever again."
"Will do..." She hummed with fluttering eyelids, barely registering his demand.
Hope rolled his eyes at Velvet being in her own world, yet again. His exasperation was interrupted by a tug at his shirt. he looked down to see the Chartreuse looking up at him.
"What's up?"
"Uhm... I just wanted to thank you." Chartreuse said. "You looked after Velour when he was all alone."
She rubbed the back of her head.
"He's a bit hopeless, but he's my best friend. so thanks for looking out for him."
Hope smirked.
"Just friend?"
She grumbled bitterly.
"I said he was hopeless, didn't I?"
"Dense or coward?"
"The second one."
Hope shrugged.
"Just take the lead and eventually he'll either grow a pair or he'll fall into your hands."
"Got it."
She went to join her friend and his sister but she lingered for one last moment.
"And mister? Thanks for the plush. Velour really liked it."
Hope smiled.
"I know."
The departing trio waved him goodbye before leaving and disappearing into the crowd. Adam glared at Hope in incredulity.
"How did you manage to score with a scary girl like that?"
Hope shrugged.
"Heh, she used to be a wallflower when I first met her. Guess she finally got sick of being walked over."
Adam didn't sound too convinced.
"Still, your girlfriend's terrifying."
"Meh, it's a casual thing."
"Are you fucking serious?! She looked like she wanted to marry you!"
"I have that effect on women."
Adam rolled his eyes.
"Sure you do." he scoffed
Hope waved at him.
"C'mon, 'Evan', I promised you a pint, haven't I?"
Adam paused.
"A cold beer does sound nice... Can we get fried chicken skewers too?"
Hope let out an approuving groan.
"Oh god, that does sound good. You're a goddamned genius."
"I'm often told that." he huffed pridefully.
It was Hope's turn to scoff.
"Sure you do."
A beer in one hand, a trio of chicken yakitori skewers in the other. Yes, Adam Taurus was living the dream, fleeting as it was. A dream where he wasn't a high-ranking official of a terror organization but instead a normal person just enjoying the celebrations of a festival dedicated to the peace this world has been in since the end of a horrible world war. What helped was, he wasn't alone. He was with someone he got along with.
A human he got on with.
Anon Hope was such a strange existence to the Brazen Bull. He didn't hold back his tongue with him, swearing and making snide jokes about him as he went despite being fully aware of who he was. Anon knew that he would be dead on the spot if Adam deemed it his will. And yet... He didn't seem to care all that much.
Why? What was he planning?
They were enemies and yet Hope treated him like a friend. This had to be a trap and the feeling of being watched only reinforced that feeling. Adam sat on the bench next to Hope, who sighed after downing half a pint of root beer.
"Ohhh, that hit the spot."
Hope restrained a belch, hiding it behind his hand.
"S'cuse me, jeez. How loud was that?"
Adam didn't respond, his own doubt clouding his mind with what-ifs and whys.
"Hope?" Adam finally asked.
"Yeah?"
"Why did you... Bring me out?"
Hope pursed his lips before taking a big bite out of his pseudo yakitori.
"Honeshly?" He spoke with his mouth full before swallowing. "I just wanted to see the man Blake loved in a neutral scenario."
Loved. Adam sighed miserably at the past tense. But the rest of Hope's sentence picked him out of his self-pity.
"What do you mean?"
"The question is simple. Who are you?"
Anon crossed his legs.
"What is Adam Taurus like?" Hope asked. "Not the Red Swordsman, not the White Fang commander. Who is the REAL Adam Taurus, the young man behind the mask."
Adam smiled bitterly.
"Not that much to say, I'm afraid. Just another killer with a dream."
Hope bit on his skewered meat.
"Really? Cause I can tell you what I see."
Strangely enough, Adam somewhat wanted to hear what he had to say about him.
"What?"
Hope leaned back relaxedly.
"Someone who's lost."
The bull snorted.
"Lost? Lost how? If you mean literally, I have a place to go back to and people who look out for me."
"No, you don't."
Adam cocked a brow, somewhat irritated at the implications. Hope continued.
"Adam, are you happy?"
Adam sighed exasperatedly.
"Good Light, seriously?"
"Yeah."
"Hope, I have a goal, a good one. I have comrades who will help me achieve that goal and the resources to further that goal. I have a righteous mission given to me by a decisive leader."
"Then answer my question. Are you happy?"
Adam went to answer but his words were caught in his throat. He actually hadn't really taught about his own contentness much. Adam leaned back into the bench, looking at the crowd around him. Everyone was cheering and laughing, eating and playing together regardless of their stations. People in Atlas uniforms, both military and academy, mingled with people they probably met only recently through the VytalFest. Students from the four corners of the world messed around with each other, playing practical jokes, games and dares to pass the time and unwind. Faunus children played with Human children while being looked after by their caretakers. Everyone looked so...
Happy.
He smiled but something gnawed at him. a pit in his heart that was once filled with something he hadn't appreciated until it was gone. He looked back at the happy crowd... And felt Envy. Everyone was so happy, yet he wasn't. Why? He had comrades... No, they wouldn't joke around him. Everyone was too scared of offending Sienna's Red Swordsman. He had a goal... The happy crowd... They wouldn't just disperse once the bombs went off. A cold breeze hit his neck and images of carnage filled his mind like a vase full of water, the visions only stopping just short of overflowing the vase. Adam gripped his skewers and his pint, making them shake and creak. He closed his eye and taught about Sienna, his mentor, his light in the darkness of his mind.
He saw her scowling with an ugly, sneering smile at the images Adam had envisioned.
Adam looked down, pained.
"No," he answered finally.
Hope silently finished one of his skewers, downing it with a big gulp of his beverage.
"It's not too late, you know."
"I won't forsake my duty," Adam uttered. "It's the last thing I have left."
"Not even for those who gave you purpose?"
Adam scoffed.
"Sienna gave me purpose."
"I'm not talking about her."
Adam whipped his head around, scowling angrily.
"Who then?! There's no one else!"
"Belladonna."
Adam flinched.
"Ghirra was the one who save you, right? Sienna was there too but he was the one who tore your chains apart and carried you to your haven. She was just muscles."
Adam didn't respond. Ghirra was indeed his direct saviour... His model too. He was the man Adam's own father couldn't hold a candle to, the man who showed him that there was still hope in life. Ghirra... Was his hero.
"What about Kali?" Hope continued. "The woman who fed you, who clothed you, who showed you how to take care of yourself? Wasn't she there for you as well?"
Adam remained silent. Kali was a good person, wonderful even. She was a beautiful person with an even more beautiful soul. Her cooking was second to none... She helped fill the hole that his mother left when she died...
They were his friends, he was practically family... The family that took him in. Now, they wouldn't even as much as look at him, let alone speak to him. He misses Ghirra, he misses Kali...
"And Blake?" Hope continued. "wasn't she your beloved as well?"
Adam snapped.
"SHE LEFT ME!" he blithered. "She abandoned me!"
Hope hadn't been fazed by his outburst.
"She did because you turned into a monster."
Adam shot up, spilling his skewers and his pint in his haste. He grabbed Hope by the throat, a mad look on his cyclopean face.
"I. Am. Not. A. Monster!" He enunciated.
Hope looked into Adam's eye, his expression unshifting despite his constrained voice.
"Odd. I wonder what happened to the man who was sitting next to me a moment ago."
Adam froze.
"I was told that the man I was speaking to," Hope continued. "Is a man of honour, who never strikes firsts. He only ever killed in self-defence. And yet, I can't see him anymore."
Adam's grip loosened. Hope's gaze darkened judgementally.
"And in his place stands someone, or something, that Blake feared. A conscienceless murderer who snaps at the wrong word."
Adam fully let go, looking painfully at the man he had hurt. Hope rubbed his reddened throat with a rough cough. Hope stared down at the samurai, who looked away in shame.
"I see it now." Hope revealed. "She left because of the Red Swordsman. Not Adam Taurus."
Adam stared at the floor, where his spilt lunch remained. It was all so obvious now... Ghirra, Kali, Blake... They left him... Because of his actions. Because of the person he became... The seer looked at the Bull's pained epiphany and shook his head sadly.
Sad to think it took me to break the old news...
Hope took a napkin and laid it next to Adam. Adam snapped out of his thoughts long enough to notice that Hope was gone. Next to him were Hope's remaining skewers and the rest of his pint. A message popped off in his PMs. He pulled out his scrolls and read the message.
HeCalledHope: 'Once upon a time was a blood-red knight.'
'His heart was full of bitterness and loneliness.'
'Melancholy that he quenched in blood and discord.'
'Within the knight fought his two halves.'
'The nascent hero whom walked a wayward path, one that he could go back on.'
'And the leashed monster who tore all that opposed his master to shreds'
'My question is: Which half will wins, The wayward hero, or the monster?'
Adam stared at this message for minutes on end. the hole in his heart widened and his maimed eye began to warm up. One last message appeared on his scroll before falling silent.
HeCalledHope: 'I don't know which half will come out on top, all I know is this:'
'Only the blood-red knight will be able to choose his fate.'
Adam set his scroll down, looking back at what Hope left him. He tentatively took one of the skewers and took a bite. it was sweet and savoury, but the feeling was hollow since he had no one to savour it with him anymore...
Hope rolled into a park, far far away from the hustle and bustle of the fair. The mid-noon sun still shone brilliantly in the sky, a massive shadow casting down from an old tall tree nearby. He felt a haziness overtake his mind and the urge to sleep wasn't going to be denied. His eyelid became heavier and heavier. Maybe it was from all the mentally tiring bullshit he had to endure.
"A nap would do me good."
"You definitely chose a good place."
Hope looked back, where his feline friend just appeared.
"You sound like you know a thing or two about cat naps." He joked, ignoring Blake's sudden appearance.
Blake rolled her eyes.
"Yang's rubbing off on you too much."
"Yeah... She does."
Hope lifted himself off his wheelchair with Blake's aid before laying down in the shadow of the nearby tree. He looked at the beautiful blue sky as clouds rolled by. Blake layed next to him, cloud-watching alongside her friend.
"What was it that you hoped to accomplish with Adam?"
Hope looked at one particular cloud that looked like a sword.
"I wanted to see if there was something left of Adam Taurus. If Red Swordsman wasn't just wearing his face like a mask meant to obfuscate the menace within."
Blake closed her eyes, her expression melancholic.
"What did you find?"
The sword of cloud broke into two.
"That he hadn't realized he had changed. That he had inadvertently pushed you and your family away. That he had become just as bloodthirsty as he had feared he would."
Blake rolled to the side, away from Hope.
"Do you think..." she stopped. "Nevermind."
Hope pulled her close, turning her around.
"What do I think?" Hope asked, hoping Blake would finish.
She looked upwards at the mangled seer.
"That he can... return to being who he was."
Hope hummed pensively, weighing his words carefully.
"Dunno," he admitted. "Only time will tell."
"That's not reassuring," Blake complained passively.
"Only he can choose his future, Blake. Just as you chose to leave, it's on him to decide if he becomes a gore-drenched monster or someone who can pull themselves back from the brink."
Blake let his answer stew. Did she make the right choice originally?
"Was I right to abandon him?" she asked, nervous at the possible answer.
Hope rubbed her hidden ears.
"You had your boundaries, your values. And he crossed them. You had the right to leave."
"But should I have?"
Hope shrugged, resting Blake's head against his chest.
"Could've, Should've, Would've. Too late to regret what may or may not have been a mistake. You left when he became a killer and that's that."
RWBY's cat snuggled close to her team's best friend.
"Maybe. Doesn't really stop me from wondering if I made the right choice."
Hope patted her head peacefully as he counted the cloud.
"One day, you'll get your answer. In the meantime, learn to live with it."
Blake counted her friend's heartbeats.
"What about you... What do you see in Adam?"
Hope's consciousness waned and waxed as the clouds rolled by.
"Someone who needs... Someone else..." He yawned. "Like I did... you guys..."
Blake snuggled closer, wrapping Hope's closest arm around her. She smiled, her face reddening.
"You just want to give him a hand..."
She wrapped her fingers around his.
"I hope he takes it... like you did ours."
V3E8: END!
NEXT ON PLAYLIST: V3E9 - PLAY?
