Quick warning: There's a somewhat gruesome scene coming up towards the end of this chapter, so reader discretion is advised. Also, one last reminder to please keep spoilers out of any reviews you drop going forward (this applies to the entirety of the rest of this thing). That said, enjoy!
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Late Thursday Night…
"You were right, Lieutenant."
"Wow… that's not a phrase I hear from you very often, Captain."
"…I guess we can both drop the titles now. You know… cuz we're fired."
"An outcome I expected."
"My wife certainly didn't; I spent most of the evening trying to talk her out of marching into the station and settling the score with Cardin right then and there; she had her spear in her hand.Is that why you were digging so hard? Because you knew you only had a limited time before the hammer came down?"
"For the most part, yes. Of course I'm still worried about what's going on with my brother and Elysium, but during my search I managed to dig up enough dirt to bring down Vale's entire ruling body. It was only a matter of time before they tied me a noose."
"The note you sent over with Adrian… I honestly thought you were starting to crack."
"Was the riddle too tricky for you?"
"If anybody else had written it, yeah… but since it was you, I figured it out. Cardin, right? The bit about his power coming from underground was a nice touch."
"Captain- er, Jaune… it took me the better part of three weeks to figure out the Winchester family had ties to the Vale mob. It was an incredibly complex web to follow; business deals, corporate sabotage, alliances, you name it. The fact of the matter is that Cardin Winchester was only put in charge of the Police so the mob could keep us firmly under control. Why do you think so many Officers answer directly to him rather than you?"
"And by investigating Cafe Prime, I was getting a bit too close to uncovering the connection between him and the mob. That's why he came down on me so hard. Dammit. They were one step ahead of us all the way. Still, I have to wonder if Cardin was aware of any of it or if he was just a puppet-"
"You know the Commissioner; the only way he'd know about it is if he was directly involved."
"He's a scumbag, but I've never pegged him as that level of evil."
"Not everyone is what they appear to be, Sarge."
"I thought I said-"
"I know what you said, but that doesn't change the fact that you are Sarge, to me and everyone else you've helped in the city. It just… fits."
"Haaaaah… fine, whatever. Did you pack enough for a few days?"
"Yes, my 'purse' is full. Real subtle message, by the way."
"I couldn't confirm if they bugged your apartment or not, but the odds were too high to take the chance. Considering how many other things you were right about, that call was all I could come up with to reach you. And driving to your apartment was out of the question, since it was probably being staked out before I ever showed up in the first place."
"Does your wife know what's going on?"
"I was about to just tell her everything when the bugs occurred to me; if they'd planted a hidden mic in your place, there was an equal chance they'd put one in mine. I couldn't risk it, but I eventually got the message to her using a concealed note. She knows."
"That's a relief. How are they, by the way? Your wife and kid-"
"Eh… Pete's grounded at the moment. Apparently my wife found out that he'd been raising an Imu in the backyard without telling anybody, even though we agreed no pets until we move out into the suburbs. Apparently he couldn't wait that long and went behind our backs; poor kid fessed up to the whole thing this morning."
"Wow. Bold move… he clearly takes after his mother."
"What was that? Did you say you wanted to cover the fuel costs for the entire drive? Wow, so generous.~"
"You're hysterical. So, are you keeping the Imu?"
"Can't. Pyrrha only found out about it after the thing died off."
"Convenient."
"…"
"…"
"By the way, Ashens… good idea with the pickup spot. The 'I Heart Imu' store is the last place anyone would think you wanted to be."
"I should've created a coded message system to get around this a long time ago…"
"Hey, mistakes happen. All we can do is learn from them. By any chance, did you bring any of those documents with you?"
"All of them, actually; after we isolated a potential location for Elysium using that locket, I worked quickly to back up everything on a digital harddrive and destroy the physical copies. Paper files are too liable to fall into the wrong hands. You taught me that when I first signed on to the force."
"I did, didn't I? Well in that case, we should take a few minutes and go over what you've learned one more time. There's always a chance we've missed a detail or two. Not to mention the fact that I still don't know about everything you've uncovered, so I need to get caught up."
"That's fair, although we should probably wait until morning… um… Sarge? I thought we were in a hurry?"
"We are, yes… but I did say I was hungry, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but… … … Burger Meister's?"
"Hey, don't knock it if you haven't tried it. I plan on driving through the night, so I need the grub. Besides, they're one of the only late night drive-thrus in the area. And their food isn't that bad."
"…"
"…Most of the time."
(Suddenly I might regret not taking a Bullhead…)
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Friday Morning…
The gray clouds from yesterday had not gone away. If anything, they seemed darker today. A chill wind occasionally blew through the area, rustling trees and stirring up dust into tiny whirlwinds. Adrian had no innate sense for how the weather acted, but it was safe to assume there was a major storm coming.
Hopefully it would pass by quickly. They had a Bullhead scheduled to come pick them up late Sunday morning to head back to Beacon, and if there was rough weather then the ride would be extra bumpy. Two more days to relax before returning to classes.
Adrian sat on that same park bench as the other night, although the playground was empty this morning; the kids were busy with homeschooling until after lunch. They'd probably stay inside in this weather anyway. To his right sat Misty, who leaned against his side with heavy eyelids. On her lap sat the creature Laz, curled up into a black and white bundle of fur. Adrian still had his hands trapped in plaster balls, but otherwise felt about as good as he'd ever felt. He was dressed for the day, but Misty still had her flannel PJs on – getting him into his clothes took all the energy she had to spare.
With one arm draped over the back of the bench, he said, "Can I ask you a question?"
Misty stirred and groaned a bit, "What?"
"Where did that come from?"
She looked up at him, confused.
"I mean… I spent the last year and a half convinced that you hated my guts… all the way up until last night when you unbuckled my damn pants."
"Oh, that." She settled back into position, her head tucked under his shoulder. "I guess… I'm stubborn."
"In other news, clinical studies find that water is, in fact, wet."
"I'm serious."
"I thought you were stubborn…"
"Adrian Arc, can you stop being an ass for five minutes?"
"My record is four, but I'll try.~"
She whacked him in the chest, then said, "I just… I didn't want to admit that I'd fallen for you so damn quickly, so I fought it back. I tried to hate you. It was fucking embarrassing how quickly you'd stolen my heart without even trying. You destroyed my womanly pride before you'd even finished one goddamn sentence."
"'So damn quickly'…?"
"Almost from the moment we first met, I remember looking at you and thinking That is the boy I want to spend the rest of my life with. Good gods… if Mama found out how easy I'd given in, I woulda died of pure shame."
"All I remember of that day is you cursing me non-stop until we reached the relic and were named a team."
"Like I said… I was fucking embarrassed."
"You could've dropped some kind of hint, you know…"
"I dropped HUNDREDS of hints, all throughout our first year! It's not my fault your head could double as tank armor."
"…Are you calling me dense?"
"I rest my case."
"Ai, ai!" Laz put in her two cents at the end, which got Misty giggling; she gave her a few scratches behind the ears and settled down again.
In all honesty, Adrian felt like he was in a dream. Nothing seemed real anymore. His partner, the girl who cursed his name every day they spent together, had taken his Virgin Card last night. An Imu, his mortal enemy and the one thing he blamed for the destruction of his family, lay peacefully within arm's reach… and he felt no urge to kill it. And not just because his hands were essentially bound, either.
He was at peace. For the first time he could remember, Adrian felt like all was right in the world. And he savored every moment of it, because he knew that little voice in the back of his head was right – it wouldn't last very long. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
A sudden tickle in the back of his mind served to remind Adrian of a small matter he'd been ignoring for the last several days; he pulled out his Scroll with one hand, opened it and quickly sought out today's Poozle. He'd left it alone after solving the St Chives one the other day, but that didn't mean the riddles had stopped. Solving one didn't mean he'd won the game or anything.
He read today's entry out loud:
"Despised am I by knave and liar,
After me, the wise inquire.
I rise above all death and fire.
What am I?"
"Ooh, that sounds like a classic," Misty said. "Any ideas?"
Adrian replied, "No thoughts, head empty."
Misty lightly growled but said no more.
He glanced down at her again and found himself thinking back to their first few encounters, both before and during the Initiation. Even there she seemed very standoffish, but after that she became so much worse. A far cry from the defenseless girl resting on his side right now.
And very different from the wild, unrestrained girl from last night. He didn't think she even knew that kind of language… but it was no surprise she knew how to stay on top for more than 8 seconds.
"Adrian…" said Misty with a faraway voice, "…I wanna go back to bed now."
"Do you need me to carry you again?"
"Yes."
"Oh come on… I wasn't that rough last night-"
"Adrian, my soul left my body for a few seconds."
"Okay, nowyou're exaggerating."
"It's been six hours and my legs are still wobbly. Carry. Me."
"As you wish."
He didn't need functional hands for this; Adrian carefully stood and scooped up Misty into his arms, lightly carrying her back to their room. Laz remained in her lap for the ride, watching the world from a higher vantage point than she'd likely had before.
After a few seconds of walking Laz turned, looked back at Adrian and opened her mouth, panting a little. It almost looked like she was grinning.
"Don't even think about it you little shit."
Oh she thought about it alright, but just before Laz dove in to start licking his unguarded face, Misty reached up and grabbed her, holding her back. Laz whined a little but ultimately calmed down as they reached their destination. "Shame you'll never grow up, little one…" Misty sighed at her.
"Yeah… Imu don't last very long, do they?" said Adrian.
"I… *yawn* …suppose not. Still… I have to wonder what a full-grown Imu would look like…"
"If I never find out, I'll die a happy man."
"Mrrrrr…~" Laz made a relaxed noise as she settled into Misty's embrace.
In fact, both she and Misty were all but asleep in his arms as Adrian walked in through the propped-open door and set them into bed. He pulled a sheet over his partner, a word that held new meaning for both of them now, and leaned down to lightly kiss Misty on the cheek.
It was truly incredible; all this time, Misty Montana had been something like a force of nature, filled with temper and fire like no one Adrian had ever met before, yet with enough of a gentle spirit to tame even the creatures of darkness they were trained to battle. He could only ever see her as being made of steel, someone who needed to be handled with care lest you cut yourself on a sharp edge or worse, cause a spark that would quickly grow into a raging wildfire. Yet now that he understood how she felt about him, that steel facade had pulled away to reveal a warm, loving, beautiful girl underneath. A gentle creature that he would take a bullet to protect. Sure that fire was still there, but now it seemed more a flame of passion than of anger.
Misty herself hadn't changed; Adrian merely saw her in a new light.
It was funny how different the world looked when you finally understood it.
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Less than an hour later, Adrian stood before Desi Currant.
She'd found him right after he finished breakfast and all but dragged him back to her place for their promised chat. Much to his disappointment, however, they didn't go very far inside; Desi pulled him just past the front door, then stood in his way to keep him from leaving the entryway of the building. She crossed her toned arms and locked her purple eyes onto him in a look that was probably meant to be intimidating. He didn't care today.
"So…" she said after a moment, "…I see you're getting too nosy for your own good."
"It's in my nature," Adrian shrugged.
"I'm guessing Doc figured me out? Even though I've tried to be careful around him…?"
"I, uh…" Adrian tried to scratch his chin, but remembered the plaster around his hands a bit too late and bonked himself. "I might've… mentioned that phrase you said, and he told me it was the greeting of a cult."
"I'm only gonna tell you this once, lover boy: don't ever refer to us as the Crimson Cult, around me or any other believer you happen to run into. That's what the media called us after the incident six years ago and we want nothing to do with it. Call us what we are – the Reformed Church of the Rose."
"Ah, so you admit you're part of it?"
"I never denied it."
"Fair point. Can I at least ask what this cul- er, church even is? Doc wouldn't tell me anything, and you seem like a reasonably informed individual…"
Desi narrowed her eyes at him and waited, clearly thinking, before sighing, "Fine. I suppose if I don't tell you, someone else will. Might as well hear it from someone who actually knows what's up." She cleared her throat and continued, "Better start from the top. Do you at least know about the Grimm War?"
Adrian raised a hand-ball, "Now that I do know. It was, uh, 10 or 12 years ago the Grimm started making organized attacks against the Four Kingdoms and were hitting us really hard. Oobleck said the former headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin, tried to unite the kingdoms by revealing the Grimm had a queen-"
"They called it Salem," said Desi. "Nobody ever confirmed that story, in case you were wondering. Also, it was closer to 15 years ago when it all started."
"I recall the arguments. In any case, Ozpin died during the first year of the war. After that everyone rallied around team RWBY, in particular Ruby Rose and her silver eyes, to save them. Uh…" he had to search his memory for the rest, "…I don't recall how Oscar Pine came into it, but he was apparently the only eyewitness to the final fight between Ruby and Salem. He claimed Ruby killed her and ended the threat of the Grimm once and for all… and that became the widely accepted narrative."
"A convenient story by any stretch," sighed Desi. "But that is the basic version of history. I'm not surprised that's the version Oobleck still teaches."
"Used to teach – he was one of the walkouts."
"Oh yeah…" Desi glanced off to one side with a faraway look in her eyes, then gave herself a shake and looked back at Adrian. "Anyway, the first thing I should say is that quite a few people doubted the story's validity completely, as they believed the Grimm were solely under the command of the God of Darkness and no one else."
"Aren't the Brothers just a fairy tale?"
"Many people firmly believe in them even now, Mr Arc. And these people didn't care for the blasphemous idea that a mere human might have killed the god of the Grimm… but it didn't take long to see proof of Oscar's claim. Creatures of Grimm the world over started withdrawing for no clear reason, hiding in the woods and no longer attacking humanity with anything close to their original aggression. Their numbers rapidly began to shrink. Since we didn't accept the existence of this Queen Salem creature, we had no choice but to believe that Ruby Rose had somehow killed the God of Darkness himself."
"Huh…" The way Desi was talking seemed to indicate where the story was headed, so Adrian was getting a sense of what this church idea was about. "It didn't stop there, did it?"
"Our beliefs are quite complex, but in the end it all boils down to one idea: if Ruby Rose had killed a god, that meant she, herself, had ascended to the level of a god. And there's only one thing you can reasonably do when a god lives among mortal men… you worship her."
So that was it, then – the Church of the Rose considered Ruby as their goddess. Literally. "I see. Umm… you said you were a 'Reformed' church-"
"I've said more than enough, boy," Desi growled, then reached past him to open the door. "You know who I am and you know what I believe. I'd say that's all you deserve. Now get the hell out of here… go back to whatever bitch laid claim to you last night."
"W-Wait… I, um…" Adrian suddenly found himself getting tossed out, but he wasn't ready to go yet. "What if… uh… what if I wanted to join this church?" It was a desperate gamble, but he had no other ideas.
Desi paused. "They're not looking to recruit anybody right now. Especially not you."
"Can I ask why not?"
As she pushed him outside, Desi sighed through her nose and quietly said, "I'll admit I don't check in with the forum as often as I should, so I didn't know this until after I wrongly assumed you were one of us, but… the church as a whole is familiar with the name Adrian Arc. They know you're the closest person to our god in the entire world. And they hate you for it."
She closed the door quietly, letting her words hang in the air like a cloud.
Adrian felt a chill run down his spine.
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Friday Afternoon…
"Okay, so… run me through it. I wanna make sure we're on the same page," said Jaune. He used his fingers to straighten his mustache before he unwrapped his lunch.
Ashens pushed her glasses up on her nose, then opened her own container and said, "Where should I begin?"
"Let's go back to the Cafe Prime stuff. The alleged murder investigation that started all this."
"Ah, yes. The case that almost got you fired."
"They never did explain why it was so taboo to look into a few files…" Jaune took a bite of his sandwich, chewed and swallowed before adding, "Other than the lawsuit, of course. I get that the Winchester family had a connection, but your riddle conveniently didn't include any details."
"I did some digging into the cafe on my own time, mainly after you gave me the case file," Ashens took small bites from her yogurt so she could keep talking. "Turns out there was far more than just money laundering going on – the cafe itself is a front for all kinds of shady activities. The guy who started it, Alexander Sterling, never bothered going through all the legal paperwork to get the permits or anything, he just put the right amount of Lien in the right pockets and boom… coffee shop. Easier to do all the unlawful stuff in the background that way."
"Bastard," said Jaune as he took another bite.
The pair sat in relative peace at a picnic table, several feet away from a roadside rest area. Traffic buzzed nearby, a welcome sound considering it hadn't been around that long. In the old days, a highway system like this was practically impossible due to the Grimm. One of the many post-war outcomes that made it all worthwhile, in his opinion.
Jaune considered for a moment, "That still doesn't explain why we got in so much trouble just for poking around. If the place is a mob front, I would've thought the worst to happen would be some threats, a few broken legs, things like that."
"If that's all it was, yes… but the problem is in the name of the man who signed off on the cafe in the first place."
"Dare I ask?"
"Jackson Knight."
"Councilman Knight?!"
"Keep your voice down, please." Ashens barely reacted, but her eyes flashed with anger at his outburst. "Yes, the Councilman. In fact, his name was on quite a few legal documents pertaining to known mob activities throughout the kingdom. He's been actively defending the organized crime system of Vale for the past four years or so, for at least as long as he's had a seat on the Council. The lawsuit they hit us with came from his personal lawyer's office."
"By the gods…" Jaune nearly forgot to finish his sandwich due to shock. "The highest authority in the Kingdom works with the mob… and he's the guy who put Cardin in charge of the precinct? No wonder we were in such hot water. If I'd tried to fight that, I wouldn't have stood a chance."
Ashens pointed at him with her spoon, "That's because you're the kind of guy who plays by the rules. In this case, the only way to get ahead is to do what the rich and powerful do all the time: cheat."
"…Is that how you found all these documents?"
"I will neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of that assumption."
"Ashens-"
"Don't worry, I'm being careful. I've got a powerful tool on my Scroll that disguises my access point. No one's been able to pin me down yet."
"Where on Remnant did you get something like that?"
"Not important right now," she waved him off, then took another spoonful of yogurt before continuing. "On to the other topic; after we identified Oyl City, I found one other link besides the Crimson Cult that tied the financial resources of Elysium Academy to each other."
"Let me guess… is it Elon Dusk, the richest man in Sanus?"
Ashens gave a long, slow blink.
"I'm kidding. Don't look at me like that-"
"Actually that's exactly right."
Jaune nearly spat out his bite in surprise.
Ashens cleared her throat, "According to what I dug up, Mr Dusk was responsible for contracting dozens of construction companies, architects, technicians, and every other trade involved with designing and building a major project like Elysium, all of them hired around the same time Elysium was reported to begin construction. And yes, the owners of these companies were all confirmed members of the Cult at some point in time."
"Shocking. Wait… so does that mean-"
"Indeed… not only is Elon Dusk connected to the Church of the Rose, he's one of the three founding members."
"Fucking hell, that actually is shocking… … … pardon my language."
He took a few more minutes to finish his food in stunned silence, digesting her words. Dusk, the head of the second-largest tech company on Remnant (behind only the SDC) was not a man to be trifled with on any level, legal or otherwise; he had enough money to buy you, your business, your city, and the resources of all your friends and family without blinking an eye. Finding out that he was almost solely responsible for the newest Huntsman Academy coming into existence was the least surprising news of the day.
Before he took another bite, Jaune said, "You said he was one of three. By any chance do you know what happened to the other two?"
"Unfortunately, there's no records of them anywhere on the network. Assuming they're still alive, they're both likely living under aliases that I can't lock down. Only Dusk has the power to claim a direct relation to the church and not get any flak for it."
"Interesting…"
"In fact, he's also the one keeping it running as an underground organization – the church is allowed to gather in one online forum only, of which he's the sole moderator. It's under constant surveillance by multiple agencies, but it's fully legal."
"And this is the guy Ruby's working with to build Elysium?"
"Yep."
As Jaune gathered and disposed of his trash, a smile appeared on his face, "Actually… that could be a good thing."
Ashens raised an eyebrow.
"Think about it – one of the guys who started a major cult is now working side by side with the person who destroyed it. Ruby Rose is almost entirely in charge of the Elysium project and Dusk is responsible for getting it built, so she clearly has no problem working with the man. If they can find common ground and work together, think what that could mean for the future of Remnant."
Ashens pushed her glasses up with one finger, "I wish I was that optimistic. I trust the super-rich about as far as I can throw them."
"Careful, he might hear you from atop his Ivory Tower."
"Well maybe he'll hear this: Elon Dusk can eat my ass." Ashens stood up to dispose of her trash, but when she turned back around she met with Jaune's chuckling face. Her own went red as she said, "What'd I say?"
"Oh, nothing," Jaune had to look away for a moment. "It's just funny to see you get so feisty.~"
Her face turned a shade darker.
Jaune put up both hands, "It's not a bad thing, I just… I'm glad to see you're able to relax now. Unwind. You were always such a robot in the office that seeing this side of you is… refreshing, I guess."
Ashens turned away with a huff and muttered, "Let's just get going already."
"Sure, sure~," Jaune couldn't help but chuckle again as he stood up and threw his own trash away. "If we don't hit any bad traffic, we should reach Oyl City before dark. And I don't know about you, but I'm pooped already."
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Friday Evening…
"An entire cult hates you? Wow… you're famous."
"There's a lot going on around here, Misty; my mom, the teachers, the Imu, this cult, Elysium… it's almost too much to keep up with. I just… I need to sort this all out somehow, even if it's only one piece at a time."
"I'm glad you finally told me about all this, Adrian. Watching you wrestle with this stuff by yourself has been really difficult for me."
"I'm sorry I took so long to trust you."
"Hey, I know how that goes. So… Desi's part of the Crimson Cult, huh?"
"That's what she told me, yeah."
"Hmm… I wonder if this cult might have something to do with the teachers acting all weird?"
"…That's a pretty big leap, even for you."
"No, think about it; how many times have you seen cults in movies and comics and stuff? Don't they usually use some form of brainwashing to keep their followers in line?"
"Brainwashing… that's not quite the same as mind control, but it's not far off."
"See?"
"It's also way, way outta left field. Neither of us know anywhere near enough about this church to make such a big accusation. Besides, do you really think the teachers of Beacon are part of a cult that worships Ruby Rose?"
"Look at it this way: Beacon is where she works, right? If you believed a person was divine, wouldn't you want to be as close to them as you could?"
"… … …It's still a wild assumption."
"But it is worth considering. Cults are always bad news."
"When did you become an expert?"
"After reading one of your X-ray and Vav comics."
"Issue #13? You took it?! I thought I lost that one!"
"I have it safely tucked away in my dresser at school. If you want it back, you'll have to earn it.~"
"I don't negotiate with terrorists."
"Pbtbtbtbtbt! …oh wait, don't you have a meeting to get to?"
"I suppose so. I don't expect to be very long, but if I'm late then could you leave the door wedged open before you go to sleep?"
"You and your damn hands. I could just have Opal let you in."
"Um… is that wise?"
"The twins were out in the woods all day doing patrols, but Crim called me earlier and told me she slept through the night last night. So far she doesn't appear to suspect anything."
"As far as we know, anyway. I think I'd rather you leave the door cracked open instead."
"Only if you kiss me goodnight. Right now."
"Fine."
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…
Unlike the big party the night before, the Valley Glenn of tonight was practically deserted. Hardly anyone was outside, and the weather was gradually getting worse – the wind had picked up, bringing the smell of distant rain with it. No way to tell where the storm was, but it was obviously getting closer. And it was already dark before the sun had fully set; those clouds were not messing around.
Adrian found himself alone on the road to the clinic, his head full of questions and information from the last few days. It was almost full enough to keep him from noticing an odd sight right in front of the building; an old man asleep on his motorized wheelchair. He was parked a few feet in front of the door, head tilted at an uncomfortable angle, mouth open and snoring. Nobody else was in sight, although the lights were on inside Doc's office.
Was this guy coming in for an evening visit? He didn't appear to be sick. Adrian carefully nudged the man's shoulder and said, "Sir? You alright?"
The old man snorted and returned to life, wiping away a line of drool as he looked around in a daze. He was starting to go bald on top, and what little hair he had left was a pale gray. Looking closer, he wasn't even that old, but his face bore more years than Adrian himself was likely to ever see. The man looked around for a moment, then checked his watch and clicked his teeth. "Fucking bullshit… I've been here for two fucking hours?!"
"Here to see Doc?" Adrian had no trouble maintaining an easy tone of voice. More often than not he enjoyed talking with older people, although there were always exceptions.
The man looked up at him, and Adrian was met with a pair of intense red eyes. "Is there any other reason I'd be going to the goddamn clinic?" His voice was really gravelly, implying he probably smoked for most of his life. "Get the door for me, would ya? That bastard changed it to a 'pull' since I was here last. Jackass." He then proceeded to pull a flask out of a hidden pocket and take a swig.
Adrian grimaced, but did as he was asked. The man buzzed right in without so much as a thank you.
Great… just the thing to put Doc in a good mood before his contact appears. What else could go wrong tonight? Adrian followed the man inside and made to sit down in a chair. They were sure to be a few minutes.
"Come on in here, Adrian," said Doc all of a sudden.
Adrian was bending over when he was stopped. He looked up and pointed at the old man with a questioning grunt.
Doc simply repeated the statement, "Come on in. We're just waiting on you now."
He went into an awkward silence as Doctor Ren closed the door to the office behind him, the old man having parked himself in the corner; he took another swig of his flask around the time the pieces finally came together in Adrian's head. "You're the contact?"
"Took ya long enough," he said with a low belch. He stowed the flask and settled himself into his seat. "Qrow Branwen, at yer service." He didn't make any move to extend a hand.
Adrian fidgeted a little, suddenly aware that he was the center of attention once again. "I remember your name; you worked closely with team RWBY during the war, didn't you?"
That wrinkled face bent into a wide smile. "Kid, I saved their asses on multiple occasions. If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have even made it to the war. I'm the real goddamn hero of this fucking planet-"
"A fact you never fail to mention during our conversations," Doc cut in.
Adrian rubbed one of his hand-balls against his shoulder and cleared his throat, "My name is-"
"I know who you are, kid," Qrow interrupted with a dismissive wave. "I knew it the first time I laid eyes on ya. Spittin' image of yer mother, gods rest her soul."
Adrian's eye twitched.
Doc spoke up quickly, "That's why I called you in, Qrow. His mother has vanished and no one seems to know where she went. I figured if anyone on Remnant could find her, it would be you."
"She's probably dead."
Against his will, Adrian started growling.
"Qrow, please-"
"Ren, you know as well as I do how fucked up this world is. A woman without any Huntsman training doesn't stand a chance in hell, especially on her own. I got a thousand Lien that says all I'll find is body parts-"
"ENOUGH ALREADY!" Adrian bashed the wall with his elbow. It hurt, but he didn't care. "Forget it, Doc… if this is the best help you can find, I'll fucking go after her myself! I don't care about chances, I want my goddamn mother back! !"
A full minute passed in total silence. Doc was agitated at first but quickly calmed down once he knew Adrian wasn't going to start smashing up his equipment, and Qrow simply chose to stare at Adrian, studying him. Adrian himself quickly calmed down after the outburst, pushing a bit of Aura into his now-throbbing elbow. Yeah, nice move there dumbass.
Qrow said, "I'll find her." His tone of voice was suddenly different, more serious.
Adrian sputtered, "B-But… you j-just said-"
"Kid, I don't mess around when it comes to finding people. I've been a spy most of my life, and I'm retired from that now so I can admit it without going to federal prison. I needed to know you were serious about this. I needed to know you were ready to throw it all away if need be."
"Oh, I am," said Adrian. He clenched his fists, "I've been ready to do that from the beginning."
"Don't be too quick to sacrifice yourself, kid." Qrow slapped his legs, both of which were tucked nicely under a blanket. They hadn't moved since he got here. "Not every risk is worth the outcome. Sometimes you're just… unlucky."
"I don't believe in luck."
"Then you're a fool." Qrow took his flask out once again, then grinned and raised it in a toast, "But hey, so am I. Here's to all the fools of the world!" And with that he chugged the rest of whatever was in there.
Doc spoke to Adrian, "He is more reliable than he looks, I promise. He will find your mother."
Adrian nodded, then turned to leave… but a sudden thought entered his brain, like an itch he'd forgotten to scratch. He couldn't leave it alone. "Say, Mister Qrow… you said you used to be a spy?"
"Call me 'Mister' one more time and I'll run over yer foot. But yes, I did."
"Umm… what do you know about cults?"
Doc sighed loudly, "Adrian, what did I-"
Qrow chuckled, cutting the man off. "More than I'd care to, kid. Normally I charge for this kind of thing, but I'm in a good mood tonight; Poxy owes me a free refill. Whaddya wanna know?"
"Uhh… crap…" Adrian rolled a few questions around in his head, unsure of how to phrase it since he never thought he'd get this far. "Well… I learned a little about the Crimson Cult today… or as they call themselves now, the Reformed Church of the Rose…"
"Ah yeah, those jackasses. I take it you talked with one of 'em?"
"I did, yeah."
"They tell you about how they fucked up big time six years ago?"
"It was mentioned, but no one's actually said what happened. Do you know?"
Doctor Ren stood up suddenly, eyes down as he quietly left the room. He wouldn't even look at the two of them before shutting the door gently behind him.
Qrow sighed, "It's kinda hard to talk about for those of us who're close to Ruby, even after all this time. Don't be mad at him."
"What's Ruby got to do with it?"
"Everything. Aw, fuck… I hate havin' to talk this much…" Qrow sighed, then scratched the back of his head and started his info dump: "You probably know that the church decided to worship Ruby as a goddess, right? Well they got popular real quick; groups of followers started popping up all over Vale, then it started to spread into other kingdoms until most of the world claimed to be part of the church. They became a trend. In less than two years the Church of the Rose had almost as much power as the Vale Council, and sometimes even used that power to influence major political decisions."
"Yikes," said Adrian.
"I know. Ruby herself tried to stay out of it wherever she could. You know her. She didn't bother tryin' to stop them since it was clear they were too far up their own asses to listen to anyone, even their 'goddess.' I looked into their leaders myself, and I can tell you they were enjoying their positions quite a bit. Lots of money to be had with gullible people buying into a trendy system like the church."
Adrian nodded, listening carefully.
"But then things took a turn. Six years ago, one particular believer – and don't ask who it was, literally nobody fucking knows – he took a group of followers and invaded Ruby's home on Patch Island. Ruby told me about it herself while we were out drinking one night, so you can believe this is true. They apparently decided that she needed to stop living like a mortal and come with them to be worshiped properly in a temple they'd prepared for her."
Adrian's jaw was hanging open. "You gotta be kidding me."
"Believe me, kid… I wish I was." Qrow sighed, then continued. "I'm sure you can guess that she laughed in their faces. Well apparently the leader of this little group didn't take the rejection all that well. No idea why the guy brought a gun with him, but once she refused their demands, he turned and shot her dog in cold blood."
Adrian's jaw snapped shut. It wasn't often he felt pure, murderous rage building up in his soul, but he felt it now.
"Yeah, old Zwei was already ancient even for a dog, but that was the last straw. All anyone knows after that is that the invaders disappeared without a trace. Not even Ruby would tell me what happened, and she was there. I can tell you personally that it hit her hard; even the death of her old man didn't affect her as much as losing Zwei. Something inside her broke, and after that day Ruby Rose went on a warpath to utterly destroy the Church of the Rose."
Adrian raised both eyebrows. "Broke? Did she kill them?"
"Naw, that ain't her. My niece is a damn good Huntress but she's no murderer. No, what she did was worse – Ruby went public with the story and dragged the church through the mud for weeks on end. Of course the leaders of the church denied any connections to the event, but it was far too late; their membership was demolished overnight and all their political power was just gone. Poof. On top of that, she went out of her way to approach the Councils of all four kingdoms and drive the last nail into the coffin, demanding that the church be wiped out of the history books and the official archives forever. She went out of her way to stamp out even the memory of the church."
Adrian had to remind himself to breathe normally. This was… this was crazy. To think that the Hero of Remnant had to deal with absolute monsters like that… what kind of idiots…?
Qrow cleared his throat again; it sounded dry. "I'll tell ya… I'd never seen her like that before. It was kinda scary."
"No wonder she said they wanted nothing to do with it…" Adrian said to the middle distance. "And why nobody at Beacon ever brought it up."
"Not hard to imagine that if anybody did… they might just disappear."
A thought landed on Adrian like a dead weight. "Oh gods… you don't think… Elysium Academy?"
"This and that are two entirely different things, kid," Qrow said quickly. "Elysium is accepting students from all over the world. The cult has nothing to do with it."
"But they are still around, even if they're under a different name…" Adrian started pacing, a nervous habit when his mind was racing like this. "And based on what you just said, they might be holding a grudge."
"On Ruby?! They literally worship her!"
"She took their power away. Last I checked, human beings don't like having that done to them."
"They consider her a goddess-"
"They shot her dog."
Qrow growled, but shut his mouth. Another awkward pause fell over the two, the older man scratching his chin and clearly thinking. "You might have a point, but it's still a loose connection."
"That's all I've been finding for the past week, just one 'loose connection' after another. And it's probably all I'm ever gonna get. Oh, uh… was there ever any signs of… indoctrination in the church? Like… brainwashing?"
"Only if you count pure hero worship. People back then just wanted to be part of something bigger. No devious rituals were ever required for that. I don't suppose you remember how popular it was to wear red cloaks, do you?"
"Heh, I do. I still have mine from when I was a kid. It's back home in Argus… unless that woman sold it."
"Family trouble?"
"What part of 'I want my goddamn mother back' did you miss?"
"Fair enough," said Qrow. He took a moment to stretch his arms over his head, then said, "But to answer your question, no – there was no brainwashing going on in the Church of the Rose. Only a lot of lofty ideals that never went anywhere."
Yet another thought jumped into Adrian's brain and out of his mouth before he could stop it, "What about line tattoos?"
"Line?"
"Around town here, I…" Adrian had to clear his throat now, "…I've seen a bunch of people here with long, straight lines down their backs. They look like tattoo designs, or maybe the beginnings of one. That's not a cult thing too, is it?"
Qrow lifted a finger, "You know, I've seen those too. Weirdest thing, cuz no one ever seems to know they have 'em."
"Sooo…"
"In my professional opinion, no. It's not a cult thing." Qrow rubbed his chin, "But now you've got me curious. I might hafta look into that while I'm on the hunt for your mom. I'd hate to think there's another cult out there or something…"
"Yeah, that would be bad."
"Are you two quite finished?" Doctor Ren poked his head in through the door. "I need to close up and return home for dinner soon."
"Yeah, we're done ya bastard," Qrow growled with a smile on his face, then turned his wheelchair back on and buzzed around towards the door. He pulled out a small card with some numbers written on it, placed it on Doc's desk and said, "You need me for anything else, give me a ring. You know… when you can push buttons again."
Adrian nodded as Qrow Branwen drove himself out of the room. He and Doc shared a few quiet words before he drove out the front door – the wind nearly held it open as he left.
As Doc returned to the office, Adrian said, "Charming fellow, that one."
"But he does get the job done. Here, I'll get that for you," Doctor Ren took the card and slipped it into Adrian's pocket for him. "I've got you penciled in for tomorrow morning at 9am to get those casts off."
"I can hardly wait."
…
…
Adrian's mind continued racing as he left the clinic, so he barely noticed where he was going. He just needed to walk. The wind had died down a lot, but there was still an occasional rumble of thunder in the distance. It was dark enough now that the clouds were less visible, but definitely still there. It felt like the storm would break at any moment.
Ah well… if he got wet, he got wet.
He walked at a slow pace, gazing at the ground as he went, hand-balls on his hips. Over and over he kept reviewing what he'd learned today, like a dog chewing a large bone and trying to find the weak spot to get to the tasty center. There was something there, some kind of connection, but it kept slipping away.
Desi was part of the cult that worshiped Ruby, but was also destroyed by her while they were at the peak of their power. And the cult hated Adrian in particular for being too close to her now.
Someone in the cult pushed things too far and threatened Ruby in person before killing her dog. In return, Ruby destroyed everything they'd built up.
The cult still exists today, although in a radically different form. They have members all over the world who keep themselves hidden; a reasonable decision considering their history. There was no way to know who belonged to the cult, how far it had spread, or what their goals were now.
"Ai?"
Adrian looked down to discover Laz had joined him. Where she'd come from or why, there was no telling. He paid her no mind as he continued thinking and walking. She simply followed close behind.
What was the cult after? Adrian still believed there was some element of a grudge involved – he'd dealt with the likes of Clifford Kelly enough to understand how grudges worked, but so far there was no evidence to back up that theory. As far as he knew, the cult was content with staying in the shadows and worshiping their goddess in secret. If Desi knew anything more, she clearly had no intention of spilling it to him.
On that note, how did she know about him and Misty? It was like she could smell it on him-
He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for that.
The only way he could think of to figure out what the cult wanted was to find the original founders. Dammit, he should've asked Qrow about that when he had the chance. Adrian made a mental note to bring it up when or if he ever needed to give the old man a call. In any case, they would likely hold the answers – according to Qrow, they enjoyed having their power. To have the person you literally worship suddenly ignore your excuses and take that power away… there was no way they wouldn't be upset. Humanity had taken up arms in the past for far less.
The original founders might be dead. They might still be running the show. Or they might be somewhere Adrian himself couldn't even imagine well enough to consider right now…
A rustling noise drew his attention. And it wasn't Laz.
He looked up to discover himself in front of the Town Hall. Strange… how had he wandered so far? The noise came again, from just around the corner. It sounded like someone walking. Someone with the mass of a small moon. Adrian quietly reached the corner of the building and looked around to find Rusty trudging along, a small black shape on the ground in front of him. Based on the stab of revulsion he felt, it must've been Ebb, Rusty's old and wobbly Imu.
Wait… Rusty had said Ebb didn't have long before he tipped, right? Did that mean…
Adrian put his other issues aside and went into Stealth Mode; he knelt down and started creeping behind Rusty, staying quiet. He glimpsed Laz doing the same, keeping her snout low to the ground and staying clear of the noisy tall grass. It was almost cute.
Ebb the Imu didn't move very fast, and from here it looked like it was struggling to stay out of the path of a rogue planet – Rusty kept pace behind it, watching it. There was a clear sense of despair from the big man's movements. He knew the end had come. Adrian remembered various comments he'd heard about Imu owners being overly secretive of their pets' final moments, so he considered this a lucky break. No one ever spoke of the details of their Imu's death. It simply happened.
Not today. Adrian wanted some kind of answers, dammit. He couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.
Eventually Ebb reached the back door of Rusty's home, as he lived right next door to the Town Hall. Rusty moved quickly to let the little monster inside, then squeezed his own frame in right behind it and shut the door. Adrian clearly heard the sound of three deadbolt locks clicking into place, but he was not deterred – there were a few windows on this side of the house, all with partially-open curtains. He could still see inside.
He moved quickly, not wanting to miss whatever was about to happen. Laz darted over next to him, looking up with those sparkling blue eyes. Waiting. Not barking or wagging her tail for once.
Inside the house was rather barren, but the star of the show was in the next room over. Adrian could clearly see Rusty and Ebb from his vantage point, and the difference in lights between inside and outside kept him nicely hidden in case Rusty happened to glance over. His heart started beating harder as he waited. For once in his life, he was finally present for an important event. It was exciting.
Rusty gazed down as Ebb circled a spot on the wood plank floor, still wobbly. In the light of the house, Adrian could see that Ebb looked exactly like all the other Imu he'd seen. It was still strange how people could tell their own beasts apart from one another, but maybe it was a scent thing. He had no idea.
Finally Ebb stopped, sat on its haunches and looked up at Rusty. They maintained eye contact for almost a minute.
The Imu's lifeless yellow eyes suddenly flashed with a pale red light.
Rusty recoiled like he'd been shot, then he started trembling. Adrian watched in horror as the man's hands lifted, reached his own neck… and started choking him. He could hear the gurgling noises from here.
The face of James the Dead Waiter suddenly appeared in Adrian's head. Complete with purple bruises around his neck. Was it possible…?
Rusty started making muffled cries of pain and fear. Adrian tensed up, ready to burst in through the window, bound hands be damned… but he didn't. He couldn't. His legs refused to obey his commands. A man was dying, but he couldn't… he couldn't… he… he…
He was terrified.
Something unnameable was pressing down on Adrian's very soul, keeping him locked in place. His beating heart was hammering loud enough that everyone in town could probably hear it. Every part of his body had suddenly broken out into cold sweats. His joints began to tremble uncontrollably. He was stuck. The part of his mind demanding action, the part insisting that he do his duty and save the man's life, was drowned out by the pure, primal fear taking over his body. He stared at his own feet, trying to get them to move, but to no avail.
Suddenly, a massive object landed inside the house; he felt the shockwave from outside. Adrian's looked up to find Rusty on the floor, hands still locked around his neck and face the color of a grape. If he wasn't dead yet, there was no way to get to him in time.
Ebb the Imu hadn't moved, but all at once its eyes began to glow that same pale red color, growing brighter for a moment. Adrian couldn't be sure, but it almost looked like some kind of… mist came off of Rusty's body and flitted over to the Grimm before vanishing. Rusty finally quit twitching. Ebbs eyes went dark.
And then it started to change.
The small body of the Imu twitched and spasmed, limbs growing longer, fuller. Its body inflated like a balloon, quickly gaining mass. Double its size. Triple. Even bigger. Its bony faceplate also contorted along with the rest of it, elongating and bending into something closer to that of a human skull.
One of Port's classes came to mind. His lecture about the Apathy. Adrian could tell the shape was different, but not by much. And this obviously wasn't the same monster as Adrian was not drained of all emotion in its presence. Instead, he was filled with a primal terror. And a man was dead because he couldn't overcome it.
Eventually Ebb stopped growing, but it took a long time. The creature that had once been the size of a small puppy now stood nearly as tall as Rusty himself, and almost as dense. It was huge. Big enough that even the Beringal from the other day would've reconsidered fighting it. Were he not drunk with fear, Adrian knew his mind would be bursting with questions of how, what and why this was happening.
The creature looked down at its former master, head moving in odd zig-zags. It then looked around at the room, almost sniffing. Adrian ducked down a little further behind the window, but he dared not look away. The creature reached down with its thin, humanoid hands and picked up Rusty's bulk with alarming ease, turned him over and lay him face-down on the floor. It then lifted a finger, twitched again, and sprouted a long, sword-like claw that looked wicked sharp.
With one motion, the thing sliced Rusty's back in one smooth, clean cut, splitting the skin.
The creature then held Rusty's head with one hand, reached into the cut with the other… and tore the skin off the body in one piece, almost like it was peeling a banana.
If Adrian had any air in his lungs, he would've screamed.
Instead he finally pulled his attention away from the horror he'd just seen, fell to his hands and knees and tried to vomit everything in his gut. Luckily there wasn't anything there. He still made more noise than he should've, but there was no holding it back.
The Imu… the Imu weren't the same as other Grimm after all. They were so much worse. Oh gods oh gods oh-
Laz gave a whine by his feet. Adrian recoiled, falling back on his butt to get away from her.
Falling hard enough to make an audible thump.
The terror engulfing him suddenly increased tenfold, like a weight pressing down on every fiber of his being.
A shuffling noise came from inside the house, followed by scratching around the door. One deadbolt lock clicked open.
It heard him.
And it was coming.
Adrenaline was all that kept him alive; Adrian scrambled back to his feet, trying to stay as quiet as possible while also staying below the windows. He slipped at one point and landed on his left knee, hitting the edge of a stone that cut right through his trousers and pricked the skin.
The second lock clicked open.
He scrambled around the corner of the house just as the jolt of energy gave out. He could go no further, not with that oppressive blanket of fear sapping his strength. He was just out of sight. He gasped for air, panicked but trying to keep the noise down.
The third lock clicked open, followed by the door itself.
Adrian dared not look around the corner. If he looked, he was dead.
Adrian put all his effort into quieting his panting and trying to settle his hammering heart. If that monster found him now, it would be because of that. He strained his ears to see if the thing might've heard him hiding, but so far there was nothing. All he could hear was the raspy breathing of the monster fade in and out. It was looking around.
Several tense minutes passed, Adrian unwilling to even breathe too loudly. The door didn't close again. The raspy breathing continued. The fear never let up. If the thing decided to take a look around the house, it was all over. He couldn't move. Adrian was a true sitting duck.
"Ai! Ai ai ai!" came a tiny barking noise.
The raspy breathing suddenly gave a deep snarl. The barking stopped, replaced by a series of shrill cries as Laz tore away in a panic.
All at once the sense of fear lifted, almost causing Adrian to topple forward from relief. The raspy noises finally died down, followed closely by the door and the locking of all three deadbolts.
He was safe. He was alive. Tears actually fell down his face from the pure, unfiltered relief and joy of the moment. Adrian had to make himself remember that the demon was still nearby or else he would've started sobbing right then and there.
Just before he found the strength to get up and walk again, Adrian heard a noise that served to remind him that it wasn't over yet – a thick, meaty crunching noise. And it was coming from inside the house.
Adrian fled before he vomited his own stomach.
…
…
This was a nightmare. It had to be.
Adrian made his way back to the Inn on shaky legs. He didn't call out for anyone to help. That fear still permeated his entire being. What if the monster heard him? What if no one believed him? What if he was just going crazy?
What if, what if, what if…?
There was no way to know what time he reached his door, but one thing was clear; it was shut and locked. Misty didn't leave it cracked open after all. He either had to wait outside or knock and wake somebody up.
But he couldn't. Adrian could barely touch any door before that horrible image returned to his mind. The image of a demon from hell waiting on the other side.
Panting, heart still hammering despite no longer being close to the source of the danger, Adrian slumped against the wall next to his room. The scene continued playing out behind his eyelids, forcing him to keep them open despite the late hour. Horrible. A nightmare. He'd just watched Rusty, a man who would've needed a crane to reach Oscar's office, die a horrifying death at the hands of his own beloved pet turned literal demon.
Ebb… the Imu had revealed itself. Its true form.
A nightmare. A living nightmare.
Adrian's attention was drawn by a small whine from a bush a few feet away. Laz looked out at him from within it, low to the ground, hiding. Scared. Her blue eyes held almost as much fear as Adrian himself still felt.
For just a moment, that fear returned. Laz was an Imu. A monster. She was one of them.
But then a new thought hit him like a moving truck hell-bent on sending him to another world: Laz had saved his life. If she hadn't barked when she did, that monster would absolutely have started looking around the house. If she hadn't distracted it, Adrian would be dead right now.
On top of that, the fear he felt right now was his own. There was no outside pressure trying to crush his soul. Laz was still an Imu, but… at the same time, she wasn't.
A nightmare. This was all just a bad dream. A horrible dream.
Against his better judgment, Adrian adjusted his position on the concrete so he was cross-legged and patted his lap with one hand-ball, muttering, "C'mere." The small creature emerged from her hiding place, clearly as agitated as he was, and climbed into his lap for the first time. She looked up at him and whined again, ears flat against her head, trembling.
"I know… I know…" Adrian lightly nudged the creature with one ball of plaster, slightly regretting that he couldn't feel her fur. "It'll be alright. We just… we gotta wake up."
Laz gave his hand-ball a lick, then curled up in Adrian's lap and tried to relax. She still shook every so often, but eventually calmed down.
This was all just a bad, horrible dream. It wasn't real. It couldn't be.
It had to be a dream. If it was real, he was dead, Misty was dead,
the twins were dead, everyone in town was dead. It wasn't real.
It wasn't real. He just needed to wake up. Yeah, that was it;
if he woke up, he'd see that everyone was alive and happy.
Alive. Not dead. Not ripped out of their skin like a deer
ready to be stuffed. Not being munched by their own
pet demon. All fake. All a dream. Laz in his lap was a
dream. Rusty being killed and butchered was a
dream. Ebb turning into a nightmare hell
spawn was a dream. Misty locking him
out was a dream. It was all a
dream. All a dream…
All… a…
…
…
… … …
…
…
There was no greater feeling of joy and happiness than when he woke up inside his room at the Inn, in his PJs. The horrible visions of his dream still lingered, but that was all they were: visions. Dreams.
Reality awaited him now. A world that didn't feature demonic Grimm killing and skinning people.
Adrian stretched before sitting up, reveling in the pure joy of knowing the dream was over. He turned to stand up just as Misty came into the room, fully dressed and wearing a half-smile, "Ah, he lives."
"Good morning, beautiful person whom I am very happy to see," said Adrian with a full smile of his own. He stayed seated as he waved.
"Hmm…" Misty came around the side of the bed and bent down to look him in the eyes, still grinning, "If you were hoping for a morning blowjob, I'll have to disappoint you."
"Whhhhhhy~?"
"Because it's noon."
"So a midday blowjob?"
"Nice try," she pushed him back down and proceeded to get him out of his PJs with more haste than before. "Rusty needs to have a talk with everybody, and Doc wants you to come in as soon as you're awake and dressed."
"You seem eager," Adrian said just before a fresh t-shirt was jammed over his head.
Misty yanked the garment in place, then sat on his lap and kissed him, leaning close to his face. "I'm looking forward to seeing what those hands of yours can really do later tonight.~"
"Oooh~ …think you can handle me at my full power?"
"I'll have you know I'm stronger than when we last met."
"Finally, a worthy opponent…!" Adrian raised a hand-ball in a triumphant gesture.
Misty giggled as she got back to work putting his clothes on him, then helping him get into his shoes. "Must've been some party last night, huh?"
Ebb the demon flashed through Adrian's mind, killing much of his good mood. "Eh… I wouldn't say that."
"Well you sure got back late; Opal found you outside the door this morning. And she said Laz was in your lap."
Adrian felt his blood freeze for an instant, but it wore off quickly. "I don't… remember much of what happened. All I know is I had a really bad dream last night."
Misty's smile finally faded as she heard the fear in his voice. "How bad is 'bad'…?"
"Bad enough that if I talk about it, I'll ruin your day." He stood up and did what he could to adjust his clothes without any sort of grip.
"Fair enough." She all but dragged him out the door a moment later.
Valley Glenn was nice and normal again. There were still a few dark clouds moving through the skies, but that sense of dread was gone. It no longer felt like there were enemies waiting around every corner, hiding behind every tree. It finally felt safe again. The fear was gone.
"There you are," said Opal as they emerged from the room. She had her hands on her hips, "How dare you get drunk last night without inviting me." She pouted to emphasize her point.
Crim stood right behind her, Laz safely in his arms. "How're your hands, Adrian?"
He raised both hand-balls to look at them again, "If Doc doesn't get these off soon, I'm adding spikes."
Opal's eyes glittered, "Oooh, that sounds like a good time."
Crim bapped her in the head with his free hand. She just glared at him.
All at once, Laz started to squirm in his arms. She looked at Adrian and whined a bit, making it clear she wanted him to hold her instead. Crim looked up at Adrian with raised eyebrows, "That's… new. She doesn't usually try this hard-"
"It's fine," said Adrian. He held out his arms, much to the absolute shock of both Misty and Opal, and Laz practically dove into them, snuggling deep into his embrace. "I happen to be in a good mood today, so I'll allow it."
Crim chuckled. The girls left their jaws on the floor.
Adrian sighed at them all and turned to head for the Town Hall, barely noticing that his left knee had a sore spot. He honestly didn't mind having Laz this close anymore, even if her heroic actions were only in his head; they had to stem from something, right? Her role in his nightmare was probably due to how she'd been getting on his good side during this trip.
Case in point, he suddenly realized he'd been referring to Laz as a 'her' for quite a while. Not an 'it.' When the heck did that happen?
"Oh yeah," Misty said as she walked beside him, "I checked on the answer for yesterday's Poozle, since you got me all curious."
"Go on…"
"Apparently the answer was… the truth."
A finger of ice trailed itself all the way down Adrian's spine. He put it out of his mind for now, otherwise this meeting would not go smoothly.
"Hey there, g'morning!" said Rusty Hamer with a wave of his beefy arm. Alive and well. He stood at the door of the Hall with his usual smiling face and thinning hair, nothing out of the ordinary. "Come on in, I've got lunch ready while we talk."
"Is something the matter?" said Adrian.
"Naw, nothin important. Just business."
Laz gave a small whine out of nowhere. He looked down at her with a frown only to find her blue eyes locked onto Rusty. She seemed upset.
Misty, Crim and Opal finally caught up and greeted Rusty before going on inside. As they passed by, Rusty glanced back at Laz and said, "She okay?"
Adrian shrugged, "I think so."
"Well that's good. Lost my Ebb last night. That there's a pain you'll carry for quite awhile, I says. You look after that girl good now, y'hear?" And with that, Rusty turned to go inside as well.
On his back, clear as day beneath his tank top, was a long, straight line. A line that was absolutely not there yesterday. A line that perfectly matched the cut given to him by the demonic Ebb, which could only mean one thing…
It wasn't a nightmare after all.
Adrian very nearly screamed.
…
…
…
…
Author's Note: I'm new to the mystery genre. I will fully admit that I should've plotted this whole thing out before getting this far so that I could foreshadow this stuff better (I think the revisions helped), but as Jaune put it: 'Mistakes happen; all we can do is learn from them.' I appreciate your patience. Anywho… some of you might have seen that reveal coming (I hold no illusions that I'm any good at this kind of story), but knowing the secret of the Imu is only part of the mystery. We're finally getting into the horror stuff! Yay! *diabolical laughter intensifies*
(One last side note: Apparently "Elon" means "oak tree" in Hebrew, and therefore qualifies as a color name in my book. Go figure.)
=^..^=