This chapter ended up taking longer than I expected. I had been waiting on my editor, but I felt you all had waited long enough. (Edit: My editor finally got through with this chapter, no changes other than grammatical.) But enough boring stuff.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
"BWHAHAHAHA!" Verde the Gator laughed so hard he had to hold his sides. Fen and the other White Fang grunts looked at the man with confusion, and only Neo kept her fierce gaze locked on him.
Recovering from his laughter, the White Fang Lieutenant rose back to his towering height as he stared down at her, "Do you think I am unaware of who you are, Neopolitan?" Even Neo looked surprised at hearing her name, but he continued, "Oh yes, Roman's right hand whore. I'd wonder where he is, but one of my crew happens to quite literally have the eyes of a hawk." Neo was barely holding back as he leaned forward and whispered; Fen only caught it thanks to his wolf hearing.
"I know he died like a little bitch!"
That proved to be the last straw. Neo lunged forward with blinding speed, blade aimed at the gator's throat. Though at the last moment her thrust was deflected by Verde's trident, followed up by a giant fist flying straight for Neo's head. Using the momentum of the deflection Neo spun around and opened her parasol just in time to block the blow, but the force sent her skidding back. Fen caught her and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when Neo shouted at him in his mind.
NO! He's mine! If you want something to do, then make sure none of those little peons behind him interfere. Without another word, Neo pushed off of Fen to rush back into the fight.
The scene became a whirling of blade and fist as the two fought. Fen knew Neo could manage, but seeing her at the moment worried him. Unlike before where she was composed and expertly manipulated her opponent with antics and expressions; this time she was more akin to a berserker.
Noticing behind the two, one of the White Fang grunts raised their weapon; a hawk-eyed girl with a sniper. Fen activated his whips and latched onto the fire escapes on either side of the alley. Catapulting himself over the Neo and the gator, even shifting his weapon to its glave form in midair, Fen landed just in time to deflect the sniper shot from interfering.
Staring down the group of grunts Fen held his weapon forward, "You want to get to them? Then go right ahead… if you're able."
Neo was just the tiniest bit thankful when she noticed Fen launch himself over to divide the grunts from their leader. Now she could focus on ripping out this gator's tongue and shoving it up his ass for daring to insult Roman. Unexpectedly, because of the vast difference in physical strength, Neo was actually having more trouble than she expected.
Unlike the other one she had killed, this gator seemed to have a bit more experience when it came to battle. Subsequently, he was also much more level-headed than his deceased kin. His weapon was incredibly dense, making it very hard to even deflect. Neo knew she was angry at the moment, absolutely livid would be more accurate, though that didn't explain why this mound of muscle was able to match her in speed with a weapon like his. She was missing something, and her mind was too busy being consumed with rage to take the time to figure out what it was.
Using her flexibility Neo flipped backwards to avoid the trident aiming for her head. In the move, she flashed out a kick and caught her opponent's chin. It turned out to be pretty effective as the gator reeled back a couple steps as Neo gave herself some much needed breathing room. Rubbing his chin to dissipate the ache that made his aura couldn't stop, he stared at Neo with something akin to amusement.
"I know my little brother was pathetic, but if that's all you can do, maybe he deserved to die." His uncaring tone seemed to run counter to the rage he had come into the fight with. Though soon it was back, "But none of that matters! You dared to attack the White Fang! First, I'll finish you off, then I'll bury that betrayer to his race next to you!" With a roar he sprung forward with uncanny speed.
Not even given time to activate her semblance, Neo opened her parasol to deflect the blow to the side. Verde impaled the wall behind her but wrenched his weapon free with a large chunk of masonry coming with it. As he waved it overhead Neo knew she couldn't deflect and was forced to close her parasol and dive out of the way. What she didn't expect was for the slam to instantaneously change course before it hit the ground and sling the slab of stone at her. Neo barely had time to pull up her arms in a vain attempt to brace against the blow.
Slamming into the wall of the alley, Neo's aura flickered its light pink, telling her she definitely could not take another hit like that. Verde was laughing again as the dust settled, but upon seeing Neo his amusement was replaced with confusion. Standing tall, as she could anyway, Neo was grinning like a madwoman. He had been doing pretty well to mask his semblance into his fighting, but with that last attack he must have gotten tired of being subtle.
Now she couldn't be sure of its nuances, but Neo had a pretty good idea of what his semblance was: momentum acceleration. It explained perfectly why he could move so quickly even with a massively heavy weapon. He was simply using his semblance to accelerate it to its maximum momentum with each swing in a fraction of the time. Apparently it could even shift the direction of current momentum, which is what allowed him to manage that surprise move on her. If he had kept it hidden longer Neo might have been in trouble, but now she could plan; which meant she could win.
With pep in her step, Neo hopped forward before she was standing just in front of her opponent with an eerily innocent smile on her face, her parasol held behind her. Grunting as he took a panicked step back, Verde thrust forward in a flash, relying on his semblance to give the attack tremendous speed. Neo leaned to the side as the thrust went past her, her smile not wavering even for a moment, daring him to try again.
The gator roared as he swung his trident at her wildly, Neo casually leaning and ducking just in time to avoid each swing, her expression never changing. With each failed swing Verde seemed to become more unnerved by Neo's smile, his form presenting more and more gaps for Neo to strike; yet she remained content to keep avoiding his attacks. In an attempt to blindside her, Verde activated his semblance has he made a large overhead strike, shifting it to horizontal just as it came in line with Neo's head.
In a blur he finished the follow through of his swing and blinked as Neo had suddenly disappeared. An incredible pressure of bloodlust pushed down on him as he whirled around to see Neo floating in the air with her parasol open. In a split second he realized she must have avoided his attack and used his swing to send her into the air.
That split second was all he got as Neo closed her parasol and used the force of gravity to bring her down, doing a flip she brought her parasol down like a club. Verde was forced to bring his weapon up to block it. When the attack connected however, Neo's form shattered like glass. Distracted by the dissolving particles, Verde barely caught the movement below him to see Neo still smiling sweetly as she held form just before a thrust. He felt his heart drop into a pit at the intense bloodlust that came from that smile.
Verde's aura was the only reason he didn't instantly die as Neo's thrust slammed into his throat. The giant gator was sent flying down the alley, coincidentally in the directions of his comrades. His aura flickered as he leaned on his weapon while struggling to his feet. In front of him he could see Roman's hat, that he had stolen, flutter to the ground. He managed to notice one of his grunts groaning to his left, which made him sneer.
"What's taking you useless bastards so long against one opponent!?" He roared before actually looking back to see the state of the others. His face behind his mask paling when he did. All ten grunts were groaning in agony as they struggled to stay on their feet. One or two of them must have had their auras break from the damage they had on them, being held up by others. Verde was forced to turn back at the sound of heels on stone.
Neo strolled up beside Fen who was resting his weapon in its glaive form on his shoulder. The cocky looks on both their faces made Verde's blood boil, but he wasn't an idiot like his deceased kin. In the smartest decision, probably of his life, he called out to his fellow White Fang.
"R-Retreat!" Was all he could shout as he turned around before running away down the alley, his minions staggering to follow as fast as they could. Almost all of their spoils forgotten in their haste.
Neo's expression turned dark as she took a step to pursue but was stopped when Fen's glaive dropped in front of her. Looking up at him with annoyance, she was met with a calm but firm gaze.
"That's enough. This place is crawling with other White Fang." Fen told her before deactivating his weapon and placing the handles in their place. "Pursuing them now would only end with us in a much worse situation."
She stared at him for a moment, then without a word she turned and started towards where the Fang had fled. Fen was about to call out to her when she stopped and bent down, grabbing the hat on the ground before dusting it off and turning back to face him. She held it close as she replied to him:
I've gotten all I wanted. Lets go before those idiots return with more pests.
Walking past him without a glance, Neo returned to navigating their way to their destination, with Fen close behind her. They had already made it most of the way there when they had encountered Verde the Gator, and before long they found themselves back in the eerily silent residential district. Only having to duck into an alley once as an ambulance streaked by, the two were relatively undisturbed as they walked. Eventually Neo stopped in front of seemingly normal house, her eyes scanning for a certain sign. Finding it, she nodded to herself.
As she turned to tell Fen, she was forced to take a step back as he brushed past her. She was about to complain when she caught his eyes, and could plainly see the mournful sadness that filled them. Without a second Fen reached for the door handle, and with a simple twist the door glided open with no trouble at all. Neo walked up behind him as he stood there, looking into the dark home.
How did you know it was unlocked? Neo questioned him.
"Same way you did." His voice was tired, like all of his energy was drained. He pointed off to the side of the porch, to some graffiti that had been sprayed on the house.
Neo understood instantly. It was one of many graffiti tags that were often used to relay information to other criminals. One of the few that were on the building was 'Stripped', indicating that the house had no occupants or anything of worth. It was the reason she had decided on the place, but it surprised her that Fen also knew the code. She was about to reply when Fen finally walked into the house.
Doing a brief search, they found that they were indeed alone. The stripped sign being very accurate as nothing but the largest pieces of furniture remained. Neo disappeared outside to erase the graffiti sign so that others wouldn't get it in their heads to disturb them. When she came back she found Fen sitting in a chair, staring into an empty fireplace. Walking over to it, Neo discovered that they had the luck to find a house with a gas-powered fireplace. She felt over the mantle to find the trigger, and after a few moments her fingers found an indention. Pressing it, she heard the hiss of gas before an automated fire dust striker lit the gas and created a blaze.
Satisfied, Neo situated herself on a couch opposite Fen's chair, as the heat from the fireplace slowly chased away the autumn chill from outside. Neo had Roman's hat in her hands as she lounged, checking it for any blemishes or flaws. After finding none, she continued to fiddle with it as the two sat in silence.
Though Neo quickly grew bored of this and finally asked Fen. You said you'd explain about your semblance when we were in the city and clean. I believe our current situation meets those requirements.
As though broken out of a trance, Fen shook his head and turned to face Neo. Unexpectedly she was actually looking at him with a teasing smirk, with a blink her brown and pink eyes traded places before switching back with another blink. The action actually made him smirk in reply, "That's a neat trick. Do you bat those pretty eyes at just anyone?"
The unexpected compliment completely blindsided Neo as her face flushed in response, even by the poor light Fen could see her reaction and start to howl with laughter. Neo just turned away and hmphed indignantly at the laughing faunus, the action only making him laugh harder.
I was wrong all this time. Neo words caused Fen's laughing to die down slightly. You aren't part wolf, you're a hyena. To her dismay, the comment only revitalized Fen's laughter.
After a solid couple minutes, and Fen gasping for lack of air, he finally managed to reduce his laughs down to chuckles. Able to speak again, he looked over at Neo, "Thanks. I think I needed that."
It wasn't that funny. Neo replied with a scowl.
"Maybe not." Fen said as his demeanor shifted to become more somber. "But it reminded me of how Thrud would react when I teased her." Neo perked up at the mention of one of his former teammates. She hadn't asked, nor would she, about Fen's team; but hearing the sadness in his tone made her empathize with him, if only a little. With a deep breath he leaned back and looked at Neo again, "Well even though it wasn't intentional, that laughing fit certainly put me in a better mood. I suppose I should hold up my end of the agreement. Though I will warn you, the explanation isn't short, and it is very personal."
In your own time. Not like we have anywhere to be for a while. Neo replied with a wave of her hand as she made herself comfortable. Her eyes maintaining a focus on him, letting him know she was taking this seriously.
Settling into the chair, letting the warmth of the fire relax him, Fen kept his eyes on Neo as he began, "Let me start with a question. What do you know about how grimm age?" His question caught Neo off-guard, after a moment of thinking all she could come up with was: Not much. Nodding as though he had expected this he continued, "I'm sure you know that the longer a grimm survives, the stronger it grows. Once a grimm reaches a certain point they are classified as an alpha of their type. Though are you familiar with the megoliaths of Solitas?" Neo nodded her head, she had certainly heard of the giant grimm.
"Did you know that every megoliath used to be normal goliaths?" Neo looked confused, that was a new fact to her. Fen noticed this as he continued, "Well, that statement isn't entirely true. In recent years megoliaths have appeared where goliaths had never been spotted before, but in the past this was observed to be true. Even after reaching alpha status as goliaths, some of the oldest history books tell of these grimm undergoing a second change and becoming the first megoliaths. Nowadays, megoliaths appear to be able to be created without the trouble of first being goliaths, but the current alpha megoliaths, they all came from long ago."
What does any of this have to do with your semblance? Neo asked with a slight look of boredom.
"Patience, I have a very good reason for telling something so boring." Fen chastised, Neo giving him a flat look before waving for him to continue. "The fact that some grimm become classified as completely new types because of the changes they undergo presents another question. What would be the classification for a grimm that has existed since the beginning of time, a true alpha?" Fen let the question hang for a moment before answering, "Well as it turns out, someone thought about this exact question about half a century ago. A retired huntress, who had turned her life to the study of grimm, ended up writing a thesis about such a possibility. Unfortunately she was never able to substantiate any of her findings, but she came close.
"Hearing about it from one of the oldest nomadic groups in Vacuo, was the story of a grimm that defied reason. It was considered as little more than legend to even the tribe, though for a legend it was unusually detailed. Searching in the area referred to in the legend, she discovered tracks that could not be matched to any known grimm. Because her team was unable to gather concrete proof of the supposed 'reason-defying grimm', nothing from her thesis could be counted as more than a theory. While this story was the most prevalent, there were many others that made reference to singular grimm that defied known knowledge." Fen went to continued but was stopped when Neo interjected.
So you can manifest this "mythical" grimm? How?
Fen's gaze grew dark as he focused on a random spot on the floor, "Omega… That's the term the thesis used to classify this 'mythical' grimm as you put it. The oldest, most powerful, most intelligent grimm. Intended to mean the ones that existed at the beginning and will be the ones around at the end. As for how this all relates to my semblance, I need to tell you about when I was little.
"My mother is where my faunus blood comes from, and my father was a huntsman. I was born in Vacuo, but due to reasons I was never told, when I was only a couple years old we moved to Atlas. When I was ten my mother fell ill, and due to her being a faunus, getting help was difficult… and expensive. My father had to take increasingly more dangerous missions to pay for my mother's care. Now, I suppose it should have been expected, but about a year after my mother fell sick, my father never came home.
"We found out because of some Atlas military officers knocking on our door. My mother passed only a week later from her illness combined with her grief. She died with tears in her eyes as I held her hands, her last words to me were 'I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger for you'." Fen choked back tears as he recounted the memory. If he had noticed Neo, he would have seen her reach out a hand before pulling it back as he continued.
"Everything was harder from there. Being a faunus, I wasn't allowed in the Atlas orphanages, so I was sent down to one in Mantle. Where conditions were, let's just say, deplorable. Never enough food to go around, new clothes were a fever dream, and the cold bit especially deep." Fen smirked up at Neo, who was looking at him with a mixture of realization and understanding. "Yep, no surprise I ended up a pickpocket. Not a very good one mind you, I don't remember getting away with more than enough to a loaf of bread." Neo gave a quiet snicker at that. "I did remember getting away with a decent amount for a person once, didn't seem to notice. Few days later I encountered the same person, though when I tried that time he caught me. Turned out he was a slave trader and I had gotten snagged with the easiest trick in the book."
Fen paused for a moment as he saw Neo's face, she was looking away with a look of restrained rage. He was about to ask her if she was alright when she gave the very short explanation: There's a reason I'm mute. I'm not going to talk about it. Fen left it there, after a few silent moments Neo got her anger under control and motioned for Fen to pick up where he left off.
"I was being transported across the plains of Solitas with about a dozen other kids, most actually younger than me, probably to some covert pickup point. I never found out because on the way the convoy was hit by a massive storm. While we were stalled, apparently the emotions from myself and the other kids attracted a massive hoard of grimm. All I could hear when it happened were the shouts of something going wrong.
"Suddenly the transport we were in was overturned and we were thrown about. I know I hit my head in the churning, because what happened after was a bit of a blur. All I can recall was that the lock to my cell was damaged and I was able to crawl out; the thought to help the others never crossed my mind. Once I tumbled out of the transport, the first thing I remember was the cold. Though with no plan, when I got to my feet I went with my first instinct, run. Several of the slavers were already dead from the grimm, their blood bathing the snow in crimson. I tripped over a spear in my fleeing, and thankfully I had enough sense to pick it up and keep running.
"I ran blind, the swirling snow from the storm made it almost impossible to see my own hands. Looking back, it's a miracle in itself I survived the cold. After some time the storm did calm, though at that point I was barely alive. I was lucky my father had the sense to unlock my aura when my mother fell ill, it was probably the only reason I survived. Though my luck wasn't so good. Whether they were grimm from the transport attack or not, I couldn't tell you, but I had attracted half a dozen manticores. I tried to flee, but I tripped on something in the snow… and then something moved.
"First came the two crystal spikes rising from the snow. The manticores around me completely seemed to forget my existence as their focus shifted. Clawing its way to the surface, all I could do stare in fear as I saw its body appear for the first time. I'm sure you can relate." Neo gave a small nod as she listened intently. "Apparently a trait unique to omegas is that they are extremely territorial, even against other grimm. And while you might have thought the blue glow in its mask when I'm in that form comes from my semblance, you'd be wrong; it was like that when I first saw it. I've never met another omega so I can't be sure, but I believe the change from the typical red lines in the grimm's mask is one of the things that truly marks them as an omega.
"I'm not even sure if it knew I was there to start with, or if it did it certainly didn't care; its focus was solely on the manticores. It roared as though to challenge them, and stupidly the manticores took the challenge. Even with six of them it wasn't even a fight, just a slaughter. Ripping heads from torso, slashing one down with a single swipe of its claw, and even smashing one like I did with that ursa. It was over in less than a minute. It seemed like it was eating the last one until it finally dissolved. Only after did it seem to acknowledge my existence.
"When I fell, the spear I had stolen had fallen away from me. It prepared to pounce as I was blindly feeling around for the weapon, as I didn't dare look away from the omega. Just as it leap for me, my hand curled around the shaft of the spear. I brought it up and braced the end in the snow, and by its own force the omega impaled itself in the chest; unfortunately, it didn't die outright. With a swipe of its claw it snapped the shaft of the spear, and as though to prove it could, it stood over me as it pulled the rest of the spear out of its body before tossing it away. The wound started to heal just after. Even as young and inexperienced as I was, I could sense the bloodlust the omega felt for me in that moment.
"As it raised a claw to end me, I kept staring at the wound that had failed to kill the beast. Then, in one last desperate act of pure instinct, I felt a rush of adrenaline and flung myself at the omega. Its swipe missed me by a hair's breadth as I moved, and for reasons I honestly couldn't name, I decided to thrust my hand into the omega's still closing wound. Luckily, that was the catalyst I apparently needed to unlock my semblance. At that point there was a blinding flash and suddenly the omega was gone. I didn't even know what had happened, but I ended up passing out just a few moments later.
"After I woke up I could feel something was different, like there was something inside my very soul, and with it came side effects. Most immediate was that the arctic winds of Solitas were no longer unbearable. This allowed me to survive for the next couple days as I wandered aimlessly. I ended up luckily found by a huntsman returning to Atlas from a mission. After hearing my story, he made sure I was given treatment in an actual Atlas hospital. Oh the looks on the nurses faces when that huntsman basically forced them to admit me was priceless. It was there that I discovered my second side effect." Fen paused to open his hand. He stared at his palm for a moment which caused Neo to also focus on it.
Then with a quick motion he used a single finger from his other hand to slice open his palm. Neo watched in shock as he hissed in pain, by the light of the fireplace she could see blood, or what she assumed was blood; even in the poor light she could tell it was much darker than it should have been. Fen just looked at it almost sadly as the minor cut was already almost healed.
"According to every test that was done on my blood, from a medical standpoint my blood is completely normal. Less affected by temperature shifts, but other than that the change in color can be described as simply cosmetic." Fen explained, a tired chuckle escaping him as he clenched in healed hand. "Though that doesn't stop people from looking at you like a monster anytime you get the slightest cut."
Before Neo could say anything he continued, "While I certainly received good care while I was in the hospital, it didn't last. My reprieve from my old life was short, as when I was declared healthy, I was returned back to the orphanage in Mantle. Within a week I was back to the life of a pickpocket. I treated life like it hadn't changed, but that was just the lie I told myself. Inside my mind, I could still feel whatever was in me trying to get loose. The first time it came close to the surface and my eyes glowed was because of some little argument in the orphanage. Everyone saw, and they were terrified by it. Seeing their looks snapped me out of it, but it was too late. That moment on, I was secluded more than I had ever been.
"The next couple years went by without anything of mention. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when I discovered the true power of my semblance. I was digging through trash in an alley when some crook that had robbed a store turned the corner and ran into me. His loot spilled everywhere and we were both stunned, he decided it was my fault and wanted to teach me a lesson. While he was beating me my emotions hit their breaking point… and the omega came to the surface.
"To describe what it's like, I am more of a passenger when it takes over. It has its own rage, its own hatred, and I experience all of it when I become it. Even though I can feel everything like my own body, including any pain, I can't control it freely. It would be more accurate to say I simply direct the omega when it takes over. Though trying to think rationally when assaulted with such intense feelings is extremely challenging even now, let alone when I didn't know what was exactly happening.
"When I regained my mind and I forced the omega back inside, I found myself surrounded by blood and gore. I ran away, not even daring to touch what the crook had stolen. A few blocks away, my actions caught up with me and I emptied my stomach. After a few days I decided to try and learn more about my semblance. So I snuck into libraries at every opportunity and found every book I could that talked about known semblances."
That is probably the nerdiest thing I've ever heard of a delinquent doing. Neo said with a wry smile. Fen chuckled a bit in reply. Did it ever amount to anything?
"I learned a lot about how being able to think in unique ways often brought out unknown sides to, at first glance, very similar semblances. Your semblance probably has sides you've yet to discover even." Fen told Neo, who actually looked to consider it for a moment before returning to listening as he went on. "In a mix of good and bad I did manage to find an entry relating to my semblance, unfortunately it also happened to be from almost a millenia ago. Semblances at that point were very poorly understood and this particular one was mostly just defined as a curse; scientists centuries later coming to the conclusion that it was actually a semblance."
Supposing the time period, that does make a lot of sense. Though it certainly doesn't help with research. Neo observed, then acknowledged her interruption with a faux-innocent look. Regardless, as you were saying?
Fen gave her a flat look before just getting to the point, "My semblance is Soul Bond. It creates an inseparable link between two living beings, and causes them to share one body. It is thought that legends of lycanthropy and other human beast hybrids were created because of people with semblances similar to mine. The unique part of my semblance is that I'm linked to a grimm, all other supposed cases were to regular fauna.
"Unfortunately, due to there not having been a known soul bond semblance user in that last century, there are no precedents to aid me in learning about my semblance... Well, in public knowledge anyway." Fen added the last bit as he stared off into the fire. After a moment of silence he made the statement, "Did you know that Atlas academy has a special research library that can only be accessed after you've graduated or receive special permission?"
Considering it was Atlas, Neo wasn't surprised by such a statement. Is that the reason you enrolled? All in an attempt to learn about your semblance?
"Initially, yes." Fen answered without hesitation, "Funny enough it was meeting my team that changed that goal. I managed my way into the academy, through not completely legitimate ways, and met the three girls I would end up considering family for the next three years. We were in our final year at the academy, top of our class too; then we were asked to be special security for the Vytal Festival.
"Considering the order came from General Ironwood, we couldn't exactly refuse. He even said he would grant me access to the research library upon return to Atlas. Though since I'm going to be considered either killed or missing in action, that access doesn't really mean much anymore." Fen laughs darkly to himself. "In all likelihood, it would have just been another dead end anyway." He fell silent after that, choosing to continue staring into the fire instead. Neo took it to mean that was the end of his story.
It was a lot of information to process. Parts of it making her realize that her first assumptions about the young man in front of her were completely wrong. Knowing about his past, Neo realized they were more similar than she would ever dare to admit aloud. She felt an urge to embrace the young man, which was quickly quashed, which only left Neo with one thing; the question that had been bothering her with Fen's explanation of his semblance.
You threw out the name Soul Bond for your semblance, but there's one thing that bothers me about that. Grimm don't have souls.
Fen didn't seem to acknowledge her words at first, though she knew he had to have heard her. The silence continued for well over a minute, and Neo was actually about to repeat herself when he finally answered. "That is the information we know, relating to normal grimm anyway, but omegas don't really follow the rules." His voice sounded very tired as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "There is just so little that is known, almost the entire knowledge of their existence is limited to the tiny fraction that I've discovered myself. For example, those crystals that protrude from its back, that's actually raw ice dust. Because of being able to survive fusing with dust, the grimm must be very ancient. There's also the case it could have somehow gained strength by attacking and consuming other grimm, something that goes against what we know of them. Almost everything is speculation-based on very limited information. It sounds absurd, but even the thought of it developing a soul isn't outside the realm of possibilities for me anymore."
Hearing that, Neo found herself agreeing. A grimm with a soul did sound absurd to her, and at the same time made a level of sense. Considering she didn't even know what an omega was until she met Fen, she conceded that there was just too little information to deny such a possibility. For all that either of them knew, the omega inside of Fen might be the only one of its kind. It might be the only one ever. There was just no way to know based on what they knew.
I misjudged you. Neo's words causing Fen to turn his attention towards her. I presumed you to be a straight-laced Atlasien puppet, and with how you acted when we met, I thought I was proven right. Her tone made it clear this was not an apology. With you telling me about your past, I must at least admit that I no longer believe that. Though that still leaves me wondering, why reveal so much to me? I can't believe that you trust me that much.
"Why?" Fen parroted with a chuckle, before turning more serious. "Trust is earned. A sentiment I'm sure you share. At the same time, everything I've told you is of very little risk to myself. I decided to tell you as a sign of good faith on my part." His expression turned solemn as he continued, "My team were the only other people that knew about my past; I have no friends in Atlas. Being a faunus and the leader of a team, while I was acknowledged for my abilities, I was also shunned for who I am. Other students and teachers alike held me in contempt for daring to achieve so much as a faunus. Only General Ironwood appeared to not care about my origins, but I suspect that is more because of his practical nature as opposed to a lack of racial bias."
That is all well and good, Neo observed. But it doesn't sound like that's everything.
"We are partners now, Neo." Fen stated with a flippant wave of his hand. "More than likely, we will find ourselves in situations that will require us to trust in each other to ensure we stay alive. I made the decision to tell you about myself so that you can see that I am willing to try and build that kind of trust. While I'll admit to being curious about your own origins that lead you to being Roman's compatriot, I have no reason to press you for it. If you choose to reveal it of your own volition, I will happily listen. Though I doubt you trust me that much right now." A yawn escaped him, proving how tired he was. Standing up and stretching, he added, "If you're still unsatisfied with that explanation, then think of it this way; I told you simply because it helps both of us."
In what way? So far I don't see how this benefits you at all.
"I reduced the chances of you stabbing me in the back. Good enough reason for me." Fen joked before flashing her a carefree smile.
Neo scoffed at the foolish reasoning, but couldn't stop the slight smile that pulled at her lips from his attitude. It reminded her a bit of Roman with how he wasn't afraid to tell her what he thought. Suddenly yawning herself, Neo agreed that sleep was in order.
No more words were shared as they situated themselves. She watched as he laid down close to the fireplace, at a distance to stay comfortably warm through the night. Neo elected to stick with the couch, but not before positioning it closer to the fireplace to get her share of the warmth. Placing Roman's hat in a safe place, Neo made herself comfortable.
With both of them settled, it didn't take long for Fen's breathing to indicate that he had fallen asleep. Neo wasn't far behind as she felt her muscles unwind. It was no lie that her opinion of the man had improved with learning about his past. Though did she trust him? No... No, he still had a long way to go before she would say that she trusted him. Believe that they should work together, sure; but when it came to trust, Neo could only say that about one person. With Roman gone, she knew that finding someone she could trust would be useful. Fen had shown to her tonight that he had the potential, but only time would tell if he would live up to it.
I hope you all enjoyed learning more about Fen.
Soul Bond - Omega Beowolf. This is the official definition for Fen's semblance. I had this idea very soon after I initially discovered RWBYso many years ago now, but wasn't compelled to use it to make a story until now. Neo is best bad girl, and while this story is slightly wish fulfillment(what fanfic isn't), it is my wish to create an interesting story that my readers enjoy.
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Stay awesome everyone, WRW out.