Hey everyone, hope you all are doing well. With everything going on in the world at the time of posting this, I'm sure you all can understand the late update.

A bit of a shorter chapter this time. Next one should do better, but until then.

On with the story!

Fen cursed softly as he was awakened by a stray sunbeam. Sitting up to escape the vile light, he stretched to relieve the soreness of sleeping on the floor. Looking over to the couch he found that Neo was still fast asleep. With the calmness of the morning, Fen observed his sleeping companion while the peacefulness held. A lock of her brown hair had fallen over her face, giving her a slightly comedic look.

He couldn't help the small chuckle as he muttered to himself, "Seeing her like this, she actually appears kinda cute. No one would assume that she's a master criminal and assassin if they saw her like this." Fen felt an urge to brush the lock of hair out of her face, but figured she'd probably awaken and surely kill him if he did.

So instead he opted to look over his gear. He pulled a small tool kit from inside the jacket he wore. One of the few personal items he still had left. Grabbing one of his weapons he started to work with practiced ease. Thanks to their complex nature, mild maintenance was required regularly to ensure they did not fail him when he needed them. Fen had realized soon after he agreed to join Neo that if anything happened to his tech, there wouldn't be much he could do to fix them. Without access to Dr. Pietro back in Atlas, any chances to fix or enhance his weapons were unlikely.

Bitterly, Fen was forced to admit that he really didn't have anything to fall back on should he be left without his weapons. His close-quarters combat skills were certainly good, but they primarily focused on deflection and creating distance. He had always relied on having access to weapon repair and his team to make up for his shortcomings. Now being without either, Fen realized that he had made a rookie mistake. Instead of working to lessen his own shortcomings, he had been content to use others that could fill the role instead.

Left to think about it, Fen did have one means of making up for his faults: the Omega. He had always held it back as an absolute last resort… but maybe that had been the wrong move. Recalling what he had said to Neo last night about semblances,Fen realized he had been slightly hypocritical.

Almost like it sensed he was thinking of it, Fen felt a pressure on the back of his mind. In a reflexive response, Fen forced it down. It pressed back for a moment, but eventually relented and the presence faded away. As though snapping out of a trance, Fen realized his breathing had become slightly ragged. Calming himself, he returned to his previous train of thought.

In fear of being unable to control the Omega, Fen had never really honed his semblance. The only practice he had ever done focused solely on how to suppress the Omega, never on how to control it. Even his reaction from a moment ago wasn't lost on him as being probably more than necessary. He had lived with it for over a decade now, but still he knew so little about it. The likelihood of needing to use it eventually was high, and if he ended up unable to prevent the Omega from rampaging then unintended people could end up hurt because of it.

With that thought, Fen was brought back to thinking about Neo. He couldn't say that he hated her, though it would be a stretch to say he liked her either. Due to his time in the academy, Fen's code of ethics had shifted towards being more rigidly lawful. While Neo's actions were comparably more… unrestricted. For her it was a matter of survival; a way of life that Fen knew very well. At the same time, he also knew it to be an incredibly lonely one. Neo may never have cared, because she had Torchwick... In a strange way Fen considered Neo blessed at having had someone to trust and rely upon for so long.

As though able to tell she was being thought about, Neo began to stir. After stretching her limbs, Neo blinked her tired eyes over to Fen. Seeing that he was already awake she gave a small nod to him, apparently not caring enough to put the mental effort into projecting a greeting. Figuring they had a lot to do, Fen decided to rise and make sure everything was packed away. He was going to place Roman's hat away when Neo snatched it up and yelled at him.

Don't you ever dare touch this! Neo snarled as she cradled the hat protectively to her chest. Fen raised his hands apologetically. Even if his intention was harmless, he realized that Neo wouldn't think logically when it came to that hat. It was her only reminder of someone important to her, something he envied just a little.

"I'm sorry Neo, I wasn't thinking." Fen hoped to calm her, "But don't you think we should put it away? Unless you plan to wear it instead."

His words snapped Neo out of her anger. She stared down at the hat in her hands, Fen's words causing her unexpected turmoil. After a few moments of silence she stood up and walked over to Fen. Anticipating what she wanted, he held the pack open for her; She carefully placed Roman's hat inside and let Fen close it.

Thank you. She said softly, before walking out of the room. Fen waited for a couple minutes before following.

He found her waiting for him just outside the house. She glanced at him with an unreadable expression before turning away and starting off down the street. Fen quickly caught up to her and the two walked in silence. Much like the day before, they stuck to the side streets as much as possible while they made their way through the city. They reentered the commercial district, but in a very different part.

Unlike most of Vale, the destruction here had been kept to a minimum. It even appeared that some stores were unharmed and even open for business. While there weren't many, people did still roam the streets. Neo didn't seem as surprised as Fen and continued on without taking any more caution in staying unseen.

"Well, this area is surprisingly well off. Almost cheery even." Fen commented as he saw a woman and her child calmly walk down the street.

That's thanks to who we're going to see. Neo actually chose to respond. Junior is the head of the largest crime organization in Vale. This city is his business, so it makes sense that he'd use his goons to help protect it. It makes him look better if he can manage to keep things running smoothly, and improves his influence.

"Makes sense, though what does he have that we'd want?" Fen asked.

Information. Neo stated simply. Junior also happens to be the best informant in the kingdom, so long as you can pay. The law enforcement of Vale doesn't bother him because they make use of him occasionally. I might know where we should head next, but I'm not familiar with the best route to travel or places we should be mindful of going. Also, he can get us the rest of the supplies I told you we'd need.

"Fair enough. I'm going to assume you've dealt with him before, or that Roman did at least." Neo's pace faltered slightly as Fen's comment, something he wasn't about to let slip by, "Neo, what aren't you telling me?"

Neo slowed down. Well~, the last time we dealt with him, Roman hired some of his goons and they were all beaten to a pulp by a little huntress-in-training. Neo's tone turned to a growl at the thought of Little Red. So there's a chance he won't be very keen on helping us. Hopefully we can appeal to his anger at those who caused all the chaos to get his cooperation. Otherwise things could end up very difficult. Just let me handle the transaction. He doesn't need to know about the link we have.

With that final warning, the two continued on until Neo turned to lead them out of the alley. Once on the main street Fen looked past her: He saw what looked to be a club with far too much security to be normal. Guessing that this was their destination, the two strolled up casually until they ended up stopped by one of the thugs.

"Whoa there. Where do you two think you're going?" He placed a hand on his sword he had, trying to be threatening. The two looked at each other, Neo relaying what to say, before turning back to the thug.

"We're here to see Junior. We have business to conduct." Fen told the man in a bored tone. "I'd suggest you let us through. It would be better for all sides if you do." Neo beside him gave the man an innocent smile, but even the thug could sense the terrifying bloodlust behind her expression.

He scrambled away and disappeared into the club, the other thugs on guard duty tensing up at what they had seen. It only took a minute before the same thug came out and quickly ushered them inside; The others thugs glanced warily to each other as the two calmly strolled by them.

Fen grimaced as loud music assailed his sensitive ears upon entering the club. It was largely desolate, save for the few thugs that lottered around. There was a DJ wearing a large cartoon bear head that appeared to watch them carefully as they headed for the bar. Though Neo just strutted around like she was the one who owned the place, approaching the bar with a smile.

Among those at the bar was a giant of a man, Fen barely coming up to his shoulder. Even from a distance Fen could tell this man could fight, simply from the way he carried himself. He received a nod from the bartender and turned to see them approach. Fen was only spared a glance before his expression hardened at seeing Neo. No doubt was left in Fen's mind; this was the man they were here to see.

"I expected I'd see you eventually." Junior said in a casual but guarded tone. "If you hadn't suffered the same fate as Roman anyway. I knew he had gotten into something big, but attacking the festival was not what I expected. Though it appears you two ended up as loose ends according to the evidence."

Fen worrily looked at Neo, to his surprise though she remained completely composed. There was a slight frown on her face, and he figured she was forcing her ire at the comment down for the sake of business. Junior even appeared a bit surprised as an eyebrow quirked slightly upwards at the lack of reaction.

Neo took out her scroll and typed a quick message before showing it to Junior. After taking a second to read it he replied, "Business? Last time I did business with you and your late boss girly, I had several of my men locked up. The only reason I let you in was I wanted to prevent the commotion that would have ensued from you forcing your way inside."

Another message was typed up and shown to Junior. He took more time reading this one, rereading a few times to make sure. "So the festival was just the start? You two really did end up in some deep shit it seems." He frowned, taking a sip of the drink he had behind him. "I can guess what you need from me, but can you afford it?"

Neo reached into the top of her jacket and flashed a few lien cards at Junior. His eyes greedily followed the money before he composed himself with a cough. Neo just smirked before tucking them away. Junior called one of his men over and gave him a list of things to retrieve. Meanwhile he and Neo haggled over the final price of the transaction.

Soon the minion returned carrying a large pack and a map. Junior took the items and unrolled the map at the bar. Neo approached with Fen close behind as Junior explained the route to them.

"Anima is a big place, and even more confusing to travel through without proper preparation. Mistral's transportation system across Anima has always been subpar compared to the other kingdoms, not that you two could use it in any case. This means you two will have to travel on foot. Not many routes are safe to travel, even for experienced huntsmen; though yours will be decidedly not safe. The route used to be popular among smugglers, until losses from grimm dug too deep into profits. Now barely a soul knows it exists, and those that do aren't stupid enough to use it. Still, it is the fastest way to Mistral that doesn't require use of public transport."

Hearing that Neo looked over to Fen, as if to ask his opinion. He was silent for a moment before voicing his thoughts: "With only the two of us we should be able to move quickly. We aren't likely to attract many grimm either. The only real concern is are there towns we can resupply at, or will we have to make-do off the land?"

Junior gave Fen a scrutinizing look before looking back to the map and marking points along the route. "Fair question, but the answer is a little murky. Considering the CCT is down there is no way to keep accurate information. There should be enough settlements for you to resupply through your journey, but there is no guarantee they won't be destroyed by grimm before you get there. Even at best, it will take you six months to get to Mistral this way."

Neo gave Fen a nod, a compliment to his input, before typing on her scroll and showing it to Junior. "Hhha, fine." He replied, and he circled one of the spots he marked as a settlement. "This is your freebie. The place I've marked is one of the largest towns on your way. You'll want to see the local smith there. I can't disclose his origins, but he knows his craft. If you're wanting an edge, he can provide."

With that Junior rolled up the map and shoved it into Neo's hands before throwing the pack at Fen. He replied curtly: "There, business concluded. Hand over the lien and get out." Neo obliged by pulling out the cards she had flashed earlier and tossed them onto the bar. They turned to leave when Junior made one last comment, "When you get to Mistal, because I don't doubt you will, you'll be needing an informant to get you what you want. Just so happens my mentor operates out of there, mother to the twins." He pointed over to two sisters that were lazing about on the other side of the club. "Tell them I sent you and you should at least get an audience. Anything else falls on you."

Neo gave a wave of acknowledgement before she and Fen exited the club, then trekked back across the city to the house they stayed in the night before. The round trip had taken them almost all day, considering they had to traverse the city on foot, and it was dark by the time they arrived. Upon entering the house they each collapsed onto the chair and couch they had talked in the night before. Fen took the time to pull up the pack they had gotten from Junior and inspected its contents.

"Sleeping bags, dishes, survival tools, and other general survival equipment," he said digging through. Looking up at Neo suspiciously he asked, "Ok besides the map, couldn't we have just gotten most of this from a store?"

She glanced over at him before stretching and reclining on the couch. Yes, most of it we could have. Though the reason I had him include what's in there was mostly because it was convenient. That, and there are a few not entirely legal items in there.

At her comment, Fen continued looking through the pack. Eventually, he pulled out a spool of wire and started to examine it; it took him a second but soon realized he knew what it was. "Why do we have dust-infused steel wire? This stuff is only useful in containing grimm."

The room was silent as Fen glared over at Neo, who refused to return his gaze. After a moment Fen just sighed and carefully returned the spool to the pack. "I realize that it is wishful thinking on my part, but I hoped you might have a little more faith in me." Neo visually stiffened at the words but remained silent. "Though I suppose a precaution doesn't hurt though. Who knows, it could very well not be me it needs to get used on. Junior did mention that the way is dangerous. If we are forced to run, having the wire would be good to hinder pursuit."

This got Neo to react and look at Fen with curious eyes. She had fully expected to get much more resentment from him, but instead there was understanding. After he set the pack aside he looked to see Neo still staring at him. "What? Did you expect me to blow up at you over the fact you still don't trust me yet?"

Well, more so than you did. Neo replied honestly. Sitting up she played with her hair absentmindedly. From personal experience, I expected you to resent me at least a little.

Fen smirked at her embarrassed antics, "Yeah I might have poured my heart out a little last night, but I told you that had no strings attached. We've only known each other for a few days now. This isn't some sort of fairytale where we magically fall for each other because we're both hurting from loss." Neo glared at him for even bringing up the notion of such a thing happening. He ignored it while continuing, "Yes I want there to be mutual trust between us, but that takes time. So while I'm not thrilled, I also can't chastise you for being cautious."

Neo was beginning to understand Fen's character more with his words. It probably had to do with being a team leader at Atlas Academy, but she could tell he was very used to looking at the big picture. She found it a little eerie how many similarities she was finding between him and Roman. While their temperaments were vastly different, with Roman being much more volatile, they both were remarkably capable at understanding others' intentions.

Thank you. Neo's words came across as a whisper. Fen simply gave a small nod before preparing to sleep. They both knew they would need to set out immediately upon waking. Junior had mentioned it would take half a year to just cross Anima, but that didn't include how long it would take to get to it.

They'd first need to cross the mountains east of Vale and travel to the coast. That alone would take a few months, since they couldn't go the typical route of going by train. In all, it would probably take close to a year before they would make it to Mistral. Which meant the sooner they started, the better, before winter came and prevented them from crossing the mountains.

Soon the two felt sleep's pull and let it claim them. Thoughts of the days to come worried them, but their rage at those who had taken what was most precious to them would ensure their commitment to their path. With a silent oath, both Neo and Fen fell asleep while eagerly awaiting the morning.

Alright everyone, here is where I'd say the introduction officially ends.

Now we get into the juicy stuff. All that delicious plot, scrumptious development, and succulent interactions... I think I just made myself hungry.

While I'm fixing my empty stomach, make sure to comment, follow, and even favorite if you're feeling generous. It all helps give me motivation to write faster.

Stay awesome everyone, WRW out.