Anddddd we got another one!

I'm very happy to bring everyone this chapter, I hope you all enjoy as this much as I did writing it. Also have a special surprise for everyone, but I think I'll wait to reveal it at the end of the chapter. So make sure to read everyone.

With that, on with the show!

Low murmuring filled the inn over the soft patter of rain, patrons enjoying their dinner or a drink with friends; a somber day of townsfolk trying not to worry about the future since the fall of Beacon Academy, and Vale's weakened state. Upon hearing the door to the establishment open the murmuring ceased, all eyes on the two hooded strangers that decided to wander in. The difference in the two's height made it seem like a parent and child had entered, but that did little to assuage the tension in the air from their arrival.

The two tiredly staggered towards the innkeeper's desk, causing the murmuring of the inn to return but more subdued than previously. Travelers had become a rarity since the tragedy that occurred during the Vytal Festival, and any new faces brought with them a sense of unease for the townsfolk's quiet lifestyle. Eyes were still trained on the two and the few old huntsmen of the village made sure their weapons were close by as the two talked to the innkeeper.

The travelers seemed, to their credit, too tired to care about the numerous glares that were being directed at them from every direction. Their cloaks were completely soaked from the storm, indicating that they had been caught in it probably a fair distance away from town. The innkeeper gave them a passive look as they walked up to his desk, the only person able to see the exhaustion on their expressions. Their shared silver hair and blue eyes told him they were related in some way.

"Good evening, do you happen to have any rooms to spare, Sir? Preferably with two beds." The tall man's polite tone surprised the brawny innkeeper, causing his tensions to ease just slightly.

The innkeeper made sure to keep his gruff voice firm but professional as he answered, "We do, but I'm afraid that all my two-bed rooms are occupied. But I'll rent two singles for you and your daughter for the same price."

A quick but calm hand was placed on the short girl's shoulders as the man replied, "One room for me and my elder sister will do just fine. How much do we owe?"

The innkeeper raised a brow at the remark but a glance at the girl's body language told him to drop it, "Two hundred lien." He answered.

Without another word the man passed him the requested amount and the innkeeper in return produced a key from his desk and handed it to the man. The two turned and walked away as the innkeeper muttered to himself. "Why do I feel like that fella just prevented me from losing a limb?"

The two went to their room without delay, and once they were finally behind closed doors they dropped their drenched cloaks revealing the haggard forms of Fen and a disguised Neo. Letting go of her illusion with a spectacle of pink shards cascading over her form, Neo flopped down on the decently large bed they had received with their room, only to be grabbed by the ankle and dragged off the bed and sent sprawling to the floor.

Popping up, she sent a piercing glare at her companion but Fen showed no remorse, simply replying to her look by explaining, "You're wet. Go take a shower and change into something dry if you want to lay on the bed."

He could hear the grumbled murmuring in his mind as Neo got up and stalked over to the bathroom door. You're lucky I'm too wet, sore, and tired to get you back for that right now. She shot at him before slamming the door shut, and the sound of the shower being turned on soon after. A small smile reached Fen's lips as he just shook his head. Ringing out his clothes as best he could, Fen decided to go back to the dining area and grab some food while Neo cleaned up, figuring she wouldn't be done anytime soon.

Upon reentering the dining area several looks were shot his way but he paid them no mind as he sat down at the edge of the bar. Before long a stout older woman came up on the other side of the bar with a warm smile: "My, what lovely ears you have. We don't see many faunus around these parts. What can I get for you this rainy evening?"

The unexpected compliment blindsided him for a moment but Fen returned the kind smile with one of his own, "Something warm please, preferably with some meat in it."

"Sure thing. I've got a bowl of beef stew that has your name on it." She said with a wink and turned around towards the kitchen. Fen noticed the small deer's tail that stuck out just below the knot of her apron as she left with his order. With a glance he caught the innkeeper's gaze who happened to be looking over at him, and he saw the man give him a small nod of recognition before returning to whatever he had been doing.

While he let his sore muscles relax he heard the sound of someone approaching behind him. He nearly moved his hand towards his weapons when the stranger came into his peripheral and claimed the seat next to him. He brought with him a mug of strong alcohol, and from the way he slightly swayed it wasn't his first. The man was old, wrinkled, and his hair white from age; yet there was a presence around the man that told Fen there was more to him than what his appearance suggested.

In a murmur that Fen was sure only he could hear, the man said to him: "You're hiding quite the interesting thing there youngin, and I don't mean your fancy tech."

Fen was sure all his hair stood on end at the man's words. Turning his gaze ever so slowly he looked over to the old codger. The man seemed to pay his glare no mind as he took another swig of his mug. Just as Fen went to ask him what he meant, the innkeeper's wife returned with his meal.

Setting it down she addressed the old man, "Azul, you better not be causing this nice young boy any trouble." He just gave a groan and thrust his mug towards her. "You just wanted another? You still got some there." The old man looked down at his drink before quickly finishing it off and then thrusting the empty mug forward again.

The lady just shook her head and took the mug, not bothered by the old man's manners. Fen watched the exchange with interest before speaking up. "What's up with him?"

Returning with two mugs and setting one in front of Fen she answered "Old Azul? Ah he's just someone that we keep comfortable here, kind of the old wise man of our town; if anything he said was intelligible." She laughed to herself. "But he has a good taste in drink. That one in front of you is on the house, to help you relax from the storm."

He nodded his thanks before looking back at the old man beside him, the lady's words seeming to go against what he was sure he heard when the old man sat down. The old man just seemed to enjoy his drink before turning his head just enough for Fen to see his eyes; and nearly wasted his drink as he saw the glassy stare that looked back at him. Fen's reaction made the old man grin, something that only the two of them could see, as he murmured out again so low that only Fen could hear.

"They think I'm mad, but the best way to protect yourself is to make others think you're helpless." He took a much more controlled sip and appeared to sit a little straighter as he continued. "I'm an old huntsman, I've seen things that would break most; these eyes might not work anymore, but that's only let me see more than I ever imagined."

Fen hummed from a bite of his meal before discreetly asking, "What does that have to do with me?"

Old Azul let out a wheezing laugh into his mug, attracting a few looks before they all went back at realizing who made the sound. "I see auras boy, thousands in my years, but none like when I look into you." Fen tensed but let the old man continue. "It's a very nice silver color, but there's this void in you. Aura flows, it never stops, and it comes from within; except where it comes from for you looks like a black hole... like looking at a grimm."

Fen glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, gripping his utensil so hard it started to deform, "What is it you're trying to say, old man?"

The click of a hammer caught his attention and Fen looked down to see the old man had a pistol aimed at him under the counter. "Just calm down now youngin, no need to get so uppity." Fen let out a low growl but went back to his meal to avoid suspicion. Satisfied, the old man hid away his gun and kept on, "I looked at you when you first walked in and I thought something was eating your aura. I was going to warn you but then got a better look when I came up here. It's more like you're making something with your aura."

Nearly gagging on his drink, Fen was sent into a violent coughing fit at the man's words. The innkeeper's wife looked over with concern but saw Old Azul seem to, in her eyes, instinctively react to the coughing beside him and pat the young man next to him on the back until his coughing settled. When Fen gave her a look saying he was fine she went back to taking care of the other patrons at the other end of the bar.

Finally calmed down a bit, Fen heard the old man continue, "It's like your aura is so tightly balled up in a cocoon around whatever is in you that it looks pitch black to even my eyes. Many people find out parts to their semblance they never knew over time, but it was always there. Yours is growing, and it might keep doing so for the rest of your life." The man discreetly poked Fen in the side, "Take care of it. You're feeding it your soul. Make sure it's eating nice things or it might not be something good that comes out of it."

The old man's words confused Fen who quietly asked, "What do you mean by 'nice things'? The thing in me isn't exactly something that came from sunshine and rainbows."

"Emotions, boy!" Old Azul hissed out, like he was chastising a child. "Reading aura is like having an announcer for how a person feels. I can see the hurt and rage within you, but I also see there is something almost like love that is trying to contend in that tempest of an aura you have. Right now that's what seems to be feeding the cocoon; make sure it stays that way."

Fen was about to argue with the man when the codger knocked back the rest of his drink and stood up. Back to the drunken persona he started with, the old man staggered off making incoherent ramblings the whole way. Left staring after him for a few moments, Fen eventually turned back to his meal and silently pondered the old man's words as he ate.

Once he was finished he nursed the drink that he had been given, letting the intoxicating liquid numb his senses slightly before he was forced to deal with the implications of what the man had told him. Leaving some lien, Fen made his way back to his room sullenly.

Upon entering, he saw that Neo had finished her shower and was sitting on the bed in a light pink nightgown brushing her long hair. Free of the muck and grime of the last month her skin almost looked to glow in the fluorescent light of the room, still a slightly flushed pink from the heat of the shower. She opened her eyes at hearing the door shut to see Fen staring at her. She looked at him with a bit of concern at seeing his slightly flushed face and asked:

Are you ok? Should I be worried about the food here?

Hearing her words snapped Fen out of his daze as he hurriedly replied, "N-no. Food's fine, ask for the beef stew if you want something. I'm going to clean up."

Quick as he could, he grabbed a change of clothes and entered the bathroom, closing the door forcefully behind him. Leaning against the wood Fen muttered to himself, "Why the hell does she have a dress like that with her on a journey like this? And why is my heart racing like this at seeing her in it?"

'Something almost like love.'

The old man's words rang in his head, but with a quick shake he shoved them down. Doing anything he could to distract himself, he shed his damp clothes and turned on the shower. Trying to process his own feelings, he muttered to himself as the near scalding water worked through his tangled mass of hair.

"I'm nice to Neo. We have a lot of things in common. We work well together. She's funny. I've enjoyed our last month together." Fen listed the good, before turning to the bad. "But she still doesn't trust me to tell me about her past. She tried to spy on me. She's greatly afraid of the Omega. And I'm just using her as an emotional crutch to deal with those I've lost… aren't I? I can't have genuine feelings for someone so soon after losing my family." Fen told himself adamantly, "It's irrational."

'That's what seems to be feeding the cocoon, make sure it stays that way.'

"What would you know, old man?" Fen growled to himself. "This thing in me only wants my hatred and pain, there's no way it's going to change. Otherwise it would have with my years in Atlas Academy; those were the days I was actually happy and filled with positive emotion. I just have to tame it, then she won't have to be afraid of me anym— "

The words coming out of his own mouth caused him to stagger into the back of the shower. Like a fog had finally lifted from his mind, Fen was overcome by the realization of what had driven his desire to control his semblance. With it came a churning in his gut at what felt like betrayal to his team. He fell to his knees, the water obscuring his tears as he choked out. "Why? Why does she make me want to do this when the thought never crossed my mind with them? Why do I want to protect her this much?"

While Fen suffered in the storm of his inner turmoil, Neo had eaten and returned to the room. Dropping her disguise, she was quite pleased that her semblance made it so she didn't have to change out of her nightwear as it allowed her to simply flop onto the bed at her return. Hearing that the shower was still going, she shrugged to herself and went over to the nightstand. Resting on it was Roman's hat where she had made sure to place it to get it out of the messy pack it had forced to be in during their journey.

Picking it up, Neo held it as she sat on the bed. With practiced ease she spun the hat by the edge of its rim on the tip of her finger before landing it on her head, an old trick she'd do whenever she'd swipe it from Roman. Just doing the motions again were enough for tears to prickle at the corners of her eyes. A quick sniffle later, Neo took off the hat and carefully set it back on the nightstand. One last look at the precious object made up Neo's mind about something she had put many hours of sleepless deliberation into; tonight was the night that she needed to tell Fen about her past.

Hearing the water stop, Neo's insecurities skyrocketed as she pulled her knees to her chest and waited for Fen to come out. Not trusting herself to follow through if she saw him, she lowered her head when she heard the door click. If she had been looking, Neo would have seen the hollow look in his eyes before he came and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her and maybe reconsidered what she was about to do. Instead, she decided to get this over with.

I never knew my parents. Neo felt the bed shift slightly but Fen remained silent as she continued. My earliest memories were of the orphanage I was given to just after I was born. It wasn't a bad place, not at first anyway. The madam was this little old lady and everyone adored her, myself included. She'd make sure everyone was clothed, fed, and happy. I remember I was always so shy and I'd follow her around with one hand holding onto the hem of her dress.

The image of a tiny Neo hiding shyly behind a grandmother figure tugged at the corner's of Fen's lips but it was soon lost as Neo continued. I was maybe four years old when I was able to recognize a person who came once a year to the orphanage. A fat old man in fancy clothes who always brought gifts and treats, everyone would count down the days until he'd show up; it was like a holiday for us. And everytime he came he'd pick a kid to come live with him and we all thought it was like the best present ever if that could be us.

When I was six I learned the man lived in Atlas. I read picture books and saw photos of it and that became a dream of mine to be picked by him and go live in that dazzling floating city. For an entire year I worked and worked on being more outgoing, lively, and even begged the madam for a pretty dress to wear for when he next came, to be someone that would catch his eye. The bite in her words at her last mention of the man sent a chill down Fen's spine.

The madam played along, got me a no-doubt very expensive little yellow dress that sparkled, and I kept it just for when he'd come just after my seventh birthday; to this day I can't stand that stupid color because of that dress. The vitriol in her words made Fen want to stop her story there, to prevent her from reliving this past with the inevitable words that were to come; but he didn't.

It worked, I was flirty and cute and just this little ball of sunshine the entire time he was around. Everyone was jealous by how much attention he gave me, hating that I had stolen the spotlight for myself. When he went to go talk to the madam at the end of his visit, nobody thought I wasn't going to be taken away to go live like a princess. I was so proud of myself I could help but eavesdrop on his conversation with the madam, that's when I found out the truth…

Almost like a recording, Fen started to hear a different voice projected into his mind, one of a portly man.

"—'s very nice, you did an excellent job with that little dress you got her. She'll make just a perfect addition to my collection; but can we do something about that voice of her's? It grates on my refined ears so dreadfully. You can have it removed can't you?"

Fen had to suppress the Omega with all his training as he listened, but that didn't prevent the blood that dripped from his palms as he clenched his fists.

I couldn't comprehend what I had just heard, so I revealed myself to ask about what I just heard like the idiotic child I was. The madam just smiled sweetly at me as the man I considered my ticket to being a princess, cringed at my apparently horrible voice. After I had asked my flurry of puzzled questions the Madam calmly walked over to me and I blacked out as she said something I don't remember.

The next thing I knew, I woke up with a blinding light in my eyes while strapped to a metal table as several people were preparing to operate on me. I wasn't conscious for long as I was soon knocked back out with gas when a nurse noticed I was awake. As I lost consciousness, my confused, panicked screams were the last sound that ever left my mouth. When I next woke up, I was in a strange room with a burning pain in my throat and bandages around my neck.

Each breath was like fire as my breathing became erratic, trying to understand what had happened to me; In the moment, I was so relieved when he opened the door. 'Here to rescue me' I so naively thought that I even started to run to him, until I noticed the look on his face. The bed started to shake slightly, but Fen wasn't sure if it was caused by him or Neo as she continued. The cruel grin he had plastered on his mug stopped me cold as I truly saw him for what seemed like the first time.

Fen wanted to speak, but he didn't trust what would come out if he tried to comfort Neo at the moment. Neo peeked up to see Fen's hair and ears bristling at her story, something that made her smile slightly, but with no other motion from him, she continued. I know you're well familiar that semblances can be brought out in moments of extreme stress and emotion; it was the same for me. Terrified by the look that was being directed towards me, I stumbled back and fell down. Unknowingly, I activated my semblance and left a copy of myself still standing.

It was weird staring at the back of my own head as I sat there. Not understanding what was going on, but his gaze was focused on my copy and his breathing was maniacal as he slowly approached. In reflex, I threw my arms up in fear and saw my copy do the same; it was then the idea for my escape came to me. I threw my arms towards the corner of the room and saw my copy run to the corner and cower, bringing his attention with it. With it being my only chance I dashed out of the room and heard the sound of breaking glass soon after I cleared the door. I was barely down the hallway when I heard the roar of rage that followed, but I was already free at that point. Not daring to slow down until I couldn't run anymore, I exited a warehouse somewhere in the industrial part of downtown Vale.

I don't remember anyone trying to chase me, but all that ran through my mind was that nowhere was safe, that anyone who found me would just take me back to them. So I stayed away from people, hid in alleyways and boxes and scrounged for anything I could. I couldn't rely on my semblance considering I didn't even know what a semblance was at the time. Instead I stole what I could from the back of restaurants and food stands. Occasionally when I would almost get caught I'd activate my semblance subconsciously and the illusion that would get caught and shatter almost instantly would disorient my pursuers long enough for me to escape. That's how my life continued for several months, most nights too cold and hungry to actually manage to fall asleep. But that all changed the day he found me.

Well now, aren't you just the most curious little thing? Somehow, even though he had never met the man in person, Fen knew this was the voice of one Roman Torchwick.

I was in a box when he found me, starved, delirious, and practically feral, but also too terrified that someone had found me to react let alone try to run away. Funny enough, in my delirium, with his white suit and red hair I thought a walking talking candle had found me. Neo recounted the memory with a little giggle. He reached in to grab me and I was about to try and bite his fingers off when I heard him say to me:

What gorgeous eyes you have. And your hair, it reminds me of my favorite dessert.

Even before I had my semblance I could change my eyes between pink, brown, and white; back at the orphanage it was the target for any and all teasing I suffered, it was why I was so shy. But he had called them beautiful, and even complimented my hair, which wasn't nearly so nice as I keep it now; all the colors used to be all tangled together. His words were just enough to keep me from biting his hand off.

His hand stopped in front of me and just waited there. Hesitantly, I took his hand and he brought me out of the box. I remember looking into his emerald eyes and just feeling like I could trust him. He took me back to his hideout and cleaned me up, after which he gave me a meal; and by the broken moon, I ate so much I'm surprised my stomach didn't burst. Neo laughed, this part of her story easing Fen's rage enough to no longer need to force the Omega down.

He brushed my hair for me and separated it out so it's like you see it today. Never once did I feel scared or threatened when I was with Roman, everything he did for me was kind; even my name was a gift from him. Shocking you might think, but yes my name hasn't always been after ice cream. Neo saw Fen's ears pen to his head and she softly laughed in response.

I still remember when I tried to say thank you for my new name, only for nothing to come out. His smile didn't falter but his eyes contained emotions I didn't comprehend at the time. With no means to communicate, seeing as I had never been taught to read or write, my early days with Roman were very rough; but he made sure to teach me, making sure I could take care of myself. After I finally did learn how to write, he rewarded me with my very own scroll; I had never been so happy with a gift that hugged him for the first time, before running off to my room to try out my new tech. I was around nine by this point.

Never did he try to hide the nature of how he came to possess so many expensive things from me, and being the kid that had already been forced to steal to survive, I didn't question it. He took care of me and I helped him how I could, but that didn't mean much until I was twelve. Roman thought it'd be best to unlock my aura and teach me about semblances. After hearing him explain what it was, I managed to show off my ability and oh his face! Neo devolved into a fit of giggles. I could almost hear the k-ching sound go off in his brain at seeing my wonderful semblance.

It took practice and lots of hard work, years of it. The training Roman subjected me to was ruthless, and I didn't come out of it all unscathed. I was even forced to kill for the first time when I was fourteen, some random thug that made the mistake of mugging the wrong girl. It came to the point when I was sixteen that I was actually better in combat than Roman and it was then that he started to regard me as more than the little girl he had adopted so many years ago. To the point that I was no longer just his minion or daughter; I was his partner in crime.

Fen's voice finally came to him as he felt the need to ask, "What about the orphanage, and him?"

Neo felt touched when she heard the venom in his voice over her past, especially knowing that his own wasn't an easy one. After I was capable of communicating with Roman he had asked me about my past. When I told him the story he had looked into where I came from and found several things. The orphanage I was from was home only to orphans that came from no background, 'ghost children' if you will, like myself. The madam was actually a well-known human trafficker who sold her orphans off to just about anyone that was willing to pay the right price. He was an Atlesian noble who had a history of pedophilia and abuse; his 'toys' breaking after only a couple years. He was her most prominent buyer and their history was long before I had even been born.

It was probably the most 'good' that Roman ever did when he dismantled their operation and anyone with ties to them, including the surgeons that took my voice. He made sure any children made it to proper orphanages and made sure that my tormentors suffered for everything; I didn't even know he did it until several years later. I brought it up about wanting to make them suffer when I was capable of taking my revenge for myself; and he told me 'oh them? Sorry, I already killed them ages ago'. I was so mad that he never told me that I didn't talk to him for weeks.

Even if Fen would forever view Roman as a criminal, hearing that made him wish he had actually met the man. But there was still one thing Neo hadn't spoken on, "And the… telepathy?"

No idea. One day when I was eighteen, I was grumbling to myself that Roman ran out of ice cream and he called out with 'Pipe down! I'll get you your damn ice cream'. I was so shocked it took me over a minute to realize what had happened; to say it was a surprise to both of us would be an understatement. Neo concluded.

The two sat in silence for a time, Neo letting Fen process all she had told him. When he didn't respond after a time her anxiety began to fester, her fears at his reaction growing more irrational by the second. These abated somewhat when she finally saw him nod his head, but struck again with renewed intensity when he stood up and said to her:

"I'll be getting another room for tonight. See you in the morning."

WHAT!? Neo's head jerked up from her balled up form. Her mind beginning to interpret his statement in a plethora of ways, and none of them good. So that's it!? I pour my soul to you, let you know my darkest secret, and suddenly I'm some broken doll you can't stand to be in the same room as!? She reached out to grab him, when he spun around to face her.

"THAT NOT IT!" Fen roared, his eyes blazing blue. Neo shrunk back at his force of his words, her eyes turning white and staying that way as she couldn't stop herself from quivering.

Seeing this, the glow of Fen's eyes extinguished in an instant and he staggered back into the wall. Realizing what he had done, Fen quickly turned and grabbed his pack before hurriedly heading towards the door. His hand was on the handle when he felt Neo slam into his back and wrap her trembling arms around him in a grip that refused to budge.

Don't leave me alone! He heard her shout into his brain, all the while letting out breathless sobs into his shirt. Be angry, shout, break things, I don't care! Just… don't leave me here by myself.

Her tears tore at Fen's heart as he tried to make sense of his own whirlwind of emotions, each one more confusing and painful than the last. When he finally calmed his own self-hatred enough he said softly, "I need time to think, Neo." Gently he pried away the hands around his middle as he continued, "And it has nothing to do with what you told me tonight. I would never think less of you, and you are in no way broken; but I'm confused about what I feel when I think about you, and being near you right now just makes it impossible to figure out. So please give me some space, until I can parse these chaotic emotions."

Neo's arms dropped to her sides as she slumped to the ground, no more will to stop him. Silently she picked herself up with her head hung low, her hair cascading down around her and obscuring her face as she walked back to the bed. Fen looked back at her feeling like a knife was twisting in his gut. As he turned back around and turned the handle to leave he heard Neo say one thing before he left.

You owe me.

His reply was soft, it was all he could muster at that moment as he left the room. "...Yeah."

WRW

Say hi to everyone Yon.

Drags out.

Yonder

Eep!

WRW

Oh come on, nothing to be scared of.

Yonder

H-hi, everyone!

WRW

Yon has been doing the editing on this from the beginning. Cleaning up my occasional typo and giving me first impressions (Usually just enthusiastic squeeing. That's what I get for employing a shipper), and I felt it was time she was made known. You'll be hearing from her from now on and I can't be more glad to have her helping me with this.

I hope everyone liked learning about Neo's past. Fen has a lot to think about and the result should be quite interesting. Remember to follow and fav so you don't miss any chapter releases, and drop a review to let Yon know how awesome she is.

Stay awesome everyone, WRW (And Yonder!) out.