As Saffre took a sip of water, something bounced off her bottom lip.

Pulling the cup away from her face, Saffre looked inside to find a single red eyeball staring back at her. She hadn't put an eyeball in her drink…

With a tilt of her head, Saffre carefully inspected the eye. It was a familiar bright pink. She could even see the individual blood vessels in it pulse gently, as if it were still alive. Looking around, she spotted a familiar girl in a white and pink jacket casually tapping away at her scroll.

Shrugging, Saffre took a gulp from the drink, placed the eye between her teeth, and bit down.

The illusion shattered like glass, crunching inside her mouth for a few moments before fading away. Looking back at Neo, she saw the other girl smirking at her. Saffre gave her a wave.

It had been a week since her collapse; a week since Neo asked her to do something for her. Instead, Neo had been trying out more and more creative ways to get a reaction out of Saffre. It hadn't worked yet.

The past week had also been the slowest week Saffre had experienced since she got here. Roman had mentioned something about 'getting more muscle', but beyond that, things had been quiet.

Walking over to her, Neo typed out a message.

I'm bored. What do you want to do?

Saffre looked down at the question. Something else Neo had been doing for the past week was ask Saffre what she wanted. Saffre had tried explaining to Neo that she didn't want anything, that it was important for her to not make independent decisions…

Neo shoved her.

Jumping in her seat, Saffre looked up at her. She had typed out another message.

Fine. Consider it an order. What do you want to do?

Saffre squirmed in her seat. "That's unfair," she muttered, as if that would make Neo change her order.

'What do I want to do?'

At that moment, she heard a loud car engine roaring past outside. The sound of the engine was loud enough that Saffre could feel the vibrations pass through her. She had an idea.

"Do… do you want to watch a movie?" Saffre asked, voice quiet as she looked up at Neo.

Neo shrugged.

Neo had never heard of this movie before, but she loved it!

The first scene had started with an incredible car chase in a city she had never seen before. Actually, the more she thought about it, the entire world the movie took place in was brand new to her. Saffre had mentioned that her dad had been a late 20th, early 21st century cultural scholar, whatever that meant, and had plugged in a white and black tablet into the TV.

The movie had everything! From car chases to gun fights, to someone falling onto a burning car! As the credits rolled, Neo couldn't help but grin at a smiling Saffre.

"I guess you liked it?" Saffre asked.

Neo enthusiastically nodded her head, taking out her scroll to type out a message.

Liked it? I loved it! That was amazing! And the music… I've never heard those songs before.

Saffre nodded her head. "Yeah. That movie is pretty ancient, but it is definitely one of my favorites too."

Neo couldn't understand why Saffre would call a movie with some of the best practical effects she had ever seen 'ancient'.

She couldn't stay seated, she had way too much energy.

Leaping out of her seat Neo began pacing back and forth in their makeshift screening room. She knew that they had to go out and do something. Anything! She couldn't stay in this warehouse a second longer!

Looking over at Saffre Neo quickly typed out her message.

Wanna go shopping?

Saffre tilted her head, giving Neo that bright-eyed curious expression she loved to get out of the girl. "Can we do that?"

Neo grinned at her.

Who's going to stop us?

Saffre stared at her reflection in the dressing room of the Verity department store. Blinking a pair of vibrant indigo eyes, she looked over her new outfit. Neo had insisted that Saffre choose something for herself.

Her reflect adjusted her navy-blue hoodie, the girl staring back at her looked nervous. She didn't know what to get, so she had decided on a simple white t-shirt, a pair of tan cargo pants, combat boots, and her hoodie.

The girl in the reflection had indigo eyes and black hair. Saffre didn't understand how Neo was able to conjure illusions like she did, but they were definitely useful.

Stepping out of the dressing room Saffre looked over at her friend.

Neo wave at her. She had settled on a vibrant red ballroom dress and a pair of tennis shoes. Reaching into a bag she had brough with them Neo began typing on her scroll.

You really like functional outfits, huh?

Saffre blushed. "Should… should I get something else?" She asked. Why did I stutter?

Neo rolled her now brown eyes.

Is that what you want?

Saffre nodded.

Standing up Neo began walking towards the front of the store.

Saffre moved to follow her. As they walked back to the front counter they passed through an electronics aisle. Saffre spotted something.

It was a pair of elegant silver headphones. Taking the box into her hands Saffre turned it over, reading over the specifications. She knew enough about audio that these were very high-quality headphones, and they had a matching price tag. But… They had come here for clothes.

Frowning, Saffre moved to put the headphones back on the shelf, but someone else's hand reached out and stopped her. Looking over she saw Neo was staring at her. Putting her hand down Neo typed out another message.

Do you want those or not?

Saffre nodded. She normally didn't care much about material things but, at least this once, she wanted to choose something for herself.

Letting go of her hand Neo motioned her head towards the front and began walking. Saffre followed, box in hand.

"Uh… Neo? Why did we leave those old clothes in the dressing rooms?" Saffre asked as they approached the front. Neo simply smirked.

As they walked Saffre reflected on the only thing Neo had explicitly told her not to do before they went out. Why did she tell me to not use my powers?

Reaching the front Saffre moved to wait in line to check out, but Neo walked right past the line, making for the exit. Saffre stopped to watch, confused.

"Excuse me! Miss, you need to—" a cashier managed to get out before Neo sprinted out of the store, alarm's setting off.

Saffre stood there, eyes wide, box in hand as she looked between the shocked cashier, and a shouting security guard that ran out of the store after her. Another security guard began to walk up to Saffre. "Was she with you?" he demanded, hand on his holster. Don't use my powers…

Bursting into action Saffre sprinted towards the man before launching herself forwards. Her boot connected with the man's jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor. As she sprinted out the door, alarms going off, Saffre couldn't help but grin.

Hopping the fence Saffre caught up with a waving Neo. Box still clutched in her hands, Saffre couldn't help the shaking in her arms. Rushing up to the other girl, Saffre found herself grinning like a mad woman. She couldn't understand why something so pointless made her feel so alive, but it didn't matter.

"That was awesome!" she shouted, jumping a little on the spot. She noticed that Neo's eyes were back to their normal brown and pink. Smirking, Neo brought out her scroll again.

So you can feel emotions?

Clutching the slightly dented box with the headphones, her headphones, Saffre gave her an enthusiastic nod. "Uh-huh!"

Neo gave her a half-lidded look.

I was being sarcastic.

"Oh." Saffre blushed. "Sorry."

Rolling her eyes, Neo walked over to Saffre, looking closely at the box in her hands before typing out a message.

Do you like music?

Do I?

Saffre couldn't remember the last time she had gone out of her way to listen to music. A faint, almost forgotten memory flashed through her mind of her playing an air guitar to a song in her room. She remembered turning around during the solo to find her dad watching her from the doorway, smiling. How embarrassed she had felt at the time.

Looking back at Neo Saffre gave her a nod. Yes. She did like music.

There was a mischievous glint in Neo's eyes.

You know… our makeshift screening room could use some better equipment.

Saffre gave a little smirk of her own. "You know… you might be right."

Neo threw open the rear doors to the van, Saffre following right behind her with a cart. In the distance she could still hear the store's alarm blaring as people shouted from behind her. Hopping into the van Neo waved her arm at Saffre to hurry up before taking a seat in the driver seat. Turning the ignition their stolen utility van roared to life, Neo revving the engine.

She heard the doors shut behind her, and from the corner of her eye saw Saffre leap into the passenger seat grinning. "Go!"

With a vicious grin of her own Neo slammed her foot on the accelerator. Her grin widened as she was thrown back into her seat, cutting across the parking lot and the sidewalk before taking off down the road. She saw Saffre reach into her jacket, retrieving the black and white slate, she had called it a slate, and began fiddling with it.

Swerving between a pair of cars she saw Saffre connect the slate to the van's speaker. Behind them she heard the sirens of a police car, white and blue lights flashing behind them as they sped down the moderately crowded road.

Music began playing on the van's speakers. Glancing over, Neo saw Saffre smiling back at her. Importantly, Neo recognized the song! It was the song from the movie they had watched earlier that day! Reaching over to the dash Neo maxed out the volume on the speakers.

Coming up on an intersection Neo was feeling reckless. Pulling the handbrake, Neo yanked the wheel hard to the left. She heard Saffre let out a surprised laughing squeal as they drifted around the corner. Looking in the side mirrors she saw one of the cop cars take the turn too wide, slamming into a pole. The other car got lucky.

Tapping her finger rapidly three times to the music, Neo maxed out the van, swerving in and out of traffic. She had no idea how to lose the cops, but that didn't matter.

As the music continued building Neo spotted something ahead of them. They were by the river that cut through the center of Vale… Actually, she knew exactly where they were, and she could see a barge floating down the river. Taking another violent left turn, Saffre giggling beside her, Neo accelerated alongside the river, looking for something.

Far ahead of them she saw backed up traffic waiting at a drawbridge.

Perfect.

Glancing in the mirror she saw that the number of cops had multiplied to five. They were catching up.

As the guitar solo began, Neo turned the car to drive on the sidewalk, people rushing to get out of the way. With a straight shot she gunned it. The drawbridge had begun moving. Throwing the wheel to the right she crashed through the lowered barricade, engine roaring as the van crossed over the raising bridge. Shifting gears, the engine maxing out as they ramped up the bridge Neo focused on the song. Just for a moment.

"Neat Neat Neat."

Airborne, they were weightless as the van jumped over the river for a split second before she got a sinking feeling as they fell back down onto the opposite side of the bridge. As they crashed through the barricades on the opposite side, Neo slowed the van into an alleyway and reached out with her Semblance. Exiting on the other side she began driving much more calmly, focused on blending in with the other traffic. Driving by a dim storefront, she caught a glance at their 'van', now looking like a sleek black car.

Pulling up to a red light she looked over at Saffre, who was giving her the biggest smile she had ever seen on the girl.

"That was awesome!"

Saffre couldn't stop grinning.

As Neo parked the van in the warehouse's loading area, illusion shattering, Saffre looked down at the box containing her headphones. The headphones she had chosen for herself. She had made a decision…

She had made a decision.

Saffre dropped the box.

She had made a decision. Why did she make a decision?

Hands shaking, she stumbled out, leaning against the van for support.

She knew better! She knew that she couldn't make decisions like that! She couldn't be trusted to make decisions…

A thought flashed through her mind; of her hurting Neo.

Saffre's breath became ragged, body hot. Was she hyperventilating? She couldn—

Someone placed their hand over her heart.

Wide eyed, Saffre looked up. It was Neo. She needed to explain it to her! "Neo, I—"

Something hit her in the stomach. Looking back down Saffre saw that Neo had shoved her box into her. Saffre reflexively grabbed it.

Looking back up at the other girl she noticed that Neo looked annoyed.

Saffre took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she focused on the hand over her heart. On the pressure against her chest, on the warmth she felt through her shirt. She felt her racing heart slow down.

Opening her eyes, she continued to look down. "Sorry."

She needed to try at least one more time to tell her.

"Neo. I can't—," was all she got out before Neo flicked her on the forehead.

Rubbing her forehead Saffre looked up.

Neo removed her hand from Saffre chest. She then pointed at the box, then jabbed Saffre in the chest with a finger before rolling her eyes.

Saffre meekly nodded, gripping the box a little tighter.

With that, Neo motioned to the rear of the van. They had a lot of equipment they needed to unload, and Neo still needed to ditch the van.

Saffre gave her another, firmer, nod. She couldn't trust herself, but she could trust Neo.

Hanging up the phone Roman poured himself a glass of whisky.

He still had a headache from his 'conversation' with that idiot Junior, but it was done. He would be working with the White Fang from now on.

Roman took a drink from his glass.

He could already feel that things were spiraling out of his control… Then again, things had already been out of his control for a while now. At this point he was back to being an underling.

Looking around at his well-furnished office, large wooden desk and all, he let out a humorless chuckle.

Roman had come a long way from when he had run with the Spiders in Mistral, but at the end of the day all he had really accomplished was replace Lil' Miss Malachite with someone else.

He took another drink at the thought.

At least this time he had one person in this world he knew he could count on. Two if he wanted to take a bet.

He was a survivor. From starving and cold on the streets of Mistral to organizing heist in Vale; he knew he would survive this.

He downed the rest of his drink.

Roman needed a vacation.

Author's Note:

Not often do I write something I am genuinely proud of, but I am damn proud of that scene with Saffre and Neo in the loading dock. Also, Roman needs a vacation.