Salem looking around the table- too many open spaces. One was excusable; she was still recovering from her wounds, even though a year had passed. Another? Debatable. The Forever Knight was still a mystery, even to her.
The third?
In a way, she understood Albedo's anguish. She felt the same when Ozpin passed.
Of course, there was a notable difference between the two traumas. Neo was still alive, Ozpin was dead (at least at the time). Salem couldn't take his weeping any longer.
"Mercury," Salem said. Her voice immediately made the laid back Mercury sit straight up. "Go retrieve Albedo from his lab."
"Alright," he huffed. "Give me a minute."
Mercury Black hadn't changed much within the year. He was a bit taller (thanks to the prosthetics being modified) and had more prominent muscles. His hair hadn't changed much either- still messy and grey. His outfit consisted of a light grey jacket and long sleeved dark grey shirt (he still didn't know if they worked together), with black pants that were tucked into his heavy boots. He scratched the side of his face. He hated having to do this.
Mercury approached Albedo's door. There was usually the faint sound of typing or tinkering or welding or something. Mercury half expected to see Albedo's corpse laying on the table, but instead he opened the door to see him still alive. He was hunched over his desk, shaking his head. A single dim light lit the room up.
"Yo. Albedo," Mercury called out. "Salem wants you to attend the damn meeting."
Nothing.
"...Albedo, come on."
Yet again (and not to his shock), nothing.
"Dude, come on!" Mercury yelled. "It's been too long since you've come to an actual meeting. Are you seriously still mop-"
Albedo threw his work pen at Mercury. His aim was far more deadly than imagined, slicing past Mercury's cheek and sticking into the wall.
"Go. Away," Albedo growled. It was the first time Mercury had seen his face in a while. He looked exhausted. The bags under his eyes were worse than usual.
"A-alright," Mercury stuttered, feeling blood flow down his cheek. "I'll...leave you to it."
"Give my apologies to Salem," Albedo said, rubbing his eyes. "I know my attendance has been lackluster, but..."
"Yeah, yeah. You're going through a lot. Whatever," Mercury scoffed, slamming the door behind him.
Albedo frowned. "...'Going through a lot' is an understatement."
Have you ever felt that long term pain? It can range to a wide array of things- incredible emotional pain that cuts into your heart like a knife, debilitating health that puts you in bed for months, or just that feeling of...having nothing to live for.
Albedo came to Earth to find answers. He gathered some great data, having studied Ben and his team intently ever since he joined Salem. It was interesting to see how a hero operated from the looking glass- there were moves he hadn't considered and mistakes he cringed at...
And moments where he questioned the sanity of his team.
("Did Ceres just flashbang Ben?" he asked out loud one day.
Cass, who had been walking through the hallway at the time, paused. "...say what?")
Albedo had honestly enjoyed the slower days, because that's when he got to interact with Neo, the only person he spoke to on a day to day basis. Watts was more 'once or twice a week', Viktor was always busy with his day job cover and other work for the master, Cass and her team were at Beacon, Tyrian was weird as fuck, and the Forever Knight and Cinder were always by Salem's side.
Roman was always somewhere. Albedo never knew where.
Albedo always appreciated Neo's company. As a human, she was naturally curious, much like he was. She could bounce off his personality with her quick wit and sass. It was fun.
And then he fucked it up.
It took Albedo some time to really realize his mistake, and how immense it was. It was a small fight, in his mind. He said the wrong thing at the wrong time, and she'd just avoid him for a while in an attempt to get over it. And that's what she did. She no longer sat closest to him at Salem's meetings, nor did she visit him in the lab.
Albedo just thought her heart needed time to heal.
And then...Neo disappeared without a trace.
"It's fucking impossible," Cass declared as she told Albedo the horrible news. "This place has the highest tier Grimm- ones that can just feel you from miles away. I'm not even mad, just...impressed. How did she do it?"
Albedo stared off into space.
"...Albedo? You okay?" Cass asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
He shook his head. "Huh? I-I was distracted. I apologize."
"You? Distracted?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "That's a first. You're usually the most attentive listener I know."
"I just need some sleep," Albedo said, faking a yawn. "That's all."
Cass gave him a look but didn't press. "Alright, get some rest. We're just gonna figure out how she escaped..." she trailed off as she closed the door.
Albedo turned back to his computer. Words he'd just typed out carefully looked blurry and incomprehensible to him. The Atlas cameras he had hacked into, the ones that kept watch on Ben's apartment...he felt...envy watching Ben and Ruby laughing as they watched something on screen. It wasn't in his nature to be envious, but...
He just pushed it aside and took a deep breath.
Push away that pain.
It just got worse and worse from there on out.
Hazel opened the door, two mugs in hand. The room was dusty and messy, with machines whirring loudly because of said dust. Albedo smelt awful, with his hair unkempt and shaggy, which was totally unlike him. His eyes were tired and bloodshot.
"...what do you want?" Albedo asked, his voice now different from Ben. That caught Hazel off guard.
"You've not been doing well," he finally said, matter of factly. He set a mug down. "I just wanted to see if you needed someone to talk to."
"About what?" Albedo said, looking away. "You're not the most social creature around."
"I know." Hazel frowned. "And the fact I'm giving enough of a damn to reach out to you should REALLY say something."
...he had a point. Albedo had to at least hear him out.
"I've lived a life of many regrets, kid." Hazel said. "I could've done this, or that, or...just about anything. I never spent enough time people, spent little time with studies, all that stuff. I regretted it, but I later made up with it."
"Good for you." Albedo said, taking the mug from the table.
"I've been on the Earth longer than you have, figuratively and literally. And I too made mistakes." Hazel went on. "Cleaned them up as best I could. But...there's one I could never correct."
"...what was that?"
"I wish I went with my sister, on her final mission, honestly," Hazel said, squeezing the mug in hand. "Spent some time with her. I don't know how things would have gone had I been there, but...I'd feel better, knowing she wasn't alone when she..."
"...I'm sorry for your loss," Albedo said quietly, squeezing the handle of his own mug.
"...you can still fix what you lost, you know."
The two stared at the horizon for a while. Albedo had an open window in his lab, for a bit of air flow.
"...so. Are you going to go?" Hazel finally asked.
Albedo said nothing as he activated his gauntlet. "Give Salem my regards," he said as he slapped down the face plate.
It was raining. Albedo walked through the small Mistral town, crowds of people with their umbrellas up. His first impression told him it was a seedy place. He could see illicit crimes going on around him, but he didn't care to speak up- if they were just gonna do it out in the open, justice must be a joke here.
Albedo had made a lot of progress since he left Salem...how long ago was that? Three months? Four? He had no concept of time. Whatever. Since he left Salem, he had been tracking down Neo with whatever details he could find, with the occasional job to get some money for food.
The way he had to get info was kind of sleazy- he had to talk with all of Roman's old colleagues. Most of them were just as snarky and underhanded as he was, and yes, all of them tried to steal his watch. But most of them lacked info on Neo's whereabouts. All interactions went the same way too- intro, banter, ask about Roman, funny story involving Roman, expression of how sad they were about his death, then asking about Neo...and nothing really coming up there.
Considering how Albedo once brushed off his death, this felt like proper punishment.
And then he met some crazy girl in a lizard hoodie. He did not know how she and Neo were acquainted, and she may have tried to bite him a few times, but hey, he finally got info.
From what his source said, Neo made frequent appearances around a certain bar. It was strange- she wasn't old enough to drink, nor did she express an interest in it. But nonetheless, this was a hangout spot for her.
Albedo parted some hair from his face- he honestly looked like a mess. He hadn't been focused on appearance for quite a long while, and that was on him. Hell, even if he did find Neo, would she still look at him before-
Albedo shook his head. No. He couldn't think back to that memory.
It made him feel...weird.
Albedo stopped at his location- the place was called 'The Broken Heart'. Albedo rolled his eyes at the awful name, but walked inside all the same. It looked pretty standard, with some tough-looking individuals drinking and gambling on card games. He could understand why Neo hung here. It was probably a place that-
Albedo shook his head. He didn't want to feel weird again.
And then he saw her, sitting alone at the bar.
Albedo slowly approached from behind. He had to choose his words very carefully. This situation was too fragile to be broken anymore.
Albedo cleared his throat. "Hello."
Neo turned around.
Her reveal was in slow motion. She looked...tired. Frazzled, maybe. Her hair was longer, her eye colors inverted, and most of all-
The hat.
Roman's hat rested upon her head. It looked like it was made for her.
Albedo couldn't tell what Neo's expression was- surprised? Neutrality? Whatever it was, maybe it meant she was open to talk...
...wait, no, scratch that. Her hand swiped a beer bottle, which she promptly broke over someone's head. And then she dropped the bottle at Albedo's feet.
Bye, Neo signed, quickly disappearing from sight. Albedo blinked as the victim rubbed his head in pain.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" he yelled, turning around to see the supposed perpetrator. "WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM, KID?"
"I-" Albedo sputtered, lost for words. Neo was chaotic by nature, but this was just fucking insane. "Listen, this is all a big misunderstanding-"
The man didn't listen. He took a swing at Albedo, but the boy ducked under the fist, instead striking another patron in the face. And you know how that domino falls. One thing led to another, and suddenly Albedo was in the midst of a bar fight.
He ducked under some fists and chairs, even striking back with the occasional kick to the face, but even then, his human form wasn't exactly fit for combat. The idiot who caused the ruckus punched Albedo in the gut, causing him to stumble back into a wall. The bastard lifted him up by the collar and laughed.
"Don't pick fights you can't win, twink," the man sneered. Albedo rolled his eyes as his hands drifted over to the Ultimatrix. He slapped down the faceplate, and the man was suddenly blinded by a red light- he covered his eyes, cursing Albedo for his presumed flash grenade.
...except the kid's neck suddenly felt thicker and fluffier.
He rubbed his eyes to see an evolved Arachnochimp in the man's chokehold. The man nervously backed away.
"...I'd like to apologize," the man declared, trying to save face. Albedo's eyes narrowed, and his jaw unhinged as he sprayed down the guy in a thick cocoon of webbing. He didn't have time for this nonsense, he had to chase down Neo-
"HEY!" someone yelled. "SOME GRIMM WEBBED UP TONY! GET 'IM!" People were suddenly pulling out their weapons, ready to kill Albedo. He frowned as he dodged swords and axes and occasional bullets- despite his large size, he was quite agile. He jumped up onto the ceiling and spewed webbing from his mouth, making a giant mess of the place. Albedo fell to the floor- a few stragglers were still left as they prepared to fight Albedo head on.
Of course, that never happened, because he just whacked all of them away with his giant scorpion tail. Not to brag, but Albedo's fights were a lot quicker than Ben's because he actually used most of his brain.
Albedo rushed out of the building and looked around. Neo couldn't have gotten too far. Only one minute had elapsed between the bar fight and now, and the streets were much clearer around here. He'd just have to use instinct from here to track her.
Suddenly, a pebble hit Albedo on the head. He instinctively looked behind him- it was Neo's signature way of getting his attention, and sure enough, there she was, sitting on top of the bar sign.
"Neo." Albedo began, "We need to ta-"
But Neo didn't respond. She leapt off the platform, landing a decent blow on the evolved Arachnochimp before her form shattered like glass. Albedo stumbled back, and Neo charged at him from a new angle, digging her heels into his back. Albedo screeched in pain.
Neo pushed him back with a flurry of stabs from her heels, backing Albedo up against a wall. He hissed as he swung his tail around, swatting Neo into a dumpster and causing her body to shatter. Albedo frowned as he turned to look down the way- Neo was standing there, twirling her parasol.
"You've been an exceptionally hard person to find, Neo," Albedo stated. "I just want to talk."
No response.
"It's important that we just address the situation before anything gets worse."
Again, no response.
"...the silent treatment is especially harsh coming from you." Albedo spat some web at her. Neo simply put her parasol in front of her, blocking the attack. She spun it around a few times before flinging it back at Albedo with ease. The webbing wrapped around Albedo's face, obstructing his view...and his mouth.
Albedo didn't dare pull the mess off his face. He instead did something smart- he hit his Ultimatrix symbol, transforming into the weaker but much more flexible form of a Polymorph. The webbing on his face slowly melted off.
Albedo looked around- Neo was gone. Probably for real this time. He cursed under his breath as he reverted back to human. He'd failed to have a real conversation with her, to say what he'd been dying to say for a long while now.
...the rain suddenly felt especially cold.
After the bar incident, Neo decided it'd be best to ignore her problems and go on with her (now) daily life. You know, like a normal, healthy person would do. She woke up at 7 AM in her seedy little apartment that Miss Malachite had been so kind to rent for her. She'd wash up, curl her hair, and properly disguise herself into her 'alter ego'- a librarian named Romana DeWick, who naturally worked at a library in town.
Finally, she'd eat whatever she had in the fridge, bag up one of the sandwiches she made a day or two before and go on her way.
It was...a quiet life, to be honest. Neo's previous occupation serving under an immortal Goddess hellbent on destroying the world or the Gods- Neo could honestly never see her angle- was a bit more...stressful. Very, very stressful.
Neo's job wasn't that hard either- just sorting books and making sure the idiots who returned them hadn't ruined them somehow. She never really did checkout because of the electronic server that people used, mainly because of social anxiety.
Which was understandable. The people that went here were almost as quiet as she was.
...well, except for today's outlier.
He approached her while she was busy reshelving some returned books.
"...you should work on your aliases more, you know," Albedo said quietly. Neo just ignored him. "Are we not going to talk about what happened last night?"
Neo frowned as she put a book back on the shelf. What's there to say?
Albedo frowned heavily. "You started an entire bar fight to ignore talking with me, Neopolitan."
...she'd never heard him say her full name like that.
Yeah? And what of it? Neo wheeled away the cart, Albedo trailing behind.
"Listen, I know you're still mad at me." He sighed. "Well, I knew the second you broke that bottle, but please, just hear me out."
Neo stopped the cart, finally turning around. She blinked, and her usual brown and pink eyes stared at Albedo. Fine. I'll give you five minutes.
Albedo swallowed dryly. "I...I realized what I said then was rather inappropriate. I understand why you were hurt; in that moment, you needed someone to comfort you. Someone to just...tell you everything was ok. I didn't realize that I should've been that one."
...why didn't you realize it?
"I just...I'm used to acting without a heart in mind."
Neo's face softened. She forgot Albedo had a life beyond Earth, at some point.
"I also just...missed our little chats, our banter, our 'missions'...I never..."
Neo could only stare in shock as actual tears welled up in Albedo's eyes.
"I never made it my intention for you to hate me," he sobbed softly. "I never wanted you to think I thought less of you. You're phenomenal."
Neo stared, eyes wide.
"...do you hate me?" Albedo asked, his voice soft and so, so fragile.
Neo had never heard him that sad and heartbroken. Ever.
...I never hated you, she signed. I was just...I was mad, yeah...but I don't hate you. Neo wrapped him in a hug. I missed you.
Albedo froze in shock before hugging her back. And for the first time in a full year, Albedo felt at peace. Neo's embrace invoked feelings of warmth, compassion, and safety, like a momentary salvation from the bitter cruelty of reality.
Neo finally looked up at Albedo and freed her hands. ...you smell awful.
"I apologize," Albedo said, wiping his eyes. "I...I haven't exactly been focused on hygiene as of late."
I think you need a good shower...and a meal, Neo said. A good one.
"...I would appreciate that."
Albedo slipped on a freshly washed shirt, taking in the pleasant scent of detergent. Whatever Neo used, he liked it. It made him feel like he was being hugged by her again.
Of course, another scent caught his nose-
"Did you make chili fries?" He asked, hoping he didn't sound too eager.
Neo nodded as she put some fries on a plate. Vegan recipe. It's a little healthier than something from Burger Shack.
"I'll take it," Albedo said, relieved. "I haven't had these in a while."
Neo raised an eyebrow. Seriously? We used to eat these almost twice a week.
"It felt wrong to eat them without you," Albedo admitted. "I instead decided to opt for whatever Cass or Emerald brought me."
I see, Neo said, as she gave Albedo his plate. Now...I wanna ask something real quick.
"And what would that be?"
You didn't come all this way just to bring me back to her, did you?
Albedo shook his head. "I'm done with my research. I have no further use for her."
Neo blinked. ...Then...did you just come to say goodbye? Because I remember you saying you'd leave once you had answers.
"Nope. I'm going to remain on Earth," Albedo declared. "I just want to spend some time with you."
Neo grinned. Well, time to submit my work notice.
"I do have one question for you, however." Albedo folded his hands together.
Sure. Neo shrugged. What's up?
"...how did you escape from Salem's domain?" Albedo asked, practically begging for the answer. "All of us were baffled. How did you make such a daring escape?"
Neo's face drooped. Truth is...I... almost didn't survive the attack. I don't have a fancy Ultimatrix like you, so I couldn't use...what did I call him again?
"Which one?"
Flying manta ray guy.
"Oh, you gave him the name Jetray," Albedo said.
Yeah, so, I couldn't exactly use Jetray to fly overhead and fight off whatever airborne Grimm were trying to stop me. I had to travel on foot, through two miles of Grimm territory. Neo rolled up her left sleeve, revealing a nasty bite mark. Beowulf tried to rip off my arm. Probably would've succeeded if I didn't stab him in the head.
"Dear lord," Albedo uttered, eyes focused on the mark.
That's not the only scar I got. Neo rolled up the sleeve further, revealing a slash wound. Imp got a good scratch in- lucky bastard.
"Something tells me it didn't end there," Albedo said.
Neo rolled up the back of her shirt, revealing a deep and nasty cut. I don't even know what made this mark. It just made me run faster.
"...Neo, out of all humans I know, you probably have the strongest will of them all," Albedo declared. "I'm impressed."
I appreciate your compliments, but...I hate the reasons I have these scars. Neo frowned. We didn't talk things through. I was too scared to reach out to you, and instead of addressing the elephant in the room, neither of us decided to make a move. We were stupid.
"...we were, weren't we?" Albedo bemused.
I just got back on my feet a few months ago. The stress and unresolved emotional trauma took a lot out of me. It was also harder to find help because, guess what? Neo's face turned a little annoyed. No one knows sign language. Had to use the 'notebook to communicate' technique.
"I'll be honest, I only got back on my feet a while ago as well," Albedo said. "Hazel of all people was the one to talk me through the ordeal. I've been out of the loop with their plans for the past few months, but..."He pulled out a small communicator. "They've found the Corrodium clusters. Phase two is still in development."
Neo frowned in thought. Still enough time to take her pale ass down.
"I suppose. We can't go it alone," Albedo pointed out. "I have an idea, but I'm not sure you'd like it?"
Ally ourselves with the heroes? Neo asked, raising an eyebrow. Make a heel-face turn?
Albedo smiled sheepishly. "You read my mind."
Had the same thought. Decided against it at the time because Atlas is cold as hell. Neo shivered for emphasis.
"I believe the heroes at least stand a chance against Salem," Albedo thought out loud. "Tennyson received a prototype of mine, a predecessor of the Ultimatrix. He's been handling the Drive forms well enough. So...unless things go awry..."
Hey, I just noticed...your voice.
"What of it?"
It sounds...different.
"Really? I hadn't noticed." Albedo's voice was deeper, more calm. Ben's voice had somehow been interchanged with a much more smoother voice. It honestly suited him.
(A/N: Albedo now sounds like Johnny Yong Bosch. Prepare for Yu Narukami jokes.)
Yeah, like, the last time I heard it, it sounded more like Ben. Now, it just sounds like you're somebody else entirely, Neo signed. I barely recognized you when you spoke last night. She ran her fingers through his long hair. Jeez, I barely recognize you now. The white hair and red eyes is the only real giveaway.
Albedo took a lock of his own hair and rubbed it between two fingers. "I suppose it has grown a bit too long."
You look like a character from a popular anime. But it's only popular because of character interactions, Neo said, mentally going through a list of such animes.
"Well, what do you want to do with it?" Albedo asked her.
I'm no hair stylist, but I'll see what I can do. But I'm sure as hell not gonna put it into a ponytail. Neo said firmly. You don't see yourself as a ponytail guy, do you?
Albedo chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope. Not one bit."
Neo grinned. His new laugh was especially cute.
Albedo followed Neo through the town's dark underbelly. From where she was working earlier, he never would have guessed such a nice looking city would have a place so decrepit and corrupt. Punkish thugs gave Albedo a look of pure hatred...that immediately turned fearful the second they saw Neo walking with him. Their eyes darted away.
"What's their problem?" Albedo asked quietly.
Oh, don't worry. They gave me the same glares when I first passed through here, Neo explained. Then I broke their bones and stuff.
Albedo rolled his eyes. "Need you be so forceful?"
Hey, I can't exactly scream at them now, can I? Neo asked as they arrived at what seemed to be a closed down tavern. Neo rapped the front door. A sliding plate opened, revealing a pair of eyes from behind.
"Speak the password," the eyes commanded. Neo gave the pair of eyes the finger. The plate shut and the door opened, revealing a Faunus girl with brown hair and blue cat ears poking through her hair. "Sorry, sorry, bad joke."
And yet you make it everytime, Tay, Neo huffed.
Taylor stepped aside and let the two of them into the tavern. On the outside, one would think the place was abandoned. On the inside though, it was a different story. The first floor was as vacant as one would expect but, after closing and locking the door, Taylor led them behind the public bar. She pressed a button under the counter and one of the nearby walls moved aside.
"Boss is in her usual spot," Taylor said, motioning them to follow, "but I'd be a little patient. She's got a meeting going and, last time I checked, it was going too well for the other guy."
"That's reassuring," Albedo muttered darkly.
Don't worry. I'm like a third daughter to her. She'll be nice to me, and since you're a friend of mine, she'll treat you nice too, Neo said, smiling at him.
Albedo nodded...and, when Neo wasn't looking, grinned like a loon.
It was nice to be called 'friend' again.
As the three descended, they found themselves in an oriental styled speakeasy. It was a full lounge area, full of people all wearing purple somewhere on their person. It was jarring, but as Albedo looked around, he noticed the other connection. It was rather obvious with some of the patrons, but they all had the same tattoo somewhere on their skin, a tattoo of a black widow spider sitting in its web.
As they walked through to the back, Taylor waved at two men in black suits with purple ties and glasses, standing on either side of a door.
"Hey guys," She smirked at the bouncers, "How're things going?"
The trio suddenly heard a screech of pain from behind the closed door.
"...bad, from what it sounds," Albedo noted.
"Ergh," Taylor said, shifting uncomfortably. "That's...that's not good."
One of the bouncers put two fingers to his ear, turning on his earpiece radio. A voice came through and the bouncer nodded a few times. Without a word, he opened the door as what seemed to be a member of the syndicate hobbled out, supported by another bouncer. He was clutching the bloody stump where his hand used to be.
"Reaaaaaally not good then...okay. Maybe she's in a better mood now!" Taylor declared, hoping she was right.
Albedo just looked at his hand. "Hopefully that doesn't happen to me." He his his hands in his pockets.
"Uh, well, it shouldn't. That guy must've just fucked up royally. She doesn't usually do the hand-cut-off punishment unless you cost her BIG. Last guy who did lost both hands because he was skimming money off some of her deals," Tay tried to reassure him, even though her cat ears twitched nervously. She led them into the back room where they saw three people.
Two of them looked nearly identical to each other, twins maybe. Both of them had pale skin, black hair, and green eyes with eye makeup. The only thing to really tell them apart were their attire...and their weapons. One of them wore a bright white dress with a puffy scarf around her neck. A white flower hairpin rested on the left side of her head. To finish the look, a white bow was affixed to the front of her dress, right on her chest. Her weapons were, oddly enough, her heels, which seemed to be sharp enough to actually cut through strong surfaces. The other one wore a mostly red and black ensemble with red gloves and a black choker. She was actually cleaning one of her weapons, one of two dual-clawed gauntlets. Given the towel she was using was now stained red, it was obvious what she had just done.
Miltia gave Albedo a strange look. "Who's the guy?"
"I'm a friend from her old job," Albedo interjected smoothly. Neo's heart fluttered as he called her 'friend'.
"Are you that asshole that disregarded her feelings?" Melanie asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"...no," Albedo lied, like a liar.
"What's your name?" Miltia asked, tone much more pleasant.
"Albedo."
"Albedo? That's your full name?" Melanie scoffed. "No last name?"
"Am I supposed to?" he asked, bemused. "If that's the case...Neo, can I take your last name?"
He was so sincere Neo wanted to die.
Taylor gave her a slight nudge with her elbow, as if to say, Yeah, I see what's going on between you two.
"What's going on out there?" A southern voice yelled.
"Nothing, mother. Neo's just popped in," Miltia called back.
"Really?" The owner of the voice walked into the room. She was a heavy-set, middle-aged woman with skin only slightly less pale than her daughters. She wore an ornate white and purple backless dress. Her shoulders were exposed, showing the exact same spider tattoo that the patrons outside wore on her left. In her right hand was a paper folding fan.
Neo bowed before her. Miss Malachite.
Malachite smiled fondly. "Neo, good, you're here. Maybe you can buoy my mood a bi-" Her eyes drifted over to Albedo. "...well, who's this?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
Albedo saw Neo bowed and thought it best to do the same. "I am Albedo, Miss...Malachite, I believe?" He looked to Neo to confirm it; he hadn't seen the full sign before he decided bowing was a good idea. She gave him a quick nod. At least he wouldn't lose his hand for that offense.
"This your friend you were gossiping about?" Miss Malachite said, unamused.
Neo nodded. We made up. We're fine now, I promise.
Malachite looked Albedo over, her eyes narrowing. To Albedo, it felt like a spider was sizing up its prey before striking.
"Well...if you insist," the crime lord eventually said, much to Albedo's relief. He hadn't felt that tense since that time on Kylmyys. The natives were not to be the friendliest people.
What was up with the stump guy? Neo asked curiously.
"Oh him? He decided it was a good idea to try and make a deal with a...less than friendly rival of mine. You've heard of the Wave right?"
Neo tilted her head. Can't say I have, no.
"Nasty bunch of criminals. They mostly deal in high-end contraband. Their most profitable ventures come from stolen Atlas tech. But they're far too...aggressive for my tastes. They follow of the philosophy of 'shoot first, don't ask questions.'"
"Typical petty theft. No class, no nuance, just pointless violence. I suppose that cleaving of the hand was to send a message to someone important?" Albedo asked.
Miss Malachite looked at him appraisingly. "The leader of the Wave...and to anyone else who thinks it's fine to make a quick buck at my expense. He wanted to sell some very valuable information to those bastards. Information that might have put them ahead of me in a, shall we say, certain market."
"What kind of information?" Albedo asked, invested despite himself.
"My spiders have been listening around, and we got a very lucrative tip. Now, considering you and Neo are here, I, in my famous generosity, could fit you into the job."
"I see," Albedo hummed. "I suppose I could lend a hand."
"Neo?"
I'm in, she signed. What's the job?
"Well, a little spider crawled along and told me of an important deal going on down by the docks," Lil' Miss Malachite explained. "At first, I thought they were just full of it- then I saw the pictures." She tossed one onto the table, and the others leaned in to see.
Taylor blinked. "What are we looking at?"
"A picture I received of the shipment," Miss Malachite said, fanning herself languidly.
Melanie examined the photo carefully. "Oooooh, damn." She passed it to her sister, and a grin spread across her face as well.
"We're hitting a jackpot tonight," Miltia announced cheerfully, passing the photo to Albedo. It looked like a cargo full of purple Dust- gravity Dust, if he remembered the color coding properly.
"I don't understand. What's the deal with this kind of Dust?" Albedo asked.
"People lose their MINDS over Gravity Dust," Militia explained before her sister could potentially insult him. "As in, they'll sell their firstborn child to get some." She shot her mother a dirty look.
"It was a joke, I promise," Miss Malachite groaned. "I said that to get you to clean up your toys when you were younger."
"I'm not sure whether you'd do it for real or not, though," Melanie hissed. Albedo just turned away- this was an awkward can of worms he wanted no part in.
Trust me. Albedo and I managed to trick Schnee employees into thinking he was one of their kids. Neo grinned. He's good, don't worry.
The crime lord smirked. "Really? Quite the con. I get the feeling you're going to do just fine here, Albedo."
"I've also gone up against a majority of the combatants in the Vytal Festival. I know my way around a battlefield," Albedo stated.
"At this point, I'm wondering if you're trying to get yourself hired," Lil' Miss chuckled. "Pretty good resume so far."
Believe me, Albedo is VERY flexible on the job, Neo bragged.
"Really startin' to wonder if you came here to help me with a job or if you wanted to give him one. Not complaining either way." Malachite's smirk briefly grew wider. "But onto business. You won't be going alone. Tay, Melanie, and Miltia will be going with y'all. I don't know who this deal's with, so I'd appreciate it if you also got anything on that front as well. If it's a new player in the game, I wanna know who it is."
"Agreed. Don't want anyone interfering with our plans," Melanie said. "It was bad enough that Beacon got wrecked and Junior had to shut down his club."
"Real shame about that," Miss Malachite said, fanning herself again. "He was such a good source of information. if only I had someone like that in Atlas. The blackmail material I could get from THAT 'high and mighty' city."
"Well, he wasn't that big a loss," Miltia said quietly. "I kinda miss him." Her eyes briefly flickered over to Neo.
"Ah, yes...many of us do," her mother said, her voice somber for once. "But it's probably not a good idea to bring up wounds like that. Even if some time has passed...wounds like that take a lot longer to heal."
Albedo felt even more uncomfortable, especially with how downcast Neo suddenly looked. "Let's...let's just get to the job now, shall we?"
"Yeah. Let's get this done," Melanie declared, taking charge of the operation… and hoping to bring Neo's focus away from her grief.
The meeting spot was in one of the lower warehouse districts of the city. In all honesty, it was exactly the kind of place you'd think of when imagining making a black market deal. Storage crates stacked high to form some sort of maze, and various parked airships. Security seemed to be light, but then again the people who organized this probably didn't know they'd been found out.
Neo, Taylor, and Albedo all peered around a corner, making sure they weren't spotted. The Malachite Twins had gone the other way- a pincer attack. A clever attack, too.
Alright, Neo said, pushing Albedo forward. Do your thing.
He reached for the Ultimatrix and twisted the dial a few times- holograms of aliens popped up, before he reached a decision.
"What's he doing with his-" Taylor asked as Albedo slapped down the gauntlet's faceplate. In a flash of red, he felt this odd sensation, as if his body was floating off the ground. His nerves swelled and bulged out as they crawled up his arm, traveling up to his face- they stung, but their pain was only temporary. Beige fur grew all around his body, covering up his eyes and clothes, and his jaw stretched out. He growled loudly as his three fingered hands grew sharp claws and his legs became more canine like.
Taylor rubbed her eyes and she nearly screamed- there was some weird bear dog monster hybrid thing in Albedo's place.
"What the hell-"
It's fine. This is his thing. Neo smiled, scratching the Vulpinmancer's head.
Albedo as Wildmutt stopped for a minute and began to listen. Heavy metal clanking on the stone floor of the warehouse yard. Normal sized footfalls and one set that was slightly lighter than the rest. A small individual. They were almost drowned out by the heavy thuds accompanying them.
Albedo growled, and Taylor backed away. "What the hell is he doing?"
Neo started to sign out. Imagine...how'd he say it...imagine if a dog could make a 3D mental map just from listening and smelling things. That's what he's doing. Figuring out how many people are here, what we have to deal with.
"The hell!? How can a weird dog do that!?" Taylor asked, her voice high pitched.
Neo shrugged. Alien biology.
"ALIEN?!" she exclaimed.
Neo immediately put a hand over her mouth. She didn't even need to sign anything, the message was clear.
Taylor blushed a bit as her attention turned back to Albedo. He was snarling at something. She didn't know what, though. Maybe it was a sign to do something?
Neo turned back when she heard him growling. She stepped back, taking her hand off Taylor's mouth, and drew the blade out from Hush. And that means the deal's starting.
"So, what do we do now?" Taylor asked, her voice thankfully quiet again.
As if on cue, the two parties walked into view. Both sides were equally familiar to Neo and Albedo. On one side was a certain rodent, or perhaps more porcupine-like, humanoid creature wearing an orange jacket. On the other, a group of individuals clad in purple robes.
We wait and see how it plays out, Neo signed.
The rodent-like individual stepped up to the leader of the robed men.
"So, ya got it?" he asked.
"Would we be here if we didn't?" the leader said, clearly annoyed.
"Look, I've had bad experiences with deals. Sometimes people show up to just straight up axe me instead of doing an honest black market deal. No manners with some people, am I right?"
Taylor gagged. "He looks so gross."
Neo frowned. He really does.
"You needn't worry about that. We're not like those more common cutthroats you're accustomed to. We serve a far grander purpose," the leader said, adjusting his hood.
"Oh you're one of THOSE guys, huh? Mystical, 'found my place in the universe.' Good on you. Now before you start trying to preach," the alien dealer began. On cue, two more of the robed figures carried forward a large container.
The leader of the robed men spoke up. "And, as per our deal, half the payment now, half upon delivery."
"Yeah, yeah. Your 'stuff', as per requested," Argit said, rolling his eyes. "Just lemme see my stuff."
The leader nodded towards one of his subordinates. The man stepped forth and handed Argit a suitcase.
Argit opened up the suitcase and whistled a bit. "Damn, what do you know? EXACTLY what I asked for. I'm actually shocked about this! Touched, even!" The interior of the suitcase was full of neatly arranged aquamarine crystals- taydens. Easily in the high hundreds, even a full thousand.
"It would be rather ungrateful of us if we betrayed you," the robed leader said smoothly. "It wouldn't suit us to underpay the help, now would it?"
"'The help'? Seriously? For a bunch of lousy crystals? Alright." Argit shrugged.
"'Crystals'...sure, let's go with that."
Right on cue, a large blur leapt out from its hiding spot and pounced on one of the robed men. Teeth clamped down around his neck and he was tossed around like a ragdoll.
"WHAT THE SHIT?!" Argit shouted out.
"I thought you said this place was SECURE!" the robed leader yelled.
"It IS! Er, was. It was before a giant dog monster showed up! How could I plan for that?!"
The man in the robes hissed. "This does not bode well..." He stepped to the side, disappearing from view. Argit, alarmed, grabbed the briefcase.
"W-what the-?! WHERE THE HELL DID HE GO?!"
Some of the other robed men pulled out guns and started firing at the beast. Only, when the bullets hit, the beast shattered like glass. Instead of killing it, they just let it move on, slicing through the back of another of their comrades.
Neo smirked as she twirled her parasol. Trick of the eyes, she thought as she flipped forward. Her parasol bashed into the more alien individuals, while the twins went ham on their own opponents. Even Taylor was getting in on the action. Now, where did the purple robed guy go?
The leader soon reappeared, stepping out from behind Neo, pulling out a jagged, scimitar-looking blade. He drew back his weapon, aiming right at her neck.
Neo quickly blocked the blow before jumping back. Oh, right. The famous 'disappearing men' trick. She'd seen it in passing, usually when some loser wanted to pay respects to Zs'Skayr. NEVER ended well.
"You would DARE interrupt this? You have no idea what's actually going on here, do you?" the leader began. Neo didn't care, it was that same stereotypical villain monologue you'd hear in a bad movie.
Neo rolled her eyes. Maybe she should mess with him a bit. She used her illusion powers to make it seem like she was also walking between the "barriers" or...whatever they used to move between shadows.
That got his attention. He stopped dead in his monologue and just stared in shock. "You...you've been blessed by him as well? And you DARE strike out AGAINST us?! So not just an idiot, but a HERETIC as well! The High Priestess will enjoy receiving your head. Further proof of my devotion!"
Neo just walked behind him...and chopped his neck. The man fell down, defeated. Neo frowned. Too easy.
Argit, at this point, had run away and hidden behind some storage crates, still clutching his suitcase full of valuable taydens. He could hear the fight still going on around him. Calling it a fight was being generous though- it was a slaughter. He thought he was safe from it.
Until he heard someone speak.
"You know, I never thought I'd see the day when 'criminal vermin' was so literal," Melanie drawled.
All Argit could say, as he froze up in fear, was, "Ooohhh fuck me."
The sounds of combat had died down, the last gunshot echoing out into the night. The Vulpimancer walked behind the shipping container and snarled at the criminal. Argit slowly backed away as Albedo reverted back to human.
"B-Ben!" Argit laughed hysterically. "Ahaha...uh, back on your bullshit, I see…"
"Something tells me your transport isn't gravity Dust," Albedo said, knocking on the metal container.
"What, you're just telling me off from buying a bunch of fancy containers?" Argit demanded. "And why the hell do you keep popping up around here, Benny boy? Are you DESIGNED to not let me get my damn profit? I'm trying to be an honest business person, damn it!"
Albedo's eyes narrowed. "Listen, rat. Dust usually isn't put in lead containers. Did you not think to question your transport?"
"Hey, all I know is that they paid me big to get this thing, okay?" Argit hissed. "I just have to drop it off at a rendezvous point, and-"
Albedo rolled his eyes. "Everybody stand back," he declared, twisting the gauntlet's dial. "If it is what I think it is...we could be in deep trouble."
He slammed down the dial, and his body started to 'float' once more. A burning sensation surrounded him- Neo could feel sweat forming on her forehead as she looked at the bright red light. It faded quickly, and Neo got a clear look at Albedo's new alien form.
It was a bulky alien in a heavy metal suit. The alien was hot, and not in an attractive way. Neo felt like she was in the middle of the desert just standing by this guy. Maybe there was a reason why that alien stayed inside the suit...
The suit itself was heavy, dark green-teal and oddly oven-like, with three slits capable of eye sight. The Ultimatrix symbol, naturally, rested on his chest.
"Stand back," Albedo's voice, now thick and Russian, warned the group. "This could get messy."
He opened up the container, and the eyes behind his suit grimaced. A purple light confirmed the worst. He shut the case and he gave Argit as much of a nasty glare as he could muster.
"Who gave you this?" he demanded to know, stomping over to the rat. The heavy metal stomps caused Argit to panic, and he sent some quills at his armor- but, duh, armor. They broke like toothpicks.
"I-it was just some dude in a robe! I don't question nothing! I just..." Argit was quickly backed into a wall. "I-"
"Where was the destination of this transport, rat?" Albedo snarled, grabbing the criminal by his head.
"...it...it was headed towards Mountain Glenn."
"Mount Glenn?" Taylor asked, bewildered. "That wasteland? Why there?"
"I told you, bimbo! I don't know! I don't question things!"
"You should start," Albedo said bluntly, throwing Argit to the ground. "It would suit your image as a 'honest business person.'" He made his way back to the case, twisting the dial on his suit before slamming it down again. In a quick flash of red, Albedo had changed aliens again.
The armor was gone, but his form was no less bulky. This new alien looked like a planet, green rock encasing a core of red and yellow energy. There were cracks and grooves in the planet's surface, snaking all over and connecting in ways that resembled continents, allowing the energy's light to seep out. Two similarly rock-plated arms were present for the form, but they weren't actually connected to the body; they hovered at the sides, like moons in a planet's orbit. There were no legs in this form, letting the planet-like alien simply float over to the case that held the 'gravity Dust.'
Melanie, who had seen this guy turn from a giant dog monster, to a living furnace, to a miniature planet, now saw him get closer to the suitcase.
"Um, what are you doing?" she asked, startled.
Albedo ignored her, focusing on damage control. The longer the suitcase was here, the higher the risk. He held out one of his arms and opened his hand, the air in his palm distorting. The same thing could be said about the air surrounding the case. Albedo raised his hand and the case rose as well. He balled his hand into a fist and the suitcase crumpled like a tin can.
But he didn't stop there.
Albedo brought up his other hand, air distorting in the open palm, and he made a motion with his hands, like he was crushing something between them. And the suitcase continued to crumple. Over and over, Albedo crushed the suitcase until it was the size of a marble. The material within was durable, yes, but nothing was immune to gravity. Taylor, the Malachite twins, and even Argit all flinched as they heard the metal and crystal be rended and shattered.
"There…" Albedo finally said, his voice deeper and somewhat echoing, before a flash of red returned him to human form. He sighed as he pocketed the toxic marble, already thinking ahead.
You good? Neo signed.
"Yes, fine. Just…"
Mountain Glenn?
"Yes. Why there?"
Well, guess I know where I'm going next.
"And what about Miss Malachite?"
She'll get it. I'll tell her goodbye after we wrap here.
"Speaking of wrapping up," Miltia interjected smoothly, "mind explaining why you just crushed our payday?"
Albedo winced. He hadn't even considered them. "How much would you have gotten if you had managed to get gravity Dust?"
"What?"
"Best guess." Albedo reached into his pocket.
"Uh…$100,000's the usual price for that, right?" Militia turned to her sister for confirmation.
For once, Melanie had nothing snide to say. "Y-yeah, but sometimes it's higher."
Miltia turned back to him. "I-I guess $100,000 is the minimum?"
Albedo quickly wrote out a check and handed it to one of the twins. "That should give you enough, and some more."
"Oh damn, you just have that kind of cash?" Miltia asked, giving Albedo an appraising look.
"Let's just say I have a job that pays well," he said with a small smirk.
"Huh...alright."
"Wait...so...you guys are leaving?" Taylor asked, her ears drooping. She couldn't help but read Neo's sign language.
"I know it's sudden, but there's much at stake here," Albedo explained as best he could. "In a few months, we may not even be here..."
"Wait...what? The hell are you talking about?" Melanie demanded to know. Miltia looked queasy.
...long story. We don't have time to explain it all, Neo signed slowly.
"What matters now is that you all stay safe," Albedo declared. His gaze softened. "And that I...make it up to Neo. For everything."
Neo looked at him and smiled. Coming from someone else, she probably wouldn't believe them. From him, though? No doubt whatsoever.
"Our destination is a few days away. But because of the secrecy of our mission, and the size of her legion...we may have to travel by foot and boat," Albedo mused.
Boat should be doable. Just gotta make sure we don't run into any of the water Grimm. Neo hefted Hush over her shoulder.
"I'm going to guess Grimm Sharks?"
Sharks, octopi, some other types.
"Of course," Albedo sighed. "You don't happen to know any sailors, do you? I assume you didn't swim here."
No, I took a plane once I could. Buuut I think we can get something set up. Should be easy enough.
"Good. We can leave...whenever you want, I suppose."
Great. Neo smiled cheekily. Next stop, Mountain Glenn.