I really dislike when fics spend time putzing around and not getting straight to the point. Stop talking about toys and video games. Throw some punches.
Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Neo had put quite some distance between herself and the town by now. In an effort to escape Roman and Albedo, she'd run back into the licorice-tree forest, clutching the crown of candy she'd just stolen as tightly as she could without breaking it. She just needed...she just needed time. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out her chest when she finally stopped, slumping against the thick red trunk of a tree in the forest. She set the crown beside her and pulled her knees up to her chest.
Of all the people to expose her...why did it have to Roman? And of all the people to hear it first, why did it have to be Albedo?
See, the worst part was that Roman wasn't lying or just messing with her. She had lied to Albedo. It felt like years ago now, so she'd never gone back to explain things properly. She told Albedo that she'd been raised in an orphanage, turned to crime for survival after she ran away from it.
That was a cover story she and Roman had devised. She wasn't exactly comfortable with telling Albedo the truth back then.
She wasn't an orphan. She knew her parents very well, though she sorely wished she didn't.
Her parents were the worst kinds of parents, the ones who clearly didn't want a child. They wanted a prop to show how well off and sophisticated they were. Someone they could dress up and puppet around, make them say what they wanted so they'd look all high and mighty to their friends.
Maybe if Neo was born to a nicer family, a more understanding one, she'd be happier. Crime may not have even been an option, but it was her parents that drove her here. All because of how suffocating they were.
In a way, the multi-colored mute's story could be compared to a certain heiress' in a lot of ways. Weiss had Jacques, but, to Neo, she was lucky. She had a support system in the form of her siblings, her mother and even Ironwood before he went off the deep end. Neo was an only child and both of her parents were both akin to Jacques, just in different ways.
Jimmy and Carmel Vanille were two of the wealthiest and most prestigious people in Vale in their day. The former actually sat on the Council, being the city planner for Vale itself, and the latter presented herself as the typical rich housewife in public. They both had their ideal reputations and would go to whatever lengths needed to keep them untarnished.
But Neo didn't fit in their perfect little world. Mainly because "Neo" wasn't the name of their daughter. Neopolitan was the name of an imaginary friend that the two socialites' child saw and played with.
Their daughter's real name was Trivia.
Trivia hated her name. It sounded so dull and plain, nothing really special. All the other girls had fancy names, ones they could be proud of, but Trivia didn't have that ring to it. And that's what her parents intended. To keep her bland, flavorless, never give her anything to make her stand out. Why should they? They were just grooming her to be sold off when she was of age to some heir who would continue to use her like her parents did.
It was a menial existence. Neo just made it better.
Menial and, at times, terrifying. Trivia had been born without being able to really speak. Her parents assumed it was a defect that would heal with time or a special medical remedy. They even hired a psychiatrist to try and understand their daughter's condition, but any advice that professionals passed on to them fell on deaf ears. Maybe as a means to appease said doctor, they eventually bought their daughter a communication board. When a young Trivia was gifted the board, she was ecstatic, but she quickly learned what it really was. It was never a sign of her parents accepting her silence, but more a wordless admission from them.
We expect you to grow out of this. You are a Vanille and as such you must be perfect.
But despite her mother's begging and her father's more...physical means of persuasion, not a word left Trivia's lips. Her parents saw that silence as a personal slight against them. They even used it as a cheap means of trying to offer forgiveness.
Once, when Trivia was fifteen, she had drugged one of her personal tutors with a sleeping medication and snuck out of the house to go on a shopping spree. Well, more accurately it was a shoplifting spree with Neo's own influence. Among her "purchases" was a pink, paper parasol, the prototype to Hush. When she'd gotten home that evening with her ill-gotten gains, gains that were rightly and truly hers, she found things eerily quiet. She snuck through the house, hoping not to arouse suspicion. As she crept by the study, she could hear her father inside it, talking with someone.
"Yes. No, no, that'll be all. Of course, Commissioner. Just remember, keep this quiet and the rest of my donation comes through," Neo remembered her father saying into the phone. On the other end was the Vale Police Department's chief. When he hung up, he turned to face her. Thinking quickly, she used her by-now unlocked Semblance to take on the appearance of her mother.
"I know you must think you're quite clever, but I can tell when I'm looking at my own wife and when I'm looking at an impostor," Jimmy smirked, closing the study's automatic door behind Trivia, "Before you ask what that was about, you should know you'll be getting another tutor starting next week. The last one quit because of your sleeping pill trick. I've hired a new one...but that wasn't the only expense I've paid for today because of your antics. All the stores you've robbed, even the police chief himself, have all been persuaded not to escalate this into legal matters."
Trivia crossed her arms and looked away. This was her "rebellion," doing everything in her power to sully the name she'd grown to hate. The world would not remember the name Trivia as some dull girl who hung in the back of the room. They'd recall her being some ruthless criminal or petty thief that dragged the Vanille name through the mud.
"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" Jimmy frowned.
Trivia said nothing.
"Don't you give me your usual silent treatment bullshit." Jimmy growled.
Trivia tightened her grip on that pink parasol she'd stolen. All of this was supposed to be her's, but her asshat of a father just couldn't let that happen, huh? He just had to take it all away from her. Jimmy sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry...that...today hasn't been a good day for me. Some...business complications. I shouldn't have snapped at you. But...Trivia, what you did puts us all in danger," Jimmy apologized. Even back then, Neo knew he was trying to manipulate her. "Put us in danger?" More like put his status in danger. Then, he said something that made Trivia just see red.
"Just...speak. Let me hear my daughter's voice for the first time and all is forgiven. We'll make this right. I promis-" he never got to finish his sentence because Trivia threw her parasol at him like a javelin, almost taking his eye out. She was quite proud of that throw too.
Jimmy shuddered, before taking a deep breath. "...Okay then." He said, grabbing the parasol from out of the wall it stuck into. He examined it. "Something like this goes for quite a lot of lien...I'd promised that you'd return it promptly, but..."
Jimmy suddenly and violently snapped the parasol over his leg, and dropped the two broken pieces on the ground. "It seems you'll have to work to pay back the damages."
Trivia looked up at him, daring him to go through with that threat. How would it look if the daughter of the great Vanille family was caught doing menial labor? What humiliation would that bring? The message was probably received...but he took a different meaning from it. In the following three years, he'd install a sophisticated lock on the door to Trivia's bedroom. It was supposed to keep her out of trouble while her parents were out on business. Trivia had tried picking the lock, but the tumblers were stubborn. Then Neo reappeared. At this point in Trivia's life, Neo was almost like an angel, or rather, devil on her shoulder, giving her advice that she might have doubted.
So, how did an 18 year Trivia escape this prison? If your answer was "construct a homemade flamethrower to try and MELT the lock," you'd be right.
Didn't work. Almost burnt down the house. She never got the smell of smoke out of her room.
Trivia huffed, before flopping on her lawn. I need out of here. ASAP. She thought.
The blaze almost consumed the Vanille Manor, but, much to Trivia's chagrin, the fire department arrived to save that prison of a house. Her parents arrived shortly after. To say that they were furious would be an understatement, but her father seemed especially panicked. She wouldn't learn till later that he was less concerned with her life and more with a cache of illegally obtained fire Dust that he'd stashed away under the floorboards beneath her bed. One errant spark and the whole house could've gone up.
But Trivia didn't know that yet. Instead, she just thought that murderous look in her father's eyes was aimed solely at her accidental arson. He was about ready to slap her, and he almost did. The only thing that stopped him was Neo manifesting in front of her and taking the slap, shattering into pieces. Neo would never manifest the same after that hit.
A few weeks later, her parents had decided she was just too much to handle, so they decided to ship her off to a prep school, the same one her mother attended in her youth. Lady Browning's Preparatory School for Girls would surely whip her into proper shape, her parents thought. While she hated that school even to this day, she did have one positive thing to say about it. It was through that school that she met him.
"Sundae! I know you're out here! Look, I'm sorry about the whole long con thing!" Roman's voice echoed out in the forest, snapping Neo back to the present.
"Neo! Backstories are irrelevant most of the time, especially when your current self is probably nothing LIKE your past self." Albedo called out.
"Comforting." Roman scoffed.
"I'm at least trying. Emotions are a sour spot for me." Albedo frowned.
"I know. From what I heard, your little computer brain blue-screened when Neo kissed you on the cheek," Roman snickered.
"...you're going to be insufferable. Aren't you?"
"Part of my charm, Grey Matter. Part of my charm," Roman tipped his hat, "Why don'tcha come out and tell 'im all about it, Neo? Eh?"
Neo frowned, preferring to keep herself hidden. These memories were giving her a headache; it felt like her whole body was screaming at her for unlocking her traumatic past. No one should be subjected to the life she lived before he walked into it.
"Neo..." Albedo began again, "I'm not mad. I'm just...concerned. If you have something to get off your chest, you can tell me. No judgments from me. With my own past sins, it would be hypocritical of me. So...please. Come out."
Neo still wouldn't budge.
"...I've kept secrets myself, you know." Albedo said. "Things I know you probably wouldn't be ready to hear. I'd probably react the same way, if I was in your shoes."
Neo closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, slow her breathing. Her heart was still pounding at a mile a minute and she needed to stop going so fast. She knew he was right.
Just breathe, Neo. Just...just stop and breathe, Neo thought to herself as she took long, steady breaths.
Footsteps suddenly stopped in front of her. She didn't open her eyes- she didn't want to face him directly.
"...please." Albedo said, kneeling down. "...I want to hear you out."
Neo shivered a bit as she heard his voice. She knew he wouldn't judge, but her blood was running cold at the very prospect of saying it all. But not telling him would hurt him more. She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes still tightly shut, before she began to explain.
Do you...do you remember how Roman and I met? W-what I told you? Neo asked, Stupid question, I know but...
"I know he found you in an alley, and took you under his wing. But, I assume that was some cleaned up details to something else." Albedo recalled.
No. It...it was all a lie. A cover story me and him made up in case...in case I was caught by the police or Hunters. That way, they'd just see some poor girl who'd been suckered into a life of crime and...probably let me go, Albedo's girlfriend explained.
"...what really happened, Neo?" Albedo asked. He took a seat down next to her, and even placed his jacket over her shoulders to comfort her.
I was...I was at a stupid prep school because my parents wanted to make me a 'model rich girl daughter.' The headmistress offered me a deal. I could take some of the more interesting classes if I did one thing for her. Bring her Roman Torchwick.
"The...more interesting classes?" Albedo wondered.
The Art of Escape, Fencing, Self-Defense, things like that. But I started to question the agreement...so I broke into an off-limits room in the academy. It was a giant surveillance station, collecting blackmail on practically the entire city. All stored on a neat, little, data drive.
"The jewel you stole."
Yup...I stole it. Used it as leverage to save Roman's life. Guy called Hei Xiong was after Roman for moving in on his terf. Sorta...sorta started a gang war over it.
"Hei Xiong- that's Junior. I recall Yang telling me a story about how Ben drunkenly thrashed him around as a Gourmand." Albedo hummed.
Neo gave him a look.
"The gummy bear looking alien." Albedo sighed.
Oh, right, that one. Also, technically it wasn't THAT Hei. There's a reason the one we know is called Junior, Neo allowed herself a wry smile.
"Ah. You mean his father."
Yup. Long story short, me and Roman partnered up officially after the bloodbath was over. Lotta people died, including Hei Senior...and my parents.
"...oh." Albedo said. "I...did not realize-"
Don't worry. You would've hated them.
"Oh...I see..."
Put Jacques' worst qualities on two different people, Neo summarized.
"…one was bad enough. Can't imagine a second." Albedo sighed.
But that's how it was. I...I guess you could say I had an early start for my body count. I was only eighteen when that all happened, Neo explained. She was smiling, trying to keep a positive attitude, but small streams of tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"…I can see why you decided to keep that from me." Albedo said. "That's…a lot of swallow."
I just...the hurt associated with the truth never went away so I just...defaulted to the cover story, Neo rationalized.
Neo closed her eyes. But now, with you, I feel like I can be honest and maybe find some closure. I hope you can forgive me for lying to you before...
Albedo reached out and gently wiped the tears from Neo's cheek. "There's nothing to forgive, Neo. I understand why you did it, and I'm just glad that you trust me enough to tell me the truth now." She pulled Neo into a tight hug, offering comfort and support. "We'll get through this together."
Neo didn't say anything at first, just accepting the comfort that the Galvan human was offering. She needed it right now. Roman couldn't help but look on, leaning against one of the other trees and adjusting his bowler hat.
"Really got something special now, don'tcha, Sundae?" Roman muttered to himself.
Neo shot him a look. Shoo. Shoo. We're trying to have a moment.
Roman smirked earnestly, holding up a hand in surrender and walking off. An awkward third wheel he was not.
Albedo took a deep breath. "So…we're stuck here. What do we do now?"
Beats me. Neo huffed.
"Are you just going to...keep doing what you're doing?"
Sort of? Part of me still doesn't think this place is...entirely real, you know? Small part, but it's there. I won't go around blowing stuff up anymore though, if that's what you wanted to hear.
"You're...going to keep stealing?"
Steal? No. Mess around a little bit until we find a way back home. Might as well. I mean, we're sat under a tree with...I think this one has cotton candy leaves? Neo looked up to see if she was right.
"The Gourmands would love a world like this." Albedo mused, looking around. "Everything here seems to be edible."
Considering that their powers are based around eating? Yeah, Neo allowed herself to smile. She turned her attention to the crown and picked it up, looking over the royal sweet.
First thing tomorrow. I bring this back.
Albedo squinted. "...is that edible gold on the crown?"
Neo blinked, before sniffing it. Huh, you're right, actually. Wow. Chocolate wrapped in that stuff.
"No wonder that was kept in a cold place." Albedo said. "They were probably trying to keep it from melting under the two suns."
I...I never even noticed there were two, Neo realized, So busy with...everything that's happened. But...at least there are stars up there.
"The scariest part about this place is that we don't truly know WHAT'S out there. I'm in the dark, like you. Maybe your friend has better answers." Albedo said. Roman poked his head out from a corner.
"My ears are burning! You guys talking about me~?"
Just wondering if you know what's out here, Neo smirked.
"Well, in that case," Roman spun his cane in his hands as he spoke, "You probably saw some on the way into town, but it's not just the people that are made of candy here. Wolves made of white chocolate, gummy fish, cotton candy sheep, supposedly something called a 'Tracker Dragon' around here."
"A what?" Albedo asked.
"Townsfolk just say the name in hushed whispers for some reason. I mean it has 'dragon' in the name so, probably for good reason," Roman reasoned.
"Is...the whole world like this?" Albedo asked. "In this idyllic, edible fairy tale?"
"I asked around before Neo showed up. The answer...is no. Just this 'acre.' When I asked how many acres there were, they asked me how many stars were in the sky at night. Each one's different. Different environment, different flow of time, different people, so on and so forth."
"Should we venture out of here after returning this crown?" Albedo asked.
"Probably. I wasn't too sure myself what was out there, so I just...stayed here." Roman said. "It's not SO bad."
Maybe...maybe we could find the others who fell, Neo suggested, Emerald and Yang fell before me. Maybe they landed in a different acre.
"Don't expect me to roll out the red carpet for 'em. They'd sooner punch me then say 'Hey Roman! Long time no see!' ya know?" Roman chuckled.
"Especially not Ruby." Albedo said.
Neo froze at that.
"...you ok there?" Roman asked, picking up on the sudden change in Neo's posture, how rigid she'd gotten upon hearing that one name.
...did...did Ruby kill you? Neo asked. Or...or did she at least THINK she did?
"That's...a loaded question," Roman blinked, "Why do you ask?"
Before I fell...Vilgax told me that she killed you back at Beacon. But that...that couldn't be true, right? Why else would she be ok with me being around? I mean there was the usual awkwardness of letting a former ENEMY on your team but nothing beyond that.
"...oh boy," the crime boss sighed before he took off his hat. He placed the black bowler atop his cane and pushed aside his bright orange bangs, usually covering his right eye. There was a massive gash over his right eye, forcing it closed. In a way, it reminded Neo of what happened to-
"Yeah she has a thing about going for the eyes, apparently. If what you said about Cinder's true, anyway," Roman noted, "Not my only scar from Red either. I'd show it but I don't wanna make your boyfriend feel-"
"It is physically impossible for me to be intimidated by you," Albedo deadpanned.
"Ok, ok. For the sake of things, imagine this just on a wider scale. If she'd gone deeper, that oversized gardening tool of her's woulda cut me in two. Miracle I survived. The folk here patched me up as best they could. Said it was a miracle I could even move. So...yeah. I fully believe Red tried to kill me. Hell, she probably thinks she did! How could I have survived the fall in the middle of a Grimm swarm, right?"
So she had the intent to kill you...but she didn't. Neo went through the train of thought, But she thinks she did.
"Brutal, isn't it?" Roman huffed. "No wonder you didn't find a body."
"Everyone had assumed that reason for that was because...well..." Albedo trailed.
"Because-?" Roman asked before his eye widened in realization, "Oh. Ohhhhh, they think...yeah, that'd be the logical conclusion, wouldn't it?"
"So...are you still gonna blame Ruby for his 'death' or...no?" Albedo asked.
She didn't succeed but all this time...she looked me in the eye, called me friend...and she didn't even have the stomach to tell me? I don't blame her for killing him...I blame her for trying, Neo clarified, When I find Little Red, we're gonna have words.
Albedo closed his eyes. "Whatever your choice...I will support it."
...thank you, Neo nodded, happy that she still had Albedo's support for this.
The trio spent the rest of their night out in the sweet wilderness, taking turns to keep an eye out for any guards that decided to venture out and follow them. Much to Roman's surprise, there wasn't so much as a flicker of flame to denote a search party. Maybe these candy Afterans, Delectable Denizens they call themselves, were wary about venturing too far out into the forests. Whatever the reason, be it cautiousness or cluelessness, the runaways were never accosted by the guards, giving them a restful night.
A few hours later, the twin suns' light streamed down through whatever small openings were present in the candy canopy. Neo had gotten a nice amount of sleep before the sunlight rudely interrupted her rest, a beam of it seeming to shine down on her specifically. She silently mumbled as her eyes fluttered open to the early morning hours of the acre. Albedo was actually asleep next to her, leaning against her shoulder. Seeing him like that did make the colorful ex-con blush a bit before she gently pushed her boyfriend off so she could get up and stretch. She looked around a bit and noted that Roman was missing. Maybe he was just doing his rounds. She looked down to check if the crown was still where she left it and was thankful that it was. She picked up the crown and looked it over. The crown hadn't melted too much from being out of its refrigerated display.
Better get this back to 'em quick then, Neo thought to herself. She picked up the crown and went looking for her old criminal partner. Shouldn't be too long, right? Find him, bring him back before Albedo wakes up, then move to the town and return what she stole and help fix up the place. Definitely a lighter sentence than what Atlas would've dealt out for destruction of property. She wandered through the wilderness for quite some time before she saw Roman leaning against a tree at the edge of the forest.
Roman? Neo asked, tapping her old friend on the shoulder, Everything ok?
"Sorta," Roman shrugged, pointing his cane out towards some new visitors making their way to the candy town. Neo's first assumption was that it was Ruby and Yang or maybe even Emerald. She was less surprised than she should've been when she saw a patrol of plastic or wooden toy soldiers astride horse sticks making their way down the road.
Candy people and now living toys, Neo pointed out, Should've expected that really.
"So, there was another reason I took you to that specific cafe yesterday. Place is a rumor mill. And one little nugget of gossip got my attention. There's a royal birthday coming up."
What, you wanted an invite? Neo quipped.
"Not really. See, the guy celebratin' is...well he's kind of a brat. Imagine that Whitley kid your boyfriend dressed up as but younger, worse, and in charge. That's just a recipe for a tyrant. So parties like this are gonna get common. Patrols of soldiers forming up and going out to find the perfect gift for the little anklebiter."
O...kay? Aside from the guy being an annoying kid, I don't see how this is a prob-
"Neo, they don't use money here, remember? How do you think soldiers would get what they needed? What they wanted?"
...oh no, Neo's eyes widened before shoving the crown into Roman's arms.
"Oh for me? You shouldn't have," the criminal snarked.
No time for snark! Keep an eye on them! Neo ordered before racing back to Albedo. The Galvan in human form was still asleep, but he began to stir when Neo firmly grasped him by the shoulders and shook him.
C'mon, c'mon, wake up! Wake up! Neo panicked.
"N-neo! I'm up, I'm up!" Albedo quickly said.
Good. We gotta go. Some idiots are about to try and pull martial law shit. Again, Neo explained.
"What? Who-?" Albedo wondered, before Neo just grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him along. She brought him to the edge of the treeline and pointed out towards the now much smaller group, since they were farther away. In fact, the royal soldiers were at the gate and moving into the city.
Ok, forget time to explain. Let's just get in there! Neo exclaimed, making a mad dash for the city.
"Neo, wait-!" Roman called out, but his warning fell on deaf ears since even Albedo just raced after his multi-colored partner.
"You could at least make up a racket for this," Roman sighed before giving chase himself.
Thanks to the devastation that Roman's Cudgel shots had wrought the night before, the Delectables were more focused on fixing what was broken instead of chasing them down. An interesting little bit of insight into this Afteran culture, the Delectable Denizens, while they had their own laws and rules, were actually rather lenient when it came to punishments. They didn't believe in hunting down those who broke them as, once they were beyond the walls, technically their rules no longer applied. The only person who could extend the reach of their laws was the Duke or Dutchess of Desserts and there hadn't been one of those for many sunrises. So, instead of pursuit, they focused on rebuilding.
That was what the Crimson Soldiers came across when they entered the candy city, several Delectable Denizens pitching in and helping each other rebuild. A jewelry storefront had been shattered, a bakery's left-most wall had collapsed, and plenty of impact craters dotted the sidewalks, all thanks to Roman's flare shots. The toy soldiers shared a look amongst themselves and began muttering.
"Do you think now's the best time?" one soldier asked, "Looks like a Chewnami raged through here."
"Thought this place was as good as His Majesty's palace. Not really that impressive," another soldier said, tapping his trumpet-halberd on the candy cobblestone.
"Both of you, shush. His Majesty's glory is known through each and every acre! Surely these people can spend a few moments of time to give us what we came for," the lead guard stated, "Now, announce us!"
Two guards moved to flank the remaining four, both armed with the same strange weaponized instruments common to the Prince's honor guard. The trumpet-halberds were raised to the sky, the mouthpieces pressed against the soldiers' lips before they blew into them. An echoing and royal fanfare sounded out, grabbing the attention of all the Denizens that were rebuilding. The head guard stepped forward and produced a rolled up piece of parchment from their belt. They cleared their throat before unfurling the paper, revealing it to be much longer than its small size suggested.
"Attention, citizens of Reeze City! We are here on behalf of the Red Prince! As I'm certain you've all heard, His Majesty's royal birthday is approaching and, as such, we will need a cake! By royal decree, we have been dispatched to acquire the sweetest ingredients in the world for such a wondrous dessert! In order to honor him, you shall provide the following ingredients posth-!" the leader guard announced.
"Uh, sir?" one of the candy citizens interrupted, much to the guard's annoyance, "We're all for helping out with a cake. But we need time. The Crown of the Acre was stolen last night and the thieves caused quite a-"
"While we understand your plight, I'm afraid that the Royal Birthday takes precedence! So, the ingredients we need!" the head guard continued without really acknowledging the issue. The Delectables looked amongst themselves as the guard began listing off a comical amount of common cake ingredients, like eight dozen bags of flour.
"S-sir, we'd need that for reconstruction," one Denizen interjected.
"Then you will simply have to sacrifice it for the greater good!"
"Surely, there can be some compromise, right?" A gingerbread man suggested. "We understand the importance of the royal birthday, but if we could have a little time to recover, we'd be better equipped to assist."
The head guard considered the proposal for a moment but then shook their head firmly. "The Red Prince's birthday is a grand celebration, and no delay shall be permitted! You shall provide the ingredients immediately, or there will be consequences!"
"But if we don't take the time to repair what's broken, we won't be able to provide the best ingredients for the cake." Another baker said.
The other Delectable Denizens began to murmur in agreement, and some nodded in support of the gingerbread man's plea. The head guard, however, seemed unyielding, maintaining their stance. "Enough of this talk! I won't tolerate any further delays!" the head guard barked. "You will hand over the ingredients now, or you will face the consequences of opposing the Red Prince's decree!"
The gingerbread man took a deep breath, trying to remain calm in the face of the head guard's aggression. The candy citizens looked worriedly at each other, not sure how to proceed.
But someone else did.
The guard suddenly stumbled forward when a graham cracker brick struck them in the back of the head, shattering into pieces from the impact. The crowd and the other guards all gasped in surprise as the head soldier quickly regained their balance. With a scowl on their face and their hat now readjusted, the soldier looked behind them to try and figure out who struck them. Only for a second brick to come flying and smash into their head, flooring them from the impact. The crowd and their fellow guards winced in pain as the wooden soldier clattered to the cobblestones, their hat flying off their head. Absolutely enraged now, they bolted up, not even bothering to put their hat back on. They squinted their eyes and spotted their assailant, a trio of odd Afterans that they'd never really seen before. The shortest of the group, colored with pink, white, and brown, was holding an umbrella like a golf club after just taking a swing.
"You would dare disrespect a lieutenant of the Red Kingdom's guard?!" the guard shouted, more like shrieking with how high-pitched their voice got, "I don't know what acre you came from but they must not teach you to respect royalty over there!"
"Whatever 'acre' we came from did teach us not to tolerate people like you, so I think it's a fair trade off," Albedo fired back. Neo spared him a glance as that was the exact same comeback she just thought of. Same wavelength. Nice.
"And what type of people are we then?" the soldier inquired.
"Bullies. Extortionists."
"Half-tolerate extortionists. It's a good racket," Roman chimed in.
"Well, if you're so inclined to interfere with royal business, I hereby declare the three of you enemies of the crown!" the head guard declared, "Soldiers! Seize them!"
With that, the group of five toy soldiers rushed in to fight these new enemies of their kingdom, swords and trumpet-halberds at the ready.
Here we go, Neo mentally smirked.
"Here we go," Albedo said aloud.
Neo swiftly swung her parasol open, revealing its concealed blade. She deftly parried the attacks of the first few guards that had reached them, using the umbrella's sturdy frame to block their strikes. With a graceful spin, she knocked one of the soldiers off balance and followed up with a quick strike to disarm him. Her movements were fluid and precise, a dance of both defense and offense.
It captured the eyes of the people...and that made Roman think.
That schemer's mindset of his continued to work before his thoughts were so rudely interrupted by a charging soldier, halberd level and ready to slash into his coat. Considering how much the damn thing cost, he wasn't gonna let that happen. He dodged out of the way with ease, hooking the handle of his cane around the soldier's neck and pulling back, throwing the warrior aside as if they were a ragdoll. They managed to steady themselves before rushing in again with a flurry of heavy, sweeping slashes that Roman easily avoided. The criminal hooked the trumpet part of the polearm and yanked it down, ripping it free of the soldier's grip and slamming it into the royal soldier's chin with an audible crack.
As for Albedo, since the Ultimatrix wasn't quite working as it should, he had to do things the old fashioned way. A wooden sword came for his neck, but he was able to dodge out of the way of the clumsy strike. Clearly these soldiers had never really fought opponents like this little trio. With ease, he landed an open palm strike to the guard's arm, forcing them to stumble to the side, opening them up to a quick combo of jabs. Left, right, left, right, the Galvan in human form's fists thudded against the wooden body before he finished off the combo with a powerful uppercut.
Neo dodged a threeway attack from the guards around her, propping herself up and balancing on Hush's handle, the blade tip being a perfect anchor for this move. She looked over and caught sight of Albedo's hand to hand and raised a brow.
Didn't Albedo usually lead with the right?
Neo squinted, and huffed. Maybe he was trying to throw them off or something. She didn't really know. She stepped forward and did a brutal piercing strike with Hush, shattering a shield one of the soldiers was using. One of the soldiers tried to rush at her with a bunch of wild slashes, but she mockingly rolled her eyes. She flipped back and did some sort of parry pose. Idiot took the bait; Neo's body shattered like glass and reappeared behind to attack the soldier in the back of the head.
The Denizens were mesmerized by the elegance and power that this mysterious stranger and her companions were showing off, some of their candy eyes lighting up as if they had just a personal hero they never knew they all collectively shared. Roman picked up on that admiration as he dodged a wooden punch. He spun on his heel to avoid the hit and once again hooked the soldier by the neck. With a considerable amount of effort, the criminal threw his opponent over his shoulders with a wicked smirk.
Either inadvertently or perhaps even purposefully, he'd thrown the toy soldier towards Albedo. Another guard had rushed up to Albedo with their wooden yet still sharpened blade at the ready, only to be met with a powerful right hook from Neo's lover. He allowed himself a smirk before the body of the other guard collided with his own, knocking him off balance.
"Hey!" Albedo called out.
"Whoops!" Roman shrugged. The sudden collision had opened up Albedo's guard. The now recovered guard he was facing took the chance and thrust their "toy" sword forward. Time seemed to freeze for everyone as the Denizens, Neo, and even Albedo looked at what happened in shock. The only one who didn't really seem too surprised was Roman.
Neo was expecting Albedo to scream out in pain; he didn't have an Aura. Or for his body to hit the floor while blood pooled out of the wound.
...instead, he shattered.
Like one of her illusions.
The crowd gasped in horror and collectively took a step back from the scene. Even the guard that committed the deed looked shocked as their eyes looked down at the glass shards.
"Wha-? What just happened? Do- do you just shatter like that? Y-you must be from the Viridescent Cathedral, r-right? O-or the Timeless Desert? I've heard the people there-" the guard stammered, but the look in Neo's eyes just cut them off mid-sentence.
Her eyes were full of fear, pain, confusion and, most noticeably, hate. She had enough restraint left in her mind not to kill the soldier, through some miracle of sheer willpower.
But she was going to make them wish she did.
This entire time...he wasn't there. I've just been speaking to myself. How did I do that? How'd I make an illusion so realistic? Neo pondered.
How do I do it again?
"S-so um...no...no hard feelings?" the guard stammered, "R-right?"
"Piece of advice," Roman chimed in, "I'd run. Cause that was someone very important to her."
Neo slammed her foot on the ground, and the 'particles' traveled down her body and into the ground. As it spread across the ground, a bunch of Albedo's aliens suddenly appeared around her. Fasttrack. Gravattack. Chamalien. Various Ultimates.
A whole army.
Neo's eyes were constantly changing colors, pink, brown, white, brown, white, white, pink, she was having a hard time maintaining this new feeling...but she couldn't care less.
"...maybe we should heed him," one guard suggested, fear already causing them to shake in fear.
"Nonsense! We are the soldiers of the Red Prince's Court! We shall never run away from-!" the lead soldier began, before the large hand of Gravattack clutched their shoulder, "Aaaaaas I was saying, we never run away! But we may make strategic retreats!"
"You're gonna retreat." Gravattack grumbled. "You're gonna run. You're gonna tell your "prince" that he can shove it up his ass. And then, when he's done with his temper tantrum, he can see me personally."
"W-who are you!?" The guard gasped.
"Call her...the Duchess of Deserts!" Roman proclaimed. "And these...are her Jaw Breakers."
The threat from her illusion was enough to break the bravado of those guards, sending them running out of the city and all the way back to their beloved Prince.
Duchess? Neo wondered, turning to face Roman when the guards were out of earshot.
"Roll with it. You got the crown and if you're so intent on finding a way outta here, where better to get all the resources for a search, eh?" Roman suggested, "Plus..."
...they can help me find Red, Neo realized.
"Bingo."
Neo took a deep breath. ...I can work with this. I can...I can play the role. The long con. Not my first time...
"Yeah, see? Like old times." Roman said, putting his arm on Neo's shoulder. Neo stared at him, and then back at his hand. "...what, what's wrong?"
Sorry just…worried for a second. Neo said. I...for a second thought you were an illusion. Like Albedo...
"Need something to prove it?" Roman asked.
...kind of. Neo shrugged, with a small sigh. Apologies if I'm sort of just...flustered.
"No, no. I get it." Roman said, closing his eyes. "It's been a long day for you..."
Yeah that's...one way of saying it, Neo silently sighed.
"Learning I'm alive, getting Albedo back only to lose him again, learning that Red actually tried to kill me," Roman listed off, "A heist might not be enough to get your mind off things..."
Not...not this time, no.
"Then indulge. Really play the part. You're not just Neopolitan the Ex-Con, not anymore."
No one...really knows who I am down here, do they? Neo mused.
"They know you're the one who just saved them. Play the role." Roman grinned. "And well."
Neo thought it over for a moment. The more she considered it, the more the idea appealed to her. Eventually, her lips curled into a small smile before she held out her left hand to Roman. The crime boss smirked and flipped the crown into her open palm.
"Floor's your's, Duchess," Roman grinned.
Neo happily took the crown, and placed it atop her head. Then, her semblance started to 'modify' her outfit- in the blink of an eye, Neo was now wearing a white floor-length dress with puffy sleeves, pink panniers at the waist, a high collar, a brown frill at the hem, an oval red brooch on her chest, with long white opera gloves and red heels.
Hello, loyal citizens~ She bowed.
Becoming the Duchess was much easier than Neo had ever imagined. With aid from her royal adviser, the two wove a tale as to where she had been for all this time. Sprinkling in the truth of her awakening in the licorice forest beyond the town's walls, the criminal duo told the Delectable Denizens of how the Duchess had been captured by an evil witch from a far away land. This witch had forced her and her advisor into working for her or face the wrath of her pet dragon and giant scorpion, but despite all those threats they never forgot their true people. But what the witch always overlooked was how many times the dragon and scorpion argued with each other, like an old married couple. During one of those arguments, the Duchess and her advisor made their way back to their great kingdom.
And how the people rejoiced upon the return of their lady! They welcomed her home with open arms, excusing the mess as two thieves had appeared one night to steal her crown. She cleared things up by saying those were her agents, new followers meant to help surprise her subjects with her return! Of course, they believed her. Why would they doubt her? After helping reconstruct the damaged stores and shops, gaining the people's adoration even more, the people had escorted her into her palace. The guards stood at attention as Neo made her way to her seat of power, resting on the long-vacant throne with a grin.
"So, your Majesty," Roman began, "What's your first decree?"
Easy. We're gonna make a cake, Neo said, adjusting her new crown.
"We...are?"
The Red Prince, whoever that is, DARED to attack my people. So, we're going to hit him back~
"What kind of cake are you thinking? The one with dynamite in it? Poisoned cake? File left inside?" Roman listed off. The possibilities were endless.
Closer on the first. It's gonna be hollow on the inside, Neo silently snickered, And your's truly will be hiding inside. When the brat least expects it, boom!
"You pop out-"
And we discreetly rob him BLIND.
"I like it, I like it. It's been that brat's birthday for far too long! Hell, put on some green to really piss him off. Call yourself the monarch of mint." Roman suggested.
Love it.
As the two planned and schemed their literally sweet revenge, neither of them took the time to look out the windows at the pink sky of the acre. If they did, they would have noticed a collection of streaks of color cut through the sky. White, Black, Grey, Green, and, perhaps most importantly to them, Red.
How long had Neo really been here? She didn't know.
...but all 'Roman' knew is that he had a new 'candidate' for a host.