Ch 10: Some Things Aren't What They Seem
"Azure? What… how did you get in…" Lux began to ask, extremely confused.
He was however cut off as Azure pushed into the room against him with a whine, grasping at his shirt desperately. Her entire body trembling, a feral sort of needy snarl leaving her lips as she clung hold of him, teeth and tongue sliding along his neck. Her scent was thickly lacing with the heavy smell of her heat pheromones, her inner beast anxiously clawing to reach out to his. His nose filled with her scents, the smell of her chrome and morning glory scent coated with the thick pheromones of her heat calling out for a male to satisfy her.
In an instant, his own chemistry shifted and several things all happened at once. Her mind was fading rapidly, succumbing to the intense painful need for him, too swift to notice the scent he was now giving off. She was pressing into him tightly, hips grinding into his but frustration was leaving her quickly when she found little to no relief there. Lux was gripping at her hips with his nails, a growl in his throat as he struggled to remain present and conscious. His mind was sinking but not in a way he would have wanted. A spiral of depression was rapidly taking over him along with a fog that was causing intense pain in his own body as his own beast squealed at his resistance.
He had been afraid to find out what she would scent for in her heat. Knowing she was scenting for only males was what he feared most from the very beginning. His eyes glazed over as he nuzzled into her neck, her whimpers of confusion and irritation as her hips sought comfort she couldn't find against his folded his ears in shame. Quickly, before he lost himself, he yanked back and pushed her away, watching her hurt gaze towards him as he held her back before her teeth could latch into him, "A…Azure no… you can't…"
Her beast flexed and she stretched as an alpha at him, making him weak and tremble but he held firm as best he could, her eyes watering, "I… Lux please… I need you… only you… d….don't… don't you want me?"
An audible sound of pain left his throat and he had to shove her away before he lost all his will, holding his face, his body shaking, "P-please…just… leave! please…"
Azure tried to get closer but he yelped and shoved her again, her eyes catching the sight of strained tears on his cheeks as she stumbled out the door and it closed. She tried to pound on it and yell for him but all she got in response was the sound of locks engaging. She slid to her knees in pain and tears leaning against the door, trying to gain enough of her mind to understand this. Her two previous heats never hurt nearly this much or affected her to this degree. She didn't notice the two forms saiding just beside her as she curled on herself in a whimpered sobbing.
Lyra held a hand up, stopping River in her tracks behind her as she watched the scene in front of her unfold. She had come around to check in on Lux, knowing the time of year. With a glance behind herself to River and a nod to the door, River stayed put and Lyra turned her attention back to Azure, gently kneeling down next to her and reaching out to brush some of her long dark hair from her face. At first, Azure let out a haunting, animalistic snarl that startled River and made Lyra curious. It was highly unusual for faunus to have such highly specific sub species animal sounds beyond basic things like hissing or growls or the like. Of course, Lyra had a strong theory already brewing so this was only adding confirmations to her suspicions.
Lyra didn't back down even as Azure flexed an alpha flare in her neutrality, whimpering in her pain and leaning into the snake's hand as it gently grasped her cheek, "Poor dear. Come on. Let's get you to your room. The hallway is not the best place for a faunus to be in her heat."
Azure stared at Lux's door and her nails scratched at it for a moment before she allowed Lyra to guide her to her feet, hunched over and clinging to her lower body as it racked with a burning intensity she could hardly stand. The older woman led the feline down the corridor and around a corner, reassuring Azure that they were getting closer and she was doing well until they finally arrived. She got her inside, turning to give Azure a bit of privacy as the cat ripped from her pants and jacket down to her underwear and the top, skin already sweating, slipping into a small pair of assigned sleep shorts.
Lyra snapped to get the fogged feline's attention and when hazy eyes glanced up at her she pointed at the touch pad by the door, "This is very important dear. If you touch these buttons, you can lock the door. You would be wise to keep it locked once I leave until you stop emitting your pheromones. There are bound to be males stalking the hall to respond to it. Instinct and all. It's for your safety and theirs."
She showed Azure which door was her bathroom and how to turn on the different temperatures but she could tell the faunus was too gone, lost in pain, the fog of her heat, and a depression swallowing her whole as tears still streaked her face. Stopping, she watched Azure for a moment silently. The young cat wrapped her arms around herself and whimpered, "Why does he hate me… I… want him so badly it burns… I… could smell he wanted me too… I don't…understand… am… am I… not good enough?"
A soft hand brushed tears off her face, gentle voice drawing her attention, "No dear. That is not true at all. That's your heat talking because he declined you. Lux is… a very special boy. He's different. Nervous about it. He is the one worried about being not enough for you. He's afraid. Give him some time. I'm sure he will come around and try to explain it to you. It's not my place to tell you. But trust me, he has been out of sorts over you since you got to Mistral. You are everything to him."
Azure whimpered, rubbing her eyes, "W…why does this hurt so much… I… I don't understand why I want him so much…"
Lyra gestured back to the room and got Azure to sit down as she got the room more comfortable for her, setting up a meal delivery schedule on the touchpad and getting the blinds covered and temperatures set to a cooler setting, "You can't help it no more than he can it seems. You were bound to be together. It's no surprise you are confused. It's not at all common afterall. I think it will be hard to explain right now. You are going to struggle to focus. So for now I'll sum it up simply. You are soulmates in a way. I can explain more to you later."
Azure was watching her so easily get everything set up, listening the best she could to all the words, and she narrowed her gaze. This woman knew a lot and talked about Lux very familiarly. Her ears folded back defensively and she showed her teeth for a moment, the bones aching madly with a need to bury into Lux, "Exactly who are you anyway…"
LYra turned to her with a grin, "Ah yes. I suppose you wouldn't know that would you. My apologies for my poor manners. I'm Lyra Steele. I lead this entire operation. I also happen to be Lux's adoptive guardian."
Azure's heated brain was processing very slowly but when it caught up her eyes stared widely at Lyra who was already leaving, "Get some rest. And don't forget to lock this door alright?"
Then she was gone. Azure was slow to move, the fog in her mind already rushing in as she tried to grasp anything she was being told. Stumbling on her feet, she went to the door and slid her fingers along the lock. She sat against the door and hugged her knees, trying her best to ignore the pain in her lower body as well as the deep ache in her chest, gripping her chest over her heart and curling into herself.
—-
As Lyra approached Lux's door, River was banging on it but a roar and howl of aggression kept being let loose in reply at her. She glanced up at Lyra as the woman stopped before the door watching it calmly, hands behind her back, "Ma'am… it sounds like he's destroying everything inside! I've been trying but he won't open the door!"
The leader was quiet for a bit just watching the door as the sounds of crashing and loud thuds came out from beyond it along with heavy grunts and growls of irritation. When River was about to speak again, clearly frantic, Lyra held up a hand, "It's not surprising really. He's frustrated and in pain. He pushed his potential mate away because of his own insecurities and his heat is probably in full swing because of hers. I'm sure he is absolutely livid. Best we leave him be for now, you are only going to anger him banging like that."
River looked at Lyra confused before glancing back at the door a moment, Lyra guiding her away as she left with River, "You should rest. We have much to get started on tomorrow."
Inside the room, Lux panted. The bed, table, desk and dresser were thrown about and flipped around in heaps and disheveled messes. Dishes were broken across the floor. His shirt had already been ripped clear off his sweating body, shoes and socks long since discarded. He was left standing in a tight binding across his chest similar to a crop top but in a flesh tone color and pants pulled off with only his boxer briefs left. Rather than any bulge, hard of flaccid, there was a very noticeable damp area at the crotch area that had no shape to it that would indicate any male anatomy.
Lux gripped his face, standing there brain fogged over as he breathed heavily, ears lowering. He was so ashamed of his own body and what he was stuck living with that he could do nothing about. Even if he could, surgery wasn't exactly something he wanted everywhere. That wasn't how far he wanted to go in his transition even if he rejected anything he had below. Still, it angered him to be stuck this way and dealing with a female heat he was doomed to experience in this body he was born with, stuck dealing with the fact he was scared to tell the only person he wanted to be with because she only seemed to want to attract a male and he was just some transgender faunus full of self loathing for his birth gender and the inconveniences it brought him.
He kicked a loose pillow across the room with a deep snarl and grunted, finally wearing himself down enough to clear some of the fog from his brain. He was running through everything in his mind and worry hit him for Azure, moving to throw on a shirt and some shorts so he could go check on her. It was less likely in the base for females to stalk the corridors in response to his pheromones as quickly as males might to hers. In this case it was a simple design of his room. It was built to hide his heat well to protect his identity and help give him more affirmation in the base in secret. They would do it for every room but it was simply too expensive. Things like food and warmth were much more important expenditures and they were already stealing in large enough quantities to raise too much attention to themselves as it was.
When he wrapped the corner to the hallway of Azure's room, his ears folded aggressively and a very wolf-like roar left his throat at the amount of male faunus stalking her door and scratching and banging at the door to get her to open it. He rushed over, pushing at them and growling violently at them, his very animalistic sound causing enough distraction to send them away, "LEAVE HER ALONEEE!"
When everyone was gone, he leaned into her door, a palm on the cool metal as well as his forehead as his ears swished towards it, hearing her whimpering before they folded sadly, "Azure… they are all gone now… are you ok?"
She was clinging to herself in a tight ball on the other side of the door, face buried in her knees. The pain was even more intense as his scent swept under the door to her, "I… no… I'm not… it's never been this bad… I… I just want my mom… she always knows what to do…"
He sat on the floor and leaned back into the door, trying to stay calm as his nostrils flared at her smell. It confused him that he responded so thoroughly to her pheromones despite not being a cis male. It had never worked that way for him with any other straight female faunus. It had never worked for him with any faunus really. Her scent was so intoxicating and making the pain almost unbearable as his beast raged for her touch and her bite, his own teeth searing with intense pain. His head tilted a bit her way, "You could call her right? It's not against any rules…"
She whimpered, his heart stinging at the sound, "I… can't… I don't have a scroll. I was mad at her and I broke it…"
She heard him get up and leave, making her heart ache deeply but after a moment he was back and he sat again, "Open the door for a minute?"
She growled, "I can't. I won't be able to think straight and you'll just hurt me again…"
Her words stung him deep, "I… just a crack? Please, I need to give you something."
After a long pause of silence, he heard the locks and the door cracked. What he could see of her hurt so badly. Her face was so stained with her pain and tears that his beast was immediately eating him alive for hurting her, her scent was so strong it burned all the way to his lungs and made every inch of him shake. He reached and shoved his scroll at her, "U…use mine. I'll get it back after your heat… call your mom. You need her…"
Before she could say anything, he slammed the door closed and ordered her to lock it. When he heard the locks engage, he waited around for a moment, rubbing his face against the door to try to hide her scent with his before he stumbled back to his own room. It took intense effort to leave, his beast practically killing his soul with each step. As he tried to make sense of it and her pained face haunted him, he knew he had to tell her or figure a solution out somehow. He needed to be with her and there had to be a way for them both that would work for them. He couldn't let her go through that for an entire week nor would he be able to handle it himself.
Azure stared at the scroll, dropping back to the floor. She tried to remember Blake's number but in her haze the only number she could remember was her little brother's. She had dialed it the most over the more recent years than her parents or other siblings. The first time it went to his voicemail and she started to cry, unable to deal with the emotional distress of her heat and the pain. She tried again and this time he answered, groggily yawning, "h-hello?"
"Leo… it's Azure… is Mom awake… please… I need to talk to her…" Azure whimpered, trying her best not to alarm him.
She heard him jump from his bed and scurry out his room down the stairs, calling for Blake. Their parents must still be up grading midterms otherwise she was sure she would have called too late for him to be heading anywhere but their room. He stopped at the couch, "Mom! Mom! It's sis! She's calling from a weird number!"
Blake looked at him curiously before taking the scroll from the jumping boy with sleepy eyes as Yang jerked awake from her pile of exam papers, staring and rubbing off drool from her mouth, both felines staring at her for a moment before Blake's attention was back on the scroll. She checked the number but it wasn't Jangri or anyone from the agency nor any number that might come from a provided scroll so she was wary as she brought the device to her ear. LEo went over, pushing paper from Yang's lap and climbing into it, yawning and leaning back against her, both blondes watching Blake now with tired eyes and curiosity as she spoke, "Azure?"
"Mommy… it hurts so much… why does it hurt this much… it never hurts this much…" Azure cried into the scroll, not bothering to hold back now that Blake was there.
Azure might be in her rebellious phase still but she was at her core a mommy's girl deep down and it did still tend to show when she was in her weakest state, riddled with pain, fear, and or sickness. The sound of her voice made Blake's cat ears shoot up at attention and she grew tense. It had always concerned Blake how irregular her youngest daughter's heat situation was but this was the first time since Azure's panic at getting her first heat that she was so vulnerable. She dropped her papers on the coffee table not bothering to sort anything, which alerted Yang and Leo that something was obviously wrong. Blake was too meticulous with her work to just do that otherwise. "Azure, sweetie… breathe baby. Are you somewhere safe at least?"
Azure barely managed a whimper of an affirmation in response, Blake continuing to try to stay calm for her, "That's good sweetie. Can you tell me what might be different this time? Take your time, I know it's hard…"
Azure was crying harder now, thinking of Lux was causing her so much pain emotionally and physically right now, her inner beast burning up inside her, "I can't understand why he doesn't want me… she said we are soulmates but… I don't understand Mom… what… did I do wrong… am I… repulsive… or… am I… does he not like me… I… what does it even mean Mom… please I don't understand… It burns… I can't stop thinking about him… everything hurts… make it stop Mommy…"
Blake's heart broke for Azure as she listened. A bit of her bristled, unsure who "he" was and a bit concerned considering Azure had barely been in Mistral for two weeks and there was no way she could get any sort of safe sex talk through her head in this state. She was pretty sure if she tried Azure would do the opposite just to spite her anyway and right now wasn't the time to risk triggering angry Azure while she was so sensitive anyway. Pushing down her concerns about whoever the boy was for now, Blake tried to wrap her head around the broken information Azure was still going on about in random sentences. She wasn't even sure who this "she" was Azure was talking about and Blake was fairly certain Azure wasn't going to be able to tell her right now. Her daughter sounded a bit too far gone to really be fully coherent.
Yang was leaning in with Leo, both making Blake frown as they were trying to be nosy. She stood up, walking off trying to think even as Yang set Leo aside and followed her, Leo tracking behind too. Blake tried to wave them off but it was no use. They two worried curious blondes were not going to give up even when she bared her teeth at them and hissed. When Azure started to sob, Blake rubbed her face, "Sweetie… I don't know what to say but I promise I will hunt down what I can and get back to you. Try to hang in there the best you can alright? You… don't have any marks do you?"
Now Yang was very alert, frowning as she leaned over trying to listen more though Blake held her hand out and kept Yang pressed as far away as she could manage as Azure whimpered, sounding betrayed and disappointed, "No… why won't he mark me Mom… I can smell he wants to… what did I do wrong…"
Blake let out a sound of relief before she tried to talk down her daughter's heat riddled worries, "I'm sure it will be alright sweetie. Just try your best to ease yourself so you can get some rest. Both will help. I'll call you as soon as I know something. Is this a good way to reach you again?"
"F-for now. He let me borrow it for now so I could call you…"
Blake had a mixture of confusion, worry, and thankfulness as her gentle voice spoke, "alright Azure. Please try to relax. I love you sweetie. I'll be as fast as I can."
Azure whimpered, not ready to hang up and be alone but knowing she had to, clinging to the scroll tightly as she choked back another deep sob, "I…I love you too Mom…"
The line cut out, Azure hanging up before she broke down, dropping the scroll to cry into her arms. Blake sighed as she stared at the screen. She sent the number to her own scroll and released Yang, stepping out of the way so the woman fell over into the floor from her momentum, handing the scroll back to Leo and encouraging him back off to bed despite his groan. When he was gone, she pulled out her scroll, messaging her network of faunus connections with the only information she had looking for answers as Yang grumbled getting up off the floor, "What the hell was that for?! She's my daughter too!"
Blake didn't look up from her scroll, frowning, "you were being a pain. She didn't ask to talk to you and you were the reason she was upset before in the first place. I wanted to make sure she didn't hang up, Yang."
The blonde glared at her, folding her arms but Blake rubbed her face, "She's scared Yang. Something different is happening in her heat this time and there's some boy and I'm worried about her too, ok? I just want to make sure I can help her. She's asking for my help… I want to be there for my little girl…"
Yang's expression softened though the mention of a boy had her a bit perturbed, and she reached out, pulling Blake into her arms and holding the worried woman close. Azure was no child. She was nineteen but she was still Blake and Yang's youngest daughter and a bit of a handful and she rarely acted like she wanted anything to do with them much in years so Blake often worried about her and got really emotional when Azure did reach out and she didn't have an immediate answer or way to help. Fingers scratched lovingly at the base of cat ears, "You aren't letting her down Kitten. You'll find what she needs and get her through it. You always find a way to be there for our kids. You got this and I'll be right here to support you through."
The faunus leaned into her and nodded, trying her best to relax. It took until Blake and Yang were settling into bed but Blake's scroll began to ring. The blonde was hardly able to stay awake, hugging hold of Blake's waist in the bed to try her best to give support as she passed out while Blake sat up, stroking through blonde hair more for herself than Yang as she answered the call, Velvet's name showing on the screen, "Velvet."
The faunus smiled at her kindly in the video on the scroll, "Hello Blake. Sorry to call so late but Ilia made it sound rather urgent."
"No, no it's alright. Really I was still awake."
Velvet nodded, sliding on a pair of reading glasses she often had to use these days when doing any reading or research tasks, "So, she told me about what information you did have. I wasn't able to find much but I was able to dig up some really rare information. Have you ever heard of soul bonding before?"
Blake's brows scrunched and she shook her head no. Velvet gave a nod, "Neither had I but I came across it while digging around and I think it's your answer though I warn you, it's left me with more questions than answers sadly. I only found very vague information on it. It's incredibly rare. As you already know, our inner beastial energy is as individual to us as a fingerprint. However, on the extremely rare occasion, two beasts will share matching energy wavelengths. If those two beasts happen to cross paths, the connection is rather instantaneous. Both sets of beastial energy will connect and create what is called a soul bond. From what I can tell, it's rather like a bonded pair except it's a deeper bond and much more spiritual or even emotional maybe by nature. It doesn't seem to be the same as marking though when it comes to bonding. Its more of a magnetism or an inner beast thing until there's an actual bond? I'm not fully sure. There's really not much out there about it because it happens so rarely."
Blake was trying to wrap her head around it as Velvet adjusted her glasses, nibbling the side of her finger, "Sounds more like a burden if you ask me. Either way. This must be what your daughter is going through. I'm Sorry I didn't find more but I hope this helps you with your daughter."
Blake nodded, "No this is great Velvet. Thank you. It's more than I had."
The rabbit nodded and they ended the call. Blake considered calling Azure back now but she didn't. She wanted her daughter to get some rest but if she wasn't she could only imagine she would be worse off and unable to process it. She would call her back in the morning. Blake herself needed the time anyway to consider how to present the information. It was clear at the very least this was not something Azure could walk away from. Whoever the boy was, he was meant for her and, as much as Blake wasn't she sure liked it, she had to figure out a way to safely get her daughter through this and connected to her fated mate to be helpful without accidentally encouraging a faunus in heat to make any choices she was too young to be making. She also had to figure out how to do this without invoking Yang's wrath, knowing her wife would be extremely annoyed by the concept.
She ended up getting little to no sleep and before Yang could wake up in the early hours of the morning she tried to call Azure back. She was thankful when the younger feline answered sounding fairly level headed, "Hey Azure. How are you feeling?"
The young faunus groaned with a whimper, "Awful… like my gut and heart have all been hit by a train… I tried to find relief but it only made it worse…"
Blake bit her lip. She worried about what all might be affected by the soul bond ordeal. She took a moment and glanced, making sure Yang was still asleep before she spoke, "Azure sweetie… tell me about this boy."
It was quiet aside from the soft whine of pain for a long time before Azure finally spoke, "Do you remember back when I was a little girl and I was playing outside? I wasn't supposed to leave the front of the store but I did anyway. I thought I saw a puppy and I got excited but… it was a little faunus boy instead. Even though he was growling at me… I wasn't scared. He felt…so warm and safe and… perfect… I dreamed of him constantly for years ever since… Then I ran into him here… every time we are near each other… I can't think of anything but him."
Blake's brows furrowed. She remembered it of course. How could she not? She had thought Azure was in trouble and was worried when she couldn't see her child anymore out the window. Her daughter had never wandered off like that before and she was already a bit stressed with Leo sick. But finding Azure so close to a ragged faunus canine growling like it was going to bite her little girl was enough to send her into panic mode and she never forgot how he was never found. She didn't expect to hear the fact her daughter had been soul bonded to someone since she was so young though.
It surprised her but when she heard Azure calling out to her she had to say something, "I remember. Sweetie… please please if the chance comes up that you get close to him in your heat please just be safe like I've taught you. You probably are aware something is happening and there isn't much information I could find but you have a special connection to him that you can't really stop from happening. He is meant to be with you. You don't have to rush yourself or do anything you don't want to but you are also meant for him so I'm sure whatever his reasons are, he isn't denying you because he doesn't want you or you did anything wrong. There must be something he isn't saying or maybe he is insecure about something? Everyone has secrets Azure."
She listened carefully and only heard the shaky breathing starting and knew there was no use continuing to discuss it because she was losing Azure to her heat waving back in already. "Sweetie, if you need me just call alright? Try to get through this and we can talk more when it's over."
Azure just made a noise to signify she heard and the call ended. Blake was stressed, worried if Azure would be alright. She felt strong arms pulling her into an embrace while she was rubbing her face, lips pressing soft kisses against her skin, "You didn't sleep a lick did you?"
Blake tried to explain but Yang was having none of it, tucking them in tightly, "Nope. Don't want to hear it. You talked to her. Now, you need rest too. It's winter break, Leo's old enough to be fine for a while if he wakes up while we sleep. You aren't getting out of arm prison until you sleep."
Blake rolled her tired eyes but didn't protest, knowing she wouldn't win, instead sighing and caving, snuggling in close to Yang. She was more exhausted than she thought as she fell asleep quickly in the warm embrace, Yang going back to sleep with her face rested between the soft cat ears.
—-
It was a bit disappointing to Azure to not really get much information from her mom that was any more helpful than what Lyra had already told her and at least Lyra sounded like she knew exactly the information Azure needed. The faunus groaned and rolled to her side, curling up as she tried to make it through another terrible and agonizing day of her heat.
Lux had pulled Lyra aside and given her a request while locked away for his own heat. She looked over the slip of paper and sighed, looking over the disaster of his room before glancing at him as he fidgeted. He was clearly distressed and nervous, struggling with more than he could handle, "Lux… this is quite an expensive request dear. I'm not sure if…"
"Please! I… I don't ask for much and I do my best for this group! But I… I need this… I'm not asking as a member… I'm asking as family. Please Lyra… I need this… for my sanity and… for…"
She smiled lightly and nodded, "And for the little kitty, correct? I could smell her scenting call. Are you hoping this will help you in some way?"
He glanced away, biting his lip, "I just… if I have that… I'll feel confident enough and normal enough to be able to try to connect with her without my stupid dysphoria getting in my way…"
Lyra just nodded, "Let me see what I can do. But you know… you will have to work off the offset."
"Anything! Please!"
She walked out and listened for the locks before going to find River. She read over the note again. He was looking for a prosthetic. It wasn't going to be cheap but he had an alternative option written should affording his actual dream be too expensive. Lyra however would do her best to make the best for him happen. She knew he never asked before because he was always trying to put all the other faunus first. His selflessness for the wayward souls wasn't fair for himself and he deserved this. She had seen him struggle countless times with his gender dysphoria but could never get him to tell her much about what he needed. It had been a miracle to get him to express his desire for a chest binder and when she managed to get him one she had enjoyed how much happiness it had brought him.
She did some digging on her scroll and sighed some. Her own savings were minimal and mostly draining constantly into the organization and that was already an ever growing bill. The price point on the one he really wanted from a shop close enough to get it in the time she knew he needed it would be risky but manageable. She came up to River, currently sitting with Coop at the dinning hall and smiled, "River dear, I have a job for you tonight. Hello Coop. Hope you are doing well."
He was grinning, happy she remembered him so well, "Very Miss! Thank you!"
She nodded and turned back to River who was turning in her seat. She handed over a price point with no explanation, "I have matters I urgently need these funds for. I need them in no less than two days' time. Gather a few necessary faunus as you can and get me what I need please. I know you aren't much of a… procurer of funds so be sure to task it to the right hands."
River's eyes gaped at the cost but when she tried to get any information Lyra just walked away. It was a bit upsetting to be left out the loop sometimes but there wasn't anything River could do to fix that. She could only accept it. After the meal, she made a visit to Tunnel who choked on her noodles at the number but got to work after, arranging several teams in order to keep the robberies at low enough prices to know create drastic problems. In order to make it all work, it would take ten teams that night and seven the following night with Tunnel and a few other techs doing several viral steals as well from accounts across Remnant but the money would all be gathered by the deadline in time even if a team or two should fail.
The targets also would be home to a few of their traitors, some informants some of the prisoners had squealed on, and people of suspicion to them so they could also set up each team with someone for a capture and knock out several tasks at once. The two nights were grueling but every team managed perfect success across the board with only one having a near run in with cops and another having to fight a minor huntsman and getting away. Sadly, a few of the thefts did make headlines but they didn't seem to be associated with anything at least not publicly nor could Tunnel find anything through hacking into any networks.
By the deadline, many more cells were filled, and River was turning in the funds. Lyra took them and thanked her. She wasn't one to go out much since the group landed on Jangri's watch but there was one member that she often trusted with any secretive trips into town or advice. One no one really saw much of who often saw the town for her. She made her way down several halls until she was in a more isolated location near a hidden exit. It was much like the exit River had seen the body go through when Lyra first began using her venom for interrogation.
There, a very tall man stood, draped in a massive black coat, a wide brimmed black hat, white gloves and an entire face mask with a beak to it much like a plague doctor though he had an actual beak beneath it. He also handled all the bodies and any of the original missing persons the twins couldn't find information on that even River didn't know where they went off to. In truth, he and Lyra had a secret exchange for those people. Whatever he was doing with them, she wasn't asking but she knew it was part of illegal experimentations that he needed test subjects for. She was certain they were dying at some point or another either as a cause of the failed experiments or after he had no use for them any longer.
"Lyra, always a pleasure dear. I sent someone to grab the few in the marked cells you have for me. What can I do for you?" his airy voice spoke as he tipped his hat towards her.
He nodded back, handing over the funds and the exact specifications for Lux down to every detail, "I need this exactly by tomorrow the latest please Hemlock. There should be a place in town, Replacements and Validations Co. Do not go anywhere else Hemlock. I mean it."
He chuckled and nodded, "But of course Lyra. For the young one, nothing but the best. I'll be back with it by the deadline. For now, I must take stock of my new flock. I bid you ado."
She watched him slip through the darkness and disappear. Some of the new captives as well as the useless ones that held no further purpose to her that were still of the living now that she had more stock on the twins were traded off to him. He was always more willing to do work for her when she had goods for him. It was part of the seedier underbelly of her organization she didn't speak of. He usually only got those that were hurting faunus or very proud overbearing alphas, faunus that marked people and deserted them like toys, humans that treated faunus like garbage still, the works.
She didn't have qualms with handing over humans or faunus if it meant they were detestable to her. She got the promise in return that, should the uprising finally come, any of his successful experiments would be put to work in her favor. She didn't care really what that entailed so long as she had his loyalty in her pocket one way or another. It was, after all, incredibly useful as a resource.
