"Interesting little quirk, isn't it?"
Adam glanced beside, his mask obscuring his eyes, but that hardly mattered when his disinterested tone did the talking.
"Seeing it in action, sure." Still, that didn't mean he got what Cinder was putting down, and after seeing such a brutal execution, he wasn't sure he wanted to. "Watching her flay my men, on the other hand: not so much."
"Don't be shy~" Running her fingertips across his chin, she swooned beside, scheming surely beneath that tempting smug grin. "You don't need to hate her just because she knocked around a few of your boys. Besides..." Slowly, her lips kissed devious thoughts into his ear. "We both know you'd be grinning wide if she were faunus."
Grunting, he pulled off, setting himself on the path to his personal cot. The camp, while not possessing all the benefits of the warehouses used for storage, at the very least stayed safe. Neither Vale nor Beacon had tempted their hand at scouring the forests for them yet; a benefit he knew damn well wouldn't last forever.
"Come on, Adam," She leaned over, getting up in his face with her hands clasped behind her back and an almost submissive, cooing look; a trick whose malice he could feel radiating from her every feature. "Neo's little show cemented her as partially heroic in the eyes of many important figures; don't you want to take advantage of the chaos she's strung?"
"No." Speaking curtly, he mechanically ran off a few of the present issues on his mind. "She's not made herself a hero: merely an adversary of the White Fang; not much of a change when most openly despise us on the regular."
"Perhaps," Cinder pulled back carelessly. What she had on her mind when paying a visit here, apparently, seemed less a defense of Neo's actions and more a blatant call to arms. "But consider this: Roman is well known as an ally of your little park rangers. Neo, as of now, has shown she is not." Swinging around, she crossed her arms, thoughtfully looking up and tapping her chin with an index finger. "Now I wonder what that could mean to the average onlooker?"
It meant that, from an outside perspective, Roman's little psychopath, the patented Ghoul Princess, wasn't working with him anymore. After all, despite being a thief with the stickiest fingers around, Roman Torchwick earned a sizable chunk of his reputation due to his loyalty to the job and his allies. Friends were hard to come by, especially those who stuck true by your side. To have the Gentleman Thief of Vale aiding your cause was, undeniably, a blessing.
It also, in the past, came with the added benefit of the Ghoul Princess; a benefit seemingly no longer the case if the little stunt before said anything.
"Neo abandoned the battlefield," Adam led with, never once losing his composure. "Subsequently abandoning Torchwick as well."
"Seeing as you understand, tell me: what does that really mean?"
"She didn't agree with his choice to support us, and thus took her violent leave. Meaning, in the eyes of onlookers, she's a free agent."
While not factual, it was true enough for the people. There'd been a buzz upon returning recruits who'd managed to escape over her perplexing behavior. Apparently, Neo had gotten along fairly well with everybody; not overly friendly, but complacent. A 'mock battle' would be fine enough if what Cinder was alluding to were true: that this was all staged on her behalf. But the problems lay within the brutality of it.
Felling one of his men before escaping would be fine, but she outright massacred and humiliated them.
Cinder was right on one front though: had Neo been a faunus, and a true member of their cause, then he wouldn't be half so conflicted. Because within her eyes, even on recordings stuck up online for all to see, nothing but empty thoughtless apathy stood firm. Neo hadn't harbored any real hate, she just didn't care to begin with - despite what her angry expression would lead you to believe.
"A free agent ready to be molded by shadowy hands in need of anyone who could act as their 'in' on the other side of the law."
"They have plenty of those already," Adam saw fit to point out, having seen enough documentation stolen from far too many government-funded businesses to know they rarely did things in an authentic and strictly legal matter. Cinder, after hearing this, just grinned, sighing as she shook her head and patted his cheek like a hopeless child.
"Oh, my poor little man~ There are many, many things you don't yet have the privilege to know. But..." Her smile dripped with sinister intent, leaving Adam not so much outright afraid, but unnerved. "That can be changed... in time, should you prove an apt benefit in my eyes."
Adam scoffed, settling on eyeing Cinder from afar as she left. He got the Gist of things, but that didn't mean he agreed with them. Was Neo their enemy now, or had something happened to throw things out of whack. He was certain only Roman could tell him for sure, meaning they'd need to keep going along with the plan either way.
"Sir." Shortly after, a plucky young recruit wandered in, her tone uncertain as she approached to whisper, "The edge of Atlas has reported receiving their shipment."
And thus he smiled, genuinely; regardless of Neo's behavior, Roman could still be counted on for more than even Cinder knew, and so he'd keep his opinions in check to maintain their good partnership.
.
.
On the far edge of town, below the highway passing over an in-the-works construction project for some factory or another, Neo sat poignantly, stewing in the reality that she was a brand new woman.
Nothing had changed, and she'd gone on with her night of running from the scene. Looking back on it, killing hadn't exactly been a requirement, but there were so many eyes... and Ruby. The fear strewn across her face as realization took place, lighting her mental candle and thus chasing off the shadows of ignorance. Ruby knew who she was the moment Neo had taken that stab, but at this point did she even really care?
Neo wasn't real, not in a physical sense, and fate seemingly wanted her both dead and alive hundreds of times over. Her soul, even if unique, remained here solely because of the gods' intervention.
At least she had divinity on her side, but they themselves were a finicky couple, so what good was their help in all of this? Why did destiny favor Cinder most of all, while simultaneously giving her the short end of the stick? None of these questions mattered, nor would they ever. Neo Politan was no different now then she was as a child; just a forgotten speck of dust to be swept aside in favor of real people.
But for all her meandering, that wouldn't change things.
Shortly, she received a text from Cinder, requesting her scheduled return to Beacon within the coming days. That's right... She had a job to do, didn't she? Letting herself drop from the hang underneath, Neo made no attempts to catch herself properly. The workplace below did wonders on her rag-dolling body, ping-ponging from slant to cement, crashing against steel beams and splitting her head open, before it landed face first into a puddle of water.
Watching from the outside, she bid the air bubbles rising around the indent in the muddy soup farewell before jumping back in with a new and living doll.
With an endless supply of Neos at her beck and call, there was no real reason to hold one inevitable corpse over the other; may as well toss 'em out when it's convenient. Rolling over, she shook herself. Coming back with her face above the water this time, ala making use of that 50% Death Space requirement to avoid mucking up her restoration, Neo might have questioned if tossing away bodies all willy-nilly were wasteful, had she not been so... tired.
So, this is what ordinaries feel. She'd often wondered why she couldn't recall every single emotion of her early childhood, but the nostalgia she'd gathered here upon tossing her asses around like dirty clothes lured them back in. Complacency, but without any of the joy or ire to go with it: a blatant acceptance that nothing mattered - not even death.
Mulling over pointlessness aside, Neo gave a gross little grimace towards the 'her' she saw over the mud's faint reflective surface. She still had Ruby to contend with, so discarding every body of hers, regardless of insignificance, wasn't the smartest move. Huffing with a scowl, she picked herself up and marched away from the site, slipping along the illuminated sidewalk without a care for who saw, and thumped up the stairs to their shared apartment.
Whatever anonymity she had with the common people was fruitfully dashed thanks to her little stunt back during what people were now calling 'the breach,' and so she'd need to stay in her cutesy student disguise whenever out and about while off duty. At least that remained consistent: Mint, unlike her, was somebody, even if the mask itself was conjured solely for the sake of trickery.
It took her around an hour to do herself up, mostly because she was wasting time on... she wasn't sure, honestly. The idea of a return to form in that of Beacon's carefree - but woefully competitive - ecosystem appealed greatly to her now, but this nagging stress beat away at the back of her head as those daydreams ran by. Upon checking up on her final touches in the mirror, she received a text from Ruby, and instantly the mystery of her stress came unraveled.
It didn't matter how real Neo truly was, because to Ruby, there was only one Neo.
Apprehensively, despite the lack of any tangible risk towards her here, Neo popped open her scroll, which displayed the short little question front and center.
"Hey, can we talk when you get back?"
What was there to talk about? The killing, the train, or maybe even the fact she worked with Roman? Neo pulled back on the stick, slamming the breaks on the growing pounding in her chest. Realistically, a hero would inform the police of any dangers or criminals such as her, but Ruby was a different breed. Seeing as she asked through text, and hadn't tried luring her out with suspicious behavior - like constant immediate reassurances - Neo popped back with a single-worded reply.
"Okay."
"Meet me out in the park. Under the tree. I'll be waiting."
Waiting all day? A small part of Neo wanted to snort: who said she'd be coming back tonight? Having spent most of the past hours introspecting - or rather, disassociating - left her ignorant to anything other than Cinder's demand, which itself hadn't been all too specific. Realistically, she knew Cinder hadn't blabbed to Ruby about any of this, and she herself had mentioned returning soon a few times, but Ruby saw her. Ruby knew who she was, and Neo genuinely thought she'd have suspected a little bit of distancing following that.
In a way, though, Neo felt the tiniest bit of excitement in not immediately being questioned or ridiculed for things right away following an outing. But then again, Ruby had a habit of being overly tolerant and friendly, so it wasn't all that shocking.
In around forty minutes she was back on school grounds, but her trajectory aimed her squarely at the park; not even stopping to inform Cinder or the others she was back. Low and behold, groggily sitting under the tree, Ruby Rose fought to keep the shivers at bay. It wasn't super cold out tonight, but the girl herself sported nothing but a pair of jammie pants with little hearts and a tank top. Atop her head sat a cute sleep mask, which she seemingly fixed up not to fall.
She really had waited for her, and Neo couldn't spot even a hint of a trap anywhere in sight.
Ruby spotted her then, waving her over, albeit apprehensive and awkwardly. Taking point beside her "friend," Neo handed over the night-coat she wore, leaving her bag of extra clothes at her side as they silently took in each other's company.
"W-welcome back," Ruby, trying her luck, made the first move, and Neo rewarded her with a little uncertain smile of her own. This good mood soured about as fast as a glass of milk in the sunlight, and Ruby was fighting with herself, trying and struggling to do whatever she wanted to do. "So... Um..."
Neo, being patient - she literally had all the time in the world - leaned back against the root of the tree in silence as Ruby worked through a series of not-quite-positive subtle expressions. Eventually, she gave up, looking at her with shuddering puppy eyes, and stabbing some life back into her own heart.
"I don't know what to do, or ask, or anything. So... can I just be direct, if that's okay?" Nodding, this got a relieved sigh from Ruby, who settled back down herself and tugged the given covering tighter around her. "Okay, thanks." Swallowing, she made the first bite. "So... You work with Roman, right? I saw you down in the train and that, so I figured you two had something going on..." She cringed a little before Neo could even answer. "Or am I just assuming things because you two wore matching colors?"
Most people picked up on a shared sense of style easily; this little flower was not most people. Dismissing her doubts, Neo nodded, and Ruby looked a little lost.
"Is that a 'yes' to the 'you two together,' or the 'I'm overthinking things' part?"
Neo held up one finger, signifying the former. Sighing, Ruby settled down a little.
"Okay, I'm not crazy; that's cool." Her eyes then focused on looking straight ahead, almost fearful of glancing over. Neo experienced... something, from the action, but she couldn't pinpoint what. It didn't matter when Ruby went on to ask, "Hey... So... back there, with the White Fang: what... what was going on?"
Aptly lost, and Neo wouldn't blame her for it, Ruby soon reinforced her question by pointing out some of her own conflicted observations.
"I mean, I saw you working with them... but then when you showed back up, you..." Seemingly scared to even utter the word, Neo held up her scroll, where she'd typed out exactly what was brought up.
"Killed them."
Eyes shrinking a touch, Ruby swallowed again, and seemed to shy away.
"Yeah, t-that." Collecting her courage once more, she continued. "Weren't you on their side?"
Neo didn't know anymore, honestly, which she decided to convey by shrugging her shoulders and almost huddling into herself as her neck dropped her head between her shoulders. Looking away wasn't a strong sign of confidence in her answer, but Neo didn't know what to say. She thought they were a team, but with rowdy gods having cast her out to solve their problems, while subsequently hoarding a stash of 'hers' for when she inevitably failed hundreds of times over, Neo couldn't comfortably claim to understand how things should - or would - go.
If anything, the only goal and truth that remained unsullied by everything was her own desire to fuck over Cinder, which itself seemed to coincide with The Brothers' plans. It irked her to no end; just another point aimed at her own insignificance.
"You... don't know?" Ruby sounded almost not as spooked as before, so Neo broke out another text to get the point across.
"I was following orders. I didn't have a choice."
"Roman's orders?" Ruby questioned, and a spark of hate swelled beneath her chest. But rather than let it stew any further, she figured releasing the pressure with someone she kinda trusted would help her cool off.
"No. Roman's just as f#%ked as I am."
"Oh..." Was it just her, or had Ruby lost almost all of her fear? Wearing a curious, determined gaze, the girl brazenly asked, "Then who is it?"
Neo knew that look. Ruby, whenever recounting a... questionable time where she or her posse had gotten into trouble for whatever asinine reason that encouraged them, usually bore a strong expression of pride, and teasing's of that shined through her unknowing inquiry for Cinder's identity. It, again, felt nice to have someone actually give a shit about you and want to help, but this was none of her business.
Cinder was her target, and hers alone; nobody else needed to be involved, and she certainly wasn't gonna risk Ruby's life for her own grudges.
"Sorry, I can't say. They're watching me all the time, and if I tell you, you'll be in danger too."
"Oh come on. I'm strong!" Seeing Ruby beg childishly nearly had her break out a little chuckle, but Neo held it back and instead placated her friend...
Friend; since when had the word lost its sarcasm?
"Nope. Trust me, none of us can deal with it yet."
Ruby deflated, and Neo gave her hair a little ruffle before pulling the sleep mask down over her eyes.
"Bwa! Hey!" Ruby cried, fighting to free her vision, and spitting a mild glare. "That's not fair; I wasn't ready." Neo actually giggled this time, her sputtering shakes calming the other girl, who looked to relent - at least somewhat - on her previous demands. Sitting in the collective nighttime peace, Ruby popped back into things, but with less force this time. "Is there really nothing I can do?"
Neo shook her head no, and Ruby muttered a low apology and agreement.
"Okay then, if you say so... Sorry... I just..." Squeezing her legs closer, Ruby held her knees. "I hate not being able to do anything."
You and I both.
It wasn't all doom and gloom though, as a little later on and before Neo was officially ready to take off, Yang Xiao Long came sprinting up with the rest of team RWBY at her back - after calling out a hearty "Ruby!" beforehand. The little leader didn't have time to dip before being scooped up into a hug.
"Gyah! Yang!" She beat rapidly against the older, more developed woman's back. "Air! A-air!"
"Oops." Dropping her sister, Yang grimaced with a small grin though her apology. "Sorry."
"So this was where you were," Blake mumbled, her sight snapping to Neo. "Oh, hello Mint." Neo waved, and the girl tilted her head. "When did you get back?"
"A little while ago," Ruby answered for her, heaving as she regained her bearings. "I saw her from the window on my way back from the kitchens, so I popped down to say hi."
Out of everyone to reply, Neo hadn't expected Weiss's scrutiny.
"You ran all the way out here just to say "hi?" instead of just... waiting for Mint to come inside?"
"W-well..." Ruby twiddled her fingers together. "When you put it like that…"
"Don't say anything," Weiss discharged, dismissing her lip. "I can already guess what happened." Her eyes then turned upon Neo. "So, how are you doing?"
Neo lifted a brow, pointing to herself and indirectly asking 'me?' Weiss nodded, a smidge more serious.
"Yes, you. We were down in Vale for the... incident." Oh, so that's where this was headed. Neo herself put on a look of restlessness as Weiss continued on, "And we were worried about your family. We all know how capable you are, being a budding huntress speaks for itself, but chaos like that is bad for everyone. How's your family doing, and are you okay?"
Alright, that was better. A bit... personal, in a sense, but certainly workable. Granted, the sheepishness on her face was real, but that was more or less born over concerns about Ruby potentially blabbing; Ruby clearly hadn't done that - and nor would she, it seemed. Working at her scroll, she gave a predictable answer, eyeing Ruby quickly to see how she looked.
Her lips shut tightly, Ruby nodded, ready to apparently accept whatever she pushed on with.
"We're mostly okay. A bit scary, but I got us out of there before things really went down. Didn't see you there, but we were nowhere near the impact site mentioned over the news. The park, right?"
"Yes," Weiss nodded, sighing and relieved. "That's good to hear."
"You really know how to kill the mood," Yang tossed out, getting a swift grumble from Weiss who was quickly cut off with all attention being thrown back on Neo's shoulders. "But it's good to know you made it out okay; personally, I would have waited a day to ask that, but here we are. Anyway, welcome back!"
Welcome back indeed, and as Ruby and her were dragged back inside by the rowdy trio - certainly to the discontent of everyone trying to sleep - she parted ways with everyone on the basis that they spend a few following days chilling around the school. Apparently there was a big dance to organize, and both Yang and Weiss had the honors of setting a good chunk of it up.
While she left behind intrigue and sunshine, Neo came back to her own team's room with... mixed reception.
"You've finally made it," Merc opened up, tossing a lazy thumbs-up from his place on his bed. "Heard about the crazy trip, but things seem to have gone smoothly; nice work."
"Nice work he says..." Emmi really couldn't pick a worse time to be a bitch. Well, at least it didn't last long, as while she surely had questions, they were kicked aside for some... honestly refreshing and genuine praise - a rarity coming from the kiss-ass. "Still, I guess you did do pretty well. Most of the issues were based around your "buddies" making a total mess of things. Choosing to show up the White Fang has given Cinder some new ideas, while also depowering the peons at the same time, so good going. At least we can be reliable most days, unlike some people."
She was talking about Mercury, because of course she was talking about Mercury. And, in typical nonchalant fashion, Merc brushed off all her concerns with a wave of his hand and a flip to the other side, where she could spy him playing Amity Arena on his scroll - at least somebody here had taste.
With everyone seemingly settled away - minus Cinder, who was out on business according to Emerald - Neo was able to sneakily slip out and into her hands her prized little figure. Still dusty and roughed up over the years, it helped to remind Neo that there was always a good part to every negative scenario.
She would settle it back in the bag under her bed later on before letting total sleep take her, and thankfully, no nightmares of flame took point, despite the constant worries to tucker her out over these past few hours.
She blamed Ruby for this peaceful transition into dreams, because who else could look a murderer in the face and feel any semblance of sympathy?
Author's note
…
Okay, so that's this one.
Things are… strange, it seems. Ruby's reaction appears far too tolerant, surely, but with her overly-optimistic outlook, I can see her shoveling at least some of the blame on controlling outside figures. Neo's having a bit of a crisis, but who wouldn't at this point? Cinder's made apt use of Neo's little lash out, convincing Adam it's part of the plan… or had Adam just convinced himself?
Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Until next time.