42

Chapter 42Chapter Text

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Neo glared, brows coming together, lips puckering, the corners of her eyes pinching into two thin lines and her entire body shifting forwards.

Penny, from her position on the ground next to Akelarre, stared right back. Bright green eyes literally glowing up at her from where she was tucked with a blanket up to her neck. She smiled at Neo.

Neo glared harder, placing her fists on her hips and spreading her legs shoulder-width apart for extra emphasis.

"Salutations," Penny said, her voice a low whisper. She lifted one hand out from under the blankets and waved. "You are awake," Penny declared. "Akelarre said that you were her best girlfriend. Can you enlighten me on this? I too wish to be the best girlfriend."

Neo glared extra hard, the redness in her cheeks only adding to it.

Then Akelarre, whose face was pressed up against Penny's belly, snorted and shifted her head a little as if trying to bury herself deeper into Penny's side.

Penny didn't seem willing to move. Neo could sympathise, if Akelarre was using her as a pillow she would also be afraid of waking her up. Not that she would ever admit that out loud, or could admit it out loud for that matter. Neo moved over to the pile of blankets strewn across the floor, stepped over a spilled bowl of popcorn and a pile of girly magazines until she was standing next to Akelarre in her nest of pillows. She crouched down and shook the girl's shoulder.

Akelarre blinked awake, drowsiness gone between one blink and the next as red eyes focused across the room, and finally locked onto Neo. "What's going on?" she asked.

Neo gestured at her wrist where a watch would be if she was some sort of corporate pleb who cared about the time. She gestured towards the door, then at Akelarre's clothes, which were little more than flannel pyjama pants and a T-shirt that was a few sizes too big.

"What time is it?" Akelarre asked.

Penny, still laying down and staring at the ceiling like the world's worst body pillow, spoke up, "It's three fourty two PM. VST."

Akelarre yawned. "Oh. Oh shoot!" She jumped to her feet. Or tried.

Neo, who was standing on the blankets next to her, suddenly found her feet being yanked out from under her as Akelarre tried to pull her covers off. She twisted, landing on her back in a roll that had her back on her feet a few paces away and scowling at Akelarre who stumbled off towards the bathroom. "I need to get ready!" she called.

Penny looked at her go, then stared up towards Neo. "Last night was very enjoyable, friend Neo," she said. "I particularly enjoyed our conversations about males, the nail painting rituals and the consumption of frozen treats."

Neo nodded. That had been a good conversation, even if Akelarre had to translate her enthusiastic admissions about the joys and glories of ice cream. Maybe, Neo reasoned, Penny had a place in the harem. As something akin to the harem's pet dog, or something.

Nodding to herself, Neo sidled over to where Akelarre was tugging on her pants one handed while using her tentacle arm (so much potential) to button up her shirt. "Is Cinder here already?" she asked between hops.

Neo shook her head. She hadn't seen the woman in a while. It was probably for the best. Cinder didn't seem to like her all that much.

Akelarre hesitated over her cloak and the jacket Neo had stolen for her, then shrugged and tossed the cloak around her shoulders. "Better keep my identities in order, yeah," she said.

"May I enquire as to where you are going?" Penny asked.

Neo turned to find that the girl was fully dressed. The t-shirt and pyjama bottoms she was wearing folded next to the equally folded blankets they had been sleeping on.

"Nope," Akelarre said as she pulled her hood up.

"I understand," Penny replied without a hint of sadness.

Neo was beginning to think that Penny was a little strange.

Akelarre froze, then turned her head as if looking down and towards the front of The Club. "Cinder just arrived," she said. Adjusting her shirt and belt, she made sure she was presentable, then rushed across the room and grabbed Penny in a tight hug. "I'll see you later, okay Penny. If you need anything, feel free to ask Junior. He's the tall one."

"Good bye," Penny said when the hug was over. "Neo is going with you as well?" she asked.

"She is!" Akelarre said.

Penny nodded, then turned towards Neo with both arms raised for a hug.

Neo pouted. She wasn't about to let herself be hugged just like that. Neo was the one who hugged, not the other way around.

Penny kept staring at her.

With a huff, Neo moved over to Penny and wrapped her arms around the (slightly) taller girl's waist. Penny's own arms were crushingly strong, but Neo didn't complain. She did cop a feel on the way back and the only protest was some confused blinking on Penny's part.

Akelarre grabbing her wrist and started pulling her along. Akelarre waved over her shoulder at Penny on exiting, and reluctantly, Neo did the same. "I'll see you later Penny! Stick around if you want. My bugs are telling Junior that you're a friend, so you should be alright."

"I understand," Penny said. "Though I do not know what insects you are talking about. Would it be permissible to return to my home now? I need to report to my father and the General."

"Oh, uh," Akelarre said as she paused by the door. "Yeah, I guess. Tell Junior to get you an escort back home."

"Very well. Good bye girlfriend Akelarre and friend Neo."

They left with a flurry of Akelarre's cloak and rushed down the stairs at a speed that was just short of a tumble. "Cinder's waiting, and she doesn't look all that patient. Oh, and she has that Adam guy with her."

Neo shifted her hand until Akelarre let go of her wrist, then with a quick snatch she grabbed Akelarre's hand properly and slid her fingers between Akelarre's.

"Oh, right, you don't know who that is, do you?" Akelarre asked as they made it to the first floor and started towards the front of the dancehall. She pointed with her other hand where two people were standing. Neo recognized the woman with the long legs and the red dress as that bossy woman that she had met the same day as Akelarre. The guy next to her was new. Tall, with a white Grimm mask affixed to his face and with a pair of horns partially hidden by wavy hair giving away his faunus heritage. "That's Adam Taurus. He's some big wig in the White Fang."

Neo nodded. Of course Akelarre was on a first name basis with terrorists. It made perfect sense. They probably asked her for advice on how to terrorize.

"Hello Adam, Cinder," Akelarre said.

"Hello Akelarre, Neo," Cinder returned.

Adam, for his part, sneered at Akelarre, then turned his ugly look onto Neo. She tightened her grip on her parasol at the same time as the faunus tightened his over his sheath. They stared at each other for a moment before Akelarre stepped in between the two. "Introductions! Adam, this is Neo. Neo, this is Adam."

Neo nodded once. Adam looked full of himself, but he had the air of a fighter to him.

The boy scoffed. "Another human. What dull company you keep."

Neo noticed Akelarre's smile widening and felt a cold chill run down her spine. A very hot cold chill. As if someone was running a spoonful of ice cream down her naked back.

Akelarre stepped back and gestured at Adam in full, as if presenting him to Neo. "Adam here runs a failing terrorist cell that never gets what they want," she said with the same smile. Adam's chest puffed out in indignation, but she turned and gestured at Neo before he could protest. "Neo here is my best friend."

Neo didn't preen under the sudden attention because she wasn't that immature.

Akelarre's grin turned a little feral. "Neo kills people. It's her hobby."

Neo preened a little.

Adam looked a little pale at that, so Neo comforted him by smiling right at him, and then she made her eyes turn the same vein-y red as Akelarre's and the big bad White Fang boy took a step back.

"Actually," Akelarre said. "What is Adam doing here, Cinder?"

The Cinder woman ran a hand through her hair and let it tumble past her shoulder in a silken waterfall. "Oh, this and that. We can talk about it on the way, if you want."

Akelarre nodded easily and Cinder turned to lead the way. By some fluke of good timing, Neo ended up next to Adam as he followed them. She looked way, way up at him, her smile never faltering.

"Stop that," he growled at her.

Her smile grew, but what Adam saw was her teeth getting longer and sharper and her mouth splitting all the say up to her ears. He edged away from her.

The car waiting for them out front was more of a limousine, a long sleek thing that didn't belong in the part of Vale they were in. That Mercury boy who worked as Cinder's mook opened the back door for them and bowed a little as Akelarre slid into the back seat, followed by Cinder then Adam and Neo.

She bounced a little on her seat and took in the interior until her eyes fixed on a minifridge built into the consol between benches.

She was horribly disappointed when she found a lack of ice cream within. Akelarre caught on to her disappointment and tried to make it better by patting the spot next to her. Neo ignored that and plopped herself down on Akelarre's lap. The bouncing of the car over potholes made the whole thing much better.

Akelarre started running her hand through Neo's hair and Neo tucked her face into Akelarre's neck as a reward.

"So, Cinder, Adam?"

Cinder shifted so that one leg rested over the other. "Indeed. I reviewed your... take over of the Knights and I must admit that I am very impressed. But I realized that you wouldn't have the manpower to keep things as they are. Your alliance with the Suits will keep the peace in parts of Vale, but they won't extend too much pass the territory they already control. They just don't have the bodies to keep things going. The demand for narcotics are rising, thieves have lost contact with their resellers and quite a few thugs who worked for the Knights are now directionless."

"Yeah, that's what the meeting today's for," Akelarre said. "We need to get things rolling again."

"Indeed. I just thought that the best way to do that would be to bring in some experienced personnel that are already loyal to us. I called in a few... favours, and here we are."

"That's very generous of you, Cinder," Akelarre said.

"Isn't it?" Cinder replied.

Neo felt rather than heard Akelarre sigh. "Is there anything I could do to help you in return?"

"Well, now that you mention it," Cinder said. "I could use some help sneaking into Beacon."

"Couldn't you have asked yesterday? I was just there."

Cinder looked at Akelarre, a complete lack of expression on her face. "Had I known," she finally said. "Do you intend to return?"

"Well, yeah." Akelarre frowned in thought for a while. "Actually, I might have an idea. Do you know how to dance, Cinder?"

"I do," Cinder replied. She was beginning to sound just a little worried.

"Hrm," Akelarre hrmed. Her leg bounced and Neo felt herself bumping up and down with it. Akelarre's eyes locked onto her own. "Hey, Neo, do you like parties?"

***

Neo is basically a cat.

A huge thank-you to my friends and patrons who allow me the time to write this kind of story and who are always there to help bounce ideas and poke fun at my shoddier work. I love you guys!