Fandom Grimm Hunter Part 2: Twin Tendency

[CapRock]

Cherry

It didn't take long before Cherry lost track of time. It had gotten quite dark and quiet since she got thrown in there and she had been crying nonstop, with only now the tears beggining to dry out. She wanted so badly to be back home with mom and dad, but no matter how much she cried or boiled in anger, nothing seemed to happen. No one came to help her out and the thugs didn't seem to care at all about what she felt. Could it really be that the situation was utterly hopeless? At that point, Cherry finally relaxed her body and fell into a numb state, not seeing, nor hearing anything. She was going to close herself out from the world until it became nice to her again.

Midori

As the time of the negotiations approached, Midori stood with the others at a nearby spot as they watched Damian and Magnus walk into it with Egon. No matter how she looked at it, the canyon was clearly a tactical decision on their part to help them execute the exchange without getting surrounded. At her side, Verde was just finishing making up her 10th Hoppe. She fell on her butt after finishing, staring tiredly but proud at her platoon of fighters.
"That's the best I can do." Verde announced. "i hope it's enough, pun not intended."
And it wasn't just Verde; everyone was now at the top of their concentration, completely focused on the goal of saving Cherry. Well, almost everyone, at least. Aslan was also busy with something else. He sat next to Tristan and said:
"Hey Tristan. You've been way too quiet lately... Even more than the usual. I can't even imagine what it was like to have been there when it happened. What I mean is... I don't agree with Noctis. I think it's bad to try and push all those feelings in after what happened. And if you want anyone to talk, well... I'm here, ok?"
Midori would probably never get Aslan and his antics. But what mattered now was the tree adults walking into the canyon. The canyon's walls didn't let them see much from their position, but she could heard loud and clear when Damian asked:
"Where's Cherry?"

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"The little red headed girl? We got her locked up somewhere. We ain't giving her back until you give us what we came here for." The lead merc said with a smug smile on his face. Egon steps toward them, and then stood as they put handcuffs on him. "See ya! We're gonna have some fun with her!" they began to walk away, laughing their behinds off.

Magnus clenched his fists as he felt his blood boil, and his heart pound painfully. He clutched his chest as his muscles grew to a significant amount. All reason was thrown out the window as he roared with almost primal fury. The mercs turn around, and had the looks of total fear on their faces. "The Beast! It's the Beast of Vacuo!! RUN!!!" One of them shouted as she ran away, and with great speed , magnus caught up with the merc, and left nothing recognizable behind as she became a mess of red and white.
He engaged the other two when gunshots were released on him.

"GO! TO VICTORY!!" Koni screamed as she let out a battle cry of her people, shooting arrows into a heavily armored mercenary, which did not do much, as he just ripped them out with no blood. Koni then engaged in melee combat, landing two hits across the face before being thrown to the side. The armored man walked up to koni, about to stomp on her, but recieved an arrow in the foot.

Sonora followed in, and engaged a sword using mercenary, muscular, but not too bright. She changed her weapon into its sword mode, and began an intense fight, reciving some blows after landing some hits. Her aura managed to keep her healed, but she had to think quickly. She tripped her opponent with a leg sweep, and landed a blow to the heart, snuffing out the petty human's life. She then focused on taking the fire off of Magnus.

Tristan felt an urge of fury as his arms froze over, and grasped his weapon. He ran out, screaming like a madman as he fought an axe using mercenary, she was fast and nimble, but was overwhelmed by Tristan's mix of Aura and Weapon as he blasted Ice at her, and swung his axe around, constantly transforming to and from sword mode.

Noctis went about this calmly, and collectively. He went toe-to-toe with staff user, he was slim and swift, with scars all over. "We are gonna have some fun!" He said as Noctis focused on his plan of attack, activating his energy sword, with a Fire dust battery in it. The two exchanged blows, with noctis leaving cauterized gashes on his opponent, and blasted fireballs at his face. He then deactivated his sword, landed a punch in the gut, then reactivated, landing a jab right in the torso.

Metus howled as she charged with the summoned Hoppes, tearing down every enemy she roped up with her very long proboscis, while sustaining some hits herself. She wasted no time at all as she was fired upon, with the other Hoppes taking the bullets for her. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Cherry

Cherry waited, and waited, and waited... But nothing really happened. She was still in that horrible place, all alone, with no one to save her. Her hope was getting eaten up bit by bit. Maybe this would be her new life from now on, maybe there would be no silver lining in this dark storm clouds. She couldn't even see herself without a smile on her face and yet there she was, abolutely taken over by pain and sorrow, incapable of finding the energy to even fight back anymore. She focused her eyes again and started to stare at the wall as she let those dark thoughts sink in.
After a few moments, however, Cherry noticed a minuscule movement. What she thought to be just a lump of dust was actually a chrysalis on the verge of breaking. The dust-ridden pupa shook a few times from its dark corner of the room until it finally broke open, making way for one of the most beautiful creatures Cherry had ever seen: It was a deep blue butterfly, its color so intense it seemed to shed a light across the whole room. It certainly puzzled the young Roja girl. How could something look so beautiful even in the middle of such a horrible room?

Then it hit Cherry. The butterfly didn't even need the sun to show its beauty and not even a dark and evil place like that cell could diminish it. Seeing it like that suddenly made the whole situation seem a lot less hopeless, gifting some color into her grayscale hell. It made Cherry want to be a little more like that butterfly, cheering people up not only when everything was sunny, but also in dark moments like that. And to do that she'd have to grow stronger than ever before! Taken by a new wind of determination, Cherry started to move her jaw up and down intently. All she had to do was gt rid of her gag and show these lowly thugs just how bright Cherry really could shine.

Kin

After Magnus started to show his semblance, most of the mercs panicked, but not their leader. He took a step back and kept talking in a confident tone:
"Oh, you wanna try anything funny, do you? Well I should tell you that I have direct contact to the base she's being kept on. They'll rip her apart if I so much as give a single signal from..." The merc leader suddently stopped talked as he realized somthing was missing. he started to go through all his pockets while saying: "What in the world...?"
"Looking for this, sweetie?"
Everyone searched for the sound of the voice, which was a young cat faunus girl in facy black clothing. She was throwing a walkie-talkie up and down in her hands while giggling at the leader's disgruntled expression. "You have really loose pockets for a criminal, you know that?"
"You little... Gimme that back!"
He picked up his axe to fight the girl, but a couple more people showed up in his front, one black-haired girl with a steel staff, the other an orange-haired man wearing shades. The man focused in a point in front of him and started to generate copies of his fist while the girl battered the fists away with her staff, overwhelming the leader with a flurry of punches. He stumbled back up until he bumped into Kin himself, who had come down from the top of the canyon to wait behind him around the same time as the others came down. The merc tried to swing the axe at him, but ice dust exploded all around his arm and froze it solid.
"Damn you, Kin!" He yelled. "I should have known something was off when you didn't show up yourself."
"Tell your man to back down now." Kin said.
"You know I can't do that. If she finds out we came back without the Warframe... We're as good as dead ourselves. Take them down, men!"
Kin then watched as Magnus began his rampage across the other thugs that accompanied the leader. As horrible as those thugs were, seeing them die needlessly like that still made him cringe. He had no nope of reasoning with the beast man in that state, but he at least hoped he could have a word with the other man; he had been pretty hostile on their last talk, but he seemed at least a bit more contained. Turns out he was wrong.
Damian remained standing still as a thug ran into him and swung. He put his hand forward and held out the sword mid arc, then crushed its blade like it was made of cardboard. The steel flowed alongside his hand until it formed a brass knuckle and he punched the man across the jaw and then in the gut a few times. As the man took a step back to breathe, aura gone, Damian turned the steel in his brass knuckles into a knife and stuck it in him, making sure to give it a good twist before kicking him down. He wanted the man to bleed out slowly to ensure he'd get a good idea of what it felt like when they took his Cherry.

Verde

As soon as Magnus flipped out, Verde knew there was no going back; she took a deep breath, pointed forward and yelled:
"Everyone, go get them!"
Verde's hoppes swarmed the battlefield, followed quickly by Verde herself. Creating the small army had taken a hefty toll on her, so she simply stayed back with her shield up, keeping off any stragglers with fire. Some hoppes got taken down quickly, but the ones that stayed began slowly pushing the the remaining soldiers towards Sini to meet their demise.

Midori

Midori followed Verde into the fray and began abusing her portals to zip across the battlefied and keep all the guns from firing too often. She was doing nice up until someone managed to reach out for her leg before she move to the next place and pulled her back down, causing her to bounce off the ground and drop her spear. The mercenaries all turned her way and pointed their weapons at her. Midori had run out of moves and simply crossed her arms in front of herself, expecting the worst.

Aslan

After we got down there, everything turned into absolute chaos. I could see weapon swings, gunfire and screams in every direction and I could barely tell which side was mine anymore, still busy wondering if Tristan is really ok or not. i find a couple of enemies in front of me and I start to swing Pride at them; they're incredibly fast for simple thugs, but thanks to my training with Koni I manage to keep up with both. Well, at least up to the point where Midori screamed; I turn around to see what was happening to her and at the very next moment I'm in the air, swatted away by the enemy's hammer.
I'm still a bit dizzy when I land, but they're closing in fast, so there's no time to wait; they think that I'm down and out, but I still got a lot to give! I hold the ground and get them out of of their footing with a sweep. While they're still falling, I hold my hand forward and let out a roar that sends them flying back.

Sini

Sini landed right after Verde, firing aura bursts everywhere around her to drag some attention in; the more people came after her, the safer the others would be. She formed her aura into claws and and started swinging away, darting between the mercenaries and making them fly with each of her attacks. Anyone lucky enough to get a hit in was quickly rewarded with a blast of aura energy in their face. her new claws weren't as deadly as her old ones but she had enough technique and energy to rip whatever defense the enemy had to shreds, slashing away at each and every thug at the best points to get them out of the fight quickly. After a few minutes, Sini was heaving and her claws had gotten tiny due to aura shortage, but she was surrounded by a rather impressive pile of bodies. She gave a quick look around and found Midori in trouble. It was too far away for her to reach her in time, but not for someone else:
"Egon, get your ass to Midori and save her while there's still someone to save!" She yelled.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Egon heard Sini's command, and saw Midori surrounded by goons. He felt a surge of rage overcome him as he broke out of the cuffs, and then sprinted as fast as he could toward the group, and bullet dashed into the air. He managed to land in front of midori, and blocked the next swing with his Skiajiati, still in its scabbard. "You think you're good, eh? Let's see-" Egon landed a slice to the gut, and then a stab to the chest, wasting no time in dispatching the goon. He turned to the others, who stood their ground. He pointed his blade at the goon with gauntlets, essentially saying "You're next" He then engaged in a frenzied melee match, which resulted in him getting slugged in the face, a piece if his helmet flying off, showing his left eye, surrounded by mangled flesh. "What the hell!?! She didn't tell u-" He silenced the filthy worm, with a stab to the gut. He then mercilessly dispatched the others with his Twin Grakatas, unloading 120 bullets of death into the rest of the group. He reloaded, and helped Midori up. "Unless you are in the bedroom, do not sit there and take it. You actually need to make an attempt while in a battle." Egon said as he then dispatched the fleeing mercs, along side Koni, Sonora Jr. And the others, until the leader was left.

Egon walked up next to kin, once the battle was over, he then grabbed the leader by the neck, and then said: "WHERE IS SHE?!"

Magnus had calmed down enough to slowly revert back to his normal state, and took a deep breath. He had not felt like this in a while. He felt exhausted, and fatigued by the battle, his clothes torn, his hope diminishing, and his muscles ached. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Cherry

After a few solids minutes of trying, Cherry's gag dropped to her neck, freeing up her neck. She sat up, closed her eyes and focused with all she got. She knew she had it in her to do it. She always had, but she didn't have the strenght of heart to do it. Well, not anymore. She took a deep breath and started a light humming, heating up her voice as she steadily increased the volume.
"Hey, you!" Shouted the cell guard, turning to her and picking up his gun. "I thought you had learned your lesson! Shut up!"
But Cherry kept up increasing her voice. The other guards began to cover their ears and grunt in pain from the height of the scream. They didn't realize it, but the pebbles and bits of dust on the floor started to vibrate intesively as they ressonated with her voice. The thug unlocked his gun and nudged it towards Cherry, saying:
"Last warning, god damn it! Stop that shit or I'll..."
But it was too late. Cherry's scream reached an enourmous volume and the very stone walls of the bunker began to explode knocking the thugs aside with burst of desintegrated stone. The ceiling cracked and began to cave in all around Cherry except above herself until it all came crashing down on the thugs, brought by nothing over than Cherry voice. When the dust settled, she sat intact on the floor, with a neat ramp of snow leading to the exit.
A few more minutes later, Cherry wiped the sweat off her forehead. She had worked hard to get all the bandit off from the rubble and nested up atop a piece of rubble. She smiled happily to see none of them had severe wounds and set off to find her friends. She didn't know which direction they'd be in, but she had plenty of time and energy to find them.

Midori

"I'm sorry, I got careless..." Midori told Egon. Then she stopped to think about what he had just said and turned red as a tomato. "W-why you! I could have died!" Meanwhile, Verde was holding back a giggle just behind her. After Midori's anger and shame lowered down, she smiled slightly. As filthy as it was, a joke to lighten up the mood seemed to be not that bad of a call.

Kin

When Egon picked up the thug by the neck, Kin knew he wasn't going to stop if he got the information he asked for and so did the merc. He laughed and spat at Egon's face, saying: "Like I'd tell you that! Whatever your threats are, my boss will always be scarier. So do it! Kill me now and get it over with!"
At this moment Kin rushed in and pushed the thug away from the Warframe. He held on tight to his shirt and said:
"It doesn't have to end like this! We can protect you from her. She'd never lay a finger on you."
"Like you could do that." He gang leader replied. "She's everywhere. She knows everything and she'll get to everyone sooner or later. You're fighting a lost battle, Kin! You should surrender and beg for a merciful death while you can."
"Look, we don't really have the time for this." Kin protested. "Just tell me where she is, and then tell her it was Kenny or something, it's not like anyone here is gonna rat you out. This is the only way you'll even get out of here alive, you do know that, right?"
"...Fine. She's on bunker 23. Good luck getting in there without getting her murdered, suckers."
"See? That wasn't so hard." Kin said. He pulled the thug in for a headbutt that knocked him out, then let him fall into the floor. Everything seemed to be going fine until he heard a very bitter voice call for him a bit behind.
"So... Kin, that's it?" It was Sonora's dad, presumably Cherry's as well. He had quite a few blood splatters in his clothings, boots and fists. "You're having a good time meddling into our business and dragging in your problems to us?"
"I didn't mean to." Kin said. "Sadly, the moment your people ran into the Warframe, your fate was sealed. You should come with us after we find Cherry, we'll explain everything to you."
"And who are you, again?" Asked one of the dark-haired twins, the one who spoke the most often.
"You didn't even introduce us, Kin?" Asked Alita, the girl with the staff. "It's the most important part! What have you been doing all this time?"
"We're the Stray Hounds." B said simply before Kin could say anything. "But we can leave the introductions for later. Right now we have a girl to save."
"Agreed!" Kin said. "Scout and I know where the bunker is. Let's head there and form a plan."
The others seemed tired, but they oblidged; It was they dear friend after all. Nevertheless, Kin pushed the way forward expecting to execute the rescue mission with the sole help of his team. Little did he know, it wasn't going to be necessary at all.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Metus sniffed for a scent as she followed Kin and Egon. Once she picked up a scent, she started barking manically as she bounced around, and ran off in the direction of the smell. "After it! Maybe it smells Cherry!" Tristan said as he bolted off, with noctis, Koni, Sonora, egon, and Magnus behind him. Metus was a good distance ahead of everyone, and stopped 3 minutes later as she spotted cherry, letting out a loud and piercing howl, to let everyone else know that she found the target.

Once everone was caught up, Sonora ran up to cherry, and tackled her to the ground. "I was so worried about you! I thought we weren't going to see you again...!" Sonora was bawling her eyes out, not of sadness, but of joy and relief. She clutched her sister tight, and cried into her sister's chest.

"Sonora, let her get up." Magnus said as Sonora helped Cherry up. Tristan walked forward, and felt tears running down his face. He then quickly hugged her, and kissed her passionately. Sonora was shocked by this, the coldest boy she knew, kissing the sweetest girl she knew, and quickly fainted from the overload of emotions. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Cherry

Cherry happily took in her sister's hug, Tristan's kiss and her father's hug. Damian held her by the arms and said:
"Cherry, are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?" She shook her head and he hugged her again, tearing up and shedding some tears and he held her close. She didn't even know her father was there, but she was happy to have him close. "What happened then? How did you get out?"
Cherry opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was still too sore from the scream to say anything. Instead, she pointed towards the direction of the bunker, then held imaginary prison bars with a crying expression, follwed by an imitation of her screaming and an explosion motion with her hands. Midori and Verde both understood immediately and nodded happily. Sini gave her a friendly tap in the back and said:
"Good job, Cherry! I knew you had it in you. We're all just so f@%$ing happy so see you back safely!"
"You got us so worried, Cherry!" Aslan agreed. "We wouldn't know what to do without you."
Cherry was smiling from ear to ear as she saw everyone's reactions. She couldn't wait to get her voice back again and talk a million things with them, but for now she simply hopped in place, overjoyed to be back to everyone... And especially Tristan.

Kin

The moment Kin saw Sonora Jr. loosing her footing, he stepped in and held her before she could fall. He could see her father glaring at him for a moment before giving up and shaking his head, clearly too busy being happy about his daughter being safe to worry about some young love. The moods all over seemed to be getting high again but that didn't distract him from the fact that there were still a long way ahead of them. He told the team:
"You should spend the night at our base. We can talk over what's happening a little safer there."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"Fine, but do not try anything stupid, unless you want to wake up with your bones broken." Sonora Jr. Said as she shook her head. She was falling for him, but she had to keep the act up, or she would be seen as "easy" to many people.

Tristan wiped his genuine tears away, and looked on in wonder, smiling at her. "That's my cherry blossom. You have certainly surprised all of us." He said as he brushed her hair behind her ear, smiling as he looked into her overjoyed eyes. "And do not worry, nobody won't be locking you up.... Not while I am around. You can count on that." He then kissed her passionately, and then looked at her with a smile. "You want a piggy back ride to their base? Or would you like me to carry you in my arms?"

"But we just met. Why would we stay in strange place with people we don't know? I do not trust this, not at all." Koni made sure her worry was in her voice, since she felt uncomfortable around the new people, even though they are allies. "Do you trust them, aslan?" Being a member of a secluded tribe had taught her many things, being weary of those she encounters was one of those things.

"You got any food? I'm starving!" Noctis said as he stretched with a smile on his face. A terrible situation ended happily, and that was what mattered. "And also, are we gonna have separate rooms? Because I can get a little hot from time to time.... And I mean that literally...."

Magnus breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at Cherry, and walked up to her. "You did well, my cinnamon roll. I am proud of you, and I am sure your father is too." He said, smiling at Damian with a nod.

Egon nodded, and stood in between the Russets. "You must be tired from all that excitement, how about a ride on my shoulders? to rest your legs for a while." He asked as he held out both hands to them, waiting to take the hands. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Aslan

It's a pretty short walk from the place we met Cherry up until the base. Cherry's piggy-backing on Tristan, the Russets are sitting on Egon's shoulders and I am extremely reliefed that Koni is only worried about an actual serious matter because I wouldn't have said no if she asked. I looked at Kin as he said:
"Well, our rooms are a little dusty, but other than that we should have plenty of room for everyone!"
It's still a bit hard to tell what's Kin's deal just from what I saw. He's been holding back on some info, but I also feel like he already had all the chance in the world to ambush us by now; if he didn't do anything, then at the very least he doesn't want us dead right away and that's a lot compared to the other party. I don't want to spill out all the beans in front of Kin, though, so I simply tell Koni:
"Not yet... But he's surely been nicer than those mercenaries and I can appreciate something like that."
Their base is an old bunker hidden beneath a few inches of snow, almost like an oversized ermine burrow. Cherry's reaction to it proves she saw it before so I can just assume Mantle has a few of these sprayed around the area. The insides are made of old, cracked concrete, but there's plenty of second-hand modern appliances and furniture sprayed around to give it a bit of personality. The first room feels like a hybrid of a meeting room and a kitchen, with a hallway leading to what I only assume are the bedrooms. The one called Kin lits up an old Dust lamp and heads towards the main piece of furniture, a busted-up armchair that rests at the very end of the room. He sits on it and says:
"There should be enough for all of you to sit down around there. I have a little story to tell you before you go to bed. You can ask me any questions you'd like after I'm done. Or just go to bed and get some rest, we all know you need some of that."
I take my seat next to Koni and bring her in close to me. I know she's not quite comfortable in being at a stranger's house like this so soon, so the least I can do is give her a little assurance with having me close. Kin is waiting patiently for all of us with his one good eye shut and a smirk in his face, he's clearly enjoying this. When silence settles in, he opens his eye and begins:

"A long, long time ago, there was a kingdom at the verge of collapse. It started a war it could not finishing and it would pay for its mistakes with its own existence... Unless a miracle flipped the tables on them and brought them victory. To save their people and achieve said miracle, they were capable of anything, even using powers and technology beyond their own comprehension to turn their own men into living weapons. That was the Warframe project, from which your Warframe friend came from. If you know anything about Egon, then you should know what I'm talking about... But that's only half the story.
You see, Egon is a very insteresting exception to the rule when it comes to Warframes. They usually need a "pilot" to function properly. Mantle chose a few amongst its people to undergo contact with a newly discovered force of the world, known only as The Void. These people were to emerge out of the experience as a Tenno, which can manipulate some of that Void and take control of the Warframes. As you can guess, those you see right here enlisted to such project alongside many more towards the end of the Great War as a last ditch attempt from Mantle.
But just because we were there together, doesn't mean we all agreed on what the Mantle army was doing to reach its goals. The group you see here joined forces under my command and stopped our void training before we could fully become Tenno, forming the Stray Hounds. We were supposed to exist with the goal of saving the tortured Warframes from the clutches of the Mantle Army, now known as the Atlesian Army, but..." Kin makes a dramatic pause at this moment, glancing at the side and clenching his fist. "Things got... Complicated.
As it turned out, the influence of the void was too malicious for one of the women who enlisted to the Tenno, called Rei. She began to talk about the powers and wonders of the void, how she was an ambassador for a certain Vor and that it was useless to resist. And the worst part? Some of the Tenno listened and joined her wicked cult. She wants to use the power of the Warframes to spread the Void into all of Remnant. If she succeeds, I can assure you we'll miss the good old days where Grimm were the worst of our worries. And as you know, she has no qualms to hurt and kill innoccents and use whatever in her grasp to ensure she gets what she wants. I can't tell you to go hide into safety because there's no such thing as "safe" anymore for you. What I can ask you to is that you fight alongside us. You're a compenent group of huntsmen, that much is for sure. Your help suddenly makes the idea of thwarting their plan seems a lot more realistic, honestly. So... What do you say? Any questions?"

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Egon's fists clenched as he listened to Kin's story. At the end, he shook his head. "Who is this.... Rei? And what makes her think that she can corrupt everything with the "Wonders of the Void?" A good question, but there was no definite answer.

"Are there any Tenno that don't want to be a jerk? Besides you guys?" Sonora asked, yet another good question, but there was probably an answer to it, depending on if Kin was willing to bring up Kyla. "We could use some more of the good guys, that can pilot these.... Warframes.... Is Egon the only sentient one?"

Koni listened on, she had no idea what Kin was saying, but she knew something bad was going on. She clutched Aslan tightly, and then stayed silent at the end. She tried to wrap her head around the story kin told, but the look of confusion says it all. "I do not understand- I do not understand any of this....."

Tristan and Noctis listened on, at the end, noctis spoke up. "So these Warframes, are they just like the Black Wolf, here? Or are each one different from each other, like each one being able to do different things?" "Wow Noctis, when did you get so smart?" "Shut up tristan! You may be smarter than me, but at least I have a better sense of style!" The boys bickered, with Tristan losing this match. He gave an exasperated sigh, and shook his head.

Kyla Azura

Kyla was in the labs of Atlas Military, where she was helping find ways to focus her Void Beam ability, and make it a better weapon. "Now Ms. Azura, we are going to test the raw energy of your energy beams, aim at the target, and fired when ready." Winter instructed as Kyla aimed her hand at the target, and released a void beam, utterly destroying the target. "Fascinating! Your raw power is rather destructive! We shall see what the Amps will do to it after you put one one. We have Amps in Tiers, after the ones constructed with their parts, we have ones that are mixed together. Try them out, and we shall see how it fares." Winter added as Kyla tried out the Mote Amp, the starter Amp. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Sini

Sini watched and waited her turn as the rest of the team showered Kin with questions. The leader of the Stray Hounds watched and nodded, then answered their questions all in one line:
"Warframes are all unique, with different appearance and powers, but I've never heard about any displaying enough consciousness as Egon does. He's really one of a kind. And about other Tenno... Well, that really depends on what you consider 'good.' While there are some good-natured Tenno out there, most of them followed Mantle's orders so I don't see why they wouldn't support Atlas as well. And we can't work with Atlas, of course! So us here really are it." Verde furrowed her brow after that statement and said:
"Why? If this Rei really is as bad as you say he is, Atlas surely wouldn't mind arresting her!"
"Yes, but we defected the army just the same." Kin said, a bit more seriously. "As far as they're concerned, we're just as bad as Rei and we deserve the same fate as her."
"Speaking of her," Damian interjected. "Magnus made you a question."
"Who's Rei?" The Stray Hounds all gazed at Kin with a worried expression. He took a deep breath and removed his eyepatch. Both his eye and the skin around it had become dark and cracked. "Let's just say that she and I have history. And to why she forgot her family and friends in favor of a higher power from another world... Well, I guess she always was that kind of person." He put the eyepatch back and returned to more relaxed expression. Any more questions?"
"Well, obiously we need some time to talk this through." SIni said. "On our own."
"That's reasonable." Kin added. "Alita, show them to their room, will you?"
"I'm on it." Alita sat back up and headed towards the hallways. "You guys don't mind sleeping bags, do you?"

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"Nope..... But I got some questions I need to ask Kin. In private." Sonora Jr. Said, as thoughts of what he could see in her flooded her mind. Many questions came up, but one stood out. "What do you see in me?" She looked him dead in the eyes, to show she was serious.

Koni shook her head, and looked at Aslan. "What's a sleeping bag?" She asked nervously, she was not used to strangers inviting her into their home, and everything happened so fast for her, she knew one of the people, but the others she barely knew. It was clear she was scared, but was somewhat at ease with Aslan by her side.

Tristan nodded, while Noctis sighed. "Yeah, As long as it is big enough for 2." noctis wanted to feel Sini's warmth upon him, and to look into her eyes before falling asleep. Tristan, on the other hand, just wanted to make sure Cherry did not vanish again from his arms. "Wanna share a sleeping bag, cherry?" He asked her.

"Get one for the twins, I will not need one." Egon did not feel tired, being mostly mechanical, his need for sleep disappeared, and his concern is for Verde and Midori now. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Verde

Verde and her sister followed the group towards the dorm room, a large, low-ceiling space filled to the brim with rusted scrap of all kinds. The Stray Hounds picked up some sleeping bags and spread them at the floor, with a Dust lamps and a canteen of water for each; it wasn't much, but it really seemed like it was prepared with care. After that, the entire team but Sonora was left on their own.
"Well, this is a sleeping bag, Koni." Aslan replied to his, uh... Wife. Verde still had to get used to Aslan being married, but they did seem to get along very well. "I'm sorry to tell you it's not as comfy as a bed, but... At least we can get some rest, right?" He held her in the arms, then gave her a kiss and a hug. "I can see it in your eyes that you could use a fresh new day to start on."
Cherry blushed and widened her eyes at Tristan's suggestion but, after a moment of hesitation, ended up nodding happily. Sini yanked Noctis into the sleeping bags and snuggled both of their bodies tighly inside the bag. Verde noticed that her sister was curious about Egon's lack of sleep and took her alongside herself into the last sleeping bag, laying on the ground and supporting her head upright with her elbows. She was just as curious as Midori on the matter, but there were more important subjects to be discussed at the moment. Verde cleared her throat to call everyone's attention and said:
"So, team... I know we're all tired, but there's something important we have to talk about and this could be our only chance to do it. Is this Kin guy to be trusted? Should we join this ragtag gang of his?"
"Well, Atlas seems to hate him." Sini said. "I'm not even sure if that's good or bad on them." She added with a giggle.
"What kind of question even is that, anyway?" Aslan said. "Of course we should help! We should always help, we're huntsmen!" Cherry nodded energetically to Aslan's statement.
"I know, and we should help someone." Verde concluded. "But I'm just making sure we're helping the right person here."
"For all we know, Kin could be the one crazed over the void and its wonders." Midori added.
"Exactly!" Verde said. "That would explain why Atlas hates him, but not why he saved us. What do you think, Egon? He did promise to save all the Warframes... You should have a say in this."

Kin

Kin lagged behind with Sonora Jr, sending the rest of the Hounds off as he stayed with her at the hallway. Her serious expression was probably supposed to be scary, but it just managed to melt him over. He smirked a bit, then forced himself to get serious as he asked:
"What's the matter, dear? I'll do whatever I can to ease your worries."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"I do not have a choice in the matter. I have to trust him. Even though Atlas may be different from Mantle, they still rely on technology for security..... And for me to be in their hands, would not bode well for anyone. Not even the citizens." Egon said as Tristan raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "I am a weapon, a weapon made for slaughter. Controlled by the Tenno, but I have my own will, and my rage and pain fuel my existence, in place of happiness and bliss. No chains can hold me down, for the wolf is loose, searching for peace."

"Wow man.... That's rough." Noctis snuggled up against Sini, and sighed. He felt bad for Egon.

"Tell us a bit more of yourself." Tristan added, curious about Egon.

"I was once a man of honor, a father of 4, husband to two wives..... But when I was forced into.... This.... I was forced to erase everything I loved and cherished.... And Cherry.... Reminded me of my youngest daughter. I can still hear her screams, her cries and pleas...... But thankfully..... I have you all here, especially you two." Egon looked at Verde and Midori, and put his hands on their cheeks, feeling a faint warmth he had never felt in a long time. "It is time I moved on, and helped you all, just like you did me."

Koni felt sad for Egon, and felt a tear down her face. "We all have lost our families at some point..... I myself have lost mine. I failed to protect them from the children of darkness..... Now only I remain."

"What do you see in me? What makes you keep coming back for more, after I reject you? Why are you so interested in me? I am not the girl you want, Kin. I am just a lowly Faunus girl, trying to live up to a family legacy.... My mom, my dad, both in the Huntsman business....." Sonora Jr. Felt a tear running down her face, feeling the facade of toughness breaking. "I am not for you.... No matter how hard you try..... I have no love to give.... Because I gave it to the ones who hurt me..... I am starving for love and attention, but no man wants to love an animal, does he?" CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Midori

"Bingo!" Verde exclaimed when she heard Egon's story and his compliment to the twins. "How many points does he have now?"
Midori scribbled some numbers on her scrapbook. While it seemed like a terribly subjective score, there was a science (and equations) to it. She turned to Verde while smirking and said:
"We're at 90.28% right now. He's almost there, honestly!"
They were being secret about it on purpose, almost begging for Egon to ask them about it.

Aslan

Seeing Koni talking about her family tears me up, as it always did and always will. There's no words I can find that'll soften a pain like that, si I simply hold her tight and caress her hair. We are her new family, but that's not something you just tell people. She has to feel it, to know in her heart that I understand and that I'm beside her at all times. Taking care of Koni is requiring a lot of effort... But that's exactly why I'm so glad that I'm the one to do it. Meanwhile, Sini rolls her eyes at all the moping around and says:
"Then it looks like we have a decision. We're helping Kin and his crazy little gang out while we're here, Atlesian military be damned. But you think that I'm staying another night at this shithole, you must have lost your minds!"
"We really shouldn't overstay our welcome." I add. "Maybe we can ask him to call us whenever he needs help?"

Kin

"Oh, Sonora..." Kin replied carefully, sharing some of her pain in his voice. "I know it hurts. The world can be a dark and scary place, especially if you happen to be a faunus." As he said that, he carefully reached out for her cheek and cleaned the tear away. He now had the sunniest of smiles as he added: "But I know that you're lying about one thing. I can see it your eyes that you're stronger insider than you think, and that you still have a lot of love to give... You just need someone who values you for who you are. And that, my dear, is why I am so interested in you."
His hand stayed put at her cheek after he said that, as if to gauge her reaction to his touch. If she was ready to go for it all, then so was he.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"If I may ask, what are you two doing?" Egon asked curiously as he looked at his two girlfriends, doing something in her scrapbook. He was very confused, and wanted to know what was going on.

Koni gripped Aslan tightly as she rested her head on his chest, she knew that her new family is there for her, but to her, it is a different feeling entirely. She then soon fell alseep, her tears staining his shirt.

Noctis nodded in agreement. "I mean, why not stay as long as we are allowed? They were nice enough to invite us in so we don't freeze. And I know how much you hate the cold, Sini. Being weak to Ice and all...." Noctis added as tristan chuckled. "You are beginning to sound like me, Noctis. I am impressed." "You're rubbing off on me, and it seems like the other way around too! You aren't as cold hearted and distant as before. Whatever Cherry did to you, she should keep it up. Happiness looks better on you than a frozen heart." This hit tristan hard, but he knew it was true. Cherry had caused his happiness to finally appear after all these years. He looked at her with a smile, then back at his brother. "Whatever she did, I am glad she did it. Because with her, I am a new person, a happier one." Tristan gave Cherry a passionate kiss.

Sonora now had tears rolling down her face as she collapsed onto her knees. She was bawling her eyes out, not because she was sad, but because he was right. The tough act shattered, leaving her vulnerable. Once he touched her cheek, she wanted to pull his hand away, but pulled the other hand in, and set it on her face. She had been craving this kind of attention for a while now, and now she has it. "I'm..... I'm sorry..... I'm sorry for being a b!+ch to you....! I just.... I just...!" She could not form the words to say how much she appreciated his attention, and his concern. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Verde

Verde stared at Minori and both giggled a bit. Verde stared at her sister with inquiring eyes and she nodded in agreement. They both rolled inside their bag to face Egon with a bright smile. Verde said:
"We're keeping track of how many points you're scoring with us, of course! You're just above 90% now... Can you guess what happens at 100%?"
Verde stared seductively at Egon for a moment before bursting into laughter again with her sister. She wasn't sure if that was the most ordinary method of flirting, but very little of their relationship was ordinary anyways.

Cherry

Cherry kissed Tristan, smiling as soon as they breaked the kiss while remaining as close to him as possible. She couldn't wait to talk to him again tomorrow, but for now, she'd better sleep. She watched as Aslan held Koni tightly, shedding a tear over his wife's tears, and as Sini pouted at Noctis' comment and said:
"Fine, but we're stopping at the hotel first thing in the morning to get some supplies. Good night, people." Sini added closing her eyes and removing herself from the conversation in a rather forced manner. Cherry wondered if she was actually trying to sleep or pretending, and if it was the latter, what for.

Kin

Kin now had all the confirmation he wanted; with both hands on her cheeks, he could strate straight into her unveiled soul, and god damn it, it was beautiful! It didn't bother him one bit that she cried. Strong people cried the most, he had learned, out of trying to carry the heaviest burdens on their own. He slid his hand down Sonora's back and into her waist, then pushed her towards him to hold her tightly against his chest. He let her cry all her pain out into him, feeling her warmth and giving her some of his.
Then, and only then, he pulled her back a bit and shifted his hand to her hair, pullin her hair behind her ear before setting his hand at her nape. He said nothing as he leaned in towards her mouth with his, but his eyes commanded her to say no more. He'd understood all the she could express through words; it was time to take things a step further.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"Is that how you younger people do things? I am very much out of the loop..." He stopped as Verde stared at him seductively. He was unsure, but he had to try. "Oh... Oh.... That? Well.... I am a little rusty with that sort of stuff. But, if it's what you want, then you'd better be ready my little flowers, because I will make you see in a different light when we are done." He had no idea if it will work, but he wanted to make them go crazy from anticipation, and of course, they would probably tackle him down.

Sonora looked at him, with sullen eyes. She then hugged him tightly, and stained his shirt with tears of happiness and realization. She was starting to fall for him, and hoped Kin would make a move to seal the deal.

"Goodnight, everyone!" Noctis said as he closed his eyes, and snuggled up as close as he could to Sini, pretending to sleep.

"We should all hit the hay. G'night, my cherry blossom." Tristan said as he grabbed her by the waist, and fell asleep as the two spooned together, her warmth radiating onto him. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Midori

"...You wish." Midori replied to Egon. Verde laughed at Egon's suggestion while twirling her hair around her finger. "Good night, Egon." Midori added. She turned over on her bag and scribbled on her scrapbook a +10%, then closed it and laid down to call it a day. Her sister, however, still seemed a bit restless. She looked around and said:
"But just where is Sonora? How long could they be talking for?"
"Leave them be, sis." Midori added, half-muffled by her pillow. "You probably know what they're doing even better than I do."
"I knew that guy was up to no good!" Verde complained, but ultimately also laid down to sleep. All of the sudden, the room seemed pretty quiet again. Midori gave Egon one last glance and smiled at him before finally giving in to sleep.

Kin

Kin understood Sonora's silence as confirmation and pulled her into him as well for a passionate kiss. For that one, perfect moment, the world and its problems ceased to exist - it was just him and her, two tormented souls connecting to shine brighter together. Just as he expected, Faunus girls were excellent kissers. It was only after he broke up that he realized there were three onlookers snooping on their moment from the corner of the hall. Kin frowned at his Stray Hounds, but inside he was laughing.
"Go mind your own business, will you?" Lily was the first to disappear from sight; B took a little longer since he had to drag Alita away while she pretended to pop imaginary heart bubbles. "You... Should probably head back with your friends. I can't wait to see you tomorrow, my dear."

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

"N.... No.... I want to be with you...." Sonora said as she hugged him tightly, tears flowing slower than they were before. "I feel warm and fuzzy around you.... I love you...." She was not letting him go, not as soon as he hooked her. "And besides..... We still have to do some talking. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Kin

"Come here then." Kin added as he hugged Sonora jr. back. He was simply breathless after seeing just how much pain she was holding inside her. Maybe she was right about it being too soon to let her go; and if a person needed help, then Kin wouldn't have been able to sleep anyways. After they broke out the hug, he said: "Let's talk, then."

- On the next day -

Sini

Morning had come to Atlas, but nothing changed inside the team's room since it was set undergroud. Sini got up and lazily stretched with a fat yawn, clearly having had a great night of sleep. She said:
"I may have to eat my own words. I had a great time sleeping here!"
"Yeah... I figured." Aslan replied while dragging himself up. By the size of the bags under his eyes it was clear that he lost a big part of his sleep, but he didn't seem willing to say anything about it. Instead he gave Koni a rub in the back and said: "Hey Koni, rise and shine. Are you feeling a little better now?"
Sini was still half-asleed when she was taken by surprise by an ear-piercing scream coming from the bed next to her. She ducked and grabbed her Shame, tense for a moment, before realizing it was simply a happy little redhead exploding with happiness:
"Aaaaaaaaaaah! My voice is back!" She popped up from the sleping bag and gave Tristan a little wake-up kiss. "i've been waiting so long to say this... Thank you! Thank you so much for worrying over me and trying to save me! From now on, I promise I'll start to take care of myself better..." Her voice died out for a moment as she noticed something. "Wait, Where's sis? And where are the Russets?"

Verde & Midori

"Ready sis?" Verde asked.
Both her and Midori had slipped away from everyone's sight the moment they got the chance through Midori's portals and spent the night out making preparations; sleep was never much of a hassle for either of the sisters. They were now just outside the room alongside a few Hoppes holding out confetti.
"Ready." Midori agreed with a nod. "Let's do this."
Midori opened her portals once again and the two sisters ambushed Egon from the sides, followed closely by the hoppes who threw the confetti into the air. Before Anyone could even say anything, Verde explained:
"Congratulations, Egon! You just achieved 100% affection level for both of us last night. Now there's no turning back!" She wore a big smile but also a sharp determination on her eyes. Her sister held up a small wrapped box tied together to a scrapbook page with a letter on it. She held it out for him and said:
"Here you go, take this. It's from both of us."

Spoiler: Verde and Midori's letter

Dear Egon,

There's no denial to it anymore - I've become enticed by your existence. Took me a while to realize, but i'm interested in a lot more than just the body Mantle has given you - I want to know more about the man inside and how he lives with so much pain inside of him. More than that, I want to help him through it... I've never felt like this to someone before, and it's rather scary, but I hope we can figure it out together. That being said, I hereby request that you take me out on a date.
Love,
Midori

Dear Egon,

I'm writing this second because you should always leave the best for last!
Just kidding, of course.
What I am serious about is that being near you has been just the best thing for me! I catch myself staring at you more times yesterday than I want to admit. I need you with me, Egon, just like a sunflower needs its sun, and I want to do anything I can to make you the happiest Warframe in the kingdom.
So... Would you care to take this lady out on a date? Nod if yes, do a triple sommersault backflip if no.

Love,
Verde

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

Keezheekoni woke up with Aslan's rubbing of her back, and nodded with a groggy groan. "yes, I do. I am not used to any of this new environment yet, and I had trouble sleeping....." She got up slowly, and rubbed her eyes.

Tristan, however, stayed asleep throughout Cherry's screaming. But what woke him up was her kiss to his cheek. "You're voice is back! I am glad..." Tristan looked at her, and smiled. "I'd be a terrible boyfriend if I did not care or worry about you. Besides, I know how much you mean to me, Sonora, and everyone else." He looked around the room, and scratched his head. "I guess sonora slept in Kin's bed...."

Sonora Jr. Woke up next to Kin, her bushy tail wagging at the sight of him. She never knew she would fall for someone like him, or anyone at all. She then rubbed Kin's shoulder as he slept. She got out of bed, and looked at Kin, before going back to the others.

Egon read each letter from the girls, and he drew a line down his face, gesturing a tear running down his face as he nodded. "I cannot say no to you two. My little flowers, blooming with everlasting beauty. Both with different strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. What's most important, is your willingess to cooperate with each other, and that is what draws me towards you, aside from your beauty and brains." he sat the Scarpbook down, and set them both on his shoulders, keeping them up right with surprising balance. CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Midori

Midori hugged Egon and kissed him in the cheek when he nodded, only realizing Verde had done the same a moment later. She then let Egon pick her up and sat on his shoulder. She definitely could get used to this.

Aslan

After waking up, we fold our bags and head out to the hallway, were we meet woth Sonora and Kin; they're holding hands together, just like Tristan predicted. It feels like it was just the other day that we were a bunch of kids without the slighest clue of what we were doing with our lives... Actually, no, it was just the other day, it's just all happening so fast!
And now look at us! We are all paired up, staying at a kingdom so far away from home and about to deal with something that could put thousands at risk. The sudden responsibility is scary. But at least we're facing it together, right?
"Good morning, early birds." Kin greets everyone. "So, have you slept on it? We have much to do today and I need to know if I can count on you."
"We'll play along, yeah." Sini replies. "What's the plan?"
"'Playing along'..." Kin says, making a long face. "I'm not sure that's the answer I expected, but I'll take it. Come, we have to go to Atlas again. The military is going to reveal their first official Warframe."
So... This is it, huh? The warframes are coming back into the world. If any of them went through a tenth of Egon's pain, then it's worth trusting Kin to do it. I shake up my tiredness and nod confidently, following Kin and his Stray Hounds towards the presentation.

 

[Emperor Of Embers]

After a long walk to the unveiling, General Ironwood stood, hands behind his back. The group had made it just in time, as Ironwood cleared his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Atlesian military has started a new program, and has just finished the first of its kind! Allow me to introduce, Rhino!" Ironwoods stepped to the side as a crate opened up, and a massive, and menacing Warframe stepped out. He stood, and scanned among the crowd, taking in sensory information. "Our first subject of the Warframe Project, Rhino, is our most resilient one yet. However, Warframes cannot function without an operator, Isn't that right, Kyla?" Kyla exits Rhino through Transference essentially materializing in front of everyone. "Yes sir. Even though Warframes are strong, so are us Operators." She added with a smile, waving to the crowd.

The crowd cheered as Kyla simply turned into energy, and went inside the Rhino. The Rhino came to life, and gave an intimidating pose.

Egon did not like this one bit, and felt as if something is about to go horribly wrong. "I do not like this, girls..... Something feels off...." CapRock

 

[CapRock]

Cherry

The group was attending the unveil in a vaguely spread-out clutter hid just behind the inner line of the crowd to allow maximum visibility without standing out too much. Cherry gawked at the warframe, saying:
"He looks so scary! And so strong, too." And when the girl phased out of the warframe she added: "Wait, what? Did she just... Are those the Void powers, Kin? Kin...?"
"Oh, right." Kin answered Cherry after a few seconds of delay. She could tell he had something stuck in his mind. "Yes, those are the void powers. Don't be fooled by her act, she's won't hesitate to take Egon from us if she had the chance... And she has the powers to do so as well. Atlas are not our friends here."
"Yeah, about that." Aslan intervened. "I'm not sure I agree with that. We shouldn't be fighting our enemy's enemy."
"Now's really not the time..." Kin started to protest, but Aslan seemed adamant about discussing the subject then and there. Cherry looked at the two in a worried fashion, hoping the two wouldn't turn this into an actual fight... But she was ready to set the foot down if it did.

Verde

"That's quite the presentation!" Verde said at first. Midori was at the other side of Egon, taking notes vigurously. Verde herself had awaited this moment ever since they got in Atlas, and she was trying her best to ignore the sudden argument so she could focus on the presentation, hoping to shower the scientists with questions as soon as she got the chance. There was another detail, however, one that she couldn't let past her so easily.
"What's the matter, Egon?" She asked. "Should we grab our weapons?"
"What a time for trouble to sprout." Midori added.