A metal case he unclipped a few wooden pieces from, sticking one behind each ear and another on the roof of his mouth. The wood shifted and became barely noticeable, equipping Sebastian with the ability to speak and understand any language he came into contact with. 'This thing was a lifesaver last year. Arabic was hell to understand for a native English speaker. And why the hell were there so many different dialects of the same language? It caused me so much grief until I made these.'
The best thing was that prolonged use would ingrain the language in his subconscious, altering his perception of the language until he could read it after enough time. Another invention he didn't bother spreading around. 'It's not like this kind of thing is unique. There are others on the market; they just have various side effects, like brain tumors.'
Shaking the thought off, Sebastian focused for a moment as a shimmer went over his body, his facial features shifting under a glamor charm to a non-descript black hair and brown-eyed man. 'That's so much easier now. As long as I only cover my face, I should be fine for a few hours.'
Returning to the gate, Sebastian started psyching himself up for his first steps. 'Alright, first contact with intelligent life in another dimension. No need to be nervous. First impressions are important, Sebastian; just don't trip on thin air like Nym, and I'll be fine.'
The thought of Nym brought a mix of a smile and grimace to his face. 'I wonder what she's up to. Probably driving someone into early insanity in Auror training by now.' He chuckled at the thought. 'She's fine. Don't focus on her, or her perfectly symmetrical boobs. Soft, cushiony, boobs. Ugh, going this long without a lay is rough.'
For all that he was, Sebastian was still eighteen, and hormones were a bitch sometimes.
Shaking his head, he stepped up to the gate, ready to walk over, while his mind turned over the best parts of Nym.
Yet, one thing Sebastian forgot at that moment was that he was connected to the arch, and his intent was what focused it.
'Merlin, I could stare at her pink hair all da-.' Sebastian was cut off as a single ripple passed through the doorway while his foot was an inch away, and as he stepped through, he felt a massive suction as his pendant was drained dry and pulled on his own mana, stripping his recent glamor and leaving him wheezing and punch drunk as he suddenly stepped out of a nondescript run down door in a back alley and nearly fell atop its occupant.
A young woman with her hair split down the middle, with one side a brown color and the other having a familiar shade of pink.
Mismatched pink and brown eyes stared into his red and blue gaze in honest surprise as she was obviously startled by his appearance.
"Ny-?" Sebastian only saw the color pink as he slurred his words before it all went black, and he fell face-first into unconsciousness, leaving the woman speechless.
She stared at his fallen form for a long silent moment, as if trying to figure out what the hell just happened and if the blond man had been calling her name, only for her to hear a specific splat sound.
Looking down, the hetero-chromic gaze of one Neopolitan zeroed in on the splattered remains of her fallen ice cream, having dropped it in the surprise of the moment.
Her gaze furrowed as a gleaming spike extended from the edge of a pink umbrella, shifting her sight to the fallen body.
The pendant around Sebastian's neck vibrated as if sensing danger, but sadly, neither it nor Sebastian had the energy to run.
Chapter 5:
The soft sound of something scraping along the ground turned heads as nearby pedestrians tried to find the source before moving on as they didn't see anything.
They certainly didn't see a certain unconscious young man being dragged by his collar through the street by a clearly upset Neo. For even if they pierced the illusion of her semblance, the very Aura she was radiating would have sent them running.
She was pissed. 'How dare he ruin my ice cream time? I just barely started on the strawberry. I was focusing on vanilla today, minding my own business for once, and this bastard comes out of nowhere!'
Neo had even looked around the door he walked through, and all she found was boarded-up bricks!
But even that mystery wouldn't be enough to save the poor bastard from some well-justified stabbing. It was only what he said before he passed out that made her pause. 'Was he trying to say my name? How does he know me? I've never seen him before.'
To be fair, she didn't remember most people unless they were interesting, so it's not like it wasn't possible for her to have met him before, but she wasn't even famous yet! She hid her face during heists; Roman always said she wasn't strong enough yet for the big leagues, so she listened.
He was usually right about those things; usually, sometimes, he had his moments.
"Oh, welcome back Neo." Speaking of the devil, Neo looked up from the entrance of the warehouse she stepped into, filled with masked goons moving goods, to see the familiar face of her father figure drinking coffee from the railing of the second floor. "Found yourself a friend?"
Neo grimaced and shook her head, miming stabbing as she pointed to Sebastian's unconscious body, bringing out an amused chuckle from Roman.
"I see; well, have fun with your new toy. I'll need to see you tonight for our next job, but you're free till then."
Neo nodded in agreement and stepped past as Roman looked away, unconcerned with his adoptive daughter's wellbeing. As far as he was concerned, she was a perfectly responsible just shy of eighteen year old young woman.
The goons didn't dare focus on her as she passed them, knowing perfectly well what the risk of getting in the way of a frowning Neo would entail.
Soon, she was in the living area in the back, throwing the man's body on the coffee table before collapsing into a comfy couch, huffing to herself as she put her feet up on the man's chest.
'Wake up soon and answer my questions before I stab you, or it's stabbing time.'
0000
Mana exhaustion, as any wizard would tell you, is the magical equivalent of being hung over.
So, when Sebastian came to with a dry mouth and a pounding headache, he was less worried about his surroundings and more about making the leprechauns dancing on his brain stop.
"Urrrr, fuck you gate."
A sudden pressure on his chest had him blearily opening his eyes to see a pair of white-heeled boots resting on his body. Blinking in confusion, Sebastian steadily followed the boots up shapely legs in tight dark brown pants, over a delicious full rear, and up the open midriff and pink tank top with an open white jacket to find their owner staring back at him with mesmerizing, mismatched pink and brown eyes, and matching hair colors.
And her gaze was not friendly.
"Errr…. You were wonderful last night?"
The pressure on his chest increased as the young woman was suddenly twirling a knife between her fingers.
"Just joking." He wheezed out and the pressure eased up.
In Sebastian's defense, he was magically hungover and didn't really spend much time talking to anyone outside of Nym, her family, and goblin business associates. And that was on top of not seeing Nym in a while.
"Ok, wrong dialogue choice. Wait, you can understand me?"
The woman nodded.
"But how could…." Sebastian realized he was still wearing his communication equipment. 'Oh, even if I was unconscious, I could still hear people speak. Their language must be similar enough that my brain subconsciously processed it pretty quickly. Well done brain, you deserve some caffeine.'
Being able to speak didn't suddenly save him from the dangerous girl staring at him in confusion.
"Hey, don't look at me like that. In my defense, I've had a weird day. Do you mind letting me sit up before I puke on your carpet?"
The girl mimed stabbing with her knife.
"Yes, yes, I'm at your mercy, big whoop. Look, I'm unarmed and basically hungover here, so work with me. And why are you so strong? I literally can't move."
Rolling her eyes at Sebastian trying and failing to move her legs, she swung her feet off his chest and freed him to sit up in relief. "Damn, my back hurts. What the hell was I sleeping on?" He looked down and noticed the coffee table before slowly turning to look at the small smug-faced woman on the very large couch. "Seriously?"
She just sent him an amused look and made a gesture to get on with speaking.
"Alright, fine. This is such an odd day."
At her encouraging look, he shrugged and decided to rant.
"I came all the way to a new place, and the first people I see are Nazi-animal people. Like, what kind of shit luck is that? Wait, do you have Nazis here?"
The woman shrugged.
"Wonderful, well they hate everything that's not them."
The woman nodded in understanding.
"So, I said fuck that and tried to find somewhere else, but the next attempt was a place half buried in the sand. Do you know how fucked up sand is? You will find it in your hair for weeks. Weeks! I had to burn my bag and still found fucking sand on my floor."
A sympathetic look was shared between them before the woman remembered she was supposed to be angry and motioned for him to go on.
"Right, ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick. One sec." Sebastian reached into the small pouch on his waist and pulled out a glowing yellow potion vial that he quickly downed. "Gah, gross, but effective; oh, thank Merlin for hangover potions." He pulled out a metal canteen of water to wash down the flavor. "Ah, much better; where was I?"
Sebastian blinked at the sight of the highly confused woman staring between his canteen and the small pouch at his waist.
"Oh, um, awkward question, but you're not a muggle, are you?"
Her confusion only grew, and Sebastian sighed at the sight. 'Whatever, I'll erase the memory later. Ranting is oddly therapeutic. Merlin, I miss Nym.'
He coughed into his fist. "Anyway, I finally find a normal city, and my stupid invention screws me over at the last minute. I mean, sure, I got distracted by horny thoughts, but that's no reason to knock me on my ass. Everyone has horny thoughts, right?"
The pink-haired woman nodded in perfect understanding.
"See? So, there I was, finally in a new city, and I pass out in seconds before a beautiful young woman with the most enchanting shade of pink hair."
The woman rolled her eyes at the beautiful comment but flushed slightly at the mention of her hair.
"And now I'm here. Crazy day, right?"
A nod was his response.
"Alright, well, this was fun; thanks for listening, but I should go. Places to see and all that." Sebastian just barely started getting up before there was a knife lodged in the table between his legs. "Ok, sitting down. May I have the name of my enchanting captor?"
The woman preened slightly as she flicked a card at him. Sebastian fumbled with it for a moment before looking it over to see a picture of the woman before him, with a nice hat and some writing on the side.
The symbols were foreign to him, but the translation equipment whirled to life as the symbols were soon replaced by something he could read. "N-E-O-P-O-L-I-T-A-N?"
The woman gestured with her fingers to make it smaller.
"Neopo?"
She was suddenly holding her umbrella blade to his throat while making the same finger gesture with her other hand, only enforced with a pointy object.
"Ok, don't call the cute girl Neopo. Neo then." Sebastian dryly pushed the tip of her blade away with a finger before his eyes lit up. "Wait, like Neo from the Matrix? I loved that movie."
Neo tilted her head in confused interest.
"You've never seen The Matrix?"
Neo shook her head.
"We must remedy this situation immediately. Movie night."
Neo almost nodded before recalling the situation and frowning. The fact that it was mostly forced annoyed her.
Sebastian, being highly more observant of body language than speaking, noticed the change and sagged. "Damn, immediate rejection. How the hell did I land Nym?"
Neo narrowed her eyes at the name and pointed at him.
"What?"
She made a go-back gesture.
"Something I said? Oh, was it Nym? You two do have similar names. And the pink hair is oddly a similar shade. Loving the color scheme, by the way. Did you dye your hair to match your eyes?"
Neo's eyes lit up at the comment as she preened. She put a lot of effort into her style after all.
"Oh, I get it. Neopolitan ice cream. Pink, white, and brown. Damn, that's a good theme. I should come up with one now that I have different eyes." Sebastian knew his glamor was gone, so he didn't bother putting one up to hide his red eye or scars at this point.
Neo nodded excitedly. She hadn't ever met someone with different colored eyes like her before. Her semblance activated as an illusion of a blue and red bird appeared in her hands.
Sebastian sighed in relief at the sight. "Oh, you're not a muggle. Small mercies. Anyway, a bird?"
She pointed to the blue and red feathers.
"Hm, I see where you're going with it, but feathers aren't really my thing."
Neo thought for a second before the image changed to a peacock spreading its tail feathers.
"A peacock? You have those vain creatures here too? Flat pass."
Neo made an interested expression, and Sebastian sighed.
"I may, or may not, have gotten into an argument with one. In my defense, I was reading a book and thought it was a chair. It was not a reason to follow me around and try and tear my throat out, and it was definitely not a reason to summon backup. Try to explain that injury to a school nurse."
Neo's cheeks puffed up as she laughed at the mental image.
"Yeah, yeah, any other bright ideas? And no birds! I'm not a bird guy."
The image changed to a brightly colored butterfly.
"I'd flick you if I was sure you wouldn't stab me."
Neo nodded imperiously and changed the image once more to a blue and red ice cream cone.
"Oh, Cotton candy ice cream? That's one of my favorites, I just had it today, actually; not a bad idea."
Neo narrowed her eyes as an image of a pink, brown, and white ice cream cone appeared and had light pouring on it while the cotton candy cone had a depressing cloud.
"Are you trying to prove a point? One's obviously better than the other."
Neo's knife was on display.
"Don't get all stabby friendly on me. If you want to prove which is better, do it through ice cream."
Neo's eyes flashed as she conjured the image of her ice cream falling and then pointed to him.
"What? I did that?"
Neo nodded strongly.
"Oh my, how cruel. I should remedy this situation."
Neo's smile was bright as she raised the knife.
"Not like that! Sheesh, you're worse than Nym."
Neo tilted her head in question, and Sebastian made a pained grimace.
"She is…she was…my girlfriend. Best friend really. She just made a stupid choice, and I wasn't going to wait around for her. Ugh, ignore me, I'm still getting over the breakup."
Neo's eyes softened as she reached over and patted his head.
"That would feel more supportive if you weren't holding a shanking weapon."
Neo shrugged.
"Right, well, back to the point, I think this should help with both of our issues." Sebastian reached into his pouch and pulled out a head-sized tub of ice cream. "Behold, Florean Fortescue's limited edition Cotton Candy ice cream!"
Sebastian wandlessly cast a light charm with mini red and green sparks over the tub to make it have more impact. And it worked as Neo stared flabbergasted at the item in his hands. She reached forward with trembling hands and poked it, recoiling at the cold condensation.
"Oh, it's real, my dear. Have no fear; I shall enlighten you to its glory."
Neo slowly turned her gaze toward his seemingly ordinary small pouch.
"Don't look at it like that; it gets shy."
She raised her knife.
"Wait! There's no more in there!"
0000
Roman's crew changed frequently. Working for Roman was a great way to expand one's personal horizons, so he always managed to attract new minions with very little effort thanks to his reputation.
However, most of the people he typically hired were muscle with little in the way of higher thinking. It was easier to control his minions that way. But there were a few who stuck around longer than others, and they were the ones who had seen some shit over the years.
So, when the young miss Neo, Roman's right hand, stabber extraordinaire, dragged in a random nobody, no one batted an eye.
When the sounds of a raised voice rang out from the back rooms, no one bothered to be concerned.
When the sounds of objects being thrown around and crashes rang out, no one thought much of it.
But when the back door slammed open and a brightly smiling Neo was seen dragging a conscious, and very much unharmed, nobody through the warehouse and toward the front door, everyone froze and just stared.
"I get you're upset, but you can't argue with the results."
She mimed stabbing him.
"No, stabbing me won't change the facts."
Neo pouted and kept dragging him against his protests.
The last thing the crew heard was the young man shouting: "Cotton candy is definitely better! Admit it!" before the front door slammed shut.
Silence rang out as over twenty people barely breathed until a highly amused Roman clapped his hands. "Alright, shows over minions, back to work."
The crew carried on while Roman laughed to himself. "Neo brought a boy home, and he didn't die? I gotta tell Junior about this."
0000
"And this thing holds all my money?" Sebastian waved the blue plastic card in the air as the tired clerk behind the desk in the pawn shop nodded for the fifth time.
"Yes, sir, the full payment is on there. Now, please leave."
"You didn't shortchange me, right? I've got a midget with a stabbing fetish, and I'm not afraid to use her."
"Get out of my store!"
"Those are the words spoken when negotiation truly begins."
Despite her immense amusement at watching Sebastian piss off the clerk, Neo grabbed the back of Sebastian's collar and dragged him out. She had gotten tired of Sebastian pointing at random things and asking 'what's that', uncaring of the fact that she couldn't verbally respond, even if she was secretly flattered that he didn't let her muteness stop him from asking her; he was oddly good at deciphering her meaning, and took him to a pawn shop so he could get money and buy his own damn Scroll.
"Oi, I wasn't done with him."
She mimed eating, and Sebastian sighed in defeat.
"Alright, fine, we can try this special ice cream of yours. But I'm telling you, it won't match up to Florean Fortescue's. The ice cream from there is magical."
Neo pouted and looked away, not wanting to admit that she destroyed the tub of ice cream he gave her in repayment for his offense. It was just barely enough to save him from well-justified murder.
"So, this really has my money?" Sebastian flicked the Lien card in curiosity as they walked down the street. He had traded in a few gems and got the card as local currency. "Isn't it just a debit card? Is this what everyone around here uses?"
Neo nodded and gave him an odd look as if it was basic knowledge.
"Your banks wouldn't happen to be run by goblins, right?"
Neo's look was one of confused interest.
"Ugh, don't get me started on those little shits. Short, ugly, smelly, greedy, and they have a weird fascination with warfare, bloodshed, and stabbing things. Huh, you might like them."
The pointy blade of her umbrella was fascinatingly clear in how it rang out while it extended, something Sebastian took note of to see how to copy in a future project.
"I'm only joking. Just because you are both short and have a stabbing fetish doesn't mean you are similar. Contrary to those little shits, you're a blooming flower of elegance and sexy curves. Those pants hug your hips in all the best places. You don't want to see how pants hug a goblin."
Neo exaggeratedly swooned with a hand over her heart and a twirl of her umbrella, but the smile on her lips was real as she winked at him.
"So, what's with the umbrella? I'm all for elegant weapons, but it seems like an odd choice."
Neo smirked and opened the umbrella, swiping in front of herself as she vanished once it passed, leaving Sebastian blinking before he felt a poke from behind and turned to see her.
"Fascinating application. Were you always behind me, and I was talking to an illusion? I never even noticed it activate."
She mimed laughing with a pumped-out chest, and Sebastian's response was to unashamedly stare at her cleavage from his higher vantage point with a thumbs up. "Solid B-Cup, respect."
Neo deadpanned and kicked his shin.
"Ow! I was complimenting you. And seriously, why the hell are you so strong? Is everyone around here like this?"
Neo silently giggled and shook her finger chidingly before making a follow gesture and walked ahead with a clear sway to her hips. She wasn't sure why, but she was enjoying messing with Sebastian.
The two walked past a newsstand, and when they passed, she was a ten-year-old who grabbed his hand and skipped along.
Sebastian raised a brow at her mini form and smirked. "Oh, you wanna play that game, huh? It's on, girl."
The next booth they passed had him coming out as an elderly man with a hunchback.
Neo's little eyes widened at his change before a bright grin spread across her cheeks.
The next obstacle had her shifting into a leather-wearing dominatrix, standing six feet tall and holding a whip.
He shifted into a matching leather outfit with a rubber ball in his mouth, and Neo nearly tripped at how hard she laughed.
The two were a sight for sore eyes before they reached a crowded street, and Sebastian offered a new challenge.
"Hide and seek?" He grinned at his travel companion with an odd desire to play. "Keep moving forward at this pace; we need to have one identifying feature; tapping the other on the head is a point. Final score when we reach the end of the street?"
Neo's response was to wink and fade from view, only for Sebastian to flinch at a phantom hand on his head
"Oi, that's cheating!"
He stepped past a couple looking at him like he was crazy and shimmered as he became a nondescript ginger-haired, slightly plump man.
His eyes wandered the crowd, documenting the various dress styles and facial features before he saw a flash of a pink cane; casually moving closer, he reached out to pat the old woman's head, only to feel nothing as his hand passed through and another hand tapped on his own.
"Damn, that was a good one."
A phantom petite hand tapped his cheek mockingly and only caused Sebastian to grin. "Let's see how good you are on the hunt then."
He stepped away and blended back into the crowd. Years of staying unseen in crowds came to the fore as his form shifted to a new face he had seen a few minutes before, keeping his clothing the same color but shifting the style.
Only to shift a second time thirty seconds later.
And a third time soon after.
Then he simply walked as he cast a silent spell. 'Lumos, the light charm. It's not truly about creating light but about revealing what's hidden. The intent behind how one casts it changes the result, and if I tweak it slightly.'
The Egyptian rune for 'Unveil' flashed through his mind as it melded into the spell structure and his eyes glowed slightly behind his glamor as the world took on another shade of color.
Neo appeared clear as day a few feet away, already in the process of reaching out to touch his head, but Sebastian gave no sign of noticing her.
At the last moment, he stepped back and quickly reached out to pat her invisible head.
Her eyes widened in shock as he winked back. "My point."
The smile on her face was the widest he'd seen yet as she vanished into the crowd, and this time Sebastian turned off his spell. 'If you're not cheating, you're not trying, but there is a matter of honor with being on the hunt that I shan't betray.'
Finding her was a matter of observation and skill, something he was proud of himself for honing over his life. Hiding, however, was something he was less skilled in, and he had no qualms about cheating to win with whatever tool he had.
Soon he avoided the illusion trap and poked her true form by identifying her breasts, much to her annoyance.
Then he was dodging a throwing knife that made him duck into her hand.
A woman screamed in outrage as he accidentally patted the wrong person's head.
A child tripped on Neo's invisible leg.
The game was on as the two spun through the thick crowd for a half hour before making it out to the other side with bright grins.
Neo dramatically twirled into Sebastian's arms as he tipped her back. "It was a tie."
She frowned in mock outrage and playfully tapped his head. "That doesn't count."
Her smirk and mocking cheek pat told him she still believed she won. "That doesn't count, Neo!"
She spun away from him and pointed to an ice cream store.
"Oh, is this where you wanted to go?"
She nodded excitedly and dragged him into the shop, the door jingling as the cool air conditioning hit them.
An older woman behind the counter smiled at Neo. "Neo! Weren't you here a few hours ago? Too much ice cream is bad for you, you know? It goes straight to your hips if you have too much."
Neo pouted and pointed at Sebastian standing behind her.
"Oh, you wanted to have more with your boyfriend. A perfectly good excuse."
Neo stamped her foot in annoyance but wouldn't dare risk a stabbing threat in her holy place.
Sebastian chuckled at the teasing and leaned forward, casually resting an elbow on Neo's head. "Any gentleman would be honored to buy such a refined lady her just due." Neo's elbow dug into his ribs with punishing force and made him grunt. "But this time it's more that I accidentally ruined her last treat, ma'am."
"Oh my, what a gentleman." The woman smiled brightly at their byplay. "Keep a hold of this one, dear. Silver tongues like him get into all kinds of trouble."
Sebastian winced while Neo mimed cutting off his tongue.
"You two are adorable." The lady completely missed how serious Neo was about the cutting part. "What can I get you?"
Neo tapped the counter and made a gesture for her usual.
Sebastian wheezed through bruised ribs. "I'll have what she's having."
"Two Neapolitan cones coming up. Feel free to sit where you like."
Neo grabbed his wrist and pulled him along to her favorite booth in a corner, having a clear view of the street while being somewhat separated from the other tables.
"I'm assuming you come here often?"
Neo shifted her gaze away at the question.
"Hey, I'm not judging. I have an unhealthy relationship with caffeine and Invigoration potions, so I understand the draw."
She narrowed her eyes and made a go-back gesture.
"Hm? You don't like coffee?"
She shook her head and made a go-forward gesture.
"Ah, it's not addictive stuff. Technically. Don't worry about it."
Her frown was pronounced as she shook her finger.
"Oi, I'm not doing drugs. I'm a perfectly responsible adult."
She pointed at the scars on his neck.
"Hey, that wasn't my fault. Stupid demented werewolf things jumped me. Are they normal around here? I was coming down from a multi-week work project, and there were like dozens of them."
Her eyes widened before she pulled out her scroll, pulled up an image of a Beowulf, and pushed it to him.
"Whoa, yeah, that's the ugly mug, a bit shorter and thinner than what I recall, but mostly the same. What is this thing? A camera of some sort?"
Neo rolled her eyes at his millionth question of basic stuff and ignored him as she changed the image to a bigger and badder Beowulf.
"Oh yeah, that's the fucker. Do you guys have an infestation of them or something?"
Neo stared between the picture and him in surprise before she pointed to the title above the picture.
"Alpha Beowulf? Is that what they're called?"
She swiped back to the smaller Beowulf and pointed.
"Beowulf? Am I to assume the Alpha variant is stronger?"
A silent sigh left her lips as she switched to a listing and highlighted a second.
"Seriously? Only one per every thousand Beowulf's?" Sebastian's head drooped. "Just my fucking luck. The first one I see, and it's like running into the biggest pervert in the showers of my first prison day."
Neo had been sipping her water and snorted it out at the comment, coughing while laughing as Sebastian silently patted her back and offered a napkin.
Just then, the woman from the counter came over. "Alright, here's your order, you two; feel free to pay on your way out."
"Thank you, Ma'am."
"Anytime, dear." She sent Neo a fond smile and walked off, but Neo didn't bother paying attention as she attacked her ice cream with a blissful expression, her face lighting up with actual illusionary fireworks to show her excitement.
Sebastian chuckled at the sight. "You are phenomenally good with illusions."
Neo paused to preen at the comment before idly swiping on her Scroll and turning it his way.
[Grimm, Aura, and Semblances dumbed down for the Thick Headed.]
"Really, Neo?" Sebastian deadpanned at the unflattering title and read the simple article breaking things down in overly simple terms.
[Grimm – Monsters of the dark and creatures of destruction. They come in many forms, grow stronger with age, and will track and attack any human or faunas on sight. Beware that they are attracted to negative emotions and are immune to mundane ammunition and weaponry and require dust to be effective.
Aura – The ultimate tool of Hunters and Huntresses in the fight against the Grimm tide. Weaponizing the soul to enhance the physical body, Aura automatically protects its user from danger as long as they still have the energy to maintain it. Grants an all-around boost to physical abilities, with certain qualities enhanced based on the individual. Be warned that having Aura acts as a beacon to attract Grimm.
Semblance – Occasionally, Aura users can unlock a unique ability fit to themselves. Studies are inconclusive on exact conditions for awakening or typing, but it is powered by their Aura and capable of various unheard-of feats.]
"What kind of explanation is that?"
Neo pointed to a corner.
[For ages 10-14.]
Sebastian's dry eyes locked onto the smug grin of his companion. "You're lucky you're cute."
She raised an amused brow.
"Just eat your ice cream."
She nodded and ignored him to enjoy herself, leaving Sebastian to sit back and consider things while slowly enjoying his own snack.
'So that's how she's been using illusions so well. I didn't see her casting spells, so I couldn't figure out how she was doing it. This world is so interesting.'
An excited grin pulled at his lips as he looked around, taking in the mix of normalcy combined with obvious foreign elements.
'I'm finally free.' Sebastian hadn't let himself go like he had with Neo in a long time. The only person to see this side of himself had been Nym, and it took her years to make him ease up. 'There are no Unspeakable's here. No ministry. Hell, I can't even tell if there's magic, but no one responded to my dozens of uses of glamor charms. I've been keeping an eye out to test it, and nothing.'
His hand rose up to idly play with his pendant, his eyes tracing the power gauge showing half a percent. 'The door closed because of a lack of mana to keep it running when I arrived. I can still feel where the location should be from the key, so finding my way is not an issue, but there's nothing to do until the key recharges.'
It wasn't like he didn't have concerns when waking up with a random girl his age pointing a knife at him. Still, Sebastian would be the first to admit he was a weird guy who got more interested in a person the weirder they were.
Neo was the perfect mix of insane and fun to fill that void Nym left in him, and he found himself responding naturally to her as if it were Nym across from him.
It was different, of course. Neo and Nym had obvious differences, but the resemblance was uncanny, leaving him grasping the connection like a drowning man.
His mental state was not in a healthy place, but he wasn't really interested in addressing that.
Rather, he focused more on the odd technological device Neo handed over.
A small latch on the side came open at his touch, and he looked in to see a few flashing lights. Curious, he dug deeper.
Before he knew it, Sebastian was halfway through disassembling her scroll when he felt a poke on his side and turned to see an angelically smiling Neo.
"Hm? Whats up, Neo?"
She silently pointed to her scroll.
"Oh, I was curious about this thing, don't worry, I'll put it back together."
She slowly raised her umbrella with a clear threat.
"Sheesh, relax, I got this." He stopped taking it apart and rapidly put it back together how he remembered it with perfect clarity. "See, it's fine." His hand rubbed over something, and he looked down to see a random bolt. "Huh? Where did this come from?"
Beside him, Neo tapped her Scroll, only for it to spark and stutter as a trail of smoke rose from its surface.
"…"
"…"
Sebastian coughed and tossed the bolt under the table. "Must have been a manufacturer issue."
Her deadpan gaze was not kind.
0000
"Thank you for your purchase!" A happily waving clerk waved to a freshly bandaged Sebastian as he handed Neo a brand-new scroll.
"I said I was sorry."
She huffed and accepted the offering, quickly putting in her details to bring up all the data from her old device.
Sebastian watched her work and scratched his head at his own. "How do I use this?"
She side-eyed his clueless look and sagged at his lost puppy expression. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him along to a park bench nearby, sitting him down and giving him a crash course on using a scroll.
"Wait, is this internet thing free to use? And you can look up anything with it?"
Neo waved a hand back and forth as if to say 'kinda'.
"What are its limits?" Sebastian stared at the device with an oddly extreme expression. "Does it have the secrets of the universe in it?"
Neo actually paused at that question to really consider it before she slowly nodded.
"Wait, really?"
She held out her hand for the device, and he gave it to her. After a minute of typing, she handed it back with a hidden smirk.
Sebastian took in the screen with wide eyes. "You can watch porn on this thing?!"
His voice was not quiet and attracted dozens of eyes from random people, couples, and families who sent him dirty looks.
Neo silently laughed and nodded, swiping to the home page for him to view.
"Holy shit." He stared fixated without an ounce of shame. "There's… SO MUCH PORN!"
This time, his outburst drew even more eyes, and Neo had to quickly hide them under an illusion as she fell over, laughing her heart out.
"I don't even know where to start navigating this thing. Do you have some favorites or something?"
Neo paused at the question and gave him a look to ask if he was serious.
"Of course I'm serious. I've lived in a lightbulb less castle for seven years in a culture where wearing full body robes is normal, I haven't seen this much nudity in my life. Get over here and share; why are you on the ground?"
This time Neo really looked at him as if he was the insane one between the two, her brown and pink gaze staring into his honest blue and red one before she shrugged with a 'what the hell' expression and plopped down next to him, shifting the page to some of her favorite porn videos.
"Those breasts are obviously fake."
"Women do not discharge that much, no way."
"No way this guy's a doctor. He didn't even properly examine her before going down on her."
Neo was lost in a mix of blushing, laughing her ass off, and cringing as the two sat in the park and watched porn without an ounce of shame.
Or at least some shame, as Neo kept them under an illusion to hide them from view, even if the sound was still playing and made everyone within a few hundred feet uncomfortable for the next hour.
It was only when a pair of police officers showed up that they turned down the volume, only to turn it back up when they were walking away.
It was another hour later before the two were leaning against each other in shared laughter as they left the park swarming with a dozen police officers, two of which who were looking like they would need a stretcher from how high their blood pressure was.
"Ah~, that was great."
Neo wiped her tearing eyes and nodded. She poked him in the ribs and sent him a questioning look.
"I was only half serious about the porn; it was just pretty fun to fuck with people. Don't think I didn't notice the odd looks they sent your way."
She flushed in embarrassment at the point. She hadn't been hiding under an illusion while they were in public, and she forgot how unnerving her eyes and hair were to normal people.
"Hey, fuck them. Rock what you got. It's a beautiful look."
Neo silently nodded in agreement and didn't find an interest in putting space between them, having enjoyed the last few hours immensely.
Sadly, the sun was setting in the distance, and Neo knew she'd have to go meet up with Roman soon.
Reaching over, Neo snatched Sebastian's scroll and navigated to the contacts, putting in her details, and quickly snapped a picture of herself for the image.
"Whats this? A phone number? Wait, these things are phones too?"
Neo sighed fondly at Sebastian's adorably confused expression. She was initially annoyed at his ignorance, but he grew on her over the day, and she felt oddly responsible for explaining things to him.
A part of that had to do with the fact that no one ever asked her to explain anything.
She pressed the video icon and enjoyed Sebastian's floored face as the video call connected over their devices.
"That's so cool! I've heard of some phones that can do this, but not nearly with this much clarity or connection. Damn, I wanna take it apart again."
Neo quickly moved the scrolls out of his reach with a glare that threatened him with violence if he broke these two.
"Ok, ok, I get it. Chill your tits."
Neo smirked and handed him his scroll back, turning her sight to the camera that was still on a video call. She blew it a kiss and tugged on the edge of her bra to make her girls bounce before she canceled the call, enjoying the focused flush on Sebastian's cheeks as he clearly enjoyed the view from his end.
"I have a new appreciation for technology."
She rolled her eyes playfully and nudged him, making a gesture of being thirsty.
"Oh, shush you; I haven't been laid in a while, and your damn hot, alright? Besides, even if I can only see the top of them, your girls look better than the fake ones we've been looking at."
It was Neo's turn to flush before she stuck her tongue out at him.
The two passed a coffee stand, and Sebastian motioned for them to stop. "I've been dying to try the coffee here. What do you want? My treat."
Neo smiled and shrugged uncaringly, leaving Sebastian in the eternal hell of having to order for a woman who said they were cool with anything. 'Alright, fall back on your training, Sebastian; let the force guide you.'
"I'll take a black coffee and a hot chocolate."
Neo frowned.
"With whipped cream."
She smiled.
'Safe.'
Soon the two were walking and enjoying their drink in the sunset's light before Neo sighed and eyed the clock on a passing post.
She mimed having to go, and Sebastian quickly understood.
"The day really flew by, didn't it?"
Neo nodded and mimed falling over face first with an illusion, making Sebastian's brow twitch.
"It wasn't my fault."
She nodded in teasing agreement.
"Whatever." The two walked in companionable silence for a minute before Sebastian grunted. "Thanks for today, Neo. Not the stabbing part, although it was kinda funny in hindsight."
Neo silently laughed and bumped his hip with her own, having to hop to get it right.
"But seriously, I really needed this. You're the sexiest tour guide I could have asked for."
She shot him a smug, dimpled grin and popped her curves for extra sauciness.
"Your height only enhances your enchanting qualities."
Her smug grin turned into a frown at his teasing look.
"No, but really, do you mind if I call when I'm free? It'd be fun to hang out again."
Her smile was heartfelt this time as she nodded.
They reached an intersection and naturally paused as they faced each other in the fading light. "I'll see you around, Neo."
She silently giggled and twirled her umbrella, waving it around as she vanished before Sebastian's eyes.
A quick activation of his Lumos sight showed her standing in place, stepping forward while staring at him with a flush before she darted forward to leave a phantom kiss on his cheek.
Her eyes tracked to his own and widened as she noticed he was looking at her, sending her a smug grin.
And then she was gone, having vanished in a burst of speed too fast for his eyes to follow.
'The enhancements of this Aura thing are insane.' Sebastian shook his head and paused as he felt his new scroll vibrate. Curiously pulling it out, it took him a minute to navigate to the notification and open the texting app.
[Dairy_Mistress (Neo) – The date was fun. Let's try that movie you talked about next time.]
'So, she didn't reject me back then!' Sebastian laughed and spent longer than he'd admit figuring out how to respond in the affirmative.
Putting the scroll away, he flicked his intent toward his pendant and felt it pull him in a specific direction. Sticking his hands in his pocket, he strolled through the futuristic city with a soft smile. 'Today was fun.'
It didn't take him long to find the alleyway he came in from, following the pull, and soon he was standing before the bricked-up doorway.
Raising the pendant up, Sebastian noted it was over a percent charged and sighed in relief.
"Let's see, how do I do this?" He coughed into his fist and grandly pronounced. "OPEN SESAME."
The pendant drained of energy as the portal formed, showing his workshop on the other side. Sebastian chuckled to himself in amusement. "Classics never die." He walked back in, letting the gate close behind him. "Home sweet home."
He looked around at his place, and his smile slowly dimmed. 'It feels bigger somehow.'
Shaking off the odd thought, he threw his coat on a chair and collapsed on a couch, pulling out his new scroll. 'Figured the connection wouldn't cross dimensions. Good thing I asked Neo to download a few books for me to learn from. Looks like it's gonna be an all-nighter.'
He tucked into the books, getting lost in the new information as he casually summoned himself a beer from his fridge, spending the night lost in a new world of things to explore with warm thoughts toward a new pink haired woman on his mind.
0000
Neo had a skip in her step as she returned to Roman's warehouse, stepping inside just as she saw her father smoking a cigar outside his office.
The man fondly smiled at her. "Welcome back, Neo. Had fun on your date?"
The older man was just teasing, but he nearly choked when Neo passed by him with a happy nod.
Coffing up a lungful of smoke, Roman sputtered from the railing. "Wait, shit, it was really a date?"
Neo turned over her shoulder and winked before plopping down at the conference table and put her boots up.
"Brothers, my girl went on a real date and not a one-night stand that required a body bag after she was done." He paused in thought and looked at her. "You don't need a body bag, do you?"
Neo silently laughed and shook her head.
"Alright, did he treat you well?"
The bright smile on her face set Roman's heart at ease.
"Good, if you ever need to scare him, send him my way. I'll get Junior to use his gang."
She blew him a kiss and Roman couldn't help but laugh before tapping his cane against a board.
"Good, now, let's focus on our next heist. I got some insider information on a Schnee shipment and…"
Roman trailed off as he talked about his master plan, and Neo listened with half an ear as she rested her chin on her palm, her mind thinking odd happy thoughts about seeing her blond haired idiot again.
'He better bring more of that ice cream next time.' She wouldn't admit it, but that stuff he gave her was even better than her favorite flavor at her place. 'I wonder if he even remembers how to call.'
Her eyes trailed to her scroll, and the screensaver she took when he wasn't looking of him fiddling with his scroll like a cave man while she threw up a peace sign.
'He's fun.'
Chapter End.
Spoiler: ALT ending that i wanted to use but my beta's a dick who cheats at coin flips
Roman trailed off as he talked about his master plan, and Neo listened with half an ear as she rested her chin on her palm, her mind thinking odd happy thoughts about seeing her blond haired idiot again.
'He better bring more of that ice cream next time.' She wouldn't admit it, but that stuff he gave her was even better than her favorite flavor at her place.
Just then, her scroll vibrated and she smiled brightly at the message.
[Neo's_Blondie: Movie night in three days?]
[Neo's_Blondie: What the hell is this name? How do i change it?]
[Neo's_Blondie: Neo?!]
[Dairy_Mistress: :) ]
"Neo, are you paying attention?" Roman's dry voice had her looking up to see her adoptive father's annoyed expression.
Ironically, she responded to him the same way she responded to Sebastian. By smiling.
Her scroll flickered to her screensaver, an image Neo took when Sebastian wasn't looking, of him fiddling with his scroll like a cave man while she threw up a peace sign.
'He's fun.'
AN: Let me know what you think.
- side note: If anyone thinks Sebastian is weird for his interest in porn, recall that he's an 18 year old who hasn't gotten laid in a while, who spent 7 years at Hogwarts where they don't even have lightbulbs, in the later 80's and early 90's before the internet existed. Dude probably hasn't seen any porn besides the VHS tapes his father left behind somewhere.