Tai x Neo

Ōku Nomoji with Polyxena Einar.
April 20 ·
[~Taiyang Xiao-Long~]
[~C L O S E D R P ~]
{{RWBYverse}}
{Neopolitan}
Taiyang, father of Yang Xiao-Long and her sister, Ruby Rose, had finally decided to step into the girl's lives once again. After all, he hadn't seen them in ages; the last time he has seen either of his children was when they were still in Patch, getting ready for the trip to Beacon. He could still see them now, proud, bright eyed, so excited to go.
Ruby was especially hyper. Moving ahead for an entire two years, able to go to Ozpin's school almost immediately without passing even an entrance exam? It was a great day for both of them; Tai from the joy he had seeing Ruby dashing around in excitement, and Ruby for being able to attend the prestigious school ran by one of the greatest headmasters it had ever had.
Not only that, but Yang was excited too. Her little sister was able to attend school with her. It was evident in the lilac eyes that sparkled consistently that she was stoked. After all, a fire could burn brightly, but place two sparks together, and an entire forest could topple to the ground. This was the expanse of the power felt between the two girls, the power that was evident in everything that they did.
Of course, it wasn't all fun and games. TaiYang had been handling missions in Patch for the past small while that they had been in Beacon, keeping an eye on criminal activities that were being shot across the globe. Some could even consider him an inside man; after all, being stuck in the house wasn't something he enjoyed, especially not whenever he was alone. After Raven had disappeared and Summer had ended up falling, it was up to him to keep the girls safe, the house running... and it was also his duty to attempt to offer Qrow some sort of backup although the man would never know it was his brother-in-law that was truly assisting him.
It shook him to his entire core thinking of the battles that they were going to get into the next time they met. After all, there was little that could be said or done. Tai had to play the part of the insignificant, annoying, overprotective father while Qrow was the amazing uncle. It worked well, but in the end... the confrontations between him and his shapeshifter sibling was something he hated more than anything else.
It was on one of these surprise missions that he had decided to do something that no father had ever done before. Talking to Zwei, he had determined that it was time the girls had a little bit of a family friend come and visit, a member that would gladly turn their lives for the better. If TaiYang couldn't care for him, who better than the two girls who needed a slice of home in their lives? Who better than the girls that TaiYang was unable to protect.
Scrawling down a hastily written letter, throwing in cans upon cans of food, the man went over to their little corgi, grinning. Of course, he asked if the pup was ready, and the second he was? In the shoot he went, and off through the mail towards Beacon Academy.
Turning his attention towards the mail carrier that was carrying the small creature towards those precious children of his in Vale, he sighed, turning his back on the house that everything had occurred in, heading towards his very next mission, a mission that was certain to cause much more turmoil along the way.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Oz," he murmured softly to himself. "... I hope we all know what we're doing. For their sakes, as well as for everyone else."
------
Finally stopping in at a warehouse in Haven, the man stopped, tensing as he heard the sound of a propeller that seemed to be inhabiting the room. Opening the door, his orbs will spot a familiar, triple-colored haired woman.
"I see.. So you are the person who asked to meet me here?"
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Polyxena Einar
Polyxena Einar In the years that followed Roman’s discovery of her in the streets of Vale, in the years following him taking her under his wing, Neapolitan had learned much. She had learned how to lie without speaking, how to steal without batting an eye. How to fight almost without equal. But perhaps most importantly, she had learned that there were such things as debts that one could not get free of, except by paying them their due when the time came.

This particular debt she would have rather gone without…but it tracked back to her days not long before Roman came into her life. It was a story she had never told her dearest friend in full, a story she kept promising him ‘someday, someday’.

Because Neapolitan had made a promise that day, a promise she had discovered, over the years, that must be kept.

In the beginning, she hadn’t told Roman because the pain of the memory was too fresh, too recent. Something she didn’t want to even think about, let alone share with someone else. It hadn’t been long in their partnership, however, that Neo had discovered the true meaning of a ‘real’ promise.

The day Roman had discovered her, had taken her under his wing…he had made her a promise. A promise that he would do whatever it took to make sure she was safe, that they would be okay. They had undergone a few months without too much incident, with minor heists just to keep fed and clothed going almost completely unnoticed.

Until the day she’d slipped up. The shopkeeper had chased after them, raising a fuss. Roman had shoved her into a hiding place, and shut the door, after forbidding her from opening it until ‘they’ were gone. He had meant until ‘he’ was gone. But that time had cost him; Roman had been apprehended and spent a few days in jail. Fortunately for them both, Roman was a minor still…and so they hadn’t held him long. Just long enough to ‘teach him a lesson’.

Neo asked him, in silent tears, after he found her, why he’d done it. She hadn’t left where he’d put her. She hadn’t known what to do, where to go. Without Roman…she was just that lost little girl again.

“B e c a u s e I promised!” He had replied dramatically, as he had a penchant for doing. “I don’t break promises, Neo. Not to you.”

Promises were important, she realized that day. Promises were meant to be kept. She had to keep the ones she made, too.

-----

It had taken a long time for Neapolitan to put the final pieces together, to figure out who she had made the promise to. When she had, the criminal found herself torn. She had duties, responsibilities. Roman trusted her – if she kept this promise, how could she ever prove that he could trust her again?

But he had taught her promises needed to be kept. That they must be kept.

So she lifted an untraceable scroll, and sent a message to one Ozpin. “I have information about Summer Rose’s final mission.” She had followed the message up with the address, and the date and time.

And then she had settled in to wait…and write. Whoever came would be someone close to the Huntress, she knew. She didn’t want to waste time by explaining things in detail via either scroll message, or handwriting, if the person didn’t know how to understand sign language.

So when the blonde man walked through the doors, Neo was still sitting there at the table. She had finished writing, at least, had finished her account of the memory as best she could. The woman with two-tone eyes met his evenly.

Neo nodded. She hadn’t asked for him by name; but she knew he had a strong connection to the Huntress. She had read all of the public files…and even some of the non-public ones.

The young woman pointed at the papers. They were all organized chronologically. All he needed to do was pick them up, and read them.

------

It had been thirteen years ago, now – she had only been seven, at the time. And it was still a moment forever etched into her memory. The dreams had lessened over the years, but still, every once in a while…they came.

Neapolitan had a family once, had a home, a place she felt safe. As a child, it had seemed nothing would ever change that; nothing would ever take that away from her. She lived in a burgeoning community…called Mountain Glenn. It was a tense environment, one that she noticed – after all, children are so adept at noticing such things! – but she still felt safe. Mountain Glenn was home – they were there for a reason.

Expansion. As a child, she hadn’t understood.

Mountain Glenn wasn’t as safe as she, in her childlike mindset, believed it to be. It had not the natural defenses all of the other cities of the kingdoms did, all of the ways to help keep it safe. But still, it was home.

And then the Grimm began to attack. The more they attacked, the more Neapolitan became afraid, the more she saw her parents, her friends, their neighbors become afraid. The more fear that festered, the more Grimm that flocked to their burgeoning little community.

Then the day came where there were too many Grimm, too few fighters.

They all ran for the subway. They’d begun to build homes down there some time ago, as a precaution – now it seemed they had no other choice but to make use of it.

Neapolitan became separated from her mother. An Ursa loomed above her, ready to finish the child off in one massive bite. As it reached its claws to her, a figure in a white hood had intervened, scooping the child up, and diving into the closing entrance of the subway tunnel.
Like · Reply · April 21 at 10:05pm
Polyxena Einar
Polyxena Einar Once they were down there, there was no way out except the subway itself.

The woman had put Neo down, patted her head, and told the little girl that everything would be okay. Her smile had been so pretty, but her eyes were so sad. She left Neo there, as the girl’s mother rushed to her.

Neo didn’t see Summer again for several days. The Huntress was as trapped down there as the rest of them were.

…It was a few days later that their efforts to expand the underground city brought disaster. An explosion opened up a new cavern to them…one filled with subterranean Grimm. For many, death was nearly instantaneous. Others managed to make it to the subway train, and get the machine going. If they made it in time, they could escape to Vale…

Neo’s mother fell before they could make it to the train. Scraped up and bleeding, the girl had sat there crying, frightened and afraid, not knowing what to do.

And then the woman in the white hood had appeared again. She was one of the last fighters left in the hellhole that for a brief time had become home.

It must have been Summer’s mother’s instincts that refused to allow Neo to be left behind, because the woman had grabbed the child, and one last time had taken her to safety.

“It’ll be okay,” Summer said, holding the girl close. “I won’t let the monsters get you.”

Neo had been as mute then as she was now, so she hadn’t answered. She couldn’t.

Then the train rocked, suddenly. There were roars. People began screaming.

Neo saw the woman’s face turn grave.

“I’m going to go get rid of the monsters, okay?” The woman said, patting Neo’s head. “Promise me that you’ll tell people what happened here, someday. Ozpin, if you can. If not…others will know who to tell.” Summer had given the child a smile, and then grabbed the weapon she’d sat down.

Neo watched, frozen in horror, as the woman walked out of the train, to face down Grimm. At first, things had gone well.

But then, out of the rubble of one of the buildings had walked a woman with the palest complexion Neo had ever seen. The white woman had engaged Summer in battle.

As the train pulled out, as many screamed to be let onboard, as many fought and killed Grimm and then died at the hands of another…a terrified Neo had watched as the white woman slammed Summer into a building. Summer hadn’t gotten back up.

But the ears of the mute are sharper, to make up for what their missing sense cannot provide. And even from the train, Neo could hear what the woman said.

“You’ll make a pretty pet, my dear.”