The city of Vale quickly returned to normal only a few days following the events leading to Roman's arrest. Thanks to the efforts of teams RWBY, JNPR and CFVY, it was as if nothing had ever happened. People roamed the streets with their usual hurry, except for one lonely girl, who wandered the streets for no reason other than she had nowhere to go. It was particularly windy today, constantly blowing the girl's pink and brown hair into her face, where it stuck to her tear stained cheeks. Her right arm was in a sling, and her left held her umbrella as she continued to meander down the sidewalks. In her mind, she kept replaying the events of the previous day in the hope that somehow it would take her back there. Cinder hadn't taken lightly to her letting Yang survive their fight on the train, and blamed her for the plan's premature execution, failure and Roman's arrest. Their argument became a physical fight, ending with Cinder nearly killing Neo, injuring her arm, and expelling her from the organisation.
What do I do now? she thought. This is all I've ever known... I have nowhere else to go, no one to turn to... Another tear welled in her eye at the thought of being completely alone now. She turned her gaze to the ground and continued to walk, replaying the memory once again. She was brought out of her thoughts when she collided with a girl walking the opposite way, the force nearly sending the small girl on her back.
"Hey, watch where you're walking!" shouted an irritated, yet eerily familiar voice.
Neo kept her eyes on the sidewalk, "Sorry, miss." She hurried off to avoid anymore attention, but the girl called out to her again.
"Hey, wait, you're that girl from the train!"
Neo froze as she put a face to the voice, and slowly spun around to see a furious Yang, with Blake by her side. Oh shit, I need to leave now! she thought in a panic, and took off sprinting down a nearby alley.
"Come back here!" Yang yelled after her, giving chase along with her partner. Neo was in no condition to fight anyone, let alone the pair she was up against, and continued to dash through the narrow pathways in search of somewhere to hide. She turned to look back at her pursuers as she rounded a corner, and was immediately met by a chain link fence when she faced forward again. She ran into it full force, knocking her to the ground just as Blake and Yang arrived to corner her. "Not so tough now are you?" Yang asked, a wicked smile forming after seeing the look of fear in Neo's eyes.
"Wait, I can explain!" Neo desperately exclaimed, backing up against the fence as the blonde slowly walked towards her.
Yang smirked, "I don't really wanna hear it. Last time we met you tried to kill me, so I'm just returning the favour." The brawler's eyes glowed red as she armed her gauntlets. Neo stood up, her back still against the fence, and pleadingly looked to Blake to stop her partner. The Faunus only glared back, not making any effort to intervene. Yang pulled her arm back for a punch, and Neo covered her face with her uninjured arm.
"No, please! I don't work for them anymore!" she cried out and shut her eyes. She braced herself for the blow, but to her surprise it never came. Either that or dying wasn't as painful as she'd thought it would be. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and lowered her arm, and saw Yang staring back with a sceptical expression, her arm still poised to strike.
"What do you mean?" the blonde asked, lowering her arm. Blake walked over with the same sceptical look as her partner, and Neo started to explain.
"After Roman was arrested, I was blamed for the train leaving early because I didn't protect him well enough," she said, and then gestured to her injured arm. "We got into an argument, then it got physical, and... now I'm on my own." Her gaze turned to the ground again. "I've got nothing..."
Yang was still suspicious, but Blake's face had softened after hearing the girl's tale. Yang went to speak, but Blake's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "I think she's telling the truth," the Faunus girl said.
Yang turned to her with a bit of shock, "You'd believe her that easily?"
"I don't think she'd be casually strolling through Vale if she wasn't. But we can find out for sure if you'd like."
"How?" Yang asked.
Blake turned back to Neo, who'd sat back down on the ground. She was staring off at nothing, once again on the verge of crying. "Who blamed you?" Blake asked.
Neo looked up, confused, "What?"
"You said someone blamed you and did that to your arm. Who was it?" the Faunus girl repeated.
Neo slowly returned to her feet, "Her name is Cinder. She raised me since I was little."
Blake turned to Yang with a smug grin. "I don't think she'd admit that if she were lying," she said, and Yang shrugged.
"I'm still not convinced," the blonde replied, then turned back to Neo. "Where were you walking to?"
Neo shook her head, "Nowhere I guess. I don't really know what to do now. I was just sorta hoping for... I-I don't even know..."
"Well, what do you want to do now?" Blake asked, catching Neo by surprise.
"I... Well... I don't know. I've never not had someone giving me orders."
Blake shared a look with Yang, who gave an exasperated sigh. "You can't be serious," the blonde groaned, crossing her arms.
"Everyone deserves a second chance, Yang. I wouldn't be here if that weren't true," Blake replied.
Yang sighed and admitted defeat, although she was far from happy about it. "Fine. But if anything happens, it's on you."
Blake rolled her eyes and looked back at Neo, "Why don't you come back to Beacon with us? I'm sure Professor Ozpin will know what to do."
Neo was shocked, "Really? You'd do that?" Blake nodded, and Neo wiped her eyes. "I... I don't know what to say."
"Maybe thank you?" Yang interjected, earning a scowl from her partner.
Neo just smiled and started to blush. "Thank you, thank you so much," she said happily, not even phased by the blonde's sarcasm.
Blake smiled back, "You're welcome. Come on, let's get going."
The three left the alley and started back toward Beacon, with Neo still in shock at Blake's generosity. I can't believe she'd be so nice to me. I haven't done anything that would make them inclined at all to believe me. I guess that's why the blonde wasn't as willing to listen, she thought, then frowned. What did she say her name was?
"So... What're your names?" Neo asked. The girls laughed, realising they'd never been properly introduced.
"I'm Blake, this is my partner, Yang," Blake said, and Yang gave a lackluster wave. "What about you? It starts with an 'N' right?"
"My name's Neopolitan, but I go by Neo. What about the rest of your team? I remember seeing a few others with you before."
"Ruby and Weiss," Yang answered, somewhat dryly. "You can probably guess which is which."
Neo chuckled and looked up at Yang, "I'm sorry about our last encounter, Yang. I hope there aren't any hard feelings?"
The blonde paused to think for a moment. "If you're leaving the rest of your past behind, then I suppose I can leave that behind too," she said, and Neo breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you promise it won't happen again."
"I promise." They continued toward Beacon, acquainting Neo with the city and the school. She was still surprised at how friendly the two were being, but was more relieved that she was being accepted.