Board Thread:Role Plays/@comment-25582638-20160610195851/@comment-5999656-20160618053453

As soon as they'd entered the condo and closed the door, Automne unzipped the jacket and pulled it off. It was wet, having absorbed most of the drizzle from outside, so she made sure to squeeze it out over the nearby sink before laying it on the table.

Nice place, Automne noticed. Everything was clean and in order, even though it seemed like nobody lived here.

"It must be very convenient having a lot of property. Not that I'm complaining," she said, turning to her companion. "I just need a place to duck away from the police for a little. So I'm just gonna hang out for a while, if you don't mind." Automne unsheathed her saber, holding it under the faucet and letting the water wash off the blood smears. She tugged out her knife and washed it next. She was silent for a few minutes as she worked, laying her weapons on the countertop once she was finished. A deconstructible saber, a switchblade, and a pistol-knife.

Her method of dealing with the weight of having killed was to distance herself from it. To distance herself from her victims. If they didn't want to die, they shouldn't have gone for her. They were lowlife thugs. No one would miss them. Etcetera, etcetera...

There was still blood on her clothes. Automne noticed wryly that the black of her khakis concealed the spots well, but the red spatters on her vest were a little more obvious. And unless she wanted to go out in the rain, she wouldn't have a change of clothes for some time. But if she was going to be stuck here for some time, no harm in checking on the girl helping her, right?

Automne pulled out a stool and sat on it facing Cyzarine.

"So, uh, thanks for understanding, and for helping me out." Automne considered making a joke about sheltering a killer, but decided that was in incredibly poor taste.

"You sure you can handle the aftermath stuff? I really don't want to burden you."

___________________________________

Location: Daybreak Syndicate HQ, downtown Vale

........

"What do you think? Quite a display by your friend."

".... Are you talking about the fox or the Bluthardt?"

"I'm talking about your friend, Fen."

"Just making sure you weren't being sarcastic."

Zanipher Hei'An sat before a large monitor, while her younger sister stood next to her, arms crossed. The expression of the former was one of piqued interest, while that of the latter was one along the lines of barely withheld apprehension.

The ownership of the cafe by the Bluthardt family was public knowledge, so the Daybreak Syndicate had considered it prudent to set up a camera across the street. And for the first time since they'd done that, something of interest had happened, one involving a close friend of Fen's no less.

"Did you know Automne was capable of this?" Zan asked Fen, looking at her from the corner of her eye.

"Not at all. I had no idea...," Fen was completely taken aback by Automne's clean cruelty. They'd talked to each other so many times, hung out one on one occasionally, laughed together, yet she would have never anticipated that the laid back Fox Faunus was capable of killing. Hell, she didn't even know Automne was this good at fighting. And now she had witnessed all that firsthand.

Fen was at a loss for words. Zanipher noticed and tried to cover it.

"Seems she and Cyzarine get along. Are you worried about that?"

"I would be, but somehow I feel like there's no need for it." This was crazy, though. So Fen wasn't the only one with a secret.

"It might be a good idea for us to look into her background if you're worried about her being able to kill. If I led the project, we could have a fleshed out history within weeks," Zan offered, understanding that it wasn't every day that one learned their friend was a murderer.

"No, don't do that," Fen said loudly, before realizing how urgent she sounded and reverting to a calmer demeanor. She nudged Zan's shoulder, so that both females were looking into each other's faces.

"It's just... she's done a really good job keeping it from us. She's always seemed so on top of things, so I don't think it's right to pry into a past she doesn't want us to know about."

Zanipher tilted her head, but maintained her solemn gaze with Fen. Crimson into pink.

"And do you think you can treat her the same after this?"

Fen bit her lip. She knew in her heart that she couldn't think of Automne the same way again. But this was a scene that she shouldn't have seen in the first place. She wanted to reconcile this, but how could she without compromising her connections?

"I'll see how she acts first. Whether she's any different from before."

Zan nodded, before swiveling to look at the screen again.

"Fair enough. Besides, you're better at this now, so I'll let you handle it."