My eyes snap open, finally escaping that tangled mess of what I laughingly call dreams. Slowly, I rise from the bed, grimacing as a sharp headache lances through my skull out of the blue. My hand instinctively reaches up, fingers pressing against my temples and drawing small circles in a pointless attempt to ease the throbbing pain. When it finally subsides to a dull ache, I take in the new but unfamiliar pink surroundings with confusion. I don't remember falling asleep in a pinkish room like this, and the frilly, matching pink bed is definitely not mine. Although... I do vaguely recall crashing on a plain pink bed at some point.

This room can't be my home... right?

Both hands reach up to drag across my face as I groan loudly, the embarrassing memories of yesterday's events crashing back. I remember the utter bullshit, how pathetic I acted, the joke I made of myself. And worst of all, Neo saw it all with her own eyes.

Why did I allow myself to completely lose my shit like that? What a fucking pathetic joke I am…

And to make it even better, the door is thrown open. I flinch, eyes shooting over to see Neo walk in carrying a tray piled high with food. Shrinking under her gaze, I keep my mouth clamped shut and avert my eyes, overcome with shame and unable to meet her eye.

I hear the soft tapping of Neo's footsteps drawing near before she stops at my bedside. The tray is placed in my lap with a muted clatter. Her hands immediately find my ears, caressing them gently before giving them a playful squeeze.

Frowning, I ignore her antics and focus instead on the tray of food on my lap, which appears to be a large breakfast of...pineapple. A bowl brimming with fresh pineapple slices. Triangles of toast slathered in pineapple jam. Even a tall glass of fresh pineapple juice.

Why just pineapple?

My stomach lets out a loud rumble, causing my ears to flatten against my head in embarrassment. If it isn't my traitorous tail, then it's my stomach committing the betrayal. Left with no dignified option, I snatch up one of the pineapple jam-slathered toast triangles and take a hearty bite, humming at the sweet taste.

"Thanks," I mumble, chewing.

Neo smiles and nods before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind her. At least she's considerate enough to allow me to finish my breakfast...or lunch, I suppose...in peace. And despite my food being a pineapple served in all shapes and forms, it's still delightfully sweet and tangy.

After drinking my juice, I wipe away any stray crumbs with the back of my arm before setting the now empty tray aside on the nightstand, first shifting the plain pink lamp towards the corner to make room. Only then do I allow myself to release a long, weary sigh, my free hand scratching absently at my head as the full weight of my situation begins to sink in.

Once again, I find myself homeless, and I'll likely remain that way thanks to this latest bullshit. No matter what that asshole Ozpin claimed about cleaning my records, he got me to sign some sort of guilty plea, so it'll still show up in my records. That means no relatively decent landlord will rent to me after they inevitably run one of those cheap background checks with the police. My record will be right there for all to see. So I'm locked in shitty places, unless I buy a home. Good fucking luck with that.

In other words, I'm fucked.

That motherfucker! Fair contract my ass!

My hand unconsciously clenches into a tight fist, and I lash out mindlessly, slamming it against the soft mattress. It bounces off harmlessly, doing nothing. I stare at my offending hand for a moment before releasing the fist with a frustrated sigh. Because really, what can I actually do about this situation and that fucking asshole who took advantage of me?

Nothing, unless I want to get myself into even deeper trouble - the last thing I need right now.

But I do want my stuff back. I can't let that asshole just throw away or sell off my belongings. That's my stuff, not his. Maybe I could sneak in and lockpick the door to my old place to retrieve it all? Fuck…

I can't believe that I have to agree with that prick of Roman. I should have learned and gotten better at stealth, because sure as hell, I can't do this like any other job. Go to the place and kick down the door.

The bedroom door abruptly flies open again, and I whip my head around to see Neo strolling inside, casually dragging a rather sizable green duffle bag behind her. And with ease, she hoists the bag up and flings it right at me. I quickly caught it against my chest.

First, I look down at the unexpected bag, then back up at Neo, who's wearing a maddeningly smug smile. Rather than ask, I simply grab the zipper and yank it open to inspect the contents. And there, staring back at me, are my clothes, books, and various other personal belongings I had left behind in my old apartment - all the things I hadn't stored in my inventory.

"This is my stuff..." I murmur, somewhat dumbfounded, as I stare into the bag with my recovered belongings. My gaze flicks back up to Neo. "How did...?" I start then stop myself with a light smack to my head. "Ok, stupid question."

Neo just rolls her eyes at me, that infuriatingly smug grin still plastered on her face. Of course, she wouldn't have any problem breaking in and taking whatever she wanted without raising any alarms. She's just that good.

"Thanks for getting my stuff back, really. I...fuck, I must have looked so pathetic, didn't I?" I drop my gaze to the floor and sigh in defeat, the embarrassing memories of yesterday's breakdown replaying vividly in my mind.

But moments later, Neo silently pads over and settles beside me on the bed, patting my back reassuringly. I raise my eyes to meet her gaze, seeing her shake her head in denial.

"No?" I question, frowning slightly. And she shakes her head again firmly.

'Tired?'

Her question appears in pink letters before my vision.

I shrug halfheartedly. "I just woke up, so I don't think I'm tired," I mutter, though my heavy tone contradicts the words.

Neo doesn't respond or move, simply pinning me with her piercing, mismatched stare. Her unblinking eyes bore into me until I started to squirm uncomfortably, averting my gaze once more.

"Okay, fine... I feel a little tired. I probably need to sleep some more," I reluctantly admit .

But still, she keeps staring at me with that penetrating look, and I even can feel her eyes drilling into the side of my head.

"What do you want me to say, Neo?" I snap, finally losing my patience. "Do I look tired? Am I tired? Then yes, I feel both! I. AM. TIRED!"

Flopping back against the mattress, I drag my hands down my face with a groan. "I'm just so fucking tired of all this bullshit! It feels like everything is actively moving against me, like some asshole is specifically targeting me for laughs. I want to just call it bad luck, but when this crap keeps happening over and over, can it really be called bad luck? Or am I finally losing my mind, thinking some malicious entity is out there to get me and ruin my already fucked up life? Like, 'You know what? Fuck that guy in particular'"

I throw her a sidelong look. "I'm tired, Neo. Tired in every way - I'm just tired from constantly struggling with everything, and any good moment, any break I manage to get is killed off so fast that it isn't even funny. And after yesterday's shitshow..." I trail off with a self-deprecating snort.

Neo tilts her head slightly, studying me with an unreadable expression for a pregnant pause. Then she shifts closer and slowly guides my head down to gently rest against her chest in a hug. Her fingers find my ears once more, caressing them with a delicate, soothing touch.

I stiffen at the unexpected intimacy at first, but soon let my eyes drift shut as I force myself to simply accept the comfort she's offering. Even attempting to lean into the tender care for a fleeting moment before my mind revolts.

'What the fuck am I doing?'

"No, fuck off Neo. I'm not a fucking cat!" I growl, abruptly pushing away from her and breaking out of her grasp.

But rather than looking offended, she merely grins.

'My kitten finally showing his claws?'

"Stop calling me that, for fuck's sake!" I snap. "Ma'iq, my name is Ma'iq! MA-IQ!"

Her grin doesn't falter in the slightest as she slowly rises up onto her knees on the mattress, waggling a scolding finger at me. 'Naughty, naughty kitten.'

"Shut up!"

'Make me, KITTEN.'

I open my mouth, a biting retort on the tip of my tongue, but slowly close it as a sudden burst of impulsive thoughts take over and I lunge forward, tackling Neo down onto the bed. Her eyes go momentarily wide IN surprise as I firmly pin her wrists against the bed, looming over her.

However, despite Neo being trapped under me, that infuriating, smug smile never leaves her face. She merely raises a curious eyebrow, as if silently challenging me - waiting to see what I'll do next.

And I actually don't know what to do next, just stare at her mismatched eyes in silence. But for some inexplicable reason, I find myself drawn to her vulnerable lips and my intrusive thoughts win over my rationale and move in to claim them with my own. But at the last moment, Neo turns her head, causing me to land a clumsy kiss on her cheek instead.

'Nope~~'

Neo giggles softly, then raises her head just enough to plant a light kiss on my own cheek in retaliation, causing me to blink in bewilderment, caught off guard by her unexpected action.

What...?

Before I can voice my confusion, Neo's body shatters into thousands of glittering pink shards, causing me to fall face-first onto the empty bed. Quickly composing myself, I whirl around to find her standing behind me, that same infuriating smirk plastered on her face.

'Good try. C+ for effort.'

"Fuck you," I grumble, crossing my arms and look away, the heat of embarrassment burning my cheeks.

Rather than escalating her taunts, Neo simply smirks and pats my head in a condescending manner before turning to leave the room once more. But instead of heading for the door, she veers towards a small built-in closet, opening it to retrieve a plain cardboard box that she unceremoniously deposits on my lap.

I eye the mysterious package warily for a moment before giving it a cautious shake, hearing indistinct rattling and shifting from within that do help me in the slightest to recognize what is inside. With a resigned sigh, I simply remove the lid, revealing a blocky metallic object and a thin blue booklet composed of loose papers clipped together.

The chunky device's shape looks vaguely familiar, and after a moment of examination, I recognize the distinct Atlas emblem painted on one side.

"Ah, I completely forgot about this," I murmur, realization dawning on me.

Weeks ago, I had managed to discreetly pocket one of those robots when we were destroying that warehouse in the Industrial District. Neo eventually found out about it and offered to take it off my hands after she found me struggling to understand the basics about robotics, and I'm still fucking clueless about the topic.

Anyway, she sent it to somebody who would work on it as a favor and this must be the result.

I swiftly store both items into my inventory so I can check them up later, as now doesn't seem the appropriate time.

'Do you like your surprise?'

"Thanks, I guess," I reply with a noncommittal shrug, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. "Not like I can really enjoy this, since I'll be busy searching for a new place to live in the next few days. Or maybe I should just start getting used to living out of a hotel again if I want anything half-decent?"

There's a wide range of options at various price points. I could likely afford to book an extended stay at a reasonably nice hotel for a few weeks with the money I got from those gangsters. The place Jeanne had been staying looked decent enough as well… but it will be embarrassing to explain my situation to Jeanne. And even make her feel guilty as she would think she was responsible for me losing my home.

Neo strolls over and extends her hand, revealing a simple black wallet resting in her upturned palm.

"What?" I ask in confusion, but take the wallet nonetheless and absently send it to my inventory.

"Money?"

'Your money, with a little compensation'

"My money? And compensation...?" I squint, mulling over her words before understanding her words. "That fucking wannabe clown?"

The petite girl smirks and nods in confirmation. 'You work directly for Roman. That idiot should have known better.'

Her expression then turns decidedly vicious, a feral grin stretching across her face. 'You should have beaten him up when you had the chance. Shatter his teeth or a leg.'

"I was very tempted, actually," I admit with a furrowed brow. "But that fucking idiot is... was... related to your bussiness. I didn't want to risk getting into even more trouble."

Neo gives a nonchalant shrug, clearly unbothered. 'They're replaceable.'

I can't help but chuckle at her pragmatic outlook. "I can't argue with that point."

'Remember to call me if you want to destroy another gang,' she adds with a wink.

"Destroy?" I echo skeptically. "I didn't really destroy a gang. Just shaved their boss's hair, stole their money, and beat up a couple of their goons. That doesn't exactly equal destruction."

She has to be exaggerating.

"Whatever," I dismiss it with an eye-roll as she doesn't respond. "I guess it's time for me to get back to work now, as if nothing fucking happened. Hopefully, that bitch of Cinder won't throw a temper tantrum..." I trail off before adding in defeat, "Can I borrow your bathroom?"

Rather than give me a reply, Neo simply smirks and pulls out her scroll. A few taps later, my own scroll pings with an alert. I retrieve it, brow furrowing as I read the notification - and it shows a flight ticket and hotel booking confirmation...in Patch? With a same-day check-in.

"What?" I blurt in surprise, reading over the details again. "Why the tickets? Why Patch?"

Neo's only response is to flip her scroll around, showing me the message:

'You need a break.'

"Well, I can't deny that," I concede with a surprised blink. "But what about Cind-"

'Do you honestly care?'

Her expression immediately shutters into a severe frown as she crosses her arms over her chest.

I don't.

Fuck those two.

I realize with a surprising sense of liberation. But why is Neo actively helping me undermine Roman? Or is this mostly just petty revenge aimed at Cinder?

Looking back down at the bullhead tickets and Patch accommodations booked for today, I chuckle ruefully and shake my head.

"I was actually going to take you to Patch myself as a way to thank you for saving my ass from that prick. And to use it as an excuse to escape this fucking city for a few days," I reveal. "But you beat me to the punch, I guess."

'Aww, aren't you nice?' Neo simpers with an exaggerated flutter of her lashes.

"Yeah, yeah," I wave her off with a snort. "So, when do we leave?"

---

Within the hour, it seems.

The bullhead flight itself was surprisingly short - less than an hour of travel time before we're already descending towards the picturesque and peaceful island. I hadn't expected the trip to be so quick. The cheaper ferry option would have taken nearly double the time, but money clearly isn't an issue for Neo if that wasn't obvious already.

At least the aerial view offers breathtaking scenery to admire through the window. Lush rolling hills and vast expanses of vibrant green forests, while the busier coastal regions hug the shoreline.

Our ride smoothly settles onto the airfield's helipad in what I assume is Patch's small airport. It's a humble facility - just a single squat building with a control tower on the roof.

When we are given the signal to disembark, Neo confidently takes the lead, guiding me along the designated path as I look at my surroundings. And before I know it, we've checked in at the hotel and are being escorted to our room by a staff member.

The employee politely opens the door and steps aside, allowing us to get our first look at our big room before giving a slight bow.

"Should you have any inquiries or require room service, please dial 100. We sincerely appreciate your patronage and wish you a most enjoyable stay."

With those parting words, she hands me the keycards and takes her leave, leaving Neo and I alone in our new place for the next three days.

I let out a low whistle as I took in the nice surroundings. "Damn, Neo. You really went all out on this little trip, didn't you?"

I step inside and take a moment to properly examine our accommodations. It's a relatively humble but undeniably nice wooden-accented room, made even more appealing by the private balcony boasting wonderful views of the nearby beach. Of course, being situated right on the coastline means we technically have access to a private beachfront, while the public stretches are a couple kilometers down the way.

However, one small detail immediately catches my eye, causing me to spin and face Neo with an arched brow. "Really?"

There's only a single queen-size bed for the entire room.

Neo looks away innocently, clearly avoiding addressing the intentional room selection and its implications. I can only sigh in resigned defeat, knowing there's no changing her mind - or her penchant for relentless teasing and poking fun - at this point.

"Fine, do whatever you want," I concede, watching as she smirks and enters while I summon her luggage - a compact purple suitcase materializing beside the bed. Of course I don't require any suitcase on my own, since I'm able to access my inventory at will, it saves a lot in travel costs and luggage fees.

The moment I've finished, Neo eagerly bounds across the room and flings herself onto the plush mattress with a delighted giggle. She kicks off her boots haphazardly, making herself quite at home.

Shaking my head in bemused resignation, I simply turn and head out onto the balcony, allowing Neo her childish antics. Gripping the railing, I inhale deeply of the crisp, salty ocean air as my eyes slip shut, feeling the gentle caress of the sea breeze against my face. The distant roar of crashing waves is profoundly soothing.

"Three days, huh?" I murmur under my breath, savoring the tranquil moment away from Vale's hectic streets.

Three days to simply take a break from all the bullshit and forget my troubles. Three days to focus on relaxing and maybe even enjoying myself for once, instead of being constantly entangled in dangerous dramas or jobs.

A tiny smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. Neo might have stolen my idea of an impromptu vacation, but it's growing on me already. Perhaps I really did need this more than I realized.

I furrow my brow as an unexpected, pungent aroma suddenly wafts out from inside, invading my senses - distinctly different from the fresh ocean breeze. Glancing over my shoulder in confusion, I'm met with quite the bizarre scene unfolding in our room.

Neo has seemingly wasted no time making herself seriously at home - her clothes lie strewn chaotically across the floor. The petite woman herself lounges gloriously across the rumpled bed sheets, wearing nothing but her underwear and that white jacket left provocatively open.

No, she seems to be...smoking something? Except it's not a normal cigarette dangling from her lips. Instead, Neo is leisurely puffing away at a strange, ornately-colored glass bottle affixed with a long tube stem which has to be a mouthpiece.

As she takes another indolent pull, exhaling a thick cloud of sickly green smoke that slowly spreads around the room, I fully turn to face her with a deeply furrowed brow.

"What are you doing?" I demand, fully turning away from the balcony to face her.

Neo merely smirks around the mouthpiece before blowing another lingering puff in my direction. 'Smoking, silly.'

"I can see that," I retort dryly, pointing an accusing finger at the colorful bottle and waving the other hand to disperse the noxious fumes. "Just what the hell is that thing?"

She blinks at me owlishly for a moment before carefully setting down the pipe and dispelling the glowing words with a shake of her head. 'How can you not know what a hookah is? You're from Vacuo.'

I can't resist rolling my eyes at her assumption. "Yeah, I'm from Vacuo - a shitty little village in the middle of the desert. Not the city of Vacuo. The fuck do I know about whatever fancy shit the rich people get up to these days?"

It's not like anyone back in that rundown village could have afforded such a luxury item. If someone was stupid enough to waste their lien on it, then that hookah would have been stolen the very next day.

Neo just shrugs flippantly before eagerly reclaiming the pipe and taking another long, indulgent pull. She exhales the dense green cloud directly in my face, this time with a teasing smile, extending the mouthpiece in an unspoken invitation for me to take part in smoking with her.

I eye the strange device warily before shooting her a pointed look. "Isn't this shit harmful? Better said, isn't this just some sort of fucking drug?" My frown deepens as the emerald smoke tendrils slowly dissipate around us. "What are you even smoking in that thing?"

Rolling her eyes once more, Neo looks completely unconcerned about the contents of that thing. 'No, just tobacco with extra flavor. We have aura, kitten. Something this weak won't do anything to us.'

I stare skeptically at the pipe thingy in her hand, mulling over her reassurance about our aura protecting us from any harmful effects. She claims it's just flavored tobacco, like regular cigarettes - so it shouldn't be anything too bad like the hard drugs I've seen on the streets before. That convulsing junkie or the destroyed appearance of the guy who made them.

And hey, this is supposed to be my little vacation break from all the bullshit. Maybe I can afford to indulge my curiosity and experience something new for once.

"Ugh, fine. Gimme that," I relent with a sigh, taking a seat beside Neo on the bed.

She gleefully hands me the hookah pipe, watching with an impish grin as I examine the ornate device with mild interest. Seeing nothing overtly alarming about it, I shoot Neo a sidelong glance. She simply nods in further encouragement.

Steeling myself, I bring the tube to my lips and inhale deeply. The thick, pungent fumes immediately invade my mouth and senses with an explosion of lemon and mint flavors. It's not entirely unpleasant at first... until the smoke travels farther down, searing my throat and lungs.

I choke violently, wheezing and sputtering as I instinctively drop the pipe. My hands fly up to pound against my chest as I'm consumed by a harsh, wracking cough. As if that weren't torturous enough, a sudden piercing migraine lances through my skull.

Groaning in agony, I struggle to catch my breath, chest aching from the repeated self-inflicted blows. Through watering eyes, I notice Neo watching my reaction with morbid fascination, one hand failing to stifle her amused giggling.

'Permeates DEEP into your brain, doesn't it?'

"F-Fuck yo-you!" I manage to wheeze out between gasping coughs, desperately gulping down clean air only to dissolve into another coughing fit.

But just when it seems the unpleasant experience can't get any worse, something appears in front of my vision.

Excuse me, what?

As abruptly as the agonizing pain appeared, it vanished completely - the lung-searing smoke, the vicious coughing fit, the splitting migraine, all fading away like they never occurred. I straighten upright, rubbing my chest in disbelief as I look at the hookah and then Neo, who still looks amused.

And before she can react, I impulsively snatch the pipe back up and suck in another lungful.

Cue another excruciating cycle of hacking up a lung, and feeling like my skull is attempting to explode. Yet as quickly as the torture begins, it ends - the level up buzz negating any lingering effects instantaneously.

A feral grin stretches my lips as I repeat the process once more without preamble.

And again.

I cut off the notification with a final drag...only to be met with disappointed silence. No level up notification, no overwhelming pain - just the pleasant mint flavored smoke this time.

"Wait..." I trail off slowly, staring at the pipe in dawning realization.

Did I just stupidly waste an opportunity to skip the leveling up process instead of maximizing my stats gain?

I let the hookah slip from my hand.

"... Fuck."