Like a Florist [private w/ Forrest Waldstein]

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Friday night, a day in the week where many of Vales Inhabitants revel in the pleasures of the cities nightlife. Bars are visited, streets bustle with last bits of activity and Clubs are filling with people willing to dance and party like there‘s no tomorrow.

Vlithra was not one of those people, despite prowling her way through those streets to head to her go to venue, though not for amusement. A local dance club named “Quasar“, known for it‘s usually great choice in music, a sizeable dance floor and a bar with bartenders that could mix you many different types of beverages. A line had formed just outside of it‘s entrance with two burly guys as security bouncers that checked ID‘s. It wasn‘t the most high society club by all means, since it didn‘t have a strict dresscode, but it was if anything the baseline of what a good club should be.

The tigress wasn‘t only a regular here, but had a special arrangement with the clubs owner which, upon showing her own ID, led to her skipping the line entirely and being let in by one of the bouncers, much to the dislike of some within the line. There wasn‘t much of an uproar, only some offhanded remarks that quickly quieted down.

Once inside she headed straight for the bar, weaving in between people at standing tables and at the outer edge of the dance floor, leaning against the counter with her back once there. She looked upon teh venue, today was busy. Lots of people were here, the dance floor almost full even. Good that she was here on business, on a calmer day she would have probably spent the night dancing.

“What can I getcha?“ one of the men behind the counter eventually chimed up to ask for Vlithra‘s order.

“A Florist Special on the Double.“ she simply replied while looking over her shoulder and raising two fingers in a V shape at the guy. The bartenders expression momentarily shifted from a light smile to a bit more serious expression in response.

“I see. Comin‘ right up, Miss.“ he nodded as he got to work, making a beverage containing lime juice with a shot of whiskey, cherry syrup and mint.
“Here ya go.“ he announced to the tigress as he put the finished drink on the counter. Beneath the counter he then prepared another to later hand off to one of the staff. There was a system at place here, made up off codewords and subtle gestures that made it nigh impossible for an outsider to know what was going on. It was a special way to get in contact with a certain individual simply known as The Florist for his love for the venue staple beverage.

Without another word, Vlithra took the drink and headed off to the side, away from the busy dance floor. She came to a set of doors, both 'Out of Order' as signaled by a sign on each. Vlithra takes a look to a nearby guy from the security staff, raising the glass momentarily and going in. The guy in question than moved in front of the door, to prevent people form entering.

The inside was an older bathroom, old enough that a few tiles have started falling off the walls, but not too drasticly old. It didn‘t smell old or decrepid, only looked the part. The noise from the outside seemed muted as soon as the wooden door fell shut. The room was somewhat sound proof. Vlithra moved to the far end, a large mirror to her left reflecting her imposing figure, as she leaned against the wall staring into her drink.
To her left, in an emptied out stall, a little shutter opened, revealing the upper body of a man sitting on the other side, holding the other drink the bartender made.

“Good evening Miss V. It‘s been a while.“ a rasp voice called out before the man took the first sip from his favored drink.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest had some errands to run in another part of the city today. Though mostly sticking to the Residential District, Forrest decided to take a shortcut through an area of the city not exactly known for its friendliness. His errands were done and it was starting to get late anyway. Besides, if something did happen to him, he was more than capable of handling himself. Passing through the area, Forrest found himself on a strip known for its clubs and nightlife. If there was one thing Forrest didn't exactly mesh well with, it was clubbing. However, things would take a turn and become more interesting as he almost passed by. Although he kept his head down as he walked down the strip, his eyes were alert. It was at this moment he noticed Vlithra out of the corner of his eye, just having skipped the line of a club named 'Quasar'.

Vlithra wasn't in class today, and I promised Copperfield that I'd give her the material she missed before the test on Monday... The only issue is that I don't have her number... thought Forrest as some color flushed his cheeks. He was terrified at the prospect of asking for her number, but figured that under the guise of giving her notes that she missed it would be a good plan. Taking a deep breath, Forrest crossed the street, stood in line and waited for his turn to show ID to enter. The line had gone by quick enough and Forrest showed his ID to the bouncer, who had let him into the club.

His ears were bombarded with music, his retinas nearly set ablaze from the strobe lights and other visual effects. The music was so loud he could feel it vibrating against his body. This was definitely not his favored environment, thinking it to be a special kind of hell in some aspects. Scanning the club, Forrest saw Vlithra leaving the bar, and had to cut through the dance floor to get to her. Forrest snaked through any openings in the crowd he could find. He noticed Vlithra raise a glass at a security staff member who had let her into a set of doors marked 'Out of Order'. Unfortunately for him, some of the people on the dance floor cut off his path, and he had to find another path through the dance floor, costing him time.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

“It has. Did you guys get compromised or why were you gone so long?“ she simply retorted to the man as she took a sip from her own drink.

“In a sense, yes. However the issue has been drowned… along with a body in Vale‘s waters. A sadly more unavoidable case.“ the Florist mentioned with not a tinge of regret.

“As long as the matter is settled I suppose… you guys know how I am about stuff like this. I don‘t like you guys getting your hands dirty like this. Then again, hard for me to interject in you guys‘ business." Vlithra exclaimed a bit disgruntled, but accepting. “In any case… how is the situation at home? Did you tell Ahia to take it easy for once or did you forget again?“

“Not this time.“ The Florist giggled. “But you know how the matriarch is. There is no rest for the wicked in this world. Which reminds me… she has ordered to give this to you.“ the intel man puts down a little data storage device onto Vlithra‘s side of the shutter. “This contains the evidence we‘ve trying to collect for years regarding the... incident. You are to hold onto it, as it being in our possession increases the risk of our intention becoming clear to the Kaalea."

“I see.“ Vlithra simply stated as she took the device and securely stashed it in her pockets. “I‘ve been meaning to ask you about a certain individual… a warrior in crimson armor with a faceless visage and a prosthetic claw hand.“ she inquired, hoping that her families intel men knew anything of the figure she had a close brush with death against.

“Yes, we have heard of this one… and your encounter with them. They go by the alias of Orochi, though we know not much more than that they sport a curious set of abilities. Namely the seemingly inherent ability to glitch out video feeds and recordings. A semblance most likely. Frankly it has made aquiring information about them a close up and dangerous game. On the plus side, we are able to easily monitor their activity due to our network.“ the Florist explained clear and concise with no emotion. In truth, he was lying. He knew more of this individual, but was withholding such information on orders. It was then that Vlithra received an anonymous message on her scroll with an attached file. “Knowing you‘re the vengeful sort we went ahead and compiled their activity on a map. Though I must discourage you to pursue them… the last thing we‘d want is for the dear matriarch to loose another.“

“Yeah yeah.“ Vlithra only offhandedly answered, knowing damn well how uncaring she made herself sound for the Florist‘s concerns.

–----

Meanwhile outside of the room, Forrest finally made his way through the crowd. While passing through he had been pushed a bit and bumped into multiple times by the dancing people, who were mostly ignorant to what was happening around them. He was now on the otherside of the dance floor. However there was still the big security guy that was standing in front of the door Vlithra had entered, arms crossed and leaning against the door frame with a mean look to discourage people from even trying to approach him.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Message received... Forrest thought as he broke eye contact with the security guard. He was certainly in no mood to mess around. Anyway, Forrest had to slip past him somehow. Given how the environment bombarded the senses, a distraction would certainly be feasible here. Scanning the crowd, Forrest found a red-haired man that certainly gave off the vibes of a cocky, hotheaded individual. As Forrest slowly but casually walked in the direction of the bar, a vine manifested itself at the quarry's foot as he walked to another area of the dance floor. When he went to lift his foot, it caught on the vine, nearly tripping himself as he stumbled forward. By the time he looked, the vine would already have disappeared.

The hotheaded man looked around, yelling something imperceptible as his voice was drowned out by the music. He tapped the shoulder of another man with a blue mullet, and as he turned to face the red-haired man, the man with the blue mullet was punched square in the nose. Forrest winced instinctively as the punch landed, now that was going to leave a mark. The crowd seemed to disperse as the pair of them came to blows. Out of the corner of his eye, Forrest saw the security guard rush to the scene in order to break up the altercation. Forrest used this opportunity to slip by undetected, entering the doors labeled 'Out of Order'. Surprised to hear the music get muffled into insignificance, Forrest stepped more quietly as he heard some voices ahead, one sounded very familiar. Knowing damn well he was somewhere he wasn't supposed to be, Forrest kept his back to one of the stalls, staying out of sight while eavesdropping on the conversation ahead.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Vlithra pulled out her scroll, looking at the file she got sent. She immediately noticed that there seemed to be a pattern to Orochi‘s activity.

“This Orochi seems very much focused on Dust related Shops and Warehouses. Hm.“ she muttered to herself. It made her immediately think of the rising dust prices. The connection was a possibility she considered as she put away her scroll again.

“Lastly there is the matter of recent gang activity. Nothing unusual really, except that the so called ‘Batbreakers‘ Gang you have previously busted seems to have it out for you.“ the Florist mentioned as Vlithra took a deep swig of her drink, finishing it in one go. “In fact, our footage indicates that some have followed you here.“

“Pff…ha ha.“ she laughs wholeheartedly, elated a bit from the alcohol. “Seems like those troglodytes finally grew a spine.“ she set the drink down, pushing the empty glass through the shutter. She then started walking to the door. “If that‘s all, maybe I should go and give them another beatdown. I‘ll see you next...“

Vlithra just about stepped out from behind the row of stalls, rubbing her neck and stretching it causing it to make an audible cracking noise, as she saw a figure in the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened and her expression changed into one of shock as she realized who exactly was standing there. Forrest.

“...week.“ she completed her sentence, her hand darting forward to hold Forrest‘s mouth shut while making a shushing motion with her other hand and giving the guy a very VERY stern look. There was no way she was going out of this room with Forrest unnoticed. It'd be a horrific breach of code and if there is one thing she knew about such breaches then... “Ya know what? I think I‘d rather take the secret passage. I feel a bit lightheaded.“ she announced to the Florist.

“I understand. Have a safe evening Miss V. And thank you for your visit.“ he simply answered before the shutter closed, leaving both Vlithra and Forrest in almost utter silence. A moment passed before Vlithra finally took her hand off his mouth and instead yanked him by the collar to pull him into the stall they were next to.

“Not… a… word!“ she figuratively hissed with surpressed volume at him as she let go. The stall in question did not have a door anymore and frankly also lacked a toilet. Vlithra knelt down, pulling a little switchblade from her jacket that she then proceeded to stab into the corner of one of the tiles. She then slowly used the blade as leverage to lift a rather thick metal hatch up, designed in a way to blend in with the tiles of the bathroom. She pushed it upright, motioning with her head for him to follow her as she jumped down.

The area down there was small, but just big enough for people to walk around hunched over in. It was a bit cramped and above all things, dark. Not an issue for Vlithra, but a human might think differently.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Orochi? Batbreakers? What the hell did I walk into? Forrest pondered, hidden behind the stall. It was all too late by the time he realized who walked around the corner. He knew instinctively that he had been made, albeit by the best possible person that could've found him here. Forrest did not resist whatsoever as Vlithra covered his mouth, it would do him no good to do so.

Message received... thought Forrest before he was grabbed by the collar and yanked by force into one of the nearby stalls. He nodded when Vlithra ordered him to not speak a word, he was in too deep as it is, no need to dig a deeper hole for himself. When Vlithra produced the switchblade, Forrest grew more anxious until she just used it to pry up a metal hatch before she signaled him to jump down with her. Forrest followed suit, closing the hatch on the way down. Now that both of them were down in a dark, cramped secret tunnel, they could get out of there. Except there was one small problem...

It's so dark... thought Forrest as he produced his scroll, thankfully emitting enough light for him to see where he was going, following along with Vlithra. He initially opened his mouth to say something, but the intimidating look of Vlithra from before flashed in his mind, so he remained silent.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Vlithra looked back to Forrest for a moment to make sure that he did close the hatch behind him. Then she took the lead walking down the narrow path in the corner of the area. It was by all means not a terrible passage, but one could notice it had been dug mostly with light equipment and had a sort of old vibe to it. They navigated a long while through the rocky hallways, taking lefts and rights here and there, and eventually reached an almost vertical stairway that Vlithra proceeded to climb down of and drop through a cutout in a metallic structure.

The metallic noise and splashing of something wet upon landing quickly revealed that they must be in a metal pipe of sort. It was way more narrow than before, needing the two to crouch to move around. The slight stench quickly betrayed as to where they most likely were. It would be easy to assume that this pipe led straight to a sewer system, except the stench came from opposite the side Vlithra was going, where Forrest could see debris and earth blocking the path.
Vlithra narily spoke a word as she prowled towards a dim light at the end of the pipe where one could see metal bars blocking the way out. The tigress at first looked thorugh the bars, left… then right to see if anyone was there. Noone as expected. She pushed against the bars, this being a metal bar grid on a hinge to be opened and closed if needed. Though, the construction was rusty and didn‘t easily budge.

“Ragh.“ she grunted as she was clearly fed up and instead leaned her body back to kick it. It swung open with a loud creaking noise, clanking against the pipe it had been mounted to as it swung around. She quickly jumped out, hangin onto the pipe via a handlebar that had been mounted to it and reaching her hand in to assist Forrest in getting out if he needed. For a moment she contemplated if she should just pull him out and toss him into the mud, but she couldn‘t bring herself to it. Once he was out she closed the Pipe again and jumped down.

They were now in a very old section of Vale‘s sewer system that seemed to be long since out of service. Supposedly the last time it had been used was during the great war as a place for civilians to seek shelter if needed. A lesser known fact that the Florist and the club Quasar have decided to utilize in their business for their clients.
Surprisingly, the source of light from before quickly reveals itsself as well. The tunnel led outside, more specifically towards the water. They were somewhere near the Port now with the stench of the sewer system replaced with a slight breeze of seawater. A bunch of cut remains of metal bars pertruded out of the ground and ceiling of the tunnel, giving enough room for someone to get through.

“Forrest… how much... did you overhear back there?“ Vlithra asked a bit on edge after giving off a bothered sigh and leaned herself against the wall of the tunnel, her arms crossed and giving Forrest quite the judgemental look. She needed to know exactly how much he had listened in and she was unnaturally impatient about receiving a concise answer as the air around the both of them seemed to grow more static by the millisecond.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest followed Vlithra, his way lit by his scroll as they navigated through many twists and turns in the passageway. He couldn't help but make a disgusted face as they entered the sewer pipe, its stench crawling up his nose. Thankfully they would pass by somewhat quickly. Following the dim light, they made their way towards a metal grate. Vlithra, with her immense strength, made short work of it. The silence weighed heavy on Forrest, who wanted to explain everything. Of course he was willing to cooperate with Vlithra, but the lack of communication was beginning to worry him.

She's mad, I just know it. All over getting her the class material she missed... Forrest thought.

He willingly took Vlithra's hand as she helped him, but Forrest sensed something within Vlithra, albeit briefly.

Was that... hesitation?... he pondered.

Eventually the pair found themselves in the old sewer system of the city of Vale. Following another source of light would lead them towards what seemed like the port. The salty smell of the sea was especially noticeable in the area they were in now. Once they went far enough, Vlithra turned to face him, leaning against the wall as she did.

“Forrest… how much... did you overhear back there?“ Vlithra said, her words cranking up his anxiety. That paired with the fact that his hair was standing up unnaturally was a surefire fact that she meant business. Finally gathering the courage to speak after a deep breath, Forrest planned to give it to her straight.

"I came in at the end of the conversation, something about Orochi and a 'Batbreakers' gang..." he said, feeling that he needed to add his reason for following her in the first place.

"Look... I... I just wanted to give you the material you missed in class today..." Forrest continued, blushing as he spoke.

"I promised Professor Copperfield to get it to you before we have the test on Monday. That's why I followed you into the club. I guess I just didn't realize how deep this rabbit hole went..." he stated, the blush on his cheeks growing a bit more as he had difficulty making eye contact with Vlithra.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Really? Vlithra mused. She would have been inclined to believe Forrest that he only caught the last bit of the conversation… if his reasoning for going inside that room hadn‘t been so simple minded. Seriously… couldn‘t he just have… Vlithra caught herself mid thought. Forrest didn‘t have her number, so he couldn‘t have sent her the material like that. Besides, complaining about it wasn‘t going to fix this situation.
Yet still, all of this risk simply because Vlithra wasn‘t in class today, the thought gnawed on her more than it should and it showed, with the lightning aorund her intensifying by the moment.

“You could have just waited outside of that room, you know. There would have been no risk and no problems.“ she retorted in an annoyed tone, making it obvious that she seemed skeptical above all about Forrest‘s reasoning.
Then why did she belive him?
It's with a raised eyebrow she observed him carefully, playing with her switchblade all the while. His behaviour and attitude clearly indicated that he felt sorry, maybe even a bit ashamed. Yet it was his blushing that was but a gentle reminder for the tigress that the guy did seem to have crush on her. Her anger relented and after a moment she let out a simple sigh.

“Whatever. Curiosity killed the cat...“ she declared as she finished her knife trick in a dramatic fashion. The blade spun inbetween her fingers until it rested with the blade pointing at Forrest. Only then the blade retracted back and she put it back into her pocket.

“…but that‘s why the cat has nine lives. I believe you.“ She continued as she got up from leaning against the wall as her posture and expression seemed to ease up. She took a step forward to him, her hand moving forward to gently grab his chin to guide his gaze up to hers. She was by no means right in his face, but almost at an arms length.

“Just promise to me that you will not speak of this to anyone. Alright?“ she asked in a more gentle tone. She tried to alleviate his uneasiness by being a bit more assertive. To make him more agreeable in other words.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest grew uneasy as Vlithra was thinking to herself. She was clearly upset, and he couldn't help but feel that he completely blew it. Forrest's thoughts became overwhelmed by negative self-talk as Vlithra grew more annoyed.

God, you're such a dumbass, Forrest! Now Vlithra hates you! he rebuked himself over and over, the pain of failure threatening to bring tears to his eyes, yet Forrest kept his composure. He couldn't afford to get emotional at this point. What would she even think of him if he did?

“You could have just waited outside of that room, you know. There would have been no risk and no problems.“ Vlithra spat back at him in annoyance before she began playing with her switchblade.

"You're right... I made a really stupid decision, and I wasn't thinking clearly... I'm sorry..." Forrest admitted, resigned to defeat as his fists at his sides clenched in frustration at himself. He couldn't bear to look at her anymore, overwhelmed by shame and embarrassment.

“Whatever. Curiosity killed the cat... but that‘s why the cat has nine lives. I believe you.“ Vlithra said.

She... she believes me?... mused Forrest before Vlithra gently turned his chin upwards to meet her gaze.

He couldn't believe what he was experiencing right now. His heart was racing, his breathing quickened, his pupils dilated, and his entire face blushed a vibrant red. The butterflies in his stomach were going absolutely ballistic.

“Just promise to me that you will not speak of this to anyone. Alright?“ Vlithra asked gently.

"Y-Yeah..." Forrest managed to reply despite his nervousness. It was at this moment when Forrest became more acutely aware of what was happening to his own body...

"UH, HERE!" Forrest said, taking out his scroll and practically shoving it in Vlithra's hands.

"I'MGONNAGETSOMEFRESHAIRREALQUICK!" he blurted out as he quickly walked around Vlithra towards the exit of the tunnel, navigating around the remains of metal bars strewn about the tunnel.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

"I'MGONNAGETSOMEFRESHAIRREALQUICK!" Forrest panicked as he ran out the tunnel.
There was a little platform with a worn down steel ladder to the right going up what seemed to be the stone pier of a dock.
The sea breeze was refreshing, but not cold. The moon hung high in the cloudless sky, stars sprinkling the deep dark canvas above.

Woah. Vlithra fumbled for the scroll for a moment as Forrest pushed it into her hands before her gaze then followed him running past her and then outside in utter embarrassment. It was only then she realized that she probably laid it on a bit too thick with her assertiveness.

She felt almost bad, if she didnt had to giggle though. That reaction was just too priceless. Now the tigress understood why women would tease men like this sometimes. It was funny, not in a comical way, but in a cute way. It gave her a sense of accomplishment for some reason that she didn't quite understood yet.

Now let‘s see here. The tigress mused, figuring that Forrest would need a moment, she tapped on the guys scroll and proceeded to add her number to his contacts. While she was at it she looked through what other contacts he had, just out of curiosity. In the meantime she slowly strutted to where Forrest ran off to, taking her sweet time to give the boy ample opportunity to get his act together, or as some might say 'Man Up'.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest slowed down as he turned to descend the ladder. Once down on the stone pier he walked over towards the end of it, sitting down with his legs dangling over the edge of the pier. He took some deep breaths, composing himself as he felt the intense rush of emotions and hormones begin to quell. He looked up at the cloudless night sky above him, taking in the scenery as his thoughts wandered.

Oh... my... God... Forrest thought to himself as his heartbeat also began to slow to a resting rate. He was well aware that he had feelings for Vlithra, but he was still afraid in the back of his mind. Was she just being nice to him? What if she didn't feel the same way? Thoughts like these buzzed around in his head as he started regaining his composure. Vlithra would probably come by in a minute to check on him, so he had to be calm by then. Just to be sure, Forrest pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Nope, this is definitely for real... he mused.

As Vlithra looked through his other contacts on his scroll, she'd find a decent retinue of friends that Forrest has accumulated over the school year. Most contacts seemed to be male friends such as Bastion Sandstone, Pericles Herotodus Ozymandias, and Castor Achromos. He also had some female friends in his contact list such as Kailyn Keison and Ela Motley. Of course, Silvanus Waldstein was also in his contact list for obvious reasons. Professor Copperfield was the newest addition to his contact list, facilitated by the need to send Forrest the material in the first place. Overall, his contact list was nothing out of the ordinary for a Beacon student.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Vlithra took out her own scroll, noting down some of the phone numbers, namely Bastion, Copperfield, Ela and lastly Silvanus, just in case. You never knew when those could come in handy. She then sent the files that Forrest had received from the Professor to herself. Once done she stowed her own Scroll again and followed to the edge where there was the ladder. She looked over the edge making sure she knew where Forrest was and what he was doing.

“Heads up!“ she announced as she jumped down right behind him.
She then knelt down next to him.

“While it really seems like you weren‘t spotted back there, there is no guarantee that is the case.“ Vlithra explained as she turned to Forrest to hand him back his scroll, her expression seeming more concerned than anything.

“I went ahead and added my number to your contacts. If you ever think you are in trouble regarding what happened today, tell me immediately.“ she continued as she seemed to ponder. Contrary to Forrest who was worrying about Vlithra‘s feelings, Vlithra was worried about the possibility of Forrest having become a target. He didn‘t necessarily know the danger his action had put him into. And if he truly had been spotted, Vlithra tried to figure out how she could best keep him out of sights.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest had regained enough composure by now to feel ready for whatever came next. Except, it didn't go the way he anticipated. Vlithra jumped down and knelt beside him, explaining how there was no guarantee that he'd get away scot free. Taking his scroll back from Vlithra, he continued listening as she went on, clearly concerned for his wellbeing.

"Thanks," Forrest began. "but do they even have anyone who poses a threat to a Huntsman? Even if there is, would you know who they are?" Forrest asked. He didn't see anyone in there that could potentially go toe to toe with him, but it wouldn't benefit him to make any assumptions as of right now. Naturally, he had questions of his own that he wanted to ask Vlithra, but figured that there was a better time to ask them.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

“They themselves might not have one, but they can easily hire someone to do their dirty work for them. Besides...“ Vlithra explained as she shifted to sit down aswell. She wrestled with herself a bit, weighing on wether or not she should actually tell him.

“...I...“ Vlithra wrestled with herself a bit, weighing on wether or not she should tell Forrest of her encounter with Orochi. Her hands rested on her legs, balling themselves to fists as she decided to talk.
“A few weeks ago, I encountered a foe that would have been more than a match for a fully fledged Huntsman.“ She paused for a moment to give Forrest a bit of time to wrap his head around that fact. That fight was one she wasn‘t going to forget any time soon. Even at full power Vlithra was only able to keep up for a while, such was the strength that she seldom had seen in other people before.

“Orochi. That‘s apparently the alias of that faceless crimson clad warrior that would have almost been my untimely demise back then. I was at least able to buy myself enough time for Professor Copperfield to intervene.“ she continued as she stared into the deep waters below. There was hint of agitation, as if recalling that night was deeply infuriating to her.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest leaned towards Vlithra just a bit, listening intently to what she had to say. The fact that they could hire someone was a definite possibility, he figured. Forrest's curious expression grew more concerned as Vlithra debated whether to tell him more or not, the balling of her fists being a surefire sign that she was giving it some intense thought. She ultimately acquiesced, making him feel thankful that she trusts him with the information. Vlithra explained her encounter with Orochi, stating how the faceless crimson warrior put up one hell of a fight. Thanks to Professor Copperfield's intervention, she was able to get away alright. He noticed she felt tense and frustrated, as if recalling the memories of the fight were painful to her. It pained Forrest to see Vlithra so infuriated like this. His gaze followed Vlithra's to the waters below for a brief moment, looking there as if the best thing to say to her was hidden under the gentle waves. He then recalled something Vlithra said earlier in the out of order restroom with the informant, turning his head to face her as he spoke.

"Wait, isn't Orochi currently focused on targeting Dust shops and warehouses? It sounds odd that they would suddenly go after Huntsmen, unless you were trying to stop them. Besides that, it doesn't make sense to me as to why Orochi would suddenly change a pattern like that..." Forrest reasoned, wondering if Orochi had valid reasons to go after Huntsmen.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

What Forrest brought up were questions that Vlithra had on her mind already plenty of times since she received the info. Orochi‘s focus on all facilities concerning dust doesn‘t match with them suddenly confronting Vlithra when she tried to investigate. They could have just ignored her and went on, instead they went out of their way to attack the exiled heir.

“Unless going after Huntsmen is the point.“ Vlithra retorted, her voice as foreboding as a shark fin circling a life boat in the water. She the looked back up again as if she had fished the answers straight out of the deep waters.

“With Dust becoming more expensive by the week here and the big companies becoming more and more hesitant to deliver to Vale‘s Shops, the local Huntsman will soon find themselves in a Dust Shortage that will vastly hinder their capabilities in the field.“ Vlithra explained as her gaze grew stern. It was the only way she could explain Orochi going out of their way to attack Vlithra.

[Forrest Waldstein]

Forrest could feel his heart sink as he heard Vlithra's explanation. By all accounts, it made sense. It was an effective method too, considering it hurts Huntsmen in their wallets. Without the applications of Dust to assist Huntsmen on missions, it hampers their fighting abilities. Having to deal with both domestic problems as well as the threat of Grimm, this would at its worst, result in disastrous implications for society at large. Forrest's face hardened as he made this realization.

"You're right. I hate to admit it, but manipulating the Dust economy to hurt Huntsmen is a clever plan. However, large companies withholding the supply of Dust plus a high demand for it would put lots of people in a bad spot, not just Huntsmen. When you take into account how many industries rely on Dust for energy, it's hard to ignore the possible consequences for society at large. If Orochi is serious about this, then they wouldn't care about the collateral..." Forrest deduced. If this turned out to be true, Forrest would certainly feel like a small fish in a big pond.