AndrewJTalon
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More is coming, I'm just doing a lot of job interviews this week to hopefully get a job again. And then a new car.
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[RWBY] White Knight Errant
- Thread starter AndrewJTalon
- Start date
TheFabulousCustodes
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You let Ruby drive, didn't you?
RIP Zippy.
Seriously, good luck on the job interviews.
Last edited:
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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You let Ruby drive, didn't you?
RIP Zippy.
Seriously, good luck on the job interviews.
Funny enough I named my last car Ruby. And she wrecked herself.
Poor Ruby. Crashed and died just before her show did.
OZT
Versed in the lewd.
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Was that literal? Was it in self driving mode/self park when it wrecked?
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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No. I just crashed her into a light pole.
Fifty-Six
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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It was an hour later that Jaune staggered out of the locker room. He was showered, cleaned… And groaning softly. He felt a familiar arm wrap around his shoulders. He looked over to see Yang there, grinning.
"Hey there Stud. How are you?"
"Urgh," Jaune moaned, "Alive, I think."
Yang snickered a bit.
"Training with Pyrrha, huh?"
"Told her not to hold back," Jaune said honestly.
"Mistake?"
"Maybe a little," Jaune groaned. Yang grinned, and put her lips dangerously close to his ear.
"Want me to rub you down with that lotion of yours~?"
Jaune managed not to sputter or blush. He just took a deep breath through his nostrils, and let it out as a long sigh.
"Pyrrha already offered, and to go into the shower with me," he said. Yang scowled. He shook his head as rapidly as he could. "I didn't let her!"
"Good, but we're gonna need to have another chat about what's fair," she grumbled. Jaune tried to shrug as his shoulders got the message a bit late.
"I wouldn't be talking, all the flirting you do," he pointed out. Yang giggled.
"Well, I need to keep you on your toes! Without carrying you. That's Pyrrha's job on your team, right?"
"Funny," Jaune muttered. She led him to the library, passing under the large, elaborate glass dome, the tall rich oak wood bookshelves and the ever vigilant Head Librarian Miss Mombi. Yang set him down in a chair at a study desk, and took the seat right next to him.
"Help a gal study?" She asked. Jaune nodded, and pulled out his own textbooks. "When's your next class?"
"Not for another hour," Jaune admitted, "Assistant Professor Ragora sent us a Scroll text that she was canceling out the Weapon Maintenance class."
"How convenient," Yang chuckled. Jaune stared at her.
"Is it?"
"Well, lets us study and… Talk," she said quietly. She stared intently at him. "About Iridescent."
Jaune grit his teeth, and managed a slow nod.
"Yeah," he mumbled. Yang stared at him with a carefully neutral expression.
"You want to kill her, don't you?"
"I…" Jaune managed a nod. "Should I not? Are you going to tell me I shouldn't?"
Yang slowly shook her head, leaning her cheek against her fist as she rested her elbow on the desk.
"If someone had done all that to me or someone I loved? Yeah. I'd want them dead."
Jaune stared at her. She slowly shook her head.
"Dad and Uncle Qrow told me a lot of horror stories about what the Huntress life is really like," she admitted. She glanced down at the table. "There are a lot of unhappy endings. A lot of things going wrong. A lot of…"
Her fists clench.
"Frankly fucking evil people out there, who will use Grimm attacks to get what they want from helpless people where there's no one to protect them," she ground out, her eyes flashing red for a moment. She looked up at Jaune and shook her head. She reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"So, you wanna ice this bitch? I'm down for it. I will be right there alongside you, Jaune."
"Have… Have you-?" Jaune tried, but he faltered. Yang slowly shook her head.
"No. I've gotten in a lot of brawls. Never killed anyone." She sighed. "It's not like I'm eager to do it. I'm not a psycho."
"Never said you were," Jaune said dryly, "And I can't exactly talk what with my issues."
Yang gave a small, tight smile at that. She squeezed his shoulder again.
"The thing is… Between someone who was just minding their own business? Taking care of their family? Just living their life without causing any trouble? And some evil bitch robbing, enslaving, and killing people just for money? I think the world is a lot better off with the latter dead than alive. You though… You're struggling with that."
"Yeah," Jaune admitted, looking down at the textbook and seeing nothing. "I don't think I should, but… I still am."
"That's because you're not happy you killed those men," Yang said quietly, "Which is good, because you're not crazy."
"What do you think I should do?" Jaune asked. Yang shook her head.
"That's your decision to make, not mine," she said softly, "If I have to put her down? … I'll do it. If I can just knock her out and turn her over to the cops? I'll do that too. Whatever you want to do? I'll be there with you. But you have to decide that, not me."
Jaune slowly nodded
"Thanks Yang," he murmured. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"Whatever you decide, I'll be here for you," she said, "Promise."
He smiled. They studied for a bit longer, Yang telling him some incredibly terrible jokes that all made him laugh and groan. Her touches lingered a lot longer than usual, but Jaune was so sore any warm touch was welcome.
He just prayed it wouldn't lead to Ruby, Pyrrha, Neo or Weiss eviscerating him. Neo was the sure bet, but Ruby had been a lot quieter lately so he didn't know what she was up to.
He really should give her more attention. She was his first friend here, after all. And he had promised to give her a wonderful date.
"Hey Jaune!"
Speak of the devil, and she would appear in a burst of rose blossoms right on his lap.
"URK! H-Hey Ruby," Jaune managed with a wince.
"How are you-?!"
"Shhhh!" Mombi hissed at them, a finger to her lips. Her hair had turned bright red.. She glared at them from her imposing desk. All three settled down, Ruby shifting out of Jaune's lap into a side chair with an innocent smile.
Mombi's glare continued for a bit longer, before she slowly went back to her computer. Her hair shifted back into black.
Yang winced.
"Eesh. She's got a real flare, huh? What kind of Semblance lets you change your hair?" She muttered.
"That's probably why she's a librarian," Jaune muttered back.
"I think her real Semblance is just her glare," Ruby added. She beamed at Jaune. "How are you doing?"
"Sore as hell," Jaune sighed. Ruby winced.
"Ooh… Training with Pyrrha, huh?"
"Yup," Jaune sighed, "It's always rough after."
Ruby nodded happily. "Yeah! I was sore in places I didn't know I had!" She looked over at Yang. "Uh, so… Could I get some time with Jaune?"
Yang chuckled, and reached over Jaune to ruffle her hair. She scowled up at her, as Jaune blushed.
"See you at the next class," she said. She kissed his lips gently, before she gathered her books and headed off with a sway to her hips. Jaune was too sore and tired to not look away… Which led to Ruby grabbing his forearm, pinching it, and twisting it hard.
"OW!" Jaune yelped. Ruby scowled deeply at him.
"You should ogle me too!" She protested.
"Not until you're legal," Jaune sighed. He shook his head. "You okay?"
"I uh…" She worked her jaw a bit. "I'm just… I'm a little worried. About the White Fang stuff, and well…" Ruby shyly looked up at him.
"You."
Jaune let out a long sigh.
"How much do you know about Iridescent?" He asked.
"I asked Blake and Yang," Ruby admitted. She winced at him. "I'm sorry. I just really wanted to… I mean, you were being so… Scary and angry and I didn't know how to ask you-"
Jaune held up a hand. He glanced back over his shoulder: Head Librarian Mombi was scowling their way again. Ruby covered her mouth and nodded. He sighed and leaned in close to her, his voice low.
"I… Yeah, I was acting weird," he said, "You know why I don't want it getting around, right? Especially not to you?"
"Why?" Ruby asked.
Jaune worked his jaw.
"... I've killed people, Ruby," Jaune murmured. "That's why."
Ruby nodded.
"I know."
"Doesn't that… Bother you?" He asked.
Ruby sighed, and shook her head.
"A little, yeah," she said. "I'm not… I don't think you're evil or anything. It's a lot, but…" She shook her head slowly. She reached out to squeeze his hand.
"Why did you decide to be a Huntsman?" She asked.
Jaune thought about it for a moment.
"Because I wanted to be a hero, like my parents, my grandparents, and my ancestors," Jaune said. He looked into her silver eyes. "You?"
"My mom," Ruby said, with a small, proud smile, "My dad gave me her journals. I've… I've been reading a lot. Getting to know her." She shrugged.
"Growing up, all the stories my dad and uncle told me about her? I put together a picture of a superhero in my head. Like out of Xray and Vav, you know?"
Jaune nodded slowly, though he hadn't read a lot of that comic in a while.
"And now?" Jaune asked. He squeezed her hand, noting how much smaller and paler it was than his. The way she handled her scythe was incredible. It was hard to remember how strong she was at the moment though, with how small she seemed right now.
Ruby sucked in a deep breath.
"There's… A lot I didn't know about her. Hearing Uncle Qrow's horror stories? I just didn't really get it. How could anyone like my mom feel… Feel scared, or helpless, or enraged? After Forever Fall, I…" She bit her lower lip.
"I feel a lot better, in some ways," she said, "Because I know she also felt scared, and angry, and helpless. And… Other things."
She looked at Jaune intently.
"She still tried to be a hero. To-To be the best she could be as a person, despite everything she went through," she said, "Just like my Dad and my uncle. Despite everything. That's what I want to do. What I want to be."
Jaune slowly nodded. Ruby sucked in a breath.
"Do you still want to be a hero?" She asked.
Jaune was still. He shut his eyes.
"Of course I do," he admitted. "But this woman…"
"I… I'm not saying you have to make friends or anything," Ruby said quickly. "I-I'm not stupid. Roman Torchwick could have killed me. I know. I just…" She closed her eyes tightly.
"I just want you to find another way," she murmured. Ruby shrugged, a small, awkward little smile on her face.
"If… If we can find another way… I would like that," she said, "If there's no other way to stop her… But if there is… Can we find it? Please?"
Jaune stared at her for a long silent moment. He sucked in another breath, as his ribs seemed to creak. He closed his eyes and managed a slow nod.
"I can't promise anything," he said.
"I know," Ruby managed softly.
Jaune sighed quietly. He nodded briefly.
"I'll try."
"Thank you," Ruby said, a wide smile appearing on her face.
Jaune rubbed her hair affectionately with his hand. She scowled.
"Stop that."
"I will when you're legal," Jaune stated. He smiled. "Maybe."
"Hmph," Ruby grumbled. She did look a lot less stressed though. Jaune managed a small smile at her. Ruby managed it back.
She then bit her lower lip.
"There's…" She shook her head again. Jaune frowned.
"Ruby?"
"Something… I can't tell you," she said quietly, "I-I just want to-I can't-!"
Jaune smiled softly, and pulled her into a hug. He patted her on her back, and let her relax against him.
"I won't pry, all right? You can tell me when you want to. I mean it."
Ruby sagged in relief, and beamed up at him.
"Thank you," she said.
Jaune then smirked.
"I don't pry into people's backgrounds, unlike you."
Ruby scowled back at him.
"Isn't that what you're supposed to do as a leader though?" She asked.
"No! Yes… Maybe?" Jaune shook his head. He sighed, and patted her on the back. "I was trying to make you laugh."
"Didn't work."
Jaune rolled his eyes and sighed, looking incredibly put upon.
"Yeah, I'm aware."
She giggled. Jaune smirked a bit. Ruby huffed.
"That wasn't a full laugh. Still didn't work."
"I wasn't trying…" Jaune sighed heavily. He shook his head. "Fine. I'm not the comedian, I'm the leader."
"A leader," Ruby pointed out. Jaune smiled and nodded, ruffling her hair again.
"A leader, yeah."
All good things had to come to an end, and the late afternoon classes were soon to start. Ruby and Jaune ran into Blake outside the library, who was waiting for them. They walked together towards Professor Oobleck's history class. Blake let Ruby get ahead a bit, before the looked over at Jaune.
"I've got some intel," she murmured, and Jaune tensed, "We know where they're holding the rally this weekend. Something big."
Jaune nodded slowly.
"Got it," he said. Blake sucked in a breath.
"We need to break it up, and get the cops there," she said softly. Jaune raised an eyebrow.
"That's a little different, for you."
"After last time? I can see the benefits of back up," she murmured. Jaune nodded. "Sun is also going to help. We'll work out the plans after class."
She paused for a moment.
"I'm sorry I told Ruby-"
"It's fine," Jaune sighed. He looked at Blake. "You have concerns too?"
Blake was silent for a moment.
"Just that… I've seen what a desire for revenge can do to people-"
"Justice," Jaune insisted, gritting his teeth a bit. Blake stared at him for a moment as they walked the hallways, more students appearing as they got closer to their destination. They walked up to the door to the classroom before Blake stopped and turned around to look at him.
"I know people who have forgotten the difference," she said softly, "Please Jaune… Don't be one of those people."
He stared at her in silence. She turned and walked into the classroom, leaving Jaune standing outside alone. It didn't last long. He felt a familiar hand rest on his shoulder. He looked back, and saw Nora smiling at him. Ren stood alongside her.
"I-"
"Wherever you go or decide, we'll follow," Ren said. Nora grinned.
"Yeah! We get it! You don't have to talk a whole lot about it!"
Jaune couldn't help but smile a little. Nora grinned, patted his shoulder, and skipped into the classroom. Ren nodded to him, and headed in.
Weiss and Pyrrha approached. Pyrrha gave him a tight smile. Jaune returned it. He looked over at Weiss, who sniffed.
"Hey Schnee. You got anything to say?"
Weiss shook her head.
"Whatever you and the rest of these lunatics who are our friends want to do, Arc, do it. I'll be on a date with Neptune," she stated. Jaune nodded, smirking a bit.
"I guess that's about all I expected."
Weiss huffed. Pyrha went on ahead, smiling comfortingly at Jaune as she headed in. Jaune turned to head in at last, but Weiss took a hold of his wrist. He glanced back at her. Weiss shook her head, looking… Pensive.
"Just… My uncle said that revenge is a sucker's game. I didn't really understand it until…" She sniffed. "Just… Don't get caught up in it. It's not worth it. Not in the long run."
Jaune blinked several times. Weiss let him go, and headed into the classroom. The bell rang, and he sighed.
"Well… That was unexpected," he muttered, as he walked in and headed for his usual seat.
- - -
"Hey there Stud. How are you?"
"Urgh," Jaune moaned, "Alive, I think."
Yang snickered a bit.
"Training with Pyrrha, huh?"
"Told her not to hold back," Jaune said honestly.
"Mistake?"
"Maybe a little," Jaune groaned. Yang grinned, and put her lips dangerously close to his ear.
"Want me to rub you down with that lotion of yours~?"
Jaune managed not to sputter or blush. He just took a deep breath through his nostrils, and let it out as a long sigh.
"Pyrrha already offered, and to go into the shower with me," he said. Yang scowled. He shook his head as rapidly as he could. "I didn't let her!"
"Good, but we're gonna need to have another chat about what's fair," she grumbled. Jaune tried to shrug as his shoulders got the message a bit late.
"I wouldn't be talking, all the flirting you do," he pointed out. Yang giggled.
"Well, I need to keep you on your toes! Without carrying you. That's Pyrrha's job on your team, right?"
"Funny," Jaune muttered. She led him to the library, passing under the large, elaborate glass dome, the tall rich oak wood bookshelves and the ever vigilant Head Librarian Miss Mombi. Yang set him down in a chair at a study desk, and took the seat right next to him.
"Help a gal study?" She asked. Jaune nodded, and pulled out his own textbooks. "When's your next class?"
"Not for another hour," Jaune admitted, "Assistant Professor Ragora sent us a Scroll text that she was canceling out the Weapon Maintenance class."
"How convenient," Yang chuckled. Jaune stared at her.
"Is it?"
"Well, lets us study and… Talk," she said quietly. She stared intently at him. "About Iridescent."
Jaune grit his teeth, and managed a slow nod.
"Yeah," he mumbled. Yang stared at him with a carefully neutral expression.
"You want to kill her, don't you?"
"I…" Jaune managed a nod. "Should I not? Are you going to tell me I shouldn't?"
Yang slowly shook her head, leaning her cheek against her fist as she rested her elbow on the desk.
"If someone had done all that to me or someone I loved? Yeah. I'd want them dead."
Jaune stared at her. She slowly shook her head.
"Dad and Uncle Qrow told me a lot of horror stories about what the Huntress life is really like," she admitted. She glanced down at the table. "There are a lot of unhappy endings. A lot of things going wrong. A lot of…"
Her fists clench.
"Frankly fucking evil people out there, who will use Grimm attacks to get what they want from helpless people where there's no one to protect them," she ground out, her eyes flashing red for a moment. She looked up at Jaune and shook her head. She reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"So, you wanna ice this bitch? I'm down for it. I will be right there alongside you, Jaune."
"Have… Have you-?" Jaune tried, but he faltered. Yang slowly shook her head.
"No. I've gotten in a lot of brawls. Never killed anyone." She sighed. "It's not like I'm eager to do it. I'm not a psycho."
"Never said you were," Jaune said dryly, "And I can't exactly talk what with my issues."
Yang gave a small, tight smile at that. She squeezed his shoulder again.
"The thing is… Between someone who was just minding their own business? Taking care of their family? Just living their life without causing any trouble? And some evil bitch robbing, enslaving, and killing people just for money? I think the world is a lot better off with the latter dead than alive. You though… You're struggling with that."
"Yeah," Jaune admitted, looking down at the textbook and seeing nothing. "I don't think I should, but… I still am."
"That's because you're not happy you killed those men," Yang said quietly, "Which is good, because you're not crazy."
"What do you think I should do?" Jaune asked. Yang shook her head.
"That's your decision to make, not mine," she said softly, "If I have to put her down? … I'll do it. If I can just knock her out and turn her over to the cops? I'll do that too. Whatever you want to do? I'll be there with you. But you have to decide that, not me."
Jaune slowly nodded
"Thanks Yang," he murmured. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"Whatever you decide, I'll be here for you," she said, "Promise."
He smiled. They studied for a bit longer, Yang telling him some incredibly terrible jokes that all made him laugh and groan. Her touches lingered a lot longer than usual, but Jaune was so sore any warm touch was welcome.
He just prayed it wouldn't lead to Ruby, Pyrrha, Neo or Weiss eviscerating him. Neo was the sure bet, but Ruby had been a lot quieter lately so he didn't know what she was up to.
He really should give her more attention. She was his first friend here, after all. And he had promised to give her a wonderful date.
"Hey Jaune!"
Speak of the devil, and she would appear in a burst of rose blossoms right on his lap.
"URK! H-Hey Ruby," Jaune managed with a wince.
"How are you-?!"
"Shhhh!" Mombi hissed at them, a finger to her lips. Her hair had turned bright red.. She glared at them from her imposing desk. All three settled down, Ruby shifting out of Jaune's lap into a side chair with an innocent smile.
Mombi's glare continued for a bit longer, before she slowly went back to her computer. Her hair shifted back into black.
Yang winced.
"Eesh. She's got a real flare, huh? What kind of Semblance lets you change your hair?" She muttered.
"That's probably why she's a librarian," Jaune muttered back.
"I think her real Semblance is just her glare," Ruby added. She beamed at Jaune. "How are you doing?"
"Sore as hell," Jaune sighed. Ruby winced.
"Ooh… Training with Pyrrha, huh?"
"Yup," Jaune sighed, "It's always rough after."
Ruby nodded happily. "Yeah! I was sore in places I didn't know I had!" She looked over at Yang. "Uh, so… Could I get some time with Jaune?"
Yang chuckled, and reached over Jaune to ruffle her hair. She scowled up at her, as Jaune blushed.
"See you at the next class," she said. She kissed his lips gently, before she gathered her books and headed off with a sway to her hips. Jaune was too sore and tired to not look away… Which led to Ruby grabbing his forearm, pinching it, and twisting it hard.
"OW!" Jaune yelped. Ruby scowled deeply at him.
"You should ogle me too!" She protested.
"Not until you're legal," Jaune sighed. He shook his head. "You okay?"
"I uh…" She worked her jaw a bit. "I'm just… I'm a little worried. About the White Fang stuff, and well…" Ruby shyly looked up at him.
"You."
Jaune let out a long sigh.
"How much do you know about Iridescent?" He asked.
"I asked Blake and Yang," Ruby admitted. She winced at him. "I'm sorry. I just really wanted to… I mean, you were being so… Scary and angry and I didn't know how to ask you-"
Jaune held up a hand. He glanced back over his shoulder: Head Librarian Mombi was scowling their way again. Ruby covered her mouth and nodded. He sighed and leaned in close to her, his voice low.
"I… Yeah, I was acting weird," he said, "You know why I don't want it getting around, right? Especially not to you?"
"Why?" Ruby asked.
Jaune worked his jaw.
"... I've killed people, Ruby," Jaune murmured. "That's why."
Ruby nodded.
"I know."
"Doesn't that… Bother you?" He asked.
Ruby sighed, and shook her head.
"A little, yeah," she said. "I'm not… I don't think you're evil or anything. It's a lot, but…" She shook her head slowly. She reached out to squeeze his hand.
"Why did you decide to be a Huntsman?" She asked.
Jaune thought about it for a moment.
"Because I wanted to be a hero, like my parents, my grandparents, and my ancestors," Jaune said. He looked into her silver eyes. "You?"
"My mom," Ruby said, with a small, proud smile, "My dad gave me her journals. I've… I've been reading a lot. Getting to know her." She shrugged.
"Growing up, all the stories my dad and uncle told me about her? I put together a picture of a superhero in my head. Like out of Xray and Vav, you know?"
Jaune nodded slowly, though he hadn't read a lot of that comic in a while.
"And now?" Jaune asked. He squeezed her hand, noting how much smaller and paler it was than his. The way she handled her scythe was incredible. It was hard to remember how strong she was at the moment though, with how small she seemed right now.
Ruby sucked in a deep breath.
"There's… A lot I didn't know about her. Hearing Uncle Qrow's horror stories? I just didn't really get it. How could anyone like my mom feel… Feel scared, or helpless, or enraged? After Forever Fall, I…" She bit her lower lip.
"I feel a lot better, in some ways," she said, "Because I know she also felt scared, and angry, and helpless. And… Other things."
She looked at Jaune intently.
"She still tried to be a hero. To-To be the best she could be as a person, despite everything she went through," she said, "Just like my Dad and my uncle. Despite everything. That's what I want to do. What I want to be."
Jaune slowly nodded. Ruby sucked in a breath.
"Do you still want to be a hero?" She asked.
Jaune was still. He shut his eyes.
"Of course I do," he admitted. "But this woman…"
"I… I'm not saying you have to make friends or anything," Ruby said quickly. "I-I'm not stupid. Roman Torchwick could have killed me. I know. I just…" She closed her eyes tightly.
"I just want you to find another way," she murmured. Ruby shrugged, a small, awkward little smile on her face.
"If… If we can find another way… I would like that," she said, "If there's no other way to stop her… But if there is… Can we find it? Please?"
Jaune stared at her for a long silent moment. He sucked in another breath, as his ribs seemed to creak. He closed his eyes and managed a slow nod.
"I can't promise anything," he said.
"I know," Ruby managed softly.
Jaune sighed quietly. He nodded briefly.
"I'll try."
"Thank you," Ruby said, a wide smile appearing on her face.
Jaune rubbed her hair affectionately with his hand. She scowled.
"Stop that."
"I will when you're legal," Jaune stated. He smiled. "Maybe."
"Hmph," Ruby grumbled. She did look a lot less stressed though. Jaune managed a small smile at her. Ruby managed it back.
She then bit her lower lip.
"There's…" She shook her head again. Jaune frowned.
"Ruby?"
"Something… I can't tell you," she said quietly, "I-I just want to-I can't-!"
Jaune smiled softly, and pulled her into a hug. He patted her on her back, and let her relax against him.
"I won't pry, all right? You can tell me when you want to. I mean it."
Ruby sagged in relief, and beamed up at him.
"Thank you," she said.
Jaune then smirked.
"I don't pry into people's backgrounds, unlike you."
Ruby scowled back at him.
"Isn't that what you're supposed to do as a leader though?" She asked.
"No! Yes… Maybe?" Jaune shook his head. He sighed, and patted her on the back. "I was trying to make you laugh."
"Didn't work."
Jaune rolled his eyes and sighed, looking incredibly put upon.
"Yeah, I'm aware."
She giggled. Jaune smirked a bit. Ruby huffed.
"That wasn't a full laugh. Still didn't work."
"I wasn't trying…" Jaune sighed heavily. He shook his head. "Fine. I'm not the comedian, I'm the leader."
"A leader," Ruby pointed out. Jaune smiled and nodded, ruffling her hair again.
"A leader, yeah."
All good things had to come to an end, and the late afternoon classes were soon to start. Ruby and Jaune ran into Blake outside the library, who was waiting for them. They walked together towards Professor Oobleck's history class. Blake let Ruby get ahead a bit, before the looked over at Jaune.
"I've got some intel," she murmured, and Jaune tensed, "We know where they're holding the rally this weekend. Something big."
Jaune nodded slowly.
"Got it," he said. Blake sucked in a breath.
"We need to break it up, and get the cops there," she said softly. Jaune raised an eyebrow.
"That's a little different, for you."
"After last time? I can see the benefits of back up," she murmured. Jaune nodded. "Sun is also going to help. We'll work out the plans after class."
She paused for a moment.
"I'm sorry I told Ruby-"
"It's fine," Jaune sighed. He looked at Blake. "You have concerns too?"
Blake was silent for a moment.
"Just that… I've seen what a desire for revenge can do to people-"
"Justice," Jaune insisted, gritting his teeth a bit. Blake stared at him for a moment as they walked the hallways, more students appearing as they got closer to their destination. They walked up to the door to the classroom before Blake stopped and turned around to look at him.
"I know people who have forgotten the difference," she said softly, "Please Jaune… Don't be one of those people."
He stared at her in silence. She turned and walked into the classroom, leaving Jaune standing outside alone. It didn't last long. He felt a familiar hand rest on his shoulder. He looked back, and saw Nora smiling at him. Ren stood alongside her.
"I-"
"Wherever you go or decide, we'll follow," Ren said. Nora grinned.
"Yeah! We get it! You don't have to talk a whole lot about it!"
Jaune couldn't help but smile a little. Nora grinned, patted his shoulder, and skipped into the classroom. Ren nodded to him, and headed in.
Weiss and Pyrrha approached. Pyrrha gave him a tight smile. Jaune returned it. He looked over at Weiss, who sniffed.
"Hey Schnee. You got anything to say?"
Weiss shook her head.
"Whatever you and the rest of these lunatics who are our friends want to do, Arc, do it. I'll be on a date with Neptune," she stated. Jaune nodded, smirking a bit.
"I guess that's about all I expected."
Weiss huffed. Pyrha went on ahead, smiling comfortingly at Jaune as she headed in. Jaune turned to head in at last, but Weiss took a hold of his wrist. He glanced back at her. Weiss shook her head, looking… Pensive.
"Just… My uncle said that revenge is a sucker's game. I didn't really understand it until…" She sniffed. "Just… Don't get caught up in it. It's not worth it. Not in the long run."
Jaune blinked several times. Weiss let him go, and headed into the classroom. The bell rang, and he sighed.
"Well… That was unexpected," he muttered, as he walked in and headed for his usual seat.
- - -
TheFabulousCustodes
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It lives!
Thanks for a new chapter.
Whenever a librarian does this, I think of the first Ghostbusters movie.
Thanks for a new chapter.
Whenever a librarian does this, I think of the first Ghostbusters movie.
Jaune the Barbarian 12
AndrewJTalon
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- - -
Glynda Goodwitch looked around the weekend class she had called from the stage in the auditorium. She shook her head with a feeling of nostalgia.
Mostly girls, as expected, she thought, Boys will be boys.
"Welcome to Dance Class," she greeted, in her usual prim and proper tone, "Now, you are representing your schools. You should strive for excellence in all you do, and that includes dance."
It was a bit of a secret, but Glynda Goodwitch loved to dance. Synchronizing body, music, and soul appealed to her sense of order. It was also relaxing, in a far healthier way than drinking alcohol or destroying parts of the Emerald Forest.
Not that she begrudged her fellow teachers their vices.
"Now," Glynda stated, "We will start off with a demonstration. Do I have a volunteer?"
"Yes you do, Professor!" Miss Xiao-Long cheered. She shoved a familiar tall blond forward. "Go for it, Stud!"
"URK!" Jaune Arc looked up to Glynda on the stage. He shakily lifted up his right hand.
"Uh, if it's all right, ma'am?" He asked.
Glynda held back a smirk.
"Come forward, Mister Arc. I won't bite," she said. Arc blushed-Yes, that's where his thoughts went. Despite her strict personality and love of order... Embarrassing teenaged boys was part and parcel of being the "hot" teacher. And she had to find amusement where she could.
Jaune approached her slowly, as though she might lash out at him if he so much as twitched wrong.
"Have you danced before, Mister Arc?" She asked. She distantly recalled Isabel saying she made her daughters attend dance classes. Jaune nodded.
"A few times, yeah. Some basic lessons, but I wasn't very good."
"Nothing wrong with that," Glynda said, a touch more gently, "We will start off with a waltz. You know how to do that, Mister Arc?"
"Er... I think so," Jaune said. Glynda reached out and took hold of his wrists. She placed one on the small of her back, and the other in her hand. She held back a smirk at his red face.
"Then let's give it a try," she said. She nodded to a music player with speakers nearby, and her Semblance activated it. A classic waltz began to play, and Glynda checked Jaune's feet briefly. She nodded again.
"Good. Now, the man will lead," she stated. "You know how to lead, correct Mister Arc?"
"Yes ma'am," Jaune said with a nod. He gently pressed against her, and she stepped back. He stepped forward with her, a bit clumsily but serviceable enough.
"One two three, one two three, one two three," she counted off, as they danced around the stage slowly, keeping in time with the music.
"Keep aware of your surroundings," Glynda lectured, "Don't run into other dancers, or a wall."
"Yes ma'am!"
The song came to an end, and they stopped in the center. Glynda gave Jaune the barest of smiles.
"Not bad," she said.
"Hmm... Think we could try something a bit faster?" Jaune asked. Glynda raised an eyebrow.
"Such as?"
"FOXTROT!" Xiao-Long shouted. Jaune sighed, and shrugged. He still looked a bit hapless... But there was a strange glint in his eyes for just a moment.
"A foxtrot might be nice," Jaune said, "I've done that once or twice."
Glynda smirked inwardly. He was asking to do something fast, hm? Well, he'd probably step all over his feet, but if he was asking...
"It's a fast and more advanced step, but all right," Glynda said with a nod. She waved her crop, and the music became faster and jazzier. She took his hand and put the other around her waist.
"Now, start off like this... Bit faster..."
He let her lead as she stepped more quickly with him across the stage. He hummed, and smiled.
"So, like this?"
His grip became tighter. His stance more confident. He stepped with confidence to the music, firmly in control. Glynda found herself struggling a bit to keep up, but her muscle memory from hundreds of lessons kicked in and she matched his pace and energy. He swung her about in perfect harmony, and she even leaped with him a few times.
He then let her spin away from him, and the music carried her in a whirlwind away. He caught up to her and dipped her dramatically, just as the music came to an end.
She was left panting, staring up into his eyes as he held her in his strong arms. He grinned at her.
"So... How'd I do, Professor?" He asked.
Cheeky boy, she thought to herself. Deliberately hiding his skill to, what? Prank her? That explained Xiao-Long's interjection.
Well... Two could play at this game.
"Not bad," she said, as she got her heart rate under control. Jaune pulled her back up. He made to pull away, but Glynda yanked him back into her arms.
"Let's see how you fare with some more advanced dances, Mister Arc," she practically purred. It had been a while since she cut loose. And knocking this cheeky little prankster down a peg or two would be fun.
Jaune grinned back, that glint now fully revealed in his eyes.
"Sounds good to me, Professor."
- - -
Glynda Goodwitch looked around the weekend class she had called from the stage in the auditorium. She shook her head with a feeling of nostalgia.
Mostly girls, as expected, she thought, Boys will be boys.
"Welcome to Dance Class," she greeted, in her usual prim and proper tone, "Now, you are representing your schools. You should strive for excellence in all you do, and that includes dance."
It was a bit of a secret, but Glynda Goodwitch loved to dance. Synchronizing body, music, and soul appealed to her sense of order. It was also relaxing, in a far healthier way than drinking alcohol or destroying parts of the Emerald Forest.
Not that she begrudged her fellow teachers their vices.
"Now," Glynda stated, "We will start off with a demonstration. Do I have a volunteer?"
"Yes you do, Professor!" Miss Xiao-Long cheered. She shoved a familiar tall blond forward. "Go for it, Stud!"
"URK!" Jaune Arc looked up to Glynda on the stage. He shakily lifted up his right hand.
"Uh, if it's all right, ma'am?" He asked.
Glynda held back a smirk.
"Come forward, Mister Arc. I won't bite," she said. Arc blushed-Yes, that's where his thoughts went. Despite her strict personality and love of order... Embarrassing teenaged boys was part and parcel of being the "hot" teacher. And she had to find amusement where she could.
Jaune approached her slowly, as though she might lash out at him if he so much as twitched wrong.
"Have you danced before, Mister Arc?" She asked. She distantly recalled Isabel saying she made her daughters attend dance classes. Jaune nodded.
"A few times, yeah. Some basic lessons, but I wasn't very good."
"Nothing wrong with that," Glynda said, a touch more gently, "We will start off with a waltz. You know how to do that, Mister Arc?"
"Er... I think so," Jaune said. Glynda reached out and took hold of his wrists. She placed one on the small of her back, and the other in her hand. She held back a smirk at his red face.
"Then let's give it a try," she said. She nodded to a music player with speakers nearby, and her Semblance activated it. A classic waltz began to play, and Glynda checked Jaune's feet briefly. She nodded again.
"Good. Now, the man will lead," she stated. "You know how to lead, correct Mister Arc?"
"Yes ma'am," Jaune said with a nod. He gently pressed against her, and she stepped back. He stepped forward with her, a bit clumsily but serviceable enough.
"One two three, one two three, one two three," she counted off, as they danced around the stage slowly, keeping in time with the music.
"Keep aware of your surroundings," Glynda lectured, "Don't run into other dancers, or a wall."
"Yes ma'am!"
The song came to an end, and they stopped in the center. Glynda gave Jaune the barest of smiles.
"Not bad," she said.
"Hmm... Think we could try something a bit faster?" Jaune asked. Glynda raised an eyebrow.
"Such as?"
"FOXTROT!" Xiao-Long shouted. Jaune sighed, and shrugged. He still looked a bit hapless... But there was a strange glint in his eyes for just a moment.
"A foxtrot might be nice," Jaune said, "I've done that once or twice."
Glynda smirked inwardly. He was asking to do something fast, hm? Well, he'd probably step all over his feet, but if he was asking...
"It's a fast and more advanced step, but all right," Glynda said with a nod. She waved her crop, and the music became faster and jazzier. She took his hand and put the other around her waist.
"Now, start off like this... Bit faster..."
He let her lead as she stepped more quickly with him across the stage. He hummed, and smiled.
"So, like this?"
His grip became tighter. His stance more confident. He stepped with confidence to the music, firmly in control. Glynda found herself struggling a bit to keep up, but her muscle memory from hundreds of lessons kicked in and she matched his pace and energy. He swung her about in perfect harmony, and she even leaped with him a few times.
He then let her spin away from him, and the music carried her in a whirlwind away. He caught up to her and dipped her dramatically, just as the music came to an end.
She was left panting, staring up into his eyes as he held her in his strong arms. He grinned at her.
"So... How'd I do, Professor?" He asked.
Cheeky boy, she thought to herself. Deliberately hiding his skill to, what? Prank her? That explained Xiao-Long's interjection.
Well... Two could play at this game.
"Not bad," she said, as she got her heart rate under control. Jaune pulled her back up. He made to pull away, but Glynda yanked him back into her arms.
"Let's see how you fare with some more advanced dances, Mister Arc," she practically purred. It had been a while since she cut loose. And knocking this cheeky little prankster down a peg or two would be fun.
Jaune grinned back, that glint now fully revealed in his eyes.
"Sounds good to me, Professor."
- - -
TheFabulousCustodes
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Isabella Arc - " So, you've been dancing with my son, Glynda?"
Glynda - "Strictly for classroom..."
Isabella Arc - "Normally, I wouldn't be so lenient, but we do go back a ways, and Jaune clearly needs a older, stronger Huntress to keep him tied down... Very well, I accept your proposal, as bold as it may be!"
Glynda - "Proposal?"
Isabella Arc - "Yes, to join our families together thru your marriage to my son. I'll go contact his sisters, and let them know someone has managed to tie him down. Honestly, it's for the best really with how he ran away to Beacon. Now, what time is it in Argus? Saphron should still be awake...."
Glynda - "Don't I get a say in this?"
Jaune - "You never do with her...."
Fifty-Seven
AndrewJTalon
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Meanwhile in Atlas…
Isabel shivered a bit and pulled her large blue parka closer around herself. The walk from the airship port across the Schnee Manor grounds was, in her opinion, far too long. Like the owner wanted to ensure that visitors would feel humbled if they dared to come to his home by the air.
The gray and blue arches of the huge manor were as familiar as ever, with the four pure white towers to break up the structure of the mansion. They cut up and provided stark contrast against the clear blue sky: A rare sight in Solitas.
Yet it was still too damn cold for her.
Qrow walked alongside her, dressed in his own white and black winter coat. He smirked a bit at her as they walked up the driveway to the main entrance of the manor, the slight wind waving his hair. She scowled back.
"What's so funny?" She asked.
"Can't you adjust your body form to make yourself warmer?" He asked.
"I did," Isabel sighed, and she adjusted her coat again, "It never seems to work as well as I'd like."
"I did wonder why you looked shorter and thicker," he mused, his eyes raking up and down her body. She kept herself from blushing with her Semblance and sniffed.
"Didn't know you were into the matronly form," she stated, slightly annoyed.
"I can appreciate a woman who has brought a lot of life into the world," he chuckled. She scowled at him.
"Stop flirting!"
"Do you not like it?"
"It's not appropriate right now!" She hissed.
"That's the best time!" Qrow countered.
Isabel lost control of her flush.
Damnit… Why does he have to remind me so much of Nick…?
She shook her head and managed her hormones.
Focus damnit. You have a job to do.
They made it to the stately double doors of the manor. Isabel lifted her hand to hit the doorbell, but the doors smoothly opened before she could put a glove on the button. A kindly looking middle-aged man, short, heavy set, with receding brown hair and a bushy mustache greeted them in a well-tailored blue and white suit.
"Doctor Arc, what a pleasure it is to see you again," the butler greeted, his Albion accent quite thick but pleasant. Isabel beamed at him and reached out to shake his hand.
"Klein, it's wonderful to see you again," she said.
"Please, come in, let me take your coats," he said. They both stepped into the huge main entrance hall, with a blue and white patterned marble floor, and a white marble staircase that led to the arch-dominated upper floors. Two Geist Knight statues stood guard on either flank of the grand staircase, silent and pristine. Qrow still gave them a wary look as Klein took their coats and handed them off to a robot, who floated away.
Isabel had opted for a simple green business jacket, white blouse, and long green skirt with heels and matching purse. It was professional, but something she could still fight in. Qrow had made no effort at all, and still wore his usual clothing. Something Klein raised a very meaningful eyebrow at.
Isabel nodded to Qrow, "This is Qrow Branwen, my partner on this visit."
Klein gave Qrow the once over, his mustache rustling a bit. Qrow gave him a jaunty grin and salute.
"How's it hangin', Jeeves?"
Isabel twitched. Klein shook his head.
"A gentleman does not share such information in front of a lady, sir," he stated.
Isabel's lip twitched. Qrow just grinned.
"I think I might like you, Jeeves."
"My heart simply leaps for joy at the possibility, Mister Branwen," Klein deadpanned.
Without skipping a beat, the butler looked back over to Isabel with a polite smile.
"Mistress Willow will meet with you in the parlor, Doctor Isabel."
"Thank you, Klein," Isabel nodded. Klein turned and led them smartly to the right, towards the east wing of the massive house. Isabel and Qrow followed, through the expansive hallway.
The butler brought them to a stately room, covered in bookshelves filled with rare tomes and data disks. Comfortable-looking furniture that Isabel was sure was more expensive than all of Arcadia's grounds rested in front of a roaring fireplace. Klein gestured for them to sit in the high-backed chairs, and they settled in.
"Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? I believe Doctor Isabel prefers a South Vacoan mocha with sugar and milk?"
"That would be lovely, thank you, Klein," Isabel said with a nod and a smile. The butler departed, shutting the door behind him. Qrow sighed, leaning back and putting his feet up on the coffee table.
"Off," Isabel hissed. Qrow scowled.
"I'll take 'em off when she gets here."
"She'll see the scuff marks!"
"Fine," Qrow muttered, pulling his feet back and sulking like a child. He flared his Aura… Then sat up straight.
"There. The surveillance devices all had a very unlucky failure in their power systems," Qrow stated with a smirk, "Should last for five minutes. Such a shame."
"Indeed," Isabel deadpanned.
"You're sure you want to go through with this?" Qrow asked. "I mean… Your pretense for coming here is a little thin."
Isabel sighed softly. She opened up her purse and produced her computer tablet and notebooks.
"It is," she admitted, "But it is something I as a responsible family doctor should bring to the attention of my patients." She licked her lips. "Connecting it to Merlot is a bit trickier, but it should work."
"Still," Qrow said quietly, "You might be sacrificing your trust with the Schnees. That could be a huge blow to you."
Isabel nodded slowly.
"I know," she said, "But to stop Nick's killer? It will be worth it."
"Just be careful with that attitude," Qrow warned her quietly, "My boss may be on the side of the angels, but that doesn't make him one."
Isabel nodded again.
"I know," she murmured. She sighed and shut her eyes. "But we're in a little too deep to back out now."
The door opened. Isabel stood up, and Qrow followed only a little more slowly. Klein stepped in, looking apologetic.
"Mistress Willow is not feeling well at the moment," he said, "But Master Whitley has agreed to appear in her stead."
Isabel's eyes narrowed. She looked over and behind Klein to Whitley. The fifteen-year-old boy resembled his mother with his pointed chin and blue eyes, but his father's influence was shown in his hair, his nose, and his scowl.
"Whitley, it's very nice to see you again," she greeted him. Whitley nodded in a perfunctory way.
"Same, Doctor Arc," he returned. Isabel glanced at Klein.
"It is very important we see Willow. May I see to her?" She glanced at Whitley. "No offense, but I feel she should be told firsthand."
Whitley snorted. He stalked into the parlor and pulled out a holobook.
"Doesn't matter to me," he stated, his tone so cold that Isabel half expected mist to form in front of his mouth.
"I'll see to her then," Isabel said. "Klein? If you would?"
"Certainly, Doctor," Klein nodded, leading her out. She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled warmly at Whitley.
"We'll be right back. I hope to have some time to hear about how you're doing in your studies, Whitley. Last I heard, you were accepted into an advanced engineering training course?"
Whitley gave the smallest of smiles and nodded.
"Yes, Doctor."
"Good work," Isabel said with genuine pride. She couldn't help her instincts to mother the Schnee children whenever she had visited. Gods knew that Willow wasn't giving them much in that department.
She looked over at Qrow.
"Behave," she stated. Qrow smirked and shrugged, leaning against one of the chairs.
"Hey, it's me!"
Isabel held back a smirk. Damnit, this would be so much easier if he wasn't so damn charming…!
"Lead on, Klein."
"Of course, Doctor."
- - -
Klein shut the door behind himself and Isabel. Qrow looked back over at Whitley.
He gave the teenager a once-over. He was thin but fairly fit, even though he probably didn't do anything more strenuous for exercise than jogging, golfing, or horse riding. His scowl was fairly familiar though. He'd worn something similar as a teenager.
Then again, he'd had plenty to complain about. A hell of a lot more than this kid.
And yet…
"So," Whitley began, "What are you two really here for?"
Qrow raised an eyebrow and adopted the most innocent 'who me?' expression he had.
"Don't know what you're talking about," he said, "I'm just her partner, her bodyguard-"
"Isabel Arc gets back into Hunting after an absence of almost ten years," Whitley began, holding up a holopad to show off a news article from Rotomagus of Isabel and Qrow by Nick's old motorcycle, Guivre, "And a new Grimm species is discovered. Slain by the two of you. One that displayed nearly human intellect and reasoning skills. She's also working with you, Qrow Branwen. Infamous as Headmaster Ozpin's 'fixer', who is registered as a professor at Beacon, but has never taught any classes."
He lowered the holopad with a scowl. Qrow nodded slowly.
Okay. The kid was bright, he'd give him that.
"Got a lot of interest in her," Qrow said, "Nursing a crush on her? I don't blame you, kid, she's basically the MILF and sexy doctor fetishes incarnate."
Whitley's face burned bright red, and he shook his head rapidly.
"N-No! No! I'm just-It's just really suspicious for her to take up with you and then call a meeting with my mother! You-You ruffian!"
Qrow chuckled.
"Gonna have to do a lot better than that to ruffle my feathers, kid," Qrow stated with a smirk, "Jealous your fantasy crush has been hanging out with me?"
Whitley practically growled, and clutched at the holopad tightly.
"No! I just-What do you really want?!"
"To give you important news on your health," Qrow said dryly, "I figure you'd be interested in that."
"What kind of important news?" Whitley asked suspiciously.
"Well, I'm guessing your blood pressure, based on how you're reacting," Qrow said with a cheeky grin.
- - -
The gardens of the Schnee Manor were elaborate and decadent, even by the standards of many of Isabel's other rich patients. Dust generators maintained a warm, temperate climate at all times. Exotic animals like tigers, lions, and bears were kept in caged enclosures. A flock of beautiful cranes hunted for fish in an artificial pond. And flowers of every description from across Remnant flourished, tended by human and robot hands.
Reclining on a sofa like a queen of old was Willow Schnee. She was in a fur coat, several wine bottles lying around her, as she giggled and sang nonsense tunes under her breath as Isabel and Klein approached.
"Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann
Und mir steckt's… auch im Blut…"
Willow giggled, and looked up at Isabel. Klein stood a respectful distance away, but still at the side of his employer.
"Hello Ishabel!" She greeted happily. "You… We… We had a meeting today, ja?"
"Yes," Isabel said calmly. Willow nodded, and held up a bottle happily.
"That song… My father taught me… Taught me it! We would sing it while mining!" She giggled again. "So did Warden… He was terrible… So terrible…" She sniffled, before lifting the bottle back up to her lips.
Isabel reached out and grasped the bottle. Willow looked over into her eyes, and scowled.
"Willow," Isabel began calmly, "We had a meeting."
"And I'm sick," Willow retorted childishly, "Soos… No meetings! No work! No work at-at all! Haven't… Haven't worked in a while, anywayyyy… More used to that than… Than anything…!"
Isabel sighed. She reached into her purse, and pulled out one of her fighting gloves. She slipped it on, then slammed a canister of Healing Dust into the receptacle on the back of her palm.
"Oh no," Willow muttered, scooting back, "N-Not again-!"
"Yes, again," Isabel stated firmly. She pressed her hand against Willow's lower belly, and activated the Healing Dust. It glowed bright white/yellow, and Willow sat up straight. She tried to grab Isabel's wrist, to make her move, but it did nothing against her monstrous strength.
"And… There," Isabel said with a nod. Willow's hands went up to her mouth. She covered it as she gagged. Klein helpfully held out a bucket, and the elegant older woman grabbed for it and shoved her face into it with desperation filled speed.
"HWROOGH! HWRAARRK!"
"Fascinating," Klein observed, as calm and collected as ever, "You sped up the processing of the alcohol in her system-"
"But reversed the flow," Isabel said with a nod, as Willow continued to retch, "The alternative was her making a worse mess. It's much trickier, but she'll appreciate the lack of damage to her clothing."
Willow, panting hard, turned from the bucket with an almost murderous scowl. Klein took the bucket from his mistress, and replaced it with a bottled water. Willow drank the water, gulping it all down desperately. She lowered the empty bottle and glared daggers at the nonplussed Isabel.
"Did you… Really… Have to do that?" Willow asked.
"You gave me a wide latitude in our contract for how I was to do my duties," Isabel said wryly. Willow groaned, scooting to the edge of her couch to put her head down nearly between her knees.
"Why did I do that?" She moaned.
"You were drunk," Isabel said flatly.
Willow sighed.
"I suppose that would explain it," she mumbled. "If only you could solve the reasons for that…"
Isabel sighed softly. She maintained strict doctor-patient confidentiality with all her clients. She did what she could for Willow's children. It pained her greatly to see how Jacques treated his own flesh and blood, and how Willow retreated into alcoholism to deal with it.
The simple truth was…
"I'm sorry. I can't fix those for you," she said.
Willow was silent, staring at the ground.
Isabel opened her mouth to say more, but Willow slowly shook her head.
"I know," she murmured softly. She very slowly got up to her feet, not looking in Isabel's direction. "I suppose… I suppose we should have that meeting now?"
Ah, yes. She'd left Qrow alone with a teenaged boy. No way that could go wrong.
"It would be nice," Isabel nodded.
Klein led them both back to the parlor. The butler opened the door for both of them, and Isabel tensed.
Rather than Whitley suffering a bloody nose or being trapped in a headlock… He and Qrow were looking over a Scroll with great interest.
"Yeah, see," Qrow pointed out, "My niece built this upgrade for me."
"Wow," Whitley said with an honest to the Gods smile, "Really? That's incredible! The bearing system is inspired-Ah, uh, hello Mother," Whitley immediately went back to his usual cool expression, and stepped away from Qrow. Qrow gave Isabel a smug smile, before he turned and nodded to Willow.
"Mrs. Schnee, it's a pleasure," Qrow said, "Just sharing my niece's engineering work with your son."
A faint, tired smile emerged on Willow's face.
"That's wonderful to hear," she said softly. Whitley's expression tightened, and he kept his eyes on his Scroll. Willow frowned. Isabel shook her head.
"Anyway," Isabel said, "Just so we don't take any more of your time…"
They sat down in the parlor chairs. Whitley stayed by the bookshelves, away from his mother. Klein served them hot drinks, which were perfect, of course. Isabel then pulled out her papers and handed them to Willow. The Schnee matriarch examined them carefully as Isabel delivered their spiel.
"I've identified a faint possibility for Solitas Heritage Disease from Jacques' side of the family," Isabel explained, "The odds are very low, but these can lead to autoimmune polyglandular syndrome. The ailments this cause can include, but are not limited to: Autoimmune hepatitis, hypogonadism, vitiligo, alopecia, malabsorption, pernicious anemia, cataracts, and cerebellar ataxia."
Willow nodded slowly.
"What would be the best approach to deal with this issue?" Willow asked.
Isabel smiled genuinely. She was, after all, giving some good news. She loved when she could do that for a patient.
"Standard genome editing should handle it. However, there are cases where full genetic transfer therapy has been required. I can do some labs to figure out the risk factors. And a genetic screening with their future partners or spouses would help determine how to handle it for your children."
Willow nodded slowly.
"That's very good," Willow said, "And I greatly appreciate it, Isabel. Believe me, I do. I just fail to see why we had to meet face to face like this."
"Told you," Whitley muttered. Qrow and Isabel glanced at the teenager, and then back at one another. Qrow flared his Aura, and nodded to Isabel. The doctor let out a soft sigh.
"We were hoping," Isabel said, "You could provide us with information on the grants you gave to one Doctor Merlot ten years ago."
Willow froze as she brought her tea cup to her mouth. She slowly lowered it, and shook her head with a tight expression around her eyes.
"That's… That was a fiasco, Isabel," Willow said softly. "I'm not sure I can talk about that-"
"Your recording devices are disabled in this room, Willow, and will be for the next five minutes," Isabel stated. Whitley gaped in shock.
"Wha-How did you-?!"
"Trust us on that," Qrow stated, "You can be as open with us as you want."
"Why?" Willow asked, eyes wide, "Does this have to do with that Grimm in Vale?"
"It might," Isabel said with a slow nod, "We're investigating all options. It…" She hesitated, and looked over at Qrow. Qrow slowly nodded. She looked back at Willow.
"It had human DNA grafted into it," Isabel said softly.
Willow gaped in horror. Whitley was not much better. Isabel looked between them, and clamped down on her emotions with her Semblance.
"We won't use any of the information you give us against you," Isabel stated, "This isn't for blackmail or personal advantage. This Grimm… It killed my husband. It was created using methods similar to those Doctor Merlot proposed. If we can find a link, maybe find where this thing was created… We could prevent anyone else from getting killed."
She looked intently into Willow's eyes.
"You know me, Willow. You've trusted me with your children for the last ten years," she said softly, "Please. Trust me now."
Willow was silent for a time. She stared into her tea cup, stirring it occasionally. Qrow held back an awkward cough. Whitley was staring, captivated. It might have been best to ask him to leave first, but… Ugh, damnit. She really was out of practice…
"If you want Whitley to leave-"
"No," Willow said quietly, "He should stay. He's being groomed to take over for Jacques. This is… He should know about this."
Isabel let out the breath she had been holding. Whitley walked over, and sat down in a chair adjacent to the coffee table, looking intrigued.
"I'll tell you what I can," Willow said quietly, "And hand over what financial records we still have. Most of them were boxed, due to the closure of the project and… Other things."
Qrow leaned forward a little.
"What happened?" Qrow asked.
Willow bit her lower lip, and accepted a biscuit from Klein. She ate it and swallowed before she continued.
"At first, everything was promising," she said, "The ability to control Grimm? To domesticate it? Can you imagine the possibilities? Jacques agreed it could change everything. So we gave our highest levels of funding to Merlot. We were assured by the Council and military they would match our funding."
She sucked in a deep breath.
"At first, everything went well," she said, "Progress was slow, but the processes Merlot pioneered actually got us into biotech. We own a number of the patents still. I saw Grimm obey simple commands in heavily reinforced labs. It all looked promising."
Willow looked off into the distance for a moment, before looking back at her guests.
"Then… Merlot became erratic. Cagey. Almost paranoid. He asked for human volunteers who kept vanishing. Funding went missing without any explanation. Finally, one of his assistants got out and reported that Merlot was engaging in human and faunus experimentation. Without written consent. Jacques had his security squad go in to investigate…"
She trembled.
"They… I didn't see it myself, but the results were…" She shut her eyes tightly.
"We traced some of the funding to places in Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and even Menagerie," she said, "And Doctor Merlot was long gone. The Council terminated the projects, as did the military. It was classified, top secret. That… That was that."
She looked to Klein.
"Will you retrieve the records, Klein? They should be in the storage closet of the library," she said.
"Of course, Mistress Willow," Klein said with a bow. He turned and headed out, shutting the door behind him. Willow sighed.
"It was… Well. It's probably a mark of how horrible the entire situation was that even Jacques was disgusted by it," she said softly. "I thought it was a sign he still had a heart…"
She snorted.
"In truth, it was just that he saw how bad this would be for us. Even worse than the labor scandals, the Schnee Plan… All of it."
Whitley's eyes were still wide in horror. Willow looked over at Whitley with a grim expression.
"You're going to have a lot of work ahead of you as heir," she said, "I'm so, so sorry, Whitley."
"I…" Whitley shook his head. "I guess so, Mother."
The tension in the air was so thick, Isabel nearly jumped when Klein returned with a small, hand-sized box of record disks. He handed them to her, and she took them with a grateful nod.
"Sure you can get away with giving us these?" Qrow asked.
Willow shrugged.
"I trust Isabel," she said, "And you… I suppose. I can only imagine what it would be like if Weiss or Winter ran into one of those… Things." She shuddered.
"We'll keep it to ourselves, I promise," Isabel said firmly. Willow nodded.
"Thank you…"
"Listening devices are coming back online," Qrow warned. Isabel opened the records box and shoved the disks into her purse. Qrow took the box and handed it to Klein, who discreetly hid it behind a potted plant. Willow nodded and smiled.
"Thank you for stopping by, Isabel," she said, "It's always nice to be visited by someone who cares for my family so much."
"It's always a pleasure for me, as well," Isabel said, smiling back. She beamed over at Whitley. "I'm very glad to hear about your progress in Engineering, Whitley. You should be very proud."
"Thank you," Whitley said, nodding quickly. He looked over at Qrow. "Can I get more samples of your niece's engineering?"
"Maybe when she's legal. You like 'em older, right kid?" Qrow said with a smirk and wink. Whitley didn't have to feign his blush.
"I-No-I'm not-!"
Willow hid a small laugh behind her hand.
"I may have to meet her some day," Willow chuckled. She sighed. "Well… It has been a wonderful time, but I have much to do. And I'm sure you do, as well."
"Of course," Isabel said, "Please get the labs to me as soon as you can. We'll sort this all out, Willow. I promise."
Willow stared at her and nodded slowly.
"I know," she said, "I believe you. Klein?"
"Yes ma'am," Klein nodded, opening the door for them. Isabel and Qrow headed out, and Qrow waved goodbye after. Willow managed one back, as Whitley frowned deeply.
"Good luck," Willow said.
Isabel nodded back.
"To us all," she said softly, as the door slid shut.
- - -
Isabel shivered a bit and pulled her large blue parka closer around herself. The walk from the airship port across the Schnee Manor grounds was, in her opinion, far too long. Like the owner wanted to ensure that visitors would feel humbled if they dared to come to his home by the air.
The gray and blue arches of the huge manor were as familiar as ever, with the four pure white towers to break up the structure of the mansion. They cut up and provided stark contrast against the clear blue sky: A rare sight in Solitas.
Yet it was still too damn cold for her.
Qrow walked alongside her, dressed in his own white and black winter coat. He smirked a bit at her as they walked up the driveway to the main entrance of the manor, the slight wind waving his hair. She scowled back.
"What's so funny?" She asked.
"Can't you adjust your body form to make yourself warmer?" He asked.
"I did," Isabel sighed, and she adjusted her coat again, "It never seems to work as well as I'd like."
"I did wonder why you looked shorter and thicker," he mused, his eyes raking up and down her body. She kept herself from blushing with her Semblance and sniffed.
"Didn't know you were into the matronly form," she stated, slightly annoyed.
"I can appreciate a woman who has brought a lot of life into the world," he chuckled. She scowled at him.
"Stop flirting!"
"Do you not like it?"
"It's not appropriate right now!" She hissed.
"That's the best time!" Qrow countered.
Isabel lost control of her flush.
Damnit… Why does he have to remind me so much of Nick…?
She shook her head and managed her hormones.
Focus damnit. You have a job to do.
They made it to the stately double doors of the manor. Isabel lifted her hand to hit the doorbell, but the doors smoothly opened before she could put a glove on the button. A kindly looking middle-aged man, short, heavy set, with receding brown hair and a bushy mustache greeted them in a well-tailored blue and white suit.
"Doctor Arc, what a pleasure it is to see you again," the butler greeted, his Albion accent quite thick but pleasant. Isabel beamed at him and reached out to shake his hand.
"Klein, it's wonderful to see you again," she said.
"Please, come in, let me take your coats," he said. They both stepped into the huge main entrance hall, with a blue and white patterned marble floor, and a white marble staircase that led to the arch-dominated upper floors. Two Geist Knight statues stood guard on either flank of the grand staircase, silent and pristine. Qrow still gave them a wary look as Klein took their coats and handed them off to a robot, who floated away.
Isabel had opted for a simple green business jacket, white blouse, and long green skirt with heels and matching purse. It was professional, but something she could still fight in. Qrow had made no effort at all, and still wore his usual clothing. Something Klein raised a very meaningful eyebrow at.
Isabel nodded to Qrow, "This is Qrow Branwen, my partner on this visit."
Klein gave Qrow the once over, his mustache rustling a bit. Qrow gave him a jaunty grin and salute.
"How's it hangin', Jeeves?"
Isabel twitched. Klein shook his head.
"A gentleman does not share such information in front of a lady, sir," he stated.
Isabel's lip twitched. Qrow just grinned.
"I think I might like you, Jeeves."
"My heart simply leaps for joy at the possibility, Mister Branwen," Klein deadpanned.
Without skipping a beat, the butler looked back over to Isabel with a polite smile.
"Mistress Willow will meet with you in the parlor, Doctor Isabel."
"Thank you, Klein," Isabel nodded. Klein turned and led them smartly to the right, towards the east wing of the massive house. Isabel and Qrow followed, through the expansive hallway.
The butler brought them to a stately room, covered in bookshelves filled with rare tomes and data disks. Comfortable-looking furniture that Isabel was sure was more expensive than all of Arcadia's grounds rested in front of a roaring fireplace. Klein gestured for them to sit in the high-backed chairs, and they settled in.
"Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? I believe Doctor Isabel prefers a South Vacoan mocha with sugar and milk?"
"That would be lovely, thank you, Klein," Isabel said with a nod and a smile. The butler departed, shutting the door behind him. Qrow sighed, leaning back and putting his feet up on the coffee table.
"Off," Isabel hissed. Qrow scowled.
"I'll take 'em off when she gets here."
"She'll see the scuff marks!"
"Fine," Qrow muttered, pulling his feet back and sulking like a child. He flared his Aura… Then sat up straight.
"There. The surveillance devices all had a very unlucky failure in their power systems," Qrow stated with a smirk, "Should last for five minutes. Such a shame."
"Indeed," Isabel deadpanned.
"You're sure you want to go through with this?" Qrow asked. "I mean… Your pretense for coming here is a little thin."
Isabel sighed softly. She opened up her purse and produced her computer tablet and notebooks.
"It is," she admitted, "But it is something I as a responsible family doctor should bring to the attention of my patients." She licked her lips. "Connecting it to Merlot is a bit trickier, but it should work."
"Still," Qrow said quietly, "You might be sacrificing your trust with the Schnees. That could be a huge blow to you."
Isabel nodded slowly.
"I know," she said, "But to stop Nick's killer? It will be worth it."
"Just be careful with that attitude," Qrow warned her quietly, "My boss may be on the side of the angels, but that doesn't make him one."
Isabel nodded again.
"I know," she murmured. She sighed and shut her eyes. "But we're in a little too deep to back out now."
The door opened. Isabel stood up, and Qrow followed only a little more slowly. Klein stepped in, looking apologetic.
"Mistress Willow is not feeling well at the moment," he said, "But Master Whitley has agreed to appear in her stead."
Isabel's eyes narrowed. She looked over and behind Klein to Whitley. The fifteen-year-old boy resembled his mother with his pointed chin and blue eyes, but his father's influence was shown in his hair, his nose, and his scowl.
"Whitley, it's very nice to see you again," she greeted him. Whitley nodded in a perfunctory way.
"Same, Doctor Arc," he returned. Isabel glanced at Klein.
"It is very important we see Willow. May I see to her?" She glanced at Whitley. "No offense, but I feel she should be told firsthand."
Whitley snorted. He stalked into the parlor and pulled out a holobook.
"Doesn't matter to me," he stated, his tone so cold that Isabel half expected mist to form in front of his mouth.
"I'll see to her then," Isabel said. "Klein? If you would?"
"Certainly, Doctor," Klein nodded, leading her out. She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled warmly at Whitley.
"We'll be right back. I hope to have some time to hear about how you're doing in your studies, Whitley. Last I heard, you were accepted into an advanced engineering training course?"
Whitley gave the smallest of smiles and nodded.
"Yes, Doctor."
"Good work," Isabel said with genuine pride. She couldn't help her instincts to mother the Schnee children whenever she had visited. Gods knew that Willow wasn't giving them much in that department.
She looked over at Qrow.
"Behave," she stated. Qrow smirked and shrugged, leaning against one of the chairs.
"Hey, it's me!"
Isabel held back a smirk. Damnit, this would be so much easier if he wasn't so damn charming…!
"Lead on, Klein."
"Of course, Doctor."
- - -
Klein shut the door behind himself and Isabel. Qrow looked back over at Whitley.
He gave the teenager a once-over. He was thin but fairly fit, even though he probably didn't do anything more strenuous for exercise than jogging, golfing, or horse riding. His scowl was fairly familiar though. He'd worn something similar as a teenager.
Then again, he'd had plenty to complain about. A hell of a lot more than this kid.
And yet…
"So," Whitley began, "What are you two really here for?"
Qrow raised an eyebrow and adopted the most innocent 'who me?' expression he had.
"Don't know what you're talking about," he said, "I'm just her partner, her bodyguard-"
"Isabel Arc gets back into Hunting after an absence of almost ten years," Whitley began, holding up a holopad to show off a news article from Rotomagus of Isabel and Qrow by Nick's old motorcycle, Guivre, "And a new Grimm species is discovered. Slain by the two of you. One that displayed nearly human intellect and reasoning skills. She's also working with you, Qrow Branwen. Infamous as Headmaster Ozpin's 'fixer', who is registered as a professor at Beacon, but has never taught any classes."
He lowered the holopad with a scowl. Qrow nodded slowly.
Okay. The kid was bright, he'd give him that.
"Got a lot of interest in her," Qrow said, "Nursing a crush on her? I don't blame you, kid, she's basically the MILF and sexy doctor fetishes incarnate."
Whitley's face burned bright red, and he shook his head rapidly.
"N-No! No! I'm just-It's just really suspicious for her to take up with you and then call a meeting with my mother! You-You ruffian!"
Qrow chuckled.
"Gonna have to do a lot better than that to ruffle my feathers, kid," Qrow stated with a smirk, "Jealous your fantasy crush has been hanging out with me?"
Whitley practically growled, and clutched at the holopad tightly.
"No! I just-What do you really want?!"
"To give you important news on your health," Qrow said dryly, "I figure you'd be interested in that."
"What kind of important news?" Whitley asked suspiciously.
"Well, I'm guessing your blood pressure, based on how you're reacting," Qrow said with a cheeky grin.
- - -
The gardens of the Schnee Manor were elaborate and decadent, even by the standards of many of Isabel's other rich patients. Dust generators maintained a warm, temperate climate at all times. Exotic animals like tigers, lions, and bears were kept in caged enclosures. A flock of beautiful cranes hunted for fish in an artificial pond. And flowers of every description from across Remnant flourished, tended by human and robot hands.
Reclining on a sofa like a queen of old was Willow Schnee. She was in a fur coat, several wine bottles lying around her, as she giggled and sang nonsense tunes under her breath as Isabel and Klein approached.
"Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann
Und mir steckt's… auch im Blut…"
Willow giggled, and looked up at Isabel. Klein stood a respectful distance away, but still at the side of his employer.
"Hello Ishabel!" She greeted happily. "You… We… We had a meeting today, ja?"
"Yes," Isabel said calmly. Willow nodded, and held up a bottle happily.
"That song… My father taught me… Taught me it! We would sing it while mining!" She giggled again. "So did Warden… He was terrible… So terrible…" She sniffled, before lifting the bottle back up to her lips.
Isabel reached out and grasped the bottle. Willow looked over into her eyes, and scowled.
"Willow," Isabel began calmly, "We had a meeting."
"And I'm sick," Willow retorted childishly, "Soos… No meetings! No work! No work at-at all! Haven't… Haven't worked in a while, anywayyyy… More used to that than… Than anything…!"
Isabel sighed. She reached into her purse, and pulled out one of her fighting gloves. She slipped it on, then slammed a canister of Healing Dust into the receptacle on the back of her palm.
"Oh no," Willow muttered, scooting back, "N-Not again-!"
"Yes, again," Isabel stated firmly. She pressed her hand against Willow's lower belly, and activated the Healing Dust. It glowed bright white/yellow, and Willow sat up straight. She tried to grab Isabel's wrist, to make her move, but it did nothing against her monstrous strength.
"And… There," Isabel said with a nod. Willow's hands went up to her mouth. She covered it as she gagged. Klein helpfully held out a bucket, and the elegant older woman grabbed for it and shoved her face into it with desperation filled speed.
"HWROOGH! HWRAARRK!"
"Fascinating," Klein observed, as calm and collected as ever, "You sped up the processing of the alcohol in her system-"
"But reversed the flow," Isabel said with a nod, as Willow continued to retch, "The alternative was her making a worse mess. It's much trickier, but she'll appreciate the lack of damage to her clothing."
Willow, panting hard, turned from the bucket with an almost murderous scowl. Klein took the bucket from his mistress, and replaced it with a bottled water. Willow drank the water, gulping it all down desperately. She lowered the empty bottle and glared daggers at the nonplussed Isabel.
"Did you… Really… Have to do that?" Willow asked.
"You gave me a wide latitude in our contract for how I was to do my duties," Isabel said wryly. Willow groaned, scooting to the edge of her couch to put her head down nearly between her knees.
"Why did I do that?" She moaned.
"You were drunk," Isabel said flatly.
Willow sighed.
"I suppose that would explain it," she mumbled. "If only you could solve the reasons for that…"
Isabel sighed softly. She maintained strict doctor-patient confidentiality with all her clients. She did what she could for Willow's children. It pained her greatly to see how Jacques treated his own flesh and blood, and how Willow retreated into alcoholism to deal with it.
The simple truth was…
"I'm sorry. I can't fix those for you," she said.
Willow was silent, staring at the ground.
Isabel opened her mouth to say more, but Willow slowly shook her head.
"I know," she murmured softly. She very slowly got up to her feet, not looking in Isabel's direction. "I suppose… I suppose we should have that meeting now?"
Ah, yes. She'd left Qrow alone with a teenaged boy. No way that could go wrong.
"It would be nice," Isabel nodded.
Klein led them both back to the parlor. The butler opened the door for both of them, and Isabel tensed.
Rather than Whitley suffering a bloody nose or being trapped in a headlock… He and Qrow were looking over a Scroll with great interest.
"Yeah, see," Qrow pointed out, "My niece built this upgrade for me."
"Wow," Whitley said with an honest to the Gods smile, "Really? That's incredible! The bearing system is inspired-Ah, uh, hello Mother," Whitley immediately went back to his usual cool expression, and stepped away from Qrow. Qrow gave Isabel a smug smile, before he turned and nodded to Willow.
"Mrs. Schnee, it's a pleasure," Qrow said, "Just sharing my niece's engineering work with your son."
A faint, tired smile emerged on Willow's face.
"That's wonderful to hear," she said softly. Whitley's expression tightened, and he kept his eyes on his Scroll. Willow frowned. Isabel shook her head.
"Anyway," Isabel said, "Just so we don't take any more of your time…"
They sat down in the parlor chairs. Whitley stayed by the bookshelves, away from his mother. Klein served them hot drinks, which were perfect, of course. Isabel then pulled out her papers and handed them to Willow. The Schnee matriarch examined them carefully as Isabel delivered their spiel.
"I've identified a faint possibility for Solitas Heritage Disease from Jacques' side of the family," Isabel explained, "The odds are very low, but these can lead to autoimmune polyglandular syndrome. The ailments this cause can include, but are not limited to: Autoimmune hepatitis, hypogonadism, vitiligo, alopecia, malabsorption, pernicious anemia, cataracts, and cerebellar ataxia."
Willow nodded slowly.
"What would be the best approach to deal with this issue?" Willow asked.
Isabel smiled genuinely. She was, after all, giving some good news. She loved when she could do that for a patient.
"Standard genome editing should handle it. However, there are cases where full genetic transfer therapy has been required. I can do some labs to figure out the risk factors. And a genetic screening with their future partners or spouses would help determine how to handle it for your children."
Willow nodded slowly.
"That's very good," Willow said, "And I greatly appreciate it, Isabel. Believe me, I do. I just fail to see why we had to meet face to face like this."
"Told you," Whitley muttered. Qrow and Isabel glanced at the teenager, and then back at one another. Qrow flared his Aura, and nodded to Isabel. The doctor let out a soft sigh.
"We were hoping," Isabel said, "You could provide us with information on the grants you gave to one Doctor Merlot ten years ago."
Willow froze as she brought her tea cup to her mouth. She slowly lowered it, and shook her head with a tight expression around her eyes.
"That's… That was a fiasco, Isabel," Willow said softly. "I'm not sure I can talk about that-"
"Your recording devices are disabled in this room, Willow, and will be for the next five minutes," Isabel stated. Whitley gaped in shock.
"Wha-How did you-?!"
"Trust us on that," Qrow stated, "You can be as open with us as you want."
"Why?" Willow asked, eyes wide, "Does this have to do with that Grimm in Vale?"
"It might," Isabel said with a slow nod, "We're investigating all options. It…" She hesitated, and looked over at Qrow. Qrow slowly nodded. She looked back at Willow.
"It had human DNA grafted into it," Isabel said softly.
Willow gaped in horror. Whitley was not much better. Isabel looked between them, and clamped down on her emotions with her Semblance.
"We won't use any of the information you give us against you," Isabel stated, "This isn't for blackmail or personal advantage. This Grimm… It killed my husband. It was created using methods similar to those Doctor Merlot proposed. If we can find a link, maybe find where this thing was created… We could prevent anyone else from getting killed."
She looked intently into Willow's eyes.
"You know me, Willow. You've trusted me with your children for the last ten years," she said softly, "Please. Trust me now."
Willow was silent for a time. She stared into her tea cup, stirring it occasionally. Qrow held back an awkward cough. Whitley was staring, captivated. It might have been best to ask him to leave first, but… Ugh, damnit. She really was out of practice…
"If you want Whitley to leave-"
"No," Willow said quietly, "He should stay. He's being groomed to take over for Jacques. This is… He should know about this."
Isabel let out the breath she had been holding. Whitley walked over, and sat down in a chair adjacent to the coffee table, looking intrigued.
"I'll tell you what I can," Willow said quietly, "And hand over what financial records we still have. Most of them were boxed, due to the closure of the project and… Other things."
Qrow leaned forward a little.
"What happened?" Qrow asked.
Willow bit her lower lip, and accepted a biscuit from Klein. She ate it and swallowed before she continued.
"At first, everything was promising," she said, "The ability to control Grimm? To domesticate it? Can you imagine the possibilities? Jacques agreed it could change everything. So we gave our highest levels of funding to Merlot. We were assured by the Council and military they would match our funding."
She sucked in a deep breath.
"At first, everything went well," she said, "Progress was slow, but the processes Merlot pioneered actually got us into biotech. We own a number of the patents still. I saw Grimm obey simple commands in heavily reinforced labs. It all looked promising."
Willow looked off into the distance for a moment, before looking back at her guests.
"Then… Merlot became erratic. Cagey. Almost paranoid. He asked for human volunteers who kept vanishing. Funding went missing without any explanation. Finally, one of his assistants got out and reported that Merlot was engaging in human and faunus experimentation. Without written consent. Jacques had his security squad go in to investigate…"
She trembled.
"They… I didn't see it myself, but the results were…" She shut her eyes tightly.
"We traced some of the funding to places in Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and even Menagerie," she said, "And Doctor Merlot was long gone. The Council terminated the projects, as did the military. It was classified, top secret. That… That was that."
She looked to Klein.
"Will you retrieve the records, Klein? They should be in the storage closet of the library," she said.
"Of course, Mistress Willow," Klein said with a bow. He turned and headed out, shutting the door behind him. Willow sighed.
"It was… Well. It's probably a mark of how horrible the entire situation was that even Jacques was disgusted by it," she said softly. "I thought it was a sign he still had a heart…"
She snorted.
"In truth, it was just that he saw how bad this would be for us. Even worse than the labor scandals, the Schnee Plan… All of it."
Whitley's eyes were still wide in horror. Willow looked over at Whitley with a grim expression.
"You're going to have a lot of work ahead of you as heir," she said, "I'm so, so sorry, Whitley."
"I…" Whitley shook his head. "I guess so, Mother."
The tension in the air was so thick, Isabel nearly jumped when Klein returned with a small, hand-sized box of record disks. He handed them to her, and she took them with a grateful nod.
"Sure you can get away with giving us these?" Qrow asked.
Willow shrugged.
"I trust Isabel," she said, "And you… I suppose. I can only imagine what it would be like if Weiss or Winter ran into one of those… Things." She shuddered.
"We'll keep it to ourselves, I promise," Isabel said firmly. Willow nodded.
"Thank you…"
"Listening devices are coming back online," Qrow warned. Isabel opened the records box and shoved the disks into her purse. Qrow took the box and handed it to Klein, who discreetly hid it behind a potted plant. Willow nodded and smiled.
"Thank you for stopping by, Isabel," she said, "It's always nice to be visited by someone who cares for my family so much."
"It's always a pleasure for me, as well," Isabel said, smiling back. She beamed over at Whitley. "I'm very glad to hear about your progress in Engineering, Whitley. You should be very proud."
"Thank you," Whitley said, nodding quickly. He looked over at Qrow. "Can I get more samples of your niece's engineering?"
"Maybe when she's legal. You like 'em older, right kid?" Qrow said with a smirk and wink. Whitley didn't have to feign his blush.
"I-No-I'm not-!"
Willow hid a small laugh behind her hand.
"I may have to meet her some day," Willow chuckled. She sighed. "Well… It has been a wonderful time, but I have much to do. And I'm sure you do, as well."
"Of course," Isabel said, "Please get the labs to me as soon as you can. We'll sort this all out, Willow. I promise."
Willow stared at her and nodded slowly.
"I know," she said, "I believe you. Klein?"
"Yes ma'am," Klein nodded, opening the door for them. Isabel and Qrow headed out, and Qrow waved goodbye after. Willow managed one back, as Whitley frowned deeply.
"Good luck," Willow said.
Isabel nodded back.
"To us all," she said softly, as the door slid shut.
- - -
Flashback: When Isabel Met Nick
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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Jaune: "So Mom... How did you and Dad meet?"
Isabel: sigh "Well..."
Twenty Years Ago...
Isabel: Super Serious "I have to become a Huntress, to get money to pay for medical school, to support my family... Nothing else matters... Nothing else-"
Nick: "WOOHOOOOO!" Jumps in dramatically, posing "THE HERO HAS ARRIVED!"
Isabel: "... What?"
Nick: "This is the place heroes are born! And I shall become one, fair maiden!" Grins, his teeth shining in the sunlight
Isabel: "... Are you stupid, or just crazy?"
Nick: "I assure you! I'm not crazy!" Another dramatic pose
Isabel: "... Good for you." Thank the Gods I won't have to see this idiot ever again...
Later... During the Initiation...
Isabel: Lands "All right... Now we just have to get to the relics... But before that, I have to find my partner-"
Nick: "YAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Isabel: "Oh no... NOT HIM!"
Nick slams into a tree and falls down in front of her. He gets up, woozily, brushes off his armor, and turns around with a bright grin.
Nick: "WOO! Meant to do it! So, you're my partner, huh?"
Isabel is keeping her eyes shut tightly.
Nick: "Uh... Hey, you okay?"
Isabel: "..." If I ignore him he'll go away... Just go away...!
Nick: "Hey... Is something wrong with you?" He pokes her in the nose
Isabel: "HEY! DON'T TOUCH ME, IDIOT!" Punch!
Nick: "OWWW! MY NOSE! What's your problem?!"
Isabel: "My problem is that I'm not going to be paired up with some complete imbecile like you! So don't you dare-!"
Nick draws his sword, and swings it. Isabel yelped and ducked down. She looked behind herself... And sees a Grimm fall apart in two pieces.
Isabel: Oh geez... I was so distracted by this idiot I didn't even notice...! And in one blow? Maybe he's not so useless and idiotic...
Nick: "Haa... Haa... You really need to pay more attention, huh? Who's the idiot now?"
Isabel: scowls... Punches him
Nick: "OW! HEY! I SAVED YOUR LIFE, DAMNIT!"
Isabel: sighs "...Thank you."
Nick: "You're welcome. So...?"
Isabel: sighs harder "If you slow me down in any way, I will murder you."
Nick: "How's that different from how you were before?"
Isabel: "JUST SHUT UP AND LET'S GET GOING!"
Nick: "EEP! OKAY OKAY OKAY!"
In the present...
Isabel: giggles "In hindsight? It was kind of romantic..."
Jaune: "Uh... Sure Mom..." Geez parents are so weird...
Isabel: sigh "Well..."
Twenty Years Ago...
Isabel: Super Serious "I have to become a Huntress, to get money to pay for medical school, to support my family... Nothing else matters... Nothing else-"
Nick: "WOOHOOOOO!" Jumps in dramatically, posing "THE HERO HAS ARRIVED!"
Isabel: "... What?"
Nick: "This is the place heroes are born! And I shall become one, fair maiden!" Grins, his teeth shining in the sunlight
Isabel: "... Are you stupid, or just crazy?"
Nick: "I assure you! I'm not crazy!" Another dramatic pose
Isabel: "... Good for you." Thank the Gods I won't have to see this idiot ever again...
Later... During the Initiation...
Isabel: Lands "All right... Now we just have to get to the relics... But before that, I have to find my partner-"
Nick: "YAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Isabel: "Oh no... NOT HIM!"
Nick slams into a tree and falls down in front of her. He gets up, woozily, brushes off his armor, and turns around with a bright grin.
Nick: "WOO! Meant to do it! So, you're my partner, huh?"
Isabel is keeping her eyes shut tightly.
Nick: "Uh... Hey, you okay?"
Isabel: "..." If I ignore him he'll go away... Just go away...!
Nick: "Hey... Is something wrong with you?" He pokes her in the nose
Isabel: "HEY! DON'T TOUCH ME, IDIOT!" Punch!
Nick: "OWWW! MY NOSE! What's your problem?!"
Isabel: "My problem is that I'm not going to be paired up with some complete imbecile like you! So don't you dare-!"
Nick draws his sword, and swings it. Isabel yelped and ducked down. She looked behind herself... And sees a Grimm fall apart in two pieces.
Isabel: Oh geez... I was so distracted by this idiot I didn't even notice...! And in one blow? Maybe he's not so useless and idiotic...
Nick: "Haa... Haa... You really need to pay more attention, huh? Who's the idiot now?"
Isabel: scowls... Punches him
Nick: "OW! HEY! I SAVED YOUR LIFE, DAMNIT!"
Isabel: sighs "...Thank you."
Nick: "You're welcome. So...?"
Isabel: sighs harder "If you slow me down in any way, I will murder you."
Nick: "How's that different from how you were before?"
Isabel: "JUST SHUT UP AND LET'S GET GOING!"
Nick: "EEP! OKAY OKAY OKAY!"
In the present...
Isabel: giggles "In hindsight? It was kind of romantic..."
Jaune: "Uh... Sure Mom..." Geez parents are so weird...
Fifty-Eight
AndrewJTalon
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Professor Oobleck's class was always distracting. Jaune was usually glad for that: The man talked so fast and seemed nearly omniscient about anything his students were doing.
Yet even he wasn't enough to banish Jaune's dark thoughts. So while he did take notes and responded as best he could, he still brooded.
Gato…
When the bell rang, he got up and headed for the door, ahead of everyone else. He saw Pyrrha stare at him, and shook his head. She slowly nodded, but still looked concerned. Well, fine.
They'd all said their piece. He didn't want to hear any more, to be honest.
He headed out, and wandered around the campus grounds with no real destination in mind. He found a bench near the Bullhead port, and sat down to stare out at Vale proper. The sun was beginning to set, orange and purple light beginning to paint the sky overhead.
He was used to the Gato voice saying something, anything. Even something snarky would be welcome. Yet it had been silent this whole time. Jaune didn't know if that was a good thing, or a bad thing. Even with his friends' encouragement and counsel? He still felt so alone...
"Um… H-Hello, Jaune!"
Jaune looked over. He blinked in recognition as May Zedong stood nearby, looking awkward.
"Oh, hey May," he said. He frowned. "Ah, sorry I haven't tried to catch up to you. It's been… A crazy busy week-"
"O-Oh, no, th-that's fine!" May said quickly, waving her hands around in a rather adorable fashion, "I-I've been busy too! I-I just didn't want to bother you, but uh…" She frowned deeply.
"Are… Are you all right?" She asked.
Jaune sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils, and let it out through the same way. He shrugged.
"... Don't know," he admitted. He stared at her. "You can sit down if you'd like."
"O-Oh, thank you," May agreed. She nervously perched on the other side of the bench, far from him. He stared at her, then looked away. He was probably just making her nervous.
May wrang her hands. She giggled nervously.
"Y-Yeah… I'm uh… I'm swamped, too," she admitted. "I-I have to manage my team."
Jaune looked over at her in curiosity.
"Isn't your team 'BRNZ'? Wouldn't that make-?"
"Brawnz the leader?" May let out an exasperated sigh. "In theory, yes. In practice? They're all…" She winced. Jaune hummed.
"Idiots?" He ventured. May flushed, and nodded.
"Yeah," she said. She sighed. "They keep anything from getting close to me while I shoot. That's… About as good a strategy I can get across to them. I have to clean up after them, look after them…" She rolled her eyes. "I have to cook for them when we're out in the field, too."
Jaune winced.
"Sorry," he said. "Feels like you're a babysitter instead of a leader, huh?"
May nodded eagerly.
"Yes! Exactly!" She sighed, though she had a small, fond smile on her face. "But… They are there for me when it counts. It's those… Those times that really justify everything."
Jaune smiled back.
"Yeah," he said.
"It's been a long time," May said, "I uh… I heard about your dad." She winced. "I'm sorry."
"It's… It's fine," Jaune said quietly. "Thanks."
She beamed shyly.
"You uh… We've both gone through a lot of changes, huh?" She asked.
Jaune nodded.
"Plenty," he said.
"Things seemed… A lot simpler, back then," May murmured, almost wistfully. Jaune smiled.
"Yeah…"
"I-I know it's been a while and-and we're-we were friends as kids but um…" She looked away shyly, and then back at Jaune, "It-It would be nice… To be friends again, r-right?"
Jaune smiled softly. He reached out and patted her hand.
"It sure would," he said.
May turned bright red. He almost laughed out loud at that. She was still the same old May, still so shy she tried to hide in plain sight. He supposed that made her a good sniper, but…
"G-Good," May said with a nod. "Um… This weird girl called 'Mint' asked me to give you this?" She held out a folded piece of paper. "Well, I mean, she can't talk, so she just asked…" She winced. "Very uh, aggressively…"
Jaune smiled in understanding. He took the folded up note, and patted May's hand again.
"Yeah, she uh… She can be," Jaune said. "Don't take it personally. She's a little…"
"Overprotective?" May asked. Jaune paused, then nodded.
"Sure, let's go with that," he said. He opened the note. His eyes widened a bit.
Iri will be at the White Fang Rally tonight. Backstage. Have fun. ~<3
Well. It didn't take a genius to know how Neo felt about Iridescent, and what Jaune should do about her.
His fists clenched. So hard May reached out to rest a hand on his.
"Jaune? Are-Are you all right?" She asked.
Jaune turned to May, a deadly glare on his face. She recoiled. He winced, then schooled his features into a tense smile.
"Just fine," he said. He reached out and patted her shoulder. "I've… I've got to go. I'll see you later."
"S-Sure!" May managed, smiling nervously. Jaune got up and headed off, back to the dorms.
When he entered, he moved through the hallways with purpose, up the stairs towards the familiar doors. He opened up the door to the common room. Everyone else in RWBY and JNPR (along with Neptune and Sun) were waiting. Everyone looked up at him.
"We have a location?" He asked. Blake nodded.
"We do," she said, "Schwartz just sent it. We were just about to start planning things out."
Jaune looked around. Ruby was staring at him intently, a worried smile on her face as she stood on Blake's left side at the table. Yang and Pyrrha sat together. Pyrrha stared intently at him, her face blank, while Yang frowned in concern. Neptune was sitting with Weiss. The blue haired young man spared a glare at him, before he went back to cooing over Weiss. The platinum blonde beauty gave him a brief look, then looked back at her boyfriend.
Nora was bouncing up and down with barely contained excitement, grinning broadly, while Ren sat stoically as ever. Sun just gave him a grin, though he did step a bit closer to Blake. Blake for her part just looked very serious.
Jaune nodded slowly.
"Just so you all know," he said, "If anyone doesn't want to join us, say so now."
"We said so before!" Neptune protested. Weiss nodded.
"But we will be nearby, in case you need back up," she said firmly.
Jaune looked around. Nobody else said anything. Yang smiled grimly and slammed her fists together. Pyrrha smiled gently, but with steel in her eyes. Ren and Nora held hands.
He let out a small sigh.
"Right. Let's get to work," he ordered.
Gato… One way or another… I'll get justice for you.
- - -
Sorry it's a bit short. These sections will be combined properly in AO3 and on FF.net.
Yet even he wasn't enough to banish Jaune's dark thoughts. So while he did take notes and responded as best he could, he still brooded.
Gato…
When the bell rang, he got up and headed for the door, ahead of everyone else. He saw Pyrrha stare at him, and shook his head. She slowly nodded, but still looked concerned. Well, fine.
They'd all said their piece. He didn't want to hear any more, to be honest.
He headed out, and wandered around the campus grounds with no real destination in mind. He found a bench near the Bullhead port, and sat down to stare out at Vale proper. The sun was beginning to set, orange and purple light beginning to paint the sky overhead.
He was used to the Gato voice saying something, anything. Even something snarky would be welcome. Yet it had been silent this whole time. Jaune didn't know if that was a good thing, or a bad thing. Even with his friends' encouragement and counsel? He still felt so alone...
"Um… H-Hello, Jaune!"
Jaune looked over. He blinked in recognition as May Zedong stood nearby, looking awkward.
"Oh, hey May," he said. He frowned. "Ah, sorry I haven't tried to catch up to you. It's been… A crazy busy week-"
"O-Oh, no, th-that's fine!" May said quickly, waving her hands around in a rather adorable fashion, "I-I've been busy too! I-I just didn't want to bother you, but uh…" She frowned deeply.
"Are… Are you all right?" She asked.
Jaune sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils, and let it out through the same way. He shrugged.
"... Don't know," he admitted. He stared at her. "You can sit down if you'd like."
"O-Oh, thank you," May agreed. She nervously perched on the other side of the bench, far from him. He stared at her, then looked away. He was probably just making her nervous.
May wrang her hands. She giggled nervously.
"Y-Yeah… I'm uh… I'm swamped, too," she admitted. "I-I have to manage my team."
Jaune looked over at her in curiosity.
"Isn't your team 'BRNZ'? Wouldn't that make-?"
"Brawnz the leader?" May let out an exasperated sigh. "In theory, yes. In practice? They're all…" She winced. Jaune hummed.
"Idiots?" He ventured. May flushed, and nodded.
"Yeah," she said. She sighed. "They keep anything from getting close to me while I shoot. That's… About as good a strategy I can get across to them. I have to clean up after them, look after them…" She rolled her eyes. "I have to cook for them when we're out in the field, too."
Jaune winced.
"Sorry," he said. "Feels like you're a babysitter instead of a leader, huh?"
May nodded eagerly.
"Yes! Exactly!" She sighed, though she had a small, fond smile on her face. "But… They are there for me when it counts. It's those… Those times that really justify everything."
Jaune smiled back.
"Yeah," he said.
"It's been a long time," May said, "I uh… I heard about your dad." She winced. "I'm sorry."
"It's… It's fine," Jaune said quietly. "Thanks."
She beamed shyly.
"You uh… We've both gone through a lot of changes, huh?" She asked.
Jaune nodded.
"Plenty," he said.
"Things seemed… A lot simpler, back then," May murmured, almost wistfully. Jaune smiled.
"Yeah…"
"I-I know it's been a while and-and we're-we were friends as kids but um…" She looked away shyly, and then back at Jaune, "It-It would be nice… To be friends again, r-right?"
Jaune smiled softly. He reached out and patted her hand.
"It sure would," he said.
May turned bright red. He almost laughed out loud at that. She was still the same old May, still so shy she tried to hide in plain sight. He supposed that made her a good sniper, but…
"G-Good," May said with a nod. "Um… This weird girl called 'Mint' asked me to give you this?" She held out a folded piece of paper. "Well, I mean, she can't talk, so she just asked…" She winced. "Very uh, aggressively…"
Jaune smiled in understanding. He took the folded up note, and patted May's hand again.
"Yeah, she uh… She can be," Jaune said. "Don't take it personally. She's a little…"
"Overprotective?" May asked. Jaune paused, then nodded.
"Sure, let's go with that," he said. He opened the note. His eyes widened a bit.
Iri will be at the White Fang Rally tonight. Backstage. Have fun. ~<3
Well. It didn't take a genius to know how Neo felt about Iridescent, and what Jaune should do about her.
His fists clenched. So hard May reached out to rest a hand on his.
"Jaune? Are-Are you all right?" She asked.
Jaune turned to May, a deadly glare on his face. She recoiled. He winced, then schooled his features into a tense smile.
"Just fine," he said. He reached out and patted her shoulder. "I've… I've got to go. I'll see you later."
"S-Sure!" May managed, smiling nervously. Jaune got up and headed off, back to the dorms.
When he entered, he moved through the hallways with purpose, up the stairs towards the familiar doors. He opened up the door to the common room. Everyone else in RWBY and JNPR (along with Neptune and Sun) were waiting. Everyone looked up at him.
"We have a location?" He asked. Blake nodded.
"We do," she said, "Schwartz just sent it. We were just about to start planning things out."
Jaune looked around. Ruby was staring at him intently, a worried smile on her face as she stood on Blake's left side at the table. Yang and Pyrrha sat together. Pyrrha stared intently at him, her face blank, while Yang frowned in concern. Neptune was sitting with Weiss. The blue haired young man spared a glare at him, before he went back to cooing over Weiss. The platinum blonde beauty gave him a brief look, then looked back at her boyfriend.
Nora was bouncing up and down with barely contained excitement, grinning broadly, while Ren sat stoically as ever. Sun just gave him a grin, though he did step a bit closer to Blake. Blake for her part just looked very serious.
Jaune nodded slowly.
"Just so you all know," he said, "If anyone doesn't want to join us, say so now."
"We said so before!" Neptune protested. Weiss nodded.
"But we will be nearby, in case you need back up," she said firmly.
Jaune looked around. Nobody else said anything. Yang smiled grimly and slammed her fists together. Pyrrha smiled gently, but with steel in her eyes. Ren and Nora held hands.
He let out a small sigh.
"Right. Let's get to work," he ordered.
Gato… One way or another… I'll get justice for you.
- - -
Sorry it's a bit short. These sections will be combined properly in AO3 and on FF.net.
Last edited:
TheFabulousCustodes
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Priest - "...gathered here today to join Jaune Arc and May Zedong in holy...."
Blake - "I warned you all about the big boobed childhood friend!"
Ovid
Versed in the lewd.
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Ilia: *looks down at her more svelte figure* "so that's where I'm going wrong. Why couldn't I be a cow faunus? Cats like milk, right?"
Next Chapter Preview
AndrewJTalon
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Just to stir up a bit of hype...
A preview of the next chapter!
- - -
The industrial sector of Vale was commonly represented on a map as one big gray section. The truth was somewhat more complicated, owing to the Old, Middle, and New Sections of the city that expanded outward and inland away from the mouth of the Great Pishon River Delta. The Old Industrial sectors were scattered around the river's shores, some of them having had their own individual walls away from the main city walls to enable their safe operation away from human habitation. Most of their buildings had been converted into warehouses for the ever busy docks, small high tech industrial operations, or left to rust and rot as Atlasian automation and Vacuoan cheap labor allowed for most consumer goods to be made overseas.
Underground music movements and criminal enterprises both made use of these relics. The White Fang in particular had staked out an abandoned iron foundry for their recruiting rally this night. The building itself was a dismal heap of brick, red as blood and covered in broken windows and doors only illuminated by the bonfires and Dust-powered lights the faunus organization had brought in.
Two figures stood on top of a rusting crane overlooking the warehouse. One was in a black body suit with red armor over her generous feminine curves and powerful muscles, a White Fang mask on her face and a katana at her side. Her hair was long, black, and curly. She sat in a crouch, glaring down at the assembly.
The other was a tall man in a dark blue cloak with hood. HIs dark skinned face was obscured by a black mask, but his keen red eyes and locks of his pure white hair still escaped his disguise. He wore black armor under underneath his cloak and white pants, with tall leather boots. A silver bow was on his back, while a curved kukri hung from his belt. He stood with his arms at his sides, relaxed, looking down at the White Fang members at work with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
The wind blew, rustling their clothing. The woman sighed quietly.
"I still don't know how you talked me into this," she stated.
The man grunted.
"It is necessary. Besides, you still keep an eye on your daughter, despite your protests," he said.
"She's reckless," the woman huffed.
"Yes," the man said, "As well as caring. You did well to have no involvement in her life."
The woman shot a glare at him, which the man took stoically.
"I wouldn't be talking," she sneered, "You haven't been doing a good job keeping an eye on your brats."
The man snorted in nostalgic amusement.
"My daughter is just fine. My nephew? Well… He is his father's son. Impetuous, unpredictable-"
"Stupid," the woman countered. The man chuckled.
"At this age? It is unavoidable," he said. "But he survived. Became all the stronger for it."
"I suppose," the woman allowed, reluctantly.
The woman grunted, returning her glare back down to the growing rally.
After a moment, she spoke again.
"Working with White Fang and that woman is dangerous."
"Yes," he said. "But the rewards will be worth it."
He spotted a familiar boy in a green cloak approaching the back of the warehouse, with a few other members of his team. Up in front, he spotted the little sniper take up a high position, while the other Hunters-in-Training mingled with the other Faunus entering into the rally.
His eyes lingered on the young man. For a moment, he saw another young, foolish boy in his place. Smiling, laughing, and joking in rusty white and blue armor with a blue scarf waving from his neck and a sword on his back. A dark skinned boy with a bow, kukri, blue cloak, and a scowl stood alongside with his arms crossed over his chest. Another blond girl with glasses, dressed in green with endless pouches on her belt was yelling at them for something or other. A meek redhead in white and pink was trying to keep the peace between them, holding a staff between her hands.
It was all so painfully familiar.
"We do not change our ways easily, Arjun," the woman warned softly, "You have won your place with us… But your ambitions are great. Greater than we have ever attempted."
For a moment, Arjun looked to the east. He could almost see the white palace he had grown up in. Almost see the city, the kingdom he was forced to flee.
"Long ago," he said, "My ancestors were no different from yours. Bandits living in the shadows, surviving in the darkness, the cracks of the world."
"What changed?"
Arjun smiled behind his mask.
"Vision. We saw outside of ourselves. Saw what our people could be. What we could be." He shook his head. "Now, I see the same. For all peoples of this world. A vision of peace. Of prosperity."
He looked to the woman.
"A world without borders… And a world without Grimm," he finished. "Without her dictating our destiny. Only us."
"You, you mean," the woman returned sardonically.
The man nodded.
"Me… And you. Our people…" He went back to staring down at Jaune Arc and his friends, "A stronger, better world."
He looked at Raven.
"Why be a bandit queen… When you could be the queen of Remnant?"
She stared at him behind her mask. Slowly, she nodded.
"Queen of Remnant, hm? I like the sound of that," she said. "But I don't see a crown on my head yet."
"No," Arjun said, "Not yet."
Silence fell again. Loud music began to play from below. The woman sighed quietly.
"If we have to save them from this rabble, it will just be embarrassing."
"Or a learning opportunity," Arjun said. The woman snorted.
"Strength is what matters."
"There are many kinds," Arjun said quietly.
Nick… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, he thought, But I will be here for your son. Your family. I will build them the world you couldn't. I will make things right. It will be a better world.
A better world… For us all.
The industrial sector of Vale was commonly represented on a map as one big gray section. The truth was somewhat more complicated, owing to the Old, Middle, and New Sections of the city that expanded outward and inland away from the mouth of the Great Pishon River Delta. The Old Industrial sectors were scattered around the river's shores, some of them having had their own individual walls away from the main city walls to enable their safe operation away from human habitation. Most of their buildings had been converted into warehouses for the ever busy docks, small high tech industrial operations, or left to rust and rot as Atlasian automation and Vacuoan cheap labor allowed for most consumer goods to be made overseas.
Underground music movements and criminal enterprises both made use of these relics. The White Fang in particular had staked out an abandoned iron foundry for their recruiting rally this night. The building itself was a dismal heap of brick, red as blood and covered in broken windows and doors only illuminated by the bonfires and Dust-powered lights the faunus organization had brought in.
Two figures stood on top of a rusting crane overlooking the warehouse. One was in a black body suit with red armor over her generous feminine curves and powerful muscles, a White Fang mask on her face and a katana at her side. Her hair was long, black, and curly. She sat in a crouch, glaring down at the assembly.
The other was a tall man in a dark blue cloak with hood. HIs dark skinned face was obscured by a black mask, but his keen red eyes and locks of his pure white hair still escaped his disguise. He wore black armor under underneath his cloak and white pants, with tall leather boots. A silver bow was on his back, while a curved kukri hung from his belt. He stood with his arms at his sides, relaxed, looking down at the White Fang members at work with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
The wind blew, rustling their clothing. The woman sighed quietly.
"I still don't know how you talked me into this," she stated.
The man grunted.
"It is necessary. Besides, you still keep an eye on your daughter, despite your protests," he said.
"She's reckless," the woman huffed.
"Yes," the man said, "As well as caring. You did well to have no involvement in her life."
The woman shot a glare at him, which the man took stoically.
"I wouldn't be talking," she sneered, "You haven't been doing a good job keeping an eye on your brats."
The man snorted in nostalgic amusement.
"My daughter is just fine. My nephew? Well… He is his father's son. Impetuous, unpredictable-"
"Stupid," the woman countered. The man chuckled.
"At this age? It is unavoidable," he said. "But he survived. Became all the stronger for it."
"I suppose," the woman allowed, reluctantly.
The woman grunted, returning her glare back down to the growing rally.
After a moment, she spoke again.
"Working with White Fang and that woman is dangerous."
"Yes," he said. "But the rewards will be worth it."
He spotted a familiar boy in a green cloak approaching the back of the warehouse, with a few other members of his team. Up in front, he spotted the little sniper take up a high position, while the other Hunters-in-Training mingled with the other Faunus entering into the rally.
His eyes lingered on the young man. For a moment, he saw another young, foolish boy in his place. Smiling, laughing, and joking in rusty white and blue armor with a blue scarf waving from his neck and a sword on his back. A dark skinned boy with a bow, kukri, blue cloak, and a scowl stood alongside with his arms crossed over his chest. Another blond girl with glasses, dressed in green with endless pouches on her belt was yelling at them for something or other. A meek redhead in white and pink was trying to keep the peace between them, holding a staff between her hands.
It was all so painfully familiar.
"We do not change our ways easily, Arjun," the woman warned softly, "You have won your place with us… But your ambitions are great. Greater than we have ever attempted."
For a moment, Arjun looked to the east. He could almost see the white palace he had grown up in. Almost see the city, the kingdom he was forced to flee.
"Long ago," he said, "My ancestors were no different from yours. Bandits living in the shadows, surviving in the darkness, the cracks of the world."
"What changed?"
Arjun smiled behind his mask.
"Vision. We saw outside of ourselves. Saw what our people could be. What we could be." He shook his head. "Now, I see the same. For all peoples of this world. A vision of peace. Of prosperity."
He looked to the woman.
"A world without borders… And a world without Grimm," he finished. "Without her dictating our destiny. Only us."
"You, you mean," the woman returned sardonically.
The man nodded.
"Me… And you. Our people…" He went back to staring down at Jaune Arc and his friends, "A stronger, better world."
He looked at Raven.
"Why be a bandit queen… When you could be the queen of Remnant?"
She stared at him behind her mask. Slowly, she nodded.
"Queen of Remnant, hm? I like the sound of that," she said. "But I don't see a crown on my head yet."
"No," Arjun said, "Not yet."
Silence fell again. Loud music began to play from below. The woman sighed quietly.
"If we have to save them from this rabble, it will just be embarrassing."
"Or a learning opportunity," Arjun said. The woman snorted.
"Strength is what matters."
"There are many kinds," Arjun said quietly.
Nick… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, he thought, But I will be here for your son. Your family. I will build them the world you couldn't. I will make things right. It will be a better world.
A better world… For us all.
A preview of the next chapter!
TheFabulousCustodes
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Funny thing, "a better world" differs from person to person, and has caused a lot of wars/bloodshed.
Looking forward to Iridescent getting her time to shine.
Looking forward to Iridescent getting her time to shine.
Fifty-Nine
AndrewJTalon
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Jaune looked around the table at his friends, his teammates. He focused his eyes on Blake and nodded.
"Okay," he started, "Blake? What's our target?"
Blake inserted a holodrive into the table's projector. A translucent blue map appeared over the table, and everyone looked it over as it slowly rotated.
"This is where the White Fang are holding a recruitment rally, the old Ucuetis Iron Foundry. According to Schwartz, the White Fang have been here for a few weeks. Meaning that it's probably a main hub base. We-They keep the bases very mobile to avoid detection. To keep the organization running, though, they still need finances and records."
She sucked in a breath.
"The White Fang can't keep a large digital presence, too easy to get hacked. So they keep a lot of our transactions and assets in paper form. If we get our hands on that information and hand it over to the police? We can hurt them severely, at least in Vale. Maybe even find out who is bankrolling them and making them work with Roman Torchwick."
Jaune slowly nodded.
"According to my, uh, Uncle, the best financial frauds mix legitimate business expenses up with their false ones to obfuscate things. Having the other half of the financial records can help the police match things up."
Blake gave Jaune a long stare, before nodding. Weiss hummed.
"We could also find where they're keeping that much Dust. It isn't easy to store all of that safely in a city on high alert, so they must be keeping it within reach, but off-site."
Much staring. Weiss shrugged.
"What? Every little bit helps."
"Thank you Weiss," Jaune did with a small smile. She flushed and scowled.
"Anything to stop having to play vigilante sooner," she huffed.
"Aw come on, you have to be enjoying this," Yang said with a grin and a wink, "Who wants to be an ice girl when you can be a bad girl?"
"Ugh," Weiss groaned. Jaune managed a weak smile at Yang, which she returned. Ruby cleared her throat.
"Okay," Ruby said with a nod, "So we'll want two teams. One to sneak in and get the stuff, the other to get into the rally itself."
"Sun and I can slip in-" Blake began, and Sun smiled, but Jaune shook his head.
"No. You're way too well known among the White Fang," he said. "Some of them may know you by scent alone."
Blake scowled.
"Then how do you suggest we do this?"
Jaune looked over at Nora and Ren.
"Sun will go in," he said, "With Nora and Ren as backup, all under disguise with cologne and perfume to cover their scenes. Ruby and Pyrrha should provide overwatch."
"I-We won't be going in with you?" Pyrrha asked, looking shocked.
"You're sending in Nora?" Neptune asked, giving Nora a wary leer. Weiss also looked dubious. Pyrrha winced in silent apology. Nora just grinned brightly.
"I am a master of disguise!" Nora said brightly.
"I trust Ren and Nora to do well, and they'll back Sun up perfectly if you need to escape," Jaune stated.
"There's no one better than her at making a scene, with explosives," Ren stated calmly. Nora practically swooned.
"Oh Renny~!"
Sun stared at them for a moment, before turning to Jaune and grinning.
"Works for me!"
Neptune facepalmed. Weiss sighed. Blake gave Jaune a disbelieving look, but he kept smiling. Blake sighed.
"The White Fang isn't as familiar with us as they are with the rest of you," Ren added.
"They also aren't celebrities, and haven't fought Roman Torchwick before," Ruby said carefully with an apologetic look to Pyrrha. "Sun has, but he's also not well known to the White Fang."
"This way, we'll each have one of our strongest fighters in our three teams," Jaune stated, "Pyrrha, Ruby, Weiss and Neptune on overwatch and as backup; Sun, Nora, and Ren in the rally to keep an eye on things; Yang, Blake and myself will go into the backrooms."
"Yang isn't exactly stealthy though," Pyrrha pointed out. Yang snorted.
"Yeah, like you're the picture of subtlety, Miss Cereal Box."
"Blake has to go in because she'll know what to look for," Jaune said firmly, "I'll go in because I know how to pick locks and I know how to sneak around pretty well. Yang will get us out of there if we need a quick exit."
"I am good at that," Yang smirked at Pyrrha, even as the redhead stared intensely at Jaune. He didn't pay any attention to it. Sun interjected.
"So yeah, we'll make it work," The monkey faunus said cheerfully.
"What about the rest of your team?" Ruby asked. Sun winced, as did Neptune.
"Sage got injured in a training mission, and Scarlet is having dinner with his dad aboard his ship," Sun explained. He grinned. "Neptune and I are more than enough to help if things go wrong though!"
"So, what do we do when things go wrong?" Weiss asked, her tone dry but a worried look on her face. Ruby smiled.
"You and Neptune can form ice barriers around the exits," Ruby said, "To keep the White Fang from escaping, or chasing us!"
Jaune nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping over his friends.
"Any questions?" He asked.
Nora raised her hand. Jaune smiled wryly.
"Yes Nora, you can break their legs"
Nora lowered her arm, looking content as she patted Ren on the thigh. Ren didn't respond. Pyrrha bit her lower lip.
"Should we write up a statement ahead of time to inform the police what we're doing, so this time we aren't arrested?"
Jaune beamed at her.
"That's a great idea, Pyrrha!" He said, and Pyrrha blushed prettily.
There was a short pause, before Ruby spoke in a soft tone:
"... And Iridescent? What if she's there?"
Jaune looked sharply over at Ruby. She winced, but her silver eyes were still locked onto his blue. He could feel the tension in the room from everyone else-Save from Sun and Neptune, who both looked confused.
Jaune sucked in a deep breath in his nostrils. He forced his eyes to stay locked onto hers despite his doubt.
"... We get in, get the intel, and get out," he stated softly. "If things go wrong, getting out is your-"
He paused.
"Is… Our biggest priority," he finished.
He could feel Pyrrha, Blake, and Yang's looks on him.
Ren spoke up, firm but calm.
"We do the mission and focus on our goals. If Iridescent arrives and fights us, we respond. We are all capable of subduing someone like that, but I also see no reason to go out of our way to spare her life or to mourn if she perishes in a fight if we are caught, nor do I see a reason to even seek her out at this junction if no fighting occurs when we could just as easily have her arrested later with this information we gather. If that happens, her crimes will catch up with her, and she will likely be imprisoned for life at the least."
Jaune smiled at Ren. Ren nodded back, a small smile on his face. Ruby looked relieved, and smiled broadly. He could feel Yang, Weiss and Pyrrha relax, as Blake nodded to Sun with her own small smile. Sun nodded back, a peaceful and understanding look in his eyes.
Neptune blinked.
"Who's Iridescent?"
Jaune winced.
Damnit…
"Let's hope you don't have to find out," Yang stated firmly.
- - -
The industrial sector of Vale was commonly represented on a map as one big gray section. The truth was somewhat more complicated, owing to the Old, Middle, and New Sections of the city that expanded outward and inland away from the mouth of the Great Pishon River Delta. The Old Industrial sectors were scattered around the river's shores, some of them having had their own individual walls away from the main city walls to enable their safe operation away from human habitation. Most of their buildings had been converted into warehouses for the ever busy docks, small high tech industrial operations, or left to rust and rot as Atlasian automation and Vacuoan cheap labor allowed for most consumer goods to be made overseas.
Underground music movements and criminal enterprises both made use of these relics. The White Fang in particular had staked out an abandoned iron foundry for their recruiting rally this night. The building itself was a dismal heap of brick, red as blood and covered in broken windows and doors only illuminated by the bonfires and Dust-powered lights the faunus organization had brought in.
It bordered an overpass, filled with noisy nighttime traffic of cars, buses, and motorcycles. On the other side stood tall rows of newer apartment buildings and shops, built as part of an effort to revitalize Old Vale some decades ago. The results were somewhat mixed-More commerce was brought to the older sections of the town, but the property values remained low and fights over zoning continued, the endless petty power plays of municipal politics.
This was of no concern to the two figures standing on top of a rusting crane overlooking the warehouse. One was in a black body suit with red armor over her generous feminine curves and powerful muscles, a White Fang mask on her face and a katana at her side. Her hair was long, black, and curly. She sat in a crouch, glaring down at the assembly.
The other was a tall man in a dark blue cloak with hood. HIs dark skinned face was obscured by a black mask, but his keen red eyes and locks of his dark black hair still escaped his disguise. He wore black armor under underneath his cloak and white pants, with tall leather boots. A silver bow was on his back, while a curved kukri hung from his belt. He stood with his arms at his sides, relaxed, looking down at the White Fang members at work with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
The wind blew, rustling their clothing. The woman sighed quietly.
"I still don't know how you talked me into this," she stated.
The man grunted.
"It is necessary. Besides, you still keep an eye on your daughter, despite your protests," he said.
"She's reckless," the woman huffed.
"Yes," the man said, "As well as caring. You did well to have no involvement in her life."
The woman shot a glare at him, which the man took stoically.
"I wouldn't be talking," she sneered, "You haven't been doing a good job keeping an eye on your brats."
The man snorted in nostalgic amusement.
"My daughter is just fine. My nephew? Well… He is his father's son. Impetuous, unpredictable-"
"Stupid," the woman countered. The man chuckled.
"At this age? It is unavoidable," he said. "But he survived. Became all the stronger for it."
"I suppose," the woman allowed, reluctantly.
The woman grunted, returning her glare back down to the growing rally.
After a moment, she spoke again.
"Working with White Fang and that woman is dangerous."
"Yes," he said. "But the rewards will be worth it."
He spotted a familiar boy in a green cloak approaching the back of the warehouse, with a few other members of his team. Up in front, he spotted the little sniper take up a high position, while the other Hunters-in-Training mingled with the other Faunus entering into the rally.
His eyes lingered on the young man. For a moment, he saw another young, foolish boy in his place. Smiling, laughing, and joking in rusty white and blue armor with a blue scarf waving from his neck and a sword on his back. A dark skinned boy with a bow, kukri, blue cloak, and a scowl stood alongside with his arms crossed over his chest. Another blond girl with glasses, dressed in green with endless pouches on her belt was yelling at them for something or other. A meek but beautiful redhead in white and pink was trying to keep the peace between them, holding a staff between her hands. As she always did and tried.
It was all so painfully familiar.
"We do not change our ways easily, Arjun," the woman warned softly, "You have won your place with us… But your ambitions are great. Greater than we have ever attempted."
For a moment, Arjun looked to the northwest. To a place across the sea on the southern coast of Mistral. He could almost see the white palace he had grown up in. Almost see the city, the kingdom he was forced to flee.
"Long ago," he said, "My ancestors were no different from yours. Bandits living in the shadows, surviving in the darkness, the cracks of the world."
"What changed?"
Arjun smiled behind his mask.
"Vision. We saw outside of ourselves. Saw what our people could be. What we could be." He shook his head. "Now, I see the same. For all peoples of this world. A vision of peace. Of prosperity."
He looked to the woman.
"A world without borders… And a world without Grimm," he finished. "Without her dictating our destiny. Only us."
"You, you mean," the woman returned sardonically.
The man nodded.
"Me… And you. Our people…" He went back to staring down at Jaune Arc and his friends, "A stronger, better world."
He looked at Raven.
"Why be a bandit queen… When you could be the queen of Remnant?"
She stared at him behind her mask. Slowly, she nodded.
"Queen of Remnant, hm? I like the sound of that," she said. "But I don't see a crown on my head yet."
"No," Arjun said, "Not yet."
Silence fell again. Loud music began to play from below. The woman sighed quietly.
"If we have to save them from this rabble, it will just be embarrassing."
"Or a learning opportunity," Arjun said. The woman snorted.
"Strength is what matters."
"There are many kinds," Arjun said quietly.
Nick… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, he thought, But I will be here for your son. Your family. I will build them the world you couldn't. I will make things right. It will be a better world.
A better world… For us all.
- - -
"Okay," he started, "Blake? What's our target?"
Blake inserted a holodrive into the table's projector. A translucent blue map appeared over the table, and everyone looked it over as it slowly rotated.
"This is where the White Fang are holding a recruitment rally, the old Ucuetis Iron Foundry. According to Schwartz, the White Fang have been here for a few weeks. Meaning that it's probably a main hub base. We-They keep the bases very mobile to avoid detection. To keep the organization running, though, they still need finances and records."
She sucked in a breath.
"The White Fang can't keep a large digital presence, too easy to get hacked. So they keep a lot of our transactions and assets in paper form. If we get our hands on that information and hand it over to the police? We can hurt them severely, at least in Vale. Maybe even find out who is bankrolling them and making them work with Roman Torchwick."
Jaune slowly nodded.
"According to my, uh, Uncle, the best financial frauds mix legitimate business expenses up with their false ones to obfuscate things. Having the other half of the financial records can help the police match things up."
Blake gave Jaune a long stare, before nodding. Weiss hummed.
"We could also find where they're keeping that much Dust. It isn't easy to store all of that safely in a city on high alert, so they must be keeping it within reach, but off-site."
Much staring. Weiss shrugged.
"What? Every little bit helps."
"Thank you Weiss," Jaune did with a small smile. She flushed and scowled.
"Anything to stop having to play vigilante sooner," she huffed.
"Aw come on, you have to be enjoying this," Yang said with a grin and a wink, "Who wants to be an ice girl when you can be a bad girl?"
"Ugh," Weiss groaned. Jaune managed a weak smile at Yang, which she returned. Ruby cleared her throat.
"Okay," Ruby said with a nod, "So we'll want two teams. One to sneak in and get the stuff, the other to get into the rally itself."
"Sun and I can slip in-" Blake began, and Sun smiled, but Jaune shook his head.
"No. You're way too well known among the White Fang," he said. "Some of them may know you by scent alone."
Blake scowled.
"Then how do you suggest we do this?"
Jaune looked over at Nora and Ren.
"Sun will go in," he said, "With Nora and Ren as backup, all under disguise with cologne and perfume to cover their scenes. Ruby and Pyrrha should provide overwatch."
"I-We won't be going in with you?" Pyrrha asked, looking shocked.
"You're sending in Nora?" Neptune asked, giving Nora a wary leer. Weiss also looked dubious. Pyrrha winced in silent apology. Nora just grinned brightly.
"I am a master of disguise!" Nora said brightly.
"I trust Ren and Nora to do well, and they'll back Sun up perfectly if you need to escape," Jaune stated.
"There's no one better than her at making a scene, with explosives," Ren stated calmly. Nora practically swooned.
"Oh Renny~!"
Sun stared at them for a moment, before turning to Jaune and grinning.
"Works for me!"
Neptune facepalmed. Weiss sighed. Blake gave Jaune a disbelieving look, but he kept smiling. Blake sighed.
"The White Fang isn't as familiar with us as they are with the rest of you," Ren added.
"They also aren't celebrities, and haven't fought Roman Torchwick before," Ruby said carefully with an apologetic look to Pyrrha. "Sun has, but he's also not well known to the White Fang."
"This way, we'll each have one of our strongest fighters in our three teams," Jaune stated, "Pyrrha, Ruby, Weiss and Neptune on overwatch and as backup; Sun, Nora, and Ren in the rally to keep an eye on things; Yang, Blake and myself will go into the backrooms."
"Yang isn't exactly stealthy though," Pyrrha pointed out. Yang snorted.
"Yeah, like you're the picture of subtlety, Miss Cereal Box."
"Blake has to go in because she'll know what to look for," Jaune said firmly, "I'll go in because I know how to pick locks and I know how to sneak around pretty well. Yang will get us out of there if we need a quick exit."
"I am good at that," Yang smirked at Pyrrha, even as the redhead stared intensely at Jaune. He didn't pay any attention to it. Sun interjected.
"So yeah, we'll make it work," The monkey faunus said cheerfully.
"What about the rest of your team?" Ruby asked. Sun winced, as did Neptune.
"Sage got injured in a training mission, and Scarlet is having dinner with his dad aboard his ship," Sun explained. He grinned. "Neptune and I are more than enough to help if things go wrong though!"
"So, what do we do when things go wrong?" Weiss asked, her tone dry but a worried look on her face. Ruby smiled.
"You and Neptune can form ice barriers around the exits," Ruby said, "To keep the White Fang from escaping, or chasing us!"
Jaune nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping over his friends.
"Any questions?" He asked.
Nora raised her hand. Jaune smiled wryly.
"Yes Nora, you can break their legs"
Nora lowered her arm, looking content as she patted Ren on the thigh. Ren didn't respond. Pyrrha bit her lower lip.
"Should we write up a statement ahead of time to inform the police what we're doing, so this time we aren't arrested?"
Jaune beamed at her.
"That's a great idea, Pyrrha!" He said, and Pyrrha blushed prettily.
There was a short pause, before Ruby spoke in a soft tone:
"... And Iridescent? What if she's there?"
Jaune looked sharply over at Ruby. She winced, but her silver eyes were still locked onto his blue. He could feel the tension in the room from everyone else-Save from Sun and Neptune, who both looked confused.
Jaune sucked in a deep breath in his nostrils. He forced his eyes to stay locked onto hers despite his doubt.
"... We get in, get the intel, and get out," he stated softly. "If things go wrong, getting out is your-"
He paused.
"Is… Our biggest priority," he finished.
He could feel Pyrrha, Blake, and Yang's looks on him.
Ren spoke up, firm but calm.
"We do the mission and focus on our goals. If Iridescent arrives and fights us, we respond. We are all capable of subduing someone like that, but I also see no reason to go out of our way to spare her life or to mourn if she perishes in a fight if we are caught, nor do I see a reason to even seek her out at this junction if no fighting occurs when we could just as easily have her arrested later with this information we gather. If that happens, her crimes will catch up with her, and she will likely be imprisoned for life at the least."
Jaune smiled at Ren. Ren nodded back, a small smile on his face. Ruby looked relieved, and smiled broadly. He could feel Yang, Weiss and Pyrrha relax, as Blake nodded to Sun with her own small smile. Sun nodded back, a peaceful and understanding look in his eyes.
Neptune blinked.
"Who's Iridescent?"
Jaune winced.
Damnit…
"Let's hope you don't have to find out," Yang stated firmly.
- - -
The industrial sector of Vale was commonly represented on a map as one big gray section. The truth was somewhat more complicated, owing to the Old, Middle, and New Sections of the city that expanded outward and inland away from the mouth of the Great Pishon River Delta. The Old Industrial sectors were scattered around the river's shores, some of them having had their own individual walls away from the main city walls to enable their safe operation away from human habitation. Most of their buildings had been converted into warehouses for the ever busy docks, small high tech industrial operations, or left to rust and rot as Atlasian automation and Vacuoan cheap labor allowed for most consumer goods to be made overseas.
Underground music movements and criminal enterprises both made use of these relics. The White Fang in particular had staked out an abandoned iron foundry for their recruiting rally this night. The building itself was a dismal heap of brick, red as blood and covered in broken windows and doors only illuminated by the bonfires and Dust-powered lights the faunus organization had brought in.
It bordered an overpass, filled with noisy nighttime traffic of cars, buses, and motorcycles. On the other side stood tall rows of newer apartment buildings and shops, built as part of an effort to revitalize Old Vale some decades ago. The results were somewhat mixed-More commerce was brought to the older sections of the town, but the property values remained low and fights over zoning continued, the endless petty power plays of municipal politics.
This was of no concern to the two figures standing on top of a rusting crane overlooking the warehouse. One was in a black body suit with red armor over her generous feminine curves and powerful muscles, a White Fang mask on her face and a katana at her side. Her hair was long, black, and curly. She sat in a crouch, glaring down at the assembly.
The other was a tall man in a dark blue cloak with hood. HIs dark skinned face was obscured by a black mask, but his keen red eyes and locks of his dark black hair still escaped his disguise. He wore black armor under underneath his cloak and white pants, with tall leather boots. A silver bow was on his back, while a curved kukri hung from his belt. He stood with his arms at his sides, relaxed, looking down at the White Fang members at work with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
The wind blew, rustling their clothing. The woman sighed quietly.
"I still don't know how you talked me into this," she stated.
The man grunted.
"It is necessary. Besides, you still keep an eye on your daughter, despite your protests," he said.
"She's reckless," the woman huffed.
"Yes," the man said, "As well as caring. You did well to have no involvement in her life."
The woman shot a glare at him, which the man took stoically.
"I wouldn't be talking," she sneered, "You haven't been doing a good job keeping an eye on your brats."
The man snorted in nostalgic amusement.
"My daughter is just fine. My nephew? Well… He is his father's son. Impetuous, unpredictable-"
"Stupid," the woman countered. The man chuckled.
"At this age? It is unavoidable," he said. "But he survived. Became all the stronger for it."
"I suppose," the woman allowed, reluctantly.
The woman grunted, returning her glare back down to the growing rally.
After a moment, she spoke again.
"Working with White Fang and that woman is dangerous."
"Yes," he said. "But the rewards will be worth it."
He spotted a familiar boy in a green cloak approaching the back of the warehouse, with a few other members of his team. Up in front, he spotted the little sniper take up a high position, while the other Hunters-in-Training mingled with the other Faunus entering into the rally.
His eyes lingered on the young man. For a moment, he saw another young, foolish boy in his place. Smiling, laughing, and joking in rusty white and blue armor with a blue scarf waving from his neck and a sword on his back. A dark skinned boy with a bow, kukri, blue cloak, and a scowl stood alongside with his arms crossed over his chest. Another blond girl with glasses, dressed in green with endless pouches on her belt was yelling at them for something or other. A meek but beautiful redhead in white and pink was trying to keep the peace between them, holding a staff between her hands. As she always did and tried.
It was all so painfully familiar.
"We do not change our ways easily, Arjun," the woman warned softly, "You have won your place with us… But your ambitions are great. Greater than we have ever attempted."
For a moment, Arjun looked to the northwest. To a place across the sea on the southern coast of Mistral. He could almost see the white palace he had grown up in. Almost see the city, the kingdom he was forced to flee.
"Long ago," he said, "My ancestors were no different from yours. Bandits living in the shadows, surviving in the darkness, the cracks of the world."
"What changed?"
Arjun smiled behind his mask.
"Vision. We saw outside of ourselves. Saw what our people could be. What we could be." He shook his head. "Now, I see the same. For all peoples of this world. A vision of peace. Of prosperity."
He looked to the woman.
"A world without borders… And a world without Grimm," he finished. "Without her dictating our destiny. Only us."
"You, you mean," the woman returned sardonically.
The man nodded.
"Me… And you. Our people…" He went back to staring down at Jaune Arc and his friends, "A stronger, better world."
He looked at Raven.
"Why be a bandit queen… When you could be the queen of Remnant?"
She stared at him behind her mask. Slowly, she nodded.
"Queen of Remnant, hm? I like the sound of that," she said. "But I don't see a crown on my head yet."
"No," Arjun said, "Not yet."
Silence fell again. Loud music began to play from below. The woman sighed quietly.
"If we have to save them from this rabble, it will just be embarrassing."
"Or a learning opportunity," Arjun said. The woman snorted.
"Strength is what matters."
"There are many kinds," Arjun said quietly.
Nick… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, he thought, But I will be here for your son. Your family. I will build them the world you couldn't. I will make things right. It will be a better world.
A better world… For us all.
- - -
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AndrewJTalon
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The White Fang rally, at first glance, looked more like an underground rave than a terrorist recruitment event. Which, Jaune imagined, was the point. Holding it in an abandoned factory that was often used for such events made it less likely for the cops to show up. Unless they got too loud.
Nora, Ren, and Sun made their way towards the front entrance, mingling with the other Faunus all entering. Sun still looked a little unhappy with the hair and fur dye applied to him. That said, his dour expression definitely helped sell his disguise.
Ruby and Pyrrha were above them, hidden in the cluttered pipes, AC Units, and various other structures all over the rooftops of the old industrial buildings. So far, nobody seemed to have noticed, even with Faunus senses. Blake had assured them that the colognes and perfumes she had used would disguise their human scents, but the real test was coming up in a matter of seconds.
Nora bounced up to the white masked bouncers, beaming with her hair bright blonde and horns glued to the sides of her head. Thanks to her open commlink (Her Scroll, but she preferred to call it a 'commlink'), they could hear everything that went on.
"Heyah buddy! This the White Fang rally?" She asked happily.
The bouncer stared at her like she was stupid.
"Of course it is! What kind of a Faunus are you?" He demanded.
Nora smirked, and proudly pushed her breasts up with her arms.
"I'm a cow faunus!" She announced.
The bouncer flushed, and stared downward. Long enough it was easy to see Ren's muscles tense, even from this distance.
Nora then yanked Ren next to her, grinning happily.
"And he, of course, is the most magnificent example of a sloth faunus!" Nora cheered, before nuzzling Ren's shoulder. "Aren't you, snookie wookums?"
The only thing Ren had done to disguise himself was the addition of black rings around his eyes and a black jacket over his normal clothing, along with cologne to disguise his scent. Nevertheless, he seemed slightly more relaxed at Nora's touch, though Jaune could definitely see how the bouncer cringed a bit. Ren's stare could be very intimidating.
"Hello," Ren said, and paused. The bouncer leaned forward.
"You-"
"I am…" Ren paused again. The bouncer grimaced.
"You-!"
"Happy to…"
The bouncer cringed.
"Okay fine, you can-!"
"Be here…" Ren stated.
The bouncer stared at Ren. Ren clearly just stared back.
"You can go in-!"
"To support… The White Fang," Ren finished.
"Just get in there!" The bouncer groaned. "You too, monkey boy!"
"Thanks," Sun grumbled, as Nora squealed and led them into the rally proper.
Jaune smirked a bit over at Blake. The hidden cat Faunus was wearing a dark blue cloak over her ears. Yang was next to her, wearing a dark green hoodie with sunglasses.
"I have no idea how she did that," Blake muttered.
"That's why we're the team leaders," Ruby commented over the Scroll. "Also! There are three guards at the rear entrance."
"Be careful, Jaune," Pyrrha murmured.
"We will," Yang stated over her Scroll firmly. Jaune nodded, and they headed off, practically feeling Pyrrha's tension over the communications link. Blake vanished into the shadows ahead, leaving Yang and Jaune to head down the street away from the loud noises at the front of the building.
They made their way towards the wall of the old iron foundry facing the river. They spotted three White Fang guards, all armed with Dust guns. They turned towards them as they approached, and lifted their guns.
"Hey buddy, you and your girlfriend can just head off-"
Blake dropped behind them and knocked them all out with one swing of her fist. Yang huffed.
"Well, now we're not going to have any fun," she protested.
"The less fun we have, the better," Jaune decided. He got to the electronic lock and bent over, studying it intently.
"So?" Yang prompted.
"A SchneeTech 303 lock," he said, "I've seen them a few times."
Yang hummed.
"So uh, you have a nerd way to get us in?" She asked.
"I can probably figure out the code-" Blake submitted, but Jaune swung his fist and shattered the lock. Blake rolled her eyes.
"Or you can do that," Blake sighed.
"What? This cheap piece of crap can never connect to the wifi properly," Jaune said, pulling the door open. "They'll never see us coming."
"HEY! You can't just-!"
Jaune punched the White Fang operative who spoke, sending him crashing into the brick wall facing the open door. He slumped, out cold.
"I mean, how super advanced could they make their security if it's a place they have to dump at a moment's notice?" Jaune asked with a shrug.
"He has a point, how secure could it be?" Yang asked.
Blake sighed as they walked into the hallway. It was dark and dingy, with only dim emergency lighting to provide illumination. Blake sniffed the air, and headed towards the left. Jaune and Yang followed.
"So, just out of curiosity, how much breaking and entering have you done?" Yang muttered to Jaune. Jaune shrugged.
"I dunno… Does it count if they kidnapped you first?"
"I don't think so," Yang hummed, "Though honestly, Blake probably has a bigger rap sheet than the two of us combined."
"Could you two please shut up?" Blake muttered. They turned a right corner, and then a left. They came to a door with another electronic lock. Blake sighed and punched it, smashing it to pieces, before she flung the door open. Jaune had his shield up, and tanked the shots that came through. Blake and Yang charged around him through the fire, easily downing the six White Fang operatives in the room. Jaune entered after, looking around at the filing cabinets and tables covered in paperwork the now groaning, unconscious guards had been managing.
Blake immediately began sorting through the nearest pile of folders, scanning the pages rapidly as she swapped through the stacks. Yang began going through the file cabinets and safes, breaking one open with her superhuman strength easily. She yanked out a stack of lien with a whoop.
"Woohoo!" She cried, "Jackpot!"
"Put it back, Yang," Jaune said.
"It's wrong to steal, even from thieves," Blake added, sorting through the pages rapidly and not looking up.
"Jauuune," Yang whined. Jaune sighed.
"It is wrong," he said, "Even I only took what I needed."
"And if I needed a hot new dress for a date with you~?" Yang simpered, batting her eyes at Jaune. The blond knight stared at her with a deadpan expression. She sighed, and shoved the money back into the cabinet.
"Fine, but I hope we get a reward," she muttered.
"It would be nice," Jaune agreed. He turned to a stack of paperwork himself, and opened it up. He began scanning through the papers, but he was mainly keeping an eye on the door. He felt like he really had to look like he was doing something…
A line in reality opened up right next to him, burning red. It opened up like an eye. Jaune's eyes widened in shock as a strong, black arm came out, grabbed him, and yanked him through.
"UWAH-?!"
"JAUNE!" Screamed Yang and Blake, just as the portal shut.
- - -
"What the hell was that?!" Yang shouted. She had seen a dark figure in the-portal?! Curvy, female, but that was all she could see! She had her fists up as she scanned around the room.
Blake was equally flabbergasted. She shook her head, papers dropped in a pile in front of her.
"H-How…?
"Are there any White Fang members you know of who can do that?!" Yang demanded almost frantically. "Any with teleportation powers?!"
"No, but-!"
Blake ducked underneath a whip that was crackling with lightning. A whip that had appeared out of nowhere. Yang got her fists up as she felt Aura, and just barely deflected a sword strike with Ember Celica. The force of it drove her back. Blake stood up next to her, Gambol Shroud drawn and ready to confront the two figures standing at the door.
Facing them was a slim redheaded girl with freckled skin in White Fang gear wielding a whip. Her mouth was set in a grim line, and even through the white mask, Yang could tell she was glaring at Blake hatefully.
The other was a tall, dark-skinned man, broad shouldered and with a lantern jaw and tall fox-like ears. He glared out at them from underneath a red hood, over a white and black combat outfit. He held up a bronze-colored dagger, with red glowing striping running along the length of the conical blade.
Blake stared in horror at the girl. Obviously, they had some history, which Yang was sure was going to make this nasty.
"Ilia?!" Blake gasped.
"Surprised to see me, traitor?" The girl demanded, her skin and clothing shifting to resemble the background. "You won't see me again until I murder you. For breaking my heart."
Yang looked over at her opponent. The fox snorted.
"It is a shame," the fox Faunus stated, "That I don't get to kill the one who slew Thanh."
"It was a team effort," Yang growled.
"Then I get to prove my strength regardless," the fox Faunus stated, before he and Ilia lunged!
- - -
That said, I am posting smaller but faster bits.
The fox faunus is one of these guys: Fennec Albain
Nora, Ren, and Sun made their way towards the front entrance, mingling with the other Faunus all entering. Sun still looked a little unhappy with the hair and fur dye applied to him. That said, his dour expression definitely helped sell his disguise.
Ruby and Pyrrha were above them, hidden in the cluttered pipes, AC Units, and various other structures all over the rooftops of the old industrial buildings. So far, nobody seemed to have noticed, even with Faunus senses. Blake had assured them that the colognes and perfumes she had used would disguise their human scents, but the real test was coming up in a matter of seconds.
Nora bounced up to the white masked bouncers, beaming with her hair bright blonde and horns glued to the sides of her head. Thanks to her open commlink (Her Scroll, but she preferred to call it a 'commlink'), they could hear everything that went on.
"Heyah buddy! This the White Fang rally?" She asked happily.
The bouncer stared at her like she was stupid.
"Of course it is! What kind of a Faunus are you?" He demanded.
Nora smirked, and proudly pushed her breasts up with her arms.
"I'm a cow faunus!" She announced.
The bouncer flushed, and stared downward. Long enough it was easy to see Ren's muscles tense, even from this distance.
Nora then yanked Ren next to her, grinning happily.
"And he, of course, is the most magnificent example of a sloth faunus!" Nora cheered, before nuzzling Ren's shoulder. "Aren't you, snookie wookums?"
The only thing Ren had done to disguise himself was the addition of black rings around his eyes and a black jacket over his normal clothing, along with cologne to disguise his scent. Nevertheless, he seemed slightly more relaxed at Nora's touch, though Jaune could definitely see how the bouncer cringed a bit. Ren's stare could be very intimidating.
"Hello," Ren said, and paused. The bouncer leaned forward.
"You-"
"I am…" Ren paused again. The bouncer grimaced.
"You-!"
"Happy to…"
The bouncer cringed.
"Okay fine, you can-!"
"Be here…" Ren stated.
The bouncer stared at Ren. Ren clearly just stared back.
"You can go in-!"
"To support… The White Fang," Ren finished.
"Just get in there!" The bouncer groaned. "You too, monkey boy!"
"Thanks," Sun grumbled, as Nora squealed and led them into the rally proper.
Jaune smirked a bit over at Blake. The hidden cat Faunus was wearing a dark blue cloak over her ears. Yang was next to her, wearing a dark green hoodie with sunglasses.
"I have no idea how she did that," Blake muttered.
"That's why we're the team leaders," Ruby commented over the Scroll. "Also! There are three guards at the rear entrance."
"Be careful, Jaune," Pyrrha murmured.
"We will," Yang stated over her Scroll firmly. Jaune nodded, and they headed off, practically feeling Pyrrha's tension over the communications link. Blake vanished into the shadows ahead, leaving Yang and Jaune to head down the street away from the loud noises at the front of the building.
They made their way towards the wall of the old iron foundry facing the river. They spotted three White Fang guards, all armed with Dust guns. They turned towards them as they approached, and lifted their guns.
"Hey buddy, you and your girlfriend can just head off-"
Blake dropped behind them and knocked them all out with one swing of her fist. Yang huffed.
"Well, now we're not going to have any fun," she protested.
"The less fun we have, the better," Jaune decided. He got to the electronic lock and bent over, studying it intently.
"So?" Yang prompted.
"A SchneeTech 303 lock," he said, "I've seen them a few times."
Yang hummed.
"So uh, you have a nerd way to get us in?" She asked.
"I can probably figure out the code-" Blake submitted, but Jaune swung his fist and shattered the lock. Blake rolled her eyes.
"Or you can do that," Blake sighed.
"What? This cheap piece of crap can never connect to the wifi properly," Jaune said, pulling the door open. "They'll never see us coming."
"HEY! You can't just-!"
Jaune punched the White Fang operative who spoke, sending him crashing into the brick wall facing the open door. He slumped, out cold.
"I mean, how super advanced could they make their security if it's a place they have to dump at a moment's notice?" Jaune asked with a shrug.
"He has a point, how secure could it be?" Yang asked.
Blake sighed as they walked into the hallway. It was dark and dingy, with only dim emergency lighting to provide illumination. Blake sniffed the air, and headed towards the left. Jaune and Yang followed.
"So, just out of curiosity, how much breaking and entering have you done?" Yang muttered to Jaune. Jaune shrugged.
"I dunno… Does it count if they kidnapped you first?"
"I don't think so," Yang hummed, "Though honestly, Blake probably has a bigger rap sheet than the two of us combined."
"Could you two please shut up?" Blake muttered. They turned a right corner, and then a left. They came to a door with another electronic lock. Blake sighed and punched it, smashing it to pieces, before she flung the door open. Jaune had his shield up, and tanked the shots that came through. Blake and Yang charged around him through the fire, easily downing the six White Fang operatives in the room. Jaune entered after, looking around at the filing cabinets and tables covered in paperwork the now groaning, unconscious guards had been managing.
Blake immediately began sorting through the nearest pile of folders, scanning the pages rapidly as she swapped through the stacks. Yang began going through the file cabinets and safes, breaking one open with her superhuman strength easily. She yanked out a stack of lien with a whoop.
"Woohoo!" She cried, "Jackpot!"
"Put it back, Yang," Jaune said.
"It's wrong to steal, even from thieves," Blake added, sorting through the pages rapidly and not looking up.
"Jauuune," Yang whined. Jaune sighed.
"It is wrong," he said, "Even I only took what I needed."
"And if I needed a hot new dress for a date with you~?" Yang simpered, batting her eyes at Jaune. The blond knight stared at her with a deadpan expression. She sighed, and shoved the money back into the cabinet.
"Fine, but I hope we get a reward," she muttered.
"It would be nice," Jaune agreed. He turned to a stack of paperwork himself, and opened it up. He began scanning through the papers, but he was mainly keeping an eye on the door. He felt like he really had to look like he was doing something…
A line in reality opened up right next to him, burning red. It opened up like an eye. Jaune's eyes widened in shock as a strong, black arm came out, grabbed him, and yanked him through.
"UWAH-?!"
"JAUNE!" Screamed Yang and Blake, just as the portal shut.
- - -
"What the hell was that?!" Yang shouted. She had seen a dark figure in the-portal?! Curvy, female, but that was all she could see! She had her fists up as she scanned around the room.
Blake was equally flabbergasted. She shook her head, papers dropped in a pile in front of her.
"H-How…?
"Are there any White Fang members you know of who can do that?!" Yang demanded almost frantically. "Any with teleportation powers?!"
"No, but-!"
Blake ducked underneath a whip that was crackling with lightning. A whip that had appeared out of nowhere. Yang got her fists up as she felt Aura, and just barely deflected a sword strike with Ember Celica. The force of it drove her back. Blake stood up next to her, Gambol Shroud drawn and ready to confront the two figures standing at the door.
Facing them was a slim redheaded girl with freckled skin in White Fang gear wielding a whip. Her mouth was set in a grim line, and even through the white mask, Yang could tell she was glaring at Blake hatefully.
The other was a tall, dark-skinned man, broad shouldered and with a lantern jaw and tall fox-like ears. He glared out at them from underneath a red hood, over a white and black combat outfit. He held up a bronze-colored dagger, with red glowing striping running along the length of the conical blade.
Blake stared in horror at the girl. Obviously, they had some history, which Yang was sure was going to make this nasty.
"Ilia?!" Blake gasped.
"Surprised to see me, traitor?" The girl demanded, her skin and clothing shifting to resemble the background. "You won't see me again until I murder you. For breaking my heart."
Yang looked over at her opponent. The fox snorted.
"It is a shame," the fox Faunus stated, "That I don't get to kill the one who slew Thanh."
"It was a team effort," Yang growled.
"Then I get to prove my strength regardless," the fox Faunus stated, before he and Ilia lunged!
- - -
That said, I am posting smaller but faster bits.
The fox faunus is one of these guys: Fennec Albain
Last edited:
IvanR1314
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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maybe Raven is trying to test out if Jaune is "worthy" in her eyes. Bitch please, your cowardly ass would run from Jaune when he gets deadly serious.
alternatively, she sent Jaune to Iridesent.
RandomDragon
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being the worst mom otherwise?
also looks like a worst uncle is also messing around...honestly...
no wonder remnant is about to go to shit with people like these running around ruining any chance of trying to make things better.
ugh that's even *worse* for her to do, i very much dont like Iridesent, shes the try thats not going to give up to ruin Juane, and frankly theres very few ways to non-lethal deal with such a person, especially if they have super-powers/aura.
Sixty-One
AndrewJTalon
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- - -
It wasn't like Ren was against this idea exactly. He and Nora had a slightly more flexible take on morality than most of their classmates.
Living on the road from childhood as orphans tended to make that happen. So going out and delivering vigilante justice was not a major issue. Detention was preferable to the punishment for failure they had experienced in the wilds.
They didn't rob people or hurt people who didn't hurt them first, of course. They did plenty of perfectly legal jobs to make ends meet: Hunting, fishing, killing Grimm, farmwork. But when people tried to kill them, they fought back.
He remembered what his father had told him, the day after he had seen him kill some bandits outside their village. He had been so young, and so frightened. His mother had tried to hold him back, but he had watched through the open gate as his father had skillfully and elegantly killed those who had threatened their village.
Afterwards, he had sat with his father in their kitchen. His mother had been cleaning his father's weapons. His father had pulled him into a hug, and looked down into his eyes with a gentle but firm expression. He had said:
"The decisions you make and the actions that follow are a reflection of who you truly are. They chose to try and kill the innocent just for their own selfish desire. I chose to kill them to protect the innocent. Remember that difference, my son. Always remember."
Ren had remembered. He had fought harder, trained harder, all for the sake of living up to his father's ideals, and protecting Nora. She was his everything.
It wasn't until Beacon that they met someone who… Who understood. It was difficult to put into words, but when they met Jaune and saw his eyes? Nora immediately felt comfortable around him. He knew her tells inside and out. That made him relax around Jaune.
Jaune had given them direction. He had accepted them completely. Pyrrha had followed. Despite her upbringing, she was a misfit too.
It was not a feeling Ren had had for a long time. The feeling of family. Of belonging.
So while Ren was somewhat concerned about Jaune's quest for vengeance and Blake's desire to stop White Fang, he understood it. He agreed with it. He and Nora would follow Jaune to hell and back if required.
That said… He had the feeling that Jaune's plan for him, Nora and Sun wasn't entirely motivated by tactical considerations. Especially as she took the chance to grind on him as they joined multiple other teenagers on the dance floor.
"Woohoo! Yeah! This song rocks!" Nora cheered. She held his shoulders tightly, and bumped herself against him to the beat. Ren, feeling aroused yet wary, kept his senses tuned to their surroundings. Most of the Faunus dancing in the middle of what had once been a production floor were caught up in the rhythm and power of the flashing lights.
There were plenty of White Fang members around who walked with purpose and restrained violence. Weapons were hidden under their clothing and their eyes were sweeping the area carefully, looking for any signs of danger.
Sun was dancing by himself, his disappointment over his dyed hair and fur vanishing as he got to strut his stuff.
Ren felt Nora bump back against him insistently. He responded in kind, keeping his hands on her shoulders.
"You could be more aggressive," Nora said quietly, "It would help keep eyes off us."
Ren stared into her eyes. Her wonderful blue eyes, so wide and bright…
"I'm a sloth. I'm supposed to be slow," Ren murmured back. Nora held him tightly, standing on tiptoes to whisper into his ear. He felt her body against his.
He'd felt it plenty of times before, but in this situation, with the heat of the room and the gleam in her eyes…
"I know how slow you are," she hissed. Ren sucked in a breath, and focused on Semblance to keep himself calm.
Nora made that much harder, as she placed one thigh up over his hip, and ground more insistently against him.
"I… I'm sorry," he whispered.
"You were going to tell me something," Nora murmured into his ear, "At Forever Fall. Before you thought we were gonna die."
Ren gulped.
"I… Yes," he mumbled.
"If we're pretending to be other people," Nora continued, "Couldn't you… Couldn't you pretend to tell me?"
"I…" Ren grimaced. "It's not easy… To say…"
"Even if it's a lie," Nora whispered, "Please."
There was pain in her eyes. It made Ren feel low, despite his Semblance. No matter how skilled he became with his Semblance, there were things he just couldn't manage.
Not when it came to her.
"It wouldn't be a lie," he whispered back.
He sucked in a breath as her gaze seemed to go right into his soul.
She reached up to cup his cheek.
She was always his weakness, and his strength. His reason for being.
Yet… If they crossed this line… What if… What if they ruined what they had? He'd seen many romantic couples fall apart because passion made everything more complicated.
He felt himself hesitating at that.
"But if… What if…" He tried to get it out, even as he found himself drowning in her beautiful eyes…
When Sun bumped into him from behind. His face and Nora's came together. Their lips met.
"Whoops! Sorry bro," Sun said quickly.
The music, Sun, the crowd… It all faded away. There was nothing but Nora's scent, heat, and her mouth.
They broke apart, staring at each other while panting for breath.
"You guys are super good at this disguise thing, by the way," Sun added, with a smug grin. Nora stared up at him, for once speechless.
Ohhh boy, Ren thought, Ohhh boy, oh boy, what do I do oh shit oh shit OH SHIT-!
She giggled. She smiled up at him, almost shyly.
There was only thought in his head at this.
Fuck that's cute.
- - -
Like I said, smaller updates but faster paced!
It wasn't like Ren was against this idea exactly. He and Nora had a slightly more flexible take on morality than most of their classmates.
Living on the road from childhood as orphans tended to make that happen. So going out and delivering vigilante justice was not a major issue. Detention was preferable to the punishment for failure they had experienced in the wilds.
They didn't rob people or hurt people who didn't hurt them first, of course. They did plenty of perfectly legal jobs to make ends meet: Hunting, fishing, killing Grimm, farmwork. But when people tried to kill them, they fought back.
He remembered what his father had told him, the day after he had seen him kill some bandits outside their village. He had been so young, and so frightened. His mother had tried to hold him back, but he had watched through the open gate as his father had skillfully and elegantly killed those who had threatened their village.
Afterwards, he had sat with his father in their kitchen. His mother had been cleaning his father's weapons. His father had pulled him into a hug, and looked down into his eyes with a gentle but firm expression. He had said:
"The decisions you make and the actions that follow are a reflection of who you truly are. They chose to try and kill the innocent just for their own selfish desire. I chose to kill them to protect the innocent. Remember that difference, my son. Always remember."
Ren had remembered. He had fought harder, trained harder, all for the sake of living up to his father's ideals, and protecting Nora. She was his everything.
It wasn't until Beacon that they met someone who… Who understood. It was difficult to put into words, but when they met Jaune and saw his eyes? Nora immediately felt comfortable around him. He knew her tells inside and out. That made him relax around Jaune.
Jaune had given them direction. He had accepted them completely. Pyrrha had followed. Despite her upbringing, she was a misfit too.
It was not a feeling Ren had had for a long time. The feeling of family. Of belonging.
So while Ren was somewhat concerned about Jaune's quest for vengeance and Blake's desire to stop White Fang, he understood it. He agreed with it. He and Nora would follow Jaune to hell and back if required.
That said… He had the feeling that Jaune's plan for him, Nora and Sun wasn't entirely motivated by tactical considerations. Especially as she took the chance to grind on him as they joined multiple other teenagers on the dance floor.
"Woohoo! Yeah! This song rocks!" Nora cheered. She held his shoulders tightly, and bumped herself against him to the beat. Ren, feeling aroused yet wary, kept his senses tuned to their surroundings. Most of the Faunus dancing in the middle of what had once been a production floor were caught up in the rhythm and power of the flashing lights.
There were plenty of White Fang members around who walked with purpose and restrained violence. Weapons were hidden under their clothing and their eyes were sweeping the area carefully, looking for any signs of danger.
Sun was dancing by himself, his disappointment over his dyed hair and fur vanishing as he got to strut his stuff.
Ren felt Nora bump back against him insistently. He responded in kind, keeping his hands on her shoulders.
"You could be more aggressive," Nora said quietly, "It would help keep eyes off us."
Ren stared into her eyes. Her wonderful blue eyes, so wide and bright…
"I'm a sloth. I'm supposed to be slow," Ren murmured back. Nora held him tightly, standing on tiptoes to whisper into his ear. He felt her body against his.
He'd felt it plenty of times before, but in this situation, with the heat of the room and the gleam in her eyes…
"I know how slow you are," she hissed. Ren sucked in a breath, and focused on Semblance to keep himself calm.
Nora made that much harder, as she placed one thigh up over his hip, and ground more insistently against him.
"I… I'm sorry," he whispered.
"You were going to tell me something," Nora murmured into his ear, "At Forever Fall. Before you thought we were gonna die."
Ren gulped.
"I… Yes," he mumbled.
"If we're pretending to be other people," Nora continued, "Couldn't you… Couldn't you pretend to tell me?"
"I…" Ren grimaced. "It's not easy… To say…"
"Even if it's a lie," Nora whispered, "Please."
There was pain in her eyes. It made Ren feel low, despite his Semblance. No matter how skilled he became with his Semblance, there were things he just couldn't manage.
Not when it came to her.
"It wouldn't be a lie," he whispered back.
He sucked in a breath as her gaze seemed to go right into his soul.
She reached up to cup his cheek.
She was always his weakness, and his strength. His reason for being.
Yet… If they crossed this line… What if… What if they ruined what they had? He'd seen many romantic couples fall apart because passion made everything more complicated.
He felt himself hesitating at that.
"But if… What if…" He tried to get it out, even as he found himself drowning in her beautiful eyes…
When Sun bumped into him from behind. His face and Nora's came together. Their lips met.
"Whoops! Sorry bro," Sun said quickly.
The music, Sun, the crowd… It all faded away. There was nothing but Nora's scent, heat, and her mouth.
They broke apart, staring at each other while panting for breath.
"You guys are super good at this disguise thing, by the way," Sun added, with a smug grin. Nora stared up at him, for once speechless.
Ohhh boy, Ren thought, Ohhh boy, oh boy, what do I do oh shit oh shit OH SHIT-!
She giggled. She smiled up at him, almost shyly.
There was only thought in his head at this.
Fuck that's cute.
- - -
Like I said, smaller updates but faster paced!
TheFabulousCustodes
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Sun Wukong, best wingman since Speedwagon.
Sixty-Two
AndrewJTalon
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- Apr 24, 2015
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Ruby was a little conflicted. It would be nice if it was raining right now. It would fit her mood. Being in the dark, dramatic night as rain poured down while she scoped out evildoers. Ready to swoop in and strike them down for justice!
Just like in her comics.
At the same time, her mood was conflicted enough that being wet and cold would probably just make her feel worse. Maybe the last thing she needed was more drama.
She watched the White Fang rally from the rooftop of another abandoned factory, amidst a bunch of old pipes and chimneys. The sounds of distant traffic and sirens came from across the elevated highway, as well as the horns of boats in the river and harbor nearby.
It was so boring.
"Ugh," Ruby muttered, "I wish I was in there. I could have been a-a puppy Faunus or something…"
Pyrrha smiled blithely over at her from her own holding position. Milo was in rifle mode, and she peered through the scope periodically.
"We're better used out here," Pyrrha said, "As I recall, you agreed with Jaune."
"I, yeah," Ruby sighed, checking through her own scope. So far, nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
Everything was going well… Which is why Ruby was worried. Incredibly worried. Yet not over the operation. Right?
"It'll be alright," Pyrrha spoke softly. She looked over at Pyrrha in shock. Pyrrha blushed.
"I mean, um… If you're worried? You look worried."
"I am," Ruby admitted, "Things are going way too well, and when I wasn't worried, I…" She sighed. "Nevermind. It's stupid."
"I… I can listen if you want," Pyrrha offered.
"We're on a mission," Ruby insisted.
Pyrrha kept an eye on the rally through her rifle scope.
"I can still listen," Pyrrha said quietly.
Ruby bit her lower lip nervously, and stared out at the factory as well. She wasn't sure how to talk about this. What happened in the Forever Fall? Her father had told her to keep it quiet.
Well, guess it was a good thing she was worried about another thing on top of the Silver Eyes drama.
"... I just… Um, listen. I'm really sorry for the food fight," Ruby said quietly. "I was… I wanted to get some frustrations out. Yang had a great date with Jaune, and you're going to have a great date, and… And I'll probably just mess it up."
"It's okay Ruby," Pyrrha said kindly, "You know Jaune's not that shallow. And, well… It's not like I know how to go on a date any better than you. Or Yang…"
"Yeah but you're…" Ruby sighed. "It's stupid. We're on a mission, our friends are infiltrating a terrorist rally… Being a teenager is stupid."
Pyrrha smirked a bit.
"It's not all bad," she said softly, "I promise. Besides, he's just as clueless. We're all figuring this out together. And if it's about your body… I mean… You'll grow up, Ruby."
Ruby smiled.
"Thanks, Pyrrha," she said, "If I'm being honest? I hope we… We can make this all work out in the end. Blake tells me it will, if we work hard and we're open and honest."
Pyrrha beamed back.
"I hope so too, Ruby," she said. "I…"
She checked her scope. She frowned deeply, as Ruby joined her in sharing the same expression.
"There are more White Fang gangsters surrounding the building," Pyrrha observed. She immediately hit her Scroll.
"Jaune? Yang? Nora? Ren? Sun?"
Static. Ruby scowled at her Scroll, and brought out her electronic noise analysis app. It was great for repairing Crescent Rose's electronics.
"Come on, come on, what's…?"
There was a large electromagnetic field forming a dome over the White Fang Rally.
"Jammer," Ruby hissed, "It's a trap! Again!"
She was coiled like a spring from her anxiety, and she was going jump out-
Being surrounded by Grimm in the Forever Fall, piles of red leaves around her like blood-
Ruby took a deep breath.
"All right Pyrrha, let's put together a plan and-"
She looked to her right. Pyrrha was long gone, diving for the thugs on the street with her weapons bared and a snarl on her face.
Yang and her dad weren't here, so Ruby let out the most appropriate word she could think of.
"Shi-!"
- - -
The restaurant wasn't the classiest place Weiss had ever been to. Just a transformed auto shop in Old Vale that Neptune had brought her to. The decor was made up of auto tools, parts, and pictures of the previous owners with their cars and family. It was very open and airy, with windows transformed from garage doors to let in the night air. They had a perfect view of the Pishon River, as ships moved back and forth in the dark waters underneath the broken moon.
It was roughing it by her standards, but that added to the sense of excitement. Neptune had been full of flattery and warm, honeyed words all night, the lit candle between them accentuating his best features.
The food was below her standards, but she loved it all the same. The wines were little better, but same thing: The thought of her father having conniptions over what she was having and doing filled her with glee.
Well… It should have.
"You know, the moon matches your hair," Neptune says, "Like a beam made out of the starlight."
"Mmhm. Thank you Neptune," Weiss managed, her eyes still focused on the river. Neptune sucked in a breath.
"So… You doing okay?"
"I'm fine," Weiss said quickly, looking back at him with a smile. "I mean… They would call if there was a problem, right?"
Neptune nodded.
"They absolutely would," he said, "I mean, your team would, right?"
"Sure, sure!" Neptune said with a bright smile. A bright smile that didn't fully meet his eyes. Funny enough, she'd seen that a lot from Neptune on this date.
"Neptune," Weiss pressed.
Neptune shrugged.
"Well, I mean… Sun is the kind of guy who won't call for backup if the fight is awesome enough. The harder the fight is, the more exciting it is for him. That's kind of how he rolls."
Weiss' eyebrows went up high. Neptune held up his hands and rapidly shook his head.
"But your teammate and Arc are super responsible, right?"
"Oh, uh… Well," Weiss tried, "Mostly."
Neptune sighed.
"I thought the point of this was to relax, Snow Angel," Neptune said, "And go out if they called for help. Right?"
"R-Right," Weiss said with a nervous nod, sipping her wine. "They're… They're probably fine."
"Totally," Neptune said with a bright smile. "Now… I think I was talking about your hair? Comparing it to-"
"To moonlight, yes," Weiss said with a sigh. This had felt like such a good idea at the time. Just relax, let their teammates do their vigilante mission, and meet up with them after.
Yet despite her bravado… Her thoughts just couldn't stay here.
- - -
Jaune yelped as he was thrown out of the portal and onto a hard, concrete floor. He got up and swung his sword around, trying to nail whoever had grabbed him!
The figure vanished into another portal, leaving him in darkness again.
"Damnit," Jaune grunted. He sniffed the air. It still smelled like the factory, but it was pitch black.
Need a light…
He focused his Aura into his sword… When bright lights flashed overhead. He hissed and squinted, letting his eyes adjust. The walls were pure gray concrete. The room was wide, very wide, and clear. The black doors on the far side of the wall looked like truck ports, so this was a loading bay of some kind. It looked a hell of a lot cleaner than the rest of the factory so far.
Oh, and there was a catwalk running along the walls above him. With a lot of White Fang goons holding guns standing on it. All of those guns were pointed at him.
"Shit," Jaune muttered. He reached out with his Aura senses-They weren't as great at range as other people's, but he could tell none of these guys had their Aura unlocked. That was good.
"I really don't want to hurt any of you," Jaune shouted, his voice echoing in the large dock area, "So why don't you just let me go before I have to get violent?"
"Well, that's a change."
Jaune's blood ran ice cold. His fists clenched around his weapons. His heart pounded in his ears. He gritted his teeth. He slowly turned around.
There were three giant cargo containers sitting underneath the catwalk: Red, green, and yellow. Atop the green one, dressed in a tight purple suit, her long hair shimmering like it always had…
"You," Jaune whispered, his rage too strong for him to say anything louder.
Iridescent smirked, and leaned over, letting him see down her open jacket and get a good view of her large assets. It made him feel absolutely sick to his stomach as she crooned.
"Hello, lover~..."
- - -
Here we go.
Just like in her comics.
At the same time, her mood was conflicted enough that being wet and cold would probably just make her feel worse. Maybe the last thing she needed was more drama.
She watched the White Fang rally from the rooftop of another abandoned factory, amidst a bunch of old pipes and chimneys. The sounds of distant traffic and sirens came from across the elevated highway, as well as the horns of boats in the river and harbor nearby.
It was so boring.
"Ugh," Ruby muttered, "I wish I was in there. I could have been a-a puppy Faunus or something…"
Pyrrha smiled blithely over at her from her own holding position. Milo was in rifle mode, and she peered through the scope periodically.
"We're better used out here," Pyrrha said, "As I recall, you agreed with Jaune."
"I, yeah," Ruby sighed, checking through her own scope. So far, nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
Everything was going well… Which is why Ruby was worried. Incredibly worried. Yet not over the operation. Right?
"It'll be alright," Pyrrha spoke softly. She looked over at Pyrrha in shock. Pyrrha blushed.
"I mean, um… If you're worried? You look worried."
"I am," Ruby admitted, "Things are going way too well, and when I wasn't worried, I…" She sighed. "Nevermind. It's stupid."
"I… I can listen if you want," Pyrrha offered.
"We're on a mission," Ruby insisted.
Pyrrha kept an eye on the rally through her rifle scope.
"I can still listen," Pyrrha said quietly.
Ruby bit her lower lip nervously, and stared out at the factory as well. She wasn't sure how to talk about this. What happened in the Forever Fall? Her father had told her to keep it quiet.
Well, guess it was a good thing she was worried about another thing on top of the Silver Eyes drama.
"... I just… Um, listen. I'm really sorry for the food fight," Ruby said quietly. "I was… I wanted to get some frustrations out. Yang had a great date with Jaune, and you're going to have a great date, and… And I'll probably just mess it up."
"It's okay Ruby," Pyrrha said kindly, "You know Jaune's not that shallow. And, well… It's not like I know how to go on a date any better than you. Or Yang…"
"Yeah but you're…" Ruby sighed. "It's stupid. We're on a mission, our friends are infiltrating a terrorist rally… Being a teenager is stupid."
Pyrrha smirked a bit.
"It's not all bad," she said softly, "I promise. Besides, he's just as clueless. We're all figuring this out together. And if it's about your body… I mean… You'll grow up, Ruby."
Ruby smiled.
"Thanks, Pyrrha," she said, "If I'm being honest? I hope we… We can make this all work out in the end. Blake tells me it will, if we work hard and we're open and honest."
Pyrrha beamed back.
"I hope so too, Ruby," she said. "I…"
She checked her scope. She frowned deeply, as Ruby joined her in sharing the same expression.
"There are more White Fang gangsters surrounding the building," Pyrrha observed. She immediately hit her Scroll.
"Jaune? Yang? Nora? Ren? Sun?"
Static. Ruby scowled at her Scroll, and brought out her electronic noise analysis app. It was great for repairing Crescent Rose's electronics.
"Come on, come on, what's…?"
There was a large electromagnetic field forming a dome over the White Fang Rally.
"Jammer," Ruby hissed, "It's a trap! Again!"
She was coiled like a spring from her anxiety, and she was going jump out-
Being surrounded by Grimm in the Forever Fall, piles of red leaves around her like blood-
Ruby took a deep breath.
"All right Pyrrha, let's put together a plan and-"
She looked to her right. Pyrrha was long gone, diving for the thugs on the street with her weapons bared and a snarl on her face.
Yang and her dad weren't here, so Ruby let out the most appropriate word she could think of.
"Shi-!"
- - -
The restaurant wasn't the classiest place Weiss had ever been to. Just a transformed auto shop in Old Vale that Neptune had brought her to. The decor was made up of auto tools, parts, and pictures of the previous owners with their cars and family. It was very open and airy, with windows transformed from garage doors to let in the night air. They had a perfect view of the Pishon River, as ships moved back and forth in the dark waters underneath the broken moon.
It was roughing it by her standards, but that added to the sense of excitement. Neptune had been full of flattery and warm, honeyed words all night, the lit candle between them accentuating his best features.
The food was below her standards, but she loved it all the same. The wines were little better, but same thing: The thought of her father having conniptions over what she was having and doing filled her with glee.
Well… It should have.
"You know, the moon matches your hair," Neptune says, "Like a beam made out of the starlight."
"Mmhm. Thank you Neptune," Weiss managed, her eyes still focused on the river. Neptune sucked in a breath.
"So… You doing okay?"
"I'm fine," Weiss said quickly, looking back at him with a smile. "I mean… They would call if there was a problem, right?"
Neptune nodded.
"They absolutely would," he said, "I mean, your team would, right?"
"Sure, sure!" Neptune said with a bright smile. A bright smile that didn't fully meet his eyes. Funny enough, she'd seen that a lot from Neptune on this date.
"Neptune," Weiss pressed.
Neptune shrugged.
"Well, I mean… Sun is the kind of guy who won't call for backup if the fight is awesome enough. The harder the fight is, the more exciting it is for him. That's kind of how he rolls."
Weiss' eyebrows went up high. Neptune held up his hands and rapidly shook his head.
"But your teammate and Arc are super responsible, right?"
"Oh, uh… Well," Weiss tried, "Mostly."
Neptune sighed.
"I thought the point of this was to relax, Snow Angel," Neptune said, "And go out if they called for help. Right?"
"R-Right," Weiss said with a nervous nod, sipping her wine. "They're… They're probably fine."
"Totally," Neptune said with a bright smile. "Now… I think I was talking about your hair? Comparing it to-"
"To moonlight, yes," Weiss said with a sigh. This had felt like such a good idea at the time. Just relax, let their teammates do their vigilante mission, and meet up with them after.
Yet despite her bravado… Her thoughts just couldn't stay here.
- - -
Jaune yelped as he was thrown out of the portal and onto a hard, concrete floor. He got up and swung his sword around, trying to nail whoever had grabbed him!
The figure vanished into another portal, leaving him in darkness again.
"Damnit," Jaune grunted. He sniffed the air. It still smelled like the factory, but it was pitch black.
Need a light…
He focused his Aura into his sword… When bright lights flashed overhead. He hissed and squinted, letting his eyes adjust. The walls were pure gray concrete. The room was wide, very wide, and clear. The black doors on the far side of the wall looked like truck ports, so this was a loading bay of some kind. It looked a hell of a lot cleaner than the rest of the factory so far.
Oh, and there was a catwalk running along the walls above him. With a lot of White Fang goons holding guns standing on it. All of those guns were pointed at him.
"Shit," Jaune muttered. He reached out with his Aura senses-They weren't as great at range as other people's, but he could tell none of these guys had their Aura unlocked. That was good.
"I really don't want to hurt any of you," Jaune shouted, his voice echoing in the large dock area, "So why don't you just let me go before I have to get violent?"
"Well, that's a change."
Jaune's blood ran ice cold. His fists clenched around his weapons. His heart pounded in his ears. He gritted his teeth. He slowly turned around.
There were three giant cargo containers sitting underneath the catwalk: Red, green, and yellow. Atop the green one, dressed in a tight purple suit, her long hair shimmering like it always had…
"You," Jaune whispered, his rage too strong for him to say anything louder.
Iridescent smirked, and leaned over, letting him see down her open jacket and get a good view of her large assets. It made him feel absolutely sick to his stomach as she crooned.
"Hello, lover~..."
- - -
Here we go.
RandomDragon
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2023
- Messages
- 615
- Likes received
- 7,704
And worst girl has appeared…of course this is going to get bad before it gets better. Still have hope for juane to get out of this one, though it remains to be seen how much of white fang and cinders operations will be around and affected…
didn't that tiger lady (Seinna?) get murked by Salem in the show around the time AFTER the whole vale incident and beacons fall?
as well as Adam going full terrorist mode (not that he wasn't before)…honestly at the rate things are going I'm surprised that Faunus aren't getting hostilities again thanks to the white fangs actions.
didn't that tiger lady (Seinna?) get murked by Salem in the show around the time AFTER the whole vale incident and beacons fall?
as well as Adam going full terrorist mode (not that he wasn't before)…honestly at the rate things are going I'm surprised that Faunus aren't getting hostilities again thanks to the white fangs actions.
TheFabulousCustodes
Experienced.
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2022
- Messages
- 2,625
- Likes received
- 27,213
A love stricken Yandere appears.... (only one so far, after all Pyrrha hasn't reappeared!
)
Sixty-Three
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2015
- Messages
- 2,766
- Likes received
- 85,801
- - -
Roman Torchwick took a deep breath as he stood behind the hastily raised curtains for the stage. The shitty DJ running some musical tracks was winding down his 'performance'. The freaking grey striped cat Faunus was such a damn ham with his reflective sunglasses and glow in the dark, backwards-turned baseball cap. It took three thrown rocks at his back for the idiot to get the picture.
Roman rolled his eyes as the DJ finally turned down the music.
Amateurs, he mentally scoffed.
"And now," the DJ announced, "You guys wanna see the head of the White Fang himself?!"
There were a fair number of cheers and yells, though Roman also saw a lot of nervous looking Faunus in the crowd. Huh. Maybe today's kids weren't all stupid.
"Well, too bad! He ain't here tonight!" The DJ went on, "But the next best thing is a great friend of the White Fang's! The infamous Gentleman Thief… ROMAN TORCHWICK!"
Two White Fang flunkies pulled the curtains open, and Roman strode in with his trademark cocky smirk and cane spinning around his fingers. He slammed the cane down and let loose his smolder at the audience.
He managed to get some loud applause and whistles. He grabbed the microphone out of the DJ's hand, and winked.
"Hello Vale! We know what we're here for!" He declared. The crowd cheered, and Roman nodded.
"Now, you might think it's weird for a human to work with Faunus," he said, "But in the end, we're all under the bootheel of someone else, aren't we?"
Much cheering and agreements filled the air. Roman nodded in an understanding way.
"The system just takes, and takes, and takes, and only the well connected get the biggest shares!"
"YEAH! FUCK THE SYSTEM!" A red haired cow Faunus girl bellowed, as her Sloth friend held her back. Roman blinked. Wait, weren't those…?
Roman smirked a little.
Well, that means the Kid and his harem are here, he thought.
"Well, why not take back from the system, huh?!" Roman shouted, to appreciative cries. "Why take the shit end of the stick? Why not punch the guy offering the shit stick in the face?!"
More happy cheers and cries answered him, even louder than before.
I should have been a politician, Roman thought to himself.
"So!" Roman held out his hand, and waited. He waited some more, before he glared back over his shoulder. A White Fang flunky came out, looking sheepish, as she handed him a large Atlasian rifle. He took it, and shook his head.
Freaking amateurs…!
"Join the White Fang, and take back from the system! Punch the system in the face!" He activated the rifle, enjoying the loud hum of the weapon. He took aim at a disco ball hastily hung from the ceiling, and fired.
TSEW!
A Fire Dust round, accelerated by the Atlasian rifle's Lightning Dust powered system, blew through the disco ball and vaporized it into a small, bright cloud of plasma. Everyone gasped, then cheered loudly. Roman grinned, and tossed the rifle out into the crowd. One deer Faunus caught it, and waved it around eagerly… Before he hit himself in the antlers.
The rifle went off, blowing a hole through the ceiling above Roman. Some old paint and dust fell onto him, covering his bowler hat in debris. Roman sucked in a deep breath as the crowd continued to cheer. Other White Fang members began handing out weapons.
These idiots are going to blow themselves up, Roman mentally sighed. Oh well, not my problem-
The front doors to the old factory burst open, knocking back several White Fang guards. Striding in like goddesses of war, Pyrrha Nikos and Ruby Rose entered, their eyes blazing.
"ROMAN!" Ruby shouted angrily. Roman sighed.
"Aw, the system's even got little kids to do its dirty work for them!" He called out. "And sports stars!"
Pyrrha pointed her spear at Roman, eyes narrowed.
"Please disperse peacefully, and there won't be any trouble," Pyrrha called out. "And hand over Iridescent!"
Roman shrugged.
"Would love to, but-GACK!"
The sloth Faunus was behind him, and held a dagger/submachine gun up to his throat. The cow faunus and a monkey faunus landed on the stage as well, weapons out. Roman grinned, even as the blade pressed against his throat.
"I think you'll want to do what she says," the quiet boy with pink eyes stated calmly.
"YEAH! Unless you want to lose your kneecaps!" The orange haired girl declared, hefting up her hammer menacingly.
"Tempting," Roman said, "But I think I'll decline. SLICK! ALBAIN!"
In a split second, Roman was out from the pink eyed guy's grip, and on the other side of the stage. He adjusted his tie as his back up, the blue pinstripe suit and gas mask wearing associate of Iridescent's, and the red hooded fox faunus White Fang warrior, stepped up in front of him.
"Slick! Take the Invincible Girl," Roman ordered, "Albain! Everyone else!"
"Got it," Slick said, and like a streak of lightning he shot out. Albain nodded, and brandished his dagger.
"As you wish." He unleashed a tornado from his weapon right at the stage! The crowd screamed and ran for it, as the White Fang guards opened fire and the members of the Kid's team dodged the attack.
Roman shook his head and opened up with Melodic Cudgel on Red. She was zipping around like a shot, slicing and bashing through the first group of flunkies to fall upon her.
Outwardly, Roman shouted insults and taunts as he danced about through the panicking crowd and fired on the rapidly dodging Red.
Inwardly…
Goddamnit Kid, you'd better not lose to your psycho-ex, he thought.
- - -
The guards outside were barely a challenge. Polarity allowed Pyrrha to sense their every movement thanks to the iron in their blood. Even with their guns, Pyrrha was able to dodge around their aim and close the distance to knock them out without breaking a sweat. Ruby had done the same thing with her Semblance, making it much easier.
Dramatically kicking the doors open may not have been the best choice, but it fit the situation. Then Roman had thrown down the gauntlet, and the fight was on.
She had some trouble at the start navigating the large crowd of panicking Faunus. All that iron did make anticipating attacks a bit more difficult, but she wasn't completely dependent on her Semblance, thank you very much. Most of the White Fang combatants were ordinary people with standard reflexes. Their powerful Atlasian weapons were not an issue.
The floor cleared up as most of the civilians managed to get out. Ruby charged for Roman, while a red hooded Fox Faunus man with a Dust enabled dagger fought off Sun, Nora and Ren at the same time.
Which left her opponent. He was tall, lean, and dressed in an impeccable blue pinstripe suit with matching fedora. His face was covered in a black gasmask, with tinted goggles. He bowed to her as he spun a cane around on his hand.
"Pyrrha Nikos. Name's Slick. Big fan," Slick introduced himself.
"I'm sure, but I'm afraid you're in my way," Pyrrha stated firmly. He lunged forward to shield bash him… And Slick blurred right out of the way. She followed up the shield bash with a thrust from Milo, but Slick weaved around that, too!
She continued the attack, focusing on the iron in his blood to try and predict his movements, but every time she thought she had him, he dodged just out of the way.
Slick tossed something metallic into the air. Pyrrha held her shield up, but it went off with a bright flash and a very loud bang!
"NNGH!"
Pyrrha grunted as she reared back, and Slick's cane slammed right into her stomach. Instinctively she twisted away from the blow, and countered with a thrust from Milo. She felt her blade slide right over the top of his shoulder. Pyrrha dropped down and tried to leg sweep Slick, but he hopped right over. Her vision was just about to clear before another series of flashbangs detonated in her face.
"GAH!"
She managed to focus and got her shield up to block Slick's next cane strike, and switched Milo to gun mode. She pulled the trigger, firing the rifle on full auto. Pyrrha blinked her eyes rapidly, and saw Slick blurring around her shots.
He slid around the floor at high speed like an ice skater. He slapped his cane against the floor, and flames burst into life at the tip. He darted right for her, thrusting his fiery cane like a sword. Pyrrha switched Milo to sword mode, parrying and deflecting the furious strikes before she gave ground. He overextended, and she swung around to beat him down…
When he blurred and escaped her trap.
Damnit, Pyrrha thought angrily, as she swung around to face the gangster. She got the impression he was smirking behind his mask.
He may have been saying something, but she couldn't make it out over the ringing in her ears. Didn't matter. He was good enough that anyone else on their teams would have trouble with him.
So her mission was simple: Finish him off, then get to Jaune.
All this bastard was, was an obstacle. And as one of her favorite trainers once said?
Obstacles were for killing.
- - -
In the docking area, Iridescent's grin widened a bit more. Jaune breathed hard, his teeth gritted hard enough it felt like he might shatter them.
"Well! Nothing to say, darling?" Iridescent asked, almost sweetly. "Not a word for almost a year, and here I find you-?
Jaune bent his knees, and leaped. He swung his blade right for her neck. Iridescent darted back, jumping and practically floating along the top of the central cargo container. Jaune dashed forward, thrusting for her heart!
She dodged at the last second, light as a feather, before she bent the metal underneath her feet and she blocked his swing with her forearm.
What?! How-Her Semblance! Jaune realized, as his blade had cut her sleeves but not her skin.
Jaune pulled back and swung again, aiming for Iridescent's head, but she swung her arms and deflected the hit as her sleeves were sliced to shreds.
Okay, if I can't cut her, then…!
Jaune thrust his shield forward, ramming it against her head with all his might!
Iridescent staggered back, her feet still digging dents into the container. She grinned and charged. Jaune threw his shield up and held his ground.
Big mistake. She bowled him right over, pinning him down onto the top of the cargo container. She wrapped her arms around him, trapping his weapons against his body.
She's so heavy! How is she…? Damnit… DAMNIT…! Jaune seethed, as Iridescent's hot breath washed over his face. She grinned as maniacally as she had the night he'd escaped, and licked her lips.
"Well well… So eager! Just wanted to skip the foreplay, hm?"
"Fuck you, you insane whore," Jaune seethed.
"Mmm, yeah, talk dirty to me," Iridescent giggled. Jaune growled, and his skin glowed. He swung his forehead against hers hard, sending a surge of Aura right against her!
Iridescent yelped, and was blasted back, slamming into the container steel and leaving another imprint.
Jaune was right back up, and thrust for her heart again with a fully Aura charged blade! This time, Iridescent kicked the container and she sailed away through the air like she was made of paper. She grabbed onto the catwalk and swung herself up on top of it, balancing perfectly on the railing with a smirk.
"Your Semblance," Jaune realized, "You can control your density!"
"Ooh, you've gotten a lot sharper!" Iridescent cheered, clapping her hands together in childish glee, "You always did struggle, didn't you dear? Without Gato holding your hand."
She smirked at him.
"Tell me… Do you still see him dying when you close your eyes at night-?"
Jaune lunged, again enhancing his leap with his Aura, as he slashed the catwalk in half right under Iridescent. The dark skinned woman leaped and floated away from the collapsing section, landing on another catwalk section where a group of White Fang goons still kept their weapons trained on him.
"I guess you do," Iridescent cooed. "I understand, darling. It's a sensitive topic. There are better sensitive things," she licked her lips, "To touch on."
The White Fang members opened up with their guns, as Iridescent leaped up again and clambered up into the spider web of rusting iron supports above their heads. Jaune roared and leaped up onto the catwalk, charging through the guards with his shield as a battering ram as he chased after the laughing mad woman.
The White Fang guards kept firing, but Jaune didn't even spare the shots a second thought as he knocked them over the railings or slammed them into the walls. He was pretty sure he didn't kill any of them, judging from their cries and shouts of pain, but it was hard to focus on anything but getting that bitch.
She landed on another catwalk, this one going across the docking area's middle section. Jaune plowed through another squad of White Fang flunkies, tossing one off his back with contemptuous ease, as he sprinted for her.
"Oh, so eager darling!" Iridescent giggled… Before she slammed her foot into the steel grating. The catwalk came apart, and she leaped with lower density to float above him. Jaune dropped like a rock, slamming his shoulder onto the concrete and rolling himself back to his feet. He looked up, just in time to see Iridescent lift up a section of the catwalk with a manic grin.
"Let me return the favor!"
She threw it. Jaune was going to flee… But the fallen White Fang members around him made him plant his feet and hold his shield up. The catwalk hit so hard it felt like his teeth might shake out of his skull, but he tanked it. He tossed it aside, as the fallen White Fang members managed to get to their feet and flee out various exit doors.
"Ooh, you're durable!" Iridescent cooed, "Good to know! Makes things so much interesting~!"
"What the hell do you want, you crazy bitch?!" Jaune demanded. Iridescent grinned, and leaped off the catwalk. She floated over to the top of one of the large cargo containers, and tapped her chin.
"Mmm… I don't get to check in with my beloved?"
"I hate you," Jaune growled, "You mean nothing to me beyond that!"
"Don't they say the true opposite of love isn't hatred, it's apathy?" Iridescent taunted, playfully pushing her breasts together, "Admit it. I get your heart racing. Your blood pumping. When you think of me, all other considerations vanish. You tried so hard to escape me, but…"
She sighed, resting her fingers on either side of her face as she looked upon him with a hungry expression.
"Without me… You'd be that same boring little boy who thought he could become a hero. With me, you're who you truly are."
Iridescent sucked on her finger briefly with a moan, before she smiled.
"A killer."
Jaune took some deep breaths to try and calm himself, but it was only doing so much. He kept his focus on the object of his rage.
"You're the only one dying tonight," Jaune snarled.
He made to charge again, but Iridescent smiled.
"Now now… Don't be so quick to end things now. It was just getting fun!"
"I'm ending this right now," Jaune retorted.
Iridescent sighed, and shook her head with what she probably thought was an indulgent smile. It made his blood boil.
"If you insist. It has been a while, hasn't it. I suppose I do need to establish who the real center of your life is. And to do that, I'll have to spoil you~!"
She stood up and spread her arms.
"Free hit."
Jaune stopped, and stared up at the insane woman.
"What?"
"Free hit," Iridescent cooed, "With your most powerful move."
"You're insane," Jaune growled. Iridescent giggled.
"Insane with love for you," she cooed, "I need to prove that I'm still the girl for you! All those whores you've surrounded yourself with-They've led you astray!"
"They haven't-YOU'RE CRAZY!" Jaune seethed. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLANNING?!"
Iridescent giggled again, and spun around.
"Oh Jaune, such passion! It makes me want to spoil you even more~! But really darling, no tricks~! I just want to see your true power, your true passion. Free of those ingrates who took you from me~."
The faces of his team, his friends, flashed before his eyes. Jaune managed to get his rage back under control, and he shook his head.
"I'm not playing with you," Jaune growled. Iridescent sighed.
"Really? You were talking about avenging your dear old cat mentor. I really must thank him-Without him, we wouldn't be together~!"
Jaune's grip on his weapons tightened.
She smirked down at him.
"But in the end… His part is done in all this. I'm what you should be focusing on, dear. I'm alive… And he's dead."
Her smirk grew.
"You got him killed because you weren't strong enough," she cooed.
Jaune's vision went red, as his Aura crackled along his sword.
"Don't worry, darling," Iridescent simpered, as Jaune's blade glowed like it was a filament in a lightbulb, "I know you're strong enough… Gato thought you were."
She grinned.
"So prove it."
He pushed as much Aura into Crocea Mors as he could, and swung the blade. The Golden Lion's Roar exploded, and everything turned white.
- - -
Roman Torchwick took a deep breath as he stood behind the hastily raised curtains for the stage. The shitty DJ running some musical tracks was winding down his 'performance'. The freaking grey striped cat Faunus was such a damn ham with his reflective sunglasses and glow in the dark, backwards-turned baseball cap. It took three thrown rocks at his back for the idiot to get the picture.
Roman rolled his eyes as the DJ finally turned down the music.
Amateurs, he mentally scoffed.
"And now," the DJ announced, "You guys wanna see the head of the White Fang himself?!"
There were a fair number of cheers and yells, though Roman also saw a lot of nervous looking Faunus in the crowd. Huh. Maybe today's kids weren't all stupid.
"Well, too bad! He ain't here tonight!" The DJ went on, "But the next best thing is a great friend of the White Fang's! The infamous Gentleman Thief… ROMAN TORCHWICK!"
Two White Fang flunkies pulled the curtains open, and Roman strode in with his trademark cocky smirk and cane spinning around his fingers. He slammed the cane down and let loose his smolder at the audience.
He managed to get some loud applause and whistles. He grabbed the microphone out of the DJ's hand, and winked.
"Hello Vale! We know what we're here for!" He declared. The crowd cheered, and Roman nodded.
"Now, you might think it's weird for a human to work with Faunus," he said, "But in the end, we're all under the bootheel of someone else, aren't we?"
Much cheering and agreements filled the air. Roman nodded in an understanding way.
"The system just takes, and takes, and takes, and only the well connected get the biggest shares!"
"YEAH! FUCK THE SYSTEM!" A red haired cow Faunus girl bellowed, as her Sloth friend held her back. Roman blinked. Wait, weren't those…?
Roman smirked a little.
Well, that means the Kid and his harem are here, he thought.
"Well, why not take back from the system, huh?!" Roman shouted, to appreciative cries. "Why take the shit end of the stick? Why not punch the guy offering the shit stick in the face?!"
More happy cheers and cries answered him, even louder than before.
I should have been a politician, Roman thought to himself.
"So!" Roman held out his hand, and waited. He waited some more, before he glared back over his shoulder. A White Fang flunky came out, looking sheepish, as she handed him a large Atlasian rifle. He took it, and shook his head.
Freaking amateurs…!
"Join the White Fang, and take back from the system! Punch the system in the face!" He activated the rifle, enjoying the loud hum of the weapon. He took aim at a disco ball hastily hung from the ceiling, and fired.
TSEW!
A Fire Dust round, accelerated by the Atlasian rifle's Lightning Dust powered system, blew through the disco ball and vaporized it into a small, bright cloud of plasma. Everyone gasped, then cheered loudly. Roman grinned, and tossed the rifle out into the crowd. One deer Faunus caught it, and waved it around eagerly… Before he hit himself in the antlers.
The rifle went off, blowing a hole through the ceiling above Roman. Some old paint and dust fell onto him, covering his bowler hat in debris. Roman sucked in a deep breath as the crowd continued to cheer. Other White Fang members began handing out weapons.
These idiots are going to blow themselves up, Roman mentally sighed. Oh well, not my problem-
The front doors to the old factory burst open, knocking back several White Fang guards. Striding in like goddesses of war, Pyrrha Nikos and Ruby Rose entered, their eyes blazing.
"ROMAN!" Ruby shouted angrily. Roman sighed.
"Aw, the system's even got little kids to do its dirty work for them!" He called out. "And sports stars!"
Pyrrha pointed her spear at Roman, eyes narrowed.
"Please disperse peacefully, and there won't be any trouble," Pyrrha called out. "And hand over Iridescent!"
Roman shrugged.
"Would love to, but-GACK!"
The sloth Faunus was behind him, and held a dagger/submachine gun up to his throat. The cow faunus and a monkey faunus landed on the stage as well, weapons out. Roman grinned, even as the blade pressed against his throat.
"I think you'll want to do what she says," the quiet boy with pink eyes stated calmly.
"YEAH! Unless you want to lose your kneecaps!" The orange haired girl declared, hefting up her hammer menacingly.
"Tempting," Roman said, "But I think I'll decline. SLICK! ALBAIN!"
In a split second, Roman was out from the pink eyed guy's grip, and on the other side of the stage. He adjusted his tie as his back up, the blue pinstripe suit and gas mask wearing associate of Iridescent's, and the red hooded fox faunus White Fang warrior, stepped up in front of him.
"Slick! Take the Invincible Girl," Roman ordered, "Albain! Everyone else!"
"Got it," Slick said, and like a streak of lightning he shot out. Albain nodded, and brandished his dagger.
"As you wish." He unleashed a tornado from his weapon right at the stage! The crowd screamed and ran for it, as the White Fang guards opened fire and the members of the Kid's team dodged the attack.
Roman shook his head and opened up with Melodic Cudgel on Red. She was zipping around like a shot, slicing and bashing through the first group of flunkies to fall upon her.
Outwardly, Roman shouted insults and taunts as he danced about through the panicking crowd and fired on the rapidly dodging Red.
Inwardly…
Goddamnit Kid, you'd better not lose to your psycho-ex, he thought.
- - -
The guards outside were barely a challenge. Polarity allowed Pyrrha to sense their every movement thanks to the iron in their blood. Even with their guns, Pyrrha was able to dodge around their aim and close the distance to knock them out without breaking a sweat. Ruby had done the same thing with her Semblance, making it much easier.
Dramatically kicking the doors open may not have been the best choice, but it fit the situation. Then Roman had thrown down the gauntlet, and the fight was on.
She had some trouble at the start navigating the large crowd of panicking Faunus. All that iron did make anticipating attacks a bit more difficult, but she wasn't completely dependent on her Semblance, thank you very much. Most of the White Fang combatants were ordinary people with standard reflexes. Their powerful Atlasian weapons were not an issue.
The floor cleared up as most of the civilians managed to get out. Ruby charged for Roman, while a red hooded Fox Faunus man with a Dust enabled dagger fought off Sun, Nora and Ren at the same time.
Which left her opponent. He was tall, lean, and dressed in an impeccable blue pinstripe suit with matching fedora. His face was covered in a black gasmask, with tinted goggles. He bowed to her as he spun a cane around on his hand.
"Pyrrha Nikos. Name's Slick. Big fan," Slick introduced himself.
"I'm sure, but I'm afraid you're in my way," Pyrrha stated firmly. He lunged forward to shield bash him… And Slick blurred right out of the way. She followed up the shield bash with a thrust from Milo, but Slick weaved around that, too!
She continued the attack, focusing on the iron in his blood to try and predict his movements, but every time she thought she had him, he dodged just out of the way.
Slick tossed something metallic into the air. Pyrrha held her shield up, but it went off with a bright flash and a very loud bang!
"NNGH!"
Pyrrha grunted as she reared back, and Slick's cane slammed right into her stomach. Instinctively she twisted away from the blow, and countered with a thrust from Milo. She felt her blade slide right over the top of his shoulder. Pyrrha dropped down and tried to leg sweep Slick, but he hopped right over. Her vision was just about to clear before another series of flashbangs detonated in her face.
"GAH!"
She managed to focus and got her shield up to block Slick's next cane strike, and switched Milo to gun mode. She pulled the trigger, firing the rifle on full auto. Pyrrha blinked her eyes rapidly, and saw Slick blurring around her shots.
He slid around the floor at high speed like an ice skater. He slapped his cane against the floor, and flames burst into life at the tip. He darted right for her, thrusting his fiery cane like a sword. Pyrrha switched Milo to sword mode, parrying and deflecting the furious strikes before she gave ground. He overextended, and she swung around to beat him down…
When he blurred and escaped her trap.
Damnit, Pyrrha thought angrily, as she swung around to face the gangster. She got the impression he was smirking behind his mask.
He may have been saying something, but she couldn't make it out over the ringing in her ears. Didn't matter. He was good enough that anyone else on their teams would have trouble with him.
So her mission was simple: Finish him off, then get to Jaune.
All this bastard was, was an obstacle. And as one of her favorite trainers once said?
Obstacles were for killing.
- - -
In the docking area, Iridescent's grin widened a bit more. Jaune breathed hard, his teeth gritted hard enough it felt like he might shatter them.
"Well! Nothing to say, darling?" Iridescent asked, almost sweetly. "Not a word for almost a year, and here I find you-?
Jaune bent his knees, and leaped. He swung his blade right for her neck. Iridescent darted back, jumping and practically floating along the top of the central cargo container. Jaune dashed forward, thrusting for her heart!
She dodged at the last second, light as a feather, before she bent the metal underneath her feet and she blocked his swing with her forearm.
What?! How-Her Semblance! Jaune realized, as his blade had cut her sleeves but not her skin.
Jaune pulled back and swung again, aiming for Iridescent's head, but she swung her arms and deflected the hit as her sleeves were sliced to shreds.
Okay, if I can't cut her, then…!
Jaune thrust his shield forward, ramming it against her head with all his might!
Iridescent staggered back, her feet still digging dents into the container. She grinned and charged. Jaune threw his shield up and held his ground.
Big mistake. She bowled him right over, pinning him down onto the top of the cargo container. She wrapped her arms around him, trapping his weapons against his body.
She's so heavy! How is she…? Damnit… DAMNIT…! Jaune seethed, as Iridescent's hot breath washed over his face. She grinned as maniacally as she had the night he'd escaped, and licked her lips.
"Well well… So eager! Just wanted to skip the foreplay, hm?"
"Fuck you, you insane whore," Jaune seethed.
"Mmm, yeah, talk dirty to me," Iridescent giggled. Jaune growled, and his skin glowed. He swung his forehead against hers hard, sending a surge of Aura right against her!
Iridescent yelped, and was blasted back, slamming into the container steel and leaving another imprint.
Jaune was right back up, and thrust for her heart again with a fully Aura charged blade! This time, Iridescent kicked the container and she sailed away through the air like she was made of paper. She grabbed onto the catwalk and swung herself up on top of it, balancing perfectly on the railing with a smirk.
"Your Semblance," Jaune realized, "You can control your density!"
"Ooh, you've gotten a lot sharper!" Iridescent cheered, clapping her hands together in childish glee, "You always did struggle, didn't you dear? Without Gato holding your hand."
She smirked at him.
"Tell me… Do you still see him dying when you close your eyes at night-?"
Jaune lunged, again enhancing his leap with his Aura, as he slashed the catwalk in half right under Iridescent. The dark skinned woman leaped and floated away from the collapsing section, landing on another catwalk section where a group of White Fang goons still kept their weapons trained on him.
"I guess you do," Iridescent cooed. "I understand, darling. It's a sensitive topic. There are better sensitive things," she licked her lips, "To touch on."
The White Fang members opened up with their guns, as Iridescent leaped up again and clambered up into the spider web of rusting iron supports above their heads. Jaune roared and leaped up onto the catwalk, charging through the guards with his shield as a battering ram as he chased after the laughing mad woman.
The White Fang guards kept firing, but Jaune didn't even spare the shots a second thought as he knocked them over the railings or slammed them into the walls. He was pretty sure he didn't kill any of them, judging from their cries and shouts of pain, but it was hard to focus on anything but getting that bitch.
She landed on another catwalk, this one going across the docking area's middle section. Jaune plowed through another squad of White Fang flunkies, tossing one off his back with contemptuous ease, as he sprinted for her.
"Oh, so eager darling!" Iridescent giggled… Before she slammed her foot into the steel grating. The catwalk came apart, and she leaped with lower density to float above him. Jaune dropped like a rock, slamming his shoulder onto the concrete and rolling himself back to his feet. He looked up, just in time to see Iridescent lift up a section of the catwalk with a manic grin.
"Let me return the favor!"
She threw it. Jaune was going to flee… But the fallen White Fang members around him made him plant his feet and hold his shield up. The catwalk hit so hard it felt like his teeth might shake out of his skull, but he tanked it. He tossed it aside, as the fallen White Fang members managed to get to their feet and flee out various exit doors.
"Ooh, you're durable!" Iridescent cooed, "Good to know! Makes things so much interesting~!"
"What the hell do you want, you crazy bitch?!" Jaune demanded. Iridescent grinned, and leaped off the catwalk. She floated over to the top of one of the large cargo containers, and tapped her chin.
"Mmm… I don't get to check in with my beloved?"
"I hate you," Jaune growled, "You mean nothing to me beyond that!"
"Don't they say the true opposite of love isn't hatred, it's apathy?" Iridescent taunted, playfully pushing her breasts together, "Admit it. I get your heart racing. Your blood pumping. When you think of me, all other considerations vanish. You tried so hard to escape me, but…"
She sighed, resting her fingers on either side of her face as she looked upon him with a hungry expression.
"Without me… You'd be that same boring little boy who thought he could become a hero. With me, you're who you truly are."
Iridescent sucked on her finger briefly with a moan, before she smiled.
"A killer."
Jaune took some deep breaths to try and calm himself, but it was only doing so much. He kept his focus on the object of his rage.
"You're the only one dying tonight," Jaune snarled.
He made to charge again, but Iridescent smiled.
"Now now… Don't be so quick to end things now. It was just getting fun!"
"I'm ending this right now," Jaune retorted.
Iridescent sighed, and shook her head with what she probably thought was an indulgent smile. It made his blood boil.
"If you insist. It has been a while, hasn't it. I suppose I do need to establish who the real center of your life is. And to do that, I'll have to spoil you~!"
She stood up and spread her arms.
"Free hit."
Jaune stopped, and stared up at the insane woman.
"What?"
"Free hit," Iridescent cooed, "With your most powerful move."
"You're insane," Jaune growled. Iridescent giggled.
"Insane with love for you," she cooed, "I need to prove that I'm still the girl for you! All those whores you've surrounded yourself with-They've led you astray!"
"They haven't-YOU'RE CRAZY!" Jaune seethed. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLANNING?!"
Iridescent giggled again, and spun around.
"Oh Jaune, such passion! It makes me want to spoil you even more~! But really darling, no tricks~! I just want to see your true power, your true passion. Free of those ingrates who took you from me~."
The faces of his team, his friends, flashed before his eyes. Jaune managed to get his rage back under control, and he shook his head.
"I'm not playing with you," Jaune growled. Iridescent sighed.
"Really? You were talking about avenging your dear old cat mentor. I really must thank him-Without him, we wouldn't be together~!"
Jaune's grip on his weapons tightened.
She smirked down at him.
"But in the end… His part is done in all this. I'm what you should be focusing on, dear. I'm alive… And he's dead."
Her smirk grew.
"You got him killed because you weren't strong enough," she cooed.
Jaune's vision went red, as his Aura crackled along his sword.
"Don't worry, darling," Iridescent simpered, as Jaune's blade glowed like it was a filament in a lightbulb, "I know you're strong enough… Gato thought you were."
She grinned.
"So prove it."
He pushed as much Aura into Crocea Mors as he could, and swung the blade. The Golden Lion's Roar exploded, and everything turned white.
- - -