A/n- Well, this was an idea I had awhile back. It's still RWBY, but I think I'll let the story speak for itself.
Chapter one: A concerned sister
I looked outside, frowning out at the world. I did a lot of that these days. It was raining, the quick pitter-patter of water on my window nearly drowning out the ticking of the clock on the wall. I looked on my desk, taking stock of everything. That's what I normally did on slow days. My desk was nice and neat, my notebooks on the left side, my link to the rest of the world, my phone, on the other side, and in the middle, a nameplate. "Jaune Arc. Yeah, haven't changed it yet." I thought, frowning slightly. In hindsight, I should've changed my last name when I moved to Vale. Then again, three years later and I was still here, so I guess I was in the clear. I would've gladly continued just staring at my desk, only for my phone to suddenly ring. I grabbed the top of it, pulling it over to me as I lightly twisted the cord with one hand. "Hello?" I said, like a question. "Mr. Arc. A woman's here to see you. She says she's a client." I heard the quiet voice of my secretary say over the phone. I nodded, forgetting for a moment she couldn't see me. "Send her up." I said, grabbing my notebook.
The line clicked dead, and not a minute later I heard my door creak open. It was a short girl, younger than I was, maybe fifteen at the most. She had short black hair, red highlights towards the bottom. Her eyes were bright silver, seeming to light up the room, both of them gazing at me, likely taking in my appearance. "She might not like the old trenchcoat look…" I thought as I continued watching her. She was dressed in a skirt that stretched just past her knees, it being red and black polka dots, reminding me distinctly of a ladybug. Her shirt was a simply black top, sleeveless I guessed. Then again, it was hard to tell beneath the denim jacket, a few patches in the sides of it. The jacket was long sleeved, but not buttoned up, stretching down almost to her waist, and looked like it was made out of an old pair of jeans. Her hair was laying flat, cut down around her chin in a few more jagged points, but most of it looked clean-cut. In her right hand she was carrying an umbrella, black with silver polka dots on it. In her left, she was carrying a small, dark red leather purse, the design of a rose on the side.
"Are you Jaune Arc?" she asked. I nodded, smiling at her, "Least you can read." I said, pointing to my nametag, "Yeah, that's what they call me." I said. She giggled, the sound light and airy, frankly it made her seem almost childlike, if her eyes didn't already. "Please, sit down." I said, gesturing to the empty chair in front of me. She complied, sliding into the chair in front of me. She set her umbrella against her chair, a few drops of it hitting the wooden side of it, some guiding down to the floor, near where she laid her purse. I watched her move her hands into her lap, lightly fidgeting, seemingly nervous. "Now, what brings you to my office on this gray morning?" I asked, placing my hands on the table, my fingers pointed up like a steeple. The girl looked down at her lap, her eyes flashing with worry. "It's my sister, Yang." she said.
I nodded sympathetically, "Ah, concerned about a family member huh? What's the problem?" I asked. The girl looked up, "She's gone missing. She… she disappeared last week. We told the cops but, they haven't done anything…" she said, her face scrunching up, as if in disgust with the police department. I cocked an eyebrow at her, "I… won't pry into why they haven't. Either way, you're asking me to find her right?" I asked. She nodded, "Can you?" she asked. I shrugged, "Well, the devil's in the details ma'am. Let's start from the beginning. I want you to tell me anything that could be useful to my investigation, no matter how… painful, it may be." I said. She smiled, "My name's Ruby Mister Arc, you don't have to call me ma'am." she said. I chuckled, holding out my right hand as she held out her left. I quickly changed, holding out my left… only for her to have changed to her right. We both shrugged as we set our hands down, Ruby doing so somewhat awkwardly.
"Anyway. My sister's full name is Yang Xiao Long. Here, this might help." she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out what looked like a photograph. It showed a woman in a pair of tight jeans, a black belt tied around them making them even tighter. On her feet were a pair of large boots, reaching up just below her knees, her jeans bleeding into them. Above her jeans she was wearing a tight white t-shirt, hugging her figure and showing off her large breasts, exposing a fair bit of cleavage as well. This girl was beautiful, and she knew it. Over her tight t-shirt was a loose-fitting black leather jacket, going down just past her waist with a few rips and tears in it, some sewn back together, other's left torn. She had her right hand curled into a first, smashing it into her left palm. On her face was a cocky grin, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Her most notable feature? Her hair.
Her hair was easily some of the longest I'd ever seen, stretching down past her waist and even past her rear in spots. It was bright yellow, as if her hair was handcrafted from the sun's rays. She seemed to take good care of it, since there wasn't a missing hair, split-end, or anything of the sort within the massive mane. "Bit of a tomboy huh?" I asked, smiling at my shorter client. She nodded, "Yeah, Yang was never into all that cooking, cleaning, being a proper woman stuff. She was… she wasn't the most… ethical, of people." she said, clearly looking for the right words to describe her sister. I nodded, "So, a tomboy with a tendency towards violence, that about right?" I asked. Ruby nodded, "Exactly." she said. I had a feeling about that girl, Yang. She was trouble, I could tell just by looking at her. By taking this job, there'd be trouble.
Course, trouble was my middle name.
"Alright. Can you tell me anything about her? Who she hung out with? Clubs she frequented? Reasons anyone might want to kidnap her?" I asked. Ruby looked up in thought, tapping a finger on her chin for a few moments. "Hmm, Yang wasn't very open about what she did, Dad didn't like it when she came home late… though, I did see her come out of a club downtown with a drink in her hand last month." she said. I nodded, opening my notebook and writing down the club she was talking about. It wasn't hard to figure out, there was only one club in the downtown area. "Anything else?" I asked. She pressed her hands into her forehead, seemingly trying to think. "Uwhaaaa oh! Right!" she said, holding up a finger and smiling. "She mentioned she hung out with this one girl when she went out to party! Uh… I don't remember her name, Black? Bleak? Something along those lines." she said.
I wrote that down to, nodding to myself as I did so. "Is that all you can think of Ruby?" I asked. She nodded, "Sorry, but yeah, that's all I know. Do you think you can find her?" she asked, getting that worried look on her face again. I gave her my most comforting smile, "I'd think so Ruby, I'll find her." I said. Ruby nodded, giving me a relieved smile. "Thank you. Oh, and, here." she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a few cards of lien. "Half your payment, the other when the job's done, that's how you work right?" she asked. I nodded, grabbing the lien and shoving it in my coat pocket. "Yeah, it'll be fine. Now head on it, I'll start the search." I said. She nodded, standing up and grabbing her purse, picking up her umbrella and pointing it at the ground. "Thanks again!" she said, walking away with a slight skip in her step. I watched until she was out the door, then I picked up my phone, spinning around the ring to the proper numbers. Then I held the receiver to my ear, and waited.
"Hello?" I heard deep voice say on the other end of the line. "Ren, we've got a case." I said. I heard him yawn, "I'm on my way, I'm caught in traffic." he said. I nodded, "Alright. Meet me at the Rough Breaker." I said. I heard a sound of agreement on the other side before the line cut off. I pushed back from my desk, standing up before grabbing my notebook, placing it inside my coat before I pushed the chair back in, shutting the blinds behind me. "So much for a slow day." I thought as I walked towards the door, grabbing my black fedora from the hatrack next to the door. I walked out, stopping in the hall as I looked at myself in the mirror. I had on black shoes, polished almost to a shine, leading back into a pair of simple gray pants. Above them, on the other hand, was what people recognized me for. I had on a faded, dark yellow trench coat, a few patches in places where it ripped. On my head was, of course, my old fedora, what may have once been bright yellow had faded to an almost gray color. I smiled slightly at my reflection, deep blue eyes gazing back at me. "Hard to believe it's been three years…" I thought.
I turned away, walking back through the hall until I came to the end of it. I pushed open the door, walking down the familiar stairwell, heading into the bottom floor of the building. "Good morning Mr. Arc." I heard a high voice say. I turned, smiling slightly at my secretary, the only other person in the building. I let my eyes wander for a few seconds, gazing over her brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, her long bunny ears. Eventually though, they landed on what she was wearing. It was pretty simple, a brown sweater and dark gray trousers, not something a lot of women wore. "Same to you Velvet, and seriously, just call me Jaune." I said. It didn't seem right that someone two years older than me would call me by such a formal title. She nodded, "Alright then Mr… Jaune, sorry." she said, looking down. I shook my head, "It's fine. How's little Ton-Ton?" I asked. I prided myself on my imagination, me and Ren both did. We said it was what made us great detectives, that we could see the crime from start to finish. I could even go far as saying I could start to imagine what it was like to be a faunus.
Being a single mother and a faunus though? I couldn't even begin…
"She's doing well thank you. I'll have to bring her into work someday. Have her meet her uncle." she said, smiling at me. I chuckled, rubbing my neck, "Well uh, I don't know about that. Might not want her to see such a dangerous line of work…" I said, trailing off. Velvet giggled, "Well, couldn't pick a much better role model." she said. I felt my face flush slightly as I turned, walking towards the door. "Yeah, uh, Velvet, tell any clients that come by that they'll have to reschedule, I'll be out working on this case for a while." I said. She nodded, her fingers a blur as they moved on her typewriter. "Well, what about Ms. Goodwitch, of the VCPD? She requested a meeting today? Should I tell her you're putting it off again?" she asked, giving me a smug look. I sighed, reaching into my pocket, pulling out my lighter. "Tell her I'm busy, ask her to wait here if she's that desperate." I said, somewhat sarcastically as I grabbed a cigar from my other pocket, lighting it up and taking a long drag.
I walked out of the room without another word, exhaling the smoke into the outside world as I saw people walking among the sidewalk. "Crap." I thought, feeling the rain hitting me, some of it hitting my cigar. Just as I was about to turn around I saw a shadow come over me, the rain stopping. "Forget something?" I heard Velvet ask. I turned, smiling at her as I took the umbrella, holding it over both of us. "What would I do without you?" I said. She giggled, walking back inside, "Come back in one piece Jaune!" she said, shutting the door behind her with a hint of finality. I turned back, taking another drag of my cigar before exhaling, grabbing it with one hand and pulling back, letting my thoughts get slightly muddled. Then again, after smoking three of these a day for so many years, you start to get used to it.
I walked down the street, holding my plain black umbrella in my right hand, my cigar in my left. "I got crocea mors didn't I?" I thought as I clamped down on my cigar, keeping it between my lips. I reached my hand down, feeling the familiar plastic hitting my hand as I smiled, grabbing my cigar again, quickly inhaling. "Good, didn't forget this time." I thought. I kept walking, passing by hundreds of people, meaningless faces, meaningless features, some faunus, some human, some good, some bad. Some druggies, some dealers, some rapists, some victims. To a younger, more naive me, it would've mattered, I would've tried to solve everyone's problems, try to make everyone happy and put every criminal behind bars. "How stupid was I back then?" I thought. I could barely scrape out a living for myself and already I had dreams as big as the world. An Arc trait I suppose.
It took me twenty minutes to get to the familiar club, the Tough Breaker. Run by crooks, for crooks. Of course, if you needed information, you went here. Either you went here to get stoned, stabbed, or smarter… huh, be a good slogan actually. As I was walking up, I smiled, seeing the familiar car. It was a fairly new model, having the same, strange shape most cars did. The roof was pulled up, but I knew it would fall back down at a moments notice, that was how convertible's worked after all. Two things gave away whose it was, one, the fact that it was painted dark green with two strips of pink down the sides. The other? The man leaning against it. The rain had slowed, so his hair wasn't incredibly wet, falling down his back to near his waist, tied off in a ponytail. He was dressed in a slick suit, dark green with a magenta tie around his neck, a white undershirt beneath it. He had on black pants, bleeding down into brown shoes, almost just like mine. His hands were shoved in his pockets, his back slightly arched forwards as he looked around, his eyes hazy but alert.
When he spotted me he stood up straight, walking towards me. "Jaune." he said. I nodded, "Ren. I'll explain inside." I said, closing my umbrella. The two of us walked forwards, heading towards the large building near the center of Downtown Vale. The place had no windows, only two doors leading into the building. The place had old fashioned swing doors, no bouncer at the front. It didn't matter how old you were, anyone could walk in. Difference was, not everyone could drink, and not everyone walked out. I pushed open the creaky doors, Ren following silently behind me as I started briefing him on the situation. By the time we got to the bar counter, having dodged a few drunks along the way, Ren was fully aware of what we were doing. "So, standard missing job?" he asked. I shook my head, frowning, "Seems like it… but my gut's telling me there's more to this." I said. When my gut spoke to me, I normally listened. It'd saved my life, both literally and socially, on multiple occasions.
I sat down at the metal bar stool, Ren sitting directly to my right. "Junior." I said simply, knowing the man could hear me. He turned around, walking over to us. "Detectives… what can I do for you?" he asked, his eyes flashing between us. He knew we both had weapons on our person. However, we knew he had a shotgun under the bar, and plenty of security to contend with. "I need some information for a case." I said. Junior nodded slowly, picking up a wine glass from nearby, absently cleaning it. "What could I possible give you?" he asked. I smiled, "Intel on an old patron. One Yang Xiao Long." I said. The burly man paled, looking around frantically, "Did you bring that crazy bitch here?! Is she on her way?!" he asked, leaning in and whispering to us both. I shook my head, "No, my job's to find Yang. I was hoping you could help me do that." I said.
He shook his head, "No way, no how. I am not getting involved in anything with her! She nearly fucking killed me the first time! I'd rather keep my ability to have children thank you very much." he said. Ren and I looked at one another, this was going nowhere. "Though," we both turned back to Junior at this, our eyes interested. "There is one person that may know." he said, quickly pointing across the bar. "Her name's Blake Belladonna, one of Yang's personal friends, though I'd guess they're a bit more than that. Either way, if anyone in this shithole town can tell you where Yang is, it's he." he said, going back to cleaning his counter. "Look kid, that's all I can do." he said. I chuckled, standing up, Ren following suit. "That's all we need." I said. One lead, that's it. We turned, walking towards the mysterious woman, who didn't seem to notice us until we were right up on her. "Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked, her voice bored and monotone. I smiled,
"Yes you can Blake Belladonna, we have a lot to talk about."