"Hey, Rachel."
"Huh?"
"I'm bored. You?"
"Yeah…"
I go to check the clock again.
"Still got a few hours until closing."
"Of course we do. It's not even dark out yet." Rachel replies.
"True, True."
I should probably introduce myself at this point. As if I have much to do at the moment. My names Zarek. I'm a fairly average 17 year old, six foot guy. I'm currently at work, as boring as it is for a Wednesday afternoon.
I bring up a hand to rub my stubble. Mumbling little things to myself, I go about cleaning the counter. Again. It was at this moment whatever god is watching decides to give me and the rest of my hometown the middle finger. Not to mention the rest of the continental US.
"Rachel, you hear that?"
"Uh." She pauses for a moment. "Is that sirens?"
"Yeah, I hear it too. It can't be a tornado, can it?"
"No, that was last week. Although, considering Texas' bipolar weather, it could be."
The sirens cease for a, presumably, prerecorded message.
"This is a warning for all residents. Find cover and hunker down for a Nuclear Attack. This is not a test. I repeat. This is not a test."
"Well, shit." we sync.
"Welp nice knowin' ya."
"Wait, what? That's it? You're not even going to try to survive?" Rachel questions.
"Yeah, Imma just go hit up the wine section first though."
"Suit yourself. I'm going to take a spot in the freezer."
Rachel walks into the backroom, while I go to the wine section. Humming to myself while I pull out one of the bottles, I feel a tug on my chef coat.
I hum as I turn around to see a child. No older than five. She looks to have been crying for sometime as the tear marks stain her cheeks.
"H-have you seen my mommy?"
"K-kid? What are you doing out here? Nevermind that, you need to get to one of the freezers."
"Fweessers?"
"Yeah freezers, what we use to keep the food we have yet to cook cold. Now come on, I'll help you find your mommy."
"Thank you mister."
Seeing as there is no time to lose I pick up the kid and take her to the nearest freezer. Which, just my luck, is full. So are the next two. And the one of the freezers in the packaging section too. Just when I was about to give out hope on this kid living, I open the last freezer (that I know of, hey I'm still fairly new around here) and thank whatever nonspecific deity is up there, as there is space! For one. Eh. I wasn't planning to live through this anyway.
"Kid, there's only room for one of us in here, you've got to live through this mess. Now, go find your parents."
"What about you mister?"
"Me? I'm about to find out if there's a God."
With that, I close the freezer and sit with my back to it before realising I want a good view of the mushroom cloud. As dumb as that is. While taking a swig from the bottle, I idly note it's actually pretty good. Walking out of the loading area, pain, lots of pain, before nothing.
Waking up what feels like a short time after, I take in my surroundings.
'Is this the warp? Am I going to meet Khorne? Or Slaanesh? Not that I'd mind Slaanesh…'
For those of you not in the warp with me, its filled with stars, dozens of little balls of flaming plasma dotting the horizon(?). Before me are four flames, from left to right, a deep purple flame, a bright gold with brief flashes of darkness across it, a verdant green flame, and lastly a lime green flame. I stretch my nonexistent arms. What? It's the warp, nothing here technically exists.
'Hmm, that felt good. Umm… is there anything to do here before the 41st millenium?'
Wandering, I head up to one of the "stars".
'Huh, this is another universe. So the multiverse theory was right.'
I continue this until I feel a tug, unlike the kid tugging on my chef coat, this felt like someone was dragging me, by the heart, towards one of the universes. Deciding to give in, I begin running towards the universe bubble. I purposely stop just short to try to see what universe this is. However, I do not get my wish as I'm am dragged into the universe by the unseen hand.
Confirming the multiverse theory, is only kinda weird and actually kind of awesome. Waking up in a new universe is weird. Waking up in a new universe in your old body (not that I was unhappy with it) is stranger still. The strangest thing of waking up today would have to be the fact I am currently being rode like a human sex toy by the Neopolitan. That alone gives me all the information I need to guess that I'm in the RWBYverse.
Having just woke up, I lie in bed for a while longer to get more of my bearings. The room is unfamiliar to me (no shit sherlock) but it's nicely maintained. Next to the bed is a dresser with Neo's iconic parasol leaning up next to it. There's a desk across from the bed with a computer sitting on it and a couple of dust crystals. To my right is a fairly large window, that gives me a good view of Vale. Well, the curtains are closed but from what I can see it is a good view.
A couple minutes pass, or maybe hours? It's hard to tell when you're having fun and there's no clocks. But eventually, Neo comes. Hard. Having never experienced anything like this, Her orgasm sets me off as well. The Ice Cream themed psychopath freezes and slowly turns around to see my cocky grin.
"Had fun?" I ask, only being half sarcastic.
"Yes!" She cheerfully exclaims.
Wait, what?
"Did you have fun?" She continues, oblivious to my realisation.
"...Yes." I admit.
Neo hums in acknowledgement while she pulls off of my member with a squelch. I watch as Neo walks over to her dresser and begins clothing herself.
"So," Neo begins, "Might I ask why you teleported into my apartment?"
"Hah, I was hoping you could tell me what I'm doing here." I state, actually confused.
"You don't know either? Did you hit your head or something?" Neo asks while putting on her brown undershirt thing.
"I must have, I don't recall much before just now." I lie.
Neo pauses putting on her pants and looks at me, while I give my best "What the hell is happening" look.
"Alright," She begins,"What do you remember?"
"Small bits and pieces of my past." A pause. "I do remember my name and a few familiar faces, but no names to go with them." I continue the lie.
"Then, what is your name? I'm Neopolitan! But most people just call me Neo."
"Names Zarek, nice to meet you Neo. Now, uhh, do you have any clothes I can borrow?"
"Your clothes are in the closet. I washed and hung them for you." She says as she points at the closet.
Humming my acknowledgements, I go to the designated closet and begin putting on my clothes. Oddly enough I didn't come to Remnant with the clothes on my back when I died. Now that's a weird thought, I actually died. Huh. Anyway, the only clothes in the closet were my sports underwear, a pair of jeans (I'm not actually a pants kind of guy, I prefer shorts), my one skivvy shirt (it's so comfy can you blame me?), and my jacket.
'Wait, is this my jacket?'
I check the right sleeve for the paint stain that I know to be there. Sure enough, it is.
'Lucky me, I liked this jacket.'
Finishing clothing myself, I head out into the living room with its attached kitchen. Neo is sitting on the couch with a bowl of… something. I can't see from this angle. She's watching the news with Lisa Lavender. Anybody remember her? Yeah, she's the news lady. There's some story about rumors in Beacon about Ozpin being several hundred years old. I have to force myself not to laugh at the irony.
I plop down next to Neo and watch the news with her for a while. Noting the date of today… It looks like school should have started, at least back at home. …Thank you Lisa for convenient timing of telling me Beacon just started. The news feed cuts to a view of the initiation ceremony, apparently showing off one of the "power teams" that are newly formed.
'That's team CFVY. That means I have a year until the main events of RWBY. Good… I have plans to accomplish.'
"Hey," Neos voice snaps me out of my thoughts, "What's your opinion on huntsmen?"
"Huntsmen?" I lie, continuing from earlier.
"Yeah, the 'guardians of the world', and all that jazz." Neo explains.
"Guardians? Guarding us, I assume, from what?" I question, continuing the lie.
"The creatures of Grimm. The nightmare tale that is told to small children." Neo continues the explanation.
"If they are just a tale, then why do we need Huntsmen?" I ask, only half lying.
"Because they aren't a tale. Its fact." Neo gets up and walks off to her room and returns with a Beowolf plushie. "This is one of the types of Grimm. The Beowolf, commonly found in packs of four or more. But here in the Kingdoms, they are a non-issue. It's the bigger Grimm that are a real threat."
"Kingdoms?" I continue the lie.
"You hit your head hard, huh, numbskull?"
"Already onto pet names I see, alright sweetie." I tease.
"Jeez, you make it sound like we're an old married couple." Neo comments.
"Not that I'd mind…" I mumble under my breath.
"But… Kingdoms?" I say, getting us back on track.
"Right, the four Kingdoms of the world are the only real safe places from the Grimm. They are Atlas, Mistral, Vacuo, and Vale. Where we are right now, would be Vale. The metaphorical center of the world, Vale boasts the most influence compared to the other Kingdoms as its literally in the center of the other Kingdoms. Vale's influence is further bolstered by the simple fact Ozpin is the Headmaster of Beacon. It has the largest port and airport as it is a common stop for cruise ships of both varieties. A common theme runs through the underground of Vale, if it exists, money can buy it. Although most of this comes from Mistral, a fair amount comes from Vacuo as well. There are a number of gangs in Vale's underground, with the most notable being Roman Torchwicks gang, Smashing Pumpkins. Vale is ruled by what is known as the Council of Nine, most of the members are elected. The lone exception to the elections is a spot reserved for Beacons Headmaster. Vale is the only Kingdom without a standing army as the standing army Vale once had was folded into Atlas in exchange for Atlas defending Vale. Atlas has a few military bases in and around Vale with a small fleet defending Vales walls. This vacuum of power in the military space has lead to the rise of several PMCs. None are large enough to fully fill the gap of Vale's nonexistent army but they do help out whenever a wave of Grimm crash upon Vales walls." Neo rants off the top of her head.
"I feel like I just got a lecture… Why do you know all of that?" I ask, confused again.
"I paid attention to uncle Roman." Neo cheerfully explains.
"Wait, Roman, as in the Roman Torchwick you mentioned in your rant?" I smuggly ask.
Neo's taken back by how quickly I put that together. "Umm, yes…?"
"Why did you pose that as a question?" I press.
'I've managed to catch her off guard, I just need to press to try to get her or Torchwick to train me.'
"I-I'm sorry, you caught me off guard. Yeah, Roman is my uncle. Though, don't go spouting that off everywhere. I'd like to be able to walk the streets of Vale without fear of getting into a high speed chase. Again." Neo explains.
Deciding not to press on the high speed chase part, at least not yet, "What, exactly, does Roman do anyway? Besides the gang that is."
"Roman does heists, everything from little Dust shops to the Vale Central Bank. If a shop or bank exists, Roman has probably done a heist against it at some point."
"You know," Neo humms, "I like you, your not a hardass like the Atlesians that I've known."
"Why do you assume I'm Atlesian?" I question.
"The skivvy shirt." Neo snaps.
A muted ahh comes from me before Neo continues, "You have a good physique, you're funny, and I did hear that passing comment earlier about wanting to marry me."
'I know where this is going… And I am a-okay with this development.'
"Do you want to go out with me?" Neo finishes.
"Yes. Yes. Yes? Yes." I fumble out the words.
'Sheesh, if all women in Remnant are this forward I can expect to get my own little harem going. Maybe. We'll see.'
Neo on the other hand is giddy, while I am still stunned by how blunt she was about that whole "I want to fuck you" kind of thing. I did note she put my body first over my personality though. I'm overthinking this. I just got an Ice Cream themed psychopath as a girlfriend. On day one of being on Remnant no less. Great start, Z! For once no sarcasm this time!
While I'm trying to sort out the repercussions of my actions, Neo gets a call on her Scroll.
"Hello?" a pause, "Hi Roman!" another pause, "Yeah, yeah, I didn't forget." another pause, "Okay, Roman. Oh! Before I go, do you remember the guy who teleported into my apartment? Yeah, him. He woke up today! I'm just happy he wasn't asleep for a few days." a pause, "He's actually really chill, he barely batted an eye when I told him you were a criminal!"
A muffled "WHAT?!" comes from the scroll.
"Don't worry, he doesn't seem the type to snitch."
"You know this Roman guy doesn't sound too bad." I state.
"He isn't, he's just caught on the wrong side of the law." Neo tells me as she walks into her room and returns with her parasol.
"Yeah, I'm on the way Roman." Neo hangs up before turning to me. "Stay here, I've got 'business' to do."
"Okay, sweetie!"
"Ass." Neo replies before walking out the door.
'Now, what?'
Seems to be the question of my life. I guess I could explore Remnants internet? Sure, that sounds good. I remember a computer in the bedroom…
After what feels like a few minutes, It's actually been hours, but don't mind that. I've stumbled across some good information on Remnant, like Pseudo Aura Generators. The precursor to actually generating an Aura, like found in Penny, the PAG is primarily used to draw Grimm away from settlements and into traps. These are, however, illegal to own by civilians. Huntsmen don't use them due to them being able to flare their own Aura to attract Grimm. These are the reasons that only the militaries of Remnant uses PAGs.
But, when Neo returns, I'm looking through a 3d weapon designer. I'm currently stuck between a Katana/revolver hybrid and a Naginata Dust caster.
"Whatcha doing?" Neo questions while leaning on my shoulder. It doesn't take a genius to realise her breasts are almost in my face.
"I'm currently thinking about my weapon choice." I explain.
"What for?" Neo asks innocently.
"I'm down for joining on big heists, like what you and Roman did tonight." I carefully explain.
I wasn't technically lying, as I did keep an eye on the news as Neo did say she was going to help Roman with something. That something was a drug deal gone horribly wrong. They burned down a warehouse before everything got settled.
"So, what? You want to be muscle while I'm eye candy?" Neo teases.
"If, you're down for that." I tease back.
"I would think you would be better suited for infiltration, although Roman has a better eye than I do for talent." Neo says, suddenly semi serious again.
"Speaking of Roman, where is he?" I question.
"Right behind you, kid."
I nearly jump out of my chair at Romans voice. "Jeez, anybody teach you to not sneak up on people like that?" I ask sarcastically.
"Nope, I was taught to sneak up on people like that." Roman says, matching my level of sarcasm.
'Should have guessed…'
"But, Neos right, you would do better as a silent heister." Roman says as he reaches over my other shoulder and takes control of the mouse.
"And for a silent heister," Roman continues, "you need a similarly silent weapon. The Katana is a good starting point and the revolver, while loud, has unmatched stopping power in the pistol category."
Roman clicks on the order button and a confirmation prompt comes up.
"Is this all, kid?" Roman endearingly asks.
I nod. Roman nods in confirmation and clicks 'yes'.
"Alright kid, this will be getting here in a few days. Meanwhile, I'm going to be teaching you how to be a good thief." Roman states, as if I have much of a choice.
"You seem to be really forward with me, Roman. Might I ask why?" I ask Roman.
"You've managed to catch the eye of my little Neo." Roman says with a sly grin on his face.
"I'm not little! I'm 24!" Neo shouts in an annoyed tone.
"Say that to the height difference, shortstack." Roman replied back sharply.
Neo doesn't have a verbal response to this and just gives a pout instead.
"Plus, Neo thinks you're gonna be pretty good at this thief thing we got going. And I think the same." Roman says confidently.
"When do we start?" I question.
"Now." Roman pulls out a lock from one of the desk droors, "The first thing about lock picking is that you got to keep a steady hand…"