Well dear readers,
You have completely blown my mind. The very hour after posting the first chapter, I fell asleep at my computer, and when I woke up the next morning, only to find out the story had over 30 favourites, and 80 followers already, I was flabbergasted. I never believed this would be happening, and I hope the first chapter did justice. This is only the beginning, just so you know! All your expectations could be blown away, trust me, but I'll sure it'll be a pleasure to read!
Thanks for the love and support you all give me, and I'm glad these stories really make a change for some people. Feedback is highly welcome (I love reading it ^^). It helps me decide where to go with this and what you guys think.
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Not a single clue. Not one. No snippet of information or sample of clothing. No leads on the rose petals. Nothing. Weiss had dealt with cases where the information was scarce, but never quite like this. And never as infuriating as this. Whoever this criminal was (dubbed "The Rose Thief" by the rest of the Police department, much to Weiss' chagrin) they certainly knew what they were doing.
We are now approaching Vale Central station. We would like to remind all passengers to take all personal belongings with them when alighting the train. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform edge. Thank you.
She found herself mumbling along to the automated message, having heard it dozens of times before. The screeching of the brakes signified that they were about to stop, and Weiss waited for the train to stop before getting up, joining the crowd of people frantically scrambling off the carriage. During peak times the trains would be filled significantly over the recommended capacity, and Weiss had been fortunate to get a seat to herself.
Weak sunlight peered through dappled clouds as the young officer headed back to the Police station, her mind still musing over the conversation she'd had a few hours previously. It was rare that Weiss would choose to visit her parents these days; their archaic views far too often were at odds with her more modern and idealistic ways. Still, she did call in from time to time when her schedule would allow or when she needed help with something important, like today.
As usual, her father had been equal parts helpful and infuriating. Gristoff Schnee was a man blessed with vast intelligence, and he had spent most of his adult life in the police force, rising through the ranks until he he was Chief Commissioner, commanding the force with the same discipline as he commanded his home. Weiss placed great value on his input, and it was because of this she'd asked for his advice on the case.
But much to Weiss' disappointment, he didn't know what to do either.
The ringing of Weiss' mobile phone snapped her back to reality. Glancing at the screen she saw it was a number she didn't recognise.
"Weiss Schnee."
"Hello beautiful." A sultry voice slurred, instantly recognisable by the young officer.
"Neptune what the hell are you doing ringing my personal phone? And for that matter, how did you get my number?" Weiss snapped, catching the attention of two passing citizens.
"Hey, I'm just ringing to tell you that there have been several reports of pickpocketing near the docks." Neptune replied nonchalantly, seemingly oblivious to Weiss' disapproval.
"And instead of going after it yourself, you call me on my day off?"
"It's just you're back from Atlas, right? It's quicker and easier if you head there now. Besides, I still have to do some research on the Rose Thief."
Weiss grumbled. She'd been hoping to have the afternoon off to unwind after the stresses of the past few days, but loathe as she was to admit it, Neptune had a valid point. The docks were practically on the way back to the station, and honestly she hadn't visited that part of the city in a while and it'd be nice to stroll along the seafront. When she'd been younger, Weiss had always disliked the docks, finding them too smelly and noisy, but now she appreciated them as the foundation upon which the city had been able to grow.
"Fine, I'll look into it." She answered before hanging up on Neptune, already irritated with her colleague.
When Neptune had been assigned as her new partner, Weiss was most certainly not happy. Pyrrha, her previous companion, had been transferred to Mistral to take up a more senior role, and whilst Weiss was definitely proud for her, she found herself missing the other woman more and more. The two of them had an instant rapport the second they met, and they both strived for the best. Plus, Pyrrha always took her job seriously, unlike Neptune with all his flirting. Weiss sighed nostalgically: she could really use that sort of help with this case.
The midday sun shone down on the busy high-street, thin wisps of cloud failing to shield the people below. Ruby squinted through the glare, her expert eyes scanning the crowds in anticipation for her next target. All the rich fools seemed to converge here, drifting from shop to shop as they spent what Ruby assumed must be millions in each, every single one of them more ostentatious than the last. Chances are they didn't even know of the plight that Ruby and her people faced, and even if they did she doubted any of them cared.
"There." She stated, her eyes fixed on a young man barely out of his teens hurrying down the pavement, phone held at his ear. Even from here she could see the immaculate needlework on his suit jacket and the shoes that cost more than most people made in a year. The way he strutted as though everything else were inferior really irritated Ruby, and she wanted nothing more than to rub the smirk from his arrogant face.
"So… what do I do?" A lanky teenager crouched at her side asked awkwardly. Ruby could see that Jaune was suffering in this heat: his messy blonde hair stuck to his skin by a thin layer of sweat. She'd been asked to show him the ropes, and had decided to start with learning to pick the pockets of the richer citizens of Vale (or "Trimming the Fat" as Yang called it). Thus, the two of them were crouched on a rooftop observing the bustle of people as Ruby sought to teach by example.
"Watch and learn." She said with a smirk before shimmying down the side of the building and merging seamlessly into the crowds.
Ruby kept low, avoiding direct eye contact with anyone but moving in the general direction of her target. Despite the noise of the crowd, she was able to make out his arrogant chuckle, and she moved to cut him off. Having already acquired several wallets that day, Ruby was erring on the side of caution, and as soon as she caught sight of her victim she pretended to fall, arms flailing wildly as she grasped at his suit in what looked like an attempt to stop her from hitting the ground. In reality she was happily helping herself to the contents of his inside suit pocket, but he didn't need to know about that just yet.
"Ugh, I'm sorry." Ruby coughed and spluttered as she pushed herself up, feigning injury.
"Watch where you're going, you little brat." He snapped, not even bothering to look at the supposedly injured young girl, before marching off. Ruby chuckled at the curse words he muttered under his breath: no doubt there would be a few more of those when he discovered what had truly happened. A few people helped her up, the sympathy a distressingly unfamiliar feeling for Ruby, and she made her way back towards the building where Jaune was waiting.
"There we go, easy as that!" The redhead happily exclaimed as she handed Jaune the contents of the wallet she'd just obtained. She scaled the brick walls undetected: everyone so focused on themselves that none noticed her.
"I guess…" Her new partner seemed unsure and Ruby smiled sympathetically at him. As someone who'd been born and raised with this lifestyle she could definitely understand his difficulties, but all he really needed right now was a bit of confidence.
"Tell you what. If you take everything that we've gotten today back to Yang, I'll help you out again. We'll find somewhere a bit easier and we can take it from there, okay?"
That seemed to do the trick, as Jaune perked up instantly, thanked her profusely and headed back in the direction of their hideout. She found it a tad amusing, and resumed her previous position atop the rooftop, scanning the teeming crowds for more victims. A rumbling noise emanating from her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten all day, and she resolved to go get something after one more victim, when she glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye: an all-too familiar face. Ruby caught herself staring at the girl as the corners of her lips curled up in a wide grin. She had an idea.
It wasn't often that Weiss ventured to the docks, especially in civilian clothes, and it struck her how things had changed even in the relatively short time since she was last there. Where once had been greengrocers and cobblers now were solicitors and jewelers. The once friendly atmosphere had been replaced by one of cold indifference and the whole place had an overly sterile finish to it, leaving Weiss feeling almost nostalgic for the place from her youth.
She found herself being pushed around, the uncaring, arrogant residents seemingly oblivious to anything but themselves. Weiss was already regretting coming here, her mind full of things she could have done with her free afternoon and none of them involved being shoved around. In this crush of people she could certainly understand why a pickpocket might target here: it was a veritable gold-mine.
Weiss felt something brush past her and she spun around, only to see a figure darting off through the crowd. A rising anger boiled within her as she checked her now-empty pockets, and the policewoman took off in pursuit, weaving in and out of throngs of people, blocking out the exclamations of various people she bumped into.
From what little she'd been able to see of the pickpocket they were quite short, maybe a fraction over 5 foot, and of slender build. Their black hoodie was visible through gaps in the crowds, and already they were beginning to pull away. The way they ducked and weaved past the groups of people was almost beautiful; each step barely a tiptoe on the ground yet at frightening speed. Gritting her teeth and staring determinedly ahead Weiss kept up the pursuit, her legs pumping madly in a desperate attempt not to be left behind.
The thief was definitely quick, but Weiss was no slouch either, having been a keen athlete in her youth. Even with the crowds they were struggling against, the criminal was unable to lose her pursuer, the occasional scream from someone being shoved aside enough for her to keep up the chase. The gap between them was mere feet, and Weiss was tantalisingly close to apprehending the agile sneak, but always they slipped away at the last second. Despite herself, Weiss was loving this. Catching a pickpocket who was sloppy enough to try and rob her would be just what she needed to get over not finding the Rose Thief yet, and she was already imagining the satisfaction of cuffing the would-be robber and bringing them back to the station.
Their chase had taken them to the harbour, the fresh sea air invigorating Weiss and giving her fresh determination. There was no way she was giving up on this chase, and the thief was running out of places to go.
Her assailant took a sudden left turn along the waterfront and down the pier, and Weiss found herself stumbling as she followed, her shoes scraping along the floor as she almost fell. The masses of people that had slowed them both down earlier were beginning to thin out, and for the first time the white-haired officer was able to get a good look at the thief. Despite the baggy black hoodie they were quite slender, far too slender to be a man. Half-length sand coloured cargo pants swayed as they danced along the pier, and old, tattered running shoes moved at phenomenal speed, leaving Weiss panting and struggling to keep up.
The distance between the two was widening with every second, and Weiss' muscles were screaming at her to stop, when the thief skidded to a halt before executing a perfect backflip over the side of the pier and into the water, an audible splash accompanying her dive. Weiss scurried to the edge to see, hoping to be able to catch her when she came up to air.
No. No, no, no. This could not be happening. Gentle ripples spread out across the water, the thief nowhere to be seen. And bobbing up and down in time with the waves were hundreds of tiny red specs. Rose petals. Gradually they spread out, covering the surface of the bay, each one seeming to mock Weiss, taunting her. She'd failed, and the realisation hit her of just who had robbed her.
"Dammit!" She gasped, frustration overcoming her normally rational mind. How could this happen? How? She'd been made to look like a fool in broad daylight. She sat down, her lungs still straining from exertion. Weiss couldn't let this be known in the force. She had to do something, and fast.
After a minute of catching her breath Weiss got to her feet. Only now did she notice that several people had been staring at her, no doubt bewildered and perhaps slightly wary after the events that had just unfolded, but she didn't care. She hurried off, back to the police station, back to her desk. She wasn't going to take this. The Rose Thief was going to pay.
Beautiful pinks and oranges arced across the evening sky, illuminating the haze of cloud that had begun to settle over Vale. The frantic rush of the day time had died down, replaced by the peaceful murmur of the night, and Ruby had finally made it home, flopping down on her old, shabby mattress, her head buried in an even older pillow. She was exhausted, wet and miserable, and as she shed her damp clothes and pulled on a pair of threadbare tracksuit trousers and a thin t-shirt she gazed out at the picturesque sky, wishing to be carried away into the sunset and away from the troubles of life.
Ever since a teenage Yang had brought her younger sister to Vale in the hopes of finally bettering themselves, her world had been turned upside down. Searching for a job had yielded no results and neither had begging, and the two girls had been on the brink of starvation when a blonde monkey faunus had taken them into his life, and the thieving ways that came with it.
The Flooded District lay at the Westernmost part of the city, and was aptly named. Abandoned by all, the decaying buildings had been left to rot after a flood had decimated the area a few years ago, and most considered the slums to be uninhabitable. Ruby knew better. An entire community had thrived there, comprised of those too poor or sick to care for themselves. Those who had been neglected by the rest of the city. By sheltering on the top floor they managed to avoid the worst of the flood, and although the stagnant water bore many diseases, they were tended to by a doctor who sympathised with their plight.
Anyway, things were about to get a whole lot better now Ruby had her prize. With barely contained glee she reached into the still soaking cargo shorts on the floor and retrieved Weiss' wallet. The white leather glistened in the pale light of Ruby's room, and she subconsciously rubbed her fingers over its smooth surface, caressing it as gently as she would a child.
With delicate fingers she opened the wallet, removing the white-haired cop's driving licence and inspecting it. Gosh Weiss was beautiful: silk white hair flowing in an off-centered ponytail; deep blue eyes that shone like diamonds; her jawbones were sharp and her complexion was pale, a faint scar scar under her left eye that only accentuated her beauty. It was the most beautiful and most stunning sight the thief had ever been privileged to see, and the corners of her lips curled up into a faint smile.
Ruby felt her cheeks burn, the heat rising to her whole face and lighting it up like a beacon. She shook her head vigorously to clear the thoughts before carefully setting the driving licence and rummaging through the rest of the wallet, finding a sizeable amount of money that she could already see a use for.
"Rubes you in here?" Yang shouted from the next room and Ruby desperately looked for a place to hide the licence and wallet, hurriedly shoving both under her pillow.
"Oh, hey Yang," she responded as her sister entered the room, "Yeah I got back a couple of minutes ago."
"Sweet. You get anything else good?"
"No it got really quiet all of a sudden so I left." Ruby lied, hoping Yang would fall for it.
"Ah, well, can't always win. Listen, we're all going to Sun's in a bit if you want to tag along. He got a big payday and wanted to celebrate it with us."
"I'll meet you there," she replied automatically, her mind wandering to the driving licence in her room and the potential power it gave her, "Just sorting a few things first."
"Okay." Yang called behind her as she left.
Instantly Ruby reached under her pillow, her eager hands grasping at the laminated licence. She held it close and grinned, an idea formulating itself in her head. She knew what to do with the money, and this just made it all perfect.
TBB out!