Chapter 2: Every Day is Exactly the Same
"You alright?" Yang asked as Ruby sat down her grocery bag that contained the tin of tea leaves. "You were gone for quite a while."
"Hm?" Ruby asked. "Oh, sorry. I got held up at the store. I asked the employed what kind of tea they had and he started explaining the flavors of each tea he showed me." I hate lying to Yang, she thought guiltily.
Yang giggled slightly. "I'll bet. Those guys are probably like car salesmen; they'll try anything to make you buy something."
Ruby glanced to her right towards Weiss's bed where the heiress was polishing her nails quietly. To Ruby's left was Blake's bed, where the faunus currently wasn't. "Where is she?"
"Assuming she didn't lie to us, she's in the shower sulking," Weiss said dryly. She sighed, standing to retrieve the bag of tea. "I suppose I'd better start brewing some of that for her. I hope it helps lighten her mood."
Ruby and Yang nodded as Weiss left the room, no doubt heading for the community commons area where various appliances sat to be used; coffee makers and water heaters were among the available tools.
"How is she?" Ruby asked her elder sister.
"Quiet," Yang replied. "I mean, more than usual. It's kind of scary to see her act this way."
"Yeah." Ruby shook her head. "I hope we can help her. I'd hate for her to stay like that for too long."
The door creaked open, and a slightly damp Blake entered the dorm. Her night clothes stuck to her body where she apparently rushed to dry herself after the shower, and a towel was still draped around her shoulders absorbing water from her jet black hair. She froze at the sight of Ruby and Yang for a moment before she moved to sit on her bed. "I'm going to sleep," she said quietly, almost as a whisper.
But Ruby heard it. "Nope," she said flatly.
The cat faunus was caught off guard. "I...I'm sorry?"
"It's time the four of us had a serious girl talk, Blake." Weiss entered with a steaming teapot and four cups. Ruby nodded, motioning for her to go ahead and pour the tea and distribute it between the four of them. Blake couldn't protest as the tea was practically thrust into her hands before she could say anything. Weiss and Yang each sat in a chair on each side of Ruby, who stood before Blake's bed. Calmly sipping the tea, Ruby smiled and was pleased with the flavor she chose.
Blake was nervous. She didn't know what was going on. All she knew was that her three friends were crowded around her drinking tea and staring at her silently, almost as if they were scolding her for misbehaving. Maybe scold was the wrong word to use. Was it anger? No, Blake thought. They don't seem mad at me for anything. Concern? That had to be it. They were concerned for her. The thought was touching to Blake, but she was still confused as to why they would be concerned. She gulped nervously, hoping that someone would break the silence. With no alternatives, she decided to sip from her teacup, and was pleasantly surprised to find a slightly bitter, but fruity flavor.
Ruby smiled slightly, pleased that her cat eared friend had finally tasted the tea. "Blake, we're all friends here, right?"
Caught off guard, Blake stammered a, "Y-yeah."
"Blake, we your comrades and friends of team RWBY are concerned for your well being. We're here for you if you need us, you know that right?"
Blake nodded. "Guys, I'm fine, really," she lied.
"No, you're not," Weiss interjected. "Blake, you made a promise to me that you'd come to us if you have a problem. It's obvious that you have a problem, and we want to help you through it. You shouldn't have to go through this alone."
The faunus girl looked away shyly. "I just..."
"Blake, sweetie, please talk to us," Yang said tenderly, using a tone that only Ruby had heard before; her motherly tone. "We're worried about you."
Blake felt a lance pierce her heart as Yang spoke. Those words were so sweet and full of concern and familial love that she knew she couldn't resist. Sighing, she sipped from her tea and hung her head sadly. "It's just...what is Torchwick up to? Why are the White Fang working for a human, let alone one like him?"
Ruby sighed, but she revealed a smile. "I figured that's what was one your mind."
"I don't understand what could possibly be going on. Many of my comrades in the White Fang despised humans, especially close minded racists like Torchwick. They'd have died before they would've agreed to work with him!"
"I don't know why I wanted to talk to you again, but it's somewhat enjoyable. At least here I can speak my mind!" Roman's words echoed in Ruby's mind. "Have you met my employer? Total bitch!" She shrugged. "I don't know what he's up to. I doubt very many people do know."
"While we're on the subject, actually," Weiss spoke up. "For what purpose could a thief like Torchwick need so much Dust?"
"What do you mean?" Yang asked.
"He's practically famous all over the kingdom. He's a Tier One criminal wanted for hundreds of charges including thefts, assaults, smuggling, public intoxication, and even one murder. He's participated in a variety of heists and thefts, all of which were unrelated to the other say for the fact that he was the on doing the stealing. What could he possibly need with so much Dust now?"
"I didn't know any of that," Yang stated.
"I looked into him after we got Blake back home a couple of weeks ago."
Ruby thought for a moment. "It's never been a secret that I'm a thief for hire." She resisted the urge to smile. Thanks for the tip, Roman. "Maybe he doesn't need the Dust. Maybe someone else does," she suggested.
"What do you mean?" Blake asked, sipping from her tea mechanically.
"What if the reason his crimes are unrelated is because he's a freelance criminal? Maybe people hire him to do odd jobs, and someone wants him to steal Dust now."
Weiss placed a finger on her chin in thought. "That does make sense. I shudder at the thought of seeing what his resume must look like."
"What about the murder?" Blake asked worriedly.
"I actually looked into that case. While he was never arrested or convicted for it, all evidence pointed at him as the prime suspect. It was deemed a crime of passion. It was also from nine years ago, so I doubt he had a professional background. I hate to speak in his favor, but it's possible that it was even an accident."
"So he's not been accused of killing anyone else?" Ruby asked.
"It seems he hasn't."
"I could've killed her," he taunted in Ruby's mind. It didn't make sense, but there wasn't a whole lot of information to work from as far as Ruby was concerned. Additionally, they weren't trying to figure out who he did and did not kill. "Well, it's my theory that Roman is just a pawn for someone else. Probably a major crime organization or something. Maybe there's going to be a massive gang war and they needed Dust. Who knows. The point is; Roman's not important."
"Then who hired him?" Blake wondered out loud. "And why did they contact the White Fang?"
"Maybe Roman contacted them? He could have offered part of his cut to them. I've heard that they're not as powerful as they used to be, and fighting a war against humanity is probably pretty expensive," Yang stated.
"I'm sorry," Blake said. "I'm sorry, but I feel like I need to know what's going on. I have to find out. I know you don't want me to get myself involved, and you don't want me to get myself into trouble, but this is something that..."
"Then we'll help," Ruby said flatly, interrupting Blake.
"We're gonna what?" Weiss yelled. "No, we need to talk her out of this Ruby, not encourage it!"
Ruby grinned sheepishly at Weiss. "Truth is, I'm kind of curious myself."
"We're students, Ruby. We shouldn't be doing this! Yang, talk some sense into your sister and your partner!"
Yang shrugged. "I'm game." The blonde brawler grinned wolfishly at the heiress.
"Three to one, Weiss," Ruby teased. "You're outnumbered."
"B-but," She looked to her three team mates, looking lastly at Blake's stunned but happy face; tears of joy seemed to almost surface. "Oh, fine! I guess we'll become the youngest vigilantes in Vale's history."
"Not vigilantes, Weiss," Ruby grinned. "We'll be Huntresses!"
Nik stood atop the clock tower of Beacon academy; the same tower that housed Ozpin's office. His blue robe billowed behind him as the violent wind of the altitude rushed around him, threatening to throw him from his seemingly delicate perch. Yellow eyes scanned the darkness below, silently studying anyone that he happened to see. Granted, the sun had set so there weren't very many of Beacon's students active at the moment, but the few he saw he believed were promising. Silently, he echoed the names of those he saw.
Velvet Scarlatina...Sun Wukong...Neptune Vasilias...Ruby Rose... Coco...Luna Fay...Pyrrha Nikos... He smiled at the thought of each of them. "But," he said aloud. "It's too soon to decide. Hundreds are on my list."
He couldn't make a decision until he was able to understand each and every single one of them. He needed to find their flaws, and strike their names accordingly. When he was down to one, then he would make his final selection. No sooner. No later. He was prepared to wait years if he needed to.
Something curious caught his eye, however. His list was based on a magical algorithm that detected possible candidates for ascension to the might of a Shifter. One name he didn't expect to see. During his short stay so far, he'd heard much about this man. His exploits were petty, but criminal in nature. Hated by just about everyone, it seemed no one trusted him. "Roman Torchwick...why is your name written down?"
Song: Every Day Is Exactly The Same- Nine Inch Nails
Author's Note
Whew! Sorry I took so long. I've been laid off from work for the year and I've moved in with my sister and my life's been kind of hectic and I've had some issues to sort out...basically, my hands have been tied for WEEKS. But, I'm still writing! I finished this chapter as quickly as I could! I swear! So, what do you thing so far, boys and girls? Liking it? I'm starting to like it more and more as I keep writing it. Hopefully I don't fuck it up somewhere along the way.
Til next time!
