Chapter three: Organized crime and less organized training

"I believe in Vale. It's what made my fortune after all."

I heard the man say as I looked up, the pale hair and skin gave away who it was rather easily. Even if the bright blue eyes didn't. The way he spoke… irritated me, almost to no end. Still though, I was a business woman first. He paid well, and if I had to listen to him to get my pay… well, it was a small sacrifice. He spoke again, more carefully this time, "I have raised my children in that same fashion, the way Vale children are raised. My eldest, Winter, she leaves home one day as a beautiful girl, then comes back with a broken jaw and a busted up nose. She could barely walk, so I had her taken to the hospital. I found out why, why she was hurt. I found out that she had been attacked, by people of a… less than reputable nature. She was attacked for me, as a message. I went to the police, as a good man should. The men that were charged, they were let go, walking free. One comes up to me in the courtroom, he laughs at me, the two walking away. I knew they bribed the judge. My wife is in tears, and I tell her that if we want justice, we go to Raven Branwen." he said, looking over at me.

I reached over, grabbing my glass of golden liquid, holding up a finger towards the man as I drank it (a/n- like mother like daughter I guess.) feeling the fire flowing through me. I set it down, looking up at him, "You've known me for years Jacques. We've done plenty of business together. What do you want? These two murd-" "I want to send a message." he interrupted, glaring towards me as I slowly nodded. I reached down, grabbing out a cigarette and flicking it towards him, watching it slowly fly through the air to land on his shoulder. "You seem stressed." I said simply as I grabbed one for myself as well. Jacque nodded, placing it between his lips as I did the same, looking over towards the woman near the back of the room. The tan skinned, black haired woman, her hair in jagged cuts and clinging to her scalp as she produced a lighter, holding it beneath my cigarette first, then Jacques.

She stepped back, her hands in front of her as she spread her legs a bit, standing at the ready. I knew that if Jacque tried anything she'd put him down in a split second. I could see the handle of the gun in her suit jacket, she'd decided to wear her standard suit with a navy blue blazer and a red tie today it seemed. "Thank you Vernal." I said, giving her a slight smile as she nodded, smiling back before she turned ahead again, keeping her gaze on Jacques. Jacques let out a puff of smoke, rolling the cigarette around his lips as I took mine out, letting out a puff as I looked towards him, placing the cigarette in my lips as I placed my hands in steeples. "Why didn't you come to me first?" I asked, my eyes cold and my face blank, the end of the cigarette more bright than my eyes.

Jacques looked away from me, letting a puff out of the corner of his mouth, "I'd wanted to leave you out of this… though, I see that was a mistake. The two men were part of the White Fang you see…" he said, trailing off. I didn't need to hear the rest, we both knew about the White Fang. One of the most notorious families in Vale. Unless, of course, you count the Schnee family, or mine. "Okay… what did you have in mind?" I asked. I had a feeling I knew, but if Jacques wanted something done, he normally wanted to micromanage his own revenge, seemed to be a bit more personal for him. He stood, leaning over and whispering in my ear. I felt the smoke against it more than anything when he sat back. I shook my head, "That I can't do." "I'll pay whatever you ask." he said, his eyes burning with a certain stubbornness I was familiar with. My eyes, my daughter's, my husband's, my brother's, everyone related to me seemed to have it.

I sighed, letting out another puff of my cigarette as I nodded a few times, leaning back in my chair slightly. "Twenty-five Jacques. That's as low as I can make it." "Deal." he said. I held out my hand, him leaning down and kissing it. Then he stood, walking away, snuffing out the cigarette in the ashtray near the door. I kept watching until he shut the door behind him, the resounding footsteps fading down the hall. "Vernal, get two cheap bounty hunters and send them after the goons. Send a hunter after them both when it's done, we can't risk association." I explained as I snuffed out my own cigarette. I pushed back my chair, standing up and smoothing out my dress before I looked at Vernal, her eyes asking that familiar question. "How cheap?" "Five hundred grand to two million range." I explained, walking towards the door. Vernal nodded, walking over and holding the door for me as the two of us walked out. She held out her arm as I complied, looping my own arm through hers as she escorted me back towards my own room.

Three days later, four bodies were found, two faunus and two human, and from the Schnee Company, 25 million lien were transferred to one 'Raven Branwen'.

"You're really serious about this huh?"

I nodded as I looked towards the red haired boxer, giving her my most determined glare. I'd come as she requested, wearing my shorts and sports bra. She was wearing one as well, yet unlike me, she wasn't shaking like a leaf in the freezing cold weather. I mean, it wasn't supposed to get up above forty degrees today! (a/n- that's uh, fahrenheit for anyone that was wondering. Roughly translates to 4.5 degrees celsius if you need a reference) "Y-Y-Yes I am!" I said, my teeth chattering as I tried my best to keep still, despite the cold wind blowing through me. Pyrrha sighed, nodding a few times as she turned around. She crouched down, motioning for me to do the same. I ignored the pain in my abdomen from two weeks ago as I crouched lower, looking over and seeing Pyrrha by my side. "First, we're going for a little run. Try and keep up." she said, smirking slightly. I smirked right back as I saw her take off, me taking off as well.

Despite her longer legs, I kept up with her just as well, running right next to her as I spoke, "Where are we going?" "The gym down the road!" she yelled over the wind, nodding back to me. I nodded, bursting out ahead of her down the road. I really only asked so I'd know where I was running to. Now I ran unrestrained, the wind rushing against my face, whipping back my hair. I didn't even think about the pain I was in just a few days ago. Now I just ran, bolting towards the gym I knew would be nearby. It was maybe a five minute run, but I skidded to a halt right in front of the gym, turning around… only to see Pyrrha stopped at the first stoplight I'd seen. I felt my face flush as I realized I'd jay-walked past four stoplights, all of which were red as I zipped between the cars. "Oh… hehe… oops…" I muttered. I felt my heart skip a beat as a police officer walked towards one of the stopped cars, the driver pointing in my general direction.

I dashed into the gym, shutting the door behind me as I took a few breaths. I looked around, my face paling as I saw what looked to be twenty men looking over at me, all of them stopping whatever they were doing, be that lifting the weights, running on the treadmills, or discussing with other people. I blinked a few times as my face turned red. "Umm… hi?" I said, feeling my voice crack as I spoke. This awkward stare-down ended whenever Pyrrha walked in, panting slightly. "She's with me." she said, grabbing my upper arm. Everyone turned back to what they were doing, as if my presence was suddenly easily explained away as 'Pyrrha brought her in'. Speaking of Pyrrha, the red headed girl gently guided me towards the back of the gym, where a large, boxing ring of sorts lay unused.

"I'll be damned!" I heard a woman's voice say. I looked over, seeing someone jump over the bars. That someone was a dark skinned woman with platinum blonde hair, excited amber eyes gazing at Pyrrha. She walked over, Pyrrha giving her a smile as the two embraced, the woman patting her on the back. "Pyrrha Nikos! I haven't seen you here in ages! What brings you to my gym… today?" she asked, her eyes trailing down until she noticed her grip on my arm. She raised an eyebrow towards me, to which I could only blush and smile back at her. Pyrrha, thankfully, stepped between us, smiling at her. "Good to see you Arslan. I'm training a new fighter. She's Yang's sister." she said, lightly pushing me forward as she placed her hands on my shoulders, showing her much larger height as I felt her chin on top of my head.

Arslan nodded a few times, keeping that same smile as she jumped into the ring. Pyrrha motioned me forward as I jumped up in as well, standing in front of her as Pyrrha joined us, standing next to me. "How many-" "None. One fight against Adam." she said. Arslan's eyes widened as she looked over at me, gazing down at my bruises as I looked away, covering them. It felt embarrassing that she knew these were from my hot-headed attempt at fighting an experienced veteran with no combat experience whatsoever. "Alright… if you've got no experience," Arslan stood strong, smirking at me, "Then hit me." she said, jumping into the ring. I felt Pyrrha lay a hand on my lower back, pushing me up there as I complied, climbing in. She walked over to the side, leaning against one of the corners of the ring and crossing her arms over her chest.

I looked at Arslan, finding her standing upright again, just watching me. She was calm, cool, a small smirk on her face as she held out a hand, flexing her index finger towards me. I took a breath as I moved forward, trying to punch her. She just stepped aside. "Woaoaoah!" I said as I started flailing my arms, my face meeting the mat a moment later. I looked up, seeing her slowly shaking her head as she looked down at me. "We've got a lot of work to do." she muttered, hoisting me off the ground as I stood, shakily regaining my footing. She took a few steps back, lowering herself slightly into a basic combat stance. "Alright, can't hit for crap. Dodge me." "Wait wha- AH!" I yelped, jumping back as I saw her try to punch me. She tried again, but I simply ducked her blow, dodging a few more times as I saw her kicking towards me. I kept backpedaling and bobbing and weaving until, finally, one of her kicks caught the edge of my jaw.

I staggered back, clutching my jaw as I ducked, seeing her leg flying at me. I saw the opportunity and shouldered Arslan in the crotch, causing her to stagger back slightly as I jumped to the other side of the ring. Arslan looked over at me, her smirk growing a bit wider. "Not bad… not a good fighter but a damn good improviser." she said, looking over at Pyrrha. It was kind of hard to tell if she was talking to me, Pyrrha, or herself, so it was hard to tell whether I should be insulted at the comment on my fighting skills, beaming at the compliment on my improve skills (whatever those were) or just stand there looking confused, like an idiot.

Naturally, I did the later.

Pyrrha walked over, nodding towards Arslan as she stepped back, crossing her arms and taking Pyrrha's place. The red-head walked over to me, "Alright, I want you to get in a basic combat stance, show me how you'd get ready to start a fight." she said. I just nodded, leaning down slightly, holding out my arms as I tried to imitate what I'd seen other fighters doing. Pyrrha held a hand over her mouth as Arslan burst out laughing. "What?" "Ruby… That… Stance…" Pyrrha said, sputtering slightly as she tried to keep from laughing. I stood upright, raising an eyebrow at her as I saw her face burning slightly with the effort of not laughing. Arslan didn't care, laughing up a storm, gripping onto the ropes on the edges of the arena for support.

When Pyrrha calmed down a bit she walked over, telling me to resume my position. I complied, feeling her arms trailing on my own. "I'm sorry but, you're so closed up and hunched in… here, spread your legs wider, keep your center of gravity lower. Lower the elbows too while you're at it." she explained, lightly kicking my feet apart as she moved her hands, gentle hands guiding my own arms lower, to the point they were closer to my stomach than my chest. "Hold your hands up, keep your elbows there though." she explained. I did as she said, feeling her kick my left foot forward slightly. I kept still as I felt Pyrrha's hands on my waist, lifting me up slightly. "Straighten out your knees a bit, not all the way, they need to be slightly bent, don't squat." she explained.

After a moment she stepped back, Arslan recovering and looking over at me. She smiled, "Not bad… other than the pudgy hands she looks like a boxer." "Pudgy?" I muttered, frowning as I looked down at my hands. What the heck did she mean by pudgy? I mean, my hands weren't exactly large. I couldn't even wrap both hands around most mugs in the first place so… pudgy? That's a new one. "She means your hands aren't hard yet. You haven't got the bruising on your knuckles like a boxer yet." Pyrrha explained, placing her hand over mine, rubbing one of her fingers over my knuckles. She stepped back after a second, getting into her own stance. She was taller than me, so obviously she stood over. The difference was, she wasn't slouched over like I was. I imitated her, getting as straight as I could.

"You catch on fast. Now, I want you to try punching from that pose alright?" she asked, keeping that same, warm smile on her face. I nodded, quickly punching ahead of me. She looked at me for a second before she nodded, "Oooh… you're left handed…" "Yeah… so?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her. What did me being left handed have to do with anything? She walked over, not saying a word as she moved my left foot back, my right foot going forward now. "You'll want to press off with that right foot, so that your body can turn more naturally. Watch." she explained, getting into the same pose I was before she pressed her foot into the ground, swinging her arm back and punching straight ahead, hitting the air in front of her. She looked at me, her eyes the only explanation I needed. I imitated her, staggering a bit as I felt myself off balance. I heard Pyrrha giggle, "Maybe we should work on your balance first."

"Work on it all you want, won't help." Arslan said, walking over. I felt her roughly grab my wrist, pulling me over as I tumbled to the ground, sprawled out beneath the two women. I held back a yelp as I felt Arslan trail her fingernail up my arm, from my armpit to my wrist. I felt her squeezing slightly around my bicep as she looked at Pyrrha. "Won't matter how well she hits if she can't hurt anyone. Look at these skinny little arms!" she said, pulling me up and flapping my arms slightly. I stopped her after a second… well, tried to anyway. She just kept going, as if not noticing I was resisting. "Hmm… you do have a point… Ruby! Kick Arslan in the stomach! NOW!" Pyrrha yelled. I was so shocked I didn't even think, leaning around and feeling a hard pressure against my foot, a wheezing coming out from the dark-skinned woman above me, her grip on my arm gone.

I saw Pyrrha reach down, patting my leg as she held me closer to her, keeping me from falling. "Seems what she lacks in arms she more than makes up for in her legs. You run track and field, right?" Pyrrha asked, giving me a slight smile. I couldn't help but smile back, despite the fact my leg was still stuck out to the side and the only thing keeping me from falling was Pyrrha's arm beneath my chest. "Yeah, since I was five." I explained. Arslan stood, leaning against the railing as she recovered, chuckling as she walked over. I yelped as I reached up, wrapping my arms around Pyrrha as I felt Arslan sweep my other leg up, gently moving her finger across it. "Strong leg muscles, decent thighs, someone's been taking good care of themselves." she said, smiling over at me. I couldn't help the blush that came to my face.

"Arslan, drop her leg." Pyrrha said flatly, no emotion behind it. I felt my leg fall to my side, Pyrrha holding onto my other leg as my arms wrapped around her back. She looked over at me, looking up before she pulled back, her face tinted red as she shut her eyes. She spoke slow and methodical, a measured tone to hide her embarrassment. "Ruby… I know it's not your fault… but I'd very much appreciate it if I didn't have to speak into your chest every time I turn." "EEP! Sorry!" I said, jumping back down… only to not count on Pyrrha still gripping my leg, causing me to fall to the ground, sliding against her leg as she held my other straight up in the air. "Owie…" I muttered, rubbing the back of my head as Pyrrha sighed.

"Maybe we should start with some balance exercises…" she muttered, holding out a hand towards me. I took it, feeling her pull me upright as I gripped her shoulder and elbow, steadying myself. I let go of her, but Pyrrha didn't let go of me. She guided me over the ropes, back towards an area of the gym with what looked to be row of boards, all of them over bricks in what seemed to be the fashion of a seesaw. "What's this?" "They're wobble board… I've got a low budget okay? I make cuts wherever I can." Arslan said flatly, walking away from me and Pyrrha, back towards some of the other people in the gym. Pyrrha didn't seem phased, looking down towards my feet.

"Take off the shoes, socks too." she said, doing the same thing herself, exposing her bare feet. I did the same, setting my shoes next to Pyrrha's, my socks inside them. Pyrrha looked at my shoes for a second before slowly, with a blank gaze, turning back towards me. "Do your shoes… seriously say 'Right' and 'Left' on them?" "Oh! Uh, you see uh, that's not-! I mean… yeah… yeah they do…" I muttered, drooping down, letting my arms swing as my face burned in embarrassment. I heard Pyrrha giggle as she placed a hand under my chin, lifting me up slightly as I felt her hand cupping my cheek slightly. "It's okay Ruby, just stand on the wobble board like I am." she said, gesturing beneath her with one hand. I looked down, stepping out of her grip as I noticed her feet equally spaced, one on either side in marked places.

I stepped onto the right side, feeling it hit the floor, then on the left, shaking slightly as I heard the rattling of the board hitting against both sides of the gym floor. I felt a hand on my shoulder as I looked, seeing Pyrrha's board holding perfectly straight. I stopped trying for a second, letting it fall to one side as I looked down, bewildered. "Wha… how…" "It's not as easy as it looks. I've been doing this for years, don't be intimidated. Follow my lead." she explained as she stepped off. I complied, watching as Pyrrha set one foot on at a time, and I felt her leaning towards my right as I leaned left, our heads near touching. Pyrrha didn't say anything, rather just slowly shifting her weight towards the center. I did the same… only for the board to immediately hit the floor on the other side.

"You're trying to do it too fast Ruby. Sometimes you just need to slow down a little." Pyrrha said, smiling at me. I nodded, taking a breath as I stepped up, looking down as I slowly, slowly, shifted my weight. The board was still shaking, so were my legs at that point, but I'd finally managed to get both sides off the ground. "Ahaha! I did… oh…" I said, frowning as I noticed, in my second of celebration, the other side had fallen as well. I heard Pyrrha let out a giggle again as she motioned me to try once more. "The key to balance is focus Ruby. Get to the balance, and try to do everything I say, okay?" "Got it!" I said, eager to try again. I'd had it for a second! I stepped up, balancing and, taking Pyrrha's advice, not settling in this time. I heard Pyrrha start speaking a second later.

"First, close your eyes." she said. I complied, shutting my eyes as I felt a strange, queasy sense in my stomach. I could feel it almost doing flips with every little movement. "Hold your head high Ruby, look straight ahead, but keep your eyes closed." she said. I complied, holding up my head to where it would normally be. I found that, this way, the feeling of flipping was a bit less. "Excellent. Now, focus on something that makes you… happy. Something relaxing, serene." she said. I nodded, picturing it as I began to see my vision take shape. "What do you see Ruby?" "I see… a plate of cookies, with a strawberry in the center. The whole thing is arranged like a cute little flower." I said, smiling as I envisioned it. I could hear the questioning tone of Pyrrha's voice, I figured she was raising an eyebrow at me.

"That's… specific… anyway, now deep breath." she said. I took one, holding it for a second. "Exhale." I complied, letting all the air out of my lungs as my track coach always taught me. "In." I inhaled. "Out." I exhaled. In. Out. In. Out. I felt the tension in my shoulders and upper body slowly relax, the muscles in my legs feeling as if they were at rest. I felt hands on my arms, holding them up so that they were held at my sides, near my stomach, but I paid them no mind. "Keep them there, and keep breathing." I heard Pyrrha say. I complied, continuing to breath as I held my hands the same way she had told me. I kept breathing in rhythm, in and out, a small smile on my face forming as I kept envisioning the plate of cookies with the strawberry. "Now we're going to try something different. I want you to punch forward whenever I saw 'KYA!'. I'll do it after you inhale, and say 'HA!' when you exhale, alright?" "Okay…" I said, keeping my eyes closed. I obeyed her instructions… maybe a little too well.

"Kya!"

"HA!"

"Just like that! Kya!"

"HA!"

"Alri-KYAAAAA!"

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

"You little…"

I heard what sounded like a loud crash, and I couldn't help but open my eyes. I looked over, my eyes widening as I saw Arslan lying face down in a pile of weights, the rack for them falling over on top of her. "Ow." she said flatly. I looked over, seeing Pyrrha wrapping her arms around her chest, her face the color of her hair as she glared towards Arslan. She looked at me, that red of what may have been anger turning into more of a pink embarrassment. "What just-" "NOTHING! NOTHING JUST HAPPENED! FORGET WHAT YOU HEARD!" she suddenly yelled, grabbing my hands as I struggled to keep balance. Pyrrha looked down, stepping back before she looked up, smiling at me.

"Look at you, you're balancing perfectly already." "I am?... Hey! I am!" I said, smiling as I looked down, seeing my feet placed perfectly on the board, not wobbling one way or the other… for about half a second, and then it immediately shifted to the right. "Aww…" I pouted, looking down at the board. Pyrrha got a quizzical look on her face as she gently grabbed my upper arm, pulling me off of the wobble board and to the side. "I think I understand now… you're an instinct fighter." "But I don't fight my instincts." I said, raising an eyebrow towards her. Pyrrha let out another giggle, one that caused me to giggle slightly as well, even though she was likely giggling at my expense. Her laughter seemed contagious somehow. "No Ruby, it means that you fight with your instincts." she said.

"Oooooh… huh?" "Ruby… it means you don't think when you fight. You do what feels natural." Pyrrha said, giving me a patient smile… I swear she had to be the most long suffering person to keep putting up with me. I nodded a few times, smiling at her as I grasped the concept. She walked over, pulling on her shoes and motioning me to do the same. I did so, looking over at her as I pulled on my shoes and socks. "It's not necessarily a bad thing. Though, when you don't have it drilled into your head what you have to do to mount a proper attack, it's not going to end well. Things like balance, proper stance, counters, they need to become second nature for instinct fighters like you." she said, giving me a smile. I returned it, feeling my face burn slightly at the compliment.

"Umm… Ruby?" she asked, pointing down. I looked down, feeling my face burn from embarrassment this time as I tore my shoes off, noticing the one that said 'Left' was on the right foot, and vice versa. I heard Pyrrha chuckle, "Now I see why you need them labeled." "... shut up…" I said, pulling on my shoes and crossing my arms, turning away from Pyrrha to hide the pout that formed on my lips. I heard Pyrrha sigh before I jerked upright, pout disappearing as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Pyrrha's more specifically. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings Ruby. Can you forgive me?" she asked, giving me a pout of her own. I was… confused wasn't quite right. How could someone as confident and strong as Pyrrha look so incredibly sad and cute when she pouted? I turned away, "Maaaaaybe…" I said, rolling my eyes back towards her.

Pyrrha sighed, "We'll go get some chocolate chip cookies after training… alright, strawberries too." "EEEH! Thank you!" I said, reacting almost instinctively as I wrapped my arms around her. Pyrrha smiled as she stood, pulling me up with her before she peeled me off, me standing up straight this time. She walked towards another area, this one with more people, laden down with what looked to be punching bags. She stood behind a nearby one, patting the front of it as I noticed a picture of a white haired girl with bright blue eyes taped on. Pyrrha quickly reached up, tearing it off and shoving it in her pocket. "Ignore that." she said quickly. I didn't question it as she pointed to the worn spot that was behind the picture. Whereas the rest of the punching bag was black, this spot seemed a shade darker.

Pyrrha grabbed a large tote behind her, a clear plastic one, filled to the brim with what looked to be bandages of some kind. "This is 'boxing tape' as Arslan calls it. Pick out a color and wrap your hands in them." Pyrrha said. I nodded, naturally reaching for the red tape. I started wrapping it around my hands for a few moments, looking up when I was done. "There!" I said, holding up both hands. Pyrrha only sighed, reaching out and grabbing my hands, giving me a stare that made me know I did something wrong. "Ruby… when I said wrap your hands… I didn't mean wrap them together." "... oh…" I said, feeling my face burn as I looked down, seeing both hands clasped and wrapped together in what was basically a large bundle of tape. Pyrrha undid it rather easily, quickly demonstrating the right way to do it… fittingly enough on my right hand as well. "Wait… isn't this just gauze?" I asked.

Pyrrha leaned in, holding up a hand towards her right, "It is. Just call it boxing tape, it makes Arslan feel better." she said, winking at me. I nodded a few times, giving Pyrrha a knowing wink in return. I wrapped my other hand, far slower than Pyrrha had done my right, but I got it mostly right this time. "Is this it? Just gau- er, boxing tape?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I would've figured I'd at least put something else on. These didn't look like they'd help all that much if my hands got hurt. Maybe absorb some of the blood but, other than that? Not really. Pyrrha shook her head, "In training, yes. The way me and Arslan's teacher was, she'd have us wear just this to help make our knuckles harder, get rid of the 'pudgy hands' look. Though, in a real fight you'd want to at least have hand wrappings over the boxing tape." she explained. "Now then, let's see what you've got." she said, stepping behind and holding the punching bag. I smirked,

"Alright, but I expect my cookies after this!"

(a/n- yeah, I made Raven this world's Don Vito Corleone. All we need is for her to say... well, you know where I'm going with this.)