Blake accompanied them back to the city. Pyrrha housed the two of them in her own small apartment, due to the fact that Blake and Weiss were nearly inseparable.
Pyrrha was almost growing tired of their lovey-dovey-like attitude. Nothing seemed to be between them but they clung to each other like the world was going to end. They were always touching in some way. In a way, it was so cute but also so annoying. She was mildly jealous.
The next part of her plan was retrieving the body. Blake couldn't work her power if there was no body.
So Pyrrha had to locate her local alchemist.
Now alchemists weren't supposed to have anything to do with creating humans; everyone knew the stories of what happened to the two brothers. Even among the supernatural world, human-alchemy was taboo.
But technically seeing as Pyrrha wasn't asking her to create a live body, it shouldn't be against the rules. So that shouldn't be a problem.
Pyrrha sat back down after successfully calling the alchemist. They'd scheduled a meeting for noon tomorrow where they'd discuss things in more detail. She hoped that things would go well.
Blake walked into the room, Weiss in tow. She had an arm around her shoulders, a thumb brushing lightly against her arm. "So? How did it go?"
Pyrrha put her scroll down. "Good, I think. She'll meet with us tomorrow to discuss terms and such." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Thing is, I haven't explained exactly what I want her to do. I don't know if she'll do it."
Weiss settled on the armchair, linking her fingers under her chin. Blake sat on the arm beside her. Weiss frowned.
"She won't refuse me," she assured them. "If she has any friends, she'll have heard of the Wither. And she'll know what I can do."
"We don't want to threaten her," Blake interjected. "We need her help; it'd be better to bribe her."
"Hey, I may have money but that doesn't mean we just-"
Pyrrha cleared her throat. They both fell silent. Pyrrha smiled. "It won't come to that, Oum help us. Just trust me, I'll explain."
Both of them looked at her with disbelief but they nodded all the same. They had learned to trust her. And so they did.
The next day Pyrrha walked down the street with Blake and Weiss at her shoulders. Both were wrapped up tightly in their long coats and scarfs, not taking any chances in the busy city. The city was alive with ordinary people doing ordinary things in their ordinary jobs. Not one of them knew that two of the most dangerous people alive walked among them. Pyrrha was glad about that one thing.
The alchemist lived down in a garage on the outskirt of the CBD. In her spare time when not working for supernaturals, she was a mechanic. Which was where they were going right now.
The three walked in silence through the town. Until Pyrrha stopped them.
"We're here…" she said softly.
The front was painted yellow and red, with a large cheerful sign hanging in the front. Below it the garage door was open. Inside the garage was darker but a lot more dense. Car parts and tables hid any occupants that they may have otherwise seen.
Pyrrha walked through the door. She peered around the cars, looking for her. Hmm… not-
"Hey, and welcome to Xiao Long Mechan—" she trailed off when she rounded the corner and saw them. There was a flicker of recognition in her eyes when they settled on her. But when they rested on Weiss and Blake, confusion seemed to blossom. Her face stilled.
"Pyrrha."
Pyrrha nodded. "Hey, Yang. I called yesterday. About the job?" she prompted.
Yang nodded seriously. "Okay. Come with me, we can talk in the back."
Pyrrha nodded again. Blake and Weiss said nothing. Both were eerily silent; just watching like ghosts. They followed Yang into the back.
Yang cleaned her hands of oil as she sat down across from Pyrrha. Blake and Weiss took up their places at her side. The whole set up was very awkward, though she tried to be the balance.
"These are the people you're working for?" Yang asked, nodding towards the two at her side. "I must say, while I did expect something shady with how you were talking, but this wasn't what I was thinking."
"They aren't usually like this," she admitted. A glance at Weiss. "Hmm… actually, scratch that. She's always like this." Blake snorted under her breath.
Yang tilted her head. "You know, it'd be nice to see your faces… if I'm going to be working for you, I'd like to know who I'm dealing with."
They both stared at her but Yang stared back, unwavering in her determination.
Weiss went first, unravelling the scarf from her face. Slowly she set it down on the table. Yang tried to hide her expression but Pyrrha clearly saw the way her eyes widened.
"You… you, you're the Wither," Yang gasped. "Why… why are you asking me for help?"
Weiss' jaw tightened. "We were getting to that."
Pyrrha raised a hand in an effort to calm the situation. "Weiss, let me talk. And Yang, just listen to me. I will explain everything that you need to know."
Pyrrha noticed the shift in Weiss' expression but she nodded to her. She went silent and just looked at Yang. Yang looked mighty impressed.
And so Pyrrha explained what Weiss needed. She explained the need for her alchemy to create a new body and briefly how Blake's power would let them achieve that goal. Yang listened intently while she talked.
"And that's why we're here," Pyrrha finished. She was a little breathless.
Yang nodded again. "Makes sense, I guess. I understand why you came to me." She grimaced. "But you do know what the laws of alchemy say about creating humans? While she won't be strictly alive, if I get caught or someone finds out-" she drew a finger across her throat.
"No one will find out," Weiss said, the look in her eyes enough to scare. "And if they do, they won't be able to rat on you."
A shiver rolled down Pyrrha's spine. Sometimes, just sometimes, Weiss really did scare her.
Yang clapped her metal arm against her thigh. "Right. It will take me awhile to gather the supplies I need. The recipe for human bodies, alive or not, is hard enough to come by, nevermind replicate."
"So you'll do it?"
Yang nodded. "Against the will of nature but I'll do it for you." She glanced at her feet. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love. My sister went missing almost two years ago. She just up vanished while exploring somewhere in Vale." Her smile drooped.
Pyrrha touched her arm. "Thank you for this..."
"So, do you have a picture of this girl?" Yang asked.
Pyrrha looked at Weiss. Weiss shook her head.
"Well, uh… that might be a problem. I can't just create any body for her, it has to be her own, yeah? And I can't do that unless I have a ref."
Well, shit. They hadn't thought about that.
This was beginning to involve a lot more people than Pyrrha originally planned. It was just supposed to be the four of them, a small but trusted group that no secrets could slip out. Because everything involving bringing back the dead was very much taboo.
In her mind, she ran through all the people she knew that could possibly help them. Something, there had to be something that could help them. Or someone…
"Pyrrha?" Weiss sounded concerned.
"Okay, I can work with this," Pyrrha nodded. "We just need a psychic. Someone who can go into your mind and find an image of her. Then project it to Yang."
"You know someone like that?" Weiss asked.
Pyrrha nodded. Yes, she knew one man capable of all that. One that she knew wouldn't refuse her when she asked. She smiled. They needed to visit Lie Ren.
Yang is an alchemist *shrugs*