I don't own RWBY or PN. I just wish I did. Also, and I hope this is a given, but I make no money from this. It's just something I do when I have a second to myself.
A/N: Hi, everybody! Long time no see! God, it has been awhile. Sorry about that, last 6 months have been … stupidly hectic. I really have no better way to describe my absence. Well, that, and the fact that I am horrible when it comes to editing. Seriously, I drag my feet whenever I do it. Anyway, this chapter is broken into three parts. I'm going to try and update one part each week for the next three weeks (hopefully I can stay on top of the editing and midterms).
Also, I'm actually working on another not-so-little little story. For anyone who is curious, I hope to get the first chapter out before the end of October. As my way of saying sorry for being gone for so long, the first chapter of that story is going to be super long! How long, you may ask? PM me if your curious. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 3: Time For Prep Work (Part 1)
Blaze sat back against the training room wall and wiped the blood from the side of his mouth. Thanks to the ceiling lights, it looked black on the back of his hand.
"Not bad, little brother, but I dare say that you are not as strong as I remember you to be." Cinder, standing only a few feet away, was dressed in black combat attire, her blades and arrows currently sheathed on her lower back.
Over the last few days, Cinder has been "helping" Blaze train, so that his body could once again be fighting fit. And while he has been making some good progress, he knew that she was right. Four years of inactivity and malnutrition have taken their toll on his health and physical prowess. Cinder and Blaze both know that a week was not enough to get him back to how he was, but it just might be enough to pull off Blaze's plan. I just need to pull off this performance. "You don't say," he grumbled.
"Do you have a problem with my criticism?" asked Cinder, eyebrow raised in authoritative anger. Knowing better then to engage her anger, he took a deep breath, pushed himself to his feet and took up his fighting stance.
"Round 152."
XXXXX
"Come on Jaune. That can't be all you've got."
Jaune was exhausted. Gasping for breath, it was all he could do to stay on his feet. Every other day, he would wake up before dawn and meet Thaddeus in the training room, where Thaddeus would proceed to beat the crap out of him with the training swords or in close quarters combat. They'd stay there for most of the day, taking breaks for breakfast and lunch, generally stopping by midafternoon.
Taking a few deep breaths, Jaune replies, "Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you by saying that, but I think I'm done." It was just a little after noon. Normally, Jaune would still have the energy to go on, but Thaddeus had laid down a few ground rules for today's training, the main ones being that he couldn't use his Semblance or Aura to protect himself. Without the ability to absorb the kinetic energy of Thaddeus' attacks, let alone blocking the strikes with Aura, he was taking one hell of a beating.
Thaddeus lowered his training sword, and looked ready to reprimand Jaune. "You're becoming too reliant on your Semblance. It should be used to cover your weaknesses, not encompass your entire fighting style. You are becoming too used to taking a hit instead of dodging one, something that I'm sure you don't need me to remind you almost got you killed," said Thaddeus, placing a lot of emphasis on the last four words.
This time, Jaune did cringe at the reminder of his debacle stealing the Crimson Heart. However, he was glad that Thaddeus hadn't specified the situation regarding the nightclub and Mercury Black. Oum knows who could be walking by the training room right now. If Thaddeus had mentioned Mercury and either a member of his team or Team RWBY where within earshot, he would have some uncomfortable explaining to do.
"I need to get you back into the mindset of a nimble fighter, not a tanky bastard. Especially if you want to appear flashy. Now, give me your best shot." Smiling now, the look on Thaddeus' face brokered no argument.
Letting out a tired breath, Jaune replied, "Alright, you evil slave driver."
XXXXX
Blaze wiped the cold water off his face. He'd just finished washing the blood from it.
Cinder had enjoyed beating the shit out of him all week long. He had already counted four broken lower ribs, seven cracked upper ribs, a sprained wrist, two slashes across his chest, a punctured hand and a couple broken toes. And those were just the injuries he had when he woke up this morning. At this point, he was sure that Cinder had given him several dozen concussions. Can't believe that I'm not brain dead… or in a coma.
Looking up to the mirror, he had to say that he was surprised that he didn't look worse. He had a couple of cuts along his hairline, easily masked by his bangs. His left eye was slightly black and there was a bruise forming on his right cheekbone. Underneath his left eye was a thin scar, but that had been there for years.
All Cinder had to show for their training was a few broken fingernails that she filed into points… like miniature daggers.
Holding his side, he unwrapped his bandages and hobbled into the shower. Thank Oum that his body could heal from almost anything. If only he could heal faster, like people with Aura. Sadly, his Aura didn't work like most others. Needless to say, he would be hobbling for the next two days before his "date" with the Phantom Nevermore.
Ignoring the pain in his… everything, he quickly lathered up and rinsed off. As the last of the sweat and blood of the day was washed off his body, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed the towel off the rack next to the sink and gingerly dried himself off. He then proceeded to wrap fresh bandages around his wounds and threw on some fresh clothes over top of them. Thank High Oum for hoodies and cargo pants. Nice 'n baggy and doesn't irritate my wounds.
He walked out of the bathroom, steam trailing into the hallway. He was in a domestic corridor, with bedrooms running along one side of the corridor, and a bathroom opposite each bedroom on the other side of the corridor.
Apparently, Cinder had set it up as an area for "guests" to spend the night. Considering that most of her guests didn't "stay" to see morning, he was the only one currently using this entire corridor of bedrooms and bathrooms. If he hadn't become used to being isolated, he would probably find it to be eerie. As things stood, he found the solitude to be soothing, compared to the abrasiveness of becoming reacquainted with human contact.
Limping down the hall, Blaze navigated the series of corridors and rooms until he found the refitted communal cafeteria. Grabbing a tray, he placed himself at the back of the line. He had yet to have dinner, and he was starving. It took more self-control then he cared to admit to not mow down everyone in front of him in line.
By the time he'd grabbed a burger and lasagna he could practically feel his stomach eating through it's own lining. One of the fun rules of Cinder's training was no breaks, and no food or water. You pulled your own weight until she said you could go. One of the main reasons he had never bothered to try and stay in shape while in the Goliath cage was that he didn't receive enough food, and therefore didn't want to expend what little energy he had on exercise. Sadly, that philosophy came back, along with its very ornery friends, to bite him in the ass. His limp can attest to that.
Finding an empty table in the corner of the room, he scarfed down the food, not even leaving a scrap of meat or a speck of tomato sauce.
Sighing in relief, he lifted his head to the sound of footsteps, only to meet the eyes of Mercury Black, who sat himself right across from him. Slowly chewing what little was left of his burger, Blaze stared right back.
They just stared at each other, the mounting tension all but palpable to those at the nearby tables. In fact, it was so uncomfortable that some of Cinder's "hired help" started to move away from the table.
[Ugh, are you two done having the 'whose got the biggest dick' competition? If so, I need to talk to you, Blaze.] "growled" Neo, her parasol draped over her shoulders. She was dressed in her Mint persona and looked pissed as all hell. [I know you're going into town soon, and I need a ride. I need to get settled in at Beacon.]
Straightening his spine, Blaze slowly swallowed the last bite of his burger and turned his head to face Neo. "Hi, Neo. Good to see you too. How's life? How's your kill count? What the hell are you wearing and why on Remnant would I want to do anything to help you in any way, shape, or form?"
This of course got Mercury's attention, who had been too focused on Blaze to notice Neo walking up to their table. Damn, she's quite. How did Blaze know she was there? Unbeknownst to Mercury (having passed out while Cinder was making her deal with Blaze), Blaze was one of the few people who could "hear" Neo.
[This is my disguise. I'm going undercover in Beacon, remember? And you should help me because it's a direct order from Cinder. Besides, I saw the photo back in the Goliath cage. If you don't, I'll just find little Miss-Orange-Dress myself and slit her throat from ear-to-ear.] replied Neo, now smirking. That was a mistake.
Blaze could hear the sound of his own blood rushing through his head as he calmly stood up and said, "If you so much as think to make a move against her, I will gut your blonde pretty boy and string him up for all of Vale to see, Arc or no Arc." Stepping into her personal space, Blaze leaned down so that he could whisper into her ear. "And then I'm coming for you. I suggest you take care in planning out your next move. I may have changed, but that doesn't mean that I won't rip your head off with my bare hands and enjoy every damn second of it."
Holy shit, thought Mercury. He had been sitting close enough to hear every word that came out of Blaze's mouth, even when he whispered into Neo's ear. While he personally had no issue killing people (his father had raised him on the belief that his own life came before another's), that didn't mean that he particularly enjoyed killing. It was just a necessary evil. Hell, sometimes he even felt pride after having taken down a powerful opponent. But what Blaze had just said… Ok, yeah, he's definitely related to Cinder.
Originally, Mercury had come down to the cafeteria to grab some grub, maybe chat up some of the female crooks on Cinder's payroll, but then he noticed Blaze over in the corner. Considering how Blaze had taken both himself and Emerald by surprise, he figured that he would try and scope him out and see if he could learn anything about him. But Blaze interacted with no one if it was avoidable. So, he decided to take a more direct approach. Of course, that got completely blindsided by Neo's unexpected appearance.
As things currently stood, he was shocked when instead of appearing scared or panicked, Neo just patted Blaze on the cheek and smiled. He was even more surprised that Blaze's face was completely deadpan and unresponsive, and not volatile and full of murderous rage like it was a second ago.
[Now that's the Blaze I remember.] said Neo, her telepathic voice sounding sickly sweet. [So, about that ride?]
Once again straightening his spine, Blaze said, "All you had to do was say that Cinder gave the order. Come on, let's go grab some keys from her." And just like that, Blaze and Neo left the cafeteria, leaving Mercury completely flummoxed. Can he hear Neo? What the hell did she say to piss him off like that?
XXXXX
"Glad to see you can still walk. Oh, and look at that, your limp is already gone. How are the broken ribs?" Cinder was in the Common Room, lounging on one of the couches. She was dressed in her signature red dress, a glass of wine on the table beside her couch.
Blaze just stared at Cinder, doing all he could to keep his anger from showing. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of seeing how frustrated he was from their sparring. "You got a hopper I could borrow? I need to go into town and grab my supplies, and apparently cornrows here needs a ride as well."
[Hey! These aren't cornrows! They're pigtails, you jackass!] shrieked Neo.
Blaze rolled his eyes, exasperated with Neo's "chatter". "Whatever, cornrows." Turning his attention back to Cinder. "So, about that hopper?"
"Of course. You can get some keys from the hanger bay," replied Cinder, her orange eyes twinkling with amusement at his irritation at both her and Neo.
Nodding his head, Blaze began to leave the room. "Thanks, sis. Oh, and by the way, don't bother having me tailed again. If you do, I'll express-mail whatever idiot you send after me back to you in teeny-tiny pieces."
Blaze simply heard Cinder laugh as he left the Common Room.
XXXXX
"Alright, here we are. Now… get out." Blaze and Neo where parked outside of Roman's little hideout, The Cuppa'.
[Hmph! Don't you think you should treat a woman nicely?] Neo was in the passenger seat and had her arms crossed. Like Emerald, she had been grumpy throughout the entire ride. It seemed that Blaze had a natural gift for pissing off those of the female persuasion whenever they where in an enclosed space with him. It probably didn't help that Blaze had been incredibly caustic to her.
Blaze looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "I am polite to woman. But you're not a woman. At best, you're a brat. At worst, you're a little pink monster. Now, get the hell out."
[Oh, whatever. You're no fun.] Neo "grumbled" as she got out of the car.
As she began walking towards Beacon, Blaze couldn't help but notice the light of the setting sun illuminate Neo's hair like a black halo. Welp, that's freaky. Alright, time to get a move on.
XXXXX
Blaze was sitting at a bus stop across the street from Jerry's Mech Shop, waiting for the employees to head home. Specifically, he was waiting for Frank to leave the premises. Frank didn't like conducting business at a place of work that wasn't his own. He had no problem setting up a deal if his client appeared clean-cut, but he wouldn't risk a trade off in an area where he could be recognized.
Blaze had once again gone to Beatrice's strip club to access the sewers, just in case Cinder was having him followed and he hadn't noticed the tail. He decided just to go straight to room #3, and not bother talking to Beatrice. He didn't want her asking questions about his small limp or the bruises on his face. After crawling around the sewers for almost half-an-hour, he had climbed up a sewer drain about a block away from the auto shop.
Blaze decided to check his cheap watch for the time. It was almost midnight. More likely than not, most of the mechanics would be wrapping up whatever projects they were currently working on to head home for the night.
Sure enough, after looking up from his watch, he began to see mechanics filing out of the building. Some were heading to the parking lot in the back, while others where crossing the street to come join him at the bus stop. That's when he noticed Frank pulling up the rear of the group, talking to another mechanic who was locking up the front door.
After talking to Jerry (at least, Blaze assumed it to be Jerry), Frank started to walk down the sidewalk, heading further into downtown Vale. Groaning slightly as he got up from his spot on the bench, Blaze slowly followed him. He didn't want to spook any of Frank's mechanic buddy's who probably had no idea who Frank really was.
After walking for two blocks, Blaze crosses the street at a red light to stand next to Frank. "Lovely night, isn't?"
Frank gave him a quick glance out of the corner of his eyes before returning them to the red "Do Not Cross" light. "Yeah, nice and crisp. No clouds, so you can see the moon. Gotta say, she's a real beaut tonight."
"Sure is. By the way, it's been a while since we've hung out. Wanna grab a couple of drinks, catch up for old times sake?"
A small smile crossed Franks face. "Yeah, sounds like fun. But first things first. I gotta head back to my apartment and drop off my tools. Hope you don't mind."
Blaze shrugged before replying, "So long as you don't mind me tagging along. I'm bored out of my skull, and could use someone to talk to."
At that, Frank barked out a quick laugh. "Yeah, I don't have a problem with that. Come on, lights finally turned green."
XXXXX
On their way to Frank's apartment, Blaze and Frank talked about what people would assume to be a whole lot of nothing: Frank's work at the mech shop, the weather, politics from a few years ago to recently, new restaurants in downtown Vale, and the new Spruce Willis movie.
While this seemed like a bunch of small talk, it helped catch Blaze up to current key international and political events that he had missed during his incarceration.
Finally arriving at Frank's apartment, Frank pulled out a key chain from one of his pockets and unlocked the door. "Ladies first," said Frank, waving Blaze through the door like a right-and-proper gentleman.
Blaze snorted. "Thanks stud, but don't think your getting lucky. You're too hairy for my tastes. And no offense, you're not pretty or sexy enough to change them."
Placing a hand over his heart, Frank groaned. "Oh, why you gotta hurt me like that, cher?"
Shaking his head, Blaze walked past Frank, all the while trying not to snicker like a child. He would never admit it, but he really had missed Frank.
Frank's apartment was on the second floor of an old apartment complex in downtown Vale, not far from the transit terminal. It was rather plain, despite being the residence of a black market dealer. It was a two-room complex: a bedroom and adjoining bathroom, and a kitchen that was just big enough to double as a living room. The entry hall, painted a calming peach color, led directly into the living room portion of the kitchen.
As Blaze rounded the corner into the kitchen, he was welcomed into the living room with a gun in his face. The hand holding the gun led to an arm clad in a white doctor's coat. Following the coat up to the collar and the subsequent neck and head, a pair of pale green eyes glared from a series of burnt-orange bangs. "You," she growled.
The doctor was a beautiful woman in her early twenties. With short burnt-orange hair that grazed her shoulders, she had pencil-thin eyebrows and sharp, pale green eyes. She had fragile cheekbones and a dainty nose, like a pixie. Her skin was the color of mocha. Underneath her medical coat was a body shaped like an hourglass. She wore a black turtleneck sweater and jeans. Blaze could see a gold ring encircling the middle finger of the hand pointing the gun in his face. If not for the fact that it wasn't on her ring finger, he would have guessed that it was an engagement or wedding ring.
Blaze simply stared at the doctor, completely ignoring the pistol not two inches from his face, and said, "Good to see you too, Lydia. You mind dropping the gun? I'm sure it's gonna be really hard to have a conversation with you if I put a bullet between your eyes."
"Whoa, whoa! Everybody, calm down! Lydia, put down the gun. And Blaze, stop threatening my girlfriend!" Frank stepped between the two of them and took the gun from Lydia. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you I'm bringing work home tonight."
Lydia glared over Frank's shoulder at Blaze. "That's not the issue. What the hell are you doing here?" The last part of her sentence was aimed at Blaze. Snatching the gun back from Frank, she walked around him to stand toe-to-toe with Blaze, pushing the barrel of the pistol into his chest. "I thought I told you to leave Frank alone. The last thing he needs is to have Cinder coming after him again."
Before Lydia could continue ranting, Blaze snatched the gun from her hand in a smooth manner that left Lydia wondering if Blaze had even touched her or the gun. He then proceeded to eject the clip, pull back the chamber, popping the bullet out of the barrel and catching it out of the air with his free hand. Finally, he flicked the safety on and held the gun and clip out to her. When she didn't reach out for it, he proceeded to drop it all on the floor.
Letting out a long breath, Blaze grumbled, "Seriously? Hasn't Frank told you to not hold a gun pressed against someone? That's the easiest way to be disarmed."
Frank once again placed himself between them. Turning to Lydia, he wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug and said, "Sweetie, I'm sorry that I brought him here, but I promise you, he's not gonna hurt us. I've known him for almost a decade. He didn't kill me when we first met, so why would he know? Trust me, he won't sell us out to Cinder."
Taking an uneasy breath, Lydia stepped out of Frank's arms and said, "I trust you, but that doesn't mean that I won't worry about you. I'll leave you two alone to conduct your 'business."' Looking over Frank's shoulder once more, she turned a gimlet stare on Blaze. "But if you hurt my Frank, I swear to Oum, there is not a corner of hell that you can hide in that I won't find you, drag you out, and dissect you like a lab experiment. Do I make myself clear?"
Blaze bristled angrily at the dissection comment, but kept himself in check. He knew that Lydia wasn't acting like a bitch just for the sake of being a bitch. Lydia Alistair was a doctor at Vale General Hospital, and to say she was a medical prodigy would be an understatement, having gained her medical license by age 16. She had first met Frank when he had been rushed into her emergency room after one of his deals had gone awry. Shortly after, thanks to the narcotics that he was placed on, she learned just what Frank does for a living, which eventually led to her first meeting with Blaze. To say that it was an uncomfortable memory for all parties involved would be a major understatement.
Schooling his features into a mask of calm, Blaze replied, "Like crystal."
Finally, Lydia turned on her heels and walked out of the living room, past the kitchen, and into her and Frank's bedroom.
Taking a deep breath for composure, Frank turned to Blaze. "I swear by Oum, you must have been born under a cursed star. Like, seriously, is it just me, or do you just piss off anything remotely female within a mile radius of you?"
Blaze chose to ignore this, and instead said, "Neither of you answered me. Since when does Lydia know how to use a gun?"
Frank picked up said gun and it's clip before responding. "We had an incident a few years ago. Since then we've come up with a system: if I don't come home alone, and she hasn't been informed earlier that we'll be having guests, then we ambush them. I hate to say this, but I kinda, sorta, forgot to tell her-"
"You didn't want her to know I was back because she would kick your ass for having any contact with me. That about right?" interrupted Blaze, finishing Frank's sentence for him.
Frank sighed before nodding glumly. "Yeah, I'm in the doghouse tonight. Anyway, you wait here, your stuffs in my room," Frank said, before he followed Lydia's footsteps.
A couple of minutes later, Frank came back with a duffel bag, and a red handprint across his right cheek. Blaze raised a questioning eyebrow at the sight of the handprint, but didn't say anything.
Frank opened the duffel bag to show Blaze the fake Onyx Pinion, a few yellow Dust chips and three handheld tracking monitors, and a stack of papers. "Anything missing?" asked Frank.
"No, everything seems to be here. I just want to make sure you made the specified modifications to the Crystal."
Frank laughed. "Oh yeah, that was a bitch to do, but they're in there, just like you asked."
Blaze zipped up the bag and took it from Frank. "Perfect. What do I owe you?"
Frank whipped out a calculator from one of his many pockets, and after some quick calculations, said, "You owe me 5,183.58 Lien."
"Sweet, I got some money leftover. You do automatic deposits?"
"You know it."
"Awesome."
After transferring the money from his Scroll, Blaze swung the duffel bag over one shoulder and shook Frank's hand with the other. "Thanks for still doing business with me, Frank."
Frank snorted and said, "My pleasure. Your always good for the money and you've never tried to rip me off. Business wise, it would have been a stupid idea on my part to turn you down. Not to mention, I don't want to give you any reason to turn me over to Cinder. In less then a year, I'll have enough money so that me and Lydia can both retire and move out to the countryside. Maybe even start a family. I definitely don't want you and your surly attitude to ruin that dream of my mine."
This time it was Blaze's turn to snort. "Relax, I'd sooner rip your eyeballs out of your skull than turn you over to her."
Frank looked at him like he was insane. "That's not encouraging."
Embarrassed, Blaze cleared his throat. "Sorry. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not gonna turn you over to her, ok? You're the one person I know who won't stab me in the back."
Frank laughed, the look of unease leaving his face. "Whatever, Mr. Psycho. I suggest you get outta here before we end up hugging like a couple of idiots in a chick flick. Besides, I need to find my woman so that she can yell at me for being a greedy idiot. Again." Shaking his head in consternation, Blaze turned to walk out the door.
As he was about to close the door to Frank and Lydia's home, he poked his head around the corner of it and said, "Frank, you take good care of yourself and Lydia," before he finished closing the door, not waiting for Frank to respond.
XXXXX
"Oh no, you're late for curfew."
It took everything Blaze had not to call Cinder a series of colorful words that would surely get him curb stomped. Instead, he dropped the duffel bag on the table in front of her and unzipped it. "I got what I need. When is the White Fang's Bullhead gonna be here?"
Cinder smiled from her place on the plush couch. "They will be here within the hour. In the meantime, I suggest you get reacquainted with some old friends of yours." She clapped her hands. After a couple of seconds, a pair of men dressed as butlers came into the Common Room through a side-door, a large, gray case held between them. Once they reached the table, they placed it next to Blaze's duffel bag, opened the case, bowed and walked out of the room.
Inside the case was a pair of gauntlets, two swords, a couple of handguns, a Grimm mask, and a blood red coat. Underneath the guns were three rows of ammunition. Sighing through his nose, Blaze muttered, "Great. You kept them."
Blaze hated seeing his old "tools." Just looking at them felt like he was putting himself in shackles and having a hot branding iron applied to his skin.
Cinder raised a brow at Blaze's dejected tone. Could he sound anymore disappointed?
The gauntlets were black and appeared to be made of layered metal, with horizontal slits going from the fingers to the opening for the arm. The fingers where tipped with small, claw-like appendages coming out of where fingernails would be on someone's hand.
The first sword on the left had a thin blade, about an inch wide, shaped in a wave like design, with the last inch of the blade tapering into a thin point. It had no hilt, and the pommel was made of a black metal with rivets in it, like finger grips. On one side of the pommel, the name SINISTRA could be found engraved into the metal. The second sword had a much wider blade, almost a foot in width, and was shaped more traditionally, like a double-edged sword that ended in a point. The name DEFENSOREMwas itched into both sides of the blade.The hilt was a simple thing, only two pieces of metal that jut out from underneath the sharp edges of the blade, and the handle was the same as the first sword, only with the addition of a small bump at the bottom of the handle. The blades of both swords had the length of short swords, and while the blade of the curved sword was incredibly thin, the blade of the traditional sword was almost three times as thick as a normal blade.
The handguns were of a simple design, with a square barrel with hard-iron sights and a metal grip. Both handguns were semi-automatic. The only difference between them was a strip of paint on both sides of the barrel and the name engraved on top. The gun on the right had twin red stripes, while the one on the left had twin blue stripes. The names etched into the tops of the barrels are Burnand Frost, respectively. The ammunition in the rows beneath the twin pistols were held in magazines for quick use.
All the weapons were made out of some kind of black metal. Blaze always thought that it made them look as if they had just gone into a fire and come out covered in soot. To his understanding, it was the look Cinder was going for when she had them commissioned for him.
Blaze reached into the case and withdrew the red coat. Underneath it was a pair of shoulder holsters and crimson upper body armor. Blaze already knew that the armor was made of a metallic mesh and a Kevlar coating, to compensate for his strange physique. As for the holsters, they where custom made to hold additional magazines, running up and down his sides, four in total. Two pouches held regular bullets, and the other two pouches held one of two kinds of "special" ammunition that he chooses to use. Given the dangerous nature of these particular rounds, the additional pouches were made to withhold 100 times the pressure of Remnants natural atmosphere, so that the ammunition won't react to any exterior stimuli.
Moving with a natural fluidity that came with years of practice, he put on the body armor and the dual holsters. At the base of the body armor (essentially at the bottom of his spine) were a pair of crossing diagonal sheathes, where he proceeded to sheath Sinistra and Defensorem. He then filled the pouches of his holsters with their specific ammunition, and then holstered his twin pistols. Whipping the coat around his back, he let it flutter in the air as he put it on. It was a long trench coat that went all the way to his ankles, doing an excellent job of hiding his guns and swords. However, there are slits down the side of the coat, near his hips, where he could reach in to grab his swords without any obstruction. Finally, he took out the gauntlets and strapped them on. Once he was done, he flexed his hands. The metal plates of the gauntlets made no noise whatsoever, just like he remembered.
Without warning, he thrust out his left arm, the claws of his gauntlet no more then a quarter of an inch away from Cinder's right eye. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill you right now and rid myself of the trouble of dealing with you." His tone was not that of a question, but an order.
Cinder, not even phased, merely looked her brother in the eye and gave him the most poisonous smile that he had ever seen cross her face. "I don't need to give you a reason. You already know that if I die, your dear friend will once again be betrayed by someone she thought she could trust. Now tell me, would you really have her go through that again? Just how heartless are you, little brother?"
After a couple seconds, Blaze let out an angry breath through his nose, then withdrew his claws from Cinder's face. He hated to admit it, but he knew when he was beat. He hated it even more that she had defanged him with nothing but a few words.
Standing up in a fluid motion, she walked up to him, before suddenly grabbing his throat in one of her hands. She slowly started to tighten her grip as a look of genuine rage began to materialize on her face. "Do not forget which one of us is the one in control, Blaze. When I say 'bark,' you bark. When I say 'roll over,' you roll over. When I say 'jump,' you ask 'how high?' Have I made myself clear?"
For the second time that night, Blaze had to stomach his rage, as he gritted out, "Like crystal."
Cinder smirked and said, "Good boy," before releasing her hold on Blaze's throat and returning to her spot on the couch.
Feeling his wind pipe opening up to its regular volume, Blaze took a deep breath, before sullenly asking, "Is there anything else?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Reaching into the sleeve of her dress, Cinder extracted a syringe filled with blue liquid in the same manner as a magician revealing hidden scarves.
Blaze's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that N.I.?" Cinder nodded her head in the affirmative, before tossing the syringe at him. He caught it in his right hand.
"Your injuries have yet to fully heal. You can't go into battle like that, especially not against someone as dangerous as this thief."
Blaze hesitated before thanking her. He wasn't used to her looking out for him; usually he had to muddle through his problems on his own.
"There is one more thing." Blaze gave her a weary look; he didn't like the tone with which she phrased that, nor did he like the calculating look on her face.
"And that would be what now?" he asked.
Still staring at him, she said, "Adam wants payment for his help. Payment from you."
Blaze's facial features turned to stone. "Who does he want me to kill?"
Cinder "tsked" at him, waving her index finger in his face. "You're jumping the gun, Blaze. You can concern yourself with that later. I merely wanted you to be aware of the price Adam will extract from you, once you are done at his warehouse."
Finally taking his mask out of the case, he placed it in one of his coat pockets, grabbed his duffel bag, and proceeded to leave the hideout to meet up with the White Fang's Bullhead.
A/N: Hope I wetted your appetites for the rest of the chapter! Will try to get it out Friday next week. In the meantime, hope you all are doing well, and good luck with your midterms for anyone who has them!
And remember, don't be a hater, but be a CONGRATULATOR! (I wasn't kidding; I'm practically married to this horrible pun!)