A/N: Chapter 10 of Ice Prince. Thank you Shiranai Atsune for ideas and allowing me to write this. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, there's no OCs. RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Roosterteeth.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 10: Attack on CinnaBun
Sunday morning...
"I'll probably be done a little after 2pm today, will you be able to pick me up then?"
"Yeah sure, I'll come pick you up. And if anything happens you have my number on speed dial right?"
"Yup! You're like number one on my list followed by Uncle Qrow."
"Heh, I knew I had the best sister in the world. Have fun at work Rubes! Make sure you double check your schedule and plan accordingly." Yin spoke from where he sat on top of Bumblebee, letting the engine purr for a while longer. "And schedule your work hours with your classes in your Scroll to see if there's any overlap. We'll go over it again tonight."
"Yeah, yeah I know~" Ruby replied, playfully rolling her eyes at him. Seriously he can be such a mother hen at times. "Don't you have to go to a student meeting today? You're gonna be late."
"Oh shoot, you're right. I should hit the road." He tapped his right cheek with a finger and smiled. "For good luck okay?"
"Keep telling yourself that." She leaned forward nonetheless and gave him a quick peck like he asked for. "And try not to make this a habit."
"Can't a brother get some sisterly affection once in awhile or what?"
"Get going Yin, have a great meeting!" Ruby waved him off and walked into the cafe, closing the door behind her. Smiling she made her way to the back and quickly changed outfits, putting away her regular civilian clothes in her bag. Walking back out into the open she went about wiping down the tables and chairs with a clean cloth.
"You and your brother get along pretty well. For siblings I must say, not many people I know who have siblings have the best...of relationships."
"Morning Coco!" Ruby replied, noticing her boss leaning against her door with a cup of freshly brewed coffee in hand. "Were you watching us?"
"I guess I shouldn't have, but it is always intriguing to watch such interactions. Well then, guess I'll leave you to your work. Keep up the good work."
"Yup!" Ruby gave her a salute, watching as the corners of the woman's mouth curled up into a smile. Retreating back into her office, the girl went about helping out in the kitchen.
Ding~ Ding~
"Welcome to CinnaBun Cafe~" Velvet said pleasantly as three individuals walked in and her eyes went to the SDC on the uniforms. "Oh? Members of the Schnee Dust Company correct? What brings you three here?"
"Heard this place was great from Mister Schnee himself." Deery, her antlers covered with a black-colored beenie hat, told her in a pleasant voice. The other two also took extra precautions to cover up their faunus traits. "The three of us wanted to try out something local as well since it is our first time out on our own."
"O-Of course~ Right this way!"
"Ummm...is it all right if we sit near the window?" One of the trios asked, noticing how Velvet was leading them to a booth half-way between the door and the kitchen. When he got a questioning look he replied, "I tend to be a little claustrophobic, so sitting next to the window would be greatly appreciated."
"Of course, I don't mind!" Velvet said and allowed the three of them to take their seats. Handing them the menus she bowed to them. "Your waitress will be with you shortly."
"This isn't a bad cafe, honestly the atmosphere feels quite homely."
"It's a strange feeling actually. The restaurants back in Menagerie are nothing like this, and yet we can sit here among humans."
"Focus! We can't have any slip ups during this important mission." Deery hissed under her breath, glaring at the others with seriousness. "Adam is looking forward to our success."
"Are you folks ready to order? Ooh, do you guys play a sport?" Penny asked them, glancing at the two black gym bags by their feet. Due to her scheduling she can only work on Sundays, but she makes up for it by working all day. "Tennis perhaps?"
"Oh...er...yeah! We try to have some fun once in awhile when we aren't working."
"Luckily for us, Mister Eis allows us to use his family's tennis courts out in the back."
"That's wonderful! All work and no play leads to a dull mind. Now what can I get you three today?" Taking down their order she smiled and went to get them complimentary water. Disappearing into the back it took around twenty-five minutes before she came back out with the food. "Enjoy!"
As they ate, the one who asked for the window seat kept an eye on how many patrons walked in and out of the cafe. According to their mission, they needed a good amount of customers to make the results highly effective and thanks to Deery's research, Sunday morning into afternoon seemed to be a good opportunity to attack. Soon the place started to get packed and that's when the three of them decided to carry out their plans. Turning down the option of doggy bags, Deery approached Velvet while the other two stood by the door.
"Your total will be $12.30." Velvet said as she rang up the meal, typing away at the register. "But since you are special patrons, your total comes down to $10.15~"
"Here you go." Deery took out a card – which belonged to a Schnee personal Adam pick-pocketed when he retrieved the clothes – and handed it to Velvet. Swiping the card, the faunus smiled and handed it back to her.
"Thank you very much! Come back soon~"
"There may not be a next time." Deery spoke, snapping her fingers. The other two immediately locked the door, preventing anyone from coming or leaving. The commotion drew the attention of the others who turned their heads to watch. Kneeling down they unzipped the gym bags and began to put something together behind the scene.
"I-Is there something wrong?" Velvet nervously backed up, noticing how Deery stood defiantly before her. "If there's nothing else, then I must ask you to leave."
"Such gullibility this will be quite easy." Deery spoke as she looked around before throwing a small sneer at Velvet, "We wanted to thank you for your hospitality."
"What do you..." Velvet watched as a gun was pointed at her, her eyes trained on the barrel before she looked at Deery. "Why do you have a weapon on you? This place is a no gun zone and we have a no carry policy."
"Mister Eis gave us instructions that personals carry their weapons on their bodies, at all times. It would be a tragedy...if I were to pull the trigger, don't you think?"
"...you wouldn't..."
"Oh? But I can...and I believe I will."
BANG!
"What the fuck?! What's going on out here?!" Coco stormed out of her room, her eyes blazing with fury when the first shot was fired and the first scream occurred. First she saw the customers trying to get as far away from the front door then she noticed Velvet on the floor with blood starting to stain through her clothes. She rushed over immediately and knelt by the wounded faunus. "Velvet!? Velvet! What's wrong? Answer me, Velvet!"
"Better take her to the hospital, that looks like a nasty wound." Deery chided, waving the gun around like it was some play thing. "Tick tock goes the clock!"
"What is the meaning of this?!" The owner spat, holding Velvet in her arms. Looking at the gun in Deery's hand and the two automatic shot rifles the other two possess, her eyes found the logo on their uniforms and she snarled, "I should have known the Schnees are nothing more than monsters! How dare you come in here and threaten us!"
"Do it." Deery ordered and the other two fired at will, letting everything go and didn't care who got hit. Patrons and staff alike, dove for cover under tables as the bullets rattled along the walls and knocking out the lights. Smoke filled the air and citizens walking past the building ran, screaming of hearing gunshots. Once the weapons ran out of bullets, the cafe was eerily quiet.
"It is done. Deery, let's report back to Adam." One of the other two spoke softly as the smoke clouded their vision, a male's voice as he looked at the leader of their group. "He'll be thrilled to hear what we did."
"Very well, Perry, I believe this should rattle them up good. Let's get out of here." Breaking through the windows, the three of them escaped and fled the scene before anyone could react.
"Fucking Christ...what was that all about?" Coco spoke once everything had settled down. She had thrown her body over Velvet's as a shield and winced, feeling some of the shards from the lights prick at her back. Looking up to see some of her staff were okay, she barked, "Call for the hospital! Call for the police! Make sure nobody else got hurt! We're closing early!"
Beacon University Council room...
The meeting Yin was sitting in at the moment was for the election of the new student council president. The current leader, Roy Stallion, was graduating really soon and needed to appoint a predecessor for the next semester. At the circular table sat Ciel Soleil, Nadir Shiko, Scarlet David, Cardin Winchester, Nora Valkyrie, and Yin himself.
Ciel was technically a senior and was in the running for presidency back in the day, but she opted out due to private circumstances. However, because she had taken an extra year off she was liable to run again. Nadir and Scarlet were juniors while the rest were sophomores. While Yin wasn't all enthusiastic about being apart of the student council he had been pestered by Sun to give it a go.
"As some of you know, I'll be graduating soon and will no longer run this club." Roy spoke as he glanced at the students sitting before him. "I have no doubt that you all have much potential as leaders to give and the desire to continue making Beacon University a safe haven for those that are coming in and those that will come in the near future. I am forever grateful to have worked with some of you in my years here and I hope to see the achievements you may accomplish when I visit."
"Shit, Roy are you trying to make us cry here at your last meeting?" Nadir spoke up, quickly wiping away at something from his eyes. "If anything we should be thanking you for being a great president."
"C'mon man, we've had the greatest times here in this very room." Scarlet added, leaning back in his chair so he could prop his feet on the table. "It wouldn't be the same for sure, but I have no doubt we'll manage."
"So lets get this thing rolling!" Nora spoke up with a grin. "Make this meeting the best one you've ever led!"
"You guys are the best I could ever ask for. Alright, since you are so eager I guess I should say I have thought over everything carefully since the last meeting, and decided that Ciel would be my predecessor." He glanced at the dark-skinned girl and smiled. "I believe you will make a great student council president."
"I would be honored to lead." Ciel spoke, bowing her head to him as the others clapped their hands. "I hope to live up to your expectations."
"Mmmmm, I look forward to seeing what changes you'll make in regards of making this school better. Now then, at the last meeting I had the members vote on who would be next in line." Roy pulled out a clipboard and adjusted his reading glasses. "I will now read out the results to everyone...ahem. Nadir is our newly elect Vice President."
"Thank you for the opportunity." The pink-haired male replied as he turned to Ciel. "I look forward to working alongside you."
"Likewise." She answered.
"Scarlet is our designated Secretary."
"Sweet, I have to take down who shows up at meetings or events hosted by us." The red-haired male grinned, running a hand through his hair. "As long as we're not taking a trip down to the beach I'll be golden. I hate getting sand in my shoes."
"Cardin Winchester is our new Historian."
"Ehhhh? So I have to be in charge of taking minutes at meetings?" The brown-haired male almost paled before straightening up and put on a brave face. "...I'll do my best and uphold my responsibilities."
"Nora Valkyrie is our newly elected Treasurer."
"All right! I'm in charge of the budget and money!" The orange-haired student grinned before adding, "If dues are not on time, I'm gonna break some legs! If someone uses the club's money on selfish need...oh you bet I'll break both legs and perhaps an arm!"
"Sorry Yin that you didn't have a chance to vote in." Roy looked apologetically to the blond who scooted a little further away from Nora by like an inch. "You only did start out today so..."
"That's okay, I'm glad to be here." The blond smiled. Taking on any responsibilities sounds stressful, so I'll be okay with just being a member without contributing much...that sounds really selfish now that I think about it.
"Oooo! Oooo! I think he'll be great as our Public Relations officer!" Nora shouted, raising her hand in the air and cutting through the blond's thoughts. "He'll be great organizing events on campus and also talking with students and other clubs! If a club wants to do something like a co-op or something, then their representative needs to talk to Yin!"
"I can see that happening."
"Yeah, I'll vote for him on that position."
"Then I guess I have a unanimous vote..." Roy looked around, getting mostly head nods. "Very well. Congratulations Yin, you are our newly elected Parliamentarian."
"T-Thank you everyone! I-I'll do my best!"
"Since we got the roles out of the way, the next thing on the agenda is..."
VZZZT~ VZZZT~
"Hmmm? A message for me? I wonder who it could be...can't be Ruby, it's not even time yet..." Yin pulled out his Scroll and merely glanced at it, slightly tuning out what Roy was saying. His eyes slowly widened with horror and he shot to his feet, putting on his jacket with haste.
"Hey! Yin! Where are you going?! This meeting hasn't adjourned yet!" Roy slammed his palms on the table, baffled that the blond would stand up in the middle of a talk. "Sit down immediately! We still have much to discuss!"
"Sorry! But something happened at my sister's workplace! Please update me later!" Yin all but yelled as he raced out the door without looking back. Booking it across campus he jumped on Bumblebee, revved the engine into overdrive and headed straight to the cafe. Turning the corner sharply she came upon the cafe and a crowd of civilians which prevented him from continuing forward by bike. Coming to a stop, he kicked up the stand, shut off the engine and got off before making his way towards the scene.
"How horrible..."
"Schnee scum, to do this kind of malicious act in the open takes guts."
"We should never have given our lien to their company..."
"Excuse me, pardon me!" The blond roughly squeezed his way through the mumbling crowd, jousting a couple of bystanders who begrudgingly stepped to the side. "Sorry, I'm in a hurry! Please let me through!"
"Everyone get back!" A gruff voice spoke once Yin made his way to the front. A male with gray hair, dressed in a police officer's uniform, held up both hands to keep the citizens at bay. "Don't cross the tape!"
Tch...there's no way I'll be able to see Ruby if this guy is here...Yin sighed to himself, glancing from the officer to the tape in front of him to the broken windows of the cafe. And the building looked pretty good this morning when I dropped her off...oh screw it. Lifting up the tape, he wormed his way through and approached the officer.
"This area is only for police and medical units only, no civilians." The officer quickly turned his attention to the approaching blond, an arm out to block his way. He noticed the male crossing the line, but didn't restrain him on the spot. "Please step back behind the tape."
"My sister works here! I have to go and see her!"
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you through until we're done investigating. Any tempering with the evidence could be costly!"
"My sister's life could be on the line!" The blond, angered that the officer was not getting out of his way willingly, opted to shoving the male to the side. "I can't waste any time exchanging words with you!"
"Hey! I can't let anyone go into the scene of the crime." A pair of strong arms wrapped around Yin, prohibiting him from moving forward. As he struggled to get out of the hold, a voice whispered, "Buddy, don't make this any more difficult than it has to be. Cooperate if you know what's good for you."
"Let me through! I want to see my sister!"
"Officer Black! What's the meaning of all the ruckus?" Both males looked up as a woman approached them, her amber-colored eyes focused on the officer. She was wearing the exact same uniform with a golden star-shaped badge clipped to her clothing, obviously showing off her superior rank. Her ashen-black hair stuck out from underneath a hat as she came to a stop before them. "Mishandling the citizens doesn't look good for our reputation, after all we serve the citizens to the best of our abilities."
"Ma'am! This one claims to be a family member of one of the witnesses we interviewed earlier!" Officer Black spoke, unhanding Yin but kept a firm hand on the shoulder. "He didn't follow my instructions and insisted of going into the scene of the crime."
"Is that so?" The woman turned to look at Yin, holding his gaze for a few minutes. "Very well. You, boy, follow me to where the witnesses are. Officer Black, stay here and keep watch. Investigator Torchwick and his assistant Neopolitan are just about finishing up on the inside. Last time I checked they are getting some samples."
"Yes Ma'am!" Giving her a salute, the officer went back to his post.
"You, follow me."
"Wait, may I get my bike?! I left it over there behind the crowd." Yin asked and when he got a head nod from the officer he quickly went to get his ride.
"This way." She gestured with a hand and led Yin away, making her way around the scene of the crime and towards the back. "I do apologize for my junior's rough handling, he's still green behind the ears. But his determination and refusal to give up during the trainee regiment was highly praised so I had him move into my department. He has a lot to learn and I see the potential in him."
"His behavior wasn't wrong, I did try to muscle my way through him so I'm also at fault." The blond spoke, making sure Bumblebee didn't roll over toes as it was placed between them as a barrier.
"Mmmmm, that you did but I can't blame you." The officer turned to look at him over her shoulder with an understanding stare. "Having someone so close to you get caught in a cross-fire between two rivals, I once felt the way you did and that's why I chose this profession."
"Two rivals? You mean between the Schnees and the White Fang?" asked Yin out of curiosity. He heard bits and pieces floating around whenever Qrow visited, but he didn't fully understand why the two groups were so hostile with each other.
"We have our suspicions, but it's a little early to make a call." They rounded the corner and noticed some of the cafe staff loitering around near an ambulance. Ruby was among them and her eyes lit up when she saw her brother walking over.
"Yin!"
"Rubes!" Making sure the bike didn't fall over, he opened his arms to catch his sister. She clung to him, fingers digging into his shirt. The blond held her tightly, whispering comforting words to her. "Oh thank god you're all right."
"I didn't know what to do! I was in the back when all of a sudden, bullets rang out! I ducked down, my arms over my head and just when I thought it was over, another round of bullets flew out! I was really scared!"
"Deep breaths okay, deep breaths. You're okay, you're here in my arms and that's all I can ask for." He assured her, nuzzling his cheek against her head. "How's everyone else?"
"Umm..." Ruby looked up into his eyes, hers all red and puffy from crying. "V-Velvet got hurt, like really really hurt...she's currently in the ER."
"...Will she make it?" Sun's probably not gonna like the news...but I gotta tell him.
"Coco went to be with her so I haven't heard back from her as of yet. Fox and Yatsu are still around to help the police and assess the damage. Some of the staff members that got hurt are here and others went home since we're closed for the day. I don't think the cafe won't be reopening anytime soon until Coco comes back."
"Then, let's go home ourselves. And if it is possible, we'll pay Velvet a visit." Yin smiled before glancing at the officer who gave them some space to chat. "Thank you for letting me see her, Miss..."
"Fall. Cinder Fall." Cinder introduced herself and tipped her hat to them. "Get home safely."
"Thank you so much, Ms. Fall." Yin spoke, helping Ruby get her belongings before mounting Bumblebee and turning on the engine.
"Perhaps we'll see each other sometime soon." The officer stepped back, watching the siblings drive off. Releasing a sigh, she turned around and walked back to see an orange-haired male waiting for her. "You got something Investigator Roman Torchwick?"
"Mmmm you could say that." Roman drawled, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and puffed out a steady stream of smoke. "I believe you aren't far off from your initial guess."
"So this is the work of White Fang members dressed up as Schnee members?"
"My assistant Neo managed to get a copy of footage from the cafe's hidden camera and went back to my office to get the television working. We'll go over it and let you know."
Inside the Schnee Mansion...
"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!" Jacques' voice boomed throughout the entire space, causing those around him to tense up with worry. The white-haired male threw his paper down and glared at the guard who relay information to him. "How? How I ask you! How in the world did you nincompoops not notice some personals were missing?!"
"S-S-Sir, it was pretty dark outside at the time of the attack. Nobody here has good vision when it's dark." was the shaken reply. "Not to mention some of them were newbies and didn't have time to be...acquainted with their superiors."
"Imbeciles..." Jacques sat down in his chair and sighed loudly. "They're all imbeciles!"
"Is everything all right, Father?" Eis questioned as he walked in, closing the door behind him. He had been on his way back to the room when he heard the raised voice. "You don't sound very happy."
"It appears those filthy mongrels has made their moves." The older male growled, making it a point to glare at the guard who tried to make himself as small as possible. "None of our personals knew what was coming until I received this report of an attack at a shop."
"A shop?" The younger approached the desk with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh yes, one of those local shops that the citizens absolutely love to go to. Concealing their true identities while wearing our clothing, those damn dirty dogs!" Jacques thought about it some more before stating, "I want to retaliate, no doubt they want us to make our own moves in response. The media and press would be all over us like leeches. Eis, prepare to accompany me as I lay waste to our enemies at my next speaking event."
"As you wish Father. I'm sure the public would be honored to be graced by your presence."
"I won't let this attack rattle our core. This is only one of many attacks the White Fang plan to do and if we can't stand strong against this one...then what hope do we have in withstanding the rest?" Jacques sighed, closing his eyes as he thought about it. "We need to hit them back even harder." Then a sneer appeared on his face and he looked at his son. "Eis, please inform James Ironwood that he needs to come here so I may speak with him personally."
"Why him of all people?" questioned Eis.
"Let's just say I need to make use of his military prowess and power." His brows furrowed and he added in a threatening tone, "Make sure he comes here by himself... if he wants escorts, they better be soldiers."
"...are you implying that Winter's not allowed to come back?" Not that she would want to come back to see us in the first place...
"Hop to it Eis. No more questions."