AN: Managed to get this chapter done today. Hope you enjoy, -CakeLegends
The Ghost of Vale - Chapter 11
Ruby awoke to the sound of shuffling. Through her sleep-filled haze, she knew she laid in an empty bed.
She was too comfortable to move, she laid still, attempting to see through her slowly drifting eyes.
A few moments passed. She heard the sound of the bedroom door opening. The caped-girl felt her partner slip underneath the covers.
"Where'd you go?" Ruby mumbled, her voice slightly lower in her half-asleep state.
Weiss murmured an incoherent response. Ruby felt her arm wrap around her waist, pulling her closer.
"Yang and Blake are still upset." Weiss whispered. "We should have a Team meeting in a couple of hours. I have some things to talk about."
The three girls sat on the couch, watching Weiss' pacing. Ruby almost smirked, it was a habit she had given the Heiress personally.
"I know about the whole debt thing." The Heiress informed. "I wish you had told me sooner."
Yang and Ruby's brows rose.
"Blake told me." Weiss summarized. "I know Neo owes money."
"We tried, but she wouldn't accept handouts to any degree." Blake finished. "You couldn't have done much, unfortunately. Even if you did know."
"Whether she accepts any money we give her is irrelevant." Weiss stated defiantly. "We'll make her take it. It's our responsibility as her friends."
"What are we going to do?" Ruby questioned.
"I paid her to take care of something for me." Weiss admitted cryptically. "I had to pay her out of pocket. After what happened in Atlas, I don't even want to risk drawing physical money out of the bank."
"So how do we help her?"
"I found a pretty good cash-paying job."
Ruby almost snickered. "You work? How long did it take Ms. Billionaire to adjust?"
"Pretty easily. I'm not as cared for as you'd think." The Heiress explained. "I don't spend my money, and I take care of myself."
"So what is it?" Yang asked.
"Nothing that interesting." The Heiress deflected. "I work at night, though."
The city night was calm.
The sidewalks were fairly empty. A cool wind filled the refreshing night air.
The loud crash of glass echoed through the city streets.
In the cover of night, a group of men barged into the large dust shop. The multiple aisles were a surprise to them.
"She didn't say there would be this many aisles." The largest one muttered. "How are we supposed to take a store this damn big by ourselves?"
"Use your brain, you oaf." The Group Leader snarled. "There's 8 of us, and no one guarding the store. We should have plenty of time. Get in -grab the dust- and get out."
The team spread out to the far ends of the store, beginning to fill their bags with as much dust as possible.
One man walked to the furthest corner of the massive shop, and began to shovel dust into his bag.
In an instant, he felt a strong arm wrap around the back of his neck.
He attempted to tear the arm away, struggling for breath. His lungs burned for oxygen. His struggle began to fade. His eyes slowly began to close.
The Leader shoveled as much dust as he could manage. A certain sound unsettled him.
The ring of an opening cash register.
He walked towards the noise, just in time to see his henchmen shoveling money into his bag.
"What the fuck are you doing?" The Leader barked.
"I'm grabbing the money from the registers and safes." The man stated flatly. "What does it look like I'm doing, genius?"
"The boss didn't say anything about money, dumbass!" The Group Leader snarled harshly. "Grab the Dust so we can get the hell out of here. I swear, you're all a bunch of fucking idiots!"
The Leader began to turn away.
"Hey, what if we do get caught?" The man questioned, stopping the Leader. "What if we run into...?"
The Leader's eyebrow rose at the dropped sentence. "Run into whom?"
"You know…" The man swallowed. "The Ghost..."
"The Ghost of Atlas?" The Leader questioned, scoffing with disbelief. "The Ghost works in Atlas, you imbecile. Hence the name. Besides, it hasn't been reported to appear in months."
"I know, it's just..." The criminal sighed. "I was in a shipment over in Atlas at the time. It broke my arm in three places and my fractured my collarbone."
An odd deep silence had taken over the shop in its entirety.
"Hurry up!" The Leader shouted. "Why'd you stop?"
Silence.
The two men locked eyes briefly. They began to walk further into the store, drawing their rifles.
"Oh, shit man..." The thug muttered. "Where'd they all go?"
The thug's eyes widened. His foot bumped against something. He looked down slowly.
It was his friend's body.
"The Ghost is fucking here." The thug whispered, practically shaking. "I knew we should have brought an Ex-Hunter with us. We're fucked, man-"
"Shut up about the stupid 'Ghost'. It's just some wannabe superhero dumb fuck." The Leader growled in a low-tone, keeping a stiff watch on the rafters. "It can't get us if we just stick together, alright?"
Silence.
Their leader turned his head: the thug was gone. The bag of dust laid on the floor.
One odd clue stood out: only the money was missing.
He knew that idiot couldn't have left on his own without making noise. Something has definitely taken him.
"Whoever is messing around out there, just stay away." The Leader barked, aiming his rifle at any sense of movement.
He felt a rush of cold at his side. His eyes barely turned to see a glimpse in time.
A flash of white and harsh blue eyes.