AN: Messed around with the perspective of an onlooker for this chapter. I'll return to the regular feel for the next one. This was a little different for me, I hope I did okay.-CakeLegends
The Lonesome Road - Chapter 11
In the active capital city, life was very fast paced. Seas of people were walking and talking, adding to the hustle and bustle that made the city feel comfortably packed.
Everyone type of person walked through the city. Cute couples walking together, laughing and wrapping a loving arm around each other. Some rushed looking business men walking with a stride as brisk as the weather. A few groups of friends that sat together, talking and enjoying the cozy warmth of their coffee cups.
Think about everyone you see for a fleeting moment as you walk nearby. Think of everyone that seems to be a blur against a mass of people.
All of them have a story to tell. One that's just as rich and deep as anyone else's.
Let's take Daven for example.
Daven worked the same job for 9 years. He worked with the smaller details of mid-level dust shipments.
His job was quite simple: He sat at his same old desk. He drank his same old coffee. He pushed the same old buttons on his same old keyboard until the clock struck 6 o'clock and he could return to the dwindling comfort of his same old house.
Daven was growing tired of life. He was a likeable, if not clumsy person, but that didn't stop his co-workers from disregarding him. He wasn't brave enough to speak up and make friends.
But then came the glorious day that Nila arrived in his life.
She was drawn to his quiet attitude like a moth to a flame. From the first day she joined Daven's office, she was determined to bring out his personality.
It took her a while to break through his defenses, but her warm smile melted his frigid outsides. Her upbeat attitude was balanced by her humility. Daven's spirit began to thrive in her presence.
His co-workers, whom he had sat next to for 9 years without a single word, became some of his best friends. When the lovebirds started dating, he found himself loving every side of his life. He was never alone.
And tonight, after 2 years of heaven on earth, Daven had finally purchased a ring. He was ready to seal the deal, and knew she was ready just the same.
He walked out of the jeweler's shop with a large smile on his face. His time spent saving pennies had finally paid off. He knew Nila was a humble person; she didn't care whether her ring was diamond and gold or a plastic bottle cap. But he wanted to get the best for the one who made his life worth living again.
His smile would drain to despair and fear when he realized he had made a turn down the wrong alley.
4 days 16 hours and 22 minutes.
The time away from Ruby was eating through Weiss' sanity like a buzz-saw. Almost nothing had caught her interest since they split apart. Almost nothing was there to distract her from the building feelings.
Weiss Schnee sat atop a stone gargoyle. She stared over the bustling citizens. Keeping away from Ruby was harder than she anticipated. The Heiress turned to what she did best: She pretended to be someone else.
And tonight, she was a watchful protector.
But that didn't mean she didn't have some style. The Heiress wore a white tuxedo with a black mouth mask, bowtie and gloves.
She had donned her duster as well, though its former black color was now a stark white. Weiss smirked to herself. Whether it was out of preference or symbolism, she dyed the infamous jacket.
"What are you doing, Weiss?" The Heiress criticized herself. "You look like you should be at a wedding."
The future irony of her words would never grace her mind.
For the first time in a while, Weiss' aura was fully replenished. The Huntress focused her senses. She could feel every single person's warmth marking their locations. She could see their heat signatures through walls and buildings.
It was something she could only do when she was stationary and high up. The sheer amount of information would have driven most people mad. Fortunately for Weiss, insanity doesn't affect those already suffering under its influence.
The Heiress took a breath and felt the city breathe with her. She focused her hearing. Every subtle vibration that touched the cold air was able to be heard. The mass of babbling and clanging sorted into specific conversations and actions as they entered her head.
"Can you believe what she said to-?"
"The windshield was broken and a crowbar was left in the-"
"I'm leaving you John. It's not about-"
"The 3rd one was a crippling joke-"
All the conversations were making Weiss' world spin. Her eyes closed. She darted from conversation, her eyes darting around underneath her eyelids with rapid speed...
"We can just walk away. Please don't do this. I just bought it-"
Weiss' eyes opened at the nearby conversation. The voice had a sense of fearful urgency. She cut her connections to the city and leaped from the gargoyle.
"I want your money, not your life. But I'll take both if I have to." One of the muggers spat out.
Daven cursed his luck. He had stumbled into a group of thugs, armed with guns and crow bars and bats. His business suit made it very clear he had something in his pocket.
"I'll give you my entire wallet." Daven begged at gunpoint. "Just please don't take the ring."
Daven wished he could take a bullet. That he was one of the lucky few born with an aura. He was never envious of the Hunters until this moment. And the Hunters were above them all. They would never waste their time with average crimes. What did they care for average people?
The thumb of the gun-wielder clicked back on the pistol's hammer. Daven gulped. The thugs' sadistic grins shined menacingly through the dim alley.
Daven whispered a silent plea. He knew no one would save him. Just as he was enjoying life, he would die in an alley without a chance to-
A blur of white fell from the sky like an angry angel. Daven and the assailants gawked at the sight. The woman had landed on one-knee atop the now unconscious gun wielder. Her piercing blue eyes glanced at Daven, though he couldn't place the expression through the mask.
With a wink, the masked angel drew a thin sword.
The scene was a blur. The angel struck like a focused whirlwind, stabbing and slashing everything in her path.
Her fist or hilt would collide unforgivingly with her opponent's skulls to render them unconscious. For the moment, her blade wasn't a killing weapon. It was a tool.
A quick mugger ran up to the woman before she could react. He brought his bat swinging at her head. With a loud crack, it snapped in two. The woman was unphased. Daven shuttered.
A few more seconds passed as the fallen angel finished her job. The bat's strike had dropped the mask to the floor. Daven's eyes locked with the face of his savior.
His eyes locked with his Boss' daughter.
Not just the daughter of his boss, but of the Chief Executive Officer of the entire company. He had little knowledge of the Schnee family, let alone that a Young huntress was among the members.
Weiss' cold eyes burned into the skull of the fearful worker. He stared at the fury and wisdom that hid behind the gaze. He stared into the wounds on the left side of her face, wondering who could harm the unharmable. Who could lay a hand on a god? That's what stood before him: A god.
Daven felt like kneeling would have been appropriate. He did so.
"What the fuck are you doing?" A surprisingly casual voice responded. Daven's eyes looked back up to the fallen angel. She had retired the bandana around her mouth, masking the details of her appearance once more. "Get up and run. There could be more."
Weiss picked something off the floor and tossed it to the worshiper. Daven's hands fumbled to catch the tiny box he had risked his life for. He looked at the leaving appearance of his savior.
"Where are you going?" The man called after her. He wished to somehow make it up to the one who saved his life with such indifference. "Ms. Schnee-"
As his eyes opened from a blink, the Heiress stood before him. He felt her hand wrap itself around his neck. Her blade found a spot at his throat. With all his human strength, he couldn't fight the girl's godlike strength.
"Your death will be slow if you speak a word of this." The Heiress muttered slowly in a quiet, raspy tone. Her piercing eyes made Daven feel like a ghost was threatening him. He nodded in understanding.
And as quick as the harshness appeared, it vanished. Daven was released and the angel's sword was sheathed. She began to walk away once more.
As she reached an alley wall, she glanced over her shoulder at the victim she saved. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a karaoke bar to get to. And the 3 girl's I'd be turning down could probably beat the shit out of me."
The god disappeared, climbing up the wall in a white blur.
Daven let out a sigh of relief and clutched the tiny box tightly in his hand. He shuddered at the thought of 3 people who could harm the unharmable. Little did he know his savior wasn't even a full trained. Like most people, the mysterious Hunter's both endeared and scared him. This was his first time seeing one in action. The casualness of her invulnerability terrified him.
But a feeling of thankfulness overcame all else. He was just a face among the background, but a huntress had taken the time to save him.
All the Heiress' imperfections were inconceivable to the average onlooker. Her dwindling sanity was an afterthought to a witness of her combat skill. To average men, hunters would be many things: The untouchable monsters. The gilded angels. The embellished mutants. The perfect soldiers.
But when those with a kind heart take the time to be more than self-absorbed legends, they become more humane than all else: The gods among us.