So, fun story. I won't explain every part of it since most of you people are here to read this story and not the daily occurrences of my life, but point is, I can actually finally work on this.
And I finally have an actual god damned plan.
So enjoy. Or don't. Up to you.
Sup.
No reply.
Wanted to see if you'd want to talk at the library.
Still nothing.
Well I'll be there if you come.
Still at four in the morning, I wouldn't have expected much anyways. Everybody should have been asleep. Should have been, at least. I mean I was awake, but that was just a common occurrence.
Hey Neo
Now her? She was crazy. Reliable, but crazy. I slipped out of my dorm, leaving both of my teammates to rest. Besides, I didn't want to wake either of them. Pyrrha and I were on great terms, but Weiss? Yeah, ha, no. She'd probably kill me by dawn.
Oh but Sylas! Why don't you just spend time with them?
God... Thinking about it, that'd keep me from having a cliché conversation with them revolving around "We're your team! You can rely on us!" Not a fun thought to entertain. At least I choose to acknowledge the stupidity of the situations I'm caught in. Seriously, Remnant was a damned fairytale compared to earth. Superpowers given to teenagers, mystical predators hunting humanity, and human-animal hybrids that are a one on the furry ratings.
Don't worry snek arm, I still love you. I think he smiled.
I made my way down the staircase, trying to avoid any creaky boards. No clichés here. Is worrying about clichés a bad habit? I guess it was just a habit. Or a fear.
Hey ;)
Checking my scroll, I wondered why those still existed. I guess it didn't take much for somebody to say "It looks like a smiley!" Imagining that phrase in a goofy voice made it funny. Goofy voices make most things funnier. Or sadder. :(
Wanna have some fun?
What type?
You're the boss. What tickles your fancy?
There was a long pause as I descended the staircase and headed out the main entrance to the dorms. Main exit? Depended on which way you went, I guess. I exited the exit, as one does, and strolled through the courtyard. Now, there was no reason for Goodwitch to be up at this time, so I wouldn't have too many problems-
"Why hello, Sylas." God. Damn. It. Speak of the devil, and thou shall receive. Another cliché. I'd have to make a list. Maybe I'd just keep tallies in my scroll. Good idea, me! Now I don't have to constantly mention it. Yay, the brain weasels are satisfied!
"Mornin' Goodwitch. Nice weather, huh?" Four A.M. Sylas was good at interaction. Sylas was good at many things. Sylas likes third person. Sylas no use it because it make me seem stupid. And now I look ignorant.
"I would agree, but a thunderstorm should be passing through later today." She tapped the umbrella at her hip. I glanced at it and then the sky.
"Cloudy. Hasn't been like this in a while." I twirled and sat my back against the trunk of a tree, almost tripping over a root in the process.
"Clumsy as always." I could've sworn she almost smiled, though it was hard to tell when she was pushing her glasses up.
"I'd prefer 'charming,' thank you." I chuckled. "But just a normal morning for you?" I closed my right eye, though she couldn't have noticed; my left side was facing her.
"Yes, despite it being a weekend." She sighed.
I pushed off of the tree. "Well, I'm headed to Vale. Best of luck with whatever you have to do at this time."
"Goodbye, Sylas." I walked past her, waving lightly.
I remembered one thing that I felt like warning her about. "Oh yeah, I'm gonna try to bring Aurelia, Ruby, and Season together. You might wanna keep an eye out."
She turned around, concerned. "Why would that be?"
"I think we might end up burning down something in a display of bravado."
"I would hope not." I made my way to the airship docks, not paying any more attention to her.
Breakfast sounds good.
Oh really? I know a café.
Sounds yummy.
Meet me in the usual place. It ain't far from there.
K.
I went ahead and made a tally on my scroll. Cliché Counter: I. I rolled my eyes at my own actions. Making my way to the airship docks, I didn't pay too much attention to the scenery. Looking at the same things over and over just got old, even if it was only two weeks thus far.
Thinking to myself wasn't too interesting as I boarded the only flight for the next two hours. I peered out of the window, catching a glimpse of an occasional Grimm just outside of Beacon. Just Mammoths, as I called them. Beings of pure magic...
I'm getting ahead of myself. I couldn't just write things off as magic. That meant it was inexplicable. Every question had answers. It just didn't mean they had to play by your rules. Sure, I made a good bit of discoveries with earth's sciences, but not all of their problems could be solved with our methods.
Ugh. Save the science for Oobleck or the frontier.
I flipped some lien to the pilot as a tip. The guy probably appreciated it. I stepped out and let my legs do whatever. They decided to meet with Neo. I both love and hate you, my dear legs, but remember that you are nothing compared to the Snek arm. Who's a good boi?
Spelling boy like that in my head made me laugh. Kinda surprised that memes hadn't become a thing on Remnant. Well, you already made Hearthstone, so anything is possible.
I found myself sitting on a bench, waiting for the most adorable psychopath I'd ever met. As much as I'd like to say that I fit the description, four bodies didn't compare to the unfathomable number she's killed. Plus, I didn't find it fun. Just a minor difference, I know.
WHO AM I EVEN TALKING TO
"Oh hello Neo." She weakly had an arm wrapped around my neck, and I could feel her chin on top of my head. In a rather risky maneuver, I flipped off of the bench. Rolling off of the back of it, I planted my feet just behind her and swept her off of the ground. I got a silent giggle and an eye roll, so I thought it was successful. "So, back to ground level then?"
She nodded her head "no."
Oh dear god, it was a joke. Have mercy on my soul. A bead of sweat began to form on my face, but Neo's overall stature was light enough for me to hold her with one hand long enough to wipe it away. "So, bridal carry or on the shoulders?"
She stuck up two fingers, implying the second option. I squatted down, and like a spider, she swung herself with grace onto my shoulders, pointing forwards as though I were her stead.
"Off to the café we go." I began to walk in its direction, this time not putting my body on autopilot. Carrying a Neo was a daunting task. One must follow a strict code of chivalry and honor...
And not bump her into any signs.
Yes, she was tiny, but she was still two or three extra feet of height. I'm pretty sure if I ever hit her, she just tighten her legs around my neck and kill me. Not the worst way to die, but it was still death. I wasn't looking forward to Take 3.
"So, anything crazy for me to do this time?"
I peeked up to her, looking for a response. I got a thumbs-down. Thank you God for answering my prayers you nonexistent son of a gun. "Well, just twying to spwend time wif dear old, Sywis?" Well, if God, the nonexistent pick he is (isn't?), won't kill me, I will.
She tightened her legs just a tad and "booped" (as Nora would say) my nose. She peered down in front of me and smiled, blocking my view. I stopped and smiled. "I would continue, but I think I've lived long enough to understand the dangers of having a woman's legs around my neck."
She opened her eyes fully, still smiling. It gave her a crazed look, one of a murderer looking for their next kill. I continued to smile back, waiting for her to get out of my field of view. Once she swung back up, I felt her rest her head atop mine.
She was nice, you just had to treat her like the Devil's own daughter. If she had red hair, I'd just call her the Scarlet Devil. Might just build her a mansion to complete the joke. "So there's something I wanted to ask."
She tapped my temple. "I'll take that as my go ahead." I got a thumbs-up. "So that White Fang guy whose mask I took? What'd he do to get the mask?" I paused, expecting a long pause as she typed up her words, so I picked up my pace in an effort to set her down as quickly as possible. The streets of Vale weren't too crazy to navigate, not too crazy, but every now and then you had the highways to think around, adding an extra dimension to an arbitrary game of two-dimensional chess.
I glanced up to the highway just above me, wondering how this kingdom didn't have thousands of deaths from automobile accidents alone. It made about as much sense as everybody announcing their names at the beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, but nothing beat the number one competitor: my existence.
A single car drove past us on the road to our left. I waved, and Neo, who I had to glance up at to ensure hadn't fallen asleep, continued typing. I hoped, just for a moment, that they didn't know who I was carrying, but it was inevitable; you can't just carry around one of the greatest threats to the kingdom and get off scotch free. I remembered that Torchwick practically owned the Valean Police Force, and caught myself before I went down the rabbit hole of what Torchwick did and didn't own.
I only talked to him twice. The first time was when I just walked up to him as he was making his getaway, trying to see if I could make a deal with him. It was, of course, a dumb place to put myself, and he couldn't take me seriously. He then "accepted" my request as a way to get on with it, expecting that I, a seemingly young lad, clearly was just some teen doing something stupid as a way of rebelling. When he gave me my "assignment," he intended it to be something impossible, something so stupid that I couldn't do it. So I did the one thing I love most: out-stupiding people. By then, he had no choice but to go along with it and kill me later.
The second time I talked to him was just that. While it wasn't him that was sent to kill me, it was the Scarlet Devil - Neo, as I've been referring to her - that was.
Clubs, with their flashing lights and blaring music, were by no means a place any human would expect to find a faunus casually strolling into like he owned the damn place. With a posh grin on my face, I raised an eyebrow and scanned the crowd of varying expressions, some angered and others excited, and paraded my way to the bar like a celebrity surrounded by their paparazzi.
I took a seat on one of the wooden stools, two seats away from the guy smiling like I was a Roman gladiator here to fight and three away from the woman who rolled her eyes and scoffed like I was just another kid trying to die in a club. I sat my scaly arm on the bar, essentially signaling the bartender - who cared little for my presence - that I wasn't joking. I was here because I heard that there was fun to be had, and dammit I wanted in on it. My first month in Vale was marked by me trying to stick my fingers into every piece of the pie I could. Criminals, police, shops, clubs, you name it, I was getting in on it. Every now and then I'd get somebody who'd let me in on something that'd save my skin later on.
Even I couldn't have expected to have done such a thing, especially since I've never seen myself as the type of guy to go out and go crazy. Then again, I'd never been in a big city, not like Vale, though nothing on earth could ever come close to being like Vale. It just boiled down to how the cities were built, as each world had their own foundations to build from, and neither seemed to be anywhere close to similar. Earth, with our own methods, forged our cities from mud, then stone after years of development, and finally we moved to metal - things like steel, aluminum, titanium - to make appliances that we essentially abuse during our day-to-day lives. Remnant had dust, something that, for generations, they heralded as God-given magic that ensured their survival. They never had the time, especially not with the Grimm, to stop and ask scientific questions, and those who did were always chained to their second lives as huntsman - which I am no different, looking at life through the lawless barrel of their rifles.
The bartender, tall and well built with a bald head, stopped to speak with me as his back faced me, with him searching for a bottle on the shelf he faced. "You're too young to drink. If that's what you're here for, scram, I've got customers who could use that seat." He had a kind tone, not rude in any way, that seemed as though it would resonate well with people. It probably made his job much, much easier.
"No, mister, I'm afraid I've come on different motives." Speaking with a polite tone, I tried to make my voice as convincing as possible. That, of course, led to me speaking in a Mistrali tone resembling that of a sly Brit's. I rolled a few lien between my fingers like I would a coin. "I've heard," I said much more quietly, "that you've been running a tad of a side business."
He delicately plucked a bottle of scotch from the shelf, turning around to pour the glass in front of me. "While it is true, I'm afraid that I might have to ask for compensation before I say anything else." He finished pouring the glass, twirling the bottle he poured from and screwing the lid back onto it with a tad of finesse. I held the lien up between my index finger and thumb. He slid the drink across the bar with a simple backhanded push. With one hand he took my lien, and with the other he placed the bottle of scotch back where it was blindly. "I run a fight club. Through that door to your right." Without another word, he resumed to his duty.
I swung myself off of the stool, gently hitting the ground as I began my short walk to the door he spoke of. Vale must have had some sort of technology that let them make their structures noise-cancelling, as I saw that as the only way I wouldn't have been able to have heard them. Not trusting the situation, I kept my guard up as I grabbed the doorknob and slowly swung the door open, creeping through the gap.
The room I found myself in was by no means a fight club. It was just a normal hallway with a woman seated at a desk to my left. She let out a long sigh. "Great. Another kid..." Her eyes ran along me as soon as I entered. "Here for the fights? Sign here. And don't expect mommy to come out of nowhere to save you." I walked over to the desk, signing my name under the alias I'd been using, Jarro Lightfeather. "Wait..." She looked over my name, squinting to make out the cursive, the Remnant equivalent of cursive, of course. "Huh. I actually recognize this one. Well, small fry, your fight is through those doors behind you." She smiled and waved to me.
I turned to the door, noting how this was beginning to feel like a fetch quest with a strange twist waiting for me, and judging how well those went in video games, I wasn't looking forward to it. While yes, I could walk away, I felt as though that'd put a target on my head. Plus, there could be a bunch of fun I'd miss out on.
I slowly pushed the door open, checking over my shoulder as I creeped in, seeing that at least the desk lady wasn't out to kill me. I brushed through the tiny gap I left for myself, putting me in a pitch-black room with nothing but silence; then, the lights snapped on, and two figures stood in the center of everything. I recognized one.
Torchwick. Placing a man like him in a position that he literally couldn't say no in was a bad idea, yes, but taking such a big risk was necessary to secure a position of power. For what reason, I couldn't say.
"Now Neo, if you would~" He said as he took a puff from his cigar, turning to walk out of the emergency exit behind him.
The girl with him grinned, her eyes burning into me with malicious intent, and pulled out an umbrella.
I cracked my knuckles, drawing my staff and letting my fiery gaze meet her crazed eyes. What I love about weekends-
Neo was gone.
I sat alone in a booth with a receipt, trying to shake myself awake while panicking over the whereabouts of my wallet, though I will admit there wasn't much in it. I shook off the funny feeling sleep left me with, deciding that sitting around in a busy café wasn't that great of an idea, even if I was good friends with the staff.
I left a hefty tip, almost the rest of the money - sorry, lien - I had left with me, and made my way to Beacon, looking through my scroll for any messages. Neo left me a few paragraphs that I didn't bother looking through, not yet, but Blake responded to what I sent her at... four in the morning? God... I needed to work on my sleeping pattern, and my motives needed some work. Waking up that early for a psychopath wasn't good enough. I need things to do, things to work towards.
No more walking through things. I need to start thinking about things more, about what they could do later.
Dammit, as much as I hated going through school again, I started to realize that the whole "goal setting" thing was better than I thought.
Thinking further into things, could I even trust Neo?
Working with Neo has only seemed to put me into the shitter. First there was the whole murdering Sky thing. Filled with doubt, I felt as though the cameras weren't actually disabled, and that I'd been played. What use was killing one guy? Why'd Ozpin force everybody onto teams of three? I've heard him talk. He seems like the type of guy to just force one team to have three people, not all of them. Maybe, the cameras were actually disabled. Maybe. It'd explain why I was still alive.
Second, killing those White Fang guys. An alliance between the White Fang would empower his efforts, but one insider couldn't sway their stance. He'd need a bargaining chip, something like money or weapons. Maybe he saw them as rivals in the underworld. Torchwick was many things, a cheater, scumbag, and a posh prick, but he was by no means stupid.
Oh God.
Me getting the White Fang mask would divide my attention further. When I met him, I was stupid. I told him I was in Beacon. He had reason to want me dead. By letting me, a complete amateur, work with him, he was essentially letting me sign my own death warrant, and giving me the opportunity to take the White Fang mask was just upping the stakes in his favor.
You've dug your grave, Sylas.
Lay in it, or dig yourself out.
Maybe. Maybe...
My brain was working in overdrive, the result of getting a damn good rest, trying to put together plans, ways of turning this around on anybody and everybody at the table. My life was the bet I placed without realizing it until now, and it wasn't a bet I could afford to lose. Just a chance. All I needed was one, but what could give me what I needed?
Ruby was a problem to Torchwick, who was a problem to Beacon and I, I knew that much, but why? Neo, hell I, could kill her in a fight, easily. Killing her has to have consequences, otherwise he'd have already done it. If it gave me a chance, even if it was slim, I needed to keep her alive at all costs.
The White Fang was a problem to both Torchwick, Beacon, and I, and Blake was my best chance at working through that. She was smart, but she had her flaws. All I needed was for her to create an opening. Another person to keep alive.
Beacon was a problem for Torchwick, the White Fang, and guess who? Me. All of the professors posed a threat to me, and on top of that, the place was filled to the brim with super soldiers, many of which could make short work of me. If the need arises, I'll need ways to get rid of the professors as a way of cutting off the heads of the snake.
I could work out the specifics later. Right now, as I stepped onto an airship to Beacon, I needed to see what Blake sent back. Getting our teams together could provide a safety net to keep the chances of Ruby and Blake eventually dying to a minimum, something I now realized was much more worthwhile than I'd first imagined when coming up with the idea.
Sounds good. I'll be there at one.
I chuckled to myself, finding it funny that I wasn't the only one who typed in sentences. I checked the time. Thirty past noon?
I slept for seven hours?
Funny, in ten minutes I've done more thinking than I did in an entire life on earth. I guess that's what happens when you get strung between three factions all trying to kill each other. Just find ways to kill all of their leaders. It'll be easy, they said.
Thirty-one years, and only once have I needed the most important organ in my body.
I gently tapped the door of the airship, not loudly enough to bother anybody, but as the only guy standing up, if they heard anything it would be obvious who it was. My other hand gripped a handle to keep me from flailing about with every little shift of the airship. Jaune would have died already. Maybe twice. I sent him a quick message.
The plan's in play. Meet us at 1:10.
Well, that's you taken care of. Now I just had to take the gamble of whether or not this would work. It felt good, being able to feel like I had a semblance of control.
I strolled to the library, not paying much attention to anyone, with my hands in the pockets of my baggy pants. The look I had, paired with the chance of people knowing about my delinquent days at Signal, seemed to sway attention away from me. Usually faunus drew attention, so I enjoyed it.
I entered, as one would, and stuck to the front, staying as close to the entrance as possible without just standing in the doors. My solution? Stand just next to them.
All this talk about "those darned teens," and I still act like one. Where did it all go wrong? C'mon life, I'm still fearing my mid-life crisis. I checked the time again. Five minutes had passed.
What I love about weekends-
I wanted her to take the first move, but her childlike grin told me that she did as well, so I began to slowly circle her, knowing this could easily turn out as a loss for me. Never underestimate your opponent. I knew that, and now, standing in front of a girl that terrified me, I tried my hardest to not show any signs of fear. A smirk grew on my face as I shot a glance above her.
Hit and run.
I slid towards her. She hopped to the side, and I snatched one her ankles through sheer luck. I dropped my staff and clung onto her with both hands, putting all of my strength into chucking her into the air. I managed to do so, but she quickly adapted, and I could see that she was ready to respond to whatever I could do. I stuck to my plan, letting her drift down and to my right, and threw my staff directly to the light above her.
I heard the staff hit it as glass rained down. The girl had her umbrella, but I had to dodge back to avoid it. It left my staff just next to her, which, yes, put me at a major disadvantage. All I had to do now was keep her there. Easy, all I had to do was -
DODGE.
I tumbled out of the way of the girl's kick, rolling myself to where she once was in an attempt to bait her over. The next best thing coming out of me being there was that I got my staff back. I snatched it off of the ground and stayed low, keeping myself in a position where I could easily dodge or attack.
I decided on the latter, pouncing towards her like a cat, and I swung my staff in a wide horizontal arc. She swiftly ducked under me, but I brought myself to a halt by scraping my palms against the floor. Before my body could fall, I sprung off of the ground, flying towards her with a drop kick. She held up her umbrella (parasol?) and negated the kick before it could hurt her. Still, she flew backwards, landing where I had her before. I shot a glance up to the ceiling, just before I put away my staff. A confused look grew on her face, and all I could do was laugh.
The light from the ceiling came crashing down on top of her. Glass flew in all directions, and I used that as a cover to rush out of the room as quickly as possible. I didn't know what I was up against, so, nearly swinging the door of its hinges, I shoved past everyone in my way. As I passed the bartender, I threw some extra lien at him. "Sorry!" He looked confused, but he'd know why I said that by morning. I practically kicked the door in, making my way outside as I heard the desk lady scream my name. I stopped in awe just outside the door, and the lady stopped next to me.
I chuckled, scanning over the crowd of trucks, vans, and grunts with guns all aimed at me. "Well gents, I seem to be in a predicament." I heard all of their guns chamber. I cleared my throat. "Look, I'm pretty sure that girl that tried to fight me is pretty dead, so unless you want to join her, just walk-" A blade pressed against the back of my neck. "I feel as though I've just lost all of my leverage." Slightly bloodied, the girl was very clearly pissed. Her breathing was shaky and uneven, but she was doing fine on her feet. It wasn't a good sign for me, but at this point, I think I was out of luck.
Nah. I'll find a way. I usually do anyways.
A car pulled up, and Torchwick stepped out from behind one of the vans. "Ugh, kids these days. All of you think that you can just be whatever you want." He waved a hand through the air, putting out his cigar and dropping the butt of it to the ground. "Well, look where it got you, kid." He turned away from me, and I realized that we'd only been going at it for a minute.
"You know, pal," I said, looking through the crowd of men ready to kill me. My eyes narrowed as my hand tightened into a fist, my fingers running along the switches built into palm of my exoskeleton. "Rule number one of combat training: Never. Underestimate your opponent."
He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Neo, if you would..."
The girl behind me smiled, and I found myself on the verge of laughing. "Try it lady, I dare you."
Before she could end my life, I spun around, using the armor plating on my forearms to push her blade up, and I followed with a punch to her gut, sending an electric shock equal to that of two tasers through her. She fell to the ground, twitching and convulsing rapidly. "Hold your fire, idiots!" I snatched the girl off of the ground, using her twitching body as a shield as I ran towards the firing squad surrounding me. I chucked the girl at Torchwick, and he caught her limp, twitching body in a perfect bridal carry. Vaulting into the air, I whipped out my scroll. "Smile for the camera!" I shot a quick photo of the two of them and pocketed my scroll.
"What are you imbeciles doing? Kill him!" He began to run to the car that pulled up earlier. Various guns began firing right at me, so I twirled my staff in a guard, keeping it going until I hit the ground. Once my feet made contact with the ground, I sprung into a lunge, transitioning it into a sprint. My staff twirled once clockwise, protecting me from the initial spray of bullets. Running at an angle towards them, I managed to narrowly avoid a trail of death encroaching on me. Vaulting over the hood of a van, a task that proved awkward but still worked out, I slammed my boot onto a gunner's foot, causing him to yell in pain. The stock of his rifle came downwards, a blow aimed to disorientate me, but I caught his gun on the tip of my staff, pushing his gun to the side. I jumped up, swinging my foot up and snap-kicking him in the neck. Say goodbye to your trachea.
Now fighting them in their own lines, it became much more difficult for them to fight me. Tactical positioning. I smashed in one of the windows of the van and swung through the gap I made. Torchwick's car just started up, and I needed to catch up to him. He was the problem, not the grunts. Luckily, the grunts weren't smart enough to take out the keys, so I started it up as they reloaded. First, it nearly stalled on me, something I didn't plan for. After cranking it again, something I found funny, as I wouldn't have expected an entirely differently world to have similarities to earth. This time, it started up with a low growl, and my foot slammed against the gas pedal. I pulled a quick U-turn, or at least, I pulled the fastest U-turn I could in a van.
Gunfire broke out, and I ducked down, avoiding the spray of death. The bullets shattered the windshield, so once I heard them stop, I raised a foot and kicked it in. Heading off of the road, I almost overcorrected, swerving towards the other edge of the road. God, why'd I have to die before I learned how to drive? I peeked out the window, not using the shattered rear view mirror, to see how many guys were chasing me. Six more vans.
I hate weekends.
Blake woke me up, and I nearly jumped right into state of full panic. In a cold sweat, I wiped my face, still standing against the wall. "So how long was I out this time?" I looked to my hands, making sure that it was still me standing there. I could never be too sure.
"Are you okay?" I got a concerned look from her, and I found it funny. She was too much like me, like the younger me.
I waved a hand and began walking. "Yeah, just reflecting over a few things. I might tell you about them later." Her face stood like stone, but I could see the suspicion in her eyes. I knew how to recognize my own features, and no doubt she could as well. Like-minded people have that quality, just being able to tell what was going on in the other's head. At least, I did, but I owed that to having an entire redo. "So, how are you?"
"Good." We walked to a table in the back, and I found myself jotting another counter to the Cliché Counter, putting it at two. It seemed like people always went to the back of whatever place to talk about secret things.
"Well I figured I'd just be polite." Making up for the silence between us would be difficult, so I decided I wouldn't keep pressing it. There was no point in forcing a conversation. I took a seat, and she followed. Placing an arm on the table, I cleared my throat. "So, any progress?" I asked lowly.
She pulled out a book, opening it on the table and reading through it. "Hardly. Vale does a good job with cover ups." She still didn't trust me, and quite frankly, if anyone knew what I did, I wouldn't trust me either.
"Yeah, well that's great because the bull hasn't told me anything, but right now he's laying low. I'll track him down by the end of the week, maybe get some info out of him." Great. Neither of us had anything. Just what I needed! I'm not surviving off of the flow of information or anything!
"All I've managed to find is a list of old buildings." She turned a page, and I kept my eyes darting back between our surroundings and her. "The White Fang could be using them."
"Look, just scratch off any near the one I was at when we had our uncomfortable encounter. They aren't stupid."
"I already did."
"Good." I coughed, using it as a signal to get her to look up to the five people walking in. "Aurelia. Watch it."
"Aren't the other two your teammates?" As she asked that, another two people came in with much less dignity, screaming Blake's name at the top of their lungs. Or at least, one of them was screaming, and it was Xiao Long carrying an embarrassed Ruby in tow. Weiss looked like she was about to blow a fuse or two; Jaune was awkwardly trying to find us; Nora was joining in with her own screams; Pyrrha was silently scolding them; and Ren was existing to the best of his ability.
"Aren't those also yours?"
"Unfortunately," she said with a long, disgruntled sigh. She took a look around her.
"Sorry, but no exits." I shrugged at her. "Don't worry I know how it feels."
"OH BLAKE-Y! YOUR TEAM WANTS TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU!" Xiao Long's echoing yells made me laugh. At least someone had some life around here.
"Ma'am, please lower your voice." The rabbit faunus I usually bump into warned her.
"Oh alright." I saw Xiao Long grin, and I knew she was about to do something stupid. "Hey Blake-y!" She was now yelling in a whispering tone, hissing through the library.
Aurelia spotted me, and they made their greatest effort to get away from Xiao Long. Pyrrha and Co. also trailed right behind them, catching a glimpse of me.
"Don't worry, I think they're sane. Not sure about the ginger or the Schnee, but I guess we're stuck here." I tried to offer her advice as she stood to leave, closing her book and holding it close to her. As she went to push in her chair, Nora bolted over and shoved her back into it.
"Oh, no, don't worry, you don't have to go since we're here!" Blake was annoyed; anyone could tell. Should've listened to my advice. Now you've incurred the wrath of Nora.
"Hey Sylas." Jaune greeted me first.
"Hello." Then Ren.
"Aw! It's been so long since I've seen you!" I tried to run from the excited Nora, but, alas, I was caught in a bear hug of earth-shattering power. No fighting for me today. No breathing either. Luckily my nerves hadn't rendered the torturous agony yet-
Oh god I can feel my liver dissolving
I hunched over in pain as I felt my body try to expunge my soul from itself. By no means was it a fun feeling, but I think I remember her breaking my ribs once. When was that?
"Are you okay?" Jaune asked me, but I think he knew the answer.
Blake wasn't enjoying this in the slightest. Her brow furrowed, but, realizing that she couldn't escape, she let out a long sigh. "Oh, who's your friend?" Nora asked, blinking towards Blake at an implausible speed.
I coughed, expecting blood, her name. "Blake." I fell out of my chair, landing on my hands and knees.
The loud bang in the library prompted Pyrrha and Weiss to hurry over to us. "Sylas, are you okay?" Pyrrha rushed to my aid, just as I fell limp on the ground - focusing on taking deep breaths. She held my head up and gently shook me.
With most of the initial pain subsiding, I played around a bit. "Alas, my poor friend, 'tis the end for I..." I fell limp. "Bleh."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Oh get up you buffoon." She crossed her arms, not amused.
Ren, who had taken a seat and was now reading through and cookbook, piped in. "The initial pain should have subsided by now."
I didn't know where Nora ran off to, but I got to my feet with Pyrrha's help. "Truly a great audience I'm surrounded by."
Weiss, ever the critic, put in her opinion. "Maybe if it were actually funny, people would have laughed."
Ruby and Xiao Long joined the congregation, but Yang was caught up with Nora. Ruby zoomed towards Jaune and I, making herself comfortable around the people she knew. "I thought it was pretty funny."
"Thanks, Ruby. Your opinion is valued." Weiss continued to press it, and my remarks weren't helping.
"Oh, the only person that liked it is the youngest? Maybe like just means you have a child's sense of humor." I wasn't gonna let her keep going. I could tell she was joking around, which was around difficult thing to do, but Ruby didn't seem to like that remark from her.
"Oh now Weiss, let's not get out of hand here. Besides, look at all the people drawn to the noise you're making." A few people, maybe about ten people - half of which were just agitated by the noise, were gathered around us. They all distanced themselves decently well, making it seem like they were doing other things, but they all walked off when I acknowledged them.
Weiss grumbled, taking a seat next to Pyrrha - who herself was seated next to Ren and Blake. Going clockwise around the table we sat at, it was me, Ruby, Jaune, an empty chair for Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, Weiss, Blake, and an empty chair for Yang.
"Hey, where's Nora?" Jaune asked with concern.
Everybody looked around, trying to figure out where Nora and Xiao Long were. Once I heard Xiao Long's voice echo through one of the book rows. I stood up and slowly made my way over. Jaune, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby made their way over with me. At least it gave some space to Ren and Blake. There was some bickering behind me between Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha. I let it go, despite wanting to see what Nora and Xiao Long were saying.
Once we found them, I think we all knew it wasn't good.
"What the hell are you trying to do? I said no, so just back off!" Yang stepped back from Nora, swatting her away.
"Oh, c'mon, it's not like it'll hurt you!" Nora teasingly approached her, reaching for Xiao Long's hair.
Ruby and I immediately jumped into a full panic, rushing in and stepping between them. Ruby tried to stop Xiao Long, and I stood in front of Nora. "Hey, look Nora, I know she has great hair, among other things, but she said no, so that's that, okay?" I fearfully stood, trying to interpret the look on her face. She was contemplating something, but I couldn't tell what. I peeked over my shoulder at Ruby, who was having about as much success as me.
"I just wanna touch her hair, what's wrong with that?" She began to smile, and I felt my heart sink. I glanced over at Jaune and Pyrrha, trying to signal for help. Jaune began to walk over, and just as he did, Nora backed down. He stepped back, took a sigh of relief, and let me handle it.
"Okay, so can you just shake hands, apologize, and let it go?" I was still trembling in my boots, but I tried my hardest to display confidence. My spine was at risk here.
Nora slumped. "Alright..."
"Good, good, now Xiao Long..." I turned to her, seeing that she was in a much better mood. Ruby moved aside, and I did the same.
Nora approached Xiao Long, and they each stood there for a second. Nora slowly outstretched a hand, and after the most tense ten seconds of my life, Xiao Long did the same. Their hands shook. "Friends?" Nora suggested. Xiao Long shrugged at the proposition. "Yay!" Nora held Xiao Long's hand for an uncomfortable amount of time. Her eyes narrowed.
"Surprise attack!" She tugged Xiao Long towards her, swiftly running her hand through Xiao Long's hair. To make matters worse, her hand got caught in a knot as she tried to pull her hand from mass of hair.
Ruby and I went pale as we saw a long strand of blonde hair fall to the ground.
Seconds turned to hours as we both sat there, awaiting the inevitable.
Jaune asked a question. "What's so serious?"
I fumbled on my words as I watched Xiao Long slowly turn to watch the strand drift down.
When I saw Xiao Long's eyes slowly redden, I felt my heart stop.
"Hey!" Xiao Long shoved her away, her aura glowing with rage. "Back off!"
Nora stopped herself from falling back, and I jumped in between them once more. "Nora! That's not what I said to do!" I leaned towards her, whispering. "You'll get yourself killed!" It was an exaggeration, yes, but I knew that most people would listen, mainly because it was me talking. I think I give good advice. It was a shame nobody ever listened.
Jaune came to back me up, and Pyrrha made the smart choice of not getting involved with Ruby and Xiao Long. I never knew why those two got along. They must've been childhood friends or something. "Well, Yang, you could just maybe... put it back?" Ruby's suggestion baffled me, and no doubt Xiao Long wasn't happy to hear it.
"Ruby, that's really not how that works." I turned to her, mainly just interested in her progress in calming Xiao Long. It was going surprisingly well, especially considering it hadn't been thirty seconds yet. I peeked at Jaune, seeing that he was having "fun" with Nora. I let him deal with the cracked-out gerbil. I was more confident with my ability to deal with explosives, so I decided to try to tame Xiao Long.
Having to deal with two of the most explosive people I ever knew wasn't how I planned for any of this to go.
Where did I go wrong in life?
I asked myself this as I was surrounded once more, standing next to the smoldering remains of the van I was driving. I wasn't sure how well my ribs and right leg were functioning. I could feel a few of my ribs poking out of place, yes, but all I could feel from my leg was the faint sensation that I shouldn't even try moving it.
Torchwick wasn't in any better condition, nor was his companion. He crawled out of the van he was in, the driver dead, and the girl had finally awoken. Slightly bloodied and mildly battered, he was looking like he wasn't in the mood to be dealing with me. Neither would I, considering I did just ram both of us off of a highway.
I popped a few of my joints back into to place, staring him dead in the eyes once I did so. The girl shakily stood up, and a second later she joined her friend - or master, whatever he was to her - and stood against me.
My grip tightened on my staff, and even though I was the only one still armed, I knew I was outmatched. Even still, I readied myself for battle. "Let's see how well you dance, Torchwick."