I don't own RWBY. You still watching the sky?
Chapter 10: Ever Watch A Bird Dance? (Pt. 3)
Thaddeus Arc was a light sleeper. It came with the territory of being a thief, and such a well known one. You had to be aware of your surroundings, even while trying to attain rest, and so even the smallest of noises could jolt him out of his slumber. Most times, he could fall right back asleep after dismissing whatever it was, but for some reason he decided to get up and grab a snack. Before he'd gone to bed, he'd noticed Jaune painstakingly attempting to recreate the Crimson Heart, using the alchemy knife with such tender care and precision that the older Arc couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride. Then again, it was three in the morning, and if Jaune was still up…
The bespectacled blond stepped into the living room of the apartment and immediately noticed that it was mostly dark, save for a single lamp in the kitchen, his nephew hunched over his work, still carving away, only stopping to glance at his scroll which was currently plugged into the wall to keep it charging.
Jaune had attained quite the perceptive awareness over his training with Thaddeus, a vital and necessary skill for his own larcenous activities. "Uncle? What are you doing up?"
Thaddeus gave a half smile, half grimace as he spoke. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question? Have you slept at all?"
The younger of the two blonds shook his head. "No. Can't. It's already Monday and I need this thing finished by Tuesday. Wednesday I need to go down to the gym to practice something, and Thursday is when I plan to sneak into Junior's to exchange the real Crimson Heart for the fake one."
"Jeeze...you're really pushing yourself, aren't you?"
Jaune scratched the back of his head. "It's almost done anyway. Luckily Junior can't keep his little gem under wraps and there's pictures all over the Dustnet of the Crimson Heart I can use for reference."
"Sure the weight's the same?"
"Close enough for anyone who isn't an expert in this stuff to not be able to tell the difference." Jaune yawned and shook his head. "Damn it. If this keeps up, I'm going to need a Blue Dust injection just to keep going."
Thaddeus actually glared at Jaune for once, surprising the young blond. "No. That's for emergencies only. You know the side effects are absolutely horrendous."
"Yeesh, okay, okay! Energy Drinks it is then."
Thaddeus gave a sigh and opened the fridge, pulling out a to-go container of Eastern food he'd bought the day prior, digging into it with a spoon still cold. "What do you even need to go to the gym for?"
Jaune's expression turned dark, his gaze hidden by his bangs. "I almost lost last time Thaddeus. My former team tore me a new one and if I hadn't spent the entire time taunting them and angering them, or they hadn't fallen for it, I'd have lost. I'm not losing to them, not again. I'm going to prove how much stronger I've become."
"Jaune?"
"I need to figure out my Semblance more. I've only had it for four months, and as useful as it is, there's still aspects to it I need to figure out. Can I channel the stored energy into offensive moves? If so, I might be able to stand a chance against all four of them."
"Offensive capabilities? Sounds useful, but not exactly what I'd call true Phantom Thief style. Brute force is effective, but not very stylish." Thaddeus tapped his spoon against the side of the carton in thought.
"Stylish or not, it matters not if I'm captured."
"This is an ego thing, isn't it?" Thaddeus cocked an eyebrow.
Jaune's head snapped up and for a brief moment, Thaddeus almost saw a heart wrenching glance on his face, a mirror of one he had when they'd first met in the Forever Fall forest. The same kind of despair and desperation that broke Thaddeus' heart and pushed him to help Jaune become the Phantom Nevermore. "I ran away from them Thaddeus, and when you found me, I swore I'd become stronger, that I'd become something incredible."
"Jaune, you already are! How many people can say they've done the things you've done? You're already a thorn in their side! Listen, you're fighting against some seriously crazy opponents. I don't know much about this Team RWBY, but your former team has Pyrrha Nikos on it. Freakin' Pyrrha Nikos! The four time-"
"Mistveil Tournament Champion, I know." Jaune clenched his fist. "Trust me, I know. She was the only reason I was able to survive for more than a day in the Grimm infested wilderness." Jaune's tone was almost bitter in its sound. "I need to prove to her, to them, and to myself, that I'm different now. I want to prove that I'm..."
"Above them? Now you're just getting plain cocky."
"I-" Jaune stopped and sighed, relaxing his fist. "It's not them. It's me. I need this. I need to prove to myself that running from Beacon was the right idea. You said no regrets, well, this way I can settle this. If I can beat them, if I can beat Pyrrha...then I know that I was meant to do this."
Thaddeus sighed, putting his food back into the fridge. "I'm not going to try to talk you out of this. Hell, I'll even help you. In return though, I need you to be careful, and I want you to seriously contemplate one thing for me."
Jaune tilted his head in curiosity. "What?"
Thaddeus started to walk back to his room, silent for a few moments before turning around and fixing Jaune with a steely gaze. "I want you to think about possibly going back to Beacon."
"What?!" Jaune stood up in his seat, almost knocking it over in his haste. His face was one of shock and anger, his tone disbelieving.
"I'm not saying to quit being the Phantom. You're in too deep, and by now, I'm sure you've caught the same bug that had me in it's grip. You were born to thieve. However, I think you staying this far from your friends isn't helping you any. I'm not going to force you, but seriously, give it some thought."
"...Fine. After this heist. I need all my brainpower on this heist if I want to pull it off."
Thaddeus nodded. "Fair enough. Don't stay up too late, okay? We'll make sure to get you to the gym Wednesday."
Jaune's only response was another yawn and a wave of his hand, returning to the task at hand
[Tuesday Morning – Junior's]
Mornings. Tuesday Mornings, specifically, were Junior's least favorite time of day. Tuesday mornings were the least busy time of the week, and the time of the week he made the least money. No one drank on Tuesday Mornings, and certainly no one partied. Not that he'd want some crazy people who wanted to party on a Tuesday Morning, but at the very least, someone could stop by! At least to spend a little Lien, hell, even to just be some company! Melanie and Miltia were sweet as usual, but even they seemed to come down with the doldrums on such a boring occasion. It was something that happened every Tuesday, but this week, with the big event going on Friday, everyone was even more bored than usual.
So it came as quite a surprise when the door to the club opened up slowly, and a young blond man poked his head in, looking around curiously. "Er, hello?" Junior cocked an eyebrow, his gaze flickering to the twins who picked their heads up off the table looking very interested. "Is this Junior's?"
Hei nodded his head, calling out to the kid across the dance floor. "You've come to the right place. I'm Junior, how can I help you?"
The young man stepped fully into the nightclub, dusting himself off. He was wearing a long, silver coat and when he turned around to shut the door behind him, he noticed it was embroidered with a shattered, silvery moon, a small black bird flying across it's main body. When he turned back, he noticed that the young man was...well, quite young. More than likely around the twins' age. He slowly approached the bar, both Melanie and Miltia giving flashing him a charming, hostess style smile. However, the blond seemed to ignore them, sitting down at a stool. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, I'd heard about a big event happening this Friday and was honestly a bit curious to know where this place was located."
"You got it! You looking for a drink?" Junior raised an eyebrow. He didn't need some brat just stepping in and annoying him without spending any Lien. "Actually, are you even old enough to drin-"
Junior's line of questions was stopped when Jaune thrust his identity card out for him to read. It was his false id card, listening him as John Crescent. Junior looked it over before handing it back to Jaune, who slid it back into his pocket. "I'd heard this place had a Strawberry Sunrise that was to die for."
Junior nodded. "Right..." There was something in the back of his head that was annoying him about the kid. For one, he looked...bored? Unamused? The way he carried himself almost seemed to say, 'Yeah, I know who you are, and I couldn't give less of a damn.' Not to mention there was something very...familiar about the kid. Where had he seen him before? If he hadn't seen him, where the hell had he heard the kid's description from? The older man silently began making his drink, fixing the young man with a stare, hoping to unnerve him. Instead, all he got back was an eyeful of steely blue eyes glancing back, not flinching or moving. Impressive. Kid hasn't been aggressive, just staring me down. He's got...training? I thought I saw a concealed carry holster inside that coat of his. He's packing heat.
Junior 'accidentally' tapped his knee against the counter twice, a silent sign to the twins. 'Customer's packing heat. Possibly trained.' On cue, the twins sidled up to him, sizing him up. "Like, hey there!" Melanie replied, leaning over the counter to get a good look at the young man's face. She had to admit, she liked what she saw. For one, he hadn't started hitting on them first thing, something they'd both gotten tired of. Another was his bravado. Both she and Miltia noticed the young man staring back at Junior without flinching or looking away, so obviously he wasn't afraid to show some backbone. "What's your name cutie?"
Jaune hid his twinge of irritation. He'd been hoping to interrogate Junior about past robbery attempts to possibly formulate a strategy but the twins were going to be a pain. With the most charming smile he could bring on his face, Jaune turned to the white dressed twin. "John Crescent. I'm a bit new around here."
"Oh? What brings you to Vale?" Miltia added. Junior nodded at her with a grin. They were great at gathering information for him.
Jaune gave a wave of his hand and with an airy tone continued, "Moved here with my uncle. He runs a small courier business and he needed the help, so I decided to give him a hand. It's not the most impressive sounding work, but keeps me in shape, so I can't complain." Jaune's story was a practiced one, spoken with confidence and no sign of hesitation.
"Courier?" Miltia queried.
Jaune nodded. "Yep. Packages, letters, ect. Sometimes you don't want to have to deal with snail mail to get a letter across the city because that could take days with the mail system like it is. And, not everyone has access to a Scroll, so people like us pass letters and such. Rooftop express and all that jazz."
The twins giggled. They might have sounded dumb, but they were far from it. They had to be to become Junior's trusted seconds. "Oh, so you must be quite the Parkour expert!"
Jaune's grin widened. "Of course. One can't swing through the urban jungle without knowing the ropes." Junior placed the glass in front of him and Jaune grabbed it, holding it up in front of him with a smile. "Cheers." With that, he took a drink. The taste was far different from the horrible whiskey his uncle had tried to give him, and he gave a sound of approval.
"So are you like, showing up Friday?" Miltia asked, fixing her sister with an amused glance while continuing to speak to Jaune.
"If work allows. You'd be surprised how busy I usually am. Hence, coming here when there's not much going on." Jaune glanced around the room, whistling under his breath. "Hopefully I can though. This place really looks amazing. Like what you've done with it, Junior."
Junior's expression turned up at the young blond's compliments. "Thanks. Had it repaired about a year and half ago when some crazy girl turned up and wrecked the place."
Cameras. Three of them, one behind the bar, one behind the DJ station and one above the door. "Really?" Jaune asked, turning back to Junior with a raised eyebrow. "That sucks. You have my condolences."
Junior chuckled. "Hey, managed to recoup my losses and then some, so it's not all bad."
Jaune nodded. "That's good. I'd have hated to have nothing to do during my stay in Vale."
"So, like, are you single?" Melanie added in, earning a strange look from Junior.
I count five guards stationed around the room, judging by their matching suits. Most likely there will be this many during off hours. My best bet is an early morning infiltration, while Junior and the rest are still asleep. "Me? I am, but...not really looking for anyone. Again, work keeps me too busy to worry about dating. I'd make a terrible boyfriend anyway; My fashion sense is terrible and I have the dance moves of a tortoise." Pfft, yeah, right. I can mop the floor with you guys when it comes to dancing. Fighting too, I bet.
"Oh? Maybe Miltia and I could help you one day?" Melanie's eyes gleamed green in the florescent lighting from all around.
Jaune shrugged. Bathrooms on the back left, staff only is back right. This building is at least six floors, and I'm betting this entire place takes up three at most. I'm betting Junior lives upstairs. If I knock him out with a tranquilizer dart while he's already asleep and take the dart with me, I can rifle through his things for the Crimson Heart without anyone being the wiser. "I'd like that, if time allows." There was a buzzing noise and Jaune gave an annoyed glance, pulling out his Scroll. "Speaking of time, or lack thereof, I'm afraid I must be taking my leave. It was a pleasure meeting all of you." Jaune finished his drink, and extended a hand to Junior.
The bigger man stared at him for a moment before taking it. Hm. Firm grip. Kid's got gumption. Wonder if I could convince him to join my crew? "Nice meeting you too, kid. Hope to see you Friday, we're gonna have a blast."
Jaune stood up and walked away, (leaving behind a disappointed looking Miltia and Melanie) and gave a wave from behind. "Oh, I've got no doubt in that. None at all..." With that, the young man opened the door and walked out into the daylight.
There was silence again for a few moments before Miltia spoke up. "He's cute."
Melanie nodded. "I'll say."
Junior simply shook his head. "There's something about him that seems...familiar? No, I don't think I've seen him before, but I've heard his description somewhere..."
[Tuesday Evening – Casa De Arc]
"...and, finished!" Jaune cried out triumphantly as he held up the gem. It was flawless in his opinion. From every angle, every facet, even the color was perfect. He'd used up a little of the Verdant No. 6 he'd had from his previous mission to give it the unique color that it had, even mixing in a little Azure No. 3 he'd had lying around.
Thaddeus gave a low whistle. "Nice! That's a work of art right there! How do you plan on getting it exchanged for the real one though?"
"Simple. Friday morning, I'm sneaking over to Junior's place as early as possible and exchanging it then. I'm guessing Junior stays at the club upstairs, and knowing his type, he's not the kind of person who'd trust anyone with keeping it secured, so he'll have it on his person."
"Reading people that well, huh? My training must have really stuck with you!" Thaddeus dug into his burrito with gusto when he finished.
"Let's see here, 12 hour training days every day for ten months, with half of them being brutally grueling physical training and the other half being studying until my brains were ready to ooze out my ears? I'd like to think I'd picked up something." Jaune chuckled.
Thaddeus stopped mid bite, frowning. "Wait a minute. If you're exchanging the Crimson Heart early, then how will anyone know you did it? I mean, there's calling cards I guess, but-"
Jaune cut him off with a charming (albeit tired) grin and a dismissive wave of his hand. "Oh, I'm showing up alright. In fact, I had a plan that's going to knock your socks off."
"Oh?"
Jaune's grin grew almost predatory as he explained, "Oh, I'm not going, but the Phantom Nevermore is."
Thaddeus eyes widened and his burrito fell out of his hands to the plate below, his expression betraying his shock. "What?! You're going there in person? In public?!"
"Indeed! I'm going to light up the dance floor until the event starts. See, the real Crimson Heart can burn for years if lit on fire, never going out, but the fake Crystal will explode when set on fire, causing some very interesting effects..."
"So when Junior goes to prove it's authenticity..." Thaddeus trailed off, eyes widening in realization.
"Yours truly reveals the ruse and makes his escape in the classiest way imaginable." Jaune finished, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied smirk.
Thaddeus started breaking out in peals of laughter, smacking the table as he did so. "Brilliant! Bloody brilliant!" He wiped a tear from his eye and took a deep breath. "You realize I have to show up and see this for myself, right?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way..."
Author's Note: Three days are left and the plan is in motion to set off the most audacious of heists that Jaune has been in yet, but can he pull this off? Will his name be spread throughout Vale as the newest shadowy threat to stalk the night, or will he be caught, or even killed? I hope you're all prepared, because the curtain is about to rise on a night that no one will ever forget. After all, Jaune is forgetting a very important thing...Information Brokers have notoriously good memories…
Also, if anyone here is an artist, I'd like to request a favor. Would anyone be interested in trying to draw a Phantom Nevermore? I'd love to have it as my avatar, but even my stick figures look terrible.
With that being said, look forward to the next chapter soonish, and remember to leave a review!
