AN: Happy Halloween! In the spirit, this one is a little longer. (Several months have past in the plot as well, so a lot has changed.) Hope you enjoy nonetheless, tell me what you think :) -CakeLegends
The Ghost of Vale - Chapter 25
A small vibration echoed through the air of the small apartment. The sound resonated through the wooden counter-top, echoing through the rest of the living space. It sounded off every few seconds, filling the room with its soft drone.
The repetitive buzzing roused the acrobat from her sleep. She rolled over, releasing a soft groan in irritation. The buzzing persisted still.
Her eyes shot open in realization. Her Scroll.
'Shit!' The acrobat kicked herself out of her bed, her tired legs fumbling slightly over the sheets.
She felt her way to her bedroom's doorknob, open the stuck door with a tug. She walked briskly across her apartment's small living room, towards her Scroll on the kitchen counter.
Her tired eyes squinted at the familiar name. She answered the call, bringing the phone to her ear.
"Yang?" Neo managed, clearing the morning bug out of her throat.
"Hey, N." The Blonde greeted in a chipper tone. "Were you asleep?"
"Maybe." The acrobat admitted partially. "What time is it?"
"It's like, 6 in the afternoon." Yang answered with a small laugh. "How's your new place going?"
"...It's going." The acrobat answered absentmindedly, glancing at the take-out containers on her living room table with a frown. The scent of the cheap food still lingered in the apartment air. "It's a shithole, but it's good enough for me.
"At least it's close by." The Blonde added. "5 minute shuttle ride to Beacon."
"How is Beacon, anyways?" Neo yawned, scratching at her disheveled hair.
"Just as nice as I remember; it's almost like coming back home at this point. Ruby's been even more ecstatic than usual. She's practically giving herself an aneurism." Yang joked.
"That doesn't sound any different than usual." The acrobat smirked. Her feet led her back towards her bedroom.
"You're still coming over to the dorm today, right?" Yang asked in a hopefully tone. "Beacon is throwing a Halloween party tonight at 8."
"It's Halloween?" Neo paused for a moment. "Shit. I forgot about that…"
"Are you still coming?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, of course." Neo confirmed, walking towards her windows. She pulled the cord, catching sight of the rising sun. "I'm yours on the weekends."
"You know you don't have to live by yourself, right?" Yang mumbled through the line. "You could still stay here, like before."
Neo turned to the closet, pulling back the rough, cheap curtain. Her eyes stared deeply into the large pile in the closet. 30 million in blood money. Just a few months ago her life was worth ten million. In three months, she had made twice that. Neo stared at the building pile with disdain. It felt too easy. It wasn't satisfying.
The acrobat remembered the phone in her hand.
"People know where I am now. I'd end up getting your whole floor shot up." Neo mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Weekends are the best I can do."
"What's your costume going to be?"
"I don't know." The acrobat mumbled, reaching passed the pile to her clothes. "I'll just figure something out."
"Sounds good." Yang agreed. "I love you."
Neo smiled. "I love you, too."
The acrobat ended the call.
20 million lien. She grabbed a few hundreds, sticking them in her pocket.
"We can watch the others when I get back."
8:30
There was a loud knock at the dorm door. Blake answered, glancing down at the visitor.
"Boo." The acrobat whispered, lifting up her mask to reveal a mischievous smirk.
"A hockey mask and a Cheerios t-shirt?" The Faunus glanced at the logo across the acrobat's chest. "Cereal Killer?"
'Yep.' Neo gave a thumbs up as she walked into the dorm. Blake's ears were displayed. The killer pointed to the collar around the Faunus neck. 'Cat?'
"Obviously." The Heiress acknowledged over her shoulder as she managed the contents of her book bag. "What did you think she'd go as? A dog? A skwarul?"
"A what?" Ruby asked, holding in a giggle. A small smile spread on her face. "Say that last part again."
"A skwarul." Weiss restated with a straight face. "You know, acorns. Runs in trees."
"You mean a squirrel?" Blake asked in amusement.
"That's what I said." Weiss frowned. "A skwarul."
"You're saying it wrong." Ruby laughed. "I guess Atlesian's can't say squirrel. I'll add that to my list."
The Heiress rolled her eyes, shoving her binders in her backpack. The acrobat began to walk around, examining the dorm room.
"The Bride from Kill Bill?" Neo mused, eyeing Yang's yellow and black jumpsuit. "Classic."
Neo turned towards the duo. She smiled, pointing a finger at Ruby's skull mask and raised hood. "Grim Reaper. Nice."
Her eyes fell on Weiss.
"What are you supposed to be?" Neo questioned, pointing to the crown on Weiss' head. The Heiress' clothes looked like an olden-time version of themselves.
"I'm the Mad Queen. From the popular Lank Blade novel series." Weiss answered in a proud tone, fist-pounding her chest. "Notorious M.A.D. is back, motherfuckers."
The last of the Heiress shout resonated in the room. The acrobat's head tilted in confusion.
"...What the fuck?" The acrobat mumbled.
"It's a running joke." Ruby informed nonchalantly. "You'd get it if you were here earlier."
Neo frowned. "Why don't I know about that?"
"We've made sure Mad never meets Evil." Blake inserted with a raised finger. "I don't want to think of what would happen."
"Are you guys ready to go?" Neo asked. "I think we're fashionably late enough."
"Just about." Yang confirmed. She pointed towards the textbooks and sheets behind her. "We just need to put away some of this stuff first."
Neo nodded, standing off at a corner.
The acrobat watched as the others finished cleaning. Her eyes glanced towards the Reaper.
Months had gone by without telling the caped girl. A relationship in secrecy came with its guilt. Neo pondered how long they would go on like this. A month? Six more? A year?
She sighed. This would have to start coming out soon. She might as well start laying down a foundation now.
Neo pulled the caped girl to the side, placing a hand on her shoulder. Ruby pulled up her mask, giving a curious gaze.
"Ruby, listen..." The acrobat began awkwardly, glancing to see if the others were listening. Her tone was quiet and personal. "We're friends, right?"
"Of course!" The caped girl beamed, matching the acrobat's tone. Her expression shifted in confusion. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing." Neo assured, patting the caped girl's shoulder. "I just want you to know, I care about you as a friend."
"Is this about the time I found your vibrator?" Ruby asked, her expression shifting with worry. "Because I put it back exactly as I found it. I didn't even use it just a little bit just to see what it's like that one time for a bit."
Neo's eyes widened. "What? Oh, fucking-"
The other's glanced over in suspicion. Neo smiled back, waving them back to their actions.
"I just..." The acrobat rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I'm just making sure you know that, alright? I want you to feel safe around me."
"Alright." Ruby nodded, calming down. "Good to know."
The three girls stretched her shoulders, walking towards the conversation. Weiss nodded. "We're ready to go. Just say the word, Rose."
Ruby smiled, pulling down her mask. "Alright, let's-"
Neo felt a buzzing against her thigh. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her scroll. Her eye twitched at the caller id.
'You've got to be fucking kidding me.' Neo grumbled mentally. She answered the call without a second spared.
"Good afternoon, sir." The acrobat greeted.
"Ms. Neopolitan. I hate to interrupt." Asher began cordially. "We need you to take care of something."
"Yes sir." The acrobat answered respectfully. "I'll be seeing you shortly-"
"Unfortunately, you will not." The kingpin interrupted. "You won't be meeting me about it."
9:00
'A construction yard?' The acrobat glanced around at the various machines. 'Very classy.'
The killer walked through the broken fence gate. A large field of refuse and machinery covered the area. The thick scent of dirt filled the night's air. She felt the thick, dusty gravel dig against her soles with every step. A few dozen workers still walked through the yard. It took a skilled glance to tell they were just a front.
Neo approached the patiently waiting figure in the center. She recognized her burning eyes in an instant.
"You know, ever since I got involved in your little family business here, Cindy..." The acrobat stopped a few yards in front of the taller woman. "You just seem to keep following me."
"I need you to do some disposal work." The superior commanded, ignoring the condescending remark. She waved for the shorter girl to follow.
"And what do you need me to do?" Neo asked, matching her speed. She followed the superior past various vehicles and crates. "You want some old senator to get whacked?"
"Not that type of disposal." Cinder clarified. "A crime went off with a small problem: a witness needed to be killed. We need someone to dispose of the body."
"Sounds rather easy." The acrobat commented with clear disappointment. "Was this really worth ruining my night for?"
Cinder stopped in front of a large metal shipping container. She waved for two workers to open the doors.
"This one's a little special." Cinder informed, her eyes practically glowing in the moonlight. "We thought you should take care of it."
'What's so special about this one?' The acrobat's eyebrow rose.
"It's a little lighter than others."
The two workers pulled the doors apart. Cinder waved for the acrobat to step forward. Neo squinted with suspicion. She stepped forward cautiously.
Her eyes rested on the small, mangled corpse. A small toy was still clasped in his hand. For the first time in her life, Neo felt her stomach turn at the sight of gore.
The acrobat stepped away from the storage, taking heavy breaths of clean night air. On the surface, she managed to keep her composure.
"Clock's ticking." Cinder declared with a smile. "If you hurry, you might still make your little party."
"I'm not doing it." The acrobat stated defiantly. "That's a line that I won't cross."
"This business is like a machine, Neo." Cinder stated in a smooth tone, turning away from the conversation. "It only works when every piece does its part."
"Do you know how much I'm being paid?" Neo began, speaking louder towards the leaving figure. "I'm too valuable to be lost. I don't have to do this if I don't want to."
The superior's gait came to a slow halt.
"Do you what happens to a piece that doesn't work?" Cinder hinted, glancing over her shoulder. "It gets thrown out and replaced."
Neo felt a lump in her throat. Her fist tightened into a ball, her thumb nervously rubbing her stump finger. Her dual-colored glare wavered at her superiors burning eyes.
10:00
Neo closed the orange shutter of her storage unit.
Every detail replayed in her mind like a video. Unclasping the cold fingers from the thing they once held dear. Working the saw with shaking hands and a quivering lip. Making sure their guardian wouldn't find them again.
Her head spun as she walked through the storage yard. She felt the sickening slime of nausea sticking against the walls of her stomach. No mattered how much she scrubbed, this was blood that wouldn't wash from her hands. No matter how much she repressed, this was blood that couldn't wash from her memory.
She unconsciously walked forward, opening the door to the front desk.
"Hey, Neo." The redhead greeted happily. The acrobat snapped out of her haze. Nora's hand waved enthusiastically. "Happy Halloween!"
The acrobat snapped out of her daze. She remembered her place, forcing the corners of her mouth into a natural smile. "Happy Halloween."
"What do you have planned?" Nora asked.
"I'm going back to a party at Beacon." Neo responded, forcing herself to remember how to speak. "My friends invited me."
"Cool. My shift is over, I'm heading their now." The redhead informed, rising from her chair and brushing her hands together. "We can go together."
"Sounds like fun." The acrobat returned a thumbs up, forcing an enthusiastic nod. She wondered how long she'd last. She was the good actor, but her mind was somewhere else.
11:00
Neo approached the barred doors to Beacon's cafetorium. Her motion froze. The acrobat stared down at her gloved hands.
They were trembling.
"You alright, bud? Someone didn't spike the punch earlier, did they?" Nora asked, taking note of the shaking hands. She patted Neo on the back comfortingly. "Because if I missed it, someone's going to pay."
"I'm alright." Neo reassured with a warm smile. "Just exhausted. It's been a long night."
Nora shrugged off the oddity. They stepped through the doors. Nora grinned as she felt the bass of the music vibrating through her feet.
Neo flinched slightly as the redhead nudged her, pointing in a direction in the crowd. "There's Ren over there. Wish me luck!"
Neo's smile faded as the redhead disappeared into the sea of dancing students.
Her eye caught Yang in the distance. Neo swallowed. Her feet began to walk forward slowly through the crowd. Her eyes glanced around as she passed by. Partygoers danced to music. Neo only heard her own deafening heartbeat.
"Hey, N!" Yang greeted cheerfully. The Blonde reached over to pull the shorter girl in for a playful noogie.
Neo's hand swatted the motion away. Yang's smile dimmed slightly at the stiff reaction. "You okay?"
Neo felt herself in a cold sweat. She was not okay. She was not in the slightest.
"I'm sorry." The acrobat mumbled softly. "I made a mistake."
Yang watched on with concern as the smaller figure faded into the crowd.
"What's happening?" Blake asked with concern as she approached the Blonde. Yang shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck in guilt.
"You stay here." Blake suggested. Her keen eye spotted the shorter girl walk through a balcony door. Blake followed, making her way through the sea of people as quickly as possible.
She opened the door, glancing around the space. In the distance, she spotted the killer sitting on the railing.
More details appeared as the Faunus approached. The acrobat stared straight ahead. She was shivering slightly. Blake presumed from the cold.
A look of concern overtook the Faunus' face. A lit cigarette rested in between the acrobat's shaking fingers.
Blake approached on her side. The acrobat was looking down at the fall, as if contemplating jumping. Her expression was filled with something Blake would have never thought she would have ever seen: fear.
"Are you alright?" The Faunus asked in a quiet tone.
The acrobat brought the cigarette to her lips, taking a long inhale.