AN: Holy shit I was gone for a while. (Sorry about that, wasn't expecting it.) I haven't written in a while, so this one's probably a rushed and rough, but I felt like I wanted to get it out there sooner than later. Let me know what you think...-CakeLegends

The Ghost of Vale - Chapter 35

The criminal took a hard grip on his glass. His fingers tapped nervously against the bar's counter. He glanced around the dark, packed club. The strobe lights were bright. The loud music was deafening.

He felt his friend patting him on the shoulder, his shouting-tone just barely audible over the music. "Hey, what's with you dude?"

"I've got a bad feeling man." The criminal yelled in response. "Something's wrong..."

"You never liked it here man." The friend commented. "I swear: If it wasn't for the money, you wouldn't even be involved in this business."

"I wouldn't." The criminal sighed.

"Whatever, dude. Have fun being paranoid." The friend discarded, disappearing into the crowd.

"I'm not paranoid." The criminal mumbled, calling over the bartender for another drink.

The five girls sat in the dark dorm, facing the light of the TV. Ruby and Weiss huddled underneath a blanket. Neo's jaw hung in shock. Yang and Blake smirked at the killer's horrified expression.

"Mesa called Jar-Jar Binks. Mesa your humble servant."

Neo's somber gaze turned towards the other four. 'What the fuck is this? This isn't star wars…'

"You should watch the prequels before episode six." Blake advised. "It'll make you appreciate it more."

'Alright, I'll try...' Neo sighed, returning her eyes to the screen.

"Yoosa in big doo-doo dis time!"

"Nope. I can't do it." The acrobat picked up the remote, pausing the movie with a groan of disappointment. She stood up, making her way towards the open window. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

"That was unsuccessful." Blake commented as she crawled back into her bed. She flicked on her bedside lamp, grabbing her novel. Weiss' eyes adjusted as the light turned on. She glanced over to the clock.

10:50 PM.

The Heiress nudged her partner's shoulder, motioning towards the door. The caped girl nodded, taking the hint.

"Alright, guys." Ruby announced, rising to her feet. The duo made their way towards the exit. "It's been fun, but we've got to go."

"Wait, where are you two going?" The Faunus called after the exiting duo.

"Out clubbing." The Heiress called over her shoulder. "Don't wait up for us."

Two girls left quickly, slamming the door shut behind them. Yang frowned at their odd behavior.

"That's kind of weird." Yang commented, her eyebrow raised in suspicion. "Why'd they go clubbing without me. That's my thing. I should have been invited."

"Be glad they didn't." The Faunus mused. "They're probably going to fool around in the bathroom. You wouldn't have wanted to see that anyways."

"Don't put words in my mouth." The Blonde mumbled.

11:20 PM

The moon shone brightly that night. Light snow fell from the dark night sky. The Heiress sat at a building's ledge, overlooking the club's entrance. Even from this distance, the vibrations of the music could be felt.

"This is the place?" Ruby asked, her voice muffled by her scarf.

"Club Errera." Weiss confirmed with a nod. "Money laundering. Heavy drug use. It's a criminal cesspool."

Ruby smirked. "It's dark and loud. They won't know what hit them."

The caped-girl rose to her feet eagerly. She brushed the snow off her black windbreaker.

"This isn't all fun and games." Weiss reminded, pointing a finger at the caped-girl. "What are the rules?"

"Minimize harm, watch each other's backs, and address each other by last initial." The caped-girl recited in a bored-tone. "Don't worry about me, S."

Ruby pulled up her hood and scarf, concealing most of her face. "Let's do this."

The Heiress glanced to the mask in her hand. For a moment, she stared at its surface.

"I understand why you put on a mask."

Weiss flipped the mask over. She accepted her identity. The Ghost donned her true face.

Under the light of her bedside lamp, Blake turned the page of her book.

The slumbering Blonde laid at her side. The Faunus glanced to her side, smirking at Yang's soft snoring.

She heard the spark of a lighter. The scent of burning tobacco began to fill the air.

Neo sat in the windowsill. She pulled the cigarette from her lips, blowing a puff of smoke into the air. Her eyes trailed the finer details of the darkening sky. Bright stars were forming in the wispy clouds. She glanced down, watching as a few people passed through the snowy courtyard below.

"You sure you don't want to take that outside?" Blake asked, her eyes still locked on the pages of her novel.

The acrobat shook her head, taking another puff of her cigarette. She exhaled, feeling the smoke stream out from her nostrils. "It's as cold as Hoth out there."

The acrobat sighed, putting out her cigarette on the windowsill. She tossed the bud out of the window, watching it land in a courtyard trashcan a few stories below. With a swing of her legs, she turned around on the windowsill, facing her conscious lover.

"So, what are we doing while they're gone?" Neo began, rubbing her hands together and clasping them in anticipation. Her eyebrows raised and lowered suggestively.

"Not that." Blake declared. "You just smoked."

The acrobat rolled her eyes, sliding down from the windowsill. "Name something, then."

"We could finish the movie." The Faunus suggested.

"I'd rather masturbate with a cheese-grater." Neo declared. "Name something else."

"Want to play would you rather?"

"Fuck it." Neo mumbled. "Hit me."

The Faunus bit her lip in thought. "Would you rather kill yourself to save five strangers, or kill five strangers to save yourself?"

"Easy, five strangers." Neo answered. "They're basically the NPC's of reality."

"Wow." The Faunus almost laughed. "That's kind of harsh."

"The real world is harsh." Neo summarized. "Sometimes people get hurt. It can't be helped."

An hour had passed. The criminal was now on his fifth drink. His vision seemed to blur further with every sip.

He glanced around the dark, packed club. Something still felt off about tonight. The strobe lights were blinding. The loud music was becoming sickening.

His eye caught something in the depths of the darkness. The criminal squinted closely.

Something was moving. Something sinister. Just barely visible between the strobe flashes.

It happened in an instant. Bouncers pulled their guns. People screams became audible. The figures worked with trained discretion. The armed were unconscious. The partygoers ran out the doors in a rushed mob.

A figure stepped out of the shadows. The criminal locked eyes with its masked face. He was frozen to his seat.

The Ghost leaned down, taking a handgun from an unconscious bouncer. His eyes widened in surprise. Didn't they see he was unarmed? Weren't these the good guys?

With a loud crack, the Ghost shot the speakers, shutting off the deafening music.

There was silence. The criminal could hear his racing heartbeat. He watched as the armed threat loomed closer and closer.

"Sweet little Weiss would never do these things, but you put on the mask and suddenly- you're not sweet little Weiss anymore."

He rose from his seat and turned, attempting to run.

He tripped over his nervous feet in the frantic rush, cursing himself. A rough hand turned him over. The Ghost's judging gaze stared down at him. He winced as a strong foot pressed into his sternum.

"Where is your boss?" The Ghost demanded, increasing the pressure.

"I-I don't..."

The criminal yelped as a gunshot was placed by his head. A deafening ring echoed through his right ear.

"Don't fuck with me. He killed my sister. You all killed her."

The criminal watched as another figure slipped out from the darkness.

"S, come on..." Ruby mumbled, stepping closer. "Put the gun down."

The Ghost glanced over her shoulder. A disturbing hunger laid behind her blue eyes. Ruby gulped. She knew one thing for certain.

Weiss wasn't here right now.

"You get to pretend to be someone else. It's a coping mechanism."