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Act III
Scene 36:
Wake
It was morning now.
Unfortunately.
I hated wasting time. Being frivolous was anathema to who I was as a person. The idea of lying about it bed sent a wave of fury through my being at the thought of all the time I could have spent doing something.
However, today was different. Today was the beginning of something I've been waiting a very long time to achieve.
I would just have to converse with some very...difficult people to get there.
Joy.
Oh well, I stirred, moving to get out of bed, At least I feel nice and refreshed.
A ghost of a smile played upon my lips as I recalled the other night, and that was rather cathartic, if dramatic.
But without wasting another thought on recalling the past or the lure of remaining asleep, I moved to get out of the bed I lay on.
Only to be stopped by some weight upon my chest.
I frowned, my mental processes waking up and putting together the clues of the world around me. The weight was warm, and felt like it was wrapped around my side. I felt the gentle touch of air passing over my neck, the myriad of pulses and silent stirrings. Then, finally, my Sight returned to me, and I could see what it was that stopped me.
My mood plummeted, a low growl building in my throat as I turned my head to face the cream-colored individual beside me.
As I turned, energy crackling just under the surface of my skin, waiting to be unleashed, I saw her begin to stir. Her pink and brown eyes slowly fluttered open, before a smug and comfortable smirk crawled its way onto her face.
"Neo." I growled.
In response, she only snuggled closer to me, pressing her chin into the crook of my neck, flitting a pink eye up to mine, silently challenging me.
For a moment, I had an errant thought as returned her look with a venomous snarl,
And here I had such high hopes for the day
Roman pov
"When did you say she was going to meet us?"
I sighed, blowing out a puff of smoke as I held my cigar between my fingers. I let the taste roll around in my mouth for a moment, hoping it would calm me down.
"I didn't, actually," I responded.
Cinder gave me a scathing look telling me that she was most certainly not in the mood for my games.
That made two of us.
"Look, you said you wanted to have a meeting now." I began
"And you were the one that told me that this was a fine time to do it." She responded coolly.
I bit back a sharp reply, and instead said, "Look, despite what you might think, I don't actually control her."
"Why would she think that?" Adam asked from his little corner of the meeting room, genuinely confused.
" Because the wicked witch seems incapable of talking like a normal person."
Today felt like an off day for me. It wasn't hard to see why considering the massive headache that could either fry my brain or make me filthy fucking rich that I was supposed to meet with my two compatriots. Plus I didn't exactly sleep like a baby, what with this whole clusterfuck waiting to happen hanging over my head.
Most days I was up for a nice verbal spar with Cinder. It was my own way to get back at her for her control issues. Despite being my employer that seemed to give her the impression that she was A: God, and B: knew how to do my job.
Honestly, it was all pretty insulting. Fortunately, she paid well, and she was fun to rile up. Well, when she wasn't in the mood to burn my face off. I wasn't entirely expendable, but there was a certain line where I knew I would be more trouble than I was worth and she would decide to wipe me from her board.
So instead I danced along it.
Just enough to piss her off, just enough to be worth the effort.
There was a certain kind of joy in seeing her grit her teeth and have her eyes ignite, her body tensing to kill, before she reigned it all back in as she remembered the enormous help I'd been to her operation.
Whatever the hell it was.
Adam, though, he was...he was different.
Either he just didn't get it, or it pissed him off enough for him to actually hurt you, value be damned. There wasn't really a good middle ground.
They were both kind of terrifying in their own way. Cinder, I knew, if I pissed her off too much she would end me in a long painful and humiliating way that would bring me untold suffering. Adam, however, would just kill me. No if's and's or but's, if I crossed the line, he would execute me right on the spot before I had enough time to so much as shit my pants.
But hey, that's what I get for working with murderous psychopaths.
Speaking of which.
"Look, Red said 28 hours." I explained, "That means now."
"She said 'roughly 28 hours'" Adam helpfully corrected.
For his aid, I shot him a glare.
"I am a bit confused as to why we're waiting for her to arrive at all." He said, ignoring my look.
"Because she's quite a valuable asset," I answered tiredly.
"Right, but why don't we just drag her in here? Or at the very least just send someone to wake her up and inform her about the meeting?" He asked.
There was little heat to his words, most of it was just a genuine question that he wanted to be answered. He was a bit puzzled, but not perplexed.
"Because she's goddamn terrifying?" I supplied.
Adam gave me a skeptical look.
"Our most glorious and esteemed boss over there can tell you herself," I argued, gesturing towards the woman in question, "Isn't that right, Cinder?"
"Watch it, Torchwick. Or we'll see how good of a candle you really are." She scowled.
Really Cinder?That one? I snorted, 3/10. Step up your game.
"What is he talking about?" Adam asked, left out of the loop.
"Nothing," Cinder bit out.
"Don't worry about it, Adam, Cinder just likes to hide the pain under all that fire," I smirked, taking another long drag of my cigar.
Cinder directed a fiery scowl at me, her hands erupting in crimson flames as her teeth ground together almost audibly. Her fire only served to fuel my smug expression and Adam's exasperation.
"You'd be surprised how accurate that was."
And like that, the entire atmosphere of the room plummeted from a simmering boil to the ice cold depths of Atlas.
Cinder froze, her eyes widening ever so slightly. A shiver went down my spine as I felt my heart pound in my chest. I nearly jumped at the sound coming from just behind me.
From where there should only have been a wall.
"But as annoying as it can be," her voice began, "I think it's kind of fitting, in its own way."
And then her voice grew cold and poignant.
"It only serves to show how...Human she still is."
Cinder shivered from her words, trembling, either in fear or fury I couldn't tell at the moment. My mind was far too consumed with the fact that she was right there behind me.
My mind screamed too close too close to close!
But did distance even matter? Or did being far away just give the illusion of safety?
"I think we both know the answer to that."
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Hello, Red."
At my words, she stepped into view at my left side.
And like that, the whole room shifted.
It was subtle, it always was. The way everything at the edge of your vision seemed to twist and shimmer. The way the darkness grew so vast and empty, and the light just bright enough to burn. The air became just cold enough to nip at you, to raise the gooseflesh, and your clothes suddenly felt off. Everything shifted just out of your comfort zone.
Before you knew it, you couldn't feel comfortable in your own skin.
"Apologies for my tardiness." She began formally
Cinder glared silently at her but otherwise remained silent.
"I'm still confused as to why you're here," Adam spoke up
"Because I arranged a deal with these two." She answered. "It was going to originally to be less...involved."
"But I must confess, I've found this all quite fascinating."
"Have you now?" Cinder said through grit teeth
"Oh yes. Daring dangers? Fearless freedom fighters? Angry Anarchists?" Red smiled with a grin that held far too much teeth, "And all to stir up the stagnant waters of the world?"
"Why, who am I to ignore the call of the glorious revolution?"
I got the distinct feeling that there was some kind of esoteric joke buried in there.
"If you care so much, then why did you wait a day?" Cinder glared.
"I was tired," Red answered simply with a shrug.
At Cinder's look, she opted to continue, "Using my...semblance...takes a lot out of me. The more I use it, the more exhausted and hurt I get, and the more I need to recuperate. Technically, if I push myself too far I can kill myself through overexertion."
"And the other night was quite draining."
"So is that why you're late?" She asked dryly.
"Oh no," Red waved her off, "That's because I had to deal with Neo."
Ah shit, I groaned, palming my face into my hand.
"She's not dead, is she?"
"Probably." She shrugged nonchalantly, "Shouldn't have suffered brain death yet."
I tried to ignore how pointedly...specific...that answer was.
"But I'm not here to speak of that" She dismissed with a wave of her hand. "The murderous midget can be addressed later."
I almost snorted.
Look who's talking
"I still have years of growth ahead of me" A voice spoke in my mind, "She stopped growing ages ago"
I couldn't help the shiver go down my spine at the decidedly other voice present in the most private aspects of myself.
Fuck me I cursed, remembering who stood inches away from me.
"Cinder," Red said, pulling from my thoughts, "We had a vague deal of sorts in place."
"I believe now is the time we can discuss it in further detail?"
"Hold on." Adam interrupted, drawing the cold gaze of the girl in red.
"How about we talk about the fact you just fucking kidnapped a Faunus police officer for experiments." he ground out through his bared teeth.
Cinder crossed her arms, "Adam, that can wait."
Cinder didn't like not being in control. Most people didn't, but with Cinder, it could often feel like a need. She needed to be in control, she needed to be the one with all the cards, she needed to be the one in power.
But there was something else at work here. It wasn't just as simple as her being a control freak. There was that, but she alway had a certain...disgust in her posture and tone, as if she needed to be in control because she deserved it, like she was better than us. And it was hardly exclusive to Faunus.
Human and Faunus alike, we were all insects before the queen.
It's probably the reason it was the four of us in this room right now. We were the only ones that weren't able to be swept up in Cinder's charisma. Because she had it, she had that special spark that could convince a man that yes, he was a worm, and she was a queen leagues above him. She could inspire a primal fear in people, a desire to follow her every whim not out of loyalty, but out of the fear that she would crush you like a bug if you dared oppose her.
I managed to joke my way around it, to a degree. She still scares the piss out of me and is definitely one of the top five scariest things I've ever encountered. But I've been in this game for a while. I've had to deal with many people of the same mind and tolerances.
She may be special, but she's certainly not unique.
Adam, however, managed to endure it all by virtue of not giving a shit.
Case in point, the way he casually ignored her.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't tear your head off and set that woman free." He growled.
Red nodded in acknowledgment, seemingly considering his words.
"What if I told you," she began, "she was responsible for the death of your lieutenant?"
"Along with the deaths of several dozen other subordinates of yours?"
Adam's perpetual frown seemed to deepen into a scowl at her words.
"...how involved?" He asked carefully.
"She pulled the trigger herself." She said simply. "Did it all with the cold calm of a born killer."
Adam seemed to mull over this information for a minute, his fingers tapping against the hard wood of the table. Cinder, growing impatient, was about to comment. I could tell by the way she sucked in that introductory breath, that shift in her posture, the way she folded her arms.
But Adam beat her to it.
"...I want 5 minutes alone with her." He finally said.
"And then?" Red asked.
"...Depending on what I hear, you're free to do what you want."
Red seemed to consider it for a moment, before nodding in assent, "Done."
Adam nodded once before pushing himself off the table.
Cinder sent a glare to both of them, irritation practically radiating off her form, "If you two are done?"
"We are," Red answered, turning to face the one who arranged this whole operation. "Now we can discuss business."
Then she leveled a careful and measured look at Cinder, like that of an adult speaking to a child who'd already disappointed them once. "And it will be business, will it not?"
Cinder grit her teeth, but I could tell she was trying to rein herself in."Business?"
I got a distinct impression that Red was rolling her eyes, "Yes, Business. As in an exchange of goods and services."
"A civil and equal exchange."
I could feel the heat wafting off of Cinder's form as she simmered in indignant rage from Red's condescending tone. The eye visible through the black curtain of hair began to glow a dull amber color.
Red looked at all this and simply sighed.
"Contrary to popular belief, I really don't want to fight you on this." She said in an exasperated tone. "So let me be clear."
"I have a unique set of tools, abilities, and knowledge at my disposal, things I will gladly give in cooperation with you, in exchange for certain goods that you can provide me." She explained.
"And what could you possibly want from us that you could not take yourself?" Cinder sneered
"You're right, money would be easy to get, as would most baseline parts and resources." Red nodded, "However, I've set my sights a little higher."
"The things I want are very rare and very expensive. I'm not interested in jewels or trinkets, I mean the highest grade of materials available to mankind. The cutting edge in technology. Things I would have to go through less than legal channels to get to."
"Originally I just wanted Roman to be my gateway to the black market. He's well-known thief and arms dealer, I figured he'd be a perfect fit," She said, gesturing towards me.
I'm flattered, Red, I thought dryly.
"But through him I found out about you," She gestured toward Cinder, "And all of this."
"And, well…" She shrugged, "It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."
"What do you mean by "an opportunity"?" Adam asked.
"Can't you smell it?" Red answered, an undertone of excitement filling her tone, "I can taste it in the air, I can feel it in every mind for miles, the anger, the fear. It's lingering there, whispering in the back of their minds."
"Normally it'd take a while, it would take a long while to fully mature. A decade at the earliest, but it would come, regardless. It would be inevitable."
"But she!" Red exclaimed, thrusting an accusing hand at Cinder, "She works to aggravate it, poking and prodding at the seams of civilization to prompt a response. A very predictable response."
"War." Adam noted.
"Indeed," Red grinned. It was a small thing, a tiny grin for a tiny face, but it was made all the darker from the mad glint in her eye. "War is on the horizon, conflict, bloodshed, the crucible in which mankind fully embraces every aspect of their humanity,"
Then, she suddenly composed herself, drawing back her emotional outburst and bringing herself back to her cold porcelain mask. "But that's not the point." She dismissed with a wave of her hand.
"Simply put, war is good for business."
"So I'm assuming you want to be some kind of spy in return for the resources that only we can get you?" Cinder mused.
Red coked her head to the side, "When I first began the offer, yes."
"But now I want to...sweeten the pot."
"You've seen how effective I was in retrieving Roman, correct?" She asked.
"Yes," Cinder scowled, "I saw how you blew up a whole city block and ignited the anger of an entire nation."
"Instead of a quick and quiet 'in and out' mission, you've become more infamous and hated than any other woman in history!" She huffed.
"Oh, not me," Red smiled, "I made quite sure they sight their sights elsewhere. Right now they're chasing after the phantom known as Le Livre Noir."
Adam's face darkened into a thunderous expression. "You did, what?"
"Oh, it's no bother. After all, Le Livre Noir is dead, right?" She asked him innocently.
Adam's face twisted into what might have been called a grimace on a nicer man. He looked like he was forcing noxious bile down his throat.
"Yes." He eventually ground out, "It is."
Well I thought, thoroughly interested, there's a story there.
On the one hand, it was quite surprising, and quite the disappointment, that the infamous thief and assassin, or team if you believed the rumors, was dead.
On the other, while Le Livre Noir was most certainly dead, I had a feeling they weren't exactly gone, either.
Curiouser and curiouser.
"So, you see, they shall chase after ghosts, and all the while you shall work in their shadows." Red smiled.
It occurred to me that she never really smiled, not like a normal person. It was always small, miniscule in it's size. Really it was just the corners of her lips lifting upwards ever so slightly, and yet on Red, it was as if was displaying a bright and sunny smile.
At least, if said smile could make you feel like some monster was crawling just at the edge of your vision. A hideous and terrifying danger hidden just out of sight, just enough to keep you from seeing it, but just enough to let you know it was there.
"Still, that's the past, and I wanted to talk buisness," Red said abruptly, pulling us back on topic.
"I brought you arms and armor, laid waste to your foes, and retrieved a special package for you, all with a nice neat cache of intelligence." She began, pulling a cube-like object from her cloak and placing it on the table, "Consider this my...housewarming gift. Something to kickstart the beginning of a prosperous relationship."
"In there is classified intelligence pulled from the VCPD database, including various safe houses, supply caches, and even plans for a couple armories. It also has information I've taken from Beacon." She added, "Frankly their network security was...cute."
Cinder's eyes narrowed as the looked toward the device, "And the price for all this?"
"Twofold," Red answered, holding up a hand with two raised fingers,
"One, I want some very big things from you and this operation."
"We can get you Dust and Trinium by the truckload. Other various arms shouldn't be too hard to get our hands on." I said, finally entering into the conversation.
We were finally entering into my domain, business. Buy and sell, give and take. The exchanging of illicit goods and services behind closed doors.
Red shook her head, "No, not that."
I frowned, not quite sure what else she would need. Trinium was the technical name for what many people just called "Hunter Steel". It was the hunter-grade metal and the primary component of most such weapons. Strong, light, it put most other metals to shame in all but melting point, which is what allowed most hunter weapons to have such delicate designs and still retain their ruggedness.
Combined with Dust, however, the two were some of the expensive materials known to man. They were always in high demand, and having literal truckloads to work with was the dream of many a young engineer.
"So you don't want several million lien in hunter-grade materials.?" I questioned.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'd be rather happy it, I could do a lot with those things." She acknowledged, "But it's too...limited."
"I want something bigger, Roman."
"I want a tank."
I blinked.
"Wait...what?"
"A tank." Cinder said flatly.
"Well, optimally a few, but for now one will do," She accused.
"Oh, how benevolent," I remarked.
"And what, pray tell, are you going to do with a tank?" Cinder indulged her.
"Oh," Red all spun to face her, "That's easy."
"I'm going to take it apart and see how it ticks." She all but chirped.
For once in our lives, Cinder and I were both in sinc as we recoiled, taken off guard by the strange, almost whimsical admission.
"...why?" Cinder asked carefully, not sure she really wanted to know the answer.
And at this, Red chuckled. I'd like to say it sounded like a choir of angels. That it was a harmonious sound that could tame even the angriest beast.
Instead, it made me feel like my flesh was writhing inside the fleshy bag of my skin.
Red flipped a large bullet into the air, one with a clear tip filled with a suspiciously familiar liquid.
"Why that's simple, Cinder," she grinned, catching the round the size of a finger in her hand.
"I want to forge weapons the likes of which this world has never seen."
"Detective Arc."
I stopped, my hand hovering over the door to the makeshift police station.
It was my first day back after a week of leave. I was about to report in. Apparently, the week I was gone the brass had been busy.
"Yes, Allens?" I said, turning around.
Allens was standing on the sidewalk next to my car, a knowing smirk on his face, "The brass wants to see you."
I furrowed my brow in confusion, "Yeah, I figured, that's what I was about to do."
He shook his head, silently chuckling. "Oh no, not the brass."
Then he took a pen, and pointed the way towards my escort, "I mean the Brass."
My eyes tracked the pen, following it, until it rested upon my new ride and driver, where my eyes went wide and my jaw sagged, "…oh."
"Yeah," He chuckled, "You better get on with it."
"Yeah, yeah," I shook my head passing by him, "Thanks for the heads up."
"Anytime, Arc."
As Allens so helpfully pointed out, it seemed that I wasn't just going to be reporting to whoever they'd shoved into place to be my new boss in the temporary West VCPD precinct headquarters. Instead, I was going all the way to the top.
And that meant seeing the Commissioner, the head of the VCPD.
The Commissioner technically should have been in Central HQ, where he was safe and sound. Instead, he was here, where the action was. Considering what I knew about the man, that wasn't actually surprising.
Still, it was one thing to know that the Commissioner was taking an interest in your precinct.
It was quite another to know that he was here, in person, in the VCPD Mobile Command of the biggest, most expensive, and most complete form of mobile Command and Control in the VCPD's arsenal.
It was also flying.
The VCPD's Mobile Command Cruiser was based on an experimental air cruiser design the military had been putting together. The Air Force had managed to lay down the keel and build most of the hull before the council cut back on military spending and they dropped it.
Instead, the Police picked up the tab and converted the thing into their mobile command center. While the military technically got a bigger slice of the budget than the police, the police had far less to spend it on, giving them a surprisingly large emergency fund to spend on things like this.
At the time, some people criticized the move, thinking of it as wasteful spending.
As I saw the lumbering giant in the sky, hovering over the city as a silent sentinel, it's blue hull emblazoned with the proud emblem of the VCPD, I couldn't help but smile at the irony. All those old politicians and news heads were now praising the VCPD for their quick and decisive responsiveness and their ability to project power within the city.
The Vale air cruiser was of a different design than their Atlesian counterparts. For one, by Atlesian estimates, it would probably be technically considered a destroyer, not a cruiser, simply by weight class. At the same time, it was technically a form of Capital Ship due to its command and control capabilities. Still, it couldn't realistically hold a candle to an Atlesian cruiser, or god forbid, one of their precious battleships.
For another, Vale airships had a different design, having a trimaran hull. There was the central hull followed by two secondary hulls to either side of it, connected by large wing-like sections. Each secondary hull contained the glowing engine clusters, as well as the lion's share of munitions and armaments. The well armored central hull contained the hanger and the wide variety of command and control equipment needed for the mobile HQ. It was said that even if Central was taken down, the Mobile Command Cruiser would easily be able to handle all of its duties.
As long as the Mobile Command Cruiser still flew, the VCPD could never truly be decapitated.
The 5-inch guns on it didn't hurt either.
"Detective Arc." The man beside the Bullhead greeted me. A police officer wearing the central badge "If you'll come right this way." He said, directing me towards the door.
Moments later I was walking through the dark blue corridors of the Command Cruiser. In general, it was a low light situation with relatively cramped conditions, giving a cool and condensed feel and just enough space for two people to walk by side by side. There were running lights at the junction between the floor and the wall in green denoting all the various halls and passageways, while the junction between the ceiling and the wall had intermittent white lights for moderate lighting.
There were offshoots of the main hallway we were walking in, narrow corridors where two people would need to squeeze past each other, and contain different colored lights, likely to denote different areas of work.
Finally, we arrived in front of a large set of heavily armored double doors with red lights on either side. My escort swiped a key card against the door before placing his palm on the scanner and looking into a camera. With a hiss and a click, the door slid open before us.
Inside, it was a hornet's nest of activity.
Dozens of people working in the dim blue light surrounding a large holographic display table showing the whole city. Some were looking over the city itself, while others were working on their own consoles, reading through reports and sending their own. There were two levels on two rings. The inner ring was on the lowest level and held the main table, the ring outside it was one level above, allowing anyone on it to look down below.
But there was also a strange quietness about it all. Instead of the dull buzz of activity I expected, everyone was quiet, focused on their work, and wearing headsets. A couple people working together would speak out loud, but it was always in a quiet tone.
My escort lead me up the stairs to the second level, and to another set of double doors with red lights. After passing through the reinforced bunker doors, we finally entered the office of the Commissioner.
It was a spartan room. There were a few things here and there. A map of the Vale on the right wall, the Vale's emblem on the left wall, and a coat of arms displayed on the large screen behind him. The Commissioner himself was seated behind a large metal desk that seemed to be part of the room itself, rising out of the floor rather than simply a piece of furniture. There were two computers and a picture from on the desk, as well as two scrolls and a large PADD. Upon our entrance, the Commissioner glanced up from his computer.
He glanced at his watch before nodding in approval.
"You asked for me, sir?" I asked, glancing at my escort as he left the room.
"Right on time, Detective Arc." He said, sitting up in his chair and folding his hand together on the desk.
"We'll have to wait while the other person arri-"He began
He was cut off as the door opened again, this time with two other people. One person, dressed like any other officer aboard the craft and likely just an escort. The other was the form of Sir Conan Baker.
"Ah, the VCPD Mobile Command Cruiser," The man commented somewhat distractedly, idly wondering about the office, "One of the most expensive pieces of police militarization in recent history."
"8 pairs of dual purpose 5" guns, 124 missile tubes, 4 CIWS turrets, 2 RAMS, 4 LDWS, 4 12" cannons, and one oversized hanger," He noted, "Of course, without any plasma cannons it lacks the same teeth as it's Atlesian counterparts, but it's nice effort."
"Sir Baker," the Commissioner nodded, "Glad you could join us."
"Not like I had much choice, really." He remarked, walking over to the map to get a closer look.
The Commissioner nodded at Sir Baker's escort, the only sign he needed to leave the room.
Once it was just the three of us, the Commissioner cleared his throat to get Baker's attention.
"Hmm?" he perked up, "Oh, yes, your terrorist problem."
Then he squinted slightly and tilted his head ever so, "Or is it an assassin problem?"
"Both, in a manner of speaking." The Commissioner answered.
"I prefer assassin, it sounds so much more exciting. Terrorist just sounds so…political." Baker commented, meandering towards the middle of the room.
"So, is she to be my bodyguard?" He asked, gesturing to me, his eyes taking a quick measure of my body.
"Excuse me?" I said, feeling a bit offended.
"Well, I suppose you'll use the term 'handler', but we both know what you really mean," Bake commented.
The Commissioner sighed as if expecting this outcome, despite not liking it one bit. "Detective Arc shall be your handler, in a manner of speaking, yes."
"I-what?" I stammered, caught flat-footed.
"Oh, do keep up," Bake rolled his eyes, "He obviously brought the two of us in here for a reason. Me for my brains, and you for your brawn."
I scowled, "I also was the lead for the Le Livre Noir case."
"Yes, yes, 'The Black Book' I bet you thought that was terribly clever." He commented dismissively, "And while you'll probably be of some help in that regard, catching up with all the facts shouldn't take too long."
"Since you're a huntress, you'll have more than enough muscle to keep me safe, and since you already know the case, you'll be able to keep up better than any other meathead in the force." He explained loftily, "But I suppose I should give credit where credit's due. You earned that detective badge somehow, and the Commissioner seems to have faith in you, so you'll probably be able to keep up."
"I…" I recoiled as if stunned by the casual insult, "Sir?"
"…He's technically right." He grudgingly admitted. "Sir Baker is one of the greatest assets this country has."
Baker scoffed at that, as if insulted that he was only considered "one of"
"Plus, you worked this case." He added. "
"Together, I want the two of you to find Le Livre Noir and keep them from striking again." The Commissioner order, "You'll have an extensive array of resources to work with, and you won't be the only ones working on it, but you will be the lead."
He pointed to Sir Baker, "You've been an invaluable asset to this country, Sir Baker, and we're lucky that this case managed to pique your interest enough to offer your services."
"Well, I couldn't very well pass up this opportunity." The man in questioned smiled, "After all, a team of Assassins that left no traces, one that went dark only to make an explosive return."
His smile gained an edge, and edge reflected in the dark blue pools of his eyes. Wild and hungry, with a cunning intellect of impossible sharpness, "Oh, why this is the stuff I live for."
The Commissioner nodded, before turning towards me. "Detective Aveline, you've been exemplary in your service to the force. Le Livre Noir was your case, and you've done your job well. After your actions during the Fall, some of the brass wanted to put you in command."
I cringed reflexively, horrified by the image of desk workdeskwork.
He chuckled, "Yeah, Arthur said that's how you'd reacted. That's exactly what I like about you, Arc. You're not looking for prestige or a cushy job, you want to get the job done and make this world a better place."
He nodded seriously, "I respect that immensely. I wouldn't mind going back to field work myself." He leaned back in his chair, "Unfortunately needs must."
"Anyways, as Baker said, you're also an invaluable tactical asset." He continued. "You've got both a Huntress and a Watchman certification, which is no small feat. You'll be able to keep Sir Baker nice and safe while he's no doubt wading through the dark depths of the city."
"And more importantly, you won't damage my IQ by trying to think too hard in my presence," Baker commented.
Then he stopped, pinched his lips, and tilted his head again, as if thinking it over.
"Probably."
"Still," the Commissioner said, reaching into a drawer in his desk, "You did damn good work, and you should be rewarded."
He threw something at me, something I deftly snatched out of the air. I turned it over in my hand, only to find myself stunned speechless.
It was a medal with the coat of arms of Vale emblazoned on in silver on a golden star. The Crossed Axes rendered in stunning and intricate detail.
"I-I…" I stammered, reaching for words, but finding myself empty.
"Oh my," Sir Baker commented, looking over my shoulder, "I suppose we're the same rank now, aren't we?"
"Now, the whole ceremony to make it all official will come later. You'll get all the medals and official promotion there, as well as your fancy new axe then." The Commissioner continued, "Oh, and you'll need to give them the specifications for what you want from the axe. Otherwise, it'll be just a ceremonial one. Since you have a huntress certification, you've been authorized to get a special combat axe."
"Lucky you, getting an axe from the king himself. It'll probably be priceless." Baker remarked, "I mean, I have one myself, but I mostly just use it as a wall hanging."
"If I'm honest, it feels like a small honor for what you went through, but nonetheless I must congratulate you," the Commissioner smiled, standing up, "Lady Arc."
"You're a Knight of Vale now."
Home again, home again
I let out a sigh as I looked the familiar abode over once more. The warm brick tones, as well as the messy and spotty amueture brush strokes of paint adorning them. The stains of colored hand prints against the glass of the windows added a splash of chaotic color to the place. Ivy crawled up the sides of the walls, not suffocating it at all, but bringing a sense of nature and life to it all with their green tones.
It was a cozy little place, tucked into the forests of the island and away from prying eyes. A nice little slice of privacy and comfort. A warm house painted with care.
But when I opened the wooden door, it was cold and dark inside.
I shouldn't be surprised I thought, hand already twitching for my prized companion of comfort.
"Tai!" I called out, "I'm home."
"At least...what's left of it." I couldn't help but mutter cynically.
All the lights were out, with only the shattered moon outside to provide light. I was hardly impaired by the darkness, but that wasn't really the point. Though, all things considered, I shouldn't have been surprised.
It was late, the old man was probably asleep. Ruby didn't really seem to mind the darkness. And Yang…
Yang's gone off to make us all proud I couldn't help but chuckle, waltzing over the fridge.
I'm glad I was able to make it over the spitfire's graduation party. I smiled, opening both fond memories and the fridge door.
Pulling out a nice cold bottle of whiskey, I grimaced as the familiar bitter taste of alcohol and melancholy memory hit me.
I just wish it hadn't gone so bad.
I sighed again, my thoughts taking a dour note.
I should probably check up on the kid.
Nodding in agreement with myself, I made my way to her room. The house creaked against my weight, wood bending with each step. It was a familiar tune to my ears. It was morbid, in its own way. I used to hear the sound of laughter and play as I walked through the halls. Now I only had the empty groans of the house around me to keep me company.
Stopping before the scarlet red door, her own little flash of color in the tan interior, I drew up my strength, down another gulp of whiskey, and opened the door. The old and dry hinges squeaked from the move but swiveled the door out of my way into the room bathed in darkness. But my eyes paid no heed. They pierced through the darkness, taking in every sight of the room.
And nowhere was my little Rose.
"Shit," I cursed, frowning at her absence.
Maybe she's just out? I thought, It's not as if she hasn't done it before.
But deep down, a darker thought worried that she'd never come back after they'd chased her off.
I shook my head and sighed, seeing there was nothing for it.
"If she doesn't come back tomorrow," I muttered to myself, "I guess I'll go looking for her."
Pushing off from her door frame, I made my way to the master bedroom of the place. Unlike Ruby's, Tai's was plain and unadorned. Why would it be? Everyone one knew who slept in the head of the house.
Knocking on the oak door, I took another sip of the bottle. "Tai? I'm home. How 'bout you break out the good stuff and I'll tell you all about this waitress I meet in Graniteville."
No response.
"Tai?" I knocked again, "You dead to the world in there?"
And yet again, I was met with silence.
I shrugged, too bone weary to care at the moment.
"Coming in," I barged through the door, pushing it open with all the grace of a Goliath.
Only to behold an empty bed.
"Alright," I frowned, "This is weird."
Stepping back into the hallway, I closed the door behind me.
Maybe he's out looking for Ruby? I considered, taking another sip of the drink. I mean, I can't imagine what else he's doing this late.
As I walked back into the kitchen, I snorted. Unless the old bastard finally decided to move on and get lai-
Crack
The sound cut through the silent air like a knife in the dark. My thoughts stopped, my mood stolen. Tentatively, dreading every moment, I looked down at my feet.
And found shattered glass pooling up against the wall. Rolled up against the corner was the half-cylinder remains of the broken bottle.
Fuck.
Jerking up, I frantically looked around the house, desperately looking for any clues as to what happened.
Fuck fuck fuck
Anything that would have caused Tai to throw a bottle against the wall and be missing couldn't be good. Ruby would have definitely never have let such a mess go unanswered, even if she had to clean it up by herself.
As I flipped on the lights, bathing the room in illuminating white, I desperately hoped I was only over reacting. I raced around the kitchen, throwing open cabinet after cabinet, looking over the state of the room, searching for any sign that it was all just a misunderstanding, an accident.
Finally, I opened the dreaded last cabinet, the one that held my greatest fear. Throwing open the doors, I saw it bereft of the object I searched for.
It's gone I thought He took it.
Thank god I breathed a sigh of relief, sagging in the revelation that things had gone as bad as I'd feared.
Only for my moment to be stolen as I turned around and spotted the object of my inquiry on the ground, discarded in the middle of the room. Racing over to it, I snatched the orange little bottle up in my hands, inspecting it with my own two eyes, hoping against hope that I was wrong.
But as I saw the pill bottle filled to the brim with small white capsules and a neat little label that read Haloperidol.
"Dammit Tai!" I cursed, clenching my fist.
I had been wrong.
With not a moment to spare, I raced out the door and into the night.
I had thought it was safe to leave them here all alone, just as I always had. I thought it would all be ok if I just left for this mission. Just a month or two, I told myself. It would be fine.
And now Ruby was no doubt on her own, running from her own father out of his damn mind.
Fucking hell, I grit my teeth, Hold on Ruby
Uncle Qrow's coming for you.
A/n:
And finally, a proper chapter of Madness.
It's been a while
And we passed 400 favorites and 100,000 views. Hot damn.
As a celebration of that, and the 300 review goal we passed a little while ago, I'm going to be doing another review lottery thing.
Basically, if you review this chapter before I post the next one, you have a chance to be randomly selected by me to be chosen to give me a writing prompt for a little drabble/omake/snippet/etc that is some way related to this story.
That's it.
Now, I want to get something across. For a little bit, I kind of lost energy and the will to write this.
More specifically, the short term. There were a lot of things I wanted to write in this little arc that I was going to have to wrap up in this little chapter. Lot's of perspectives, set ups, etc etc.
I didn't do a lot of them.
A few examples are as follows:
A scene where team ANBL has a kind of group get together and talk or something with (I don't know why, I hadn't planned that far).
Some more of team WYVR, probably the impact of the White Fang attack.
A funeral for Jack(the guy who died)
But there was a problem with this. Namely, I stopped giving a shit. Especially about Jack. Seriously, I'm pretty sure no one gives a shit about him. Even me.
I keep forgetting he exists, And I wrote him.
Part of this is because he existed for the sole purpose of dying and that was where he would have some semblance of meaning. I never intended for him to be a long-term character by any stretch of the imagination, and most of my planning for this story is either stuff that happened well before canon began, or stuff that's going to be happening in about 12-28 chapters.
I really want to get onto stuff that's going to be happening 2 chapters, 6 chapters, 16, and even 64 chapters from here. I didn't want to dwell too much on the immediate shock of "oh my god, we got bombed" anymore. I really wanted to move on.
So I did.
I've skimmed over it and hit the high notes I needed to hit. The bit with Aveline, though was actually just something I became inspired to write after I watched a fuckton of Sherlock Holmes again.
If you don't get why...I give up.
Also the bit with the Knighting was something I kind of cobbled together after I researched a little of Britian's Knighting, got a headache, and decided "fuck it, it's a fantasy land, I can make my own rules."
The thing with Ruby and the leaders of the "Bad Guys" was something I'm pretty sure everyone was waiting for. And, honestly?
I feel like it phoned it in. I don't like it too much. My first version was going to be more energized, but overall I found it over the top and it kind of involved having Ruby mind fuck everyone and bashing Cinder a lot. And Adam a bit too, I guess, but mostly Cinder. It'd rely on making her into a dumb bitch. Like, dumb as a rock unable to adapt to a changing world.
Here I'm trying to portray her as resistant to change and very hostile towards Ruby, but not unreasonable and able to adapt.
Hopefully, it worked.
Oh, and we finally get to see Qrow show his drunk ass up.
Also, Tai is suspiciously absent and without his pills.
That can't possibly go wrong, right?
Also, I have been waiting for that scene for Months. Literally a year by this point. Holy shit, you guys don't even know.
But anyways, we're going to be moving on. We're going to have a short little time skip for the next chapter. Probably a week or so. Maybe a month. I want to skip to a time where people aren't shitting their pants anymore, but are still very much worried about what the fuck's happening with the world.
Oh, and due to the enormous amount of support I received about Sanity of Life I decided I am, in fact, going to make that a short story.
Also, since it got a fuckton of reviews and views I'm not going to delete it from the story yet. Mainly cause I'm not ready to post said short story.
So, I'll see you guys later with Sanity of Life and another chapter.
And next arc, we finally get into the Psyche Evaluations