Gamer4 in. After speaking for nearly two hours, Goodwitch finally took a break, and took the opportunity to offer me some of those cookies. I gratefully accepted, as she poured herself some tea and handed me a glass of milk.
She took a long drink- understandable- before she was ready to speak again.
"As above, so below. As humans, we find ourselves caught in the middle. Proportionately speaking, there is as much space outside a human as inside. In a way, one might consider stars, moons and planets the protons, neutrons, and electrons of the universe. Could our universe be but the makeup of a much larger being?
"Does our thinking affect that which occurs beyond us? Within? I believe so.
"How does ice cream factor into the workings of the universe? Just what is ice cream? Is it merely a frozen treat, or could it be a symbol for something else?"
Chapter XIII
Cody
To Ruby's immense relief, she was finally afforded a good night's sleep, free of wild gunmen or insane Atlesian chanting. It was with a light heart that she awoke the next day and headed to the dining hall to meet with Winter- she ordered a large breakfast, while Winter was content with some toast and coffee.
"So, the tradition finally arrived in Northern Menagerie about 1500 BC," Ruby was rattling off eagerly, oblivious to the barber shop quartet practicing in the corner- somehow, even in the same room, they were far less intrusive than the Atlesians had been. "The first king and his followers were known as the Happy Generations- some historians put them in the year of the water snake, in the 18th century BC, some go back to the 19th, and the year of the water ox, but still, it's amazing, isn't it?"
"Thrilling," Winter sighed. "However, I was hoping to discuss more modern issues- like those plaguing us now, in Vale."
"You don't see the connection?" Ruby gasped.
"Indulge me."
Ruby looked up, smiling. "I got a call from Michelle- Scarlet David is awake. When he starts talking, I'm sure he'll have quite the story to tell."
"He's still not speaking?"
Ruby nodded, helping herself to some orange juice. "Silent as the grave- still in shock, I'm guessing. Michelle thinks he might be able to answer some simple yes or no questions. I'm gonna show him sketches of Adam Taurus and Cindy- the woman Nicholas Arc saw in a vision, and me in my dream."
"That's all well and good," Winter very obviously rolled her eyes, "but has anyone seen Cindy in reality in the last few weeks?"
"Not that I've heard," Ruby shrugged as she shoveled some pancakes into her mouth.
Winter let out a long-suffering sigh. "Have it your way. I performed the autopsy on Corsac Albain. He had quite a few things in his stomach. Beer cans, a license plate from South Menagerie, a bicycle tire, torn in two, a goat, and a small wooden puppet going by Pinocchio."
Ruby's eyes widened as a grin spread across her face. "You just told a joke!"
"I consider myself the last of the Happy Generation," Winter shrugged. "In all seriousness, he wasn't strangled- he was smothered with a pillow. The killer was wearing gloves, bound his wrists with gauze stolen from a supply closet. Beyond that, our dear fox friend is taking his secrets to the grave."
"And the mill?" Ruby asked tentatively.
"Seems like arson," Winter confirmed. "I'd say Adam is my prime suspect."
"Sounds about right," Ruby sighed. "We need to hear what Velvet Scarlatina has to say."
"Hospital says she's clear to leave today," Winter supplied. "Now... how do you feel?"
Ruby laughed. "You're full of all sorts of surprises today!"
"My apologies," Winter grimaced. "I thought it was customary to ask after the health of a colleague who recently took three bullets to the stomach."
"Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the thought!" Ruby smiled. "Besides, I'm sure Uncle Qrow would never let you forget if-"
"Focus, Ruby," Winter interrupted sharply, striving to hide the blush in her cheeks.
Ruby nodded, her smile slowly disappearing. "...Do you know who shot me?"
"I have people interrogating the guests," Winter sighed. "Myriad backwood yahoos too drunk to stand... I have no information yet. I did get a statement from a server who claims to have brought you milk and cookies on that night- Uncle Steve, I believe he called himself? He said he doesn't remember anything unusual- shocker. I doubt he'd have noticed the shooting if it happened right in front of his oversized nose."
Ruby swallowed a mouthful of egg, and finally brought up something that had been nagging at her. "Winter... my cross is missing. The one Uncle Qrow gave me."
A long silence.
"...You have a point?" Winter prompted.
Ruby sighed, deciding that going into her dreams with Winter would be an exercise in futility. "I'm glad you're with us, Winter. We need all hands on deck."
"Well, if I'm being blunt, it isn't just the Arc case that brought me back," Winter admitted, finishing her coffee and dabbing at her lips with a napkin. "I'm afraid I come bearing bad news from the guild."
Ruby tilted her head. "What kind of bad news?"
Winter sighed. "Emerald Sustrai."
Ruby's eyes widened- she dropped the fork in her left hand. It landed on the table with a clatter. "...Emerald? I... I thought she was-"
"In Graham's Memorial Mental Institution, yes," Winter agreed.
"...What happened?" For the first time, Ruby wasn't requesting information- she was demanding it.
"Hell if I know," Winter admitted. "You were her partner- you should know her methods better than anyone- how would you go about escaping such a secure asylum, Ruby? As far as they could tell, she simply vanished into thin air."
Ruby bit her lip, steadily losing her appetite. "That's... not good."
And on the other end of the hall was a faunus with bat wings- brown hair and goatee, grey eyes. Throughout his breakfast, he kept half an eye on the two huntresses, wordlessly sizing them up, evaluating them as potential threats.
XXXX
Sun reported to Coco's Diner bright and early for his first run in the Meals on Wheels program. His first delivery was to a Ms. Lisa Henkel- he took the Diner's car and eventually found himself on a small path between two gardens. The houses to which the gardens belonged faced each other, but only one of them was the house he sought.
He walked up to the door with a tray in his hand and a bounce in his step, and tapped out Shave and a Haircut on the wood.
"Hey, Mrs. Henkel?" he called. "Meals on Wheels!"
"The door's open!" came a voice from inside, sounding as though it smoked a few too many packs a day.
He opened the door and stepped through.
Everything about the house reeked of old lady- the decorations, the atmosphere, the... smell.
He turned into a bedroom and found the woman herself laying down in bed. Her hair wasn't gray, but a lighter shade of brown. She wore a pair of glasses tinted dark to keep out the sun, but not enough for him to call them sunglasses or think her blind. She wore a turtleneck sweater, printed with a bee, and she smiled indulgently as he stepped into her room. "Mrs. Henkel?"
"That's me," she nodded.
"Alright, can I leave your meal here?"
"That'll be just fine, honey."
He lay the tray on her bedside table.
Sun jumped when he heard a snap behind him- he turned to see they weren't the only ones in the room. Across from Lisa's bed was an armchair, upon which sat a young boy- eight to ten years old, if he had to guess- with messy brown hair and a pair of blue eyes. He was dressed in shorts and a blue shirt with a stylized eastern dragon running up one side and down the other.
He was smiling.
"How ya doin', kid?" Sun asked, grinning at him, trying to hide the fact that his heart had nearly stopped. He wasn't sure why- nothing about this house should be putting him ill at ease.
"I'm fine!" the kid beamed back. "But ya know, sometimes, things can happen just like this:"
And he snapped his fingers again.
"My godson, Cody Taylor," Lisa introduced him. "He's practicing magic."
"Yeah!" Cody nodded eagerly. "I wanna be like you and your friends, Mike!"
It took Sun a moment to realize that Cody was addressing him. "Mike?"
"That's your name!"
"Sorry, kid, my name's Sun," Sun smiled. "And me and my friends aren't magicians."
"Nu-uh!" Cody protested. "Your name is Mike! We met before, don't you remember?"
Sun, confused, turned back to Lisa to ask her if she knew what her godson was talking about, but she had lifted the lid from her tray- a look of dismay crossed her face. "...Ice cream. Young man, do you see ice cream on this tray?"
Sun glanced at the tray- sure enough, there was a scoop of vanilla ice cream sequestered in its own corner.
"I... well, yeah, I guess."
Lisa looked him in the eye, a... haunted look on her face. "I requested no ice cream."
She glanced back. "Do you see ice cream on the tray?"
Sun blinked, but looked back at the tray.
The ice cream had disappeared. It had vanished so thoroughly that not even any drips or dregs remained- the place it had once filled was sparkling clean.
Lisa pointed, and Sun followed her finger back to Cody, whose hands were currently cupped together, holding the errant ice cream scoop.
He pressed his hands together and raised them in the air- the ice cream was gone, once again, leaving his hands as clean as if he'd just watched them.
He smiled, very much looking like a child expecting praise from a parental figure.
"Nice one," he forced a smile. "How d'ya do it?"
Lisa laughed. "Magicians never reveal their secrets!"
"I guess that's true..."
"And who exactly are you, young man?"
"Oh, me? Sun. Sun Wukong. I'm taking Jaune Arc's place in Meals on Wheels."
"No, your name's Mike!" Cody objected.
Lisa ignored him. "Jaune Arc... dear Cody used to play with him whenever he delivered here. He's been very torn up over the past week or so. I adopted him from his horrible mother, and have been caring for him ever since."
"Sorry to hear that, little guy," Sun turned to Cody. Perhaps all the strangeness was just the boy's way of dealing with grief- after all, at his age, it must be a foreign concept to him. "Where did you say we met, Cody?"
"At your house!" Cody answered immediately, smiling again. "I'm there now, too!"
Sun blinked. "But... you're here."
"Yeah, but I'm there! Call!"
Sun shrugged, pulling out his scroll and dialing his home number- a number that was hardly ever used. He gave an indulgent smile to Cody as he waited for the other end to pick up, wondering how the kid would-
"Hello, Mike! I'm here!"
Sun nearly dropped his scroll, eyes widening as he looked between it and Cody. The voice had clearly come from the scroll, and the boy hadn't moved his lips, but... how?
He raised the scroll to his ear. "How..."
"Your friends are here, too!" the Cody on the scroll bragged- and sure enough, if Sun listened, he could hear others in the background. "They're asking me about Sally, but we don't talk about Sally."
Sun's hands were shaking.
Lisa spoke up, very sharply. "Cody, stop! Can't you see you're scaring the nice man?"
Sun hung up, turning to her. "I... I'll be back tomorrow, ma'am."
Cody hung his head as if in shame.
Lisa smiled again. "It's... far nicer than before. They used to bring me hospital food. Can you imagine?"
"Ms. Polendina..."
Sun turned back to Cody, eyeing him with caution. "Pardon?"
"It's Ms. Polendina you're looking for," Cody clarified. "She lives next door. I like her- she's very nice. She was friends with Jaune too"
He slowly started smiling again. "'Why did God create a dual universe? So that he might say, 'Be not like me, I am alone'... and it might be heard.'"
"He likes his books," Lisa started smiling indulgently at her godson. "Yes, you might ask Ms. Polendina- but she doesn't leave her house."
Sun nodded shakily. "Thanks for... thanks for the info."
He turned and made to leave. Just before he closed the door, he heard Cody calling out, "And the ring! Don't forget to tell them about the ring!"
He shut the door with perhaps a little more force than was strictly necessary, leaving Lisa and Cody behind. Lisa frowned slightly, while Cody was all smiles. "I liked him. He was funny."
On the outside, Sun quickly dialed his father's scroll- mercifully, he picked up. "Sun? Something wrong?"
"Who's there, Dad?"
"At home? Nobody- nobody's been in all day! Is everything alright?"
Sun hung up, not knowing what to do with himself. Only one thing was certain- he would not be going into that house again.
He slowly crossed over to the other house in the lot, and knocked. "Hello? Ms... Ms. Polendina?"
Nobody answered. He took out a paper and a marker and wrote a quick message, sticking it slightly under the door.
On his way out, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, tipping him off to the green eye watching him from the window he'd just abandoned.
XXXX
Scarlet's eyes were open when Ruby and Yang entered his room- an event he didn't acknowledge at all. They approached very gently, wheeling up a couple of chairs to sit on.
"Scarlet?" Ruby greeted as she took her seat. No answer.
Yang cursed quietly- but not at Scarlet. "I can't get this thing to work."
She was fiddling around with her chair, trying to get it to lower to her level. Her current method involved spinning it around- first clockwise, then counter-clockwise.
Ruby rolled her eyes, then bent down to get a better look. "Hmm... stop, read operating instructions before using."
"Who needs operating instructions for a chair?" Yang scoffed.
Ruby ignored her. "Place foot on base and pull seat all the way up- you will hear a click."
She proceeded to follow these instructions to the letter, and was able to lower the seat without any issues. "Sorry, Scarlet- Yang's a bit of a hardhead, you know?"
Scarlet still had yet to acknowledge their presence.
Ruby swallowed. "Can you... can you hear me?"
Finally, a reaction- by a mere centimeter, Scarlet tilted his head up, then down.
"Okay. Good. Let's take things slowly here- I don't want to upset you, but we need your help. Do you know a woman named Sally?"
A centimeter from side to side meant no.
Ruby nodded, her lips pursed. "Okay, I'm gonna show you some sketches. Just nod or shake your head- I need to know if you've seen these people before- if they hurt you. Okay?"
Nod.
She began with Adam Taurus. "Do you recognize this man?"
Scarlet inclined his head slightly to bring the sketch into better view. He nodded, with a little more vigor.
"And is he the man who tied you up?"
He shook his head.
Ruby steeled herself, then brought out the sketch of Cindy. "And... this woman?"
Scarlet raised a hand and weakly took hold of the sketch to bring it closer to his face. It started as a fuzzy mass, but as it drew closer, he began making out more detail- primarily, the piercing eyes and the charred black hair.
His eyes widened and he threw the sketch as far away as he could manage. His heart rate spiked, and he began thrashing around on his bed, screaming. "Train! Train! TRAIN!"
Yang leapt from her seat and ran to grab the nearest doctor, as Ruby struggled to calm him. "Scarlet!"
"TRAIN!"
"Train?"
"TRAIN!"
"The train car- are you in the train car?"
Scarlet nodded, moving so fast that Ruby momentarily worried that he might hurt his neck. "TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN!"
He was no longer nodding- he was slamming his head repeatedly into his pillow, as if in a vain effort to render himself unconscious once more.
Nurse Peach appeared, pushing Ruby to the side as she attempted to calm Scarlet down.
Abruptly, the lights went out.
And still, Scarlet kept screaming. "TRAIN!"
XXXX
Jacques and Willow sat in their penthouse, poring over the two ledgers belonging to the Belladonna Sawmill.
"So, we finally have both ledgers in our hands," Jacques noted, pacing around the room. "And we have a lovely turkey to celebrate our accomplishment. Which do we burn? I stand firm against burning the turkey."
Willow tapped the book on the right. "This is the real ledger, exposing the mill's slow slide into bankruptcy, courtesy of Raven. This one-" she tapped the one on the left- "was for the public to see, showing a very lucrative business."
"Thank you for the history lesson, but which do we burn?" Jacques repeated.
Willow drummed her fingers on the table. "Hmm... Raven is dead, leaving Ms. Belladonna as our prize horse, as it were. Raven takes the fall for the fire, Blake pockets the insurance money, sells us the mill and land, allowing us to-"
"Hold on," Jacques interrupted. "You're forgetting that fool, Taiyang Xiao Long. He still has some say in the area's future. We won't have anything unless he agrees as well."
"Indeed," Willow agreed, mentally returning to the drawing board. "Which, of course, still leaves us with the question- which book to burn?"
Jacques looked thoughtful, taking a seat across from his wife. "Once we obtain the mill, we can get a better price if it appears profitable- I nominate we burn the real ledger."
"However," Willow countered, "the real ledger is the one that would hold up under future scrutiny- considering the bizarre circumstances surrounding the fire, that is something we will almost certainly need."
"Hmmm..." Jacques produced a cigar and lit it up. "It seems that either book has too many merits to dismiss with ease."
"Quite," Willow agreed. "However, something obviously requires burning. As we cannot bring ourselves to burn either of these books, and you've already vetoed the turkey, may I make a suggestion of my own?"
She reached into her purse- rather large, as purses went- and produced a large bag of marshmallows.
The corner of Jacques's lips twitched. "How plebeian... but not altogether unwelcome."
XXXX
Joseph Winchester found himself, once again, at Coco's Diner, helping himself to their wonderful breakfast menu. Behind him, he saw Nora Valkyrie putting up a wanted poster- as he understood, following Scarlet David's testimony, the woman on the poster, known only as 'Cindy,' had become the prime suspect in Jaune's murder- the police were now on a full manhunt, including posters offering a significant reward to anyone with information leading to this woman.
Unfortunately, he had no such information, so he turned his back on Nora- covered with more and more tape with each poster she put up- and focused on his coffee instead. He threw a glance back every now and again- Nora was having a lot of trouble with that tape- but ultimately decided it was best to mind his own business for now.
Nora was distracted from her work- namely, trying to undo the scotch tape handcuffs she'd unwittingly trapped herself in- when Glynda Goodwitch opened the door and stepped through, log in her arms. She didn't wait before crossing to the counter and sitting down right next to Joseph.
"Hey, Goodwitch!" Coco smiled as she stepped over. "But, uh... if you're gonna spit your gum out in the diner, you mind not spitting it out into my potted plants?"
"Better than sticking it on the other side of your desk for four years, Ms. Adele," Goodwitch fired back. "I'll have a bear claw."
Coco sighed, and turned to the kitchen. In her absence, Goodwitch turned to Joseph. "You wear many medals on your chest, Mr. Winchester."
Joseph nodded. "That I do, ma'am, that I do."
"Do you wear them proudly?" Goodwitch asked through narrowed eyes.
Joseph shook his head. "No, ma'am, I do not. Pride obscures the achievements- what was gained, and what was lost."
Goodwitch nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "My log has something to tell you, if you would hear it. Do you know it?"
Joseph took a long drink of coffee. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced, no."
"I don't introduce my log," Goodwitch shook her head. "Can you hear it?"
Joseph paused, tilting his head slightly, as if genuinely attempting to hear some speech from the wood. "I'm afraid I cannot."
"Very well, I will translate," Goodwitch decided, placing her hand on the wood and closing her eyes. "Hmm... 'deliver the message.' I'm afraid I don't understand- do you?"
Joseph blinked, because, as a matter of fact... "Yes, ma'am, I understand perfectly." He folded his hands in front of his face, entering some deep thought. Goodwitch nodded and returned her attention to the kitchen, awaiting her coffee.
XXXX
Nora finally returned to the police station to find Ren pacing restlessly around the lobby. He snapped to attention immediately when she entered- and smiled. "Oh, Nora... what happened out there?"
She found herself grimacing as he reached out to pluck off a piece of tape that had gotten stuck to her head- she slapped his hand away and ripped it off herself. "Ow!"
"Are you okay?" Ren asked in concern.
"What do you care?!" Nora asked, eyes watering as she rubbed the spot the tape had been. "You barely even talk to me anymore!"
Ren winced away, biting his lip. "Nora... I suppose it's about time I told you the full truth. I haven't been fair to you, I'll admit it. A week or two back, the Vytal Sperm Bank was looking around for donors- I volunteered. As you know, I consider such things to be my civic duty. Before they could take my donation, I had to undergo a routine physical examination- an examination that revealed me as... well... sterile."
"So you don't have to take baths, what does that have to do with me?" Nora asked angrily.
"It's not about baths," Ren, shook his head. "It means... I can't have kids. I am incapable of impregnating a woman- even the woman who desires it more than anything else."
Ren looked away shamefacedly as Nora raised a hand to her mouth at the news.
"I didn't know how to tell you- like I said, I know you really want kids, so I didn't know how to break it to you that that's something I can't give you. And then, a couple days ago, you tell me that you're pregnant- knowing now that it couldn't be me, I need to ask... who?"
He didn't sound accusing, more so desperate. Nora stood there for a long time with her hands over her mouth, before turning and leaving the room as fast as she could. Ren hung his head... he knew he had nobody to blame but himself.
XXXX
In the back of the station was Yang's office- in pride of place was a stuffed deer head with the plaque, 'The Buck Stopped Here." In the middle of the office, taking up a great deal of space, was Hazel, absentmindedly fiddling with his domino.
"Hello, Hazel," Yang greeted, stepping in, Ruby right behind. "Ren said you were here. He also said he told you to wait outside."
"I suppose that's possible," Hazel shrugged absently. "I see your love of puns has yet to die."
"We have more important things to talk about than puns," Yang fired back, crossing her arms.
Ruby snorted. "Never thought I'd hear her say that."
"Shut up, Rubes. We're not here to waste time. Sign in, Hazel- like a good boy."
Yang picked up a nearby folder and handed it over. "Try to keep your nose clean for another week."
Hazel shrugged, picking up a pen and scrawling his name in an untidy hand. "Always a pleasure, Ms. Xiao Long... Ms. Rose." He touched his forehead and headed out.
"Interesting," Ruby commented. "So, Yang... how long were you two friends?"
Yang sighed heavily, tossing the folder back onto her desk. "Enough of this huntress shit... he helped pick me up after you left."
Ruby winced in guilt. "Ah..."
"He's the one who introduced me to the VDF."
Ruby blinked. "Really?"
"Yup," Yang nodded, popping the p. "Too bad- I guess he didn't really take our creed to heart."
Yang's scroll began ringing- she picked it up, putting it on speaker. "This is Sheriff Xiao Long."
"Ms. Xiao Long, my daughter is missing." It was Willow Schnee.
Ruby and Yang both looked at the scroll, eyes wide. "Weiss?"
"Hardly Winter," Willow scoffed. "I have reason to believe her absence stretches as far back as two days."
If Yang was shocked, it was nothing to the horror reaching into Ruby's heart.
XXXX
When her call ended, Willow looked up to find Jacques approaching, looking rather disgruntled. "Raven never signed her new insurance policy. She was too clever- she must have spotted the irregularities a mile away."
"Why was she even shown?" Willow asked, lips pursing in agitation.
Jacques sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I suppose it hardly matters now- she's dead either way."
"Win a few, lose a few," Willow grunted. "Now... the Atlesians."
Jacques pulled out his scroll and dialed just as Nichole Arc entered as well. "Jacques! Willow! I've been giving all this a great deal of thought. This business with the fire will likely delay the contract, so we need to make sure we don't miss our moment. We need to call the Atlesians and let them know we have everything covered- everything is still on track."
Jacques kept his gaze on his lawyer as the other end of the scroll picked up. "Hello, this is Jacques Schnee, I'd like to speak to the head of the delegation, please."
Nichole broke into a smile. "What a marvelous coincidence!"
Jacques ignored her, greeting the head. "Guten tag!... Was? Wer hat dir davon erzahlt?"
His eyes narrowed as he turned to glare at Nichole. "Frau Arc hat es dir gesagt?"
Nichole nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I told them!" she explained brightly.
Hazel bit her lip in frustration, and slipped into damage control. "Nein, nein, ich wurde es nicht als Katastrophe bezeichnen. Nur ein ungluckliches Ereignis. Ich versichere Ihnen, dass dies in keiner Weise unsere Plane beeinflussen wird."
Willow seized the scroll, putting on the best smile we could. "Das ist Willow Schnee. Das wird schon werden."
Jacques snatched the scroll back furiously. "Ja, ja, naturlich verstehe ich. Wir werden Sie auf dem Laufenden halten. Mach dir keine Sorgen. Ich furchte, ich muss gehen. Ich bin in einer Besprechung."
Nichole had previously been smiling and nodding, until she spotted something on a nearby table- her eyes widened, and her smile vanished. She slowly walked over, the Atlesian babble fading into the background as she drew closer.
"Nichole?" Jacques asked, finally hanging up. "Nichole?"
She ignored him, finally approaching what had caught her eye- one of the wanted posters.
The Schnees didn't seem to notice. "Nichole, perhaps we should put you in charge of something simpler for the moment," Willow growled. "Perhaps our taxes?"
Nichole didn't seem to hear them as she picked up the poster. The sketched face of Cindy seemed to burn into her. "I... I know this woman!"
"Pardon?" scoffed Jacques.
"I know her... the summer house, up near Haddock Lake... she lived next door..."
Her hands were shaking violently, causing the paper itself to tremble as if caught in a high wind. "I was just a little girl... I know her!"
She quickly folded the paper and stuffed into her purse, making her way to the exit in a daze. "I... I'm afraid I need to take the rest of the day off. I have... some things to think over..."
The Schnees watched her go, utterly perplexed.
Willow was the first to recover. "Jacques... perhaps you could order Hazel to kill her?"
Jacques produced another cigar and lit it up. "You know, Willow, since that Arc boy's death, I have frequently found myself wondering if this is all real... or part of some bizarre dream."
XXXX
"The bullet lodged itself in Adam's spine," Michelle explained to Velvet, in the very room where Adam was being treated. Velvet was standing at the door, eyeing her husband with severe apprehension.
"It's okay, you can come closer," Michelle beckoned her. "Like I was saying, the bullet lodged itself in his spine, but we got it out okay. He may be paralyzed- it's too early to tell. He lost a lot of blood before we had the chance to do anything. This caused oxygen deprivation to his brain, hence his... current comatose state."
Indeed, Adam now looked worse than Scarlet ever had, hooked up to numerous machines to keep him even breathing.
"You mean... he's a vegetable?" Velvet asked hesitantly. "Is he... in pain?"
"It's safe to say he's not in pain," Michelle assured her with a smile. "Beyond that, I've got nothin'."
"Can you make him better?" Velvet asked, not sure what answer she even wanted to hear.
"We can keep him alive," Michelle shrugged. "Nutrition, life support... but past that, all we can do is wait. I'm sorry to hafta tell you... I can't imagine what this must feel like."
Indeed, she had no idea.
"Will he be imprisoned?"
"He is a suspect in... a number of wrongdoings," Michelle acknowledged.
"I suppose... in a way, he already is in prison," Velvet reflected. She had no idea how to feel about seeing her abusive husband reduced to this... empty husk.
"I suppose that's true," Michelle agreed.
Velvet's conflicting emotions clashed and brought tears to her eyes. Michelle closed the distance and pulled her into a hug. "C'mon... let's head back to your room. Coco's already waiting to give you a ride home."
XXXX
Weiss received her chance for more information the following day- she had heard from another worker that Shane Corman would be coming to the Widow's Web, and was apparently into some very bizarre things- things that played right into her plans.
She intercepted another girl who was bringing a bucket of ice to his room, standing in front of her with her arms crossed and a smile on her face. "Helllo. Do you mind if I take it from here?"
"Sorry, Peach, but he requested me-"
"Do you really want to deal with Mr. Corman today?"
The girl bit her lip, and handed the bucket of ice over to her. "...Be careful."
"Of course." Weiss did her best to curtsey with her arms full before turning and entering the room, where Shane was tied up on a bed, both his hands and legs held up by rope, a blindfold blocking his vision.
She couldn't help smirking. Perfect.
"Frosty, is that you?" he asked, sounding very eager. "My little snowman!"
Weiss rolled her eyes as she grabbed an extra length of rope nearby, binding it into a loop.
"I feel a cold front moving in!"
"I imagine you do," Weiss nodded as she positioned the rope around his neck, before removing the blind and tightening it.
Shane's eyes widened as he gagged.
"Hello, Mr. Corman. I assume you remember me."
Shane struggled, but couldn't speak.
"I can only imagine how awkward this is for you," Weiss taunted as she took a seat on the sofa he was bound on, rope still in hand. "I'm sure you can appreciate the gravity of this situation- I am ideally placed to see you moved to a kingdom-level prison for quite some time."
She slackened the rope enough to allow him to speak. "What... whaddya want?"
"To know everything you do," Weiss snarled. "Primarily regarding Scarlet David and Jaune Arc."
"You're insane!"
"Maybe, but I'm the one holding the rope. I am a Schnee, and I get what I want. Are we clear?"
She tightened the rope, then loosened it again. "I understand! I understand!" Shane did his best to appease her. "I work for the owner!"
"And the owner is?"
"I work for the owner!"
"Who is?"
"Your parents!" Shane squealed for mercy. "They own everything! I run young men and women through electronics and the perfume counter! I recruited Scarlet and Jaune!"
"How long did Jaune work here?"
"One weekend! He needed drug money! The Sisters threw him out when they found out, and that's the last I saw of him, I swear!"
"Did my parents know?"
"Yes- of course they did! They like to break in all the new blood!"
"And did Jaune know them? Did he know they were the owners?"
"I don't know- but probably! Probably he did!" Shane quickly backtracked when he felt the noose tightening. "Jaune had a way of getting things he wanted- kind of like you!"
Weiss finally removed the rope, twisting it in her hands as she pondered everything she'd learned.
XXXX
Sargon's radio was crooning a slow, jazzy tune as Cardin and Velvet camped out in it, watching the Haven River flow by.
"Mind changing the station, Vel?" Cardin asked. "I have a love-hate relationship with jazz."
Velvet pouted- she personally loved jazz- but obliged, tuning the radio until her ears perked up upon hearing the Eagles- One of these Nights. She turned to beam at him, and was happy to see him closing his eyes and bobbing his head.
"Now that's what I'm talking about," he smiled. "I made some calls- if Adam doesn't go to prison, he gets a hefty disability check- quite a hefty chunk of lien. We're talking over 5000 a month. Catch is, you only get it if he stays home."
Velvet pulled away slightly, ears twitching. "I don't care about money- I don't want him anywhere near me."
"He won't be," Cardin countered gently. "His body would be, but his soul would be off in Lala Land. For all he knows, you could stick him in the corner and decorate him for Christmas."
Velvet bit her lips- there was a certain level of logic in Cardin's words, which was unusual in itself.
"Yang wants me to make a statement," she confided.
"Maybe she does," Cardin acknowledged, "but they can't make you say anything. If you can get Adam home, all you have to do is collect the checks."
Velvet still looked uncertain, but Cardin persisted. "He owes you, Vel. For all the shit he's done, he owes you this. We've wanted to make him pay- we just never thought it could be this literal. You want something nice, you can buy it. You wanna go someplace special and tan those buns- you can do it."
Velvet giggled at his attempt at humor.
"It's all on Adam, y'see?"
Velvet turned it all over in her mind, nervously drumming her fingers on the dashboard. "It... would be nice not to have to worry so much about money, I suppose... I still have bills to pay..."
"Screw the bills, this could be a new way of life!" Cardin smiled.
Velvet met his eyes nervously. "Would you... come with me?"
Cardin blinked in surprise. "Well... if you'd have me."
Velvet beamed, pulling him close for a kiss. "Until the end of time."
From there, things escalated rapidly.
XXXX
Ruby sounded remarkably distressed as she returned to her room for the night- she immediately grabbed her recorder. "Oscar, bad news- Emerald Sustrai has vanished. I hope I don't have to tell you how bad that is. Before I could take that in, I found out that Weiss Schnee is missing. That... is affecting me more than I thought it ever would. I'm trying to focus on clues, and evidence, but all I can think of is her smile."
She turned her recorder off when she heard a knock at her door. Fool her once, shame on you. Fool her twice...
"Who is it?"
"This is Major Joseph Winchester, Ms. Rose."
She rose to her feet and opened the door a crack before opening it the rest of the way, allowing the major into her room. He was in his usual uniform, his hat in one hand, a briefcase in the other.
"I have a message for you," he began without preamble.
"Who from?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.
"...You answer to Maria Calavera, correct?" Joseph asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"I speak to her every now and again regarding my work, but I can't even tell her all the exact details- a great deal of it is classified. There are times when it is a painful cross to bear, but bear it I must. Your sister takes particular issue, and I can understand why- any bureaucracy steeped in secrecy inevitably exposes itself to corruption. Nevertheless, I have my oaths to uphold."
"I understand."
"What I can tell you is that one of my tasks involves maintaining deep-space monitors aimed at galaxies distant from our own. We receive signals constantly, but, as per the nature of space noise, it is gibberish far more often than not."
As he spoke, he opened his case and produced a small stack of papers, presenting them at chest level. "This is what we usually get."
Ruby glanced at it- as he said, it was gibberish, a collection of random letters and numbers.
"Then... Thursday night. Friday morning, to be exact."
Ruby's eyes widened in understanding. "When I was shot!"
Joseph nodded. "Abruptly, our instruments turned away from the heavens... and towards the depths of the Emerald Forest. At first, nothing changed..." He turned a page and pointed to the readout. "Row after row of the usual gibberish, and then..."
He pointed to one line of text that was perfectly legible- so legible that Ruby read it out for him. "'The owls are baring their teeth.'"
She looked up at him, a haunted look entering her eyes. "Why... why show this to me?"
"Because it happened again, three hours and forty-three minutes later," he explained, turning another page. "Another shift to the forest, another message."
Ruby's eyes widened as she read this line- the same word, repeated over and over again.
RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY
Ruby met Joseph's eyes, hoping for an explanation of any kind... but he clearly had none to give.
XXXX
Pyrrha had finally been released from her holding cell, let off with another warning. She was now at Sun's house, alongside Sun and Jacob, holding a guitar in her hands, celebrating her release by performing for them. There was no worry about disturbing Sun's parents- they were at the hospital pot luck.
Jacob and Sun smiled encouragingly as she strummed her guitar- a simple melody, she knew, but it was one that affected her deeply- it was the song that she had confessed to Jaune with.
Is it okay if I call you mine?
Just for a time?
I will be just fine
If I know that you know that I'm
wanting- needing- your love.
Oooooooohhhhhh...
If I asked of you, 'Is it alright
If I ask you to hold me tight
through a cold dark night?'
Is there maybe a cloudy day in sight?
And I need to let you know that I might
Be needing your love!
Oooooooooohhhhhhh...
What I'm trying to say isn't really new,
It's just the things that happen to me when I'm reminded of you.
Like when I hear your name, or see a place that you've been
Or see a picture of your grin
Or pass a house that you've been in
One time or another
It sets off something in me I can't explain
And I can't wait to see you again!
Oh, babe, I love your love!
Ooooooooohhhhhhh...
What I'm trying to say isn't really new,
It's just the things that happen to me when I'm reminded of you...
Finally, she brought herself to a stop- tears were flowing from her eyes. She gently lowered her guitar and took off up the stairs. Sun leapt to his feet and followed. Jacob considered following too, but felt that this was something they needed to be alone for.
Sun caught Pyrrha on the upper landing. "Pyr, are you okay?"
"I... I'm fine..."
Before he could call her out for the obvious tears on her face, she silenced him by pulling him into a tight kiss. He was only too happy to reciprocate.
He only broke apart when his scroll rang. He looked at it- the call was from Penny Polendina. He looked up. "I... uh... I gotta take this. I'll explain later."
He moved into the room next to them. Pyrrha could sense how important this was- she waited outside.
A moment later, Sun came out, and did explain. "Penny Polendina- a girl on the Meals on Wheels route- she knew Jaune. I'm gonna meet her, see if she knows anything."
Pyrrha nodded in understanding.
Downstairs, Jacob was leaning back, gazing around the house, when a woman walked around the corner. At first, he thought it must be Michelle- but even from a distance, he could see that wasn't the case. Michelle was blond- this new woman's hair was black, and she was in a red dress that would simply be out of place on Sun's mother.
The woman was drawing closer- there was a sofa and coffee table between them, but the woman disregarded both, climbing over the sofa with minimal effort.
He could see gold lining on her burnt red dress, gold that matched the sickly amber of her eyes. Her hair wasn't just black- it seemed charred, as if she'd barely survived a fire.
A dark smirk graced her face as she mounted the the table, reaching out for his throat.
Finally, he came to his senses, letting out a scream for help as he pulled away before she could touch him.
Pyrrha and Sun arrived almost instantly. "What's going on? What's wrong?" Sun asked, looking around for whatever had spooked his new friend.
"It's okay, Jacob!" Pyrrha assured him, wrapping her arms around him from the back. "It's okay- what did you see?"
Jacob buried his head in her shoulder for a moment before turning back to where the woman had been. She was gone, and even the lamp she'd upset climbing over the table was back in its proper place.
XXXX
Ruby's dreams were restless- memories flashed through her mind of Scarlet's panic attack in the hospital, as a hazy figure drew near- once it was in sight, she recognized it as Cindy.
She could hear Ozpin's voice echoing through her head again- The owls are baring their teeth.
She repeated the words in her sleep. "The owls... are baring their teeth."
She saw Cindy crouching at the foot of her bed- except it wasn't hers, but that of Jaune Arc. Watching her.
She saw Nicholas Arc screaming as he realized his son wasn't in his room. Jaune?! he screamed, his voice slow and distorted. Jaune, where are you?!
Cindy's face changed- instead of a human, her face was that of an owl as she stood and drew ever closer. Even the change couldn't wipe her wicked smirk from her face.
It was almost a relief when her scroll rang and awoke her. "Hello? This is Ruby Rose."
"It's me, Weiss."
Ruby went from sleepy to wide awake in less than a second. "Weiss? Where are you?!"
"Where are you?" Weiss's voice wasn't accusatory, but desperate- pleading. "Why aren't you here?"
"Weiss, where are you? What happened to you?"
"I'm in trouble- I'm at-"
Before she could finish, the scroll was lifted from her hands and dashed against the ground, ending the call prematurely and leaving Ruby shocked and confused.
Weiss stepped back in horror. The Malachite sisters had appeared, a smirking Shane Corman standing right behind them. Miltia looked furious, but Melanie simply looked disappointed.
"Trouble, Weiss?" she asked. "You don't have a clue what trouble is. Yet."
XXXX
Please R&R, constructive criticism, guesses, and theories welcome, Gamer4 out.