Gamer4 in. For this pause, Goodwitch took the chance to question me about my hobbies. I told her, I enjoy playing video games and writing stories- naturally, she seemed far more interested in the latter. "As a writer, you must understand that letters are symbols, yes? Building blocks of words that form our languages. And through these languages, we communicate.
"However, even when the most intelligent people utilize the most complex of languages, misunderstanding is a common, inevitable occurrence. We write down letters and words in the hope that they will serve us, and those with whom we wish to communicate.
"Letters and words... calling out, pleading for understanding."
Chapter XIV
Flowers
Ruby was woken up the next day by rather distressing news- Scarlet David had awoken again, and was having another fit. He was screaming about a woman appearing in his room- the same woman he remembered tormenting him and Jaune at the train car. It took several nurses to return him to bed, but according to Yang, who had arrived there far earlier, there was more to it even than that- one of the nurses, too, had seen a faint shadow in the room before entering, only to find nobody else present.
Ruby and Winter both arrived just as Scarlet was being sedated. The nurses would have to replace his IV- an IV that Winter paid close attention to as the sisters moved to the boy himself.
Ruby took one look at Scarlet, and suddenly turned ghost white. "Yang... tweezers."
Yang didn't understand, but motioned to one of the other nurses as Scarlet finally ceased his thrashing. Following her sister's instructions, she put some chloride on Scarlet's left ring finger as Ruby pushed the tweezers in.
Scarlet screamed as they pushed further and further in, bit by bit, until Ruby finally found what she was looking for.
Another letter- D.
XXXX
"HOW?!" Yang screamed in agitation after she, Ruby, and Winter found a quiet room to examine their find. "How did that bitch get in here? Scarlet's under 24-hour watch!"
"Planted a scrap of paper, and tainted Scarlet's IV," Winter snarled- for once, she and Yang were in full agreement. "If he hadn't woken up, he'd be dead now."
"Why run the risk of waking him up, then?!" Yang growled in frustration. "If she wanted to kill him to get rid of a witness, why wake him up with the paper?!"
"Who knows why people like this do anything?" Winter countered. "Give me the paper- I'll run some tests on it and the IV."
Before she could leave, Ruby turned to face them fully. "It's her- the same killer. It has to be. Nobody else knows about the letters."
"Clearly," Winter nodded, reaching out for the door.
"Wait!" Ruby called. "I need to tell you both something."
"What is it?" Yang asked, instantly jumping to sisterly concern.
"First, Yang- did you find my cross in my hotel room? I don't suppose I just forgot to pick it up from the hospital, did I?"
"No," Yang shook her head. "I thought it was weird you weren't wearing it- I figured something Qrow gave you, you'd keep it on you all the time."
Ruby nodded as her suspicions were confirmed. "Okay. I know this will sound crazy, but... I was visited by a giant. Twice. In my room. He said he wanted to help me, so to earn my trust, he gave me three prophecies. The first one's already come true- Corsac Albain in a body bag. Second, he said, 'The owls are baring their teeth.'"
"Owls don't have teeth," Winter pointed out.
"Are you sure he said owls?" Yang asked. "There used to be a broadcasting station down south called Rooster Teeth."
"No, no, I'm sure he said 'owls,'" Ruby shook her head. "The third one was, 'Without chemicals, he comes.'"
Yang put a hand to her chin. "And a giant told you all this?"
"Yes- he said his name was Ozpin," Ruby confirmed.
"Any relation to your candy-colored midget?" Winter asked through half-lidded eyes.
XXXX
It was with great reluctance that Sun returned to the lot from the previous day- he couldn't stop eyeing the house of Lisa Henkel and Cody Taylor, his heart racing. Everything about his visit seemed almost like a dream now... not that it mattered. They weren't who he was here to see.
He knocked on the door supposedly belonging to Penny Polendina, and smiled when the door opened to reveal a young woman, somewhat short, with lightly curled red hair kept in place with a pink bow that matched the rest of her rather old-fashioned clothing. Her skin was pale white, marked only by some freckles beneath her eyes- a slightly lighter shade of green than Pyrrha's.
She, too, smiled as she greeted him. "Hello, Mr. Wukong! You're wearing the same shirt as yesterday!"
Her speech was odd and stilted, but Sun wasn't one to judge others' eccentricities.
"Oh, where are my manners?" Penny jumped. "My name is Penny Polendina! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She extended her hand towards him.
"Nice to meet you, too," Sun maintained his smile as he shook it. "I guess you already know who I am."
Penny nodded eagerly. "Please, come in!"
Sun stepped in, and noticed how the temperature immediately jumped by at least ten degrees- the inside of Penny's house felt like a greenhouse- a description he realized was perfectly accurate as he spied the numerous plants that decorated the walls- flowers of every type, flowers he didn't even recognize. At the opposite end of the living room was a white chamber that seemed entirely devoted to caring for even more particular types of plants.
"I'm afraid I don't have much food to offer," Penny apologized. "Just some lemonade and crackers."
"I'm good for now," Sun smiled.
"Okay!" Penny smiled as brightly as ever. "Then would you like to take a seat?"
Sun shrugged as he sat on a futon in the living room's center- Penny sat opposite him and took a sip from the glass on a table next to her- it seemed to be some of the lemonade she'd just offered him.
"I guess you don't have to worry when it snows, huh?" Sun attempted to make some light conversation.
Penny gazed fixedly at him. "I hope I'm not making you nervous, Mr. Wukong."
"Nah, not at all," Sun waved her concern aside. "And please, just call me Sun. I'm just curious."
"About Jaune?" Penny guessed.
Sun nodded slowly. "You're the one who sent the letter calling me here, weren't you?"
Penny's smile disappeared- a sad look had taken over her face. "Jaune was a good friend- he used to tell me, if anything were to happen to him, I should talk to you."
Sun blinked, wondering what he'd gotten himself into. "Why?"
Penny laughed. "Don't worry- I can take care of myself."
Sun tilted his head. He wasn't the best at interrogating others. "How... how long did you know him?"
"I was one of his first clients when he started the Meals on Wheels program," Penny recalled wistfully.
"You don't seem like a shut-in," Sun pointed out curiously.
Penny exhaled lightly through her nose. "I suppose that's your polite way of asking what's wrong with me?"
"...If you like."
"I... don't like going outside. I..." She took a deep breath, seemingly pondering over how best to explain it for a full minute before simply saying, "can't."
He looked to see Sun, who didn't know what to say. "I... hope I'm not making you nervous."
"Nah," Sun brought up a smile. "Different strokes for different folks, and all that."
Penny smiled. "Jaune was right- you are very kind."
"Why didn't he ever tell me about you?" Sun wondered.
"Jaune was... interesting," Penny pondered, searching for words again. "I think he saw me as a... mystery. A mystery he wanted to solve on his own."
"So... why call me?" Sun prompted again.
Penny glanced around at her flowers. "I'm sure you've noticed by now... I'm a horticulturist. Or... at least, I used to be. I raise flowers. I love them- so teeming with life, so pure..."
She smiled, her eyes zoning out as she looked around at them, before finally focusing on Sun. "I was hoping you could do me a favor... and put one of my orchids on his grave."
Sun nodded. "Of course."
Penny beamed at him, almost blinding. "Excuse me!" she said quickly before dashing into the white room. Sun watched as she milled about, presumably searching for the perfect flower, until he noticed something- a scrap of paper beneath a nearby bookshelf.
He rose to his feet to investigate. As he drew nearer, he realized the paper wasn't beneath the shelf, but stuck in a crack- a crack that wouldn't exist on a normal bookshelf. He reached out and attempted to work it out without tearing it, only to jump when he heard someone clearing a throat behind him.
He jumped, spinning around to see Penny smiling at him, her smile becoming somewhat forced. A beautiful flower was in her hands. "This is a hybrid!" she explained brightly.
"It's beautiful," Sun agreed as he waited for his heart rate to steady- what was it with people from this lot and scaring him?
Penny stretched it out to him. "Please, take it- my final gift to Jaune."
"I'm sure he'd appreciate it," Sun replied kindly as he accepted.
"He was always very kind to me," Penny nodded with a sad smile as she gazed at the flower. "And... I apologize, but through him, I know a great deal about you... I can only imagine how awkward I'm making all this... but you really are as wonderful as he always said."
Sun offered another smile as he moved to the front door. "Tell ya what- I'll come back soon, okay?"
Penny brightened noticeably. "I'll be here!" she grinned.
XXXX
"R...E...D," Ruby sketched out on the top of the conference room's whiteboard. In the center was one of Cindy's wanted posters, around which were the names Nicholas, Jacob, Scarlet, and Ruby, forming a sort of circle around her.
"Yang, I believe these letters and Ozpin's clues are somehow connected to this woman- Cindy. Nicholas Arc saw her in a vision, and called today to tell us that Jacob's seen her, too- also in vision. I've seen her in a dream-"
"And Scarlet saw him at the train car," Yang nodded.
"Exactly," Ruby nodded. "We've all seen her in different ways, but it was always the same woman. Somehow, that's the psychic link that will lead us to her."
Yang moved to take a seat at the table. "So, what did this... Ozpin sound like? Was he like the giant Jack killed, with a big, booming voice?"
"Nope!" Ruby shook her head. "He was quiet- soft, distinct!"
"I hope you didn't give him the beans, Ruby, you were supposed to use them to buy a cow," Winter snarked- the only other person in the room.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "No, I gave him my cross- to prove that it wasn't a dream."
Winter nodded sarcastically as she rose to her feet. "I see. Well, keeping my conclusions within the realms of reality, the cocain from Pyrrha's gas tank was a match to what we found on Corsac and Adam. Conclusion, Adam's at the center- for all the good that does us. He's currently auditioning for the role of Mr. Potato Head.
"Adam's boots are Circle Brand- a rare brand of work boots. The ones we found haven't been worn- hardly touched at all.
"And, surprise surprise, the letter we found under Scarlet's finger was from a copy of Ninjas of Love. A very interesting issue- aimed primarily at faunus. Connection to Scarlet... unlikely.
"I decided to finally take some initiative and send a picture of your black-haired woman to every agency on Remnant, and nobody's found anything. Not a single match."
"And yet, four people have seen her..." Ruby mused.
"I'm sure." Winter's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "In case you're interested in actual facts, your gunman was using a SOCOM pistol. Doesn't do much to narrow it down, it's a very common gun- it's even the gun used by Solid Snake."
She stood and picked up her case. "For what it's worth, you are looking better today."
Ruby blinked. "Oh- thanks, Winter. I'm... feeling better?"
"As far as who actually shot you, the only lead left are these fibers I found outside your room," Winter continued, showing off a small plastic bag. "My ticket out of these boonies. I'll keep in contact from the lab. In the meantime, Xiao Long, may I recommend learning to walk without dragging your knuckles?"
Yang intercepted Winter before she could leave, seizing her collar and pulling her near. "You wanna talk about knuckles, Schnee, let's talk knuckles. I see knocking you down hasn't taught you shit. Next time, you're not getting off so easy."
Winter retaliated by grabbing onto Yang's collar and dragging her even closer, glaring at her with eyes that seemed to have suddenly become icicles. "I want you to listen closely, Xiao Long- I'll admit I'm not the most pleasant woman on Remnant, but I am still perpetually on the front lines in the fight against evil. I pride myself on the ability to take a punch and keep going without retaliation- I choose to stand in the company of Ghandi and King. If I seem short, it is because my concerns are global. I reject revenge, aggression, and retaliation in their totality. The foundation of such a worldview..."
What Winter did next shocked both sisters- she released Yang's collar, pulled herself free from the blond's slackened grip, and pulled her into a tight hug. "-is love. I love you, Yang Xiao Long."
She pulled away, straightening Yang's collar before heading out the door, as straight-backed as ever.
Yang stared after her, clearly not quite sure what had just happened.
Ruby smiled sheepishly. "I guess... I shoulda let you know that she's the one who got me started on North Menagerie, huh?"
XXXX
Winter walked right past Pyrrha in the lobby, talking to Fox- though they didn't even seem to notice each other. Fox retreated when Ruby appeared, with clear intent to speak to the girl in red.
"Okay, Pyrrha, here's the deal," Ruby clapped her hands together. "You're not gonna be charged. We know the cocain was planted- you're free to go. Just... try not to end up here again, okay?"
"Right," Pyrrha nodded.
"I get it, you know?" Ruby confided. "I understand that you want to help, but stop trying to do it all on your own. Find someone to talk to- heck, you can even talk to me, if you want!"
"Of course."
"Alright, you're free."
Pyrrha turned and left, allowing Ruby to turn her attention towards Nora, whom she'd noticed listening in on their conversation none-too-subtly. "You okay, Nora?"
"I'm up to seventy-five words!" Nora forced a smile. Before Ruby could comment, she snapped her fingers. "Never mind! Seventy-six!"
She grabbed a pencil and began scribbling something out on the paper in front of her. "77!"
Ruby smiled and delivered her usual thumb up. "Lookin' good, Nora! Keep it up!"
The odd exchange caught Fox Alistair's attention- he approached behind her, gazing at the paper. "What's all this about?"
Ruby whispered the answer to him. "Nora wants to help, so we've got her looking up words with the letters R, E, and D in them."
"That could be all day," Fox pointed out.
"Yeah, but we don't have much else for her to do right now, and she said we needed a distraction, so..."
Fox smiled and shook his head, sitting opposite Nora. "Mind if I take a look? I used to be good at this sort of thing."
Before he could get too far, another man entered the station- taller than anyone else present, in a red suit with blue hair.
Nora's face seemed to fall when she spied him. "Oh, sorry, Fox- my- er... lunch date is here."
Fox eyed the man. "The same date that prompted Ren to call in sick, I presume?"
The man swaggered up to them and bowed extravagantly before Nora. "Hey, Nora. You ready?"
"Sure am... Neptune." Nora was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Still a woman of letters, I see!" he beamed as he spied the scrabble board she was using to arrange the characters.
Fox fired a very unamused look in Neptune's direction- he'd been pulling for Ren and Nora for years, and was not happy with this interloper. "'Prohibited," he muttered to Nora.
"Oh! That's right!" Nora immediately added the word to her list.
"Hey- I don't think we've met!" Neptune beamed as he turned towards Fox. "Neptune Vasilias- I work in From Dust til Dawn- men's fashions!"
He extended his hand, but Fox didn't take it. "'Creed,'" he offered before turning away.
Neptune looked surprised, turning to Nora. "Is it... something I did? I mean, I'm sure blind people have plenty of reason to be angry..."
He trailed off at the equally unamused look Nora was giving him. "He's not blind," she muttered. "Let's... just go to lunch, huh?"
"Sounds good!" Neptune clapped his hands together. "I've got a nice place picked out- we can buy each other's meals!"
XXXX
Fox fell back to the conference room, where Yang had returned to grilling Ruby about the giant. "So, how tall was he? Did his head hit the ceiling?"
"No, but only because he hunched over," Ruby recalled.
"At the Austin?" Fox asked, bemused. "Those ceilings are ten feet tall, at least."
"Excuse me, ladies- gentleman."
They all turned to see Nichole Arc stepping into the room, looking remarkably haunted. "I hope I'm not... interrupting anything."
"Of course not," Yang answered- first to recover. "Anything you need to say, we're all ears."
Nichole reached into her purse and produced a wanted poster of Cindy. "It's... this woman. I know her."
That caught their attention. "How? Where?" Ruby asked quickly.
"When I was a little girl," Nichole recalled, "my parents had a summer house up by Haddock Lake. We'd go there every year."
"And that's where you saw her?" Ruby prompted.
"Yes," Nichole nodded earnestly. "I can't remember who she was exactly, but... let's see, we had the Nigris on one side, and on the other, there was an empty lot. On the other side of the lot, a white house- that's where she lived."
"And her name?" Ruby asked.
Nichole paused, stretching her mind back as far as it would go. "I think... Cinder. That was her name... Cinder."
"Cinder... Cinder!" Ruby's eyes widened as a bulb lit in her head. "RED- the letters were spelling Cinder backwards!"
"Cindy for short," Yang nodded, seeing the logic. "Fox, get up to Haddock Lake, find out who it was that lived in that house."
"On it," Fox nodded- he was already halfway to the door.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Arc!" Ruby grinned, shaking her hand- Nichole smiled faintly at her antics. "This has been a huge help!"
"Thank you," Nichole blushed at the praise. The smile disappeared as she looked back towards Yang. "Oh- I just remembered something else!"
She reached into her purse again, this time producing a book of matches. "She used to flick matches at me," she whispered, her eyes widening as if she were remembering a severely traumatic event. "She'd say..." She struck the match. "'You wanna play with fire, little girl? You wanna play with Cinder?'"
She flicked the match past the sisters, expertly landing in an ashtray nearby.
Ruby slowly treaded to the match, picking it up and blowing it out. "Sounds like our woman."
XXXX
Nora was eating at Coco's Diner, and she felt very strongly like she was dying a little more inside with each bite. Not due to the food, of course- it was as excellent as ever- but due to the rambling of Neptune beside her. "-so during the Christmas rush, I had to come up with a system of mnemonic triggers," he was blathering. "So, for instance, argyle socks are under A for argyle, S for socks. It does get tricky at times- for instance..."
A horrible thought crossed Nora's mind- was this how Ren felt when he had to put up with her? She knew she couldn't be the easiest company in the world, but if this is how Ren felt every time she went on one of her tirades...
"Mind if I ask you something, Nora?"
It took Nora a moment to realize he was actually addressing her instead of blabbering on into thin air. "Sorry, what?"
"Do you think the way I eat is weird?"
"Nah," Nora decided, not even trying to feign interest. "My Mom had a special name for it- can't place it right now."
"It's how we do things back in Vacuo," Neptune grinned that too-wide grin of his.
Nora sighed. "Look, Neptune... why haven't you been calling? You said you'd keep in contact, but..."
"Yeah," Neptune shied away, scratching at the back of his head. "I... lost your number. Sorry about that."
"I work at the sheriff's office- you coulda dialed 911," Nora pointed out. "What happened to all those promises, huh? Going all the way to the tallest skyscraper in Vacuo? Sure, discount night at IHOP was a million times better, but after that, the most romantic thing we did was get drunk and wake up the next day on one of From Dust Til Dawn's display beds!"
Neptune cringed away- Nora went out of her way to lower her voice. "I mean, sure, it was exciting, but to just not call after all that?"
"Sorry, Nora," Neptune apologized. "I want to make it up to you."
"How d'ya plan on doing that?"
Neptune put on his most charming smile. "Well, I can start by getting you that dress you wanted for a 20% discount?"
Something snapped in Nora. "You don't say?" She found herself rising to her feet, crossing her arms. "Well, I'm thinking a maternity dress might be a little more useful!"
The diner fell silent.
Neptune's eyes bugged out. "...Huh?"
"...I'm pregnant, Neptune."
Neptune stared at her, dropping his fork to the counter with a clatter.
On the other side of the diner, Pyrrha had just taken a seat next to Jacob. "Does something seem... different about Sun to you?" she asked.
"Not sure I know what you mean," Jacob shrugged- his eyes kept flickering around the area, as if he expected to see something awful behind every corner.
"He tried smoking the other day, and talking like a cowboy, and going off on his own... I don't know, it's just not like him," Pyrrha struggled to explain.
"Well, I can't really say too much," Jacob admitted. "I mean, you know her better than I do."
"I guess that's true," Pyrrha nodded. "It's just... the way he was acting back in holding... it was like he wanted to... do it right there... right through the bars. Didn't even care if someone was watching. Like I said... not like him."
She gazed at the tabletop. "I don't understand... I don't understand anything anymore. Sometimes, I just want to hop on my bike and run away from it all. Some 'invincible track star,' huh?"
Jacob smiled, placing his hand over hers. "Well, sure, you could do that... but what would it actually solve?"
As luck would have it, that was the exact moment Sun entered- his eyes fell on the two immediately, and his heart dropped. He forced a very painful smile as he crossed over to them.
Pyrrha's smile, however, was very real as she noticed him and unconsciously pulled away from Jacob. "Oh, Sun! You're late! Where were you, we were worried?"
"I'm sure you were," Sun nodded through that painful smile. "I was... talking to someone from Meals on Wheels."
Pyrrha smiled fondly. "Our elders have many wise tales to tell."
"Actually, it was a young woman," Sun shook his head, uncertain where this was coming from. "She can't go outside, but she's charming... smart... her smile lights up the room... she's not like anyone else I've ever met."
Pyrrha blinked. "Sun... is something wrong?"
Sun stepped backwards. "I... I'll get back to you on that," he whispered, before turning around and leaving, Jacob and Pyrrha staring after him with their mouths open.
XXXX
Weiss struggled in vain as some goon tied her up to a chair. The Malachites were preparing a drug for her, while Shane grinned widely as he filmed her futile struggle.
"Looking good, Shane," Miltia smirked. "The little bitch is just about ready for her close-up."
A sock had been stuffed into Weiss's mouth, and was held in place by a rubber strap- all she could do was grunt, whimper, and moan.
"We should get rid of her," Shane suggested, smile still fixed. "She knows too much- she knows about her parents- she knows about Jaune."
"No need to worry about the Schnees," Melanie patted him on the back in reassurance. "They won't be owning this place for long- at least, if they want their drugged-up daughter back."
"Wait... we're ransoming her?" Shane faltered. "No- that's not what I agreed to! I don't wanna lose my job!"
Miltia cackled as she appeared at his other side. "Oh, Corman, you're so adorable! If this fails... your job is the least of your worries."
"Do you not understand how dangerous the Schnees can be?!"
Miltia stopped laughing, aiming the needle she intended for Weiss at Shane instead. "Listen up, you spineless windbag- you are in far to deep to be pussying out now. So stop whining!"
Melanie stepped in, as ever, playing the good cop to her sister. "Don't worry about a thing, Shane- help is on the way. All the help we could ever need."
As Shane gulped and removed himself from the room, Miltia turned her attention towards Weiss. "So much for little miss perfect," she scoffed. "Riding the white horse all the way to dreamland. Wanna place bets on how long it'll take before she's begging us for the stuff?"
"After what their parents have done?" Melanie asked. "Couldn't happen fast enough."
XXXX
"Now, these babies are perfect for your brand of work," Torchwick gave his best salesman smile to Yang as he showed off his shoes in the conference room. "Good for heavy use in the field, remarkably versatile. Steel-reinforced toe, just because I like ya."
Yang tilted her head. "Nah... not my style."
"Gotcha- you're a woman of passion!" Torchwick nodded, turning back to his case and sifting through, as Yang browsed the impromptu rack he'd spent the better part of an hour setting up. Honestly, with one arm, she was surprised it hadn't taken longer. "If you're going for style as well as functionality, these ones will set you up right for any public appearances- I dunno, if you wanna throw a parade on the fourth or somesuch."
Yang narrowed her eyes, smiling slightly at the shoe she was being presented with this time. "Oh, that is nice."
"I can getcha some silver-trimmed laces- you'll be catching all the eyes you need." He smelled blood in the water, it was time to go for the throat.
"It is ver nice," Yang repeated, "but I think it might be a bit rich for my blood."
Torchwick masterfully concealed his disappointment. "Yeah, I gotcha. Woman like you, you need something simple and practical- a jack-of-all-trades, if you will. Now, if you'd take a look at... at this one..."
He trailed off. His eyes had fallen on a stray wanted poster, complete with another sketch of Cindy.
"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Yang smiled, picking out one from the rack. "How much for these?"
"Yeah... yeah, very popular..."
Yang stepped around Torchwick to see his face- he hardly seemed to be paying attention, his eyes fixed on the poster.
He dropped the shoe, raising a trembling hand to his head.
"Hey, you alright there, Roman?" Yang asked.
"Oh- yeah, don't worry about me, blondie," Torchwick shook his head- somewhat like a dog trying to get water out of its ears. "I... just forgot to take some medicine earlier. You have a bathroom in this place?"
Yang nodded, leading him down the hall. She watched him go in before turning her attention to yet another guest- Velvet Scarlatina, sitting in her office opposite Ruby, waiting to hear Adam's fate.
"Thanks for coming over, Vel," she greeted.
Velvet refused to meet her eyes. "I'm not gonna say anything against Adam."
"Well, you don't have to," Ruby agreed. "But we'd still like some information-"
"He's my husband," Velvet insisted. "I don't have to testify against my husband."
"You're not testifying at all," Yang pointed out. "We just need a statement."
Velvet bit her lip, and tried a different tactic. "Does it really matter what I have to say? Doctor Wukong says he's essentially a vegetable."
Yang seemed taken aback. "Of course it matters! People are hurt- people are dead! We already know Adam started the fire, and we know you were on site. We just need you to fill in any blanks we can."
A long pause.
"...I'm not going to say anything against him. I... I love him."
Yang turned to her sister imploringly. Ruby put on her brightest smile. "Well, that's just fine, Velvet!" she declared, hopping to her feet and patting her on the back. "Thanks for coming in!"
This wasn't what Yang had been expecting. "Pardon?"
"No need to badger her, Yang, she's clearly thought long and hard about this," Ruby said firmly. "Who knows? Maybe someday, with some great medical attention and a little luck, you'll get Adam back! Good ol' Adam, the beloved husband you clearly care for so deeply. Maybe he'll even realize what a wonderful person he's married to."
Neither Ruby nor Yang missed the breaks in Velvet's stoic facade, but to her credit, she remained silent as Ruby guided her to the door and saw her out. "Thanks again, Velvet. Best of luck."
The second the door was closed, Yang asked, "Okay, Rubes, what's going on?"
"Insurance money," Ruby answered easily. "Adam comes home, she gets a hefty check."
"...That doesn't sound like her," Yang muttered slowly.
"No, it doesn't," Ruby agreed. "Someone else is pulling the strings. Question is, who?"
XXXX
Torchwick thrashed around inside his stall as he struggled to get his medicine bottle open. He didn't usually have trouble one-handing it, but in the midst of this near-seizure, it might as well have been locked in a top-security vault. His struggle came to a sudden end when he passed out against the wall, the bottle clattering against the ground.
A brief moment later, the stall door opened, and a man exited the stall- the same man who entered in appearance only. His eyes flicked around the room, and his nostrils dilated like a bloodhound's. "I know you're here, Cindy," he whispered into the empty room. "I can smell you. You can't hide forever- I'm after you now."
XXXX
Ruby headed to the Austin Hotel next, intent on speaking to the Schnees about Weiss's current predicament. In the flood of marching band students moving through the Gold Room, she failed to notice the bat faunus keeping an eye on her the whole way.
She found Willow making a call to Jacques and waved to get her attention.
"I'm afraid I must end this call prematurely, Jacques, Ms. Rose wishes to have a word with me," she apologized unapologetically, before turning to her, lowering her scroll. "Yes, Ms. Rose?"
Ruby wasted no time. "When's the last time you heard from your daughter, Mrs. Schnee?"
"I can't say that I have," Willow shook her head. "Why?"
"She called me last night," Ruby explained.
"Where from?" Willow asked, her interest piqued.
"She didn't say."
Willow sighed. "Well, she's done this before. It seems to happen at least once a month."
"But she's not the only one to go missing recently," Ruby countered. "Is there trouble at home?"
Willow narrowed her eyes. "Well, Ms. Rose, if I didn't know better, I'd suspect a note of something... beyond professional concern."
"We've talked a few times," Ruby admitted easily.
"I'm sure you have," Willow muttered. "Well, why don't I give you some advice? Weiss knows how to get what she wants- she convinces others to care for her and bends them to her whims. You're far from the first to enter her crosshairs- you'd be better suited finding another to cast your affections on."
"I didn't mean to offend you, Mrs. Schnee," Ruby apologized. "But I promise I have only the best intentions."
"I believe you," Willow decided. "How about this? When she comes home, you're the first I'll call."
"...Thank you," Ruby decided, managing to keep suspicion from her voice.
"No, thank you," Willow retaliated. Ruby shook her head before continuing on her way.
XXXX
Weiss lay on her bed, unable and unwilling to move, staring up at the canopy above. She barely noticed when a new man took a seat on the bed next to her, laughing quietly as he waved his hand over her face.
"Try to come back to the world of the living, Ms. Schnee," he chuckled in a rather high-pitched voice.
She struggled to move her head to look at him. "Where... am I?"
The man moved a little closer into her line of sight. He was dressed all in white, contrasting heavily with black hair, falling in a braid down his back. His face was fixed in a wide, permanent grin beneath wild, golden eyes.
"I brought you a present," he cooed, producing a small chocolate. "Open wiiiide!"
She didn't want to, but didn't have the strength to resist as he pressed the candy into her mouth and forced her to chew and swallow. It was... delicious, actually.
"Sugar's the best way to deal with a high," the man laughed. "And these are some of the best- all the way from East Mistral!"
He ran a hand down her face- she attempted to pull away. "Please... st..."
the man laughed again. "Take it slow. There's plenty more where that came from!"
He leaned in, as if intending to kiss her. Instead, he introduced himself. "My name is Tyrian- Tyrian Callows."
She watched him lick his lips with a tongue that seemed much longer than normal- or maybe that was the drugs. Either way, he backed off after that, turning to the bedside table, where he grabbed a needle full of sedative.
"Sleep sweetly, my dear princess," he cackled, "and dream of your knight in red coming to the rescue."
XXXX
In the next room over, the twins showed him the security footage from the night Ruby had infiltrated the casino. "That's her, right?"
Before Tyrian could answer, Shane began panicking. "Oh my God! That's a huntress- she's a huntress! I remember her from the town meeting after Jaune died!"
"Shane-y, Shane-y, Shane-y!" Tyrian chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the bald man. "Don't you worry about the Hunter's Guild- that's why the twins called me in!"
"Is that the woman you're looking for?" Melanie asked.
Tyrian maintained his smile, but his eyes had grown cold. "Oh, that's her alright. I could never forget her." From behind him rose a tail- the tail of a scorpion, the tip of which had been severed and replaced with a prosthetic.
"Well, you heard the man," Miltia butted in. "This is Tyrian Callows- he's been evading the Guild for years now. Why don't you say something weak and fawning, little man?"
"Did... did you know the Albains?" Shane stuttered.
"They were pretty far down the food chain, but they did good work," Tyrian brushed aside. "I wanted Ms. Rose's head on a pike, but the fact that she had to take down those twins with her... well, it just makes me..."
Abruptly his smile disappeared, and he screamed in fury. "OUTRAGED! FURIOUS! SICK WITH ANGER!"
And just as suddenly as the anger had come, it was gone, replaced with his usual wide grin. Shane stepped back as far as he could- not too far, in this cramped room.
Tyrian closed the distance in a few strides. "I'll be your middleman," he assured him. "Mommy and Daddy Schnee give me the money, I take thirty percent and pass the rest to you and the twins. They'll never know who took their kid, and Ruby... is... mine."
"I think... I think I can arrange that," Shane nodded tentatively.
"Tyrian's in charge of this operation now," Melanie declared. "What he wants, you do."
"And what I want right now is the tape you made," Tyrian ordered.
"Of course- just a moment."
He seemed remarkably relieved to be out of the room.
Tyrian smiled at the twins- at Melanie in particular. "I'd love it if you came back to Mistral with me after this, Melanie."
Melanie glanced at Miltia, and they both shook their heads. "Not gonna happen, Tyrian. We get the money, you get Ruby. Everybody can be happy with that."
Tyrian's smile once again failed to reach his eyes. "As you wish. Regardless... even with me as the middleman, there's still someone who can testify against you, isn't there? Someone we can't exactly allow to live?"
XXXX
"No, that's good. Thanks for letting me know, Dad," Yang smiled just before hanging up.
No sooner had she done so than Ruby's trilling voice came from behind- she was carrying two mugs of coffee and two bundles of cookies. "BREAK TIME!" she cheered.
Yang smiled as she sat across from her sister. "Blake called Dad- she'll be back tomorrow."
"Awesome!" Ruby grinned. "We can bring her in- there are a few questions I wanna ask her."
"Rubes," Yang said slowly as she picked up a cookie. "I... need a favor."
"Fire away!" Ruby waved as she took a drink.
"...I wanna talk to her first. Alone."
Ruby hesitated, slowly lowering her mug. "Yang... we have to be impartial. We can't let our feelings get in the way of the truth."
"I know," Yang nodded, "but sometimes... that's easier said than done."
Ruby allowed a faint smile. "Just once, I'd like to hear about something that's easier done than said."
Yang smiled back.
"Talk to her. Bring her in."
"You know, she might not be involved in any of this," Yang pointed out.
Ruby laughed. "You've already got my blessing, Yang! Go get her!"
Fox poked his head in, knocking on the door. "I went up to Haddock Lake- I found the vacant lot, just like she said. I found the house- it's boarded up. The mailbox was vandalized beyond recognition- no name."
"And the title?" Ruby asked.
"Put in a request," Fox reported. "Power and lights checking their records. We won't hear anything until morning- at the earliest."
Yang piped up with, "And have you seen Torchwick?"
"The shoe salesman?" Fox asked.
"The one-armed man?" Ruby put in. "He was here?"
"He was showing me some samples, then just up and disappeared on me," Yang recalled. "He got faint, went to the bathroom- said he had to take some medicine."
Ruby started tapping her hand against her thigh- a nervous tic she'd picked up years ago. "Yang, remember my dream? The one-armed man knew Cindy!"
She took off down the hall, barging into the men's room without checking if it was empty- though it was. One by one, she pushed open the stalls, as a bewildered Fox and Yang entered behind her.
"What's going on?" Fox asked, feeling particularly out of the loop.
Finally, Ruby discovered Torchwick's bottle of pills- the label torn off. She donned a pair of plastic gloves as she picked it up. Her eyes widened in realization. "'Without chemicals, he comes.' Yang, we need to find Torchwick."
XXXX
Yatsuhashi made his next visit to Neon to find her being placed in the strongest restraints that the hospital had ready access to. "...Is that really necessary, Mrs. Wukong?" he asked.
"It's for her own protection," Michelle explained sadly. "She ripped up two pairs of leather restraints last night like they were made of styrofoam. She's quite the enigma- she's putting out absurd amounts of adrenaline. Maybe you being here will calm her down a bit. Talk to her- maybe sing. She have a favorite song?"
Yatsuhashi tilted his head. "I... perhaps I can think of something."
"You're a saint, Yats," Michelle patted him on the shoulder as she made her way out.
Yatsuhashi sat down at Neon's side, taking her hand in his, gently stroking it with his thumb. "Neon... the doctor thinks I should sing for you. I wish I could take a request, but..."
He took a deep breath.
Out of my window, looking in the night
I can see the barges glistening light.
Starboard shines green, and port is glowing red,
I can see the barges dead ahead.
Barges, I would like to go with you!
I would like to sail the oceans blue!
He was distracted as he felt Neon's hand suddenly tightening around his. He took a deep breath, struggling to finish the song.
Barges... have you treasures that you ho-o-old?
Do you fight... with pirates... brave and-
Neon released his hand and began tugging at the restraints. After a great deal of struggling, they snapped, allowing Neon to sit bolt upright, clapping her hands together brightly, her good eye open as she sang a song of her own.
"Listen, girlfriend, can't you see? I'm all of the things that you'll never be! I'm cool as the rain and I'm hot as the sun, I'm a neon rainbow, and you're! No! Fun!"
She turned to face him, grinning widely. "HELLO, YATS!"
Yatsuhashi was taken aback. He tried to say 'Hi,' but it came out more as "Huh?"
"Are you here to pick me up?" she asked eagerly.
"...What?"
"Doc Wukong said, tonsilitis or no, I'm good to go to cheerleading tryouts!"
"...What?"
"Well, I'm a senior, Yats! You know what they say- you're only seventeen once!"
Yatsuhashi responded with the most intelligent thing he could muster-
"...What?"
XXXX
A few halls away, Ruby and Yang were on their way to meet Oobleck again. When they entered his ward, they were taken aback to see the whole place decked out like a western saloon, including the woman in cowgirl getup attending to the man himself.
Ruby looked to Yang, silently pleading for help.
The look on Yang's face very clearly said, This was your idea, you talk to him!
Ruby turned to face the odd couple. "Er... Mr. Oobleck?"
"Doctor, dear girl, doctor!" Oobleck corrected as usual. "Welcome. This is my cousin, Gretchen."
"Greetin's, pard," Gretchen smiled, tilting her hat.
"She owns a stretch of land in Southern Vacuo," Oobleck explained.
"I... see." Ruby decided that pursuing the elephant in the room would do more harm than good, if only to her sanity. "So, Doctor Oobleck, are you ready to be hypnotized?"
"Oh- yes!" Oobleck nodded emphatically. "Of course! This is hardly my first experience with hypnotherapy- I have my own program by now! Here you go!"
He handed over a piece of paper that Ruby took, exchanging another look with Yang. Are you sure this guy's a psychiatrist?
Yang shrugged.
"And Gretchen- if you'd be so kind as to start the tape."
Gretchen nodded, and in a few seconds, the room was suddenly filled with the sound of the rainforest. Oobleck removed his glasses, closed his eyes, and laid back in the comfort of his pillow. "Very well, dear girls... let us begin."
Ruby cleared her throat as she began to read from the paper. "'You are standing among the lush green of the Vacuan Rainforest. You spy a large cat in the distance. You make no approach, watching instead as it moves to the river nearby, and kneels to take a drink, purring gently. You approach as gently as you can, and it make no move to run as you slide your hand along its smooth fur. In this moment, you are one with nature.'"
She looked up at Yang, who was rapidly blinking in confusion.
Ruby turned back to Oobleck. "Can you hear me, doctor?"
"Yes," Oobleck nodded gently.
"You're in the hospital room- the same room as Corsac Albain. Do you smell anything? Like burned engin oil?"
"Engine oil... I smelled it at the park, when I was attacked. It filled the air."
"You're not at the park," Ruby said gently, trying to steer things back on course. "We're in your room at the hospital. Who comes into the room?"
"Nurses... Doctor Wukong... you... Sheriff Xiao Long..."
"What happens after we leave?"
"I have a wondrous dream- I am atop a horse, riding across the great plains, forging my own destiny on the frontier."
"Wonderful," Ruby indulged him. "Does anybody else come into the room later that night?"
"I... I awoke to the sound of ripping tape. There is a figure, placing a pillow over Mr. Albain's face. I... I can hear him struggling. The noise... it's almost like a dog barking. Then... he stops moving, and the figure turns, ever so briefly... towards me."
"Do you know who it is?" Ruby pressed.
Oobleck hesitated. "...Yes."
XXXX
Wind blew through the Emerald Forest, causing the trees to wave their branches. The moon shone overhead. The owls called out to each other as their vigil began.
Sun made his way through the graveyard to Jaune's stone. There were plenty of flowers there already, but he had no problem finding a place to put Penny's contribution.
"Hey, Jaune," he greeted, kneeling before the grave. "This is from Penny- Penny Polendina. Sorry I haven't been by since the funeral, things have been busy. Busy, and... well, strange.
"Were you sleeping with her, too? I wonder. She's a nice girl- if a bit of an oddball, but hey, who am I to judge? We all have our quirks, if you look close enough.
"Look... we need to talk, Jaune. I'm guessing you already know about... me and Pyrrha. How we kinda... got together after you died. I guess I don't really need to explain- I can't help thinking you probably knew it before we did. At times, you were so smart- brilliant, even- but there were other times you were so damn stupid!"
Tears were leaking from his eyes- he didn't know if they were from sorrow or anger- he didn't have the slightest clue what he was feeling anymore. "I'm mad at you, you know? When it was the three of us, we just clicked- we had this perfect balance! Now you're gone, and I love her, and... it's all just a mess!
"Jacob's here, and it's starting to look like there's something going on between them. I don't... I don't wanna lose her, too. I can't lose you both. I just..."
He allowed his head to fall against the tombstone. "I know you wanted to be like me at times... and there were times I wanted so much to be like you. To be able to make Pyrrha smile like that... but look what happened to you! Look where it all got you! I love you, man, but I'm starting to realize that most of the time, we were running around trying to solve your problems! And we still are! We can't focus on my problems, or Pyrrha's, or Jacob's, we're still solving yours! YOU'RE DEAD, JAUNE, BUT YOUR PROBLEMS JUST KEEP HANGING AROUND! DIDN'T THEY BURY YOU DEEP ENOUGH?!"
Almost unconsciously, he lashed out, striking the stone with everything he had- earning nothing for his troubles but a split knuckle. Even so, it wasn't this pain that drove him to continue crying for nearly an hour afterwards, before the cold, uncaring stone.
XXXX
Jacob twirled his pen in his hand as he struggled to focus on the homework in front of him, interrupted only by the doorbell. He opened the door to find Pyrrha. "Pyr- is something wrong?"
"I can't find Sun," Pyrrha explained quickly. "But I need to talk to someone."
"What is it?" Jacob asked immediately.
"My Mom came home, drugged up six ways to Sunday," Pyrrha explained. "I... I don't like it when she comes home. I don't like her."
Jacob had known Pyrrha long enough to realize that this was the equivalent of Pyrrha going on a rant with intermittent cursing directed at her mother.
"You okay?" he asked, reaching out to touch her. "You look really red- you're on fire."
Pyrrha looked back at him, and for a moment, saw Jaune standing there. Her rationality vanished, and she pulled him towards her, into a kiss. Jacob's eyes widened in surprise, but, sensing a girl in distress, wrapped his arms around her in an effort to comfort her further.
"...Oh, my God."
They turned to see Sun in the doorway, eyes wide and red.
"Sun!" Jacob gasped, pulling away from Pyrrha, but Sun had already turned away.
"Sun!" Pyrrha called, rushing out the door after him, just as Nichole entered the room.
Pyrrha ignored him, rushing out into the road, where Sun had already disappeared. "SUN!"
XXXX
Pyrrha did not return- that was fine by Jacob. He needed some time to be alone with his aunt and uncle.
"I don't want this!" he sobbed, turning away from a photo of Jaune over the mantel. "I just came to a funeral, and suddenly I'm in this bizarre dream world! People are treating me like I'm Jaune- like they want me to be him! But I'm not! I could never be... I could never be like him..."
He collapsed into his aunt's arms, sobbing into her shoulder. "I'm nothing like Jaune..."
"I understand," Nichole nodded, leaning his head into her lap and running her fingers through his hair. "I know, sweetie, I know."
"All I know is that he was my cousin- he used to be my best friend- and then he died. I don't know anything else!"
"I understand," Nichole repeated, fighting back tears of her own. "You want life to be the way it was before. So do I. So do we all. But the world just won't cooperate, will it?"
She continued stroking Jacob's hair. "If only life could be like... those summers up at... Haddock Lake..."
She trailed off as she noticed Ruby and Yang standing in the doorway. "When did you get in?"
"Sorry- the door was open," Yang apologized. She was uncharacteristically hesitant. "Nichole..."
"Yes?" Nichole prompted.
Yang glanced to Ruby, who placed her hand on her sister's shoulder comfortingly.
Yang took a deep breath. "Nichole, you're under arrest for the murder of Corsac Albain."
Nichole's face fell, even as she felt Jacob look up at them with shock in his face.
XXXX
Penny was continuing to tend to her flowers when she heard a knock at her door. Odd, she hadn't been expecting guests.
She left her greenhouse and went to the front door. "Sun?"
"I'm sorry... I needed someone to talk to, and I couldn't think of anyone else."
"Please, come in," Penny nodded, opening the door. She'd immediately noticed that his eyes were red from crying. "What's wrong?"
"It's stupid," Sun admitted heavily. "It shouldn't be affecting me like this, I know, but..."
Penny bit her lip- she wasn't exactly practiced at comforting others. "Please, take a seat- I'll get some lemonade."
"Every time I think I've got things figured out," Sun admitted, "some new wrench comes in. She's falling for Jacob, and I don't know why I even care. If it's what makes her happy, why should I?"
"Pyrrha Nikos?" Penny asked, hesitating on the lemonade.
"Yeah."
"Well, clearly you care for her if you feel like this, right?"
Sun didn't seem comforted, leaving Penny struggling to think of a way to sooth him. Suddenly, she planted a fist into her open palm. "Oh! I know what'll take your mind off of this! But first, I'll get that lemonade."
She stood and rushed into the greenhouse. Sun watched her go, and slowly rose to his feet, gazing at the flowers through the window.
His eyes fell on a book on a shelf just beneath the window- bright green, it was hard to miss. Curious, he opened the front cover, and suddenly pulled away when he saw very familiar handwriting on the first page.
This is the journal of Jaune Christopher Arc.
XXXX
Please R&R, constructive criticism, theories, and guesses all embraced, Gamer4 out.