Jaune awoke with a big yawn, groggily sniffing the air for any familiar smell, nose telling him he was in a strange place once again. He wasn't at Beacon, or the mansion, or at the kennel, or in a random place on the streets. It seemed every time he managed to fall asleep he woke up in a different place, drowsy mind still too foggy to process where exactly he was now.
Yet as he blinked his eyes open, it started coming back to him. The smell of dusty cardboard and artificial floral perfume came with the sight of a room full of boxes and cleaning supplies. He was laying in a cardboard box of his own, lined with rough rags as a makeshift bed. A full bowl of clearly fresh water by his side, and he didn't hesitate in soothing his dry throat then.
Licking his lips, he looked around. He had no idea of exactly where or what this place was. The room only had small high windows for ventilation, he could barely see the outside with the moon still high in the sky, making him guess it was probably some ungodly hour of the night. Though by the sound of electronic music coming from the other side of the door loud enough to make the floor shake and his ears hurt, it was obvious the place didn't exactly follow the common commercial hours.
Right. He remembered one of the girls who took him in mentioning the place was some kind of club, so that explained the midnight activity. Jaune didn't have the time to make a more thorough recognition of the perimeter though, because if there was one thing he did recognize, was the feeling in his bladder. Stepping out of the lined box, he noticed the door was partially cracked open and he promptly headed towards it.
Peeking in the hallway, he could hear the music coming louder from one of the ends, together with faint traces of flashing lights that pumped together with the beat, making him decide to go the opposite way. He didn't feel too much apprehension about the idea of going out of the safety of that room, and not only because he had a rush to go. Maybe because those people had willingly offered him shelter from the rain, and the acts of kindness made him feel more at ease with the situation.
He still wasn't sure where to find the restroom though. Maybe he could find those nice girls again? Or maybe the friendly guys in suits. Slowly, he made his way down the hall, sticking his head through several doorways. First finding a security camera room with no occupants, in one of the screens he could definitely see a panoramic view of what he assumed was the area the music was coming from, a dance floor with flashing tiles and some people dancing, though it seemed it wasn't a very busy day at the place.
Since that was definitely not a place to use as a restroom, he took a chance at the other doorways. Finding another empty supply closet, this one locked tight with no way for him to peek inside. The next room he came across smelled good, like food was being made. Jaune put his paws to the handle, turning it easily with his weight, and pushed the door open.
The steady hum of a microwave and the scent of melting cheese filled the place, which seemed to be a break room with currently three men dressed in black suits lounging about. Two of them he recognized as Berry and Rusty, the two nice men that gave him shelter from the rain and a bed. They were both seated at a table, presumably eating their lunches, while another stood by the running microwave waiting for his food to warm up.
"Excuse me. Could someone show me where the restroom is?" Jaune tried to ask but it came out as a series of whimpers. All three men looked over.
"Hey, look who woke up." Berry started with a grin. He leaned down in his chair and clapped his hands together. "Come here, buddy. Come on."
Well, he didn't want to be rude, especially after how nice these people had treated him. Jaune walked over as requested, his tail wagging lightly from the welcoming energy. He took a seat in front of Berry, immediately getting several firm ear scritches as a reward.
"Hey, he's pretty well trained." Rusty commented coming around the table. "Lie down."
"We're really doing this?" Jaune rolled his eyes and huffed, doing what was asked of him.
"Dang, you weren't kidding." Rusty scratched his forehead. "How about roll over? Shake? Spin? Sit pretty?"
"At least he's mixing it up a bit." Jaune thought to himself while doing all the things that were asked. He decided to lay down at the last command, crossing his front legs like a person would do sitting down.
"I like this dog!"
"Can't say I've met such a well trained golden before." The third man came over to an empty chair and took a seat. "I wonder who his owners are?"
"Hard saying. Maybe he's a service dog of some sort? He opened the door pretty easily." Berry thought out loud.
"Maybe, either way, we'll see if anyone comes looking for him."
"Excuse me, but I really need to go." Jaune started shuffling in place, doing the "potty dance" as Nora likes calling it.
"Hey, I think he needs to whiz." Rusty looked down at him.
"Is that right boy? Do you need to go potty?" Berry asked. Jaune barked and nodded his head vigorously. The three looked at each other questioningly. "Wait? Did he just nod?"
"Dang, he IS a really smart dog!" Rusty exclaimed.
"Less talking and more restroom please!" Jaune barked.
"Alright, Alright. I'll take you out." He walked towards the back exit, opening the door to a dark alleyway with light rain still falling.
"You want me to go out here?" Jaune whimpered. Berry just watched him expectantly, and Jaune ultimately left the dry building and rushed behind the dumpster to do his business. There was no way he was continuing his search in this weather, not when he finally found nice people that offered him help. The boss of the place said they'd take him to a shelter if his teammates didn't come looking, so he could escape on the way there if needed. Finishing up Jaune stepped into the alleyway and trotted back towards the open doorway, stepping inside and shaking himself dry.
"Good boy." Berry praised as the two made their way down the hall. Three more workers in suits approached them from the far side of the hallway, looking at Jaune curiously.
"So this is what you dragged in?" The one in front asked lowering his sunglasses for a better look.
"Yep, this is what everyone's talking about." Berry said giving Jaune another firm pat on the head. "He's incredibly well trained too. As smart as they come. It's almost like he can understand us."
"Well, he's certainly a good looking dog." The man on the left commented. "I reckon he's a purebred. You don't see purebred strays too often."
"We're pretty sure he isn't a stray." Berry answered back. "He's too well trained. We're gonna see if an owner comes forward."
"Do you know his name at least?" The final man asked.
"No, he didn't have a collar. Maybe we should call him something in the meantime." The four men continued chatting but Jaune's attention was quickly drawn to a room behind the newcomers. He noticed a short woman with black hair leading an intoxicated man into the room before closing the door.
Was that a private room or the bathroom? Were they even supposed to be in there?
"How about Mutt? You like that for a name?" Jaune was pulled back into the conversation when the man in front tried talking in a higher pitched voice.
"Call me whatever, but I can't say I'm a fan." Jaune tilted his head to the side in response.
"He hates that one." Berry waved the guy off. "Maybe Blondie? That could be cute."
"We need something intimidating, not cute. Try something else." The men went back and forth but Jaune's attention was quickly drawn to that room again. He thought he heard a distressed noise, but was having trouble hearing over the music and talking. Perking his ears up Jaune slowly made his way over, ignoring Berry calling to him and the other men trying to block his way. Leaning his head against the wall he listened intently hearing what sounded like a chair being kicked and a man's muffled cries for help. Someone was in trouble.
"Hey! Something is happening in there!" Jaune yipped and pawed at the door.
"Come on bud, let's leave the door alone." Berry tried grabbing the scruff of his neck and pulling him away.
"Seriously! Something is happening!" Jaune shook himself loose and growled at the door. Berry put his ear up to the door and listened, hearing someone fall to the ground and a pained yelp. He turned to the other men and nodded, all of them pulling out their weapons and standing ready. Berry went ahead and knocked on the door.
"Is everything alright in there?"
Silence.
He pulled out a master key and unlocked the door, throwing the door open and jumping to the side. Jaune charged in seeing the woman from earlier above that man's prone form. He lunged at her snarling, only for her form to break apart like a glass figure. Hitting the wall he shook his head, realizing the guys in suits were scrambling around the room. He put his nose to the ground sniffing for any sign of her. Oddly enough he caught the scent of a vanilla, chocolate and strawberry perfume mixture, but otherwise no indication that anyone else was ever here.
"You alright?" One of the workers asked. The man groaned angrily.
"That witch attacked me!"
"Did she hurt ya?"
"No, your dog stopped her." He tried sitting up but nearly toppled in his drunken state.
"What is going on back here?!" Junior stalked in angrily. "Who was conducting unauthorized business?"
"I'm not sure. The woman just vanished, like she was shattered glass." One of the thugs stated.
Junior understood immediately, pulling the victim up by his shirt collar. "Do you owe Torchwick?"
"Y-Yeah… but he's in jail! I'm in the clear!" The man pleaded gripping Junior's arms.
"Roman doesn't let debts slide. He has underlings to do the collecting you moron!" Junior growled. He threw the man towards several of his employees. "Get him out of here, and you." He pointed towards another. "Make sure Roman's little sidekick gets this message. No business dealing in my club." The men scrambled to comply, leaving junior with Berry and the others. "Good job for stopping her before this became a murder scene."
"N-no problem Boss!" Berry stuttered. "But you should really thank our new bud right here. He alerted us to the problem before we realized there was one." Junior looked down at Jaune seeming rather impressed.
"He must be a trained guard dog or something." The large man walked over and gave Jaune a congratulatory pat on the head. "At least SOMEBODY is earning their keep around here." He looked threateningly to the others making them tense. "Are you going to just stand there or get back to work?"
"Yes, Boss! Sorry Boss!" The remaining men scrambled out of the room, leaving a chuckling Junior behind with Jaune.
"Well, buddy, what are you thinking?"
"All sorts of things, but you won't understand me anyway." Jaune whined. Junior just scratched his chin for a moment thoughtfully.
"Come to think of it, there's a nice sandwich shop down the road. I think you've earned one with all the lunch meat." He ruffled the fur on Jaune's head before flagging down another one of his workers. Jaune shook his head out and followed Junior, his stomach already grumbling at the prospect of such an amazing meal.
He could stick around for a while longer.
"Good boy! You did so well today!" Skylar praised the golden retriever that was happily panting by her leg. After Jaune went missing she was instructed to work with Pyrite, but she still couldn't stop worrying about the newest golden, especially with a thunderstorm like this raging. He was so smart, and if she didn't know any better she would have believed that dog could understand her.
"Ugh! This dog isn't good enough in the agility ring. At least he's a decent show dog, so not completely useless." Aurum added from the sidelines. They were the last two people in the arena and it was getting late.
"Sir, don't you think we should stop for today? Pyrite is exhausted." She tried. Aurum didn't seem interested.
"We can't stop now. He needs to be in top shape for the next show! I won't have losers-"
"Excuse me, Master Aurum." The flamboyant man stopped his tirade when two of his bodyguards interrupted. They both seemed a bit nervous.
"Ah good! Did you bring my lost dog back?" Aurum asked, looking almost relieved. The guards both looked away uncomfortably, the one in front finally speaking up.
"H-he was hit by a car before we could catch him." The words made Skylar's blood run cold. Pyrite could sense her unease, his ears pulling back thinking he did something wrong.
"... and?" Aurum forced out through gritted teeth. The man gulped hard.
"T-the dog was hit head on with the front of that van, the car itself was completely destroyed. H-he wasn't moving afterwards-"
"So he's dead?!" Aurum shouted. "You idiots! How could you screw up this ONE job?!"
She put her hand to her face in shock, trying to pet Pyrite reassuringly. It didn't calm him down much.
"I can't decide if I should fire you, or put you both on poop scooping duty in the lower kennels! This type of failure is unacceptable!" He finally seemed to remember Skylar's presence, turning to her furiously. "Woman! Go put that dog away now!"
"Y-Yes Mister Ville." Skylar quickly grabbed Pyrite around the collar and dragged him out of the arena, all the while the two men were screamed at mercilessly. She quickly entered the upper kennels and put Pyrite back in his cage. He was still upset so she did her best to comfort him.
"It's going to be okay boy. It wasn't your fault." She said gently leaning down to stroke his head. Her eyes were soon drawn to the empty kennel right next door. It was formerly Jaune's kennel, the wall still lacking a proper name tag since he was so new. A few tears pricked in the corners of Skylar's eyes. She sniffles and whipped them away, trying to calm herself down.
Gods, why was she so sensitive? She just couldn't believe Jaune was dead. He was just fine the other day, so healthy and smart. She'd never met a dog quite like him before, and the thought that he was dead genuinely hurt. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that dog could understand her.
Shaking her head Skylar decided to do her best with Pyrite. Maybe she wasn't able to save Jaune, but she'd do whatever she could to keep Pyrite in Aurum's favor.
They had a show to train for.
As much as their worry for their missing teammate only grew as the days went by, the remaining members of team JNPR insisted that if their friends wanted to go out to help, they would only resume their search in Vale after classes for the day had ended.
They had already skipped two days of classes and team RWBY had done the same yesterday because of them. And they couldn't help but have a growing suspicion Professor Goodwitch, even with her constant support for the search, was slightly annoyed with the students dragging even more students out of the academy during class hours.
But Thursday morning classes for Sun and Neptune were with Professor Port, and if there was one thing that man loved more than anything in the world, was encouraging the displays of selflessness and bravery of a Huntsman seeking to help those in need, especially if the Huntsmen in question were under his tutelage.
So after a heartfelt explanation - a bit too heartfelt, but the boys knew their Professor had a weak spot for the dramatic - about team JNPR's situation, a flash of their badge and how they would use his stories as inspiration for doing their best for their friends. Professor Port was more than happy in giving them both full support, a free pass for the day and an assurance that if they needed any help they could count on him.
But it wasn't that easy, the catch being that Sun and Neptune did the job of convincing their Professor a bit too well, because the man insisted they write a detailed report on how their mission went after they get back, and he would count that instead of the assignment he was about to deliver for the class that morning - after that, Sage and Scarlet were happy to stay behind.
They accepted the terms nonetheless.
"We'll make you proud, teach!" Sun patted his own chest, walking backward to leave the classroom. Neptune gave him a shove so he could turn around right before his back could meet a wall.
'So here they were now. Overlooking the crime scene - Vale's Botanical Gardens. The location where, according to the victims, a commotion was instigated by two tactless children, who without permission harassed the main victim, Jaune. After Jaune acted in self-defense, the kid's egoistic mother accused the dog-'
"Hey, would it be okay for us to refer to Jaune as 'dog' in the report?" Neptune paused in the middle of the first paragraph, fingers hovering over the scroll's keypad.
"You already started?" Sun glanced at the screen his partner tilted in his direction. "Hm. I don't think so… maybe use 'boy'? Nah- student? Victim? Wait- you already used that one…" Sun tilted his sunglasses down. "I don't know, dude. You're the one good with words. I mean look at that! Instigated… Egoistic…" He mimicked a pompous voice.
"Haha." Neptune laughed drily. "You know how Professor Port likes his reports." He shook his head. "I'll use 'student,' we can edit later if needed."
The person in front of them in the line finally left. "Heads up." Sun patted Neptune's shoulder since he continued to type, directing his attention to the worker in front of them. "Good morning, sir. Would you mind answering a couple of questions?"
"Ah! And two hot dogs, all the toppings you have there on both." Neptune added quickly.
'The owner of the hot dog cart in front of the gardens had witnessed the rouse. Reporting that, after having held his small business in the same place for the past few years, he had never seen the mother or her children before, and that they didn't sound or appear to be tourists. With a shift until past dusk, he affirmed Jaune never came back to the location during his work hours-'
"Here you go." A complete hot dog was offered to him. Neptune put the scroll away to grab it and the worker continued while the boys had their hands full. "The dog probably ran to that street there, I would have seen it if he had gone inside."
"Just like we suspected…" Sun said under his breath, staring at the horizon. It would have sounded cooler if he didn't have ketchup on his cheek. "But anyway, thank you for the cooperation, sir."
"Eh, no problem. Hope you find the dog, I saw those three kids the other day running all over the place looking for it..." He cleaned his hand on his apron. "When they were back at night, I was about to just go there and ask if they wanted something to eat when they stopped in front of the convenience store." He motioned at the place on the other side of the street with his chin. "But then they left."
Sun pondered on the statement as they left the crime scene. "So I think our next step would be finding a way to know which direction Jaune went…" He adjusted his sunglasses. "And I think our witness there just gave me an idea."
'The convenience store was the next stop on their manhunt (dog hunt? Really need to decide on the use of dog). Open twenty-four hours, decently sized, but most importantly, both the inside and the small customers-only parking lot in the front constantly under surveillance of several security cameras. Some of the ones located in the parking lot conveniently (get it? Because it's a convenience stor-) pointed at the street. With luck, the workers inside would be willing to cooperate by granting access to the footage.'
"I- I don't know if that's allowed-" The girl behind the counter stuttered. "I don't even know if I am allowed to mess with the recordings. I just started working here yesterday."
"There will be no messing with the footage. Just watching!" Sun tried to assure. "One quick clip, and we will be on our way."
"I just don't know if I can. And I would prefer not getting in trouble with my boss..."
Sun huffed as his methods of convincing gave them no results, but before he could lose his cool, Neptune stepped in. "If you were allowed to show us, you know… hypothetically, would you know how to do it? And know where the footage is stored?"
"Hm…" The cashier didn't seem to want to give them the information. But, for a split second, her eyes shifted quickly to the far left of the store. Unintentionally indicating an employee-only sign pinned to a shut door. That was the only thing Neptune needed to see - yup, she knew.
"Okay…" He let out a breath. "If, hypothetically, you show us the footage that could help us, and hypothetically get in trouble with your boss…" Neptune scrolled through the contacts on his phone, stopping to grab a pen and one of the lost dog posters he had with them. "Just call this number here, it's from our Professor at Beacon, his name is Port, and he gave us permission for the operation. And this-" He scribbled a few more numbers on the paper. "Are both of our Junior Detective Program badge numbers," He took the badge out of his pocket to show the string of numbers on them and on the paper were the same. "So you can check on the system in case you want to be sure we are only here to complete honest work. I'm sure your boss will understand."
Neptune smiled confidently. He could see by the tilt of the cashier's head they were close to convincing her.
"And if that's not enough-" Sun continued, copying his partner's confidence. "Just take a look at this dog." He pointed at Jaune's pictures on the poster. "This little guy is all alone and lost out there, his friends are worried sick after him. Just look at that face! Wouldn't you like to help this cute fella find a way back to his family?"
'Thanks to a session of highly professional negotiation, the cashier agreed to share the footage that could present a valuable lead to the case. And it was all worth it. Monday, 1:36 pm, camera B of the parking lot, having a front view of the Garden's entrance clearly registered the start of the fuzz, seconds later, camera C having a diagonal view of the street, captured a golden dog emerging from the confusion and bolting east without even looking back, continuing straight ahead at full speed until it was no longer within the camera radius.'
"And that was a success!" Sun offered his fist and Neptune bumped his own to it as they exited the store, following the direction Jaune had taken that other day.
"I guess the plan now is looking for more cameras?" Neptune stopped at the sidewalk, staring at the path in front of them. They weren't exactly in the heart of the commercial district, but there were a quite decent number of stores scattered around the area, stores that hopefully would have a reliable surveillance system, and in addition to that, helpful owners willing to share some footage - or at least easier to convince.
"Yup." Sun put his sunglasses back on. "It seems we have a lot of walking ahead of us."
'It turned out to be an arduous task, the investigation continued as if they were following a trail of breadcrumbs - in which the crumbs were the pixelated, half-second long footage of a dog running through the screen.'
'Jumping from establishment to establishment, making sure they had visible cameras pointing to the streets before any engagement. The level of support varied from place to place; some strongly refused to cooperate, even after applying all the methods of convincing they knew of. Yet others offered sympathy to the situation, some even being familiar with the case from when their clients, team JNPR, had their search through the city, and gave them access to the Monday recordings. [See attachments for a table with data on the gathered footage with descriptions of the videos, sources, addresses and time of access]'
'However the success of the plan counted with more than the cooperation from store owners, as the investigation progressed, the commercial center of Vale only stayed farther and farther behind, stores giving place to modest homes, making buildings with surveillance systems rarer with each step. It seemed that at this point, the hunt for recorded evidence would have to be replaced by the old-fashioned door duty.'
"Did they even look around this part of the city when they were searching?" Neptune looked around the neighborhood. If there was one word he could use to describe it, it was normal. A residential part of Vale that seemed so calm they couldn't even hear any sound besides bird chirps and wind passing through the foliage of the bushes on the sidewalk.
"From what they told us, I don't think so?" Sun stared at the notes he had on his scroll - the info on the search his friends had shared with them the day before. "It seems they focused more on the areas around the parks and airport…"
"Right." Neptune tapped away on his own scroll, every detail he could gather from their current location. "But I can see here being a place a dog would hide… a lot of tiny streets and alleys. It's like a labyrinth."
"Good for hiding, just makes it more difficult to know where he could have gone." Sun let out a sigh. "Let's start knocking then?"
Neptune paused on his writing. "Why don't we start with her?"
Sun directed his attention to where his partner had pointed. A window where an elderly lady rested her arms in the frame, quietly watching the street and taking in the last light of the sun as it set.
"Really?" Sun raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Neptune started as if it was an obvious choice. "Dude never underestimate the knowledge of people who just chill on windows. My aunt used to do that, and she knew about everything that happened in her neighborhood." He squinted his eyes, shuddering slightly. "Everything."
"Oh!" Sun glanced back at the civilian just as she waved at a passerby and greeted them by name. "Let's see if they have some gossip then."
'Door duty turned out to be not necessary, because after a long day of intense search, they were rewarded with a precious witness. Mrs. Pearl Agouti, 78 years, mouse faunus, resident of the neighborhood since retirement, gave her statement at exactly 6:11 pm. [See attachments for the testimony recordings.]'
"My memory might not be like it was back in the day, but it's pretty hard to forget seeing a dog with clothes." The old lady laughed to herself, metal-framed glasses slipping from her nose, the image was apparently very amusing to her. "Since when do dogs wear clothes? Never seen such a thing! Though I've seen dogs with boots before, my nephew puts on his so it can walk on snow."
"Hmhm, yes ma'am. Is there any chance you saw where he went?" Neptune continued with the questions.
"Oh. The poor thing just ran like there was a Grimm nipping on his tail." Her thin round mouse ears lowered in sympathy. "Probably scared of those people chasing him."
"Wait- what?" Sun almost shouted as he processed the information. "He was being chased?"
"Well, yes. At least that's what I think those weird men were doing." She nodded, recalling the memory. "The dog ran by, and a while later two guys dressed in dark clothing came marching down the street. First I thought they were just my neighbor's twins going through that phase where kids like to wear only black, but then I remembered her boys aren't that big." She chuckled apologetically at her mistake. "I know everyone around here, so I can say they were strangers."
"Dust." Neptune recovered from the shock of the new information - for someone that claimed to not have a good memory, Mrs. Agouti certainly remembered a lot of detail. He was not going to complain though.
"Also, my hearing may also not be as good as back in the day..." She continued, her faunus ears flickering at her words. "But I'm pretty sure they were muttering something about cornering the dog."
"Sun… do you understand what that means?" By the wide-eyed look his partner sent him, he did.
"I'll tell you boys, what a day that was! First, my neighbor goes out wearing a ridiculous hat, then I saw a dog with clothes, then two guys in matching clothes following a dog, and to end the day a fancy car drove by! Haven't seen this much movement in years!"
'After thanking Mrs. Agouti for the cooperation - and her thanking us for the chat with buttered cookies - the investigation continued even as night fell. However, it didn't yield the expected results. Apparently, no other civilians had seen Jaune. Though one more person confirmed the appearance of strange men that Monday afternoon, they were unable to point directions or give more input.'
'It seemed that the pacific residential area of Vale was the last place Jaune had been seen. And that their clients' hunch could be reality, but a much darker one - Jaune had been taken, but not by a helpful family or a shelter, and the only lead they had on the possible captors was their dark clothing.'
Everyone stayed silent after the results of their investigation were given. While the three-man team processed the findings as they went through Sun and Neptune's report, the boys and team RWBY could only stare. Legs bounced in apprehension and fingers drummed over the table with nervousness. After all, how would one react to the news their friend had apparently been dognapped by strangers?
Sun cleared his throat after the quietness became too heavy to carry. "So… we tried going back to the last place that had given us access to the cameras, a small scroll repair shop, to see if those two suspects had been caught on tape. But since it was past commercial hours, it was already closed, much like most places that gave us footage…"
"Yeah, sorry... " Ashamed, Neptune rubbed his arm. "We didn't even consider the possibility of Jaune being followed, so we didn't think to check the video after he passed through it."
"There is no need to be sorry." Pyrrha shook her head, giving the scroll to Ren who was still reading. "I just-" She took a deep breath. "Thank you. We wouldn't even know of this if it weren't for you two." She tried to smile, she wasn't really successful. "And thank you for spending all day looking for Jaune."
"Yeah… he would have been happy to know you guys tried to help." Nora added. The spark she always had in her tone was completely gone, making her words sound like she believed she would never see her teammate again.
"Hey. It's no problem, that's what we are here for." Sun started. "And you can be sure we aren't done yet! Tomorrow we will totally find a way to get images and more info on those two creeps."
"Yup! And before you say anything-" Neptune raised a hand before any member of team JNPR could speak up. "Know there's nothing you can do to stop us."
"We weren't going to stop you." Pyrrha's smile was now more genuine. "At this point, we're taking all the help we can get."
"Good." The boys nodded solemnly.
"Hey, guys?" Yang looked up from the scroll containing the report, which was now in her hands. "That woman said there were two shady men dressed in the same black suits following Jaune? Like a uniform?"
"She didn't specify as it being a suit." Neptune provided the answer. "She could only remember black clothes."
Yang maintained her puzzling expression. "So when are you going to look for footage for those two?"
"As soon as stores start opening for the day tomorrow." Sun replied. "Friday we only have classes in the afternoon period anyway." He tilted his head in a question. "Why?"
"I'm going with you." She affirmed. When the entire group shot her looks, Yang continued. "Let's just say that shady guys in black suits ring a bell."
As they had promised, Sun, Neptune and Yang had left early, not even joining their respective teams for breakfast, just with the word they would be back as fast as possible.
And not being the ones to break a promise, during the short break between morning classes, the three were already back at the academy grounds. And just as soon they pulled team JNPR to one of the library's tables to share what they had discovered.
"Boom!" Sun smacked his scroll over the table, the screen displaying what appeared to be a screenshot of the recordings of a surveillance camera. Time in the corner indicated 1:45 pm, just minutes after Jaune went missing, and there he was on the screen, a four-legged golden blur. "This is when Jaune ran past that scroll repair shop." With a flick of his finger, Sun moved on to the next image. "And those are our suspects."
The screen now showed two men on the sidewalk. Clearly wearing matching dark clothes. Unfortunately, they had their backs turned to the camera, so no other revealing details could be perceived.
"The thing is…" Neptune continued. "We returned to a few places that helped us with the search, and we could only find those two in the last store. That probably means they weren't following Jaune from the start… why and when they decided to go for it is still a mystery."
That didn't seem to brighten the members of JNPR up, but before they could say anything, Yang continued with the explanation.
"But I might have a good guess on a place we could go to find more about those dudes." She zoomed in on the men's backs. "I know a guy who has some people working for him that dress in black suits. I can't be exactly sure these two are part of that group... but if they aren't, there's still a chance they could get us some precious info." Yang looked up with a nearly devious smile. "Shady people know shady people after all."
"Seriously? You have information on gangs, Yang?" Nora raised an eyebrow, but her tone had a bit of her characteristic energy back, sounding almost like teasing.
Yang raised her hands on surrender, diverting her eyes innocently. "The point is, I can take you guys there if you want."
Team JNPR did that thing of just exchanging glances, and after a second, reaching an agreement. "Alright then. When are we leaving?"
"Well, the place isn't exactly open this early…" Yang stopped to think. "So I guess... be ready at eight pm."
Nora let out a long grunt, sliding down the chair. Her partner offered some kind of comforting shoulder pats. "That's so much time!"
"Don't worry." Yang smiled sympathetically. "When the time comes we will be there in a jiffy!"
"You're taking them on the motorcycle?!" Neptune's eyes widened as if the library shelves had turned into very wet waterfalls.
Yang snorted. "I wish they'd all fit. But nah, it's just not that far. You'll see!"
"Right." Neptune shook his head. "Just a heads up about the place she's taking you… Don't be startled by the number of guns that will be pointed at you-"
A hand prevented him from finishing. Yang smiled brightly. "As I was saying, no need to worry. I know you guys will be able to handle yourselves." She patted both Sun and Neptune on the back, making them wheeze.
"Handle ourselves... against what?" Nora raised her eyebrows, but the girl who the question had been directed to was already walking away.
"See you three at eight!" With finger guns, she was gone.
"Well…" Pyrrha leaned back into the chair. "Wherever she's taking us, I guess it's worth a shot."
Sooo one of the authors is a big fan of a certain cop show, and the other was nice enough to allow (and endure lol) the b99 references lmao
Also, we might have managed to surprise a good part of you guys with the end of the last update, but know you can probably guess pretty well where this is going now. So see ya soon and don't forget to tell us your thoughts about the chapter! :D
CH art:
favDOTme/ddrupkt
