Chapter 16 - Devil In The Mirror
"The devil in the mirror..."
"You're fired," Mekel said.
Contrary to popular belief, Nex did not flinch. Instead, he lowered the mug, putting aside the towel in his hand.
Mekel took the stool right in front of him, the guests giving the bearded 7-foot man a wide berth.
His boss smiled and placed an envelope on the counter, pinning it to the glass with a tanned digit.
Absolutely no one mustered the courage to ask for a drink.
It was definitely not terrifying.
"What? If this is your idea of a joke," Nex said, his eyebrows twitching. The smirk on his employer's rugged face did not budge. Not even an inch. "It's not very funny."
Mekel practically shoved the envelope towards him. "You're my best employee, Nex. But you've places to be. A little bird says you got accepted."
Nex fingered the smooth, white envelope. Dare he even open it? "Alright. What's in it? My severance package?"
"The truth. Cold, hard lien," Mekel said, rolling his eyes. "You take your pick. Nothing speaks more truthfully than money in this world."
Nex shrugged. Nothing less from the seasoned tycoon.
Well, the man's pockets did have almost every gang in both Mantle and Atlas.
Mekel funded protection rackets, smuggling rings, and money laundering operations. The crime lord ran a bar while getting big and drunk on lien outsourced from his completely legal businesses - all fronts of course.
He almost copied Mekel's methods once. Legal businesses as fronts for his cut from Roman. But acquiring property in Atlas and Mantle was a bitch and a half when the records say he was a dirt-poor orphaned faunus. Now, where would someone like that ever get the money to start his own business, much less get rich?
It was faster to just throw himself in jail.
"Gee, thanks," Nex said, swiping the envelope. It filled out tight in his pocket. A fuckton of lien. Probably enough to last an entire year. "Do I go now or do I have to finish my shift?"
Mekel chuckled, springing to his feet. "You finish your shift, Nex. I'm not paying double for a bartender."
Nex grinned, grabbing the towel. He resumed wiping the mug. Same old Mekel. There was no way his boss would let him go without something in exchange.
It was at the end of his graveyard shift when a familiar face slouched through the sliding doors.
The familiar face exchanged a few words with his boss, bumping fists under their hips.
Qrow grimaced, flexing his wrist.
Mekel grinned and clapped his back, sending him soaring across the club.
Right towards the counter.
The birdbrain crashed into the tiles, skidding on his stomach. His tattered cape could have definitely wiped the dance floor clean.
Great.
At least it was good for something.
Nex wiped the glass, rubbing at a stubborn stain. "Here for a drink?"
"Not this time, kid," Qrow Branwen said, smirking as he hobbled to his feet. His knees wobbled, even as he patted his rolled-down sleeves. "Let's get out of Mekel's dump. A little bear says you got fired."
Bear?
Probably Mekel.
Whatever.
Nex shrugged, unbuttoning his suit. He slipped it off, revealing the t-shirt underneath. I'll give you bad advice because I'm bad at life featured in bold black over white.
Qrow's eyes lingered on his chest.
The huntsman shook his head, spun, and strolled away.
Thus, Nexus Shade left the Huntsman's Respite.
Maybe forever.
Nex shuffled after Qrow as the huntsman led him through empty side-walks and dark back alleys.
Places no Atlesian mech patrolled.
Well, shit.
His calves tensed, his semblance itching even more.
Not entirely unexpected.
Hrunting and Vigilance hung heavy on his belt, should the huntsman decide to kill him off and shove him in a dumpster.
It would be a close fight, but Qrow's weapon turned from a broadsword into a scythe, boasting a shotgun similar to his. The huntsman's choice of armament transformed from a superior melee weapon into an inferior melee weapon.
Retarded.
It was the reverse of what extra forms were supposed to accomplish. Scythes were cool in movies, but swords were practical in a fight.
In contrast, Hrunting turned from a sword into a spear, giving him the luxury of distance and opening more avenues of attack. Vigilance had the ability to outlast ranged attackers and even use dust if more destructive methods were necessary. Not even mentioning the fact that Hrunting and Vigilance in its complete form unlocked a whole slew of deadlier transformations.
Qrow stopped in front of a windowless hovel. "Here we are. Let's go in."
"Is this supposed to be the hole where you're going to bury me?" Nex said, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't mean to hurt Ruby. I'm not that cruel."
And he was definitely cruel enough to roll with Neopolitan of all people. Out of all the sociopathic thieves in the world. But still, he had a limit. It was doubtful his mute friend slash colleague had something comparable.
Qrow shook his head, taking a swig from his signature flask. "Kid. Shit happens in a fight. And besides, today's a big day for you."
It was?
Nex opened his mouth to ask exactly why, but the huntsman already slipped into the hovel.
Its rickety door hinged open, swinging in the Atlesian breeze.
The darkness descended into the bowels of the earth. There was the humming of machinery, deeper than it should ever have been. Water dripped from the stone ceiling, but the tiny tunnel bore the scent of alcohol.
Fresh alcohol. Not old.
Qrow probably used this place a lot while he was in Atlas.
"Welcome to the cave, kid," Qrow said, swiping at the wall. "The Qrowbar if Yang was here."
Nex rubbed his eyes, black spots dancing in the suddenly-lit room. "Why'd you bring me here?"
Whatever here was.
It was practically a bachelor's pad crossed with a teenager's bedroom. Bottles of beer, piles of discarded clothes and, who knows what else littered the carpet.
His nose wrinkled. A certain odor permeated the place. It made the bowels of Mantle smell like the fanciest establishment of Atlas.
And at the middle of it all - the crowning glory of the birdbrain's dump - stood a wet bar fully stocked with drinks.
Fuck.
Fuckity fuck.
A waste of time.
An utter waste of time.
"You didn't bring me here to drink, right?" Nex said, his lips twitching. His fingers brushed Hrunting and Vigilance. "I'm underage. Sixteen."
Winter was the only person who could have gotten him wasted. And it was only because the woman provided stimulating conversation. It was something in common with her, something that made the words flow like draft.
Nevermind the fact that they were both forgetful lightweights.
Nope.
That was definitely not the reason.
"Seventeen," Qrow said, grinning as he clicked his tongue. "You didn't seriously forget your birthday."
Admittedly, Qrow was correct. His birthday passed a few days ago. It was the same day that they arrived in Atlas.
But there was no point in celebrating.
Birthdays came every year, the same as any other day. Deathdays were the ones worth noticing.
They only came once in every person's life.
"Still underage," Nex said, following the huntsman as he went past the bar. "Where are we going?"
Nex skirted around the broken bottles, cringing at a spot that looked redder than the rest.
Qrow stepped on it all, seemingly nonplussed by the crunching of glass or the slime stuck to his fur-lined boots.
Seriously.
Did it physically hurt the huntsman to clean up a little?
He definitely cleaned his flat more than this, and that was speaking a lot about the drunk birdbrain and the sleepy teenager.
Qrow stopped in front of the only other door in the room. "I have something to give you. A birthday present."
A birthday present.
Well, there were certainly worse reasons to bring an underage teen into a grown man's room. He would have definitely bolted if the birdbrain said it was for candy.
The drunk birdbrain shoved the door, the scratched wood hanging open.
There, on the bed inside the room, lied the one thing that should not have existed at all.
At least, not anymore.
"My mom's armor," Nex said, padding into the room. Spit stuck to the back of his throat. His fingers left Hrunting and Vigilance. "Why do you have it?"
The silver cuirass sat on the ruffled sheets. Its breastplate depicted a golden wolf howling at the moon - his mother's emblem. The stained heraldry matched the one on Vigilance. A trench coat wrapped around it, the color of midnight-blue. Two swords crossed over a kite shield hung on its chest strap. His very own emblem embossed in gold.
"I had Mary's stuff recommissioned," Qrow said, nudging him towards the armor. "I figured you should have something other than that ratty coat if you're going to Beacon."
He wanted to tell the birdbrain he wore that ratty coat since the start of his mercenary work. It identified Nexus Shade as the cute little kid who wore an adult coat, making him look bigger in the eyes of his enemies. Sometimes, that was all it took. And sometimes, it took his sword and his shield. But that ratty blue coat saw him through it all.
It even saw him through Atlas Primary.
But telling the birdbrain all of that would have been unfair.
Qrow went through the trouble of having Amariss' armor remade even he did not have to. The birdbrain certainly had no reason to throw him a bone. All those times he poured cold water on the birdbrain's head, spiked his flask, whacked him with an umbrella - and the huntsman brought him here, giving him a birthday present of all things.
He wanted to give the birdbrain a hug and apologize, but both of them would probably cry if he did. And that was something both of them would have certainly laughed at.
"Thanks, Qrow," Nex said. "This is... this is great. I really appreciate it."
Qrow grinned, ruffling his hair. "Go on. Try it out, kid. I got your size from Mekel. I'll punch the bastard if the coat doesn't fit right."
Qrow versus Mekel.
That would have been a sight to see.
His boss - well, former boss, was an ex-huntsman. Something that allowed him to run a bar catering to professional huntsmen and huntresses as a hobby.
Mekel's weapon was unknown. But the ex-huntsman's very presence, the way he commanded fear and respect among the patrons of the Huntsman's Respite - the grizzly bear definitely did not need a weapon.
Qrow's drunkenness belied his experience. It was in the way the drunken huntsman moved, the way his semblance itched whenever Qrow was present.
His lien was definitely on Mekel, considering that the ex-huntsman was strong enough to send Qrow Branwen flying with only a friendly clap. Even with the added weight of his broadsword.
But still, the hypothetical match had the potential to go both ways.
Nex shook his head. No point in continuing that line of thought. Instead, he smiled as he pressed fabric of the trench.
It was soft, but firm.
Solid.
Like the claws of the Grimm were incapable of putting a tear into it.
"Variable dust-infused fabric," Qrow said, sounding amused at the concept. "The craftsman used hard light dust as its base, but a skilled enough dust mage can weave more into the coat."
Nex nodded. The new trench coat would be irreplaceable.
Roman's bonus supply of hard light dust just found its new purpose.
"I can do that," Nex said. "I'm something of a dust mage myself."
He ran his hand over the cuirass. The cool metal slid under his touch. He flicked its breastplate, smiling at the hollow clang.
"Kid, that piece of armor has a new trick," Qrow said, tapping the emblem. "Here. Let me show you."
The cuirass shimmered, dissolving into a sludge that resembled mercury at room temperature. It fizzled, shrinking over the sheets. The only thing that remained of the armor was a bracer.
Qrow snatched it up and tossed towards him.
Nex caught it with his left hand. The bracer was a plain band of metal, the same silvery color as the cuirass. His mother's golden emblem was cut into its polished surface.
"Use your aura, the armor goes or comes out," Qrow said. "Just put it on. Afterwards, the bracer should only respond to you, or if you happen to register someone else."
Ho Lee Sheet.
The tech was highly-experimental, cutting-edge Atlesian programmable nano-bots. Unavailable to the public, but the military advertised it as the next big leap towards the future. There was no way Qrow could have acquired a working customized model without some massive clout.
Nex clasped it around his right forearm, warmth surging through his skin despite the cool metal.
"I know what this is," Nex said, swiping at the bracer. "How'd you get unreleased tech?"
A hologram flickered, displaying a 3D model of the cuirass.
Nex flicked to the right. There were rows upon columns of empty boxes. The blue hologram flickered green. It was probably recording his bio-signatures. Debug mode disabled flashed on the hologram. A filled bar appeared topside of the display. It even measured his aura.
Maybe it could be programmed to interface with his scroll, or even his weapon.
Qrow grinned like he was going to toot his own horn. "What can I say? I'm the cool, expert uncle here. I know some pretty high-up people."
Right. Probably Ironwood. Or maybe even Winter.
"Gee. And I was going to give you a hug too," Nex said, rolling his eyes. "But I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for all the shit I put you through. I'm sorry for trying to beat you up with an umbrella."
Qrow smiled, patting his shoulder. "Nope. It's fine. I deserve all of it for being a stupid, drunk birdbrain."
The birdbrain got that right.
Amariss would have agreed.
But still, there was no point in spoiling the moment.
Nex slipped on the trench coat, fastening the strap. It just fit. His emblem ended up right over his left breast. The coat went down to his thighs and stopped right above his knees. It left his shirt visible, peeking through the gap between the unbuttoned folds.
He tugged on his aura, pushing some of it into the bracer. The liquefied nano-bots creeped out of the trench coat, molding around his body.
His mother's cuirass coalesced over his torso. It was skintight, hard to the touch. It did not weigh as much as Vigilance, nor was it as rigid.
He flexed his shoulders. His body moved as if he was not wearing any armor at all.
"It's perfect," Nex said. "The nano-bots recharge with ambient energy?"
His semblance was already running on overdrive, trying to figure out how the new duds worked.
Qrow nodded, raising an eyebrow. "You're awfully smart, kid. So, how do you look?"
Nex spun, facing the mirror. The obligatory I look awesome was already on the tip of his tongue. He lifted his chin, grinning as he stared at the glass.
Who stared back was someone else entirely.
His brain flinched.
His semblance screamed.
Red dripped over gold.
Fuck.
Fuckity fuck.
Author's Notes:
Oh, Nex. Haven't seen a mirror in a while, have you? I guess living for years with lights turned off will do that to someone (cobweb infestation, anyone?) even if it does save on the electricity bill.
We'll reach Beacon in three more chapters. We still have to wrap up Weiss' royal test, since we have two main characters instead of one, and especially since they have lives separate from each other.
Fun Trivia: Amariss is derived from the Spanish word amaris, meaning 'child of the moon'. It alludes to the color grey. Amariss Shade's color motif is silver accented with grey, midnight-blue, and gold.