XXIX: Somebody's Watching Me
It was a beautiful day to be alive. Captain Sapphire basked in an atmosphere of goodwill and peace. Everywhere she looked, she saw beauty and splendor.
The daybreak over the rolling hills illuminated the beautiful contours of the countryside. A gentle breeze caressed her frame and swept her bangs to the side. Every step she took seemed to have an extra bounce. Even the slight headache and muscle fatigue she was experiencing could not dampen her mood.
As she hiked back to the militia outpost she oversaw, she passed several of her men-at-arms. All offered their greetings. They also gave her odd looks. Why they were surprised, she had no idea. There was the possibility it had to do with the light giggle that escaped her mouth whenever she said 'hello.'
She could not help the absolute giddiness she exuded. The captain felt weak in the knees after the previous night. The afterglow was still coursing her system. If someone decided to plant a tree next to where she stood, it might have bloomed.
Kahlua. Gods.
That lady had known what she was doing. Their nocturnal activities had brought Sappy to the very edge of paradise. Breathing had been erratic. Every touch had been warm and exciting. All the sensations together were mind melting.
It had been years since she had felt an embrace that intense. The disparity in experience between the two had been on display, but she could not complain. She had been the major beneficiary of that gap.
The wakeup call she had received only a few hours ago had been just as invigorating. Being awoken with a warm breath on her neck and a smooth hand on her stomach was more than she knew how to deal with. Her bedmate proved it was more than just alcohol or luck that had been behind the marvelous feelings.
The only poignant moment was that it had to end. A call in the middle of their sun rise session ground the doings to a halt. The alert had broken whatever spell they were under. After checking her Scroll, Kahlua said she had business to attend to. That also made Sappy realize that she was running late for work. After a rushed goodbye, the faunus was out the door.
Although regrettable, their time together had left her on cloud nine. Hopefully, it was an experience worth repeating. She had left her number on a cocktail napkin in the room. She was not expecting much, if anything, to come of the act. The mysterious lover did not seem the type for steady relationships. Even if it was a one-night stand, it did a lot for her confidence and stress.
Grooving on up to the outpost, she witnessed a welcome sight. A large gathering of militiamen were practicing their marching formations in the yard outside the wooden structure. She was amazed at their ability to organize a drill on their own. Usually she had to be out there pushing them to form up correctly.
A few in the assembly stopped their drills to gesticulate widely. Thinking it was more greetings, she waved back. What caused that assumption to end was when she took time to study them more closely. There was quite a bit of murmuring going on among the enlisted.
She believed them to be discussing her tardiness. It was only natural. The captain had never been this late to report in before. Punctuality was one of the traits she prided herself on. This was a rare moment where she let her professionalism slip.
They also might have been commenting on her disheveled appearance. She did not have a chance to drop by her house to shower and change. Suddenly, she was feeling a lot more self-conscious. With a determined step, she speed walked her way to the front entrance.
Once inside the building, she huffed in relief. There was a change of clothes in her office. She always kept clean garments on hand in case she had to stay late. All she needed to do was slip them on and she would be ready to go. With a bit of deodorant, no one would be able to tell what she had been up to.
Captain Sapphire smiled now. She was on top of the world. Nothing could catch her off guard.
Nothing did until she collided face first with something soft as she rounded the corner. For a moment, all she could see was black. Tilting her head to look up the bodacious shape she had run into, she found the excited face of Cora staring back.
"Commander!" She babbled as she rapidly moved backwards from the compromising position.
"Sappy! What's new?"
The nonchalant way the taller female handled being accidentally motorboated by her subordinate caused all sorts of queries to bubble through Sappy's head. Chief among them was wondering how often that must have happened for Cora to have not registered the encounter. Then she remembered that this was her boss she was thinking about.
"Ma'am!" The captain saluted at last. "What are you doing here?"
She winced at how harsh the question sounded to her own ears. There was also embarrassment at how frantic it was. Thankfully, Cora was as oblivious as usual to the large amount of alarm she was causing.
"Inspection time!" Commander Corazón cheered. "I decided I needed to see how y'all were doing out here."
That was unexpected. Cora almost never visited this outpost. In fact, Sappy could not think of a single time she had dropped by to check on the garrison stationed here. It was quite a long march away from the walls. The tailed faunus was usually the one who had to seek out her superior officer during lunch breaks.
If Sappy had been thinking clearly, she would have approached this situation with a more critical eye. That was not what was happening this morning. Instead, the sudden arrival combined with her flustered feelings caused her mind to go blank.
"O-okay. What do you want to see first?"
Because this had never happened to her before, the leader of the outpost was not sure where to start. There were no predefined criteria on what needed to be scrutinized in an inspection. It was unknown what the Commander thought were the most important qualities.
"I already had a look around here." Cora stated while gesturing to the inside of the building. "Gotta say, I was surprised by how beat up this place is."
Sappy was mortified. She knew that the structure they were standing in was almost three times as old as she was, but that did not excuse the state of disrepair. It was unavoidable. She did not have the money or expertise to mend the building beyond basic repairs such as replacing windows and floorboards.
"I apologize for the rough conditions, ma'am. I will accept any reprimand you deem worthy."
"Huh?" Cora gave her a curious appraisal. "Why would I punish you for things out of your control?"
"I just, well, uh." She fumbled through some words while trying to figure out what her defense was. Cora decided to spare further embarrassment by pushing on instead.
"We should focus on a readiness assessment."
The captain felt hope at the news. That was a form of evaluation she was prepared for. Captain Kohl had been working with her troops to get them up to snuff in that area. If the commander wanted to see their deployment preparations, Sappy would give it to her.
"I will call them at once."
The relieved woman was about to step away when a hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist. She barely had time to let out a gasp of surprise as she was yanked back closer to Cora. The grin that the commander sported made Sappy understand this was not going to be as simple as she thought it would be.
"Actually, I think it might be better if you just continue doing your daily activities as if I am not here. I can't learn anything if you are all acting strange around me."
If that was her aim, she was doing a terrible job. People acting unnatural around Cora was the natural state. She had an odd ability to make everyone around her unsettled. No one could tell if that was just her personality or if it was a tactic employed to strengthen her position. Because she was the granddaughter of Ms. Lee, no one could discount the possibility it was all an act.
"What did you have in mind?" Sappy was afraid.
"I'm glad you asked." Cora's beaming did little to assuage her nerves. "When does your next patrol start?"
"In a few minutes. I need to grab a few things before we head out."
"Then I will go with you." Cora created some space between them. "While we are out there, you can show me what your company is made of."
"Yes ma'am." The beleaguered tried to respond enthusiastically.
"Good. Now go get changed." Sappy winced at being caught. "I can't have one of my best girls looking and smelling like a hot mess all day."
Cora hooted as she left the stunned captain to exit the front door. From inside, she could hear the commander begin to shout words of encouragement to the marchers outside. Sappy could only imagine the whole lot of them were falling over themselves to impress her.
"I should have stayed in bed." Sappy whined as she let herself into her office to freshen up.
〇-〇-〇
"Are you done yet?"
Cyan rolled her eyes at the question. It was the fifth time he had asked since they had arrived at the Sheriff's Office. From her walls of paperwork, she glanced over at the complainer. Qrow Branwen was on her office couch, leaning back with his hands behind his neck. His head was slanted so that he was looking up at the ceiling and not at her.
"No."
"You've been working for an eternity."
"It has been a half hour. Tops."
"I have been sitting here for one hundred and seven minutes." He looked her way now, unamused. "I know. I have been timing you."
She blinked. Wondering if that much time had really passed, she glanced down at her Scroll. Sure enough, the clock had advanced by almost two hours. It was not hyperbole on his part, but fact.
"Oh."
"Y'know, when you said we were coming down here to blend in while we waited for your gal pal to find that transmitter, I assumed you meant we were doing something more... productive."
"This is productive." She protested while signing a requisition form for better office chairs.
"This is administrative nonsense. I've watched paint drying races that were more interesting."
"I can't be all action all the time, Qrow."
If Cyan was that dynamic, she was doing her job wrong. Law enforcement was supposed to keep the peace, not start riots everywhere they went. Maybe life was different for huntsmen, but she was not going to fall into that trap. Expectations like that was how you ended up with guys like Mal receiving a badge.
"Then can I go do something else?" The huntsman motioned to stand up. "Clearly you got this covered."
He was looking to make a break for it. The deputy could not allow that to happen. She was supposed to be watching him closely. It would not do for their cover with the Sheriff to have him walking around unsupervised.
"Not a chance." He slumped back down onto the furniture. "Besides, you have no one to blame but yourself. I'm catching up on all the work I missed while I was busy chasing you all over Remnant."
There was, of course, another reason they needed to stick around. Wendeval was in the wind and had taken Deputy Dwrg along. With Maggie out checking up on the supply lines, that left no one to direct the volunteers. They were organized to be self-sufficient, but it was not a good idea to leave them without any guidance for long periods of time.
While Cyan could have explained this to Qrow, she was still feeling a smidge vindictive about getting ditched yesterday. He was going to have to deal with watching her navigate some red tape for a little while. It was not going to kill him.
Judging by the way the red-eyed man groaned, he might have disagreed.
There was a knock on the door that caused them both to quiet down. Qrow leaned back into the sofa as the deputy gave the green light for the person to enter. The door opened slowly.
At the entrance was their receptionist with a cream box in her hands. She was most likely distributing donuts purchased from the bakery next door. Cyan was ready to decline the offer but was not able to say anything before she was interrupted.
"When did you get back!" Asked the woman.
"Hello Wenonah. Nice to see you too."
"Sorry." The dark-haired lady's cheeks brightened. "It's just no one told me you had arrived."
"I haven't been here for that long." Cyan ignored Qrow's meaningful glare.
"Well anyways, I have a message. A gentleman was looking for you specifically. He was rather vague about what he wanted but it sounded urgent."
"Did he leave a name?"
"No."
"How about a clue as to what he needed?"
"Did I mention he was vague?"
Cyan sighed. She was starting to wonder what the point of a secretary was if they could not remember to ask for basic information about guests. This was another example of the Sheriff filling positions without thinking through the proper skills needed.
"Can you tell me what he looked like?" If the visitor knew to ask for Cyan by name, then there was a chance she had met them before.
"Yeah. He was a pale and thin looking fellow with blond hair. I felt kind of bad for him. The guy seemed to be really uneasy talking to me."
The deputy tried to think of who could fit that description. There were a couple of faces that came to mind, but they were all people Wen would have known either through being a volunteer or living in the area. That made it difficult to pinpoint a name.
"Did this guy have any children with him?" Qrow asked.
The office assistant reared back at the question. She seemed to be startled by the huntsman's sudden question. Or she had overlooked that he was also in the room. After taking a second to calm down, she nodded.
"He had two little girls with him that waited outside while we talked."
"Let me guess. One had hair like the man. The other was dark with red tips. Both were annoyingly cute?"
"I wouldn't know about that last bit, but yes."
Qrow glanced over to Cyan. His visage was all screwed up in confusion. She now knew who had come to see her. His family was in Relay.
"Did he mention where he was going after he left?" The deputy asked.
"No." Cyan frowned, causing the woman to hastily add on to the sentence. "But he did say he would come back later!"
"Thanks for the message." She could barely keep the sarcasm out of her voice while addressing the secretary. "You are a big help."
Shamefaced, Wen excused herself and fled the room. As soon as the door closed, Qrow was on his feet. He popped his neck and was almost to the door before Cyan asked him where he was going.
"To find Taiyang, obviously."
"Why don't you just call him?" She felt the need to point out.
"I had to get a new Scroll and I don't know his number off the top of my head."
"You can't make anything easy, can you Qrow?"
"Hasn't happened yet."
She pinched the bridge of her nose. Of all the lousy luck, this had to be at the top of the list. The deputy thought she had avoided a wild goose chase when Cora went to look for the source of DJ Yell3r's transmissions. Now she was getting pulled into another one.
"We could just wait for him."
"Yeah. No. I'm not doing that. If he came all this way, then there had to be something important he needed to tell us." He stepped out the door before poking his head back in. "Are you coming or not?"
"Give me a second."
Storing away the documents she had been reading in her desk drawer, she gathered her supplies. With her father's hat on her head and service pistol holstered, she followed the huntsman.
On the way out of the building, she let the volunteers know she was going on patrol. They were told to call her if anything important happened. One of them gave a thumbs up, demonstrating the lot of them had calmed down since she had arrived. She could only hope that held.
Now on the sidewalk outside the Sheriff's Office, she took stalk of what she knew. There was a man out there with small children walking around that they needed to locate. She also had a partner that was as flighty as his namesake to keep an eye on. Her volunteers were also busy with their everyday tasks and not able to communicate easily. All of that combined made for a difficult undertaking.
Side by side, the two began walking towards the interior of the settlement. They had decided that it was unlikely Tai would have left the city limits if he was to return to the Sheriff's Office later. Children also needed to be entertained, so logically they would stick to the market district.
That still left a large area to go over. She considered using the Dillo to help speed things along but dismissed the idea soon after. They might have missed something while driving around. She also did not think she could get Qrow back on the motorcycle. He seemed to have something against the vehicle.
Following the main street, they kept their eyes peeled. When they approached a new store, he would casually stroll over and look inside. Every time, he would give a shake of his head and then they would move on.
They finished their sweep of the lower third and headed back towards midtown. He wanted to check the Slappy Stingray but Cyan was able to reel him back in. Responsible adults, she would remind him, did not take their children into places like that.
All the while, the two kept a respectful silence that continued from earlier. Their discussions had not been as freewheeling as they had been yesterday. There was still tension between them after the argument and reunion.
This strife manifested itself as an exchange of snide remarks whenever given the opportunity. While it was preferable to outright hostility, it was not where she wished they were. Eventually, he did start talking, although the dialogue was strictly work adjacent.
"I've been wondering something for a while now about this place." He began after checking a clothing store. "What exactly does the settlement produce?"
"What do you mean?"
"Most places have a specialty. Something that drives their economy. Like a focus on agriculture or fishing or something along those lines. What does Relay make?"
"Historically speaking, we are a dust mining settlement. Back in the days when Relay and Tocsin were a community of miners."
"You were?" His brows furrowed.
"That's why we call ourselves the Twin Settlements. There was a separation a long time ago after the mines dried up. The humans moved out to the coast while the faunus stuck to the original encampment."
"What caused the split?"
"I'm not sure. You would have to ask one of the older folks. It was before my time."
Truthfully, she had no idea what initiated the divide. All she knew was that it was not a harmonious divorce. She assumed that it had something to do with the Great War and the faunus rebellions that followed soon after. Many of the settlers were transplants from Atlas after all. But she could not say for a fact that was what happened.
It might have been a disagreement on the direction of society. The humans could have believed fishing would provide a steadier food supply while the faunus wanted to stick to what they already had. She knew from experience that Tocsin residents were proud of the defensive network they built. Moving would have caused them to lose it.
Or maybe there were quarrels over something as trivial as intermarriages between the two distinct populations. She would not have put it past some of the eldest generation that still held the lands. Her father was tight lipped about the past and instead emphasized the future.
"If you don't dig for Dust anymore, what do you do?"
"I would guess our main exports are crops that we sell to Vale." The financial side of things were beyond her grasp.
"Sure. That makes sense. I saw quite a few farmers last night." He must have been talking about the Stingray binge. "So how does the government here collect taxes? Do you take money based on individual transactions? Is there a flat fee that citizens have to pay?"
"Government?"
"C'mon Roscoe. I know you know what I mean."
"I know what a government is." She rolled her eyes. "It's just, we don't really have a central authority. The closest thing we have is the Sheriff's Office that enforces agreed upon norms of behavior."
That would be changing soon. The charter that they were working on with the kingdom would set up a provisional government to handle such concerns. Until then, though, they were mostly a conglomeration of self-identifying homesteads. As much as Wendeval would deny it, Relay was essentially set up like Tocsin, only without the aid of the fortifications. It was why they relied on the militia to patrol.
"Then how do you explain all of this?" Qrow gestured broadly to their surroundings.
"I don't follow."
"All these buildings. The roads. That you earn a salary. How is this all paid for if you do not have a government to collect lien and distribute it?"
"I am compensated through donations and grants awarded through Vale. As for the buildings and roads, they were created through outside investments."
As much as Cyan disliked the current Sheriff, he did have a knack for big initiatives when he put his mind to it. Over the last few years, he had set up a system for rapidly building infrastructure through public-private partnerships. They were on their way to being a fully realized city at the rate they were developing.
"Who is the 'private' in this partnership?" He pressed.
"I-I don't know exactly." She had never really thought about it. "I guess there must be people out there who see value in this place. Enough to help local businesses grow."
He looked like he wanted to know more, but instead shrugged as if determining there was not much else he could learn from her. And then they were back to quiet. If there was more to the story, the huntsman was not talking. He had instead doubled his focus on checking every establishment they passed.
While they continued to hunt for the elusive blond man, she dwelled on those questions he asked. The deputy wondered what he had been trying to get at. Was there something she was missing? If so, what did it mean? Her faith in the institutions of Relay had already taken a big hit with their only doctor implicated in a cover-up. She was not sure if she could withstand any more improprieties.
When the bell tolled for half-past noon, they had searched most of the settlement. Mr. Xiao Long was not in the plaza nor any of the restaurants. That left very few places he could be. Cyan was running out of ideas.
"What are we missing?" She asked her companion while rounding a curve. At the corner was a delightful music store. Not a place to take younger children, unless you wanted to end up buying a bunch of broken instruments. "Is it possible they double backed and returned to my office?"
She studied the grounds around them and came up with nothing. When she realized that the huntsman did not answer her questions, she looked back at him. His smiling mug filled up her vision.
"Qrow!?"
He was so close to her. Too close. Arms wrapped around her waist to pull her nearer. Their chests collided with a smush. She shivered as his warm breath spread over her face.
"Somebody's watching us. Or me. I can't tell yet. Act natural."
She was prepared to push him away until he said that. Besides the teasing smirk on his face, his eyes did not have the same joking nature. They were hard and serious.
"Where?" She muttered while in his embrace.
The huntsman slowly tilted his head to the side in warning. Like a coiled snake, ready to lash out. She followed his indications and glanced over that way. Scanning the sidewalk, she saw who he was referring to.
A group of three stood across the street. One was a dark-skinned male in a dapper suit. Another was much paler in a light brown trench coat. The last was heavily tanned in blue jeans and a black shirt that emphasized his massive physique.
The inconspicuous trio were talking with each other, trying to act casual. They would have flown under her radar if Qrow had not pointed them out. Now Cyan could not help but notice how they kept nervously glancing in their direction.
"Do you know them?" He asked.
"The big one looks familiar." His stocky frame and thuggish air made him stand apart. "I don't know about the other two. What do you think they want?"
"Nothing good, judging by the bulges."
The statement threw her for a loop. Studying them again, she figured out what he meant. There was an obvious outline in the big one's jeans that stood out against his torso. She was ashamed to say she had not noticed that detail. If one was armed, it was fair to say the others were as well. The long coat, in this warm weather, made it obvious.
"Maybe they are just happy to see us?"
"Hey now. I'm the one who is supposed to make the crude jokes."
That was normally true, but she was too nervous at the implications to care. People could openly carry their firearms in Relay. Without a wall, it was expected travelers would have weapons in case of Grimm attacks. The fact they were concealing them was worrisome.
Qrow, in contrast to herself, did not seem worried at all. Oddly enough, the contact did seem to calm her down. She knew he was formidable, but that did not explain her tranquility. It was irrational. They had no idea of the other group's capabilities. Still, she harbored no doubt that he was the one who could handle it.
"I don't suppose you have a plan for something like this?"
"Yup. The question is, will you let me take charge?"
"As long as you try and keep it from spiraling out of control." Cyan was not a fan of starting a shootout in the middle of town.
"No promises." He whispered huskily while letting his hand travel down her arm. She shivered again. "Follow my lead."
〇-〇-〇
"Looks like our guy has a girl."
Kahlua hummed at Mead's words. There was something intensely voyeuristic about what was happening. She would not let her eyes stray from the action. The scene was unfolding perfectly to her tastes.
The man had embraced the woman tightly while bathing in bright sunlight. Their foreheads touched gently as they spoke what must have been heartfelt words. His other hand traveled south. She grabbed it before it could grab her rear, causing him to pout. They laughed together as she intertwined their fingers instead.
The woman in the production, Cyan was the name she had heard, was quite the little number. Although Kahlua was not one who liked to compliment cops, she had to admit the other woman was attractive. The deputy filled out that grey uniform very well. The thief could imagine losing herself in those honeyed locks.
The hat was a bit of a turn off though. The head covering made her a bit too masculine for the thief's tastes. It was something she would imagine a cowboy wearing in one of those Vacuo serials. Or maybe a cigarette commercial.
Yeah. That was it.
Deputy Roscoe looked just like one of those people they used to have on packages of Lady Lux. The illustrations were always the same. A lone landowner looking out onto a prairie, taking a huff, and looking cool as sin. She would have made a great model for it in those days before the Council started cracking down on advertisers using those kinds of characters.
As soon as the lovers came together, they separated. Mostly, anyway. Their hands were still linked. The deputy had a devilish grin as she pulled him along. He said something while she tugged him towards an alley between a yellow store and a brick wall, but Kahlua could not hear it.
"What do you think that was about?" The meathead asked.
"Looks like they are going away for a little afternoon delight." Mead answered with a pinched nose. "I know that look anywhere. There is always some couple that tries to pull that at the club."
Kahlua also grimaced at the thought. She had been on the other side of this equation before. It was never as great as it sounded. The stick-up artist was not a germaphobe, but she thought she might become one after that last experience. How Layla had talked her into it, she would never know.
"What are we going to do about this?" Kahlua asked before she could linger on her ex.
"We have him cornered." Tiny rubbed his chin. "Seems like a good opportunity to catch 'em with their pants down."
If Kahlua did not know any better, she would have sworn he was making a joke. If he was, she was not going to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it. Instead, she looked to their organizer. The big guy did similarly. They both waited for Mead. He had that look to him that told them he was thinking through all the angles. At last, he rendered his judgement.
"Alright. I think we can work with this. My only concern is that I don't know where that alley leads. He might slip away if we follow."
"The shop has a back exit that leads into the alley. We could surround them."
Both Kahlua and Mead looked at Tiny. Both must have had the same thought. It was the woman of the group who was the first to ask.
"How could you possibly know that?"
"I've been in there before."
Tiny left it at that. Mead seemed satisfied with the answer, but Kahlua was still dubious. She decided to let it go for the greater good. They all looked to the building instead. It was a mellow wooden structure. The frosted glass proudly marked it as home to Good Vibrations.
"What do they sell?" Kahlua had some thoughts. Damp ones.
"Musical equipment." Tiny dispelled those inklings. "It's the reason they have a delivery zone in the back."
"Since you know the place, why don't you do us the honors? Go around back while Kahlua and I take the front. We will trap them between us."
"How about I do it instead?" She found herself saying.
The two men brought their attention to her. They waited for her to elaborate. This was an opportunity she did not want to let slip by her. A chance to remove Qrow Branwen from the equation. And so, she tried to weave a story that made sense.
"This looks like it will require a delicate touch. This lug head stands out too much."
"I'm not the one wearing an over-sized jacket in this climate." He muttered.
"How else am I going to hide the gun you bought for us!"
Yes, it was unbearably hot under the trench coat, but she did not have an option. It would have been worse to walk around with a rifle strapped to her back in plain sight. At least people would only think she was eccentric and not a criminal.
"Focus." Mead spoke. Both settled down. "Can you handle this? Things could get ugly quick if they decide to book it out of there. You will be right in the thick of it."
"Yes." That was what she was betting on.
Together, they came up with their strategy. Mead and Tiny would go down the alleyway slowly. When the time was right, they would reveal themselves. Kahlua would get into position at the rear of their target. She was to stay hidden and cover the meeting with her rifle.
"Send us a message when you find a good spot." Her mentor implored. "Remember, we want to do this peacefully. It will be difficult to make both a huntsman and a deputy sheriff disappear."
Difficult. Not impossible. That was music to Kahlua's ears.
"I got this."
Breaking from the group, she made her way over to the store. Letting herself in, a bell rang. She looked around for any employees. When no one came to greet her, she figured they must have been out to lunch. No witnesses to silence worked for her.
Slipping past the drum sets and woodwind instrument display, she approached the back of the building. Sure enough, there was the door Tiny had described. It looked like the numbskull knew what he was talking about.
Taking the coat off so that her movement was not inhibited, she pulled the rifle out to her side. Double checking her gun, she made sure it was loaded and ready to go. Her hand was shaking a bit as she reached for the doorknob.
Really wish I had some smokes right about now.
Thinking back, she had not had a chance to light up over the last few days. Not since what had gone down with Layla. There was barely any nicotine in that hash blend she had inhaled. It was starting to gnaw at her constitution.
Putting her ear to the door, she listened carefully. She could hear hushed echoes on the other side. It must have been the happy twosome enjoying each other's body heat. There was no way they would notice her slipping out behind them if she were careful.
As she was about to crack the door to slip through, she stopped.
Her original idea had been to start firing while Mead was talking. That would have been the prime opportunity to take the huntsman out. Afterwards, she would claim Branwen was reaching for a weapon. Now, however, another notion was growing.
They were completely unaware on the other side. She could easily get both while they were canoodling. It would be even easier to lie to Mead. He would not be there to see what had happened. Her word versus two corpses. A perfect equation.
She continued to listen and could hear a deep voice. It must have been Branwen. Homie was dead, and he did not even know it yet. Kahlua was going to have to be the one to inform him in the most direct way possible.
This was it.
The moment she had been waiting for. Her rifle felt light in her clammy hands. It was not fear she had, but excitement. The same kind of adrenaline rush she always got from a stick-up. She was ready for whatever was to come.
With a big boot, she pushed the door out into the back lane. The frenzy in her heart made her wild with elation. She began to point her gun into the shadows. It urged her to let loose on anyone or anything that got in her way.
"Yee Haw!" Came forth the battle cry as she prepared to fire blindly.
Kahlua never made it that far. Instead, she walked directly into a razor-sharp edge against her trachea. Directly in her line of sight was the confused face of the cowgirl, but she was not the one in command of the humongous green blade that threatened a beheading. Instead, it belonged to a malevolent creature with crimson irises.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Qrow Branwen smirked.
"Crud."
Author Notes: I have a busy weekend ahead of me, so I do not expect to have the next chapter done by next Friday. To be safe, I am targeting its release for the Friday after next. If that changes, I will go ahead and post it. Sorry in advance to leave it on a cliffhanger!
Chapter Next: Flatline (11/20/20)
