RWBY does not belong to me, but to Rooster Teeth.
This takes place after chapter 3 of R.I.P. After-Hours.
Commissioned by Rashaan Butler.
Under the Shadow of Atlas
Chapter 1
An Old Friend
The Vytal Festival; a celebration of peace between the kingdoms where their citizens met and indulged in one another's cultures as students battle for glory with camaraderie and sportsmanship in the combat tournament. Parades and dances take place as everyone comes together, celebrating diversity and unity.
The 40th Vytal Festival was set to take place in Vale this time around and students around Remnant were pushed to preparing themselves and practicing months in advance, and team RWBY were more than eager to hone their skills until then.
Amity Colosseum had slowly made its way from Vacuo and settled in Vale's skies by the time the festival was about to begin; the city of Vale was brimming with people – students and civilians alike – sampling wares, partaking in food and drink as well as entertainment, and many were already perched in front of and the like in anticipation.
Exchange students filled the streets as Ruby and her team waded through the crowds in an attempt to find their usual food-cart hangout, "A Simple Wok", and it was there, after a slow march and navigating from Weiss' detour (which was correctly suspected that she wanted to examine the competition), that the young sniper had run into a friend whom she had not yet met.
"Sal-u-ta-tions!"
Many thoughts raced through Ruby's mind, but what stuck with her was just how cute this girl was; short, curly ginger hair, bright verdant eyes, fair skin, adorable dusting of freckles over her face. She was dressed in a white off-the-shoulder blouse with frill trims, a short grey pinafore dress, and black thigh-high stockings and shoes.
"Oh gods, I'm so sorry!" Ruby hastily pushed herself back up to her feet and offered the ginger girl her hand. "Are you okay?"
Green eyes lit up and the girl smiled at her. "I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking."
The team looked at each other in mild bewilderment as Ruby helped the girl up, and the latter's smile broadened.
"My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Oh, uh…Hi, Penny. I'm Ruby. And this is-"
"Weiss Schnee," the fencer stated with a noticeable, mildly annoyed inflection.
"Blake."
"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked before the brunette playfully pinched her cheek. "Ow! Oh, I'm Yang."
"It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"You already said that," Weiss pointed out.
Penny tilted her head curiously. "So I did!"
"Riight…Well, uh, sorry again for running into you!" Ruby and her team turned to walk away as the sniper waved the stranger off. "Take care, friend!"
"You should be more careful, sis," Yang said and chuckled.
"It was an accident! Accidents happen!"
Weiss sighed. "This was purely self-inflicted when you tried to navigate through a sea of people and eyeing the exchange students…"
"I mean…yeah, well…that girl was cute! Tan skin, pink hair…and did you see her weapon?!" Ruby gushed, hugging herself and shuddered. "What a combination."
"And people call me the Flirt." The blonde snickered and Blake was quick to join her while Weiss merely scoffed and crossed her arms with a weak, but pointed glare shot in Ruby's direction.
"I wasn't even flirting! I made an observation! It's no different from Weiss examining our competition!"
The fencer scoffed. "That is SO not true-!"
"What did you call me?"
The team stopped dead in their tracks as the ginger girl, Penny, was right behind them with her gaze firmly trained on the young leader. "You called me "friend"! Am I really your friend?"
"Uh…"
Since that day, the two of them had remained in contact. They met up a few more times in the last days left to the tournament and to the sniper's surprise they got along really well; Ruby learned that Penny was from Atlas academy and had a way with swords – classic, but with a modern spin and boy could she move them around like it was nothing – but when asked how she could control them Penny kept dodging the question.
"Say, friend Ruby, that is a curious weapon you carry with you."
The sniper smiled with pride as she held it out for her friend to see. "It's my baby, Crescent Rose. I made her myself."
A gasp. "You did? Wow…That is highly impressive!"
"Aw shucks…thanks! I mean, I had help, but still…"
The face of wonder the ginger made was just adorable.
It was the day before the tournament began that Ruby met one of Penny's teammates, Ciel Soleil; a meticulous, swarthy girl whose personality seemed non-existent, but damn she was one hell of a cutie with her mocha complexion, raven hair, and striking blue eyes. Ciel's gaze was almost always focused on her since then, as if evaluating her, but Ruby dismissed it at the time.
"So…Penny, what's the deal with Ciel? Is she your friend or…?"
"Well, in a way," Penny began. "She's like friend Blake, but if Blake was ordered to spend time with me."
"Oh." Ruby nodded in realization. "So Weiss."
"Precisely!" The two shared a laugh as Penny continued. "But I like to think friend Weiss is less stoic. Ciel tends to not talk that much."
"Huh. You don't say. I was convinced otherwise."
This time their laughter earned a curious glance from the girl in question.
x.x.x
"Say, friend Ruby, have you thought about joining R.I.P. once you graduate?"
"Of course!" Ruby exclaimed. "I was actually scouted not long ago…Seems like someone took an interest in me and deemed me suitable. I couldn't possibly say no!"
"Woooow!"
"Impressive." Ciel stood stiff as a statue as always. "Any idea of which branch you're going to apply to? The Atlas branch is always looking to recruit new people."
"Actually, I was thinking I'd go for Vale since…well, it's my home," Ruby explained.
Ciel eyed her curiously. "I see."
Come the tournament, Ruby and Penny, and partly Ciel, had come to hang out more as they watched each other's matches and met up right after, and congratulating one another. Both of their teams had advanced far with Ciel ending up being chosen for the fina round, but had lost to Yang who claimed 3rd place for team RWBY.
Once the tournament was over and students were preparing to return to their respective kingdoms, Ruby, Penny, and Ciel met up one last time before the Atlesians had to board their airship.
"I'm going to miss you so much, friend Ruby!" Penny lamented with a tight hug. "I do not wish for this to be goodbye!"
The embrace smarted, but Ruby hugged back as best she could. Penny's fragrance was pleasant and the intimate contact made the sniper's heart skip a beat. "We've exchanged contact information and we can always meet up whenever we don't have school. I promise I'll call you."
"You promise?" The question came out so earnest and fearful it tugged at Ruby's heartstrings.
"I promise. We'll see each other again, Penny."
"It's time for us to leave," Ciel stated as she stepped up to the pair. "We don't want to be late."
Penny's expression became somber. "Okay." She turned back to Ruby. "Goodbye, Ruby."
"Goodbye, Penny. Best of luck with your studies!"
"You too!"
"And you too, Ciel," Ruby offered. "Take care."
The swarthy young girl politely nodded. "Until we meet again, Ruby Rose."
The sniper offered them both a smile and a wave, and waved them both goodbyes until the airship took off into the skies as loudly as you would expect.
Unfortunately, after the 42nd Vytal festival, somewhere along the way the contact between them lessened until days became weeks and weeks became months, and soon there was a full year and counting without either contacted the other.
Ruby and Ciel would meet up, to the former's surprise, at the R.I.P. initiation exam and working together as partners as they trained for the Detective Criminal Investigation division.
"Mantle…" Ruby looked around in awe as the cold of Solitas swept by in a crisp wind. While Aura prevented Huntsmen and Huntresses to succumb to the frigid chill, Mantle's heating grid and Ruby's new attire helped; for the occasion the sniper had changed to a black-red lace-up corset over a mesh sleeveless top, over a white low-cut long-sleeved blouse, with a red pleated skirt over bright red shorts, black bracers and fingerless gloves, brown mesh tights, and black thigh-high steel-toe boots in addition to her usual hooded cape.
Said article fluttered from the breeze as Ruby and her team – Ciel, Reese, and Gwen, i.e. team Ridgeback-RRGC – walked out of the small airport and into Mantle proper. It was a stark contrast to the city of Atlas which floated high above and cast its shadow over Mantle while it glistened like a jewel in the sunny sky.
Emerald had filled her in about Mantle the night before Ruby left (after a thorough passionate night to make up for not being able to see each other for a while) and from what little she had seen of the city before for herself, Ruby knew what to expect…but it was no less jarring to see the difference between the two cities despite them being of the same kingdom. The neglect of Mantle hadn't been exaggerated by the media like most other things; it was staggeringly true.
What were Ironwood and the council thinking by widening the divide?
She shook her head and dismissed the thought. It was pointless anyway. The city of Mantle was already underway to become independent so they no longer had to suffer from this neglect. It would take time, but now they would keep everything they produced from the mines and eventually flourish.
Or so one could hope.
"Is everything alright, Chief-Inspector?" Ciel stepped up next to her, arms behind her straightened back. "Your expression is rather stern."
Was it? She hadn't meant to frown. She eyed her Deputy-Chief in an attempt to get her mind off things; the meticulous woman had opted for her previous gear of tight blue shorts, white-grey tights, black, tall, & laced steel-toe boots, and blue heavy jacket.
"I'm just thinking about the Atlas-Mantle situation," Ruby told her. Reese and Gwen was coming up behind them, making small-talk. "I just hope nothing bad happens."
"You're thinking of possible ramifications." It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement.
She crossed her arms. "Yeah... It's not as simple as a mere splitting after all, but I'm not gonna pretend I understand politics," she said and then softly laughed. "Maybe I'm worrying over nothing."
"You've always had a good hunch, Chief-Inspector. There might be something to it."
"Okay, no, that's not true—"
"Ah, you must be team RRGC," someone called out and Ruby turned in the direction of a tall, short-haired, swarthy woman. "We've been expecting you. Thank you for coming." She held out her hand. "Agent Sylvan, aka Joanna Greenleaf, Senior-Sergeant of R.I.P. Mantle branch. And you must be Chief-Inspector Ruby Rose, aka agent Scatter."
Agent Sylvan's physical stature was striking, Ruby immediately noted. Her voice was deeper and husky, and her face was handsome.
Fighting the blush she clasped her hand with Joanna's proffered one and shook it firmly. "Y-Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Greenleaf."
"Likewise, though in all honesty I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a bit more…" She fell silent as she scrutinized her for a moment. She then shook her head. "No matter. We're happy for any and all help we can get. The local police force can only do so much and unfortunately most Huntsmen and Huntresses are either contracted to Atlas or currently abroad." She scoffed and looked away. "And our entire branch is currently understaffed."
"So we've been told."
"Right. Robyn will fill you in with the details once we've arrived. I hope you don't mind the scenic route; we ain't about fancy cars down here."
x.x.x
The trek through the city had been bittersweet.
On one hand Ruby saw a humble city much like Vale, but on the other hand it was dense and industrial. The fog that covered it from the massive industry of mining operations had created a perpetual darkness over the city and slums had been built around the edges of the crater. Compared to what Ruby had seen of Atlas the economic difference as well as the distinctness of living conditions was severely staggering.
Ruby took it all in, saddened with each new discovery. She turned to Ciel whom promptly only shook her head with a rare display of remorse twisting her expression. Reese and Gwen didn't appear to be fond of the situation either by the looks of it.
On a more positive note, Ruby was being escorted by a dapper older woman.
The HQ for the Mantle department was the only thing that looked somewhat new and clean by comparison if not a bit smaller compound than Vale's; the inside was humble, but efficient and accommodating with impressive technology that reminded Ruby of Atlas…and yet it was different. The colours were more subdued bronze and silvery, and faintly glowing aquamarine from within.
They exited the main lobby and reception through one of the hallways meant for staff only and kept navigating until they entered a spacious debriefing room, complete with a round table in the middle of it with holographic screens flashing. Several people turned their heads upon their entrance, amongst them being Robyn Hill herself and the rest of her special squadron of Happy Huntresses, and Dr. Pietro Polendina. A tall, honey-tanned woman around her mid-forties with noticeable crows-feet, with long midnight-flame blue hair gradating to ombre towards the tips, wounded into a ponytail, immediately eyed Ruby and her team with a steely gaze, and one of the screens were on stand-by as if waiting for someone to accept the video-call—
"Ruby? Ciel?"
That voice – Ruby knew that voice all too well even after all these years.
She turned and was met with bright green eyes. Ginger hair, once short, was now longer and curled at the tips. Fair skin still featured cute freckles and the grey pinafore dress had been replaced with olive-green dress with a black hem over a puffy-shouldered white blouse, and black stockings and shoes.
Ruby's heart throbbed and then raced. Penny had certainly grown.
"Penny?"
The chipper girl from years ago smiled at her.
"Saaaalll—"
"Huh?"
"uuuu—"
"Wait-"
"TAAAAATIIOOOONNSSSSS!" The ginger exclaimed as she tackle-charged into the screaming sniper – and poor Ciel right behind her – and pulled them into a tight bear-hug right then and there on the floor.
Ruby groaned a weak "whyyy" as she was sandwiched between Penny and Ciel (a scenario she otherwise would've enjoyed.) Her head hurt and her vision was blurry. Her body hurt while her Aura soothed the pain that throbbed from the uncomfortable position and the tangle of limbs and weapons that prodded bones.
But more than anything, her heart was racing and drumming beneath her breast.
"It's been so long, Ruby, Ciel! I can't believe we're finally meeting up again after all this time!"
"TH-This is highly improper for a debriefing!" Ciel croaked out.
It was uncomfortable to be sandwiched like this and Penny's hug was ribcage-crushingly tight, but Ruby could only muster a giggle over the situation.
Changes aside, this was the same bubbly and cheerful girl she had met back at the Vytal Festivals.
"It's good to see you, Penny."
Penny's eyes locked with hers and shined, watery, as the young woman smiled. "It's so good to see you too, Ruby."
"Chief-Inspector, if you could possibly move—"
"Oh!" Ruby scrambled to her feet with Penny's help, allowing Ciel to push and dusted herself off with a slight frown while Gwen and Reese snickered.
"Sorry about that, Ceil!" Penny apologized. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, thank you for asking."
"Penny, I need to apologize for not keeping contact—"
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" Robyn's commanding tone rung out over the room. "If you don't mind I would like for us to start the debriefing. With luck, Miss Schnee will join us momentarily so we can begin—"
The screen flickered and the tired, but friendly face of Willow Schnee appeared right on cue. "Hello? Is the sound working?"
"We can hear you loud and clear, Miss Schnee," Robyn stated. "Can you hear us?"
"Why yes, thankfully. We wouldn't want a repeat of last time," the older woman commented with a chuckle.
"Alright, most of us are here then. First of all, please let me welcome our backup from Vale and thank you for coming." She walked around the table towards Ruby and her team with a small smile. "Robyn Hill, Lieutenant-Colonel and councilwoman of Mantle."
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Miss Hill! I'm Ruby Rose, and this is my team," she replied and, having shook Robyn's hand, stepped aside for the others to do the same. "Deputy-Chief Ciel Soleil, and Inspectors Reese Chloris and Gwen Darcy."
"Pleasure." She nodded at the trio. "Words alone can't convey how much your help is appreciated. I'm sure you'll live up to Penny's insistent recommendations," Robyn said and chuckled. "These three are my Happy Huntresses, May, Fiona, and you've already met Joanna. Over here we have Dr. Polendina—"
"My dad!" Penny chirped as she skipped over to the man in his impressive chair and hugged him, prompting the older man to softly laugh.
Robyn and her group joined in. "Yes, and next we have the local Police Chief, Mrs.—"
"Mavi Nacarat," the woman firmly introduced herself as.
"And that's everyone save for just one person. So—"
As if on cue the door clicked open and Ruby and her team stepped aside for a taller woman with snow-white hair, dressed in the typical Atlesian colours and garb, with perfect posture.
"Ah, there she is; fashionably late as usual, Winter."
It then dawned on Ruby that this was Weiss' sister; she had only met her once in passing during the Vytal festival, but that was all that it took to understand what kind of woman Winter was.
The snow-haired woman shot Robyn a glare before she turned to the image of her mother and momentarily allowed her expression to soften with a small nod before the stern glare came back, pointed in Robyn's direction. "Miss Hill."
"Winter." The Lieutenant-Colonel was smirking. "Alright, let's begin, shall we? Gather around, everyone. I'll try to keep this as brief as possible so you'll get up to speed with our situation."
Ruby and the others stepped closer to the round table.
"Mantle's independence is nigh. We've worked for this for years, following a thorough plan to ensure this and with support from Vacuo, who likely just want to stick it to Atlas, and Vale who has always fought for the smaller people. And thanks to added efforts of Miss Schnee," She gestured towards the older Schnee on screen. "Menagerie has been willing to support our plight as well due to the Faunus Right Civil Moment and influence from the Belladonna family. Unfortunately, Mistral is still divided, but this support is more than enough for now. It hasn't been easy, but we've managed to achieve the first few steps, namely create our own council, with myself, Dr. Polendina, Miss Schnee, and Mrs. Nacarat being part of it, to name just a few."
She grabbed a nearby glass of water and sipped some before continuing. "Everything has been accounted for; we've gained full control of the mining operations, which will be utilizing drones and technology instead of Faunus labour, and we've secured food and water supplies. The heating grid is within Miss Schnee's control as well. She has also been making preparations to move down to Mantle from the city of Atlas."
"The next phase which is already underway is our own combat school and Huntsman academy, `Harbour´ and `Aegis´ respectively," the doctor continued. "While we have the base location established and planned out, it's going to take a little while longer before the schools are fully operational. Students can still apply and attend, however limited."
"We're also underway to create our own symbol while we're discussing possibly trades with the other kingdoms…sans Atlas, of course," Nacarat added.
"A ceremony for this secession is being held in just about two weeks, to make things official and truly break free from Atlas." Robyn let out a heavy sigh. "And that's where the problems have started."
"Is someone trying to disrupt the ceremony?" Ruby asked.
Nacarat nodded. "That's an understatement. It's been a series of minor cases revolving around a pro-Atlas group who has caused a lot of minor incidents such as harassing people not siding with Atlas and some cases of vandalism." Her eyebrow knitted together. "Unfortunately, this has only escalated over time. Even when the local police asked R.I.P. for help, this militia group has largely escaped justice and become more hostile. And about three weeks ago, things only got worse."
"What happened?"
"Winter here, on behalf of the Atlesian military in a show of no hard feelings, were personally going to secure a shipment of Atlesian Knights and Paladins – their fancy droids – which were meant as aided security," Robyn began with a scoff. "Unfortunately—"
"The shipment has gone missing, presumably stolen," Winter explained. She quickly exchanged looks with Robyn, her expression souring. "And these weren't your typical battle units either. Dr. Polendina, if you could?"
"Ahem. Alright…" The good doctor removed his hat and scratched his bald spot. "I'll try to keep things brief…These droids aren't your typical Atlesian machines; they're the newest, specifically developed droids, designed to be the most advanced and capable fighting units with advanced A.I. enabling them to fight like fully trained Huntsmen, and they're my last project with Atlas."
"So machines, but with an advanced direct-feed A.I. learning algorithms that enable them to improvise and adapt to various combat scenario based on opponents and environments?" Reese inquired.
Pietro nodded. "That is correct. They were meant as a special task force for the General to use in scenarios where he couldn't risk the lives of human soldiers, but who knows what this will mean if he were to mass-produce these…" He shook his head. "Ahem. Forgive my ramblings. To make matters worse, the primary metal that went into their construction was a material we've dubbed Orichalcum, which gives these droids mystic properties as well."
Ruby glanced back at her equally puzzled team. "`Orichalcum´…?"
"It's a new type of metal mined from deep in the crater," Winter explained. "It was discovered about eighteen months ago, but the veins were scarce as is. Dr. Polendina and the Atlesian scientists have made great strides with the ore, but we have yet to fully understand what Orichalcum can do."
"Along with the Belladonna family, Mantle and Menagerie has begun to work together and trade in order to help both kingdoms," Willow added. "It's not just to help the Faunus Rights movement, but also due to the only other known Orichalcum vein being located deep in Menagerie."
"So, to summarize; a pro-Atlas group are against Mantle becoming independent and are the prime suspects for the stolen shipment of advanced security droids, primarily made of a new, mystic metal," Ruby stated. "And if this is the case, it means they could try to use these droids for their own benefit and stop the secession from happening."
"The havoc they could cause and the casualties that would result from it would set Mantle back for years and leave it in need of Atlas' support." Pietro crossed his arms. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg with what they could do if they manage to use them. I like to think our security codes are up to date, but still…"
Robyn's fist loudly slammed down on the table. "We can't let these people ruin what we've spent years working for! We need to find the culprits, whoever they are, before they can use these droids for their own ends!"
"I'll be happy to inform that Ironwood has ordered his Ace Ops to aid in the investigation—" Winter began.
Robyn scoffed, arms firmly crossed over her chest, and her stance challenging. "You mean the same Ace Ops he planted inside of the Atlas R.I.P. branch? I think we'll be fine without them, thank you."
Winter's brow furrowed. "The General didn't `plant´ them, he recommended them based on their exceptional skills in the field—"
"Save it, Snow Queen." The Lieutenant-Colonel waved her hand dismissively. "I believe this briefing is concluded. Ruby, I would like for you and your team to aid us in the investigation. The Mantle branch is not as large as the other kingdoms and we're already spread thin trying to look out for possible White Fang sympathisers and other criminals—"
Ruby smiled and straightened, a hand resting over her chest and the honorary badge. "Don't you worry, Miss Hill! As your fellow agents we will do all we can to ensure Mantle's safety!"
Robyn's expression greatly softened. "Thank you…truly. Joanna and Mrs. Nacarat will fill you in on what we have so far, but how about you and Freckles catch up before you prepare?"
Ruby arched a single eyebrow quizzically and followed the older woman's gaze towards Penny, who smiled brightly at her. "Oh. Yes, that would be lovely! Thank you!"
"Alright then. Best of luck. Call me as soon as you find anything," Robyn stated before everyone was dismissed. Penny happily linked arms with the sniper and Ciel as she led them out with her father following behind, the rest slowly filing a line out of the room.
Willow bid goodbye to her and Winter and the call ended. Robyn grabbed the files and flung her scarf over her shoulder when she caught Winter eyeing her. "Something wrong, Snow Queen?"
The military woman glared. "I would appreciate it if you ceased referring to me by that crass nickname, Miss Hill."
"Rest assured that I only use it with my best intentions," the councilwoman said with a smirk.
"Hmph."
Robyn sighed. "Look, Winter, about this whole mess…can't we just—"
"I have nothing more to say to you. I'm here merely as a formality, a representative, nothing more. The droids are Atlesian property; we are merely lending them to you. This is a case for the Atlesian military, and the R.I.P.—"
The older woman bristled. "The R.I.P is handling this matter. The Atlesian military has little jurisdiction in Mantle anymore. Do us a favour and return to your precious city in the sky, this is official police matter."
"Excuse me? Mantle is very much still under Atlas rule and as a member of the Atlesian army-"
"Not according to the people who are done being exploited and neglected. We already have our own council, of which I am representative of, in case you've forgotten. It won't be long before we gain our independence. This is a Mantle problem; we have survived well enough without your help and we certainly don't need it now just to make you feel good about yourselves."
Winter's glare intensified. "And to think I ever looked up to you."
Robyn dismissed the comment. "The sooner you realize what Atlas is doing is wrong, the better. Miss Schnee has recommended you—"
"We're done here," the snow-haired woman stated and briskly walked out of the room, leaving Robyn alone.
x.x.x
After the briefing Ruby and her team had escorted Dr. Polendina back to his quarters; a fairly spacious area that was an engineer's wet dream come true and it certainly made the sniper swoon.
But she quickly pushed that aside for the moment and gently tugged Penny's arm while the good doctor was talking to the others. "Hey, Penny?"
"Yes, Ruby?"
She sighed, her heart heavy. "Look…I'm terribly sorry for not contacting you sooner. I know we've both been busy, but to let things go this long without—"
"Oh, Ruby." The ginger tightly pulled her into a tight hug that made Ruby feel all warm inside. "I appreciate that you've been worried about it, but there's no need to, really."
The sniper hugged back as strongly as she could.
"But it's not okay! Last we saw each other was at the 42nd Vytal Festival, in Mistral! That was years ago!"
"And since then we've both been busy with Huntress training, graduation, and R.I.P.. Ruby," Penny said and stepped back, meeting Ruby's gaze with a gentle smile. "I'm not angry – I never was. Was I sad? A little, sure, but I never held it against you."
"But—"
"I was just as preoccupied for many reasons I can't even begin to list," Penny continued and giggled; a clear, airy sound that was just the cutest Ruby had ever heard. "So please…don't be upset. We're finally together, so how about we make up for lost time instead of dwelling over the time we didn't have?"
Ruby hadn't expected this kind of maturity from Penny. Then again, it had been quite some time after all; people change and grow, though it was certainly unexpected. It made her feel rather silly about herself for fretting over this for so long.
She wiped her eyes and held the ginger's hands tenderly. "I'd like that…but please, at least accept my apologies. I'm truly sorry for not keeping touch."
"Of course I accept your apologies, silly!" They shared a light laugh. "I'm sorry, too."
"Penny, dear," Pietro called. "Could you be a darling and pick up the cache? I'm going to need it."
"Okay, dad!" Penny chirped and skipped her way out of the room.
Her father smiled as he watched her go before addressing Ruby. "Now then, Miss Rose, I'd like to discuss the matter of your case."
"Of course. Is it about the droids? You mentioned them being your last project with Atlas."
"Yes…I've long served the General and I have him to thank for helping me become the man I am today. But…" The old man paused and let out a somber sigh. "He's changed. And for reasons I rather not go into detail right now, I feel that Mantle needs me more than Atlas, especially now." His gaze strayed. "It's what she would've wanted…"
"Mr. Polendina?"
The old man cleared his throat. "Ahem. Do forgive me. What I was getting to was that the rare ore is…peculiar. It cannot easily be destroyed by ordinary weapons; it proved to be heavily resistant which is what made it so appealing when we studied it. In a worst-case scenario you will need to be properly prepared and equipped."
Penny returned carrying a small box and placed it on her father's desk.
"In that box I have some spare Orichalcum I've kept as insurance. There's only so little left to go around I'm afraid, but it should be enough to make necessary upgrades on your weapons, with your permission of course. Now that I think about it, there might not be enough of it for your whole team at the moment…"
"Are you sure you can afford to use it? If it's difficult to come by then you should probably save it for something else," Ruby suggested, but the good doctor shook his head.
"Without it, you will be left defenceless. It's a strong metal after all and those droids are coated in it. I would like to think this wouldn't be necessary, but better safe than sorry. It'll take me a while, but with your permission I can upgrade your weapons with more than just the orichalcum enhancement."
Ruby liked the prospect; she had wanted to upgrade Crescent Rose herself for some time now, but having one of Mantle's brilliant minds doing it? That was an opportunity, and an honour, she couldn't refuse. She glanced back at her team who all nodded in agreement.
"Alright. I can't wait to see what you'll surprise us with," she commented as she handed over her beloved weapon. The rest followed suit, placing their armaments on a nearby workbench and the old man chuckled softly.
"I will not disappoint you; I'll have an old student of mine help me out. Be sure to swing by in a few days."
"In the meantime, we can begin investigation!" Penny chirped. "We should start near the lift station; that's where the shipment was last seen."
Ruby chuckled. "You heard her, team! Let's move out!" The group filed out—
"Ah, Miss Rose, a moment please," Pietro called out.
"Yes, sir?"
He smiled warmly, his expression soft and gentle. "My daughter has told me a lot about you from her time at the Vytal festivals. As a father I would just like to thank you for befriending her. She has smiled a lot more since then."
Ruby's cheeks warmed up as she sheepishly smiled. "Oh, uhm…No need to thank me, sir. With as friendly as Penny is, she has no trouble making friends with anyone from what I can tell."
The old man's expression became somber. "That…wasn't always the case. So thank you, truly."
She wanted to ask, but opted not to. It was a question for later.
"It is my pleasure, sir."
x.x.x
The great lift station was the official bridge between Mantle and the city of Atlas as well as a port for airships. Like Mantle itself it was a dark, dreary sight that had obviously seen better days and with the upcoming secession it saw less and less use. The open area was surrounded by storage units, hangars, and rusty lifts that clearly hadn't been active for a while.
"So the shipment made it here before it got lost?" Ruby asked as she peered around the vicinity.
"Affirmative. According to Mrs. Nacarat, the Atlesian escort landed here with airships before they stored the shipment in one of the hangars overnight," Ciel replied, eyes glued to her Scroll. "They were meant to then have the droid units ready and transported to the main plaza for the ceremony, but a security guard reported them missing the next day."
"That was about thirteen hours after their arrival," Penny added. "Winter and the soldiers were on watch around the perimeter and took shifts every two hours with the nearby office for temporary sleeping arrangements. Winter took the first and third watch herself."
"I can go through the security footage," said Reese. "A shipment this large can't just be stolen without a trace."
"And I'll go ahead and check in with the nearby neighbourhood if anyone might've seen something, or noticed anything strange," Gwen declared.
Ruby nodded. "Good. Ciel and I will scour the area in the meantime for any clues—"
"You probably won't find anything." Joanna approached the group with Fiona and a small cadre of what the sniper assumed to be fellow agents in tow. "We already searched the area. Whoever stole the shipment made a thorough job of hiding their tracks."
"Did you check the security footage too?"
"Yeah…" The tall woman sighed. "The cameras had been hampered with so we have nothing to go on. Whoever the perp is they have some knowledge with tech at least, but that doesn't exactly cull the number of suspects much."
Ruby frowned, her gaze cast downwards. Of course it wouldn't be that easy – she hadn't counted on it – but this cumbersome wrench in their plan was no less vexing for it.
"While May is helping Robyn with her tasks, you'll have us to help you," Fiona exclaimed and motioned at the four agents next to her; the closest one was a tall woman with steel-blue hair cut in a faux hawk-style pixie-cut with undercut and a warm beige complexion, clad in a midnight-blue coat-jacket over a red dress-shirt and dark-blue/steel combat pants. She looked similar to the local police chief now that Ruby thought about it.
The woman next to her was shorter, but slightly taller than Ruby, with white hair gradating to ash-grey at the tips, clad in colourless, old Mistralian armour and clothes, with another woman standing just shy taller than her and garbed in attire that reminded Ruby of Sergeant Altan. A young bronze-hued man was right beside them, with auburn hair gradating to copper at the tips and long ears jutting out from his head, clad in a high-collared tunic with a v-neckline.
"We may be understaffed and spread thin for the time being, but with us and these four we'll solve this without a hitch," Fiona confidently added.
"So you're the Vale agents sent to help us. We can't stress just how much your help is appreciated," the young man said and stepped forward with a smile and held out his hand, with his long ears atop his head perking up. "Cole Herbst, aka agent Autumn. Thank you for coming when you did."
"Ruby Rose, and the pleasure is ours!"
"I insist that it is ours," Cole said with a chuckle. "Ah, and these are my teammates from Haven, team Canvas; Deputy-Chief Detective Deutzia-"
"Yuki Wan," the Mistralian woman introduced herself as with a bow.
"-and Inspector Plumeria—
"Ning Jidàn-Hua," the other woman said and mimicked the bow.
"And last but not least, Junior-Captain Ignite;"
The tallest of them stepped forth with a proffered hand. "Staal Nacarat; nice to meet you! I heard you already met my mother at the briefing. Sorry if she gave you any sass."
No wonder they looked similar, Ruby thought. "No, no. Your mother was very courteous."
"Tch." Staal crossed her arms over her chest. "That doesn't sound like her."
"Huh?"
"Team CNWS have already worked on this case for a little while, so I'll let them brief you on what they have so far," said Fiona. "I need to head back and take care of a different matter, but Jo here will aid you as best she can. See you later!"
"Later, Fi," Joanna said and waved the small Faunus off. "Alright, let's get started. If you could start by asking people living near the area—"
"There's no need for that, Senior-Sergeant Sylvan."
Ruby and the others turned to face the approaching group of agents, two of which she immediately recognized; Yang had taken pictures of them from her mission in Atlas a little while back. The other two however didn't ring any bells.
Joanna scoffed, clearly displeased. "Ah, the General's lapdogs. For a moment I was thinking you wouldn't interfere."
The woman with the mohawk glared back at her. "Fighting words coming from Miss Hill's own pets. We as R.I.P. agents were sent here to help investigate the matter of the missing droids which are Atlas property I'll have you know."
"Not necessary. This is the Mantle branch's jurisdiction. We will handle the matter."
"Yes, we, the R.I.P. will," the woman with the mohawk stated firmly. "Is there a problem?"
The taller woman bristled. She glanced over at Fiona, the back at Ruby and the others, and sighed. "As much as I hate to lie; no, there isn't."
x.x.x
The divide between Mantle and Atlas, even though they were all working for the R.I.P., was as clear as day and Ruby was shocked to find just how much it affected their work. They wouldn't even as much look at each other and what little communication was had was kept brief. Joanna and team CNWS did their best to cooperate if only half-heartedly much like the Atlas agents.
"Hey, Penny?"
"Yes, Ruby?"
"Is it always…" She glanced over her shoulder at Joanna and Harriet – the mohawk woman – seemingly argue a good distance away. "Like this?"
"Oh. Yes, unfortunately, but it's not just because of Atlas and Mantle's dispositions. Those agents were handpicked by the General and joined only because of his influence rather than through normal procedures. They still answer to him as his Ace Operatives and it didn't exactly go unnoticed…Especially not by Miss Hill."
"So I heard, but…why?"
"Couldn't tell you." The ginger girl sighed and shook her head. "You can't put much stock in rumours, but according to them it's because the General wants some kind of influence over the R.I.P. in Atlas."
Ruby gasped. "But that goes against the agency's intentions! We're independent and working with the kingdoms, not for them!"
"I know. Like I said, I couldn't tell you why the General did what he did. And I doubt the agents will tell you either," said Penny with a smile. "Though I think it's best not to dwell too much about it. We are still fellow agents and Miss Bree has a point; it is Atlas property after all. Why wouldn't the General want to get more involved?"
Ruby giggled. "That's actually a fair point, Penny. I guess it just baffles me how much they all tread so carefully around each other. Oh well. Should we move on to the next block?"
"Yes, let's!
x.x.x
"So you woke up to go to the bathroom around 2:30, and that's when you heard the noise?"
The middle-aged Faunus resident nodded sternly. "That's right. It sounded like engines, but the station is so far away that I couldn't have seen anything even if I had checked it out. I didn't pay it any mind." He scoffed at them. "I already told the Atlesian officers this earlier. This is a waste of my time."
"Sir, we are simply ascertaining we've covered everything. It's not unusual for possible witnesses to remember bits and pieces later on. About the sounds you heard," Ruby continued. "Was it a motor-vehicle or did it sound more like an aircraft?"
The Faunus man let out a gruff. "Hmph. Couldn't tell you; I was tired and thought nothing about it."
She sighed. "Okay then. Thank you for your cooperation, sir."
The man merely scoffed again and closed the door on them.
"Well that was certainly rude of him," Penny remarked.
"I can't blame him; having the police come knocking twice can't be fun, especially since he didn't notice anything helpful. All we have is a rough timeframe of what could possibly be the theft; between this man and the couple we spoke to earlier, the theft must've taken place between midnight and 03:00 AM. Sunlight here in Atlas doesn't arrive until much later, so dead of night is perfect cover, but that doesn't explain how they managed to get past the guards stationed around the hangar. Even if the guards traded shifts it would've given the perps only a couple of minutes at best."
"And none of the soldiers were attacked or knocked out, nor did any of them see anything."
"This doesn't add up. Surely traffic doesn't start that early around these parts; it couldn't have been civilians."
"Hehe, I guess not."
Ruby eyed Penny up and down. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, don't mind me. It's just…well…" She smiled sheepishly and stifled a giggle. "I've always wanted to work together with you like this. I can't help but enjoy this."
Ruby softly laughed. "Yeah… Me too. I can't deny that this is fun despite the circumstances. I mean, I love this kind of case and all, but I would've preferred something less serious so we could be more at ease and actually afford small-talk."
"Aw, Ruby. We can still talk outside of work. Although, we are making small-talk right now."
"Heh. I suppose we are. I've missed this; the last proper chat we had must've been at the Vytal Festival."
"We wandered around the festival grounds for hours," Penny reminisced. "We tried all kinds of food and watched the matches whenever we weren't our turn, and dragged poor Ciel around…"
"Worth it?" Ruby shrugged and snickered and Penny soon joined in the mirth. Ciel at the time had insisted on accompanying Penny throughout their visits in Vale and Mistral during the festivals and had ended up in situations that so wasn't her forte.
"Yes," Penny agreed. "Totally worth it."
"I've really missed chatting and laughing with you like this." She patted the ginger girl's shoulder. "I promise you, Penny, I will not let contact between us die out again. I'll find ways to travel to Mantle when I can."
Penny's expression softened greatly, her emerald eyes beholding Ruby amicably. For a moment the sniper was certain the girl was going to start crying. "And I promise I will make time so I can visit you in Vale. And call you regularly~"
"It's a promise, then."
"Definitely a promise."
"Hey, you two." They turned, startled by Harriet's sharp tone as the woman strode up to them. "How's investigation going? You're not slacking off are you?"
Ruby cleared her throat. "Not at all, but so far everyone's given us the same answers they gave you. We don't exactly have anything new to go on yet."
Harriet sighed and scratched her neck. She appeared to be frustrated, but the scowl quickly faded. "Right, right. I didn't expect much to be honest. We pretty much searched the neighbourhood thoroughly right away."
"Uh huh…" Ruby clicked her tongue. What was the older woman getting at?
Harriet crossed her arms over her chest. "Anyway, I just wanted to check in on you specifically. I expect a lot from you, given what I've heard. I hope you and the rest of the Vale agents prove to not blindly believe the rumours regarding us."
"Every rumour has a speck of truth in it to some degree, from my experience, but I know better than to believe anything without fact-checking. And frankly how you joined the R.I.P. is at the end of the day not my concern."
Harriet's eyebrows rose up ever so slightly. Her lips curled into a slight smirk and nodded, seemingly pleased. "I believe I like you, kid. Keep at it, Rose. Polendina." She offered the slightest of nods and a wave before walking off, but Ruby couldn't help but notice the brief glare she had received just as the older woman turned on her heel.
Perhaps Harriet had just unintentionally proved that there was some more truth to the rumours than previously suspected.
"Shall we continue, Penny?"
When the time came to call it a day, the teams had opted to take advantage of the stations showers before heading home and Ruby was more than happy to not wait until she returned to the hotel (which unfortunately was a good distance away.)
Harriet, Elm, and Marrow had returned to the City of Atlas, no doubt reporting to General Ironwood first before heading back to Atlas R.I.P. HQ. Ruby and her team, the Mantle branch agents, and Penny meanwhile remained in good spirits with the locker-room resonating with idle, happy chatter.
Ruby of course couldn't keep her gaze from straying as agents all around her undressed. The locker-room itself was unisex, but there was two distinct sections for both genders, and a third, albeit smaller section for those who didn't identify as either and wanted some privacy. Gorgeous, swarthy, tanned, and fair-skinned ladies revealed bare skin and supple curves, and firm muscles; the sniper thought she was going to faint when Joanna began shedding her underwear, and seeing Ciel's body in the nude again made blood rush straight down to between her loins as memories of the night at the office, with Ciel moaning and begging for more, came flooding back.
Ning with their warm beige complexion, slim physique was a sight to behold as, although slender, their arms showed the fruit of their hard labour…with a cute butt to cap their body off. Staal was taller, but fairly slim and toned; it was clear that she was the physically strongest of her team. Her bronze, honey-tan complexion was eye-catching, with a butt that could give Emerald a run for her money and what a treat those faint back-muscles were...and were those faded burn-marks on her wrists?
Filing that question away for later, Ruby continued to scan the room as beauties undressed around her. Yuki was modestly undressing near a corner, but Ruby got a glimpse of her beautiful snow-fair body, though it didn't quite invoke the rush of blood and excitement. She figured Yuki was more Coco's type, possibly Yang's, if the Mistralian woman even swung that way that is.
The shower itself was less than enjoyable, not because of the view of her surrounding neighbours, or the hot water rinsing her body, but because of how she had to hide and suppress her awkward boner. It was unbecoming of her to just rise to full mast in the middle of a crowd of female agents.
Still…
Ruby scrubbed her scalp while she peeked around; Ciel was lathering up her body properly as you would expect of her, stretching her limbs to reach every inch.
Joanna was all muscle, tall and handsome, with her dark skin glistening from the water. She stretched her limbs and rolled her shoulders with no-doubt satisfying popping sounds, her face in profile looking so damn good when her lips curled into a smile with each stretch.
Ning had opted for the secluded third shower-room, but Staal was on the opposite end of the room, allowing the sniper to peer over her shoulder for a peek at the goods and by the Brothers, the steel-blue-haired captain's bust rivalled Yang's!
There were a handful of other lades catching Ruby's attention and as interesting as her fellow agents were, however, Ruby found herself drawn towards Penny who was right beside her, and the sight made her cock and heart throb similarly to whenever she saw Emerald.
The way ginger hair were wetted and clung to fair skin, which was generously dusted with cute freckles across her shoulders and it looked like there was some good amount over her cleavage. Unf. She couldn't quite see if there was any on her lower backside, but if she angled her head—
"Is something on your mind, Ruby? You're staring rather intensively."
Heat immediately rushed to Ruby's face as she nearly snapped her neck trying to turn away. "N-No, it's nothing, Penny!"
"What's going on, you two?" She heard Ciel ask.
"Nothing, apparently," Penny giggled, but Ruby just hung her head and shut her eyes closed.
Penny's body had…certainly developed since last they met. While athletically inclined, her body, though heavily lathered, had the right curves and her bust was probably a good B/C cup.
Ruby bit her lip and furiously scrubbed her shoulders.
And those freckles…there was something remarkably cute and kind of sexy about them. And while she hadn't gotten a proper look the sniper swore that Penny's hips and butt were what some people would refer to as pawg—
"Oi, Scatter. How long are you going to scrub the same spots?" Staal commented with a hearty chuckle and Ruby nearly fell over, startled.
It didn't help that most of the other agents joined in the mirth (and with Ciel watching her intensively) while the sniper desperately tried to keep her cock down between her legs.
For the rest of the shower Ruby clenched her eyes tightly shut, but her imagination only made things worse.
Despite the heating-grid the air was cold and bitter outside. The slow trek back to the hotel was a pain after having just showered and Ruby kicked herself for not returning to her hotel room first and taking a shower there instead.
Being able to ogle the other agents in the nude had made it worth it, however. Just when had Ruby become such a pervert? It had to stem from her Beacon Academy days when she sometimes shared the shower with Weiss or Blake or even earlier at her Signal Academy days—
"Good job out there today." Penny's voice broke the sniper out of her train of thoughts and she met the ginger's gaze. "You know, I've always wanted to go on missions like this with you."
Ruby giggled. "Me too, Penny. When I heard you had joined the R.I.P. all I wanted was for us to work together. We could've been partners."
"I would've loved that, however, dad insisted that I enlisted here in Mantle. I suppose he wanted me close by." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm so glad I managed to convince Miss Hill to ask for your assistance so we could meet up again."
"Well, I'm happy to be here, Penny. Once this case is closed we have to catch up on lost time; maybe you could give me a tour?"
The light in her eyes returned as she beamed at the suggestion. "That would be my pleasure, Ruby!"
"Sorry to bother you," Gwen interrupted and hugged her clothes tighter. "But we're heading inside in the meantime if you two intend on chit-chatting any longer."
Ruby arched a single eyebrow and was startled to find that they were already outside the hotel. "Oh! Uh, yes, go ahead. I'll see you all in the morning."
"Mm. Good night, Chief-Inspector," Gwen replied and stepped inside. Reese and Ciel bid their goodnights with the latter offering Penny a firm handshake before parting ways.
The wind kicked up a little, prompting the sniper to tug her cloak around herself. Aura protected Huntsmen from most of the cold, but you weren't immune. Penny seemed remarkably (and curiously) unfazed however.
"I suppose this is where we part ways for now," she claimed with a dejected expression. "Say, would you like to grab a bite tomorrow morning? I know a place not far from here that makes really yummy food!"
Breakfast with Penny? There was no way Ruby would turn that down for anything!
"I would love to, Penny."
"Great!" The ginger girl hugged her tightly and the sniper reciprocated. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Sleep well, Ruby. It's so good to see you again."
Ruby's heart fluttered gently inside her ribcage. "It's good to see you too, Penny. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Ruby."
There was a cute spring in Penny's step as she skipped along down the sidewalk, prompting Ruby to giggle as she headed inside.
Back in her room she immediately prepared to head to bed. Tomorrow was an important day and she wouldn't start being tardy now. She snickered to herself; Ciel had been adamant about the two of them sharing a room under the pretense of "it was cheaper and more efficient," but Ruby knew better and a part of her would have enjoyed sharing a room (and bed) with the meticulous girl. However, she enjoyed her privacy just a bit more.
That being said, as soon as the sniper tucked herself in for the night, Penny immediately came to mind and her body reacted accordingly; though Ruby had a thing for swarthy women, Penny was certainly an exception for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on.
The ginger-haired girl had always been cute, there was no denying that. Now? She was drop-dead sexy; she was youthful and her optimistic exuberance hadn't changed, but she had matured since last they met, emotionally, mentally, and not least sexually. There was an allure behind her outward innocence and maturity reflected in her eyes.
And physically? From what little she had seen of Penny in the showers, the ginger girl had definitely grown up a lot over the years since last, with just enough curves that didn't overlap her seemingly athletically inclined body…and her freckles were cute, exotic even in a way, and honestly a bit of a turn-on for the sniper.
She was ashamed of the way her body reacted to these thoughts – not to mention that she had them to begin with – what with finally meeting a dear friend after so long. Still, her betraying hands snaked down to the waistline of her pyjama bottoms and tugged down along with her underwear until her erection popped free. With images of Penny floating before her mind's eye and her imagination running wild it didn't take Ruby long before she was touching herself as she thought of her friend in salacious scenarios.
With a knuckle pushed to her teeth and a steady hand jerking her swiftly, Ruby made sure to get all of this (whatever she could call it) out of her system before she finally tried to sleep.
Tomorrow would be an exciting, but just as awkward, day.