"And now, our final item of the evening," the voice announced over the intercom as she was pulled to the front of the stage. "Certified pure, and a Huntress, same as the others. But the most important attribute…" Something dropped from the ceiling, a device with a lens that focused in on her face. Just then her handler grabbed her face, forcing her to look at the device and prying her eyes open. "Genuine silver eyes." Her handler held her still for a few seconds longer until the device retreated up to the ceiling and out of sight. He let go of her face and instead held her leash tight and close to her neck, giving her almost no slack. "Bidding will begin at 500,000 Lien."
And like that the floodgates opened. Even though it was a silent auction the announcer spoke when the bid rose, and for the first minute, it was frantic. Within what felt like seconds the price had risen to one million Lien. "1 million and 50 thousand. 1.1 million. 1.15 million. 1.2 million," the announcer kept going.
'Why do they want me so bad? They're willing to pay so much for a girl with silver eyes?' she thought. She'd almost feel flattered if it wasn't for the situation she was in.
Within five minutes the bidding had begun to slow. The number had risen to almost three million Lien. "2.8 million. 2.85. 2.9. 3 million. 3 million and 50 thousand," the announcer continued. Ruby had gone from strangely flattered to horrified. The idea that these people had this much money to toss away at an "item" was both disgusting and terrifying. How much money, how much power must the people have… And what were they willing to pay so much for to do to her?
"3.4 million Lien. 3.45 million Lien. 3 million, 450 thousand Lien. Do we hear 3.5? Going once. Going twi- 3.5 million, do we hear 3.55? Do we hear 3 million, 550 thousand? Going once. Going twice… sold for 3 million, 500 thousand Lien. Thank you for your participation this evening, your winnings will be brought to you shortly."
And just like that the lights cut out and she was yanked to the back of the stage and led through the side she was brought from. She stumbled each time that cursed leash was pulled, walking through the dimly lit, surprisingly fancy hallway. Eventually, she was led to a large, intimidating man who loomed over her. He appeared to be in his early 30's, more built than even her father, to the point it looked like his clothes could burst at any moment. His skin was dark and tanned, and his violet eyes looked over her like he had just been given an expensive meal. His hair was dirty blonde and styled in a mohawk, the hair near the front longer than in the back and styled to reach forward and then curve up, giving him a punkish look. Completing that punkish yet suave look was a loose-fitting sport coat, buttoned at only one point, leaving the bottom open to see the tie peeking through underneath, and under that a simple collared shirt. He also wore expensive-looking jeans, a studded belt, and a chain on his left side. Capping off the look were combat boots that went high enough to cover his shins. He was flanked by two men in dark suits and black sunglasses.
She couldn't help but shudder at the way he stared at her as she looked down at the ground, even wincing slightly when she felt him grip her shoulder followed by him cupping her chin, forcing her to face him. "Look at me," he ordered. Scared, she did as was asked, her eyes gazing back into his. He observed her for a moment then smiled, his teeth clearly being sharp. "I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. Genuine silver eyes." He laughed a bit… showing that he had multiple rows of sharp teeth in his mouth.
'He's a faunus?'she thought. 'Multiple rows of teeth… a shark?'
"Sir, would you like her weapon?" her handler asked, another man behind him held Crescent Rose, her pride and joy.
"Sure, why not? I'm sure she wants to keep it, why not let her have it?" he then smirked sadistically at her. "I'm sure we can smelt it down and turn it into a nice collar for you, maybe turn the rest into a chastity belt."
Ruby's eyes began to water. The idea of her weapon, the symbol of her resolve to be a Huntress, of her strength and determination, being destroyed and repurposed as a device of ownership… If she wasn't so terrified she'd be screaming in rage. She saw the man hand it off to one of the guards. Her new "owner" grabbed her face and turned it back to him.
"3.5 million. Worth every lien… especially since the taxpayers are going to foot the bill! Just need to write it off as 'government expenditures,'" he laughed again.
"We thank you again for your patronage, sir," her former handler said before turning to leave.
"Come along, my little prize. You've got work to do, and you're gonna get started as soon as we get to the hotel tonight," he said with glee as he yanked her in the direction he was going. She stumbled and tried to keep up, desperately trying not to cry. "Soon enough, none of those pampered posh assholes will look down on me again," he said before stopping and leaning in next to her. "Not after I've got a whole generation of silver eyed kids to elevate my name," he whispered into her ear before licking her cheek.
Her blood ran cold, her heart dropped, and she nearly lost all feeling in her legs. She wasn't merely going to be a slave or a toy… he was going to breed her. She desperately tried not to whine or cry, calming her emotions as much as possible so she could think, but even so her heart was pounding like an engine in her chest.
After being led for what seemed like an eternity the guards opened a door that led straight outside… and into an open limousine. If she was going to make a move, it had to be now. Just as she crossed the threshold of the door she fell to knees, hanging her head. "Hey, none of that. Get up and-" Her would-be master's words were cut off as she sprung up and slammed her head into his groin. He gasped and doubled over in pain, following up with a headbutt under his chin making him stumble back and, more importantly, let go of the leash. One of the guards rushed her and she responded by hopping up and drop kicking him in the sternum, knocking him over and knocking the wind out of him, leaving him on the ground and gasping for breath. The other guard raced forward and grabbed the leash, but before he could pull it taught she leapt awkwardly between his legs. After hitting the ground she spun and slammed the heels of her stilettos right up his hole, making him screech in pain and drop the leash to grab his ass. She quickly spun and hopped up to her feet before running as fast as she could away from them.
"HEY STOP!" she heard one of the guards shout as her body raced with adrenaline, letting her sprint even with her bound legs and those damn lady stilts.
"You're mine!" she heard a voice shout, sounding like it was right next to her. She turned… and her heart pounded in fear. The faunus' face was enormous, opening wide to eat the landscape behind her. "MINE! ALL MINE, YOU LITTLE SNACK!" As he closed his jaws and ate her whole she screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!" she screamed, panting as she shot up from under the covers. She looked around frantically for her enemy, but saw nothing. Nothing but the empty room. As she panted harder she began to process where she was.
"A… motel room?" she wondered aloud. "How-?"
And then it started coming back to her. Her capture, watching her team being bid on and sold off one by one. The disgusting… creature that wanted her for such unspeakable acts. Her desperate escape… Her unexpected rescuer… The amazing night that followed…
Her face flushed red before shaking it. 'Not now, damn it, think!' She got up out of bed and the first thing noticed was a note on the night table.
"Went out to get breakfast and tools. Will be back as soon as I can. Lock the latch, I can't do it from outside. I put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. Stay safe.
Hebi"
She felt a smile creep onto her face before shaking it away. 'Ugh. Now's not the time to be a blushing schoolgirl,' she thought and walked over to the door. On it another note was taped.
"Three knocks. One knock. Five knocks. Don't answer for anything else.
Hebi"
'Wow. He's cautious,' she joked, but was definitely thankful for the lengths he was going. She locked the latch, then looked at the rest of the room… acutely aware she was naked aside from the collar locked onto her neck. Getting a much better look at the room… It was definitely a good example of being "run down". While not as bad as other areas, the place looked old, but not old enough for problems like mold. It was at that moment the smell of sweat and sex hit her nose. She lifted her armpit and sniffed. "Ugh… yeah, forgot I didn't shower," she muttered before heading into the bathroom. Though small, she could tell at least two people could fit…
After having an explicit thought like that she started to make a dopey smile. 'Heh… wonder what it would be like to do it in here? … Ugh, I had one great night, and suddenly I'm a horny teenager again. Honestly, I blame Yang.'
'... Yang.' She sighed, but shook those thoughts from her head. There was nothing she could do at least not now. She got into the shower and rinsed off, thankful there was hot water available. She stayed inside for about 15-20 minutes, using the soap he had off to the side before stepping out, grabbing a nearby towel and drying herself off. It was when she stepped out into the main room she realized something. '... I have nothing to wear. Well…' She looked down at the scattered outfit. 'That's not entirely true…' she stared at it with a half lidded look for the most part. On the one hand, she was disgusted that she was forced into such a revealing outfit just for those terrible people to have some eye candy. 'Well… I don't have to wear all of it.' She sighed and put on the panties and the bra, leaving the rest of the outfit where it was. 'Not like I care enough to take care of it.' She took this moment to sit down at the dining room table, resting her arms on it and awaiting for a specific someone's return. As she sat, a thought entered her head. '… Maybe he can help me?'
Knock-Knock-Knock. Knock. Knock-Knock-Knock-Knock-Knock
She jolted for a moment at the knocks and looked to the door. She remembered what that note said earlier, and noting the pattern that was given, she walked over and opened the door, making sure the latch was still locked and opened the door a little bit to peek out, only showing her face.
"Glad to see you're smart. Checking before opening completely," Hebi smirked at her through the gap. Ruby smiled as she closed the door to unlock the latch before opening it fully for him, and he then strolled on into the room. She noticed him holding two plastic bags in his hand, one with two take out containers, the other that looked to be from a hardware store.
"Well, I guess being cautious at this point would make the most sense." she responded, closing the door and locking it again. "...I should probably say it more formally this time around but...thank you for last night," she thanked as she made her way back to the table to where he set down the bags. Admittingly, Hebi was liking her in just underwear.
"Don't worry about it… seeing stuff like that go down just doesn't sit well for me," he explained as he opened the bag and set the take out containers on the table. "So do you like waffles or pancakes more?"
Ruby thought for a moment as she sat down before her eyes widened. "Wait… is it from that place down near the dust shop?"
"Uh… yeah?" her eyes widened even more, and he could've sworn he saw stars in her eyes as she looked absolutely entranced.
"Oh by the gods, they make the best waffles~! I sometimes go there to get their red velvet waffles every now and then with my friends! I love that place!" she responded. She licked her lips, clear excitement in her eyes, and Hebi couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm.
"Well, waffles it is. Hope you like everything else I got with it," he said as he slid her the box. She opened it up to find waffles, scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage patties, bacon, and breakfast ham. Nestled in the corner was a pack of ketchup and a container of syrup. "I'm sure you need to regain your strength." She was already digging in before he finished, eating it rather quickly and not really bothering with manners. One could say it was quite feral and "unladylike", but it made sense to Hebi as he watched her gulp down her food every few seconds as he just merely opened his box, having the same contents except replacing waffles with pancakes.
After they were both done Ruby sighed in contentment, leaning back into her chair. "Maybe a little heavy… but definitely a treat to calm the nerves. Thanks."
"Glad you liked it. You ate like it's been days since you had a meal," Hebi chuckled.
She smiled back, then cleared her throat. "So, um… I'm Ruby Rose. I'm a Huntress. Graduated Beacon, along with my team, Team RWBY." He raised an eyebrow at that. "Heh, I uh… I didn't choose the name. So… Who exactly are you, Hebi?"
Hebi leaned back in his seat, thinking of how to respond. "I was actually born and raised in Mistral… not exactly the best area for my kind but hey, it isn't Atlas right? I also went to Haven Academy there. Not a bad place, some of the students were assholes but you can at least get by."
"Hm… I think I know what you mean. I have some faunus friends, and even here they didn't exactly have things easy. Still not too bad, though," she nodded. "One of my teammates is from Atlas. The other from Menagerie. Between the two of them… Well, I've heard enough stories of the worst of it," she then paused and looked away. "Or, what I thought was the worst of it…"
"Right… for me I just kept getting called 'animal' when I was on Huntsmen duty. Didn't matter if I was alone or with my teammates. Plus there was a lot of 'no faunus allowed' signs plastered all over many of the businesses," he explained. "Most of them were justl talk, only a few wanted to pick a fight and it never ended well for them when they realize they were up against an experienced huntsman."
"I see. Sorry to hear that," Ruby trailed off. After a while she cleared out her throat. "So, um… Not that I'm not appreciative, but… why are you here? Or, I guess… how did you find me? It wasn't just coincidence… was it?"
Hebi flinched for a moment, trying to figure out how to word this. There was so much he could say, but… she didn't need to know, at least not all of it. "I… This group, this slavery ring. I know it well. I've… worked with them in the past… Not knowing what they were really up to, I swear!" he added quickly as he saw the shocked and somewhat fearful look on her face. "I… look, in Mistral it's hard for a faunus to get work, even as a Huntsman. So whenever I found a way to make money on the side, I took it. Some… less scrupulous jobs. Nothing worth mentioning, just being hired by bad people to do bad things to other bad people. Eventually I found a well paying job, one I thought I could be proud of. It… turned out to be otherwise. My client was the kind of person who… who would've likely been at that auction you were at. Needless to say, once I found out I started working against him and the rest of them, being a thorn in their side. I heard some rumors of possible going ons in this area, and as I was investigating… I found you. So, not a complete coincidence, but… Well, sorry to say your dashing prince wasn't specifically looking for you, fair damsel," he chuckled with a joke to lighten the mood.
Ruby relaxed a bit while listening to his story, taking in the fact that he was only doing jobs to get by, even if they were something to not be proud of. While he spoke about how he started to fight against his original employers and was investigating… she couldn't help but feel her heart beat faster, her eyes widening as they vibrated. One thought, it was one thought that gave her a hope she had waited for… someone to actually help her.
She gulped a bit before she spoke again. "Hebi… My teammates. They were all… taken right before I was. I was the last in line. You've been fighting against these guys, right? Please, I beg you, help me save them!" she practically pleaded at the end. He was taken a bit aback from the sudden call for help. "L-look I… know this is sudden, and that you've only known me for a day… but I'm at the end of my rope here and I don't know where they are and I don't know where to start, but you do."
Hebi was still processing this. If he was honest, he would usually tell her to be thankful she got away, and that she'd probably never see them again. But… that was usually in cases where they'd been gone for days, if not weeks. If they really had been auctioned off at the same time as her… Well there was no way he'd be able to intercept them, but he could possibly still find out where they were going. As he was thinking about this he saw her eyes. There was fear and desperation in them, but… something else as well: Determination. 'If I don't help her, she's going to go off on her own. She'll just get caught again, or killed.'
He sighed. "... Okay. I'll help."
Her face brightened. "Thank you! Thank you so-!"
"BUT!" he interrupted. "We have to do this my way, alright? You don't know the size of what you're up against… and honestly, neither do I. These… people. It's not just rich assholes with money to throw around. Politicians, law enforcement, government agents, even other Huntsmen, this operation takes cooperation from more people than we can count. We can't. Trust. Anyone. Understand me?"
Ruby blinked at this, but she was also taking it to heart. "O-okay… okay, I get it…"
"Good." He then leaned in. "Now if you don't mind… I wanted to ask how a group of four experienced Huntresses managed to get caught into their grasp?"
Ruby sighed. "It was… It looked like any old Huntsmen assignment. Go to a small village, deal with some Grimm. We went to meet our client, talked for a bit. He left the room to get… Gods, I don't even remember anymore. Suddenly we all just… blacked out. Must've been gas, we didn't eat or drink anything. Actually, now that I think about it, the job appeared on the posting right as we were choosing. I didn't think anything at the time, but… they couldn't have seen us and made a post just then… could they?"
"... Government officials and even Huntsmen, remember?" he reminded her. "When I… used to do my other job, the people I worked with would sometimes mention how they would get their 'cargo', saying how they have enough money to afford hidden tech to catch people even in the safest of areas."
"But… Headmaster Ozpin wouldn't… no it can't be…" she said in thought, looking in disbelief.
"Look, we won't know for sure, but even if he isn't we don't have evidence. And if we did… I mean… Look, it's not uncommon for these people to… dump 'products' that are too dangerous to keep around…" Ruby gasped, covering her mouth as she looked on in horror. "Like I said, I know these guys. We can't trust anyone. Even if the person we trust isn't with them, they might tell someone who is. We're on our own." She processed this grimly as she looked away.
People like this are that powerful? This whole time while her and her team were doing as much as they could to help others, something like this was happening on the sidelines? In a way, she felt like she failed as a huntress to even realize how such a serious thing could be happening right under her nose. To see people get taken away just to be turned into nothing by an item? Some sort of pet or even a trophy? These thoughts made her slowly glare as she clenched her fist tightly, the thought of these types of people sicken her.
"Hey," he said, placing a hand on her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "One step at a time. If I'm gonna help you save you friends, I need to go ASAP." He moved to head towards the door then stopped. "By the way, what's your semblance?"
"Oh um… basically it allows me to turn into some, like… tornado of petals that gives me more speed. You know like… allowing me to either use it to mess with people or make a quick retreat." She explained, standing up. "It also lets me carry things over while I use it… to a certain extent."
"So it's like a speed thing. Go in, do damage, get out."
"Well… yes… I've also been told by one of my friends that it let's me 'disassemble' myself to a molecular level and reassemble in an area of my desire. And it can do the same for others if they are with me."
"... Okay, that's pretty useful," he said as he turned around and opened the bag from the hardware store. "I know I should be leaving now, but if I go and that collar's still on, you'll be defenseless. With that Semblance you could at least run away if they find you." He pulled out a screwdriver and some pliers. "Still, gonna have to make this quick." Ruby nodded as she sat still for him when he got next to her, staring forward so he could get to work.
She noticed how quick, yet precise he was when working on the lock pad of the collar, like he has done this plenty of times in the past before as the only sound being made was the clicking of the pad.
"... I was curious when you mentioned your team...do you… still remember them? I mean like… how were they?"
"Hm… they were decent people. Our leader was… well to put it bluntly… she was a bit uptight and snippy, but she meant well."
"... What happened?"
"... Like I said, these people have a lot of money and influence. Enough that when you finally decide to betray them, killing as many of these rich fucks that you can at one of their disgusting 'parties', showing off their 'pets' and 'toys'... The only thing the media reports on is that a Mistral Huntsman goes insane, murdering several 'respected members of the community,'" he replied with a snarl.
"Oh… I see… she must've not taken it well."
"Tried to bring me in herself. Said she had to 'take responsibility for her failure.'" Ruby couldn't help but feel horrible for him. While she frowned upon killing for the most, she at least understood where he was coming from in this. And to be labelled a criminal after killing the real criminals, and to have your own friends turn against you… she couldn't imagine what that must feel like.
"I'm… sorry you had to deal with that."
"Don't be… I put myself in that position in the first place… and I'd do it again if it means doing the right thing." It grew silent for a moment before finally, a loud click was heard. "Got it." He gripped the metal collar with both hands before pulling it open, taking it off Ruby's neck, holding it by both ends. She then noticed him looking at it for a moment and then back to her.
"... What is it?"
"... You know, it's funny. It's always sssssexier when you agree to having it put on," he said with a smirk, his tongue flicking out on that one word. "Having it forced on you just ruins it."
The huntress gave a small chuckle to that comment. "Well, maybe when it doesn't weaken your semblance to render you useless, it might be a good fashion choice," she joked, rubbing her neck where it was. "Though, probably shouldn't wear it all the time… dang thing was tight."
Hebi blinked for a moment before smiling. 'She just keeps surprising me.' "When this is all over, we'll find you one that feels comfortable on you," he said, dropping it on the bed. "But for now, I have to go. Remember the latch. And this time… Seven knocks, one knock, then five knocks."
"Got it. Oh, and um… if it's not too much trouble… can you get Crescent Rose, too?" she asked sheepishly. "If it's there, I mean."
"Crescent Rose?"
"My weapon. It's a customizable, high impact sniper-scythe-rifle!" she said proudly. Her face suddenly contorted into a sneer. "Bastard actually wanted to melt my baby down and make it a collar for me."
"... Wow. That's not just being a dick. That's just trying to pour salt in the wound."
"Right?"
"Well don't worry, I'll keep an eye out."
"Thanks. And um… be careful."
He smirked. "Oh, my little gemstone," he chuckled. And then suddenly his body began to disappear from the bottom up. "They won't even ssssssee me coming," he said, his confident expression being the last thing she saw before he was gone. As if by magic the front door opened and closed, clicking as the lock turned from the outside.
She blinked, absolutely shocked at what she saw, or rather didn't see, as she sat there processing what he just did. 'That explains why no one went nuts by seeing me in my predicament the other day…' she thought to herself. Soon enough a smile worked itself onto her face. '... Hehehe~, he called me gemstone~…' she mentally gushed as she had a half lidded look, blushing.
Hebi had followed the direction he had seen Ruby running from last night, and from there it wasn't too hard to find where the building he was looking for was, especially with the guard standing at attention in the back entrance. With that entrance cut off for now he had to look for a different entrance… like a nearby fire escape ladder. With the agility befitting an ex-Huntsman he ran up the wall and leapt up to grab the ladder, the metal shaking before it came loose and slid down, hitting the ground with a loud clang. As he expected the guard came around the corner, only to come face to face with an empty alleyway and a safety ladder that had seemingly come down on it's own. He grumbled and went back to his post, mumbling about "cheap ass construction". Meanwhile, the snake faunus watched the guard go back into position, giving a small exhale of relief, now starting to make his way to the rooftop entrance to the building. Usually he would put on his other set of gear for these kinds of missions, but considering all he was really doing here was to find something relevant to Ruby's friends… he knew that there was freshly made documentation folders that had the info he needed. The question was… where to start? There were bound to be multiple offices, and one of them could be the boss' office.
"YOU FUCKING IDIOTS! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D ALLOW THIS!" a deep voice shouted from a floor down.
'... Well, as good a place to start as any,' he thought as he descended the stairs.
"I-I deeply apologize sir-" another male voice spoke, assumingly one of the staff, who sounded in a slight panic at the wrath of the other man.
"APOLOGIES DON'T MEAN SHIT IF YOU JUST LET THE MERCHANDISE FLEE!" Hebi eventually made it to the floor with all the shouting, using his camouflage semblance to hide himself as he peaked out from against the wall. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THIS WILL COST ME, DIMWIT?"
'Hm… Sounds less like a superior yelling at a guard, but rather, a very large and angry customer venting out his anger on the employee,' he thought. He saw a large looking man, and just by noticing his snarling gaze, it was quite clear that he was a faunus. As for who he was yelling at, it seems to be a handler of slaves, who was leaning back, clearly intimidated by him as he stood inside of some room, which seems to be some sort of office.
"I promise you sir, you won't be charged a single Lien until we recover her," the man in the black tried to assure the screaming man.
"YOU'RE ASSURANCES DON'T MEAN A DAMN EITHER! I HAD A SILVER EYED TICKET TO GLORY, AND ALL I'M LEFT WITH NOW IS AN OVERSIZED GARDENING TOOL SITTING IN MY FUCKING HOTEL ROOM! AND WHERE'S THE FUCKER IN CHARGE HERE!?"
'Well, that answers one question. Asshole has quite the mouth. So if it's not here…' he reached into his pocket as carefully approached the man. With all his screaming and hollering he didn't notice Hebi slip the tracking device into his jeans pocket. 'You'll lead me to my gemstone's crown jewel later.'
"Sir, I understand the frustration, I really do. We, and our boss, are very much the same with how this all turned out. I'm going to need you to-" the man gave a small gasp and choking sound when he was suddenly picked up by the throat by the larger man, who snarled as he bared his sharp teeth.
"If you don't tell me where your boss is, I'm going to rip every single tiny limb from your body and feed it to the DOGS!"
"The boss… is… currently out… right now, sir… he is looking… into this… as we speak…!" the man said. strained to speak as his hands gripped the wrist of the shark faunus' massive arm.
Hebi smirked a bit, enjoying the pain these deplorable bastards were inflicting on each other and peeked around them to see the room they were in. The big man grunted as he dropped the worker there, gasping for air as he lurched forward, an angered growl escaping the big faunus as he crossed his arms.
"I've got little patience as it is… if he doesn't show up anytime soon, I'm going to set an example. Am I clear?"
Sensing he was about to move, Hebi backed up to hug the wall, staying out of the way of the man as he stomped away like a child. The handler gave a sigh once he left, leaning against the door frame as he rubbed his temple.
"Bleedin' hell… I need to relieve some stress. I don't need this shit right now," he complained as he turned around, Hebi deciding now would be a good time to quickly slide himself into the room while he still had the chance. As soon as the worker moved forward, Hebi slithered in through the smallest of timings before he could fully close the door on him, which ended with a loud slam, most likely due to pent up frustration from just getting his ass ripped by a customer. Hebi took this moment to look around the office room, taking in that it was basically your typical office. Desk, shelves, chairs, even a few plant decorations plastered in the corner.
'Okay, probably keeps the files here, or at least some of them. These guys always go paper so they don't need to risk being hacked. Still… can't exactly start going through things with him present…'
"Hm…" he heard the guy hum as he reached over, grabbing his cell phone and dialing it. He pressed it to his ear as Hebi went over to one of the cabinets, taking notice that each one stored a different item, to which his eyes scanned to one that said "Docs" written in black marker.
'Not even a lock. This location is pretty lax. This guy will probably be dealt with within the year. Still…' he looked over. 'Can't take it yet.' He adjusted his wrists, feeling the weapons strapped to them. 'Maybe I should just deal with it.'
Before he could even spring to action, he stopped when the man started to speak. "Hey… yeah, it was one of those days." It seemed the guy on the other end knew what happened due to the rather deadpan tone he was giving. "I'm gonna need something to forget so what you got in store? … Alright, sweet. Just bring her over, I'll wait outside- and try to be quick about it, yeah? Cya soon." He then hung up, getting up from his chair as he stretched. "Well, at least it's one of the docile ones… I don't exactly need one that resists so much they become a problem," he thought aloud, walking over to the door.
Hebi flinched, realizing exactly what he was talking about. He wanted to kill the bastard right now, to make him suffer a fraction of the kind of pain he'd helped give to others, if not inflicted himself. But…
'There's only so much you can do. Hold back today, do more damage tomorrow,' he reminded himself, clenching his fists to restrain his emotions. The handler finally left the room, closing it behind him, giving Hebi enough time to quickly go to the cabinet with the documents inside, deactivating his semblance for a moment due to the coast being clear.
Just as he suspected, it had the list of "products", and more importantly their buyers. Since the people who came to "shop" at these kinds of places were rich beyond belief it would be easy to look up public information on them just by name. It was when he started looking at the many pages and pictures of the girls that he realized something…
'... I have no idea what they look like, or even their names. Shit, I can't believe I forgot to ask,' he mentally smacked himself. He was planning to take only what was needed, maybe even just photos of the proper documents, leaving no trace that he had even been there. Instead…
'... Well, looks like you're going to be fired sooner than I anticipated, friend.' With some sadistic satisfaction he looked through the drawers for some kind of manilla folder, grabbing the entire list of sold girls in one hand and putting it inside before stuffing it into his coat. Just in time too, he heard talking on the other side of the door while the handle turned, Hebi already using his camouflage to quickly hide himself after closing the cabinet.
The handler walked in with a smug look on his face, pulling behind him a woman that looked to be in her mid-twenties by the leash on her collar. She was light-skinned, with a decently sized body, maybe between the borders of petite and curvy if Hebi had to guess. She had long auburn hair, also wearing a small hair clip on the right side. She wore a rather appealing maid outfit, one that definitely showed off her cleavage, along with fluffy looking laces around her shoulders, and a lace collar around her neck. Her arms were tied behind her back, with rope tied tightly around her waist, as well as a breast harness that emphasized her chest a lot more. She was blindfolded by a black cloth, and finally gagged with a ring gag to keep her mouth open, some slight drool being present as she had a heavy blush on her face that was beet red, and panting heavily. From what the faunus could guess, she was probably drugged up with aphrodisiacs at this point.
'Tomorrow. More damage tomorrow,' he reminded himself, suppressing a growl as he slipped out the door, heading back the way he came. He furrowed his brow as some thoughts entered his mind, remembering when he was… involved in things such as this. From escorting "items", to "being rewarded" after a successful mission, things that lingered from his past as he gave a snarl from the thoughts. He remembered the first time he told himself those words: "Hold back today, do more damage tomorrow." How many women had he escorted into a life of misery? How many times did he have to comfort the girls "rewarded" to him, only to see them break down in his arms when he had to explain he didn't have enough power to save them? How many years had it been since the damage he'd done, the attempt to reveal this disgusting ring to the public, been swept under the rug and his own reputation tarnished, turning all his own friends and allies against him?
He sighed as he climbed down the fire escape from the roof. 'Just… put it out of your mind. You can help Ruby save her friends. That's more than you've been able to do for a while.'
It was starting to hit noon, and it was around the time most people were either out to lunch, or to dive into their delicacies at home. Ruby was taking the second option, the sound of a decently sized pan sizzling away. She decided that since Hebi was out she would cook for them both. When she was younger she only really cooked pastries or baked goods, specifically cookies. Thankfully she expanded a bit into the culinary arts out of the necessity for cooking on missions. Her team would have to camp out in the woods from time to time, so it was good to be resourceful enough to make food out of what she could find. By the end of graduation, her teammates thought her beef stew was to die for. For now she was just cooking what was available… and she had to say, Hebi is a bit of a slacker when it came to grocery shopping. Thankfully, as a Huntress she'd learned how to cook decent meals from rations out in the field. She perked up from the sound of knocking on the door, looking over as she counted the knocks in order.
'Seven...one...five… yep, that's him,' she thought, a rather mischievous smirk spreading across her face as she walked over to the door, unlocking the latch and opened it a little bit to see Hebi there holding a large folder that was tucked under his arm.
"Nothing bad happened here, I assume?" he asked, Ruby leaning to the side as she hid her body behind the door so he wouldn't see her fully… at least not yet.
"Nope!" she replied, popping the "p" for added effect. "Aside from your horrible selection of groceries and ingredients," she smirked. He responded with an exasperated look as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, considering my current financial situation, I'm just glad I've even got a roof over my head." he replied. She unlocked the door and let him pass, hiding behind it as walked inside and set the folder down on the table before turning around. His eyes widened as Ruby closed the door and he finally got a look at her: she was wearing a green apron that he used when he cooked… and that was all she had on her.
"... See something you like?" she asked with a playful smirk.
"I... uh...well…" This was the first time she heard him stutter for a moment before he cleared his throat, crossing his arms as he looked over her body for a split second, his eyes glancing down at her cleavage, then back to her with a small smirk himself. "Perhaps…" Ruby giggled in response as she went back to the food, making sure to sway her hips a little bit for him before grabbing a wooden spoon.
"Well, come on and get your lunch. Made some bell peppers and beef," she smiled as she picked up the pan.
"Heh, you sure that's the lunch," he got behind her rather quickly, his hand subtly rubbing against her thigh. "Or am I looking at her right now?"
She chuckled, looking over her shoulder with a half lidded smile. "Smooth~. But, you have a little project to help me with first, remember?"
"I haven't forgotten, but you ssssssure find ways to tempt ssssomeone," he hissed out gently as he gave her bottom a small love tap before heading to the table.
'Gods… I can't believe I'm doing something like this with someone I just met. Am I… Am I really in love, or is this just how much sex changes you?' She shook those thoughts from her head and separated the meal on to two different plates before taking them over to him. He gave a curious look to the plate as she went back to get the silverware.
"Um… Gemstone? I thought you said this was bell peppers with beef?"
"It is."
"But… there's no beef…"
"So?"
"So you wouldn't call it 'bell peppers and beef' then."
"Yes I would... when you don't know how to shop for groceries properly," she snarked as she brought the silverware over.
This made Hebi to chuckle while feigning a hurt expression. "You wound me," he joked as he accepted a fork from her, his other hand clutching his heart.
She chuckled and then got to work eating her own meal, scarfing it down rather quickly. It wasn't out of hunger, but instead wanting to finish eating and move on. He was basically the same, though at a slower pace compared to Ruby, as he gave her a glance as she was focused on eating. 'Gods she's the most beautiful creature I've ever seen,' he thought as he eyed her. The question was… was it love that he felt for the first time in his life, or was it just sexual frustration on both sides? He wasn't so sure, but in some ways he sort of wished for the former. Granted, it was a bit too early as they only met each other not that long ago, but in his heart he couldn't help but want that sort of relationship with her. He snapped out of his trance when Ruby glanced over, noticing his look before he quickly looked back at his food, taking big bites to hide that he was staring at her for a good minute.
Once he finished eating and pushed his plate forward Ruby got up from her side of the table and sat next to him. "Right, so… what do you have for us?"
He smirked. "Well, first thing's first…" he pulled out the heavy manilla folder that slammed onto the table with a thud. "You neglected to mention what your friends looked like, or their names, so I had to grab them all."
"... Oops," she blushed. She then glanced at the folder, her face falling soon after. "So many…"
"One at a time," he said firmly, trying to cut off her train of thought. "We're only two people… What are their names?" he asked as he opened the folder.
Ruby sighed but nodded. "First Yang Xiao-Long. My sister." He gave her an odd look in response to that. "Half sister. My dad's first wife left, young enough that she didn't even remember her. His second wife, my mom raised us both. Well… for a while, at least," she said sadly.
"... She was a Huntress too?" he guessed.
"Yeah. My dad, both his wives, and his first wife's brother were all on the same team. And one day she left and… she didn't come back."
"... I'm sorry," he said simply before leafing through the smaller files. Thankfully they seemed to be organized alphabetically by last name, so he skipped to the end and managed to find her. They used the photo of her Huntsman license, just in case anyone they didn't want finding the files got a look at them, no explicit information listing her as a "slave" or even "product", just information that seemed random if you didn't know what they were looking for. He couldn't help but stare at the picture… enough that Ruby even noticed as he gazed intently at the picture of this "Yang" person. He had to admit, she was quite the looker. He opened the file further, noticing that there was a full body picture of her, where she seemed to have been hanging out at some bar. If he was honest… he could stare at this picture all day. Not only did she have a pretty face, she had one hell of a sexy body to go with it. From her defined bosom, her rounded hips, bouncy behind, and shapely legs. Her outfit showed off her midriff, and there was some noticeable definition. She was the perfect combination of toned yet still feminine.
"Um… Hebi?" this snapped him out of his trance as he looked at her. "You okay?"
"Oh, uh… sorry. It's just um…" he trailed off, trying to figure out how to dance around it.
Ruby just sighed, a knowing smirk on her face. "Believe me, she's sexy and she knows it. I know, I've always been second place when it comes to looks."
"Hey, you're not second place, you're just… a different flavor, so to speak," he assured her. "Anyway, we're in luck. Her buyer is actually in Vale in one of the seedier parts of town. Some guy named 'Hei Xiong.' Apparently goes by 'Junior.'"
Ruby's eyes widened, leaning in to read that part specifically to see if it was true. "Him!?"
"You know him?"
"Yeah… it's the guy that owns the club in that part of the city. He and Yang have… history with one another, from back when we started out in Beacon. I knew he was sleazy, but to go this low? It honestly seems out of character."
"... Could be a revenge thing," Hebi suggested.
"Maybe. She did always rough him up or intimidate him. He was practically a joke to us when we were still in Beacon."
"Let's move on for now," he suggested, putting Yang's file aside. "Next?"
"Blake Belladonna. She's a faunus. Cute kitty ears," Ruby said with a chuckle.
Hebi froze for a moment. "'Belladonna'?" he asked.
"Oh um… yes?"
"... Is her father Ghira Belladonna?"
"Correct. Sometimes we get sent to Menagerie to help the chieftain with some missions every now and then, so we know Mr. Belladonna well enough… Mrs. Belladonna is also kind enough to let us sleep in their home and make tea for us as well." She tilted her head at him. "I assume you know him as well?"
"Heh, what faunus wouldn't know about a former White Fang Leader turned Chief of a whole island?" Hebi responded, looking at the picture from Blake's huntress license. She had hair that reached just to her shoulders, along with cat ears in view. When he got to the full body picture there was one thought that came to his mind: 'By the Gods, that ass is just the queen of asses.' The picture in question had her in the middle of a group of three. On her left was a male who seemed to have a monkey tail and blonde spiky hair, while the other was Yang… and even comparing the two, Blake's put her's to shame. They seemed to have been walking away from some sort of club as he tried very hard to not lick his lips from the feeling of want.
"Yang called it the 'Bellabooty'," Ruby commented, cutting off his train of thought.
"I-I wasn't-"
"Uh huh, sure," she smirked.
He cleared his throat as he tried to ignore his blush of embarrassment. "Anyway, says her buyer is in Atlas. She's probably en-route there now. As for her buyer, name is Spencer Birch. Don't suppose you know anything about him?"
Ruby shook her head. "No, doesn't ring any bells for me."
"Well, if he's in Atlas, with how these blueblood types tend to act, it shouldn't be too hard to at least get some info about him online," he set Blake's file aside. "Okay, last name?"
"Weiss. Weiss Schnee."
"... What," he said just looking at her with a confused expression.
This caught Ruby off guard for a moment, the tone sounding a lot different than others. "U-Um... her name is Weiss Schnee? You know… rich people who own the majority of the dust companies at this point?"
"... That Weiss Schnee!? THE WEISS SCHNEE!? THE SDC HEIRESS!?" he practically shouted. Ruby flinched at his screaming, leaning back against her chair as she was scared for a moment at how he acted.
"Um...y-yes..?"
He just blinked for a moment, then quickly flipped through the files and opened hers. And there she was, staring back at him. A face that even if you didn't exactly recognize, everyone would still find familiar. 'I don't believe it. I don't know what's harder to believe: That Weiss Schnee is on her team, that a Schnee is on a team- is friends with the daughter of the White Fang's founder… or that a Schnee, of all people, would've been sucked into this hell.' On the one hand, he was surprised that this slavery ring would be so bold. On the other…
Ruby was surprised to find a smile starting to form at the edge of his lips. "H-Hebi? Are you okay?"
'By the Gods… this could be it. If I play this right… I might be able to strike a blow that I haven't dared dream of since I first started this.'
"Ruby… What kind of person is she?" Hebi asked.
"Huh?" Ruby was confused for a moment, before slowly a look of realization came onto her face… and from how she acted next, she got the wrong idea. "O-oh, don't worry! She is nothing like her father or anything! I-I mean, she was at first but that was in the past and she is very considerate and the most determined person I know! Her and Blake are really good friends too!"
He blinked for a moment before he processed that. "Oh… Well, that's unexpected. And good to hear, but that wasn't my point. Ruby… You know this kind of group needs a lot of money to function, right? A lot of influence bought and used. There are several large contributors, of course... But guess who's the biggest?" She was confused at what he meant for a moment as she tilted her head… only to widen her eyes as she put two and two together.
"Wait… you don't mean…!" she said, standing up and pressing her hands against the table in shock, baffled at what he was suggesting.
"Yup. That bastard Jaques is one of the biggest contributors to this system. There's a saying in the criminal underworld: 'All roads eventually lead back to Schnee.'"
"But… he… he can't be this scummy, to let his daughter be caught in the crosshairs of a slave ring! I mean… can he…?"
"To be honest, I wonder if he even knows. Needs to keep plausible deniability after all. I'm sure all he sees are the amount of zeros on the checks he gets given as thanks for hosting their events. But just having the resources of the SDC to throw around is one of the reasons these people are so powerful," he smirked. "And now… Now his daughter could come out and act as a key witness to take him out. And once the funding stops… the rest crumbles soon after."
Ruby couldn't help but look surprised at his line of thinking, a ray of hope shining in her silver eyes. "Hebi… that is the best thing you have ever said! If Weiss comes out about this, it puts her fathers credibility and best of all, could imprison him for his crimes!"
"More than that, Ruby… I told you before that there was little we could do… But that's before I knew this. If we can have Weiss, with her testimony and the kind of access to her company that I'm sure she has… this might be the chance to finally bring these bastards down. All of them." He smirked. "My gemstone, you're more valuable to me than I ever realized." She blushed at that comment as she glanced away, mumbling in a giddish manner as she rubbed the back of her head. "Now, let's see here…" he opened the file checking the info… and also taking a look at the girl who could finally help him do what he'd always wanted.
'Not as outright sexy as the other two… but she definitely holds an elegance to her. Wow, I mean usually these rich types are loaded with makeup, fine clothes and jewels to hide their flaws, but her… they just accentuate what she has. Damn, she looks like the kind of person who'd be a Princess in a fairy tale.' After getting a good look at all three of them, along with a side glance to Ruby… a thought came to mind… a more selfish kind of thought.
What if he had these four all to himself? Of course it wouldn't be like the assholes they were up against, it'd all be consensual, but… 'Well, a guy can dream, right?'
Unknown to Hebi, Ruby was noticing the way he was looking at the photo of Weiss. Similar to the way he had looked at Blake and Yang… and her. 'I mean, I shouldn't be surprised. I've thought the same about them, too. Never acted on it because… well, I mean how do you bring that up? Especially to Yang…' And just then, a thought entered her head, a crazy thought that she had only ever had in her most depraved moments in the heat of pleasuring herself when alone. '... I mean, the worst thing that can happen is just them saying no.'
She took a breath to steady her nerves. "Yeah, she's pretty isn't she?" she began.
"... Uh-huh…" he muttered, not really paying attention.
"Yeah. Honestly, I've had a crush on her basically since I met her."
That caught his attention. He blinked, processing what she just said, before looking up to her. 'Was she lesbian this whole time? No, that can't be it, she enjoyed herself immensely when last night, and she seemed to have some sort of feelings towards me… so I guess she's bisexual.' "Ah, did you now?"
"Yup. I'll be honest… It was awkward back at Beacon sometimes. Being so close to someone every day, being too afraid to reveal how I felt…"
"... Yeah, I guess that-"
"To all of them," she quickly added, cutting him off. This was enough of a shock to short his brain out for a moment. All of them? Including the half sister of hers?
"I… huh, I didn't know you were that open to the idea of having a lot of partners…" he said in mild surprise… and also a faint look of excitement at that bit of information.
"Yeah. Took me a few years to come to terms with that. But, well… our relationship isn't exactly standard either, is it? So the way I figure it is… Why not go for it? It's not like we won't be saving them anyway. They are the people closest to me… And I guess fate will decide whether or not we get closer than that."
"Are… you saying you are fine with me being part of it as well?"
"Well, you did save me. And you were respectful enough to not go for it until I brought it up," Ruby clarified. "Plus well… I'll be honest that… despite knowing you for only a little bit… well, I can't tell if what I'm feeling is love I'm feeling or something else… I just know I don't want to miss out on the chance."
Hebi gulped, now much more aware of the fact she was only dressed in an apron… and suddenly began imaging the other girls dressed the same as her. His more primal instincts were just itching to take control of him.
He coughed. "Well, um… before discussing that, we still need to get some things figured out. Like her buyer…" he looked back to the file. "Ah, I actually know this one. Harold Marigold, rich guy up in Atlas. Old money, and decently old himself. And if I had to guess… your heiress crush is a gift for his son, Henry."
"... Wait, a gift?"
"Prize, pet, trophy, whatever you want to call it. Spoiled little brat that thinks he can get whatever and whoever he wants. Wouldn't be surprised if he tried to win her over before and failed, decided that this was easier… Maybe him wanting her is why you guys were targeted in the first place. Decided instead of going for just her they might as well nab the rest of you as while they were at it."
"That… makes a lot of sense actually." Ruby thought aloud. "It would explain why all of us were taken instead of just Weiss if that was the case."
"And last but certainly not least…" he leafed through the files and pulled out hers. "Saw the fucker who bought you when I snuck it. Heard that he had your baby in his hotel room. Placed a tracker on him while I did the rest of my business, but I want to know more about who I'm dealing with if we're gonna get it back." He opened the file and looked inside. He was also shocked to see how much Ruby was actually sold for. "3.5 mil? What the hell? Even Weiss didn't go for that much!"
"According to them, it was because of the eyes." she explained, pointing at her eyes.
"That much for the eyes alone?"
"I thought it was odd too. But then again, it's not everyday you see a girl with silver eyes," Ruby looked away. "I knew they were rare, never met anyone else who had them. But apparently they're a status symbol to some people."
"Huh… Well then, let's see… this guy's name is … Same Tochi?"
"... Isn't that just 'same'?"
"I think it's pronounced 'Saw-me"
"Huh… Know anything about him?"
"No, but since he's the first one we'll deal with, let me check." Hebi pulled out his scroll and typed the name into the search engine. "... Holy shit, he's the Vacuan diplomat to Vale."
"He… traveled all the way from Vacuo of all places?" Ruby said in shock, then rubbed her chin as she looked away. "Maybe that has something to do with what he was saying about me."
"What, him aggressively telling you that you are nothing but a pet or something?"
"No… well yes, but he was also saying things like 'Now they won't look down on me' or that his status will 'elevate' for owning me." Ruby explained. "Vacuo's the poorest of the four kingdoms, so I wouldn't be surprised if the other people didn't take his station seriously. Must be why he wanted me, so he could look better in the eyes of the people..." She couldn't help but shudder at the thought, remembering the… plans he had for her.
"... That doesn't make sense. I mean sure, having a silver eyed slave would elevate him in the eyes of the other assholes, but it wouldn't do much for him outside of that circle," Hebi noted.
"N-No, um… Actually he… said he wanted… that he would have…" Ruby shuddered, not even able to say it, bringing up those horrible feelings from yesterday.
Hebi took a moment to try and figure it out… and his eyes widened. Without thinking he clenched his fist around the file page he was reading, a loud hiss coming from his throat. '... That… BASTARD. How dare he? To use one of these women just as a breeding cow to elevate his status! To use HIS woman!' Ruby noticed the anger, placing a hand on his shoulder, which caused him to flinch a little bit but calm down. It was amazing how her gentle touch was enough to calm him as he looked over, noticing a small worried expression on her face as she looked him in the eyes. They held for a moment before Hebi gave a small inhale and exhale. "Sorry…"
"No, I get it… I felt a lot of things back there. When I was captured and sold… I was scared… angry… devastated… Honestly, I didn't know what to do for a moment because I never thought I'd allow myself to be put into that situation… and it hurts me that right now I can't do anything to help you."
"... You can help me by making sure you stay safe," he smiled and tried to assure her. "... But with all this in mind… I think I have a plan."
"Really?" The look of hope in her eyes made Hebi smirk a little as he had her full attention. "What do you have in mind? Is there a way I can assist?"
"Yes, but not just yet. If we're going to pull this off this whole plan, we're going to need more resources and use them wisely," he looked down at her file. "And I think I know who's going to give them to us." Though she looked at the file for a moment, then her eyes widened after realizing what he meant.
"That's...actually a really good idea! If he was willing to pay so much for me, he must be super loaded in lien!" Ruby said excitedly, finding this idea absolutely genius before her expression turned curious. "But… How exactly are you going to do that? It's not like he will
just willingly give us the money…"
Hebi hesitated for a moment. "... I have an idea, but… It involves something from you. If you're uncomfortable with it, I'll think of something else."
"Involving me? What do you-...o-oh…" she blushed, not taking too long to understand what he was implying as she blinked.
"Don't worry, I promised you he'd never lay his hands on you again, and he won't. But my idea is to pretend I'm some low level punk who happened to find you, and is trying to extort him for money or I'll just take you for myself. And to make it believable… I'll need some proof I have you…" She gulped at this information as she looked down in thought, her hands folded. Granted, the thought of this guy getting even a picture of her was disgusting to think about, and yet at the same time, she has Hebi here, who is more than willing to keep her safe. She then closed her eyes, forming a small glare before looking back to Hebi with a brave, determined expression.
"I… won't like it but… if it's to progress forward and to get my team back… I'll do just about anything. So… I'll do it. For you, and for my friends, I'll bear with it."
He sighed. "Thank you. And… sorry."
"So um… I guess we should get started," she got up and went to pick up the clothes she had been forced to wear, which she had just left on the floor. Meanwhile Hebi picked up rope and the other restraints to use on her. Deep down… she was actually looking forward to him tying her up. Then out of nowhere he pulled her in by her arm, making her give a small "eep!" from the sudden firm grip on her. Before she could even ask, he just leaned in and took her lips, kissing her with a firm, dominant gaze in his eyes, yet somehow remained gentle. Her eyes vibrated as her body immediately started to accept the embrace, along with her eyes going half lidded. Gods, she felt weak to him, feeling his lips lock with hers, the fact his gaze was piercing through her silver eyes, even her knees wobbled a little as she moaned gently, kissing him back. A moment later, he pulled back, a soft hiss escaping his throat.
"I'll make sure he understands that you are mine," he said in a soft tone, caressing her cheek, his eyes showing an entranced and loving look.
In a different context that would have sounded possessive, stalkerish even. But right now, it just made her feel safe and assured. 'I hope this really is love, because damn do I like it.'
The lust moans of a woman filled the hotel room. Same was just pounding the woman under him, thrusting in and out of her slit, her ass raised with one hand steadying him, while the other hand forced her head down into the bed. She was, much like the other slaves, tied up and silenced by a gag. This one in particular had her hands tied together in front of her, connected to the bedpost that was kept taut. She wore a skimpy looking latex bikini pressed tightly against her fair skinned body. She had grey hair that was kept in a ponytail, which the large man was having a good grip on while keeping her head down. Her dulled, red eyes made it clear that she was juiced up with aphrodisiac to keep her more submissive for the "client." She was also drooling past her black ball gag that was dripping onto the sheets as her body rocked into the mattress from how harsh he was going at her. Her physique was athletic, having the body of a track runner, while also still being on the slender side.
It was clear the activity was quite one sided, the slave's only purpose was to let herself get railed from behind, a loud squelching sound came each time their hips made contact. Despite this, other than her moans it was relatively quiet. There was no dirty talk, no mocking, not even the sounds of enjoyment were coming out of Same.
Instead his eyes were focused on the folded, red weapon in the corner of the room, his thoughts on who it belonged to… and who she belonged to. 'Mine. She's mine. No one else's. Mine.' The moaning increased in both speed and volume, the girl shuddering as he growled, increasing his thrusts, snarling at the weapon. He had her, he had his prize right in his grasp, the very thing that was going to skyrocket him up to the big leagues back home. And now he was stuck with her stupid god damn weapon that has no use for him other than melting it down for better uses. 'MINE. MINE. MINE.'
"MMMPH!" the girl's head pushed back against the hand pressing her face against the sheets, forcing Same to glance over as he pushed himself all the way into her, releasing his load inside. He didn't realize how hard he was going into her, just moving by instinct when growled lightly at his release, the girl giving a weak, gentle whimper. He got up and pushed her to the side as he did, moving to the mini-fridge to grab a drink when his hotel phone rang. He picked it up, and pressed the button to receive.
"What?" he demanded in a harsh tone.
"Mr Tochi, this is the front desk. A message was left for you just a moment ago," said an older gentleman's voice.
"What's the message?" he demanded. 'Better be that they found my prize.'
"All that was left was the number of a scroll. The gentleman insisted it be private."
"Hmph. Fine, what is it?" He wrote down the number on a notepad. "Anything else?"
"No sir, that was-" he hung up before anything else was said.
He wasted no time dialing the number. "About time. Where is-?"
"Mr. Tochi? Mr. Same Tochi, diplomat of Vacuo to Vale?" came a cocky voice from the line, one he didn't recognize.
"... Who is this?"
"Just a concerned citizen who came across a very interesting item. One that I believe you've lost… and that I might have an interest in returning like a good, upstanding citizen."
"Bullshit. Prove it," he demanded getting angrier. It grew silent for a brief moment, until he felt his scroll buzz in his hand. He pulled the phone back to see what was sent to him.
He opened the message and there she was, dressed and bound just the same as when he'd lost her, propped up against the wall in a cheap looking bathroom, her silver eyes, those precious silver eyes, looking scared.
"You listen and you listen good, you fucker. She's mine, you hear me! Mine! You give her back to me right now or-!"
"Or what? You'll get angry?" the voice chuckled.
"I HAVE PEOPLE, DAMN YOU! PEOPLE WHO WILL FIND YOU AND CASTRATE YOU WITH A FUCKING BLOW TORCH!"
"Oh, in that case I'd better run right now, and take this nice little present with me! Goodbye!"
"WAIT!" he shouted. There was no response from the other line, but it was clear they hadn't hung up. "... What do you want?"
"100,000 lien. In cash, one lump sum."
He struggled to stop himself from chuckling. 'That's it? Fucker has no idea what I paid for her.' "Fine. You win. When and where?" he said, managing to still sound angry.
"I'll send you the address. Meet there in 30 minutes, and you better come alone and with that cash."
'Hm, short time frame. Guess he's not a complete idiot.' "I need time to get the cash first. And that location isn't exactly close."
"... 45 minutes then."
"Alright, I'll see what I can do."
"Remember, 45, 100 thousand, or she's mine forever," said the voice before ending the call.
'Plenty of time to get something worked out.' He dialed the scroll again and waited. "Hey, this is Same Tochi. I need your best men now."