People's Republic of China - October 7, 1996
The Chinese people are streaming outside by the millions! Today is the first day after "Golden Week", an entire week of public holiday! Celebrating the establishment of the People's Republic of China, this week is the second most joyous time in all of China, right after the Chinese New Year celebrations. But regardless of intensity, this week is over now, and everyone is returning back to their normal life. This includes the soldiers, now flooding back into the barracks like tiny little ants.
But not all is the same as it was when we were last here. The past 20 years have been a time of prosperity for China, as it finally transitions from some rice farming country that happens to have an army into a proper functioning state. Now under the control of Deng Xiao Ping, the new China is fast becoming an Asian superpower. The army is, of course, the most prominent feature of this modernization, with the cute, fluffy red-starred hats of old now being completely replaced with a modern military helmet. It loses the red star, but what it gains is protection, being miles better for protecting a soldier than those dinky hats. And never mind that, the guns are simply sensational! These ne-
Oh? Is that a yellow comet I see falling into downtown Beijing? Well, this surely must be a sign! Of China's dominance on the world stage, that is! Clearly the heavens above have chosen this glorious nation to lead the world into the future! The works of Mao and the works of the future will be displayed on every bookshelf! Oh yes, such a joyous future! I can't wait to see th...
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*thud*
The yellow comet has landed in an alley, just two feet away from an open dumpster. Two cats that were lounging about run out into the street, one of which gets immediately run over by a car. It only takes two minutes before the heap of yellow begins to move.
"Oh gods… where the hell am I?!"
Her eyes are flying everywhere, courtesy of her brain trying to get as much information as possible. Eventually two things come to her mind: Alley and Weird Signs. Not the best combo for a 17-year old huntress to be in right now.
She runs out of the alleyway onto one of the main streets. This street is not too crowded. Of people, that is. The signs, on the other hand, seem to be more populous than ever, with at least one for every single building. There's a variety of things around including a noodle shop, a general store, some pharmacy, some house that seems to be nothing important, and even a love hotel just for good measure. Luckily it is morning time, or there would certainly be confusion of the worst possible kind…
But Yang's not thinking about that. She is instead thinking about just what the fuck she is going to do in this strange new land. She eventually decides that, instead of just standing at the end of the alley, she is going to walk around and find something that she could understand.
As Yang finally merges into the street, the other people walking around get to talking about this new development. No one has ever seen a person so colorful before, not even in professional productions.
It becomes the new hot topic of the area within just a few seconds.
Her walk, although timid, is more than good enough to get her down the street a few blocks. On these next few blocks is a wet market, selling all kinds of meats including fish, chicken, a few cows, and even some meats of the… well… let's just say "less acceptable" variety.
你好小姐！ 你想要些肉吗？(Hello Miss! Would you like some meat?)
"What?"
His face brightens as his mind begins to think. Beautiful woman AND Tourist? This will be the easiest money of his life! He gets out a piece of paper and a pen and hands it to Yang, not trusting his very, very limited English speaking skills.
Yang quickly realizes just what to do, writing down the words she was trying to express.
What did you say?
Back to the Chinese guy. He writes down his expression, in surprisingly good English for a non-native.
I sell meat at this market. Do you want to buy some?
What kinds of meat?
I have some fish, chicken, sardines, there is also a discount on all the meats on the left!
He points over to the dog, cat, and raccoon meats, the unholy trinity of the "less acceptable" meat variety, banking on Yang's lack of exposure to these markets netting him a handsome payday.
Her face contorts into a questioning look while she stares at the meat. A bright flash momentarily blinds both of them. Yang does not move, but the shopkeeper does, his face brightening even more when he turns his head behind him…
20-30 people are floating around a short distance away from the blonde, looking at her as if she is almost a zoo animal. Can't blame them, but it is still a crowd larger than he has ever seen around his little shop.
He thinks about the money that is sure to come from this for so long that the paper bumping into his hand almost makes him jump.
Anything that I can eat right now? I don't really have a place to cook it.
Why yes, of course! I have some fish that was prepared just a few minutes ago.
The shopkeeper takes a pointed stick and stabs one straight through the head, immediately resuming his conversation before giving paper, pen, and meaty stick to Yang.
Here you are! Since you have been great customer, I am giving you a free sample! Enjoy!
She recoils almost immediately at the presentation. A bystander, one of the regulars of this shop, jumps in.
"Not used to this? It is okay, I promise the meat is very pleasing to eat."
An English speaker? Yang looks over and sees someone, around age 25, that looks less oriental than the rest. But even so, she still does not trust his words. Her stomach, on the other hand, growls in annoyance at not having had a single morsel of food since last night…
"Aargh!"
She snatches the stick and takes the whole thing in one bite. The taste of cooked fish isn't the greatest in the world, but she not only stomachs it down, but even resolves to buy a few more to ensure some level of food supply.
I'll take three. How much?
8 Dollars.
Dollars?
Yes. You use dollars over in America, right?
I'm not from whatever "America" is…
Then where are you from?
It's a long story…
Well provide some form of payment or leave!
That manner of language, combined with the annoyed look on his face, is more than enough evidence to end this little adventure right here. Yang merely rips up the paper, throws it right at his face, and leaves.
Around 25 people follow her out, while about another 25 hang around the meat market to order something. That annoyed look is wiped off his face faster than you can say cha-ching!
您好，您今天想点什么？(Hello, what would you like to order today?)
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Meanwhile, Yang continues down the street, the paparazzi staying only a few steps behind. The English-Speaking man from earlier bursts ahead of the crowd and walks up next to her, synchronizing with her movements.
"I noticed you didn't buy anything back there. Why-"
"Do I look like I want to be followed!" The interaction has already gotten to her, and it's taking lots of control to avoid activating her semblance on this guy.
"I'm sorry. I promise I am not trying to hurt you."
"Lay off of me then! Just leave me alone!"
Her eyes are this close to turning red, that is how annoyed she is at everything right now.
The man wisely retreats from her, slowly sinking back into and eventually behind the crowd.
"It's a shame, really. All I wanted was to help."
As she continues to walk down the now emptier street, Yang's mind finally remembers something: her scroll! She needs to contact Ruby and everyone else to get out of here!
She opens up her scroll and a large, red "No Service" notification is right there to greet her.
"Dammit!"
After half a mile of mostly disgruntled walking, she sits down on a bench, absolutely done with everything. The paparazzi stop just a couple of feet off. Hearing the various sounds of her brand-new fan club is like nails on a chalkboard…
"All of you! Leave!"
The few that understand begin to run away, taking the others with them. A lot of them only move around 20 feet, still too occupied with the beautiful blonde to fully return to normal life.
"Why did I have to get stuck here! I can't do anything!"
She lets out all of her rage in a passionate display of speech that would make the likes of JFK stand in awe.
10 minutes later, she is back to being as calm as she was while skydiving into China.
"I wonder how they're all doing up there.."
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…
Wait, this wasn't a segue? Sorry about that.
Yang sits on the bench for awhile, thinking about how the rest of Team RWBY is doing, and about what the hell she is going to do next. It's only going to be daylight for so long…
A thought suddenly comes to her mind. Some people around here speak English, right? Clearly, it is not these people's native language. So maybe she can go to the tourist areas? They'll certainly have at least some English stuff around…
But where the hell is that? She sees another "fan-club" member on her right, but the girl quickly flees after a good stare down.
There's no easy way to find out… for all she knows there might not even be a "tourist area", hell this could just be one big zoo!
With no real options, she gets up and begins to walk aimlessly. The fan-club slowly begins to reform around her, but that small little annoyance is easily cast aside. Especially once she finds a restaurant, one so obvious that even the lack of useful signage isn't an issue.
Yang's entrance to this shop is one of little fanfare, with not a single employee of the shop even acknowledging her until she rises to the counter.
你要什么？(What would you like?)
"I don't speak the language. Can I have an English speaker?"
"Lo-gan!"
The Chinese receptionist retreats to the background, with Logan, someone wearing clothes that are way closer to her own, replacing him.
"Hello. What would you like to eat?"
"Actually, I don't wanna eat. Do you know where the tourist area is? With the gift shops and stuff?"
"Of course, it's down that way, about a mile out." He points out to the south.
"Thanks!" She turns to leave, instead running into about 20 more fan-club members, looking through the window like like Spongebob when Squidward .
They all jump away as soon as she opens the door, so it's no real harm.
After a very, very long, but relaxing walk, she makes it to start of the area. English begins to join the Chinese on the signs, putting her mind at ease. Maybe this will all turn out okay…
She passes by the official tourist area exit sign, glazing it over real fast, and heads into the district with her head held high.
And wow! A gift shop! This is starting off great already!
She enters the gift shop, and immediately the attention of everyone in the room magnetizes to her. Even the shop owner is looking. Said owner procures a walkie-talkie from his pocket, sending only one short sentence over the airwaves...
她在这家商店。(She's in this shop.)
Meanwhile, Yang is off looking at all the things to get. Chinese imagery fills the entire shop wall-to-wall. Of course, there is some Mao and Deng souvenirs, but not everything is political. The first thing that catches her eye is a set of really colorful masks. Most are red, but one is Yellow! This will be perfect as a little prank for Ruby! She picks out the yellow one, slotting it under her arm.
She goes deeper into the aisles, looking for something less bombastic to buy this time around. Maybe a-
她在这里！(There she is!)
Multiple footsteps race through the shop. Yang turns to see three men in police uniforms rushing toward her. She begins to run all through the shop, trying to find a way out, but they have her cornered in a flash. One stops and points a gun straight at her head.
"Freeze!"
Of course they speak English. The other two continue closing in on her as the rest of the shop's patrons run for the exits. This is of no concern for the blonde, who by this point has decided she is not going to go down this easily. With her anger completely refreshed and Ember Celica drawn, the battle officially begins.
Yang fires first, taking out the left ambusher in one clean shot, also setting fire to the nearby shelves as he collapses to the ground. The officer fires his gun, but bullets around here are nothing compared to the ones on Remnant. It's still a significant stun, but only takes away around 15% Aura. The right officer chooses to retreat ASAP while firing several shots at the blonde. They all miss, but they do cause significant damage to the shelves around her as she tries to rush the front door. But as she gets close to the door, a chilling display comes into view…
10-15 officers, some with military equipment, are awaiting her arrival. She turns around and fires straight into the wall, hoping that the other side reveals a street. The first only slightly cracks the wall, but it's too late to back out now. A second shot combined with a knockout punch absolutely obliterates it, with the shrapnel turning into an ominous haze emanating from the back of the shop.
每个人！ 阻止她！(Everyone! Stop her!)
The officers split into groups, one going around, and one running through the shop, chasing her directly. The owner peeks his head out over the counter to see two blazes taking over the shop, along with the policemen running through the blaze, kicking up even more dust and increasing the fire.
She runs through the street, forcing several cars to slam on their brakes, but the real cars that matter aren't on this road. They quickly get in front of her, blocking an easy escape north. She goes right through the maze of stopped cars, only to see more blocking that end. She looks over to the left, and behind those sets of cars is yet another-
"AAAA-mmph!"
She is tackled by two of the southern group. Before she can react, more officers approach her. She fires another shot, killing a good 5-6 people, but, as any HOI4 player will tell you, China has infinite manpower.
Said manpower floods her location and she eventually disappears under a massive pile of officers. She is not seen for over a minute, but when the human pileup clears, her weapons are blocked up, arms tied behind her back, and face covered in a bag. This is her new face to all of the now hundreds of onlookers as she is led toward the police car.
I can say with 100% certainty that this is the ONLY fic anywhere where Yang gets arrested in Beijing, that's for sure. I don't know why I am putting so much effort into this…