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Chapter Title: Reading in the Isle
Arc 1: Bubbles of Futility Chapters

"Hey Blake, how long do you think you'll be? I'd like to actually read mine at some point." I don't even know why I let her drag me along to this book store, it didn't really have all that inventive a name either and the guy running it was kinda paranoid.

Though basing that on what I knew about Blake I imagined he was an Ex-White Fang like she was and seeing my wolf mask I was wearing today had made him a little jumpy and it wasn't like I hid my heritage anymore.

"Wait, you already brought yours?" She seemed surprised at that fact, not that I was all that surprised, but one good thing about being an eagle faunus like me was that my vision was pretty naturally good so I scouted the books I wanted pretty quickly and purchased them.

"Yeah, though I suppose I could have another look around while you're finding your smut." I smirked laughing to myself as her face went bright red and she buried it back in the shelf she was knelt down at looking through.

As I was turning away a pair walked in-

FUCK!

It was them!

That green haired bitch and her grey haired friend, were they here for me?! Or did they just happen to be inclined to read?! Fuck! Fuck! Fucking fuck! I didn't want to deal with their shit! Damn I really hoped they wouldn't notice my… large obvious wings in the corner of the store.

It seemed they hadn't as the grey haired one locked the door behind him and the girl went to say something to the clerk only to notice my mask staring back at them.

Taking the moment of their shock to compose myself I let my mask do its job and stare lifelessly at these two, I could see the genuine fear beginning to settle in the green haired girl's eyes while the guy looked shaken but like he almost wanted to leap at me and try to take me down.

I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them I released a baited breath I hadn't realised I was holding in and that was when I decided when Blake and I left I would kill these two and be rid of them.

Eventually after five minutes of them staring at me went by they turned around and left of the store, I noticed the store owner looking like he had just dodged being shot, so after a moment of deliberation I concluded they might have been here for him- however that didn't change the fact that I was determined to make these two disappear today.

Another twenty minutes of me looking around the store for a twelfth time happened before Blake finally came out from the shelves with a stack of books eight high, looking thoroughly pleased with herself. As we left the shop Hektor was standing outside waiting for us as I had asked him to watch our backs while we were walking around Vale.

He had originally been looking to see if I wanted to come with him to some bar when he stopped by our dorm but Blake and I were in the middle of heading down here to waste time until Yang's date with our team at a cafe near the seaside was meant to happen. So he joined us anyway and I'd asked him about keeping watch out of Blakes earshot since her enhanced hearing and all.

Hektor's hair was flat and brown unlike his brothers in a slight ponytail at the back with brown eyes and a goatee, he wore a forest green t-shirt with grey accents as well as a black undershirt that sleeves stopped midway on his forearms, he wore white ankle banded trousers with mid shin high brown boots. He was wearing black vambraces with gold accented as well as metal plating on his boots. The most glaring part of his appearance was that his entire right arm was missing and from his shoulder down it was a grey robot arm with black armour over his shoulder bicep and forearm.

As for his weapons, they were on his hips, with his golden bladed sword spear that could either way or become both at the moment he had it in its sword mode hanging off his belt that was around his midsection and a second part on his waist and like myself he carried a handgun as his sidearm.

For whatever reason he took the books from Blake and carried them for her as we traveled down the sidewalk.

"Azrael, did my brother ask you about that thing?" He asked with his normal lazy expression.

"Oh- ah yeah he did, I wasn't able to help him with it." I was pretty sure he was referring to the asking Pyrrha out thing.

I was going to ask him about the two that had entered the bookstore when Blake left us, but for the moment she seemed contempt just walking along with us.

"Blake." Hektor said getting the attention of the raven haired girl.

"What did you need?" she asked with a curious expression.

"You're… you're a Faunus right?" He whispered and the only reason I knew she had heard him was because her eyes went wide like the time I confronted her but she didn't look like she was going to run this time. "Don't worry I'm going to out you or anything I was just confirming what I thought."

She nodded, waiting to hear what he would say.

"I figured it out because of your bow if you were wondering." after he said that Blake pointedly looked at me after touching the bow itself.

"Hey don't look at me your the one who insists on wearing it even after I told you people would figure you out like I did." she frowned and went back to facing forward as Hektor and I were walking a step behind her.

[Precautions]

I didn't end up getting a chance to sneak off before we were supposed to meet with Yang and Pyrrha who had been out in Vale shopping for most of the morning until now which was almost one in the afternoon. Hektor gave Blake back her books and said where I could find him if I wanted to go and have that drink with him at a bar.

Now we were on the street that the cafe Yang was at.

While we were walking down the street I started a conversation with Blake about what books she got and about their summaries, she seemed pretty happy to indulge this going on to relay the summary with much regale and genuinely sounded like she was excited to talk about it. I'm sure she noticed it as well but we were being tailed by the green haired girl and her grey haired companion.

It worried me of course and now I was sure they were after me or watching to see what I was up to and maybe it was them trying to find some way to get back at me for what I had done.

Breathing in and blowing it out I calmed my body as it tensed up, I just really hated dealing with stupid Humans like these two that forgot where they stood and needed to be reminded that Faunus had superior senses.

Blake must've noticed my mood change because she glanced in my direction with a tinge of concern in those cat-like amber eyes that so tellingly gave her away even if people couldn't see her ears. It wasn't really the time to notice it, but she was beautiful wasn't she? All the girls were some of the more beautiful women I'd ever met.

They all had a spark in their personalities that I couldn't help but smile at whenever I saw it or laugh along with them when it came out. I think that helped with how much more beautiful it made them.

Despite all that though I had a pair of Mongrels to deal with.

We met Yang and Pyrrha outside the cafe before heading inside.

I waited until we were sitting down with together at a table ordering drinks and something to eat before I enacted my plan that was forming by the minute, I kept my mask facing lazily towards the team like I was paying attention while they were talking to one another, but instead my eyes were focussed on where the two were watching us from.

Picking up the knife that was sitting on the table with some spoons and started playing with it and just generally maneuvering it around in my right hand allowing me to lift my mask up to look my eyes directly onto the pair wishing that I could have just finished them there.

But… I couldn't do that, not only just to keep myself from descending any further down the line, but also because It would cause a scene and I still didn't know how deep their little group went and what their ties were.

"Shit" I cursed as someone bumped into me and I dropped the knife onto the table sighing as it clattered against the coffee cup in front of me, as that happened I pulled my mask back down over my face. I would settle for this then, they looked thoroughly spooked and terrified especially because right before I was bumped into the girl's eyes locked with mine and the expression I briefly wore visibly made her react from what I saw.

"I told you not to play with the knife Azzy." our leader's voice said as she continued eating the sandwich she had brought earlier when ordering.

"Guess I should've listened, it sets a bad example for the kids y'know?" The girls shared a laugh and all I could think was 'if only you knew' though I'd like it to keep it the way of them not knowing seeing as that would just cause more problems for me and for Serqet.

The rest of that time I spent with them I was trying to get these murderous thoughts from my head and stop the headache that they were forming as I clenched my eyes shut trying to keep the thoughts of killing out of my head as they began to drown out everything else.

Ugh I hated this I hadn't felt like this since I was learning how to use my Semblance.

[Fighting the urges]

I finished up my day with going to a bar with Hektor like he asked, we had already been kicked out of a bar because he hit on the bartender and she didn't take to it very well so we got tossed.

Now we were heading to another place he had on his list called 'The Club' which sounded dumb even in my very limited experience with these sorts of places. As we walked there Hektor was telling me about this time he and Nereius were hunting a boar with their sister Atalante who unlike these two used a bow and relied solely on it. There sister was named after their great-great grandmother who was something of a Folk Hero having her own bard's tale about how she defeated one of the first Alpha Boarbatusks that was the size of a two story building with tusks large enough to tear an Atleasian paladin in two.

He was even tipsy enough to start singing the song about the woman.

That was assuming he was even tipsy I suppose seeing as I wasn't forewarned about his tolerance by him or his brother so for all I knew I was going to be blackout drunk within two drinks and he'd be forty in before getting even half drunk.

Anyway I was mainly with Hektor because he managed to figure out what had gotten me so unsettled to need him in the first place and apparently tailed the green and grey haired pair without them knowing instead of actually going off to the bar.

So he followed them and talked about how he found them following my team, which I already knew but it was nice to know he was there to step in if they tried something.

Damn I really needed to learn to trust people with my issues more.

If he had known already then maybe we could have put something together rather than him having to put things together from how I had been acting.

"Hey are you listening Azzzzzzzzzz-" My friend continued to hold the z sound until I shook my head and answered him.

"No sorry I was lost in thought." A slight furrow appeared in his brow.

"Bah, you should be listening when I'm telling you about Lana." I assumed that was his sister's nickname. "Are you still thinking about those two from earlier?" he asked in a serious tone washing away any pretense or assumption that he could be drunk in any capacity.

"I am yeah, I've been worried about them because I had a run in with them at the start of the holiday and have been seeing them around here and there. It's hard to tell whether it's coincidence or they're watching me after what I did to someone they knew."

He hummed, nodding his head. I explained the full scope of the situation regarding them starting with meeting them during that robbery, of which apparently had aired on several news shows that he had actually heard about it that way.

When I finished recounting my encounters he looked out at 'The Club's' entrance as we had arrived he asked whether I was still up for drinking with him and I responded with yes before we went inside.

My first impressions were that it was loud, abrasive in how the flashing strobe lights were, near headache inducingly disorientating and didn't look like a place a couple of teenagers should be but rather some place a shitty street gang might hang out. We were also patted down for weapons when we entered, they had to get their boss to say whether Hektors arm was fine since it was possible it turned into a gun. Other than that we had to sign a ledger saying who we where and what time we entered, when I asked why they said they had a girl in there a couple months ago who trashed the place and they weren't able to run her down to make her pay for the damages.

Which despite my initial impressions was a good thing to hear that their security measures after something like that happened, though it was still everything else that I complained about.

Once we were through the security and sign in I breathed a sigh as we walked over to the bartender and sat down on the red leather stools in front of the bartop, I placed my mask on the counter while Hektor ordered for us. He had a better idea of what I would like or at least be able to handle anyway, I've only had alcohol maybe three times prior to tonight because it just wasn't something that ever came up or I was in a position to experience. Though I have smoked both tobacco cigarettes and… what was it called? Ugh well I think my neighbor called it… ugh actually I don't remember what it was called.

Thinking back on it, her house always smelled like that stuff and it was a really weird smell that made my nose itch whenever it wafted over through our windows. Though Miss Nayanmars was an odd woman so it was par for the course with her, especially because I don't think there has ever been a day in the life of that woman that has caused her to be anything but calm and uncaring.

She was an Auroch Faunus, whatever that actually was, from what I could tell it just meant she was some form of cow Faunus going by her tail. Anyway I can talk about my neighbour later.

"Here you are two White Ruski's." The Bartender said, setting down our drinks in front of us, they looked interesting and considering the name it piqued my interest seeing as one of those languages I knew was Ruski so here I was.

Picking up the glass I thanked the man who made it as he went over to serve some girls I guessed were twins seeing as they looked very similar with green eyes medium length black hair though one was wearing a black and red dress with stilettos in the same colour, the only difference between her and the other was that the other girl was wear a white and teal dress. Both looked frustrated with something as they talked to the bartender.

"Mm… hey this is pretty good Hektor." I commented giving an approving nod to my friend as he laughed patting my back with his mechanical hand, I watched on in horror as he downed his glass in one go and ordered something I didn't catch the name of.

I wasn't going to do that if you're wondering, I had the distinct feeling that I wouldn't make it to class tomorrow if I drank how he did so I was planning to baby my drink at a comfortable pace.

A few hours passed by easily as I casually drank and Hektor what I assume the phrase Blackout drunk refers to, and we eventually left when the bartender who I got to know over the course of our tenure as Junior a man about as tall as I was with a big beard and wearing aviator sunglasses indoors at night, though considering the flashing lights I bet it was for those. We left because they got too much for Hek and he threw up in a bin near the bar. I ended up paying for our last few drinks since Hektor's card got declined, but I think that was just because he typed the pin wrong six times.

Junior was a nice enough guy though and I managed to get him to explain about this person who trashed his club and while I didn't tell him what I came to the conclusion of I'm pretty much one hundred percent sure he described Yang, so I was going to hold that over her.

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