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Rouge's Vibe, City of Vale, 9:30 P.M.
York
"What about you, Cole?" Junior's voice broke through York's thoughts as the Freelancer poured a glass of bourbon.
"What? Sorry, I trailed off for a sec." York apologized.
Junior waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright. I asked what you think about that new vigilante, that Gargoyle fella."
York shrugged. "I don't really. Not that I have anything against Faunus, but those White Fang are quite a handful. Not to mention it's really good at saving innocent lives." He said, then raised a finger. "Though I do think they should come up with a better nickname than 'The Gargoyle'. It sounds… idiotic, pretty sure the guy doesn't like being called an ugly statue."
Junior laughed. "I bet he doesn't." He agreed. He heard the DJ put on of the songs York sent him, 'Derezzed' by Daft Punk.
York grinned, then saw one man come running in, shutting the sliding door behind him. "Junior!" He yelled into the earpieces all staff wore. "She's back!"
"Aw, hell." Junior complained, a look of fear overcoming his face. "Get ready for anything." He called to the others. "But keep playing." He said, looking at the DJ, who just nodded.
York looked at the man. "Who's here?"
"Blondie. Same one who wrecked the place last time…" He told the barman. "Can you handle a gun?"
"Yeah, why?"
Junior tapped a button and one of the shelves under the bar slid on a hinge revealing a shotgun and a .30-30 with two machine guns. "Just in case." Junior told him.
York nodded solemnly, then served up the next drink, keeping his eyes on the door. They slid open, and his eyes widened at the girl who walked in and the troop that followed.
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Yang and her current 'crew' stepped inside the main room of the club, and the brawler could see the wary eyes that gazed at her. "Go have some fun, I'll talk to Junior."
"I'll come with." Blake said, eyeing the dense crowd. "I heard last time you came here they immediately pointed guns at you."
The blonde waved a hand. "Meh, we got it sorted out, now were all best friends." She smiled, leaning towards a staff member who took a step back and whimpered.
Yang continued towards the bar, putting a little swing to her hips. Junior glared right at her, and the other man at the bar, seeming to be in his late twenties. wearing a black leather jacket and a red checkered button up shirt. He had brown hair and one dark eye, the other milky white with a scar running over it. He glanced Yang's way as she approached, then continued mixing a drink.
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York inspected the girls for a second, then continued making the cocktail he was working on. Judging by what he'd learned so far in this world, the dark and brooding girl was hiding some sort of Faunus trait behind that bow.
The busty blonde that was wearing purposefully revealing clothes, in a club of all places, walked up to the bar and stated clearly so both of them could hear, "Strawberry Sunrise, no ice."
The Freelancer coughed. "Aren't you a bit young?"
"Just give it to her, Cole." Junior said warily, then jerked his chin upward at the blonde. "What do you want, Blondie?"
Yang looked straight at the club's owner, then began mixing the drink. The blonde continued. "Oh, me and my friends are just here to party." She draped an arm along Blake's shoulder, then continued after a moment, "And some information."
"Oh, great. If it's still about that woman, I've never seen her before!" Junior protested, then slightly more quietly he added, "And I haven't heard anything about Torchwick either!"
York's eyes widened slightly, noting the name. That Junior had dealings with Torchwick or received info didn't surprise him, but he mentally stored it for later.
The girl laughed. "Oh, no, not that." She told him, placing an arm on his shoulder. "I'm on a different track now."
"So, what do you want?" Junior asked, grabbing her arm and shoving it off his person. York served the girl and then took a second to take a drink of his own.
Nodding to York, the girl edged her finger along the rim of the glass before looking straight into Junior's eyes. "The Gargoyle. What can you tell me?"
York choked in surprise, then swallowed before starting to cough, beating his chest. "You okay, there, Cole?" A man down on the end of the bar asked.
"Yeah, just went down the wrong tube." York stated, eyes red, before moving to speak to him while listening in on the previous conversation."
Junior glanced his way before looking back at the blonde. "No one knows anything about the vigilante. If I did, he'd probably be at the bottom of the ocean, killed by the darker side I service."
Note to self, York thought, don't tell Junior anything about my 'night activities.'
Were you planning on it? Delta questioned.
Oh, yeah, D. Totally. I was going to ask him to wear spandex suits around all the time while helping me fight crime.
Sarcasm is not lost on me, York. The AI responded.
The Faunus girl bristled. "Then what good are you? Three times she's come to you for information, and you've only given a lead once."
Yang calmed her back pushing her back with an arm. "Easy tiger."
"Your friend there is feisty." Junior told Yang. "You're quite the pair." He looked to Blake and crossed his arms. "Listen sweetie, contrary to popular belief, I'm not some all-seeing, all-knowing God. Shit slips past me."
"You're not just lying to me, are you? I'd be willing to pay…" Yang stated, holding up a wallet of lien.
"I'm telling you; I've got nothing." Junior told him. "Besides, what would you do with it? Isn't hunting down vigilantes for the police, not huntsman? Hell, huntresses like you basically are vigilantes."
"I'm looking to give him something. Something he could find useful." The teen responded.
"Coming from you, concern would be my first response if I were him." Junior rolled his eyes, then faltered as the girl next to him gave Junior a death glare.
York gulped. Should I?
It's up to you, depending, she may have intel or be an ally. From what I can tell, they are Beacon students, meaning they are somewhat capable. Any action would put her at risk of either exposing us or engendering a minor. Perhaps act as if you're the middleman for now, see what she needs.
Okay, but how do I contact her without raising suspicion?
I've already isolated her scroll number.
Oh, D, you're the best. York complimented. Meanwhile, Junior was speaking to the girls as they began to leave.
"That vigilante could be crazy, could kill you if you aren't careful. My advice: just let it be." He turned towards York and massaged the bridge of his nose. "That girl is gonna be the death of me." He sighed, concealing the weapons at the bar once more.
York shrugged. "Kids." He cursed, and Junior laughed. York turned and made an excuse to step away, heading towards the employee bathrooms as he pulled his scroll from his back pocket, typing the number in as Delta said it mentally, then the quick message and a final note with the push of the send button.
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Yang's scroll went off with a text message, vibrating in her pocket. She downed her drink, then called for another as she pulled it from her pocket. The other barman, after having returned, too her glass and went to work as she read.
'I have the information you seek; my shift ends at eleven, meet me outside the club, then we talk.
- The barman.
P.S. Make sure this doesn't get seen.'
Yang looked up at the man with the milky eye, who met her gaze for a second, giving a simple wink as he mixed her drink. She smiled, knowing she was one step closer to identifying the Gargoyle.
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Two hours later
Yang waited outside, her group of friends talking to each other just a few yards away. She checked her watch, 11:06.
The doors to the club opened, and the barman stepped out, looked around and spotted her, then walked over to her. "These your friends?" He asked, looking over at the others. Sun was currently tossing cookies while Neptune patted his back. Jaune laughed and half-shouted to Yang, "Hey, look! Vomit Boy 2.0"
Yang shook her head. "Yeah, two blondes who can't keep from emptying their stomach…." She jerked her thumb towards the man from the bar as he came up. The man stopped, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Follow me." He said simply, then turned to walk down the way to a black-and silver motorcycle with an odd design, like it was meant for comfort.
"Hey, what model is that thing?"
The man shook his head. "Where I come from, we'd call it a Harley, but I had to make it myself from some crotch rocket parts and stuff."
Yang's eyes widened. He took apart a motorcycle and totally reshaped it, instant respect. She looked over at her bike, Bumblebee, and the car the others had rented to get here.
"Hey, guys. We're loading up."
The others looked around as the barman mounted his ride, then twisted the ignition. The engine roared to life, very loud. The others looked at it in shock, afraid it was about to explode, while Yang's eyes lit up in delight. She hurried to her Bumblebee and started her up, Blake taking the seat behind her and holding on. The others piled in the car.
The barman roared off into the street, the motorcycle even louder than before. Yang followed it to the left of the corner and down a few streets before it turned into a block of warehouses. Its rider killed the engine and stepped off.
"Welcome to my humble abode." The man said. "My name's Cole. Friends call me York."
"Yang Xiao-Long." She gave her best charming smile.
Next to her, Blake sulked. "Blake Belladonna."
He grinned. "All in good time, Ms. Xiao Long."
The car pulled up as well, and Jaune, Ren, Nora, Sun, and Neptune piled out. "Quick question," Sun started, "Who are you and why did we just drive two blocks? We could have walked."
"Wouldn't it have seemed strange if you arrived in car's, then just left them to follow me. At least now it looks like you've gone somewhere. If you came back and got them, it'd raise a lot of questions." Cole explained. "And, as I just explained to Ms. Belladonna and Xiao Long, my name is Cole Vance."
Cole looked at Yang. "Now, what sort of information do you have for… my acquaintance?" He said after trying to find the word.
"Well, we know where the White Fang has been meeting, and that Torchwick seems to have access to restricted items like an Atlesian Paladin." Yang started, "And we can give you more if you can get us face-to-face with him."
Blake gave her partner a pointed glare, knowing that they didn't have that much information, but Cole had his eyes, or perhaps eye, on Yang. She guessed a minute passed by before he spoke.
"Okay, I'm going to trust you all and let you in, but two conditions." He told them.
"What's that?" Jaune asked.
"Tell no one. And call me York." The man smiled.
The students looked at each other, then Neptune asked, "Why?"
"If I decide I can trust you, I'll tell you all about it." He grinned. "Now let's head inside, we have business to discuss, and a meeting to arrange with the Gargoyle."
Everyone's eyes lit up as he stepped to the warehouse door and unlocked it, then closed it before they could enter. The larger door, used for vehicle loading, began to open, chains clacking, until it stopped about eight feet from the ground, letting them see the dark hole inside.
"Quick, get your vehicles inside." Cole's voice told them from the darkness.
Yang stopped. "Why are the lights off?"
"Let's just say I don't want anyone on the outside to see some… incriminating objects inside." He spoke.
Blake spoke. "It's okay, guys. But you'll definitely want to see this!"
The confirmation from Yang's partner, who she knew was a Faunus pair of night-vision goggles, was enough for the brawler. She shifted her bike into neutral and pushed it in, far enough so the car could drive in as well.
York stepped out and wheeled his bike in, then the mysterious barman lowered the door, leaving them all in darkness.
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