He didn't want to spoil too much of it. It wasn't a library after all.
With the latest issue of X-Ray and Vav in his hands Jaune was ready to leave. Such craftsmanship should be enjoyed at home, or at least what was considered to be his home now. However Miltia had seemed curious enough about the book's contents, and Jaune was not about to let this opportunity pass by. If there was a chance that she could become a fellow comic book nerd then he would take it.
She stood close by him, her shoulder nearly touching his. It was slightly amusing how he had to hold the book much lower than he normally would have in order for her to see it. Had she always worn those ornate feathers in her hair?
"So that's really the basics of..." he stopped as he saw the girl's head snap up and look away from the comic that they had both been reading. "Mil-"
He didn't even get a chance to finish saying her name before a loud crashing noise filled his ears.
Jaune's attention was drawn to the same place Miltia's had been only a second earlier. Books were still spilling from a small shelf which had once stood proudly in the store, and the cause of its fall was crouched atop it. Jaune had briefly seen the man standing behind the counter only moments earlier, so he was obviously an employee. That was Tukson himself, wasn't it? What was going on?
Such questions were banished from his mind as he saw that Melanie stand up. Had she been attacked? Had she taken a hit? Why would Tukson do such a thing to her?
Before he could even think of giving voice to these thoughts he saw that Miltia was on the move. The girl in red and black had begun her attack the moment the silence had been broken. In fact she had been aware of something being awry even before that.
He didn't see her coming in spite of her flashy attire. With a running start Miltia delivered a powerful right hand to Tukson's cheek. Even without a lot of muscle on her frame Miltia displayed a surprising show of strength and the blow knocked the man onto his side. He rolled with the impact however, and it took only a couple of seconds for him to bring himself back to his feet.
They were valuable seconds for the girls as well as Jaune himself to get into position, however. Melanie was standing tall now beside Miltia. Jaune stood on the girl's other side, eyes darting between them and the man before him.
"The fuck did you say to him?" Miltia asked.
Jaune wanted to know as well. He knew that Melanie was temperamental, but getting the owner of the store to attack her seemed beyond anything he had seen from the girl.
"Later," Melanie snarled, ignoring her sister's question entirely. There was an edge to her voice which contrasted her normally mischievous and playful attitude. "Just help me get the bastard down."
The statement did nothing to ease the boy's concerns. "You were on the ground. Did you get hit?"
"She didn't," Miltia answered for her sister.
"I ducked," Melanie added. "Son of a bitch is fast though. He's got claws too so be careful."
Miltia nodded, settling into a low combat stance.
Claws? Jaune looked over the man and for a second could not see what Melanie was talking about. When he thought of claws he imagined the long blades which were Miltia's weapons of choice. However upon further inspection he saw that Tukson did indeed possess claws. Not like the savage weapons of the younger Malachite twin though, these were all natural. His fingernails were far longer than anything he had ever seen before, thick and sharp enough to be considered claws.
"A faunus?" he thought aloud.
"Who cares. Let's fucking do this."
The words were apparently all Miltia needed to hear. As soon as they had been uttered the two girls advanced, splitting apart and coming at Tukson from both sides. The way they moved was like poetry in motion, and Jaune wondered if they had spent years training to be able to fight as a coordinated duo rather than relying on individual battle plans trying to move in sync.
Tukson could only look in one direction at a time, and as a result could only properly defend that same direction. He just so happened to choose Miltia, probably because he had been on the receiving end of the girl's fist only moments ago. He raised his arms in preparation to block the strike only to find Miltia pull back at the last moment. The feint had been by design, and Tukson paid for his decision when his legs were swept out from under him by the educated feet of Melanie who had darted behind him during the distraction. Now that the man was on his back he may as well have been a wounded animal surrounded by a pack of wolves.
Melanie turned out to be correct, however. Tukson was fast. Before either twin could capitalize on their success the man had rolled aside, avoiding the axe kick which would have brought her un-bladed but still very painful heel down onto his face.
Both twins pressed forward with their assault, with Miltia going high with her fists while Melanie targeted the man's lower body with her feet. The movements were lightning quick, and no matter how strong or burly Tukson may have been he was succumbing to the precision strikes of the twins. He was just a man. The owner of a book store. The girls were fighters. Trained by a former huntsman.
His face was bruised and bleeding, but that did not seem to deter him at all. Grabbing what looked to be a heavy hardcover book, Tukson threw it at the approaching twins. Miltia brought her arms up to shield herself from the impact, and as soon as she did so the man was on the move once more. He came at her with an arm raised, sharp claws poised and ready to rend flesh.
He never made it close enough to be a threat. There were still two other players in the game, and Tukson had seemed to have been reduced to tunnel vision to see only his target.
They had acted independently, yet had successfully executed a coordinated attack. Jaune had come at him from above, running and leaping to throw himself into Tukson's chest in order to tackle him to the floor. It was made all the easier when at the same time Melanie sent another punishing boot into the side of the man's knee, knocking out his leg from under him and sending him crashing down to the ground.
From that point there was no room for skill. It became a struggle to try an immobilize the man who Jaune saw as a threat to his two friends. A man who had gone after the two girls with razor sharp claws. Jaune put all of his weight on trying to pin him to the floor, his hands grappling with Tukson's to try and keep them away from any vital areas.
Soon enough Melanie joined him, only instead of working to try and subdue the man peacefully, sent a fist into the man's jaw. A tiny spurt of crimson flew up from bloody lips when she made contact.
"Stay down!" she yelled as the man continued to struggle in Jaune's grip.
She was answered by a flash of red-stained teeth as they grit together in struggle. Jaune was a big guy, not bulging with muscle but not the long and lanky type either. For Tukson to be able to put up such a fight against the combined weight and efforts of both he and Melanie spoke volumes of his own strength.
Miltia completed their trio, taking the opportunity to kneel atop his legs and press them onto the floor to completely limit his mobility. Still though, he moved and thrashed about.
Another fist connected with Tukson's face. "Stop moving!" Melanie screamed. Another punch. Another impact. Again and again they rained down upon him. Each blow was met with another splash of blood.
The dull thumping sound of fists on meat drowned out all other noise. Jaune was beginning to feel sick from the sight of it all, and thankfully the resistance had finally ceased. He didn't know whether it was the hits alone or the addition of Melanie's demands which had caused it, but he was glad that Tukson had finally given up.
A look over at Melanie showed a hard edge in her eyes that looked familiar. It was the same look she had had at the conclusion of their spar when she had straddled his hips. Was he himself fortunate that she had not rained down punches on him too?
"Get the door, Miltia," the girl in white spoke evenly.
He heard no reply, but Jaune felt the presence behind him get up and heard the sound of heels on tile as Miltia went over to the front door. It was a good call. The last thing they needed right now was for some random customer to walk in and see the aftermath of this bloodbath.
The door's lock clicked and the windows were tinted dark so that no prying eyes would be able to see inside. Still, Jaune could not shake the nervousness from his body. He could not calm down. Adrenaline was surging through him right now and he was on edge. His heart pounded in his chest. His hands were still curled up into fists in case Tukson decided to restart the fight. He hoped it would not come to that.
Jaune felt a hand on his shoulder. His body jerked out of instinct alone, and it took a moment to realize that it could only be one person's hand.
He looked up to see Miltia standing over him. "Jaune."
"Yeah?"
"You should wait outside," she told him softly.
The quizzical look he shot at her asked many questions, but at the moment he could only think of one thing to say. It wasn't the brightest thing, but one could hardly blame him for his brain not working at full capacity at the moment. "But you just locked the door."
"So I'll let you out and then lock it again," she countered. "Okay?"
Out of the question. He was needed right here. He wasn't about to abandon the girls when they had just been attacked like that even if they could handle themselves in a fight without him. They were his coworkers. His partners. At least one of them was beginning to feel like a friend. He would have their backs.
He shook his head. "No. I'm staying here."
Her next word came out as little more than a whisper. "Please."
Melanie chose to interject herself into the conversation before Jaune could protest again. "Let him stay," she said in his defense. A look back over to her revealed that she had not looked up from Tukson's bloody mess of a face.
"Melanie..." the girl in red hissed.
"He needs to fucking learn," the elder twin snapped, this time finally turning her head to look at the girl she spoke to. "And unless you plan on dragging him out yourself I don't think he's moving."
He very much doubted that Miltia would have been able to force him outside unless it was by dragging his unconscious form out the door. One look at the girl's face told him that despite her objection to him staying that she was not about to go through with such a plan. Jaune was thankful for the support, but he had no idea what Melanie meant by him needing to learn something. He supposed there was only one way to find out.
Hard green eyes turned their focus to Jaune. Melanie did not look pleased. "Help me get him up," she ordered. "I'm totally not questioning him on the floor like this."
Jaune nodded and slowly began to ease the pressure he was applying to Tukson. In his periphery he saw Melanie doing the same, while Miltia hovered near them on guard for any sudden moves from the man. He didn't think that there would be any, but it was never a bad thing to be too careful.
Slowly but surely they were able to lift what must have been close to two hundred pounds of dead weight off of the floor and into a kneeling position. Melanie was far stronger than she appeared. With a dancer's frame she didn't appear to have all that much muscle mass, but then again she was most certainly physically capable. Their spar had proven that beyond a doubt. Perhaps Aura had something to do with it? He didn't know.
He wondered what kind of questions Melanie meant. The first and most obvious on his mind would be why Tukson attacked her. He hadn't heard any arguing between the two. Melanie hadn't been a disturbance to the store. There had been no other customers inside for her to bother. So why?
"Mil, go in back and see if there's a chair," the older girl continued.
Miltia nodded and went in back.
It left the three people in the store's main room in an awkward position. Both himself and Melanie held onto one of his arms as Tukson knelt with his head sagging forward. Jaune didn't know if he was unconscious or simply too weak to try fighting back or even hold himself up with his own power.
What was only a few seconds seemed like an eternity to Jaune. Every passing moment was one where Tukson could break free and the melee could start anew. Another opportunity for something to go horribly wrong. So when Miltia finally emerged from the back room it felt like a great weight being lifted from his shoulders.
She carried a simple wooden chair in her right hand as well as a dark grey roll of duct tape in her left. "Found this too," she said holding up the second item.
"Kinky," Melanie said in a far more familiar tone.
Miltia rolled her eyes at the comment. "So not the time for jokes."
"Whatever." The girl in white turned to Jaune. "Get him up on the chair."
He nodded, and along with Melanie lifted Tukson into a standing position before placing him down in the seat. As soon as he was down Miltia began wrap tape around his arms and torso. The sound of ripping tape and soft grunts of exertion filled the room, and in a matter of seconds the man was tied helplessly to the chair. It was a relief to see him in such a position. Unless he had some other tricks up his sleeves like those claws, he was no longer a threat.
Jaune took a step backwards, arms folded across his chest as he took in the scene around him. What was he doing? What was any of this? Shelves and tables were tipped over and destroyed. Books lay strewn all over the floor. In the middle of it all was the store's owner, bloody and bound to a chair at the mercy of two girls who worked for a known crime boss.
If he thought his heart rate was up before, it was through the roof now. He could hear the rapid rhythm inside his skull threatening to burst through his ears.
You should wait outside.
What were they planning?
He needs to fucking learn.
Words which had been lost in the heat of battle suddenly began to make sense. The scene playing out before him was like something out of an old mafia movie. The imagery was all there. A bruised and bloody man was tied down to a chair awaiting interrogation. Had Melanie and Miltia been wearing suits and hats instead of dresses it would have been perfect.
"Let's wake him up," Melanie told her sister.
Miltia nodded. What came next shocked Jaune to his core.
The red-clad girl's hand curled into a fist. However rather than a straight punch she took the back of her hand to Tukson's face. The sickening sound of knuckles on flesh filled his ears, and the man's head whipped around from the force of the strike.
Jaune's heart caught in his throat. "Miltia..." he gasped. A word which was supposed to carry the weight of shock and horror sounded little more like the whisper of a frightened child.
The girl in question looked back at him unapologetically. Gone were the playful eyes of the girl who had tried so hard to threaten him into cooking her breakfast. Gone were the nervous eyes of the girl who had done her best to get out of assisting him in the kitchen. He didn't know what it was that he saw right now. All he knew was that it frightened him.
The blow had done the trick, however. Tukson began to stir. A noticeable amount of effort could be seen in him trying to move his arms, but to no avail. He was held tightly by the bonds which Miltia had placed around him. After a few seconds of struggling he seemed to realize there would be no way out of this. Tukson lifted his head to look up at his captors.
"Glad you're back with us," Melanie said softly. "You gonna cooperate now?"
The man licked his lips before spitting a gob of bloody saliva to the floor beside him. "Piss off."
Jaune was surprised when Melanie didn't react with the anger he had expected. Rather she seemed more amused than anything. "Still got some fight left I see. That's okay. It'll totally be more fun for me that way."
The girl sauntered over to get in close to the seated man, bringing her face so close to his own that for a brief moment Jaune thought she was going to kiss his bloody lips. Melanie did not, and merely stared into his eyes for long moments before finally pulling back.
As soon as she had a little distance Melanie lashed out with a fist of her own. It struck with the speed of lightning, and with Jaune's adrenaline-heightened sense of hearing it may as well have been as loud as thunder. The impact resulted in the chair rocking back and forth for a few seconds before finally settling back down onto the floor.
Melanie's hands came to rest on her hips as she looked down at the man. "You gonna tell me what I want to know?"
Her question was answered with a hard grimace and clenched teeth.
She took another couple of steps forward, grabbing Tukson by his chin and forcing him to look up at her. "You don't have any Aura," she said. To Jaune it almost sounded like she was excited by the idea of it. "That means anything I do to you is gonna last a long time. Understand?"
Tukson closed his eyes. He remained as silent as he was before. However it was clear that he understood the implications of the older Malachite.
"Tell me about Roman Torchwick."
He tried to shake his head, but with his chin in Melanie's iron grip he barely managed to move it. "I can't," he managed to get out.
"Wrong answer."
She released his chin before sending another hard fist into his face. The chair rocked back with such force that it would have tipped over this time if not for the timely intervention of Miltia. The other twin steadied it and remained there holding the back of the seat in preparation for another strike.
The sight was horrifying. Were these the same girls who had teased him at the bar? Whose eyes had lit up at the taste of his cooking? The thought that they were capable of such vicious violence was sickening.
"Roman! Fucking! Torchwick!" Melanie yelled into his face. "What the fuck is your connection to him!"
"I can't," Tukson gasped. "They'll kill me!"
"And I fucking won't?"
This time she went to her specialty. With an elegant twist of her leg Melanie delivered a savage roundhouse kick to the side of Tukson's head. Despite Miltia's presence behind the chair the kick still managed to tip the chair over and onto its side. Only the presence of the tape kept the man on it from spilling out onto the floor.
Jaune had been on the receiving end of such a blow once before and it had dropped him to the ground like he was nothing. Even with his Aura he had been stunned by the strike. To hear that Tukson was still conscious and crying out in pain was a testament to his strength and resolve. A lesser person would have been knocked out cold by the hit.
It was too much for Jaune to bear. He stepped forward, finally able to muster enough courage to speak. "Melanie stop!"
The girl twirled around to look at him. There was murder in her eyes. Junior had never answered whether or not she and Miltia would actually kill him. However in this moment Jaune fully believed she was capable of the act.
"Shut up," she snarled. "You just stand there and shut up, got it?"
"No," he said, reaching out with an arm before thinking better of the idea and retracting it. "You don't have to go this far. Please."
She was on him in a heartbeat, grasping the front of his shirt and squeezing it tightly. Despite the fact that he had a good eight inches of height on her and probably close to a hundred pounds, she was the most intimidating sight he had ever seen.
"Don't you get self-righteous with me, little huntsman," she whispered harshly.
"I'm n-"
"I said shut up!"
He did so. The girl before him was terrifying. The cold look in her eyes was not like anything he had ever seen from her before. She was mischievous. Playful. Sarcastic. Even fun in her own unique way. This though... this was a side of the girl which Jaune had never seen.
"You were the one who tried to lie your way into Beacon," she continued. "You were the one who threw your lot in with criminals. You were the one who agreed to be Junior's muscle. What the fuck did you think that meant?"
Jaune was too scared to voice his answer. He had been under the assumption that he would be a bouncer or some form of security. It seemed so ridiculous right now.
Melanie was right. He had done all of those things. In the eyes of the law he was in league with a known crime boss. Maybe he had simply fooled himself into thinking that he wasn't. Junior seemed like a nice guy, after all. Maybe he had fooled himself into thinking that the twins weren't the man's enforcers. They were a pair of beautiful girls who looked to be around his age. It was easier to see them as that and only that rather than what they really were.
His thoughts went back to Miltia and how she had looked at him minutes before. Was that the real her? What had happened to the girl in the kitchen?
He knew now why she had wanted him to step outside. Miltia hadn't wanted him to see the truth. She hadn't wanted him to see what they were going to do to Tukson. Whether it was for Jaune's own protection or to hide Miltia's other side, he could not say. Maybe it was a little bit of both.
A glance back over to where Miltia was standing saw that the girl had turned her head away from him. Her gaze was on the floor now, and he could tell that she was actively refusing to meet his eyes.
The grip on his shirt loosened, and a moment later Melanie released him and took a step back. "Yeah. That's what I thought."
His silence did indeed speak volumes. He could not refute anything she had just said.
Jaune let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in when Melanie walked away from him and back over to Tukson. He had been lifted back up from the ground by Miltia during the brief conversation.
"We don't have to do this, Tukson," Melanie said as she stood a couple of feet away from her prisoner. She was ready to strike him again if he didn't cooperate. "Just tell me what I want to know and we'll leave. What do you know about Roman Torchwick? Did he order the hit on Junior's club?"
"I can't," he said. The previous edge to his voice was gone. In its place was a desperate whisper. "Please. I can't."
"Yes you fucking can!" Melanie screamed. Her hips were moving and she was about to send another kick into the side of his skull. Without Aura it very well may kill him. She halted in mid-motion at the sound of a single word.
"Stop!" Jaune shouted.
Melanie turned back, a look of pure rage defiling her beautiful face. She was about to stomp over to him once more, but Jaune raised his hands up defensively and spoke again.
"Let me talk to him," he pleaded. "Please. Just give me a chance."
"You don't have the balls to do anything to him," Melanie spat.
She wasn't wrong. However he didn't need to be threatening. All he needed was to be the rational one. Jaune had seen a lot of movies and television shows in his life. If there was one thing he knew about the crime genre, it was that the "good cop, bad cop" act didn't work without a good cop. Right now Melanie was being the worst bad cop possible.
"Just... just give me a chance," he said desperately. He couldn't simply sit by and watch a man be tortured like this. It wasn't something that a huntsman would do. He may be working with criminals, but in his heart he still desired to be a huntsman. To be a hero. If he could be Tukson's hero today it was worth a shot. "Please. If it doesn't work then what harm is it?"
Melanie's arms crossed underneath her breasts, obviously annoyed by the idea. She never got a chance to voice her opinion, however. Miltia placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. When their eyes met all it took was a simple nod from the younger twin to decide things.
"Whatever," Melanie huffed. "You have two minutes."
It wasn't much time, but it would have to do. Thank you, Miltia.
Jaune sent a thankful look over to the girl who had given him a chance to try things his way. Their eyes locked for only a brief moment before the girl turned away once more.
He couldn't focus on her right now, however. A man's life may very well hang in the balance. He had to try his best.
The twins now stood on the sidelines a few steps away from where Tukson was. The man was in bad shape. His face was swelled up now from the repeated blows, and his black and purple skin was caked with dried and crusted patches of blood around his lips and nostrils.
Please work with me, Tukson, his mind begged as he approached him. He knelt down on one knee before the man, trying his best to remember how to form a friendly smile on his lips. "Hey, Tukson," he said softly. The injured man looked up. Hazel eyes were a mixture of tired and frightened. Jaune could not blame him. "My name's Jaune."
"Don't tell him your name!" Melanie shouted.
Maybe it had been a dumb move for if and when Tukson went to the authorities. However right now Jaune wasn't looking that far into the future. His mind was on the here and now. Focused on how to save a life.
He ignored the girl's words and concentrated on the man in front of him. "I came in here to get the latest issue of X-Ray and Vav. I... I'd still like to buy it. If that's okay."
Tukson's eyes widened in disbelief. "Huh?"
Jaune didn't know. He was winging it. This was all pure instinct on his part. He just knew that he needed to be nice. He needed to gain Tukson's trust.
He shrugged. "It's my favorite comic. Guess I'm kind of a nerd about it. You ever read it?"
Jaune wasn't sure if he was successfully making any kind of connection with the man. It was difficult to read a man's face when it was bloody and swollen. At this point all he could go off of were eyes, and there was only so much one could get from them.
"No," Tukson answered.
"You should. It's funny and well-written."
"Are you going somewhere with this?" Melanie interrupted.
Jaune turned to look back at the girl. "I..." he started uncertainly. Truthfully he didn't know himself where he was going with this. The detectives on TV made interrogations seem a lot easier than they really were. "Yeah," he lied. "Just give me some time."
"Then hurry up."
Yeah, no pressure or anything, was what he wanted to say. However right now the last thing he wanted was an even more enraged Melanie. Instead he looked back to Tukson. "So yeah, I really want to read the latest issue. But I can't buy it unless you tell us what we need to know."
In that moment he knew he needed to say "us" rather than "them" referring to the twins. If Tukson knew that Jaune represented the girls and their interests then he might feel more inclined to talk. Talking to the guy who wouldn't beat you up as opposed to the girls who would could do wonders to loosen anyone's tongue.
"I can't," he said just as he had before.
"Why not?"
Tukson shook his head. "I already told you."
Jaune frowned. He remembered what the man had said. It was hard to forget words like those. "Someone will kill you?"
The man swallowed hard. "Yes."
It was powerful motivation. It was the kind of threat that Jaune couldn't compete with. However, he wasn't alone in this. A strategy began formulating in his mind. It was a long shot, but he was running out of time and options.
"Then you're dead either way."
Hazel eyes widened again, and Tukson looked back up to Jaune. "What?"
"If you don't tell us what we need to know then she's going to finish the job," he said, pointing over to where Melanie stood. "But she doesn't have to."
"What are you talking about?"
Okay, Jaune. Keep it together. Lie like your life depends on it... because this guy's life does. "If you tell us what we need to know we can offer you protection." He turned back to look at where the twins stood. "Junior has all kinds of contacts who can do that, right?"
Melanie started towards where Jaune knelt down, Miltia trailing slightly behind her. She grabbed Jaune and pulled him to his feet, bringing his head down close to hers. "What are you doing?" she whispered into his ear.
He didn't know. He knew he didn't have any kind of authority to make a promise like this to Tukson. However it was the only thing he could think of. If Melanie and Miltia were actually capable of killing someone then the man was going to die today. On the other hand if Tukson told them what they wanted to know, death at least wouldn't be a certainty. It was a gamble for sure, but it was the best option he could see.
If Junior could actually offer this man some sort of safety then it would be all the better. A man with Junior's resources and connections had to have that kind of capability, right?
"Trust me," he whispered back to Melanie. "Please."
The girl in white relented, releasing him and allowing him to stand back up at full height. "Fine."
Jaune nodded thankfully, a small smile on his lips all he could muster at the moment. His attention returned to Tukson shortly after. "If you talk we'll help you," he continued. "We won't let anyone kill you."
It was after those words that Tukson's demeanor changed. A slow and sad chuckle played on his lips. It was the sound of utter defeat. Of hopelessness. "You really believe that, don't you?"
He had to. A huntsman would. A huntsman had to believe in himself. He had to believe that he had what it took to protect people.
Jaune nodded. "I do. I'll do whatever it takes to help you. An A-" he stopped himself, remembering Melanie's earlier words about his identity. "I never go back on my word."
"So I'm dead if I do and dead if I don't," Tukson mused. "Unless you're able to protect me?"
When he put it like that it was clear that the man didn't have much faith in Jaune's ability to help him. However after the display with Melanie as well as Jaune's own argument he hoped that it would be enough to convince Tukson that this was the best option. That it was his only option if he wanted a chance to live.
"Pretty much," Jaune agreed.
Two minutes had to have passed by now. Melanie must have known that he was making progress, however. It was the only reason she had not resumed her own method of extracting information from their prisoner.
He was close. He knew it. Just a little more.
"Fine. I'll tell you what I know. On one condition."
Yes! his mind screamed in victory.
"Get me out of Vale."
Excitement quickly plummeted. Get him out of Vale? Impossible.
Jaune had only a couple hundred lien to his name. It was what remained from his Beacon transcript fund. Lien he had thankfully not had to use since Junior had agreed to the recon mission as payment. Still, it was not enough money to arrange for transport out of Vale. Neither by air nor by sea.
Maybe that wouldn't have to be the case though. Maybe Tukson would only want to go to one of the border villages down south. A land transport would be a little cheaper. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to cover the expense.
Only one way to find out. "Where do you want to go?"
"Vacuo. I need a fake passport and a ticket to Vacuo. They'll know if I use my own and they'll come for me." He took a deep breath. "If you can do that then I'll tell you everything."
It was out of the question. Jaune didn't have that kind of lien. He didn't have the capabilities to do so either. Where was he even going to find someone to fake a...
Transcripts.
The answer hit him as hard as Melanie's boot had the other day. Asking Junior for protection was one thing. Asking the man for a fake passport was quite another. It required no lasting commitment. It was something which he might just be able to afford with his remaining lien. If he couldn't then he would gladly work extra jobs for the man to make up the difference.
Filled with a new sense of purpose and confidence Jaune stood up straight and firm before the man. He could do this. He knew it. "Done."
It was clearly not the answer Tukson had been expecting. He probably assumed his demands would be too much for a trio of teenagers. However, Jaune and the Malachite twins were anything but average teenagers.
"Done?"
"Done?" Melanie echoed.
"You heard me," Jaune said. He felt like he was on top of the world. He had done it before, after all. Forging a passport and purchasing a boat ticket would be easy compared to faking transcripts for one of the world's premier combat schools.
"But how?" the man asked.
"You let me worry about that. I'll get you that ticket and passport. You have my word. And like I said before, I never go back on my word."
It had to work. If it didn't then Tukson was as good as dead. If he didn't talk he would be left to the mercy of Melanie. The end of his day would be a lot worse than having a little bit of makeup smeared on his face like Jaune had experienced all those weeks ago.
"Okay," the man relented. "I'll tell you. What do you want to know?"
Jaune felt a chill run down his spine. He had done it. He had actually done it. He had saved a man's life.
He was a hero... and he wasn't even a huntsman.
However he was not about to let himself get caught up in the moment. His negotiation had been successful and it was time to capitalize on it. "Okay. Let's start off by knowing who you think is going to try and kill you."
Tukson licked his lips. For long seconds he sat there. There was still obvious hesitation. Finally though he took a breath and spoke. "The White Fang."
The words cut through him like a blade.
The White Fang? The faunus terrorist organization he had heard about before on the news? Jaune could remember hearing stories of protests which had turned violent. He could remember hearing about bombings of government buildings. About kidnappings and assassinations in the kingdom of Atlas. These were the people who Tukson feared?
He was a faunus. Did this mean he was a part of the group?
"The White-fucking-Fang," Melanie said in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"
The man shook his head. "No."
"Fuck," she breathed softly.
For once Jaune couldn't blame the girl for her liberal use of expletives. He was feeling that way inside too.
He admittedly didn't know much about the organization. What he did know however was that they were serious about their cause. They fought for equality. For faunus rights. They did so by any means necessary. They were not shy about spilling blood.
And now Jaune was about to get right in the middle of that mess.
He wanted to back out. He really did. It was way above his pay grade. He had expected to deal with the creatures of Grimm as a huntsman. He had expected to deal with rowdy drunks and troublemakers working at Junior's club. But terrorists? The White Fang? That was dangerous work. Deadly work. Humans who wanted you dead were a lot different than Grimm.
He was terrified.
However before he could utter a word of doubt Melanie spoke once more. "What about Roman? What does this have to do with him?"
"Everything," Tukson said. "He and the White Fang are working together."
Jaune exhaled. He was shaking. This was getting far too real. Far too serious. Infamous criminals. A terrorist organization. Mob style beatings. This wasn't what he had envisioned when he had agreed to work for Junior.
Going home suddenly seemed like a really good idea.
For the first time in a long while it was Miltia who spoke. "Melanie," she said softly. "The new player in town."
A look of realization formed on the other girl's face as her eyes went wide. "No..."
Jaune didn't know what that meant. However if it was enough to scare Melanie he knew that it was bad.
"Fuck," she said again. "Fuck!" She smashed a boot into one of the bookshelves that still stood in the shop. It fell to the floor without complaint from Tukson. His silence did nothing to spare him from the girl's wrath, however, as she quickly turned her attention to him. "You!" she screamed as she pointed a finger accusingly at him. "You're part of those psychos aren't you! You brought the fucking White Fang into Vale!"
"I didn't bring anyone. They were already here."
Jaune knew that Tukson wasn't at fault here. He knew that Melanie knew as well. However taking one's anger out on a scapegoat was always easier than the truth.
The older girl's hands were on her head as she paced the room. Jaune couldn't believe what he was seeing. She hadn't even been this discomposed on the night they first met. "I can't believe this. I can't believe we're going to have to fight the White Fang."
"Maybe we won't," Miltia offered. "Maybe we can work something out."
"Work something out? They already trashed the club once! They started a fucking war and you wanna try and work something out?"
Was she right? Was the White Fang responsible for what had happened to Junior's club on the night he had arrived for his transcripts? If so then that was likely only a preview of what was to come.
Melanie moved back over to Tukson and grabbed his collar. "Why did the White Fang attack Junior? Trying to take out the competition? Was Roman a part of it?"
"I don't know anything about that," he answered. "I swear. We never talked about Junior at any of the meetings."
"What meetings?"
"We have meetings every few weeks," Tukson explained. "Sometimes to recruit new members. Sometimes to discuss plans. We never talked about Junior though."
Melanie seemed to accept the answer. Or maybe her mind was too scattered to think that he was lying. "When's the next one?"
"Two weeks. It's why... it's why those guys were in back with me."
"What did they want with you?"
"I hadn't been to the last couple meetings. They came to... encourage me to attend the next one."
Jaune didn't like the way he had phrased that. His mind once more went to the old mafia movies. Encourage was a nice way of saying "threaten".
Still though, if the White Fang was as fanatical as the media portrayed them why would one of its members have to be threatened into attending their meetings? "Why haven't you been going to them?" Jaune asked.
Tukson sighed. "When I first joined I thought it was about getting our voice out there. I thought it would be about boycotts. Peaceful protests. To make people know that there was a problem in the world that needed to be fixed."
That made sense. While Jaune had never experienced faunus racism firsthand he had heard about it. There had been an entire war fought over equal rights after all. A war which his family had taken part in on the losing side.
"But it wasn't what I thought it would be," the man continued, his tone darkening. "It wasn't about equality anymore. It was about revenge. It was about hate. It's not what I had signed up for. But once you're in... it's impossible to get out. Not when you know the things you know. When you've seen the things you've seen."
Jaune understood now. "So they'll kill you if you try and run. That's why you need the fake passport. Why you need to get out of Vale."
Tukson nodded grimly. "Yes."
The thought of such a life was horrifying. He couldn't imagine being trapped in such a situation for making one mistake in his life. He had made plenty. Most recently had been his attempt to attend Beacon Academy. What if the penalty had been death? It was essentially what Tukson's fate was. Either stay with the White Fang and do who knows what, or be hunted down as a traitor.
Jaune didn't know how they would find him. He didn't know if they even could. However Tukson thought so. What Tukson believed to be true was all that mattered to the man. It would be what shaped his decisions. Therefore Jaune would have to operate under the assumption that what the man said would happen would indeed happen.
"Okay," he said. He knew in that moment that his voice was shakier than it had been before. Since the revelation of the White Fang being involved with this he suddenly felt a lot less brave. However he had given the man his word, and an Arc never went back on their word. "We'll do it then. I know someone who can make you a fake ID and passport. I'll get them to you as soon as I can."
Tukson laughed again. This time however it sounded less phony. "You really are serious," he said. He was unable to keep the astonishment from his voice.
Of course he was. Huntsman or not he was going to help this man. If he couldn't save one person then what kind of a man was he? What kind of a pathetic excuse for a huntsman would he have been?
"Where's the meeting?"
Jaune turned to look at Melanie who moved to stand beside him now. She glared down at Tukson, perfectly complimenting Jaune's own "good cop" persona flawlessly. Even if she didn't know she was doing so.
"I don't know," he admitted. "They don't tell us ahead of time for security reasons. They send us messages on our scrolls only a couple hours ahead of time. That way if anyone does snitch there's less chance of it being an ambush."
It wasn't a flawless technique but Jaune supposed it was better than nothing. Still, why did Melanie wish to know the location?
"On your own scroll, right?" she asked. "Not some stupid burner thingy or something?"
"Right." He turned back to look at Jaune. "I don't suppose you could get me a new scroll too, could you?"
He didn't know, but he could try. "I'll look into it." He felt so cool saying things like that. He felt like he was a true badass with sources and contacts. Tukson didn't know that he was just a scared teenager who was in way over his head. But the man trusted him. There was no reason to break that illusion now. Not when it wouldn't do anyone any good at this point.
Tukson seemed to accept the answer. "Anything else you want to know?"
Jaune couldn't think of anything. However Melanie chose to answer in his place. "You're taking us to the meeting then."
Jaune spun around to look at her. "What?"
Miltia seemed to share his sentiments if her voice was anything to go by. "Melanie we can't."
"We can and we are," she said firmly. For someone as young as her she spoke with the authority of a seasoned military commander. "Those fuckers are moving in on our turf. We'll show them that Junior isn't someone that they wanna mess with."
No. This could not be happening. Melanie might have been a little reckless. She might have been a little bitchy. But Jaune could not believe she was considering something as crazy as going up against a real terrorist organization.
"Think about what you're saying," Jaune said softly. "These guys... they kill people."
"Yeah, and they're gonna try and kill us next," she said darkly. "For all we know they already did."
"You mean her?" Miltia asked.
Jaune didn't know who she meant by that, but Melanie seemed to both know and agree. "Yeah. Probably a fucking cow faunus by the look of those utters on her chest."
He may have been lost in this conversation, but it didn't change any of the facts. "Still... you don't have to go looking for a fight. This isn't your job."
"And what about you, my little huntsman?" The last two words were spoken with such venom that Jaune briefly thought that she believed him to be her enemy. "If you had made it into Beacon wouldn't this be your job or whatever? Protecting the innocent people and all that shit? Or are you just a good little dog who only does what he's told like the rest of the huntsmen?"
He had no words to counter her there. All of his life he had wanted to be the big hero. To be the man who saved the innocent people of Remnant from the creatures of Grimm. However in the end did it matter who you saved people from as long as you still saved them? Was there a difference between saving a family from a Beowolf or from a terrorist? In reality there wasn't. He knew that. Even if he didn't want to admit it.
"I'm going to that meeting," she continued. "And I'm gonna fuck up all those little bitches who think they're tough guys because they can run around with a mask on at night." Her eyes drifted over to regard Tukson in his chair. "If they're anything like this guy it'll be a breeze."
The look in her eyes told him that she was deathly serious. He glanced over to where Miltia stood. "You're going with her I take it?"
The younger twin nodded wordlessly. He had expected no less.
Melanie placed a hand on his chest when she spoke next. "It's up to you whether or not you're coming with. I can't force you. Maybe it's not the kind of thing that a cook like you should be doing."
As much as he had become used to hearing insults from Melanie, this one still hurt. Maybe after today that's really all she saw him as. If he couldn't hang with them in their world, he was just a cook to the girl.
"We'll be back, Tukson," she said as she started to make her way towards the door. Miltia was right behind her. "A little less than two weeks. Try and get this place cleaned up by then, 'kay?"
The soft jingle of the door sounded and they were gone. Jaune sighed and looked at the sight around him. It wouldn't take two weeks to clean the place up, but it was a disaster. He couldn't imagine how much lien it would cost to replace the broken furniture. He didn't know how many ruined books would need to be thrown out.
It reminded him of the night he had first met the twins.
"Do you have scissors or something?"
Tukson nodded. "Top drawer behind the counter."
Jaune went around in search for the item. It took a few seconds, but soon enough he was getting to work in cutting through the duct tape which Miltia had used. A few seconds more and the man was free.
"I'm sorry about them," he offered. "I... I didn't expect this to happen when I came here today."
"You and me both."
What followed was perhaps the most uncomfortable silence Jaune had ever experienced. For good reason too. He didn't know if the girls were outside waiting for him or if they had gone ahead without him. He was torn on what he wanted. Most of him wanted them to be gone already.
This was the world he was in now. This was the world which Miltia had said was not for everyone. Originally he had thought it was because she believed he was weak. He had taken offense to the girl's warning. Now though... now he knew the truth. He knew that she had nothing but the best intentions for him.
He needed to do some thinking. A lot of it. It was a good thing he had two weeks to do so.
Jaune was about to leave when he passed by the shelf with the comics on it. The one near the front of the store he had been standing next to when the brawl began. He saw the issue of X-Ray and Vav still sitting where he had left it.
Grabbing the comic once again he brought it back to where Tukson now stood. "I... um. I'd like to buy this comic still."
The tension in the room was palpable. All of this had happened because of the stupid book. He had no idea whether or not Tukson would even sell it to him. Jaune was happy when he did.
"Four lien."
Jaune nodded. Reaching down into his pocket he fished out his wallet and began looking through what he had. He didn't have four single notes. "Uh... here," he said handing the man a five lien note. "You can keep the change."
He felt so stupid saying it. Like one extra lien would make any sort of a difference. However he wasn't about to be stingy at a time like this. Not when Tukson's shop looked like it did.
To his credit the man nodded in appreciation. "Thanks."
Not another word was spoken. Jaune turned and stepped back outside into the bright daylight.
The girls were nowhere to be seen.
Author's Note: Many thanks go out to all those who are reading and reviewing.
Jaune's finally getting a taste of the "wild side". Hence the name of the story. Where does he go from here though? Can his idealistic nature mesh with this world?
As always if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them in a review or PM.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.