Well, hello there. Back at work for two days and already I wish I was back in my deathbed. People always find a way to ruin everything. ANYWAY! Back to the story! Thanks for staying tuned into this story of ridiculousness. I've been trying to work on this on a daily basis to make sure I don't fall into bad habits. If I keep at that pace, I should be able to move this along smoothly and finish in a reasonable amount of time. I have a clear picture of what I want at the end but building the road is what's important. A little bit of self-experience helps there, I guess. Thank you all again for the reviews, favorites, and follows. They mean more than you could possibly imagine.
RiggyMinus – No. Death would be too easy. He has a much worse fate in store. You'll find that out soon enough.
AzraelSaint – And run they shall! Adding a sense of realism to the story means we don't go diving out the window on a tall building, especially with bushes at the bottom (Ouch!). But I guess if they had entered the room any earlier there wouldn't have been much choice. One broken appendage beats many broken ones.
Konstantinsen – You know, you're probably right about that. I feel like Ozpin's character has always been the IDGAF kind of person. I just hope he wouldn't put them in student's rooms. Chris Hanson used to have a show for people like that.
Crimson Ex – Yes, flight definitely won the "Fight versus Flight" in this scenario. As a fellow male, five angry women is something to run from, no matter how much back-up you have. Self-preservation is key.
...Can you tell which character I was?
OKAY! Just a reminder (as always), this story is RATED M. Shortly, you'll see why. Please be aware of the rating system on at all times or you may see things you do not want to. If you have any words (positive or negative), please feel free to leave a review after reading. Thanks again!
Italicized – Inner Thoughts
BOLD - Speaker
GodRealm
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Chapter 7 – Running Scared
"Damn you! Get back here you cowards!" Yang announced loudly.
Jaune looked over his shoulder at the horde of angry females as he kept at a steady pace behind Neptune and Sun. Yang's voice carried throughout the courtyard. His last act of knocking the ladder away had bought them some extra time in their escape, but how much?
How did this happen? He thought to himself.
After all their careful preparation and coordination, it almost seemed like it couldn't fail. What was that drink? How could something like that even be sold? It didn't matter right now. The only thing that was important was getting some distance.
Jaune continued his glance back at the window when his eyes met Ruby's. He had kept a continuous stare on him, but she was licking her lips? And was that a grin on her face at this point? Jaune's thoughts raced as he tried to process the information. In any case, she had a plan and he didn't like it.
"We'll make our way around the other side of the dorms and head for the front gate!" Neptune announced at the front of the pack.
"Oh man! We are so screwed!" Sun commented while scratching at his head in pure frustration.
"Don't think like that now! We must concentrate on escape. Once we clear the grounds, we'll be in the clear." Neptune replied, keeping at a steady pace.
The boys had gained decent separation at this point. They were far enough to no longer hear the screams of any violent women behind them. In fact, they hadn't heard anything for a few seconds now. Jaune took this time to give one last glance over his shoulder at the window to see that no one was there.
What's going on? He thought to himself, turning the corner of the dormitories behind the other two.
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Ren struggled to break free. The whole thing happened in an instant. One second, he was about to be the hero of the night and bring his fellow companions some delicious pancakes. Boy, were they going to be proud! The next thing he knew, he was being swarmed by a bunch of demons. And now? He was in the lion's den with escape not even contemplatable.
"All right, Ren." Weiss commented, standing in front of him with a scowl present on her face. "What is all this?"
Weiss motioned to the cords that lay hanging from the television and the camera-car in her hand. She demanded an explanation for what was going on. The other females were scattered around the room. They kept quiet but had a similar look on their faces as Weiss. Cold. Angry. Hungry? Yeah, that sounded like Nora.
She was currently feasting away at the plate of pancakes that Ren had so diligently made for himself and the others. Once again, she had robbed him of their buttery goodness and delicious filling. Unfortunately, he was in no position to make an argument against it and he knew that.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I was making myself dinner and you attacked me." He tried.
"Right." Nora commented between bites. "You just so happened to walk back this way to a room we just found the others running from after finding that thing in RWBY's room." She finished, pointing at the camera-car.
"Just fess up or it'll get a lot worse." Yang replied, not giving him a chance to talk.
Ren knew his situation was grim. Speaking of which, he'd much rather be taking on a horde of Grimm than dealing with this potential massacre. What's worse? He found himself bound to a chair in the middle of his own room. He struggled greatly against the rope binding that they had used to secure both his hands behind the chair and then his feet to each leg of the chair.
Why was Yang so good at this? He thought to himself in between their questioning.
He cleared his throat again, attempting to keep the calm demeanor he was known for.
"Ladies, please..."
"Oh, now we're ladies?" Nora commented, shoving another bite of pancake into her mouth. "Look at you trying to be redeemable after your rude comments earlier and pulling a trick like this."
"Look. It wasn't my idea." He answered.
"But you were involved. Guilty by association I'd say." Weiss finished.
"I wasn't even here to see that much! I went to make dinner after a while." Ren stated, becoming more worried.
"So, this thing is a camera?" Ruby replied to his statement.
Ren's eyes went wide in desperation. Not that they probably didn't already figure that out, but he was giving away what he had pledged to secrecy about. Bad mouth. He thought.
"So, you were recording us?" Yang asked.
Her voice was full of anger as she smacked the bureau behind her, causing a loud noise that made Ren cringe in fear. He knew full well what she was capable of. He had seen from previous battles and in sparring that she was a monster when angered. He tried desperately to undue his bindings with no result.
"The guilt is written all over your face. Of all the men here, I would have never suspected you of something so indecent." Yang continued.
Ren held his head in shame, stopping his attempts. They had a point. He was just as guilty as they were for participating in this. His sins had caught up to him and he was being punished for it.
Weiss walked over and knelt before him. She raised his head with her hand so their eyes could meet. A sense of understanding met his sad eyes.
"Look." She began. "You had a moment of weakness. You're only human."
Why was she being so nice to him? They had barely had any interaction before this night besides a few comments. But she was being kind to him now when he needed it most. Maybe she understood how he was feeling? Maybe she could ease the tension in the room.
"What's worse? They left you behind to save themselves. What friends do that?" She continued to speak to him.
She had a point. Neptune and Sun he could see running off into the night, but Jaune? They had left him to take on the full burden of what they had all done. Some friends they were. His sadness was slowly turning to anger as he continued to listen to her speak truthful words. The bonds Jaune and he had formed should have lasted a lifetime, but he had been betrayed in a cold way.
"I think it's time you tell us everything." Weiss finished.
She stood up in front of him as the other girls walked behind her and gathered to stand before him. Nora offered him a bite from the pancakes he had met. He took a bite from her hand. Were these his true friends? The shame he was feeling as great as ever. He finished chewing and looked up to meet their gaze, resilient as ever.
"Okay. I'll tell you everything."
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Neptune peeked his head around the corner of one of the buildings. He scanned the area for any activity but saw nothing.
Damn it. He thought. That camera cost me a fortune. There's no way they're going to give it back after that.
He looked behind him to see and out-of-breath Jaune sitting down against the wall of the building and Sun watching from behind to see if they were being followed. He found himself in quite the mess, but he was determined to get out of here alive. His thoughts fell onto Ren who had walked out earlier. He could only hope he had somehow found himself out of the way of what was now after them and was safe. Not likely.
"Okay." He stated. "We make it through the front courtyard and out the gates. Once we get there, we just need to head directly into the city and reconvene at my apartment."
Jaune caught his breath and looked up at Neptune. "You son of a bitch." He managed while standing up. "You did this to us."
"Excuse me?" Neptune asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Jaune walked over and grabbed him by the collar and stared him in the face. "I said you did this to us."
Neptune smacked his hand away and began fixing his clothing. "Get a grip, man. We're all to blame. We took part in this. Your hands aren't any less dirty than mine."
"You say that, but I'm the one who's really going to get it! You get to go back to your school and finish graduation; meanwhile, I'll be in a wheelchair when I get my diploma!" Jaune yelled.
Sun stepped between the two boys and forced a separation. Jaune and Neptune kept concentration on each other as he made contact with them. He looked at both and gave a sigh.
"Enough, already." He commented. "We need to focus on the task at hand. We can come up with something to fix this issue later, but we need to be ALIVE to do that. Do you both understand?"
The two took a step back and took a deep breath. The tension was thick. So thick you could cut it with a knife, and understandably so. Neptune felt a kick to his pride more than anything. He thought this plan was unable to fail. As the "Intellectual" of the group, when he failed, it hurt more than anything. He had so many more plans for that camera-car that were now in jeopardy of failing due to what had happened.
How could he have known that this "Lightning in a Bottle" was going to malfunction his equipment once that thing (Nora) had ingested it like she had. He wondered if she was even human for that. Regardless, he was responsible for getting Sun and Jaune to his apartment, and he knew it.
"I understand." Neptune replied.
Jaune took a moment for himself. He knew that he was didn't have much choice besides run or surrender. Even if he surrendered, they had been drinking and that meant emotions were wilder. He could apologize now but they would probably break his legs anyway. So no, he wasn't going to do that. He would run. Run scared, yes. But, he would run. He had grown attached to his legs and would protect them.
His mind traveled to Ren like Neptune had earlier. Hoping escape was still in the cards for him and that he would know to retreat to Neptune's apartment as well. He knew the only thing he could do right now was survive. If a rescue mission was needed, he would do it once they formed a plan.
"I understand as well." Jaune finally responded.
Sun dropped his arms and rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't used to keeping the peace even as the leader of Team SSSN, but this was crucial.
"Good." Sun commented. "Then let's keep moving."
"Right." The other commented.
The three began making their way quietly around the side of the building, continuing their exit strategy. Unbeknownst to them were a pair of yellow eyes watching them from the window above. Cat ears twitched at the group moving away and a smile adorning her face.
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The females in the room listened as the tale unfolded. Ren had spilled everything from Cardin's video, to Neptune recording them, to the plans they had all made. Their eyes were wide at surprise at the lengths they had gone to.
Ruby sat there with her eyes closed trying to analyze it all. She thought back to when Jaune had stopped by their room. It all made sense now. He was the plant. This was why he didn't care he forgot his measuring cup. And now... there was no cake to be had. That might have been the hardest truth she had to accept, tearful eyes and all. He had lied to her about cake and there was no crime more offensive that she could think of.
Her mind drifted back to their contact when he had fallen earlier. Was it a mistake? Or was it all part of this ingenious plan to plant the camera? It didn't matter. Ever since she had ingested this drink, her thoughts of Jaune were wilder than usual. Her mouth was watering, and her legs were twitching with excitement. Even when he was running away earlier and he gave her that look of fear, she felt like a predator. She wanted him to run. She wanted to chase her prey.
What would be his punishment? She could think of a few things. Some made her blush, but she felt confident, and ready to attack. She'd have her way by night's end.
"That's everything." Ren commented, finishing his story. "I-I'm sorry."
"You're sexy when you're scared." Nora commented.
"Wh-What?!" Ren replied.
Yang patted Nora on the head. "Relax, you." She commented. "Keep eating those pancakes and let us finish this up."
"I want to, but I don't have any syrup!" Nora complained.
Yang, Ruby and Weiss just smiled at her comment. Weiss continued to write down everything that had happened. She made notations and asked questions during the story just to be sure she had all the bases covered. She cleared her throat before continuing.
"Thank you, Ren. I'm glad to see that you are honestly sorry for what happened." She commented.
"Y-Yes, I do." He replied.
"Just one more question before this is over." Weiss commented.
"Whatever you need."
"Where is Neptune's apartment?" Ruby asked.
Ren looked up at them with pleading eyes. The whole situation seemed grim again. The girls looked at him with suspicious eyes. Something's not right here. He thought.
"I-I can't tell you that." He replied.
"Oh? Why not?" Weiss commented with a grin. Something was definitely not right here.
"Because that wouldn't be right. That's private information."
The girls in the room just looked at each other. The look seemed concerning to Ren as he sat there, appendages seemingly going numb at this point. He could feel a cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck.
"But it's okay for you to record us? That's not invasive?" Nora commented with tone in her voice.
"I didn't say-"
"Then what are you saying, Renny?"
"That's not my name!"
"Answer the question!"
Ren and Nora locked in a gritty stare and battle of wits, something Ren thought he would never have to do. She kept her hands on her hips as she kept her eyes on him and he was not backing down, despite his position. He again began trying to loosen his restraints as everyone in the room only smiled.
"You're all planning something aren't you?" He commented. "I may be at fault for this as much as them, but I won't sell them out. Even I have to draw the line with this!"
Yang sighed at his comment. He just had to be too smart for his own good.
Suddenly, Ruby's scroll began to ring. The room went silent as she pulled it from her pocket and saw Blake's face and number on the screen. She answered it and brought the device to her ear.
"Hello? Yeah, we're still here. Oh? Ohhhh? Awesome. Good. Keep your eyes on them, we're on our way."
Ruby ended the call and began putting the phone away. She smiled an evil grin and licked her lips and began making her way to the bedroom door leading to the hallway. Once there, she opened the door all the way.
"We done here?" Yang asked.
Looking back at her sister, Ruby nodded with a smile. "She's following them now."
"Finally." Weiss commented, heading out behind her.
Ren only looked around in confusion before realizing what had been happening. They did a Good Cop/Bad Cop on him to get him to speak. They weren't planning on releasing him after he helped them out but were instead using him to get everything they needed. He felt like a fool, but he hadn't given them up completely. He could scold himself later, but they were still unaware of Neptune's apartment location.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Yang commented.
Ren only looked at her with confusion as she walked over to the side of Ren's bed and picked up a container. Not just any container. It was his syrup. But why did she want that? Better more, why was she walking towards him?
His eyes went wide as she walked over, devilish grin apparent on her face. He watched in horror as she dumped the container of syrup all over him, covering him in the delicious, sticky goodness.
"What the hell! Why?! What a waste!" Ren yelled, clearly distraught.
Ruby snapped a picture of him as she walked out the door with Weiss following closely behind. Yang was last to walk out, grabbing the knob. She looked back at him, still smiling while he continued to berate her from his sticky prison.
"Giving you your just desserts." She commented before closing the door slowly behind her and following her teammates.
Ren could feel they syrup in binding to his hair and dripping down onto his body as well as the rest of his clothing. Unfortunately, that wasn't the most the concerning thing currently. His eyes moved to the one other presence in the room, Nora. She was looking at him with a smile as well, drooling mostly.
She made a step towards him as his eyes grew with fear he had never felt before.
"There's the syrup." She commented, wiping her mouth slightly. "Don't worry, Renny. I'll handle that for you. You delicious, snack."
Step.
"Wait. Wait, Nora!" He commented.
Step.
She ignored his cries. Much to his dismay, she began to unbutton her shirt as she took another step towards him. He tried desperately to wiggle out of his bindings, hoping the syrup would provide some sort of lubricant to assist with it.
Step.
"I told you I'd take you down a peg later." She commented. 'Where's that bravado now?"
Step.
"L-Look, I'm sorry. Truly I am. But you don't want to do this!" He cried.
She dropped her shirt to the ground, breathing heavily. She was now standing in front of his scared figure. Slowly, she reached into his pocket and pulled out his double-sided coin that he had conned Jaune with many times, showing it to him, much to his confusion.
"Want to flip for it? I call heads."
"W-Wait!"
But she would not listen, tackling him. There would be no escape.
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Ren's screams were heard through the door as Team RWBY smiled.
"They're heading towards the front gate Blake said." Ruby mentioned.
"Got it." Weiss responded. "Let's head out."
"You two go ahead of me. I'm going to check on Pyrrha." Yang replied.
The other two made their way down the hall. First, they would need their weapons out of storage and then, it would be time for the counterattack.
Yang opened the door to her room after watching them lave. She peaked into the room and to her surprise found that Pyrrha was not on the bed where she was last. In fact, after scanning the room all over, she was nowhere at all to be found.
Yang stood there for a few moments as a cold sweat of her own dripped down the back of her neck.
Well, that's not good. She thought.
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I did not plan on writing this much as I began. I was actually going to do this tomorrow night, but once I got into it, I couldn't stop. This was actually fun to write, and I didn't want to forget to include something later. I did not storyboard this chapter like I usually do but had a general idea of what I wanted to convey and where to stop.
I hope you found this torture scene of poor Ren to be somewhat enjoyable. The people I initially pitched this chapter to found it both upsetting and laughable which is how I felt writing it. Please Like and Subscribe... Err, I mean Review and Follow if you enjoyed. Next chapter, Operation: Attack RWBY turns into:
Next time: Operation: RWBY Attacks
GodRealm
