A few days ago…
"Hm, is that all? I make that much in a week, Schnee."
Arrogantly, the tiger faunus prowled around him. The Schnee had some nerve to even attempt to contact her, much less visit one of her lairs on the vast sea. Despite her frustration, she was amused to say the least.
A Schnee wanted a faunus' help? She almost laughed from the mere thought. Yet, here he was with bags full of money all the people in the world would pine after.
Since Jacques Schnee was on her ship, he subscribed to her rules. He seemed to really want Sienna to complete a job for him. The man squirmed in unease. Probably because he was surrounded by the very things he hates: faunus.
Several Khans surrounded them with their guns held high, ready to shoot on a moment's notice. The Schnee had only brought a couple of bodyguards for security. He might as well be in a death trap. If Sienna wanted him dead, he would be by now. Her underlings wondered why she hadn't given the signal. In reality, she was having fun. Maybe too much fun.
"I'll double the amount," Jacques offered as he dropped a money bag on the floorboards.
All eyes in the room stared at the cash. Mountains of the bags piled up. That much would easily buy five fleets.
Sienna stared at him like he was a moron. "This will set me for… two weeks," she said, unimpressed. "Does that sound fair to you?"
While the Khans made a fortune from robbery, they'd never made the amount offered. Sienna only wanted to see how much she could milk this. Jacques Schnee was in many ways a criminal, but he didn't have the boldness to become familiar with the pirate world.
Jacques seemed to be deep in thought. He sounded very hesitant by his next proposal.
"Quadrupled. I'm not going any higher."
"Deal," with that, Sienna swiped one of the bags as it clinked in wealth. "Consider your daughter captured."
"I will not tolerate failure," Jacques practically hissed, recalling his last hire. "Previously, I hired a pirate bounty hunter named Cinder Fall. She failed on preposterous levels."
"Cinder?" Sienna asked in amusement like the two had a past. "She tends to overestimate herself. True, she's skilled, but I'm on another level. Another league."
After staring at her tiger stripes, Jacques frowned. "Spare me the life story. The pirates my daughter has surrounded herself with are frustratingly barbaric."
"Yeah, yeah," Sienna waved a dismissive hand like she didn't care about his opinion. "I know all about the Thorns. Your daughter joined them because you're a prick. There's also a faunus, blonde bimbo, a child, and an old fart."
"She's with a faunus?" Jacques asked in exasperation.
From the question, the tension in the air could be cut with a knife. All the faunus in the room gripped their weapons steadily. A few ears perked up, alert. And some tails stiffened. They waited for their captain's orders.
Sienna glared with her devilish eyes as she advanced toward him.
"Really? After everything I said, you gravitate to faunus? You better watch your mouth. Who knows, maybe next time my crew goes on a raid, we'll take that mansion of yours. It's too big for only one person. Now that all your children have left you. Which is impressive to me. You must've been the biggest asshole to make them both leave- escape- you. I would call that a massive failure. The most monstrous failure I've ever seen."
To retaliate, Jacques growled. "I could have your entire fleet at the bottom of the ocean with a finger snap."
"Instead of a constructive conversation, you threaten me," Sienna said with a smug smirk. "Threats will get you nowhere. They only make me excited by the stakes. Pirates, what can you do? We love the thrills."
"Complete your job and you will receive the other half," Jacques stated.
"Oh, and about the faunus with the Thorns," Sienna trailed off with a satisfied smile. "She's quite skilled. Managed to evade me, unlike so many others who've died for their freedom. She could have your ass on the ground in two seconds flat. You might want to think about the consequences when you piss someone off. As a rich guy, you're not used to consequences, so I will be yours should you spout any more ignorant bullshit."
"You have quite the foul mouth," Jacques said, but that was to be expected of a faunus.
"I'm a grown ass woman," Sienna said in a tone that suggested he was an idiot. "Shit, fuck, shit, fuck, bullshit," she slewed several obscenities. Each one caused a satisfying reaction. She loved watching the Schnee squirm. "Listen up, Schnee. If we have a deal, we do it on my terms."
"Bring me back my daughter," Jacques demanded. "I don't care how you do it. Drag her back if you have to."
Slowly, Sienna raised one hand. That made the Khans lower their weapons. Reluctantly.
"This'll be fun."
Present…
For a while, the bumblebee couple had been watching Ruby fail at making proper conversation with Adam. Through the door inside, it looked like it was one-sided. Not that Ruby cared. It looked like she was content to ramble to the temporary arrival.
The bull faunus was staring at the waves like he was elsewhere. In fact, he appeared to be flat-out ignoring her. They were surprised he didn't walk away yet.
"He doesn't like humans," Blake mentioned with sadness. "I don't think he wants to interact with them. That's why he surrounded himself with faunus."
"Damn," Yang cursed. "That's pretty narrow-minded."
A nod.
When they cracked the door open, Ruby was talking faster than ever.
"What's up with the mask? It looks really cool! Is it supposed to be a grimm? Why'd you pick a grimm? They're monsters so I don't know why you'd want it on your face. Not that it looks bad or anything. I'm all for people making their own fashion statements. I mean, look at me. I'm wearing a cape. Don't you sweat under the mask? Wouldn't it feel gross at some point?"
While she continued, Weiss appeared behind the bumblebee pair with a confused look.
"What're you dunces doing now?"
"Seeing if Adam will say a single word to Ruby," Yang chirped. "She needs to stay away from him, anyways. I guess this is a good thing."
"You don't like him?" Weiss asked curiously, which earned nods. "Why not?"
Yang crossed her arms as her done lowered. "He's an asshole, that's why. I'd kick him off the ship but that's either a death sentence or slavery. Not even he deserves that."
Weiss still looked utterly confused but had a hunch. "Blake? Care to explain?"
"He isn't a nice guy," the faunus affirmed.
"Alright then," Weiss said with finality. She trusted her friends' judgment even blindly, so she sauntered over and grabbed Ruby by her arm. "Leave the poor guy alone, dunce."
As she dragged her girlfriend away, Ruby waved. "Nice talking to you, Adam!"
When they were inside and the door shut, Ruby was met with concerned stares.
"Uh," Ruby mumbled. "Am I missing something here?"
After Weiss lightly sighed, she gave her a smile. "You really can't read social situations, can you?"
Like a curious puppy, Ruby tilted her head. "He looked like he was listening. He seems like the quiet type."
Firmly, Yang set a hand on her shoulder. "Rubes, it's best to not interact with him. He's tormenting Blake."
"What?!" Ruby yelped, feeling like a bombshell had been dropped on her. "What'd he do?!"
Adam had been messing with her crewmate? Anyone who did that was going to get a stern talking to! They would suffer the consequences!
"It doesn't matter what he did," Blake cut in, sure of her words. "We're just saying it might be best to keep your distance."
"It does matter," Ruby said sternly, wanting to know the details.
Suddenly, the monkey faunus slid behind the group. It started a few of them as they flinched from his unexpected voice.
"Sup guys? What're we whisperin' about?"
Wanting to know his genuine opinion, Ruby asked. "What do you think about Adam?"
"He's a hell of a fighter," Sun said easily like that was the first thing on his mind. "He keeps to himself. But if you ask me, he gives me the creeps."
Interest piqued, Blake asked. "Why?"
"He liked Sienna," Sun revealed. "He agreed with her ideals. I can't get past that."
"It's understandable," Yang tried to cheer him up. "I've never met anyone who liked Sienna."
Weiss simply nodded in understanding. "You can't tolerate the intolerant. It's what we learn over and over again."
"Well said," Ruby commented, thinking that was terribly true.
While they discussed, Qrow had taken a break from steering and noticed the group in the hallway. They were using low tones, almost whispers. That made him curious as he sauntered over.
"Anyone who messes with my crewmates goes overboard," Qrow said in finality as he looked to Blake. "You want me to drop him off somewhere before Vacuo? It can be arranged. Just say the word."
"No," Blake quickly replied, shutting the offer down on the spot. "That would be a death sentence. If people see a faunus that's not a slave, they'll either capture or kill him."
"Blake's right," Ruby admitted the sad reality. "We have to take him to Vacuo. At least he has a chance there."
It was only the moral thing to do. Any other arrangement would cause the guilt to pile on them.
"Until then, I'll be on guard with Blakey the whole time," Yang said as she kissed her cheek.
From the affection, Blake smiled. "No complaints here."
Tension on the crew~
Stay dandy,
~Toto
