Hello everyone, how are you doing? Nothing more to say than chapter 20 is up. It is a continuation of information dump- I would like it to turn interesting enough despite the lack of action. I hope you enjoy it!
A few hours earlier, Nanko airport
"This is ridiculous, Ruby" Blake's voice flatly announced to her suit-wearing team leader, who had just finished styling her shades. "No one who cares will be fooled by these outfits."
Dressed in her own disguise and wig, Weiss shot a sympathetic look to the faunus. Ruby's choice of disguise for their friend was a short jeans skirt with black leggings and flat red shoes.
A black blouse on top and a red shawl completed the outfit, along with a ridiculous-looking red beanie to hide her ears and a scarf along her neck. Her hair was tied up inside the beanie, pumping it in many places.
She picked up her suitcase and backpack, as her team leader spoke. "I may have packed our disguises a little hasty, but rest assured nobody will recognize you- how are you feeling the sclera contacts?"
Blake's now small full scarlet orbs blinked in well-concealed satisfaction. "They are the only thing I totally approve of; nice touch to get faunus-compatible ones. Aside from that, I look like a suave painter."
"Oh come on now Blakey! Rubes thought of you a lot! Don't be grumpy and flash a purrfect smile!" three sets of groans were heard followed by a smiling Yang.
The tallest member of the team wore a long purple skirt with brown leather travel boots. A long white sweater and creamy gloves was the only top she had, with a brown trench coat resting on her arms.
Her wild mane was neatly combed into long straight strands and painted dark brown, with a few blonde tips. She let down the duffel bag that contained her equipment and carefully put on her own honey-colored contacts.
"That pun was almost as painful as the beanie pressing my ears" her partner shot a glare at her. "It means I am still in good shape-ouch!"
Weiss, who had walked next to Yang, flicked her in the forehead. She then spoke to Blake in a tired voice.
"You are making way too much fuss over this; I don't like my attire any more than you, but I don't complain."
"Which is weird, given your previous record" Blake jabbed, earning a giggle from Yang. "I hate it when you are all moody." "Blame your partner for this."
"All right, everyone!" Ruby slightly raised her voice. "Like it or not, this is what we have and we make due with it! Blake" she turned at the disapproving faunus "you said you wanted to go to the library, right?"
"Yes, I think I can find information more accurately there than by asking the locals." Ruby nodded "then that's what you and Yang will do. We, on the other hand, will try to find a boat and maybe fish some information from the sailors."
Everyone agreed and Ruby grabbed her cello case "let's go then; we don't have all day!" Yang shot a worried gaze at her marching sister and then looked at her lover's eyes.
Weiss nodded, having received the unspoken message, and stormed off after their team leader.
-o—
"Are you sure you are all right?" Blake's voice snapped Yang out of her thoughts, making the blonde-now-brunette turn around at her partner, walking down the main street of Nanko Northern District.
"Yes, why are you asking?" a red eye glared at her, showing Yang that her attempt wasn't even adequate. "You know, because you seem worried. And for a good reason, if I might add."
She fixed her coat and adjusted her glove to conceal her metal arm even better "After Atlas, Ruby has always been one to take our missions seriously and professionally."
Blake offered her a sincere smile "But this time, she acts way too serious, is what you mean?" "Yes. She still smiles and acts happy and stuff, but I can see she is forcing herself to."
"I can see what you mean" she slowed down her pace "she has been bearing a heavy burden in her conscience, but Ruby has always been a person of admirable strength."
Yang cracked her neck "yeah. And Alizar abducting Jaune and killing those innocents, just to get at her… I think it shook her up more than she expected to."
"Well, that's why we are all here, aren't we? To save Jaune and make things right. We can't bring back the people they killed, but we can stop them from doing worse."
"I know, kitten. I just… lately I feel I am doing even less for Ruby. She is our leader, she is a remarkable huntress, but she is my little sister no matter what. I wanted to give her some space… but am I doing well?"
"You feel like you should be around her more?" the faunus asked back in a curious manner. "Shouldn't I? I mean, she obviously needs to-" "Yang" her partner cut her off.
"I understand how you feel. Ruby is like a sister to me as well, despite not being blood-related. This is why I think you are doing a remarkable job as an older sister."
"Blake?" Yang stopped walking and turned to look at her best friend. "Loving someone is taking care of them, yes, but it also means letting them grow on their own."
"And in that aspect, you are doing magnificently. You also said the exact same thing at Mr. Pale back then, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did…" Yang smiled "but do you really think it's for the best? Am I not neglecting her too much?"
"No, you are not. And that is because I know you and I know Ruby. She wants to fight her own battles and you respect that. But you are always around when she needs someone to lean on."
She winked at the taller girl "and when you are not, you make sure Weiss is." Yang chuckled; her mood significantly improved "you noticed that, huh?"
"I didn't have to" Blake started walking again "I just know Weiss would rather die than having Ruby or you get hurt."
"The same applies to you as well you know that, right?" She flipped her hair, in a very un-Blakey movement "of course I do. She wouldn't like to lose her chess partner now, would she?" she grinned mischievously.
They both walked up the stairs of the considerably large building that Nanko Public Library was. Yang moved in first, Blake slightly behind, striding across a carpet-covered floor to a small bench.
A short man wearing casual clothes was seated behind a large computer, with black curly hair and brown eyes. He had a tag indicating him as a member of the library staff.
"Good morning" Yang gave him one of her most reserved greetings. "Good morning ladies, welcome to Nanko Library. How may I be of assistance?"
"My boss over here" Yang pointed at her partner who had donned a haughty expression of superiority "wants to take a look at the old local newspapers. Do you have an electronic archive?"
The man looked at the disguised faunus who raised a non-amused eyebrow at him. "Indeed we have- the PC room is at the back of the first floor. Just give me your names please."
"Liana High, nice to meet you. This lady is-" "I know how to introduce myself, Liana, thank you." The voice was so flat and emotionless, for a split second Yang thought she maybe had accidentally swapped her partner for an actual painter.
"I am Samantha Noir; please make sure to spell it correctly." The man gulped and gave them a couple password cards, all the time not letting his eyes off Blake.
"Is there any problem sir?" she asked coldly. "I am sorry, Miss. I just can't shake the impression that I have seen you somewhere off my head."
"Ms. Noir is a street artist; you possibly have seen her around." Yang exclaimed to the man, as Blake turned around and left towards the first floor.
"Liana, I am not paying you to chit-chat!" the voice echoed in the library. You are way too into this, kitty-cat the blonde grumbled as she followed suit.
-o—
A few hours later, Yang and Blake were still seated on their PCs, the umpteenth newspaper article passing in front of them; the headlines talking about everything save for the one thing they wanted to find.
"Geez, this is taking forever!" Yang groaned. "Why don't we simply ask the guy for an exact date instead of browsing all newspapers one by one?"
"Because we don't want to draw attention to our true reason for coming here" the red-eyed beauty replied. "It negates all the effort we put into our disguises."
Yang clicked another date on the browser. "We passed all of 73's newspapers and the most important part concerning Red is their unusual number of gold exports in the local area."
Blake opened one more "if you have any better ideas, I am all ears. At least we know how the price of fish and seafood stocks fluctuated twelve years ago."
"How did I manage to live without that important piece of information until now, I will- hey I found something!" she cut off herself when the next newspaper headline opened on the screen.
"Good job, Yang!" the brunette tilted her head to take a look. The newspaper dated March 3rd, 74. The main headline was an irrelevant thing about the price of gold dropping, but this didn't matter.
Because right below, stacked in a small paragraph, both girls read the following announcement.
MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS CLAIMS THE LIFE OF LADY CHARLOTTE RED.
Lady Charlotte was the caretaker of the Red Mansion, a role that will be passed to her only daughter Elia in two years when she comes of age.
The funeral will be held today in the Monsho Island cemetery, with full attendance of Lord Octavios Red and his three children, Elia, Alizar and Robus.
"Seems like the names match- the ages seem to match as well. If we assume this Elia is actually Cinder, it means she was about twenty-two when she attacked Beacon."
"Well, that is- hey I got another match!" Yang opened the tag
March 12th, 74
The Mistralian Council has expressed their growing concern for the sudden increase in Grimm population around Monsho Island, blaming it on the increase in negativity following Lady Red's demise and the sudden disappearance of two groups of fishermen in the waters around it.
When asked, Lord Red replied that there is no reason for concern. The huntsmen of the island and the defenses around Nanko are more than enough to ensure safety.
"I would laugh at the irony, were it not so tragic" the blonde announced as she opened another file.
March 25th, 74
Growing concern surrounds the area of Nanko, following Octavios Red's denouncement of lordship from the Mistralian Government. The Council insists it was a necessary act, while the enigmatic ex-noble hasn't made any public announcement.
Meanwhile, the increase in local Grimm activity is rapid. Three more fishing boats were found last week in the nearby coast, totally devastated, with no signs of the crew.
The Mayor of Nanko has therefore declared a state of emergency; no boats are to leave the harbor without huntsmen supervision. The local huntsmen have also volunteered to aid in any way possible.
"I don't like the direction this story takes" Blake said. "Well, we know the outcome already" Yang replied.
April 8th, 74
Two more boats were found floating crewless in the middle of the sea. Signs of battle were spread all over them, along with a considerable amount of blood.
No boat has managed to reach Monsho Island for the past 14 days, despite the continuous pleas from the locals for help.
Heavy storms are also surrounding the area, making airborne help almost impossible. The Mayor has requested official help from the Mistralian Government, hoping for the best.
In addition, a strange mental illness seems to have been spreading among the sailors. Common symptoms include lack of proper sleep, exhaustion and an aversion to the sea. Three mutinies have been reported in the span of four days.
"That… sounds weird." Blake scrolled up and down "there are references about this weird illness all over the place- but the most of them seem to be around these days."
"Do you think they are connected?" Yang opened another page. "With what I have seen so far, I don't exclude any possibility."
April 19th, 74
It has been almost a month since when the Grimm infestation of Nanko-Monsho sea begun. The island has been completely cut off from any supply route, as two more supply ships got fiercely attacked, only one boat with a few sailors returning back.
The survivors seem to have a severe case of the 'Seamen Disease' as local doctors call it, with horrible dreams and spasms interrupting their sleep, to the point of very strong painkillers being administrated.
Their mental health is questionable and the only useful information authorities managed to extract from them is confirmation that a new species of Grimm is responsible for the attacks.
The situation seems to grow dire, as the heavy storms continue, hampering even communication. Despite the Mayor's best efforts, the Government has been less than supportive, only claiming to proceed as fast as possible.
Fishermen claim to have seen weird green lights in the heavy clouds surrounding Monsho, but their testament is nothing more than a speculation at this point, serving only to further increase public unrest.
"What the hell- this is straight out of Ruby's horror movies." "I agree" Blake answered. "What troubles me the most, however, is the Council's response. It is way too slow, even by incompetence standards."
Yang looked at her partner, clearly disgruntled. "You don't think they just let them die, do you?" A moment of silence passed between them before she got her answer.
"You saw first-hand Lionheart and how he acted. In addition, it could explain why Cinder was so much fixated on revenge." "Well, you have a point, but…"
The faunus bit her lip "remember what Ruby told us; Cinder begged her to kill Salem before she died. What if- and that's a big if- she merely wanted to take revenge on everyone?"
The honey-colored eyes narrowed a little, acknowledging the merit in her words. "She lost her mother and then got isolated with storms, green lights in the sky, Grimm and a weird illness around her. I can't imagine what that does to someone."
May 4th, 74
We stand in horror before one of the greatest tragedies of our time. Yesterday, the Mistralian Government forces announced the total annihilation of Monsho Island and its rename to Grimmwater.
According to official huntsmen, the level of Grimm infestation is high enough to consider the entire area a 0-type disaster zone. However, public opinion holds the Council and its lack of proper response guilty as well.
Investigation will be held to determine the causes behind this tragedy and the actions that must be taken in order to prevent such a catastrophe in the future.
Our hearts are with the poor souls of the four hundred and sixty two residents of the island; may they rest in peace. Memorial Service will be held today afternoon at the Nanko Port.
"As expected" the blonde took her eyes away from the screen "not that it makes the situation less sad." The brunette was still looking at the screen in confusion and anger.
"The only newspaper mentioning it is the local one. And I didn't manage to find anything in the news as well- I can't even imagine what the Council did to undermine its importance."
"Let's not go there- I am sad and angry enough already." A quick nod was her only reply "let's check a few more pages for extra info before we leave- we don't want to let our teammates waiting, after all."