Chapter 19) Roadblocks
A/N: It sucks being the only person in my friend group who likes Bleach. I have no-one to get excited with about how AWESOME each new episode is!
Oh right, I'm writing a RWBY fanfic right now. Better get back on track…
Weiss stared up at the CCT and went over all the reasons in her head why this was probably a very bad idea.
Then she pushed all those thoughts aside and entered the tower anyway.
Desperate times…
"Good afternoon, Miss," the receptionist greeted her as she stepped inside. "Welcome to Vale CCT! How may we assist you today?"
"I'd like to use one of the main terminals if that's OK," Weiss replied. "I need to request a large number of files for a project."
The receptionist tapped a few keys and nodded, gesturing to the doorway that led into the main terminal station. "Terminal number thirteen, on your left at the end. If you need anything else, just let me know."
"Thank-you." Weiss pushed through the door and made her way towards the far end of the room.
Thirteen, huh? Let's hope that isn't a bad sign…
Don't be silly, Weiss. Superstitions like that are nonsense.
Taking her seat, Weiss logged into the terminal and pulled the Scroll out of her pocket, slotting it into the dock. Not her personal Scroll, though. This was a spare that she had held onto just in case she ever needed it. It had been wiped clear of everything else as a precaution. Perhaps a tad excessive, but Weiss was not about to take any chances, given what she was about to do.
Weiss opened up the call app and dialled the number she needed, making sure to switch off the camera as yet another precaution.
Will he even pick up? Does he even have his Scroll anymore?
The call connected, and a tired but familiar voice spoke from the terminal's speakers.
"Hello, this is Whitley Schnee. May I ask who is calling?"
Weiss smiled, even as she felt her heart ache over how worn-down her brother sounded.
"Hello there, this is Whitney. Are you busy right now? I was wondering if we could talk about the recital."
Weiss wondered for a moment if Whitley even remembered the old code they had come up with all those years ago, their little pass-phrases they used to let each other know if they were alone or not whenever they wanted to talk without being listened in on.
…
The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.
…
"Not at the moment," came Whitley's reply, sounding noticeably more upbeat than before. "I was just reading a little. The piano is in need of repair."
'Reading a little'. That meant he was in his room alone.
'The piano is in need of repair'. That meant no-one else was home.
No-one to overhear them. They were safe.
"How are you, Whitley?"
Whitley sighed. "I'm fine, all things considered. Just short on sleep at present. Things have been a bit unsettled as of late."
Weiss frowned, not liking how that sounded. "Unsettled how, exactly?"
"It's not important," Whitley replied quickly. "What about you? How are you doing? Are you keeping well? You sound rather sleep-deprived yourself."
Weiss sighed. Her brother was far too perceptive. "It's part of the reason I called, actually."
"Go on," Whitley pressed.
Weiss paused for a moment, hesitating slightly about what she was about to ask of her twin.
Should I really be doing this? I could get Whitley in a lot of trouble if he gets caught, and for what? To make things easier for myself?
"Weiss? Are you still there?" Whitley was starting to sound worried.
Weiss shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be asking you for things like this. Forget it."
"No I shall not," Whitley replied simply. "You called because you need my help, did you not? Whatever else, you can at least tell me what is going on."
"I don't want to put you in a bad position," explained Weiss. "This could cause you a lot of trouble."
Weiss heard a bark of bitter laughter from the terminal speakers. "Dear sister, if you are concerned about my getting on Father's bad side, I can assure you, I truly do not care. He can hardly think less of me than he already does."
Weiss winced at the bitterness in her brother's voice. "Whitley…"
Whitley cut her off. "Let me decide for myself. Tell me what is troubling you, and I'll see how I can assist you."
'Your brother is not fragile. Jacques might not think highly of him, but you and I both know that Whitley is strong in his own way.'
Winter's words echoed in Weiss' mind, and she knew that her elder sister was right.
"My team are investigating White Fang activity in Vale. We got involved in an incident a few weeks back, and we've been trying to follow any lead we can to try and track down the perpetrators. So far though, we've come up empty."
"You're… going after the White Fang?" Whitley asked slowly, cautiously.
Weiss grimaced. "Not alone, I'm not. And we don't plan on confronting them directly this time. We're going to hand whatever we find over to the authorities and let them deal with it."
"This time!?" Whitley exclaimed. "Weiss, what happened!? What did you do!?"
"I'm fine!" Weiss insisted. "I'm not hurt, and I didn't go out of my way to fight them, if that's what you're thinking. My teammate was in danger, and I helped her escape. That's all."
"… Turn on your camera."
Weiss blinked. "Why?"
"So I can see you," Whitley said sharply. "So I can see that you're telling the truth."
If it'll put his mind at ease…
If no-one was home, then Weiss supposed there was no risk of being seen by Father. So she pressed the button to activate the camera, switching to video call.
The light beside the camera lit up, indicating that is was active.
"There," she said simply, looking directly into the lens. "Satisfied that I'm uninjured?"
Whitley said nothing for a long moment, and Weiss began to wonder of their connection had been cut.
Then her own screen's display changed, and she saw her brother looking back at her.
Whitley's hair, the same pure white as all of their family's hair was, had grown out a little, his bangs just beginning to cover his brows. He was slightly paler than normal, with noticeable dark bags underneath his uncovered eye. He had forgone using his glass eye today it seemed, opting instead for the blue-and-white patch that she had made for him years ago.
All told, he looked as worn-out as he sounded, but nonetheless he smiled at her from across the screen.
"It's good to see you, Weiss," Whitley said warmly.
Weiss smiled back. "It's good to see you too, Whitley."
The two of them just… sat like that for a few seconds, smiling small smiles and appreciating this little moment.
"I miss you," Weiss whispered.
"I miss you too, Weiss."
Whitley shook himself slightly, his smile dropping as he became serious again. "Now then, what exactly do you need me to find for you?"
Weiss snapped back to the task at hand. "Any reports you can get me on incidents involving SDC shipments in the Vale area. If we can find a pattern of any kind, it might point us in the right direction."
Whitley disappeared from view for a few seconds as he rearranged some things on his desk, presumably pulling up his second screen.
"Well then," Whitley said upon returning to view sat at his desk. "Let's see what I can find on the company records."
"You're sure you're OK doing this?" Weiss asked. "You can, and probably should, say no."
Whitley just smirked. "My dear sister, don't pretend like this is the first time I've gone snooping around Father's work. Now, do you have a device ready to receive the information once I get it?"
Ruby checked the time on her Scroll once more as she waited on the bench, just outside the small café that had somehow become their agreed-upon meeting spot that they always used.
I should really get a watch.
The display read a few minutes before 2PM. In her excitement and impatience to get out from the dorm for a little while, Ruby had managed to arrive slightly earlier than she needed to.
She felt a little guilty for having ditched the rest of her team for the afternoon, but she needed this break. The four of them had been juggling their studies, and their training, and planning the dance, and investigating any and all leads on Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. Needless to say, they were all four of them reaching the end of their tethers with it all.
Especially with regards to the investigation. After more than two weeks of searching for information any chance they got, all they had managed to learn thus far was that Roman Torchwick apparently ran a surprisingly tight ship when it came to his criminal enterprises. He left very little evidence behind whenever he was involved in a robbery, just enough to tie him to the crime without providing anything useful for tracking him down.
The White Fang were just as hard to pin down. Blake had explained that small groups of them would frequently move their location to avoid being found, and it was evidently quite an effective strategy.
It was all proving to be equal parts maddening and disheartening. Anytime they found some small piece of evidence, the trail it sent them down would always be a dead-end.
There was only so much of that someone could put up with before being driven crazy. So, Ruby decided to put another of her mother's old words-of-advice to good use, and step back for a little bit to recharge before carrying on.
Hopefully the others will take today off from all of this as well. After all, it's not like we're making any real progress… with either of our projects.
"Ruby!" called a voice from across the street, prompting Ruby to lift her head and smile upon seeing who was waving at her.
Penny.
The taller, orange-haired girl jogged over to the bench where Ruby was waiting, beaming at her all the while. She was dressed in her usual attire, but had also opted to wear a wide-brimmed hat that seemed a little too big for her head. "It is wonderful to see you again, Ruby! I am sorry we could not meet at all these past few weeks, I was rather busy with some other things."
"S-so was I, actually," Ruby replied as she rose from her seat. "Th-thanks for coming out w-with me today."
"No thanks are necessary, Ruby! I am always happy to spend time with you!"
Ruby smiled at that, and felt her cheeks warm slightly at the same time. Penny's bubbly enthusiasm was infectious in a way that Ruby had never felt before.
"W-well then," Ruby began, as the pair set of at a slow pace down the street, walking side-by-side. "R-ready for a proper tour of V-Vale?"
Penny nodded with enough vigour that her hat almost fell off her head. "By all means, lead the way!"
Truthfully, Ruby didn't actually know a whole lot about Vale. She had lived on Patch for much of her life, and it was only in the last few months that she had gotten to spend time in the capital now that she was attending Beacon. Even then, Ruby wasn't in the habit of exploring the city very often, mostly sticking to a few familiar places that she knew were nice and quiet.
"Th-that's the Vale Library." Ruby pointed to the large, glass-fronted building that took up one whole side of the North Square of the city. "Beacon's library h-has a lot, but if there's s-something that you can't f-find at Beacon, this place probably h-has it."
Penny stared up at the library with rapt interest. "It looks a lot bigger than the Central Library in Mantle."
But Ruby knew the city well enough to navigate it without getting lost… most of the time. So she could at least give Penny a basic run-down of the city, while pointing out the handful of places that she liked to visit herself.
"Over there… that's the café w-where I met Professor Ozpin." Ruby gestured to the small, out-of-the-way café opposite where they were walking, en route to the South Plaza.
Penny lit up upon seeing the café. "Maybe we could go there later?"
Ruby nodded, and smiled. She seemed to be doing that a lot this afternoon.
"I'd like that," she said. "I n-never did get to try th-the cocoa…"
Ruby trailed off. In the distance, she could hear the sound of a commotion. A large number of voices talking over one another.
Is that coming from the Plaza? What's going on?
Penny had noticed as well, so the two of them made their way towards the noise, rounding the corner to find a sizable crowd of people gathered around a stage set up in the centre. Standing on the stage were half-a-dozen humanoid figures, metallic and faceless.
Are those Atlesian Knights?
"I didn't r-realise there w-was some s-sort of presentation on today…" Ruby mumbled, glancing around to look for a path out that wasn't too crowded. She wasn't feeling too keen on wading through a dense crowd.
"Oh, of course!" Penny exclaimed, startling Ruby slightly with her yell. "I did not think of this! Ruby, let's watch! I am sure you will find this fascinating!"
Ruby supressed the urge to pull her hood up reflexively. She really didn't want to join the crowd, especially if whatever show this was turned out to be a noisy one that got everyone jumping and yelling…
"There is a spot just over there that is more out of the way," said Penny, pointing off to her right. Ruby followed her finger to see an area of the Plaza that was much more devoid of people.
Well, that looks a bit better. And Penny does seem excited about whatever this is…
Swallowing, Ruby nodded, and allowed Penny to lead her over to the empty space.
"S-s-s-so…" Ruby managed to force out, her stammer acting up more than it had been earlier. "Y-you know w-what th-this is?"
Penny nodded, but said nothing more, so Ruby turned to face the stage.
"Greetings to all," a voice announced through the speaker system. "Thank-you for coming to today's demonstration. We hope that you all enjoy what you are about to see."
Where have I heard that voice before?
A pair of blue lights clicked on from either side of the stage, their beams meeting in the middle and forming the outline of a person.
The lights, hologram projectors, brightened, and the outline became a distinct individual. Clad in a military dress uniform, with short hair and a distinctive metal plate above his brow, Ruby's eyes widened as she realised who she was looking at.
General James Ironwood, headmaster of Atlas Academy and leader of the Atlas Military.
"By now, I'm sure you are all familiar with the AK-130 series of Autonomous Atlesian Knights." General Ironwood… or rather, his hologram, gestured to the six androids sharing the stage with him. "The AK-130 has been the standard security model of Remnant for almost a decade now, and they have done a fine job. Wouldn't you all agree?"
A smattering of applause came from the crowd, and the Knights responded by bowing in that stiff and jerky manner that they had become infamous for.
Ruby felt her skin crawl at the sight. She couldn't really explain why, but she had never really liked the Atlesian Knights. Something about them just felt off, but Ruby had a hard time pinpointing exactly what that something was.
"However," Ironwood continued, the applause settling down as he resumed his speech. "The Kingdom of Atlas is the Kingdom of Innovation and Progress, and 'fine'… Well, that's just not good enough, is it? The people of Remnant deserve nothing less than the very best that we can offer you. So our engineers have been working diligently to bring you the next generation of cutting-edge hardware."
The sound of gears and motors accompanied six metal containers that rose up behind the still-bowing Knights. The doors, each emblazoned with the spear-on-shield insignia of Atlas, slid open.
"I present to you… The Atlesian Knight 200!"
Six new figures stepped out of the containers and shoved the AK-130s to the ground. The new droids were white and black, with sleeker forms and smother movements.
Polite applause accompanied the reveal of these new models, and General Ironwood smiled at the crowd as his hologram waled up and down the stage.
"The AK-200 is a leap forward in autonomous defence. Smarter, sleeker, and… let's be honest, a little less frightening to look at."
At that, the six droids all began to strike various poses. One pointed finger-guns at the crowd, another bowed in a very formal manner, a third and fourth high-fived each other, and the last two flexed their non-existent muscles, eliciting a few laughed from the audience.
Ruby could appreciate the incredible feat of technology she saw in front of her, but she still found herself feeling creeped out by the droids, despite how much more humanlike they looked and acted.
"These newest models are still a work-in-progress, but we expect them to be combat-ready later this year."
"But they won't be alone," added Ironwood. "I have one more announcement to make here today before we conclude. Now, the Atlas Military has always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield, but it is undeniable that there are still a multitude of situations that will require… a human touch."
This piqued Ruby's interest, and she found herself leaning slightly forwards.
What does he mean by that?
"We don't have a prototype to show you today, but rest assured that what I am about to show you is very, very real. I present to you… the Atlesian Paladin!"
A second hologram appeared beside Ironwood's, and Ruby's jaw dropped as she stared up at the stage.
One of her's and Yang's favourite videogames from years ago was one where you could play as giant robots. Now, projected up on stage for everyone to see, was something that looked like it came right out of that very game. Towering over Ironwood, the behemoth stood on two piston legs, supporting a heavily-armoured main body. Its arms were adorned with huge guns, larger than anything Ruby had seen before outside of airship turrets. As the hologram rotated, Ruby could make out additional missile ports on the machine's shoulders, what looked like laser-targeting systems on all sides, and much more besides.
"Whoa…" Ruby breathed in awe.
"I knew you would like it," Penny said beside her.
"These mechanised battle suits will be seen defending Kingdom borders within the year! In tandem with the AK-200s, and fighting alongside the very best Huntsmen the world has to offer, Remnant will be safer from the threat of the Grimm than ever before in history!"
Raucous applause and cheers erupted from the crowd, the racket stabbing at Ruby's eardrums and jarring her out of her awe-stricken state. She reflexively clamped her hands over her ears to block out the noise, forgetting for a moment that she was out in public and not all by herself.
A tug at her sleeve drew Ruby's attention to Penny, who was looking at her with concern and saying something that Ruby didn't quite hear.
Withdrawing her hands, Ruby ducked her head in embarrassment, mentally kicking herself for overreacting like she had done.
"S-s-sorry," she mumbled. "It just… got a bit too l-loud."
"Then let's go somewhere else," Penny replied. "Maybe back to that café we walked past?"
Nodding, Ruby followed after Penny as the two of them withdrew from the Plaza and returned to the side street they had been walking down before.
"I'm sorry, Ruby," said Penny. "I should have realised that you would find the noise uncomfortable."
Ruby waved her hands at Penny's words. "It's n-not your f-fault, Penny. And I did l-like the sh-show. Th-that Paladin l-looked really cool."
Penny smiled, but it was more subdued than her usual beaming smiles were. "All the same, I should have known better. So I am sorry, Ruby."
"It's OK Penny, r-really," Ruby insisted. "N-now come on, let's go to th-that café." Ruby turned and stepped off the sidewalk to begin crossing over to the other side, forgetting in her rush to distract Penny to check for oncoming traffic before she did so.
"Ruby, look out!"
Ruby only just about heard Penny's shout of alarm over the deafening noise of a horn blaring from her right. Immediately, Ruby clamped her hands over her ears once again to try and block out the painful noise, freezing on the spot due to the sensory overload and forgetting to move out of the way of whatever vehicle had honked at her.
Then there was the sound of a crash, of metal buckling and asphalt cracking and tyres screeching to a halt that all managed to drill into Ruby's ears despite her best attempts to block it all out. She screwed her eyes shut and hunched over, wanting nothing more in that moment than for the painful noise to go away.
It did. The world fell silent almost immediately, and Ruby breathed a sigh of relief.
Then reality caught up to her, and Ruby realised with no small amount of horror that she had just wandered out into the road and almost gotten hit by a car, and that that car had presumably just swerved to avoid her and crashed into something else.
Opening her eyes and spinning around, Ruby prepared to run over to the vehicle and begin helping whoever might have gotten hurt because of her stupidity-
She froze, and stared in utter shock at the sight before her eyes.
It was a van that had almost hit her, but it had not swerved like she had assumed. It had come to a dead stop less than a metre from where Ruby was stood, it's front end crumpled as if it had slammed into a wall.
But there was no wall. Standing in between Ruby and the now-totalled van, hands outstretched and pressed against the destroyed front-end of the vehicle, was Penny, the ground beneath her feet cratered.
Penny had stopped the van with her bare hands.
"Wha…?"
"Are you unhurt?" Penny asked the driver, who had emerged from the side of the van in a bit of a daze.
"Yeah, I'm fine…" he replied slowly. "Are you?"
"I am uninjured, yes," Penny responded, taking her hands off the front of the van and turning to face Ruby. "Are you OK, Ruby?"
Ruby could only nod, at a loss for words at what she was seeing.
"That is a relief," Penny sighed. "Come on, we should probably get out of the road."
Penny gently took Ruby's arm in her hand and guided Ruby across to the opposite sidewalk.
Glancing down, she looked at Penny's hand and noticed that her glove had been torn.
That must have hurt her hands. How is she not in pain right n-?
Ruby's mind stalled as she noticed exactly what Penny's torn glove had revealed. Not skin, or even torn and bloodied flesh… but dull, grey metal.
"Penny, your hand-"
Immediately, Penny withdrew her hand and clenched both of her fists, holding them close to her chest and staring at Ruby with wide eyes.
She looked terrified.
"Uh… I have… I mean… Uh… You see, the thing is…"
Penny stalled and stopped talking.
Then she turned and sprinted away.
"Wait, Penny!" Ruby cried, sprinting after her fleeing friend as she rounded a corner into an adjacent alleyway.
This alley was a dead-end, and Ruby found Penny frantically looking around, seemingly searching for a way out.
Her frightened behaviour brought to Ruby's mind memories of the night Blake ran away.
No, not that. Not again. Not Penny as well!
"Penny…" Ruby said softly, taking a small step forwards and hoping desperately that she didn't cause Penny to run off again. "W-what's wrong? If y-you're h-hurt, let me h-h-help. Tell m-me w-what to do."
Penny shook her head. "I can't. Everything is fine!" She hiccupped after saying that.
Ruby stepped forwards again. "Please, Penny… let me h-help. I w-want to help."
"I'm fine! Really!" Penny hiccupped again. "I… I don't want to talk about it!" Another hiccup. "Besides, you would not understand…"
Ruby felt a swell of sympathy for Penny as she said that.
You wouldn't understand…
Ruby had worried about that exact thing whenever she had to tell people about her autism. She had worried about it when she told Weiss, and she had worried about it when she had told Penny. Both times she had been listened to, and both times she had been relieved to learn that, even if people didn't understand right away, the fact that they were willing to listen to her explain herself was immensely cathartic.
Ruby took another step towards Penny, and spoke softly and slowly. "You w-were there for me, Penny… Let m-me be h-here for you. You can trust me, I promise."
Penny fidgeted on the spot, then took a step forwards of her own, hands still clutched to her chest. "You are my friend, right? You promise that you are my friend?"
Ruby nodded. "I promise."
Penny lowered her hands and unclenched her fists. "Ruby… I'm not a real girl."
Ruby looked down at Penny's hands. Her gloves were handing off them in tatters, revealing dull metal underneath.
"Most girls are born," Penny said quietly. "But I was made. I am the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura. I'm… I'm not real…"
Ruby stared at Penny's hands. She saw the metal underneath the gloves, and her mind processed what Penny had just told her.
Synthetic person…
Not real…
That couldn't be true.
Memories flooded Ruby's mind. Penny smiling and chattering excitedly away about whatever caught her fancy. Penny laughing at something Ruby said responding with her own remark that made Ruby giggle. Penny comforting Ruby in that alleyway and helping her get back on her feet after she had hit her lowest point in a long, long time.
Penny calling her a friend…
Penny saying how much she liked spending time with her…
Penny never failing to brighten Ruby's day just by being herself…
Not a real girl?
"That's not true," Ruby said firmly. Reaching out, she took Penny's hands in her own. "Y-you are real, Penny."
Penny lifted her head and looked into Ruby's eyes. "Ruby…?"
Ruby squeezed Penny's hands in her own and smiled. "Y-you think just because you've got n-nuts and bolts instead of s-squishy guts makes y-you any less r-real than me? You're not like th-those things we s-saw back there. You've got a h-heart…. And a soul… I can f-feel it."
Penny stared at Ruby with wide eyes, mouth opening and closing for a few seconds.
Then she smiled that wide smile of hers, and wrapped Ruby in a tight hug. "Oh, Ruby! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! You are the best friend anyone could ever have!"
Ruby was fairly certain that Penny had just broken something with her hug, but she figured that, given the moment, it didn't really matter right now. So she wrapped her own arms around Penny and hugged her back as hard as she could.
The two broke apart after a long while, with Ruby trying her best to disguise the fact that she was gasping for breath.
"I am so happy that I met you, Ruby!" Penny said, smiling brightly.
She has such a nice smile…
"I'm h-happy I met you too, Penny."
"Dammit!" Blake yelled, tossing the useless scrap of paper away as she stormed off, leaving the abandoned warehouse behind her.
Nothing! Again! No leads, no signs, just a whole lot of absolutely nothing!
It had seemed like a sure sign, a solid lead that could finally help them, but once again it turned out to be woefully outdated information. If the Fang had ever used that warehouse for anything at all, they were long gone, and they had cleaned up after themselves very well.
Shoving her hands into her coat pockets, Blake began to make her way back towards the airship station, sulking all the while.
Two whole weeks of searching, and nothing to show for it. Are they even still in Vale?
Blake knew that they were. Shops were still being hit, and reports were still being filed. The White Fang were here all right, but where exactly 'here' was was turning out to be damn near impossible to figure out.
It was looking increasingly likely that the White Fang had set up their current hideout somewhere beyond the city limits. If that were indeed the case, it made locating them substantially more challenging. Searching around Vale city was one thing, but venturing outside the border without explicit permission? That would definitely cross a line.
So what do we do? Give up?
Giving up wasn't an option for Blake. Ruby had been one hundred percent right when she said that they wouldn't be able to stop thinking about this if they did nothing. Blake hadn't stopped thinking about any of it since the night at the docks. She wasn't sleeping or eating properly, she could barely focus on her classes or on planning that stupid, waste-of-time party…
All she could think about was Roman Torchwick, the White Fang, Gainsboro…
… and him.
The idea that Adam might be here, in Vale, filled Blake with immeasurable dread.
But it was the uncertainty of that fact that drove her crazy more than anything else. She needed to know, one way or the other, or she would carry on tormenting herself with the possibility.
I need some sort of distraction…
Blake had already finished all of the books she had back at the dorm, and while rereading an old favourite was something she usually enjoyed, what she needed right now was something new.
So she took a slight detour and made her way to Tukson's.
…
"Hello, and welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to-"
"Every book under the sun," Blake finished. "I've been here before, Tukson. You don't need to repeat the slogan every time."
Tukson just shrugged. "Sorry, force of habit. Looking for something specific?"
"Something new," Blake clarified. "What do you recommend?"
Tukson smiled and reached below the counter, retrieving a book with a red and yellow cover. "Just got an order of this one in earlier today. 'The Brothers Wittebane' by E. G. Clawthorne. Heard good things about it."
Blake accepted the book from Tukson and turned it over in her hands, reading the description on the back. A dark fantasy, apparently.
"I'll take it," Blake replied, retrieving her wallet and withdrawing the required Lien…
She paused as she noticed something on Tukson's countertop that she hadn't seen there before.
It was a small sticker, just next to the cash register. A white claw on a red background. If one didn't know better, they would likely assume it was the logo of some sort of band.
Blake hadn't see that particular symbol in several years, but she recognised it easily.
The Claw was a more discreet means of showing support for the White Fang. Only members and their close associates would recognise its significance.
Two conflicting thoughts briefly battled in Blake's mind. One was of shock that someone she thought quite highly of was allied to the White Fang, while the other was of the potential opportunity this presented…
"Fang and Claw," Blake said as she handed over her Lien.
Tukson blinked, then smirked. "Fang and Claw," he replied.
OK Blake, let's see how far we can push this.
"Do you have anything else I might find interesting?"
"There's a White Fang recruitment rally happening tonight at the old town theatre."
Yang lowered her Scroll and stared at Blake, who had just walked into the dorm room and made that announcement without any preamble.
"And you know this, how exactly?" Weiss asked from where she was sat at the desk.
"Stroke of luck, really," Blake replied. "I should be before midnight, but I definitely won't make curfew, so you three will have to cover for me."
Yang leapt up from her bed and stared at Blake incredulously. "You are not going by yourself!"
"None of you are Faunus," Blake said simply. "You wouldn't even get past the front door. I'm the only one who can go without raising suspicion."
Yang shook her head vehemently. "Blake, you can't do this all by yourself. What happened to doing this together as a team? What if it's a trap, or what if someone does recognise you?"
Blake scowled at Yang. "This is the only lead we've managed to find after all this time. We can't let this go. I have to do this, Yang, and I have to do this alone."
Ruby leapt up from her bed and came over to Yang's side. "Blake, Yang's r-right. It's too dangerous f-for you to go alone. W-we should go w-with you."
Blake folded her arms and levelled the sisters with a hard stare. "Alright then, how? How do you plan on getting into a Faunus-only event when you aren't Faunus?"
"We sneak in," Yang responded right away. "I know that old theatre, it's falling apart. We just get in through one of the holes in the building when no-one's looking."
"Won't work," said Blake. "The White Fang choose venues like this with that in mind. Those 'openings' will be designated escape routes if a bust were to happen, and they'll make sure to account for every last one. There's no sneaking in like that."
"Disguises?" offered Ruby. "M-maybe we could blend in?"
"As what?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow.
"As Faunus."
All eyes turned towards Weiss.
"What? You disguise yourself as human all the time. Why don't we disguise ourselves as Faunus and just all walk in the front door?"
Yang stared at Weiss in shock. She would never have expected the cautious one on their team to suggest something so… audacious.
"Do you have any idea how badly that would go for you all if you were found out?" Blake asked slowly.
"I imagine it would be similar to what could happen to you if you were recognised by someone there," Weiss stated.
Blake bristled. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."
"And we aren't allowed to take that same risk?" Weiss asked.
"You're Weiss Schnee!" Blake snapped. "Every Faunus on Remnant knows what you look like, and every member of the White Fang hates your family! They will recognise you, and they will come after you!"
"Fair point," Weiss conceded, the gestured to Yang and Ruby. "But that argument doesn't apply to those two. So why can't they take that risk?"
"Well… Ruby's too young! They wouldn't let someone her age in anyway!"
Weiss did not look impressed. "Based on everything you've told us so far, that seems highly unlikely. And even if that were the case, that still doesn't rule out Yang."
Blake turned to face Yang, and she seemed to be struggling for what to say next.
That's it. I'm taking it from here.
"Weiss? Ruby? Could you two give us the room for a minute?"
The two girls nodded and left the dorm, closing the door behind them and leaving Yang and Blake alone.
"Alright Blake," Yang began. "What's really going on? You were all for us helping you on this when we started searching. What's changed?"
Blake looked at Yang desperately. "Yang, think about what you're saying. If this goes wrong, you'd be in serious danger."
Yang rolled her eyes. "We're training to be Huntresses, Blake. Danger is what we signed up for."
"Why are being so nonchalant about this!?" Blake cried. "Yang, you could die!"
"So could you!" Yang yelled back. "Am I supposed to be OK with that!?"
Blake looked like she was about to respond, but Yang kept going, not giving Blake a chance to talk. She felt her eyes heat up, and judging by the way Blake stepped back, they had just turned red from her rising anger.
"We're your teammates and your friends, Blake! I'm your partner! We're supposed to stick together, that's what we promised! But now you just expect us to let you walk into this without any of us there to help you? No way! I'm not letting you do this alone, Blake. Either I come with you, or none of us do this!"
Blake was clearly taken aback by the fire in Yang's voice. She said nothing for a long moment, seemingly considering what to do next.
Finally, she let out a sigh and lowered her head, shoulders sagging. "Fine. If you really wanna come, I guess I can't stop you."
Blake then looked back up and stared Yang straight in the eye, determination clear in her expression. "So I'll make sure no-one comes after you."
Yang's stomach probably would have done a little flip-flop at Blake's apparent declaration of protection, had the situation not been so tense.
"Good," she simply replied. "That's settled, then. So what time is this meeting?"
…
Ruby and Weiss re-joined them, and together the four girls settled on a plan-of-action.
When the time came, they geared up and departed.
I'll watch your back too, Blake. I won't let anyone lay a hand on you.
Hello to the new readers who have joined us in the last week, and hello again to the rest of you as well! I'm Not Scot.
As part of my plans for this fic, I have a timeline of events laying out exactly how much time passes between each chapter and each major event, so I can keep straight exactly how much time has passed overall in this story. Right now, from the events of Chapter One up to the events of this Chapter, a total of 83 days, or just under three months, have elapsed.
If I've done a good job with how I've paced this fic, that should feel about right to all of you. I wanted to allow enough time to pass to give the characters long enough to bond, while still keeping things moving forward at a decent pace.
So, Team RWBY, in spite of the warnings they have already received and in spite of their better judgement, are setting out to infiltrate a White Fang rally, but will this go the same as it did in canon? Find out in the next chapter of RWBY Re:Mixed: 'Girls' Night Out', coming soon!
In the meantime, I'd like to give a big thanks to all of you: everyone who has reviewed this fic, everyone who has followed it, everyone who has given this a favourite… each and every notification I get brightens up my day a little bit more!
With all that motivation pushing me onwards, I'm off to get going on the next chapter… after a good night's sleep, of course. So for now, I shall take my leave.
Until next time,
Not Scot.
P.S: I'm thinking of giving the Persona games a try, since Persona 5 is on the Switch now. Can I just jump right into the fifth game, or will I be completely lost without playing the other ones first?