Finally got this chapter done. Got about halfway then things just sort of fell off as real life kept distracting me with things both good and bad. This chapter is definitely a transition from the fluffy slice of life into more plot as things begin to heat up. Other than that, I do try to keep updating. I wish I had a predictable schedule, but as I've mentioned before, I'm not a professional. I write when I'm inspired and try to update enough so people know I'm active. Sadly, there's no way I can give out weekly updates anymore. I do hope you enjoy the chapter and I'm happy to announce my Beta SilverFang88 has returned. He's helped out a lot.
Mr.N0Name: Hmm, their first meeting isn't insane, but first impressions weren't great. Yes, the shield generator has a plot point, so it's getting mentioned. I won't spoil its main purpose yet.
Guest: Might be a little bit. Accelerator won't tell, Touma doesn't really know, and Last Order won't bring it up. She might be the most likely to spill it though.
Kyugan: Well… after Accelerator knows who that dick is, yeah.
D. : Maybe Touma needs to give Roman the fist of righteousness to put him back on the right path. Accelerator, a heckler? Nah. He simple tells the truth about how weak people are. Yes, Tsune was used from Professor Arc. Needed a reoccurring doctor and she was already established in the fandom.
VGBlackwing: We AAALLLLLL want to see that.
brave kid: I plan to.
Tierboook: Everyone's recovering from the crazy Othinus war.
JumpingToaster chapter: At first, he wouldn't, but after his power display and maybe Atlas trying to recruit him, it might be possible.
Cbustroyer: 1) Not sure. Volume 3 will probably cover through the fall of beacon, with some changes. After that, it starts getting drastically different. 2) There's always been speculation on why unlocking everyone's aura isn't done. Different writers have said different reasons. Not everyone can handle it, it prolongs suffering if a Grimm starts attacking a civilian, and that Aura is light and Grimm can see it. A larger collection of light makes them more noticeable from a distance. 3) If it's similar to the dragon breath Index used in John Pen mode at the beginning of the series, he could do it for a short time. 4) No spoilers…. PS: Ruby and Touma are so adorable when she tries to flirt with him.
BlueJack22: Accelerator is dealing with hormones, everything else is second.
unclecreepy16: Poor Yang. Neo is on another level.
shiroryuu012: He's a tsundere. Cinder and Touma interactions will be interesting.
WriterAdam: That's his life in a nutshell.
A certain guest: Mostly the white hair. I actually don't know if Accelerator would hate Penny or not. She wasn't human turned cyborg, she was a cyborg given life. It might actually intrigue him. He definitely wouldn't like Atlas as a whole though. If they didn't mess with him, he wouldn't mess with them. The NT volume 22 or OT? That… omake sounds fun. Maybe.
Temsen: That's one thing I tried to emphasize. Accelerator is a super genius, but that's hard to show in writing. Instead of just saying it, I'm trying to show how easy he can absorb information and process it in ways normally people could not.
Vilostrike218: I'm debating setting up a Deviant Art page. Gotten quite a few pictures.
Ahsoei: She might be okay with Touma, will love Last Order, and hate Accelerator.
LL: Poor Accelerator. Everyone causes him headaches. Emerald will need to try extra hard to seduce Touma for sure. Poor Pyrrha. She's just a casualty.
IllusionBreaker: Nope. It's still going strong.
Fernandamichelleraya: Lancaster is a good pairing, but think this one will be Arkos. I like Fast Trajectory for Ruby and Accelerator. You can put out ideas if you want. I can't guarantee I'll use them, but they could be incorporated if they fit a setting.
EsperSenpai: A lot of people comment on sister-zoned Ruby.
DD soul: Better than science gloves.
AdLibThisFic: I plan to address their backstory down the road. Sort of like a flashback.
AMTT94: A random name isn't going to sink in after finding out the White Fang attacked. Ozpin isn't going to tell them, but Qrow will mention they asked him and he blew it off. There's a lot of secrets going on, but Yang will get her hair back to normal.
Batthan the Dark Knight: Raven seems to know a lot, but not everything. There's a good chance she missed Touma.
Blindfold Snake: Pyrrha experiencing normal human emotions.
SlothDGod: Obviously Nora gets it because she saves it from Touma's hand and Stockholm syndrome for Grimms.
zerofire210: I liked Ozpin and Salem's backstory, plus we actually got to see the gods. Touma is used to saving people who normally can't be saved, so there's a good chance some of them can be redeemed. Oscar will appear when I get further into the story. His role may be a little different though.
Guest: I wish I could update more, but what can you do? Yeah… right now it's pretty lighthearted, but things can't stay that way forever. Qliphah is new and only in the light novels. Most people have only watched the anime.
Stitches: Oh, definetly. Accelerator is going to know those three aren't innocent in a couple minutes after meeting them. But the world isn't divided into good and Kiharas. There are many shades of grey. Cinder's a royal bitch and a lot of people don't like her. Ah, Penny. An important character. She's actually treated well in Atlas.
Passenger: Soon.
Mr. X: 1) That never came up. 2) I don't know. Maybe three fourths up to the elbows? 3) Qrow mentioned it, but is she really going to take the world of a drunk? 4) Probably. He does like older mature women. 5) Couple pages.
Oofer-Gang: Surprise.
TheLastSterling: She's not that evil.
Rajarshi Sarkar: Heh. You're one of the first people I've met who hates Jaune.
G119: Emerald is absolutely devoted to Cinder. Getting her away from that abusive relationship will be tough. Cinder also knows Emerald is virtually her slave. Yeah, I have to decide how Salem and IB interact. I have a lot of time though. It's not like Salem just walks into Vale. It would be temporarily. It hasn't occurred yet, but she can't use silver eyes if he's touching her.
BA1512: I try. There are moments they are a little OOC, but I'm not professional.
The Ultimate Impulse: Winter knows how to negotiate, as long as it's not with a drunk.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.
It was a Friday afternoon and the majority of lessons were done for most students. Team leaders still had their additional leadership class, so the rest of the teams were free to do what they wanted. Blake had opted to hang out in the library, looking up something for Grimm Studies. Surprisingly, Yang was at her table too and, even more shocking, she was copying passages from a book into her notes. There hadn't been a pun for over thirty minutes. Blake might have been worried if she wasn't enjoying the peace and quiet. Yang's hair was also back to being blonde, after spending several hours yesterday getting the dye out.
"Think this will work?" Yang asked Blake suddenly, pushing a notebook across the table to her.
For one wild moment, Blake thought Yang was actually doing homework.
Then she saw what she was doing.
"Listen, Yang," Blake said slowly, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I agree with you one hundred percent that Neo dyed your hair. However, tricking her into a room with a large unstable Dust crystal is not a revenge plan."
"It worked in this book." Yang protested, pointing to the cover.
"That is fiction." Blake stated plainly, but firmly. "Besides, the main character's father was murdered by his target. So there is a much better reason behind that than some prank war."
"She messed with my hair, Blake." Yang's eyes flashed red. "If anyone else had tried that, they would have been thrown through a wall. She's just slippery."
That was an understatement, Blake thought. Neo took particular delight in dodging all of Yang's punches by a hair's width. She also purposely stood in front of walls and statues to make Yang cause as much collateral damage as possible. If Blake didn't like her, she might have been impressed. Neo set everything up to make Yang the bad guy. No wonder she never got caught.
"Arg!" Groaned Yang as she punched her fist into her open palm. "You're right though, I just wanted to blow off some steam. I wish there was a way to get Neo out of Beacon. We could… I don't know… dye all her clothes gothic like Ruby's? She seems to enjoy the flashy colors."
"We?" Blake raised an eyebrow.
"You know you want to get her too." Yang prodded. "She beat you up before."
Blake frowned.
She wanted to deny Yang's accusation. It wasn't like Blake normally held grudges. If someone did something to her she didn't like, she just avoided that person. Even though she disliked Cardin for the way he treated Faunus, she didn't go out of her way to punish him in the night like some vigilante. Even though she could if she wanted. She really could. It would be easy. They probably didn't even lock their window…
Blake shook her head slightly and Yang misinterpreted that action as saying no to her.
"Just a harmless prank," Yang pushed. "It will be fun and you need to try being wild a bit."
"Harmless, huh?" Blake's expression had nothing but skepticism oozing from it. "Will you say that after she finds out about it and turns her wrath on us?"
"She won't have proof."
"Will she need it?" Blake asked.
Yang was silent for a minute and Blake could just see the nervous beads of sweat form on her brow.
"Hehehe." Yang laughed nervously. "I'm sure Touma would help keep her in line."
"He already tries." Blake muttered. "It's the reason your hair only got dyed and not shaved off."
Yang flinched.
"Maybe it wouldn't be a good idea for Ruby to date him then." Yang muttered darkly, staring at her notebook. "Neo wouldn't take that lying down and then she would be the target. At least this way, if Neo's focusing on me, she's safe."
The bow on Blake's head twitched.
"Though, you're the one closest to the line of fire." She continued, looking up at Blake. "You two have already spent a night together."
A low yet distinctly annoyed hiss escaped Blake's lips.
"For the last time: We did not do anything like that. Honestly, you accuse me of having my mind in the gutter all the time from reading adult literature. Yet you read a couple books and suddenly that's all you think about."
"Even Weiss had some doubts too." Yang pointed out and Blake slammed her head against the table.
"I thought you were going to try to get Ruby to confess to him?"
"I want her to," Yang confirmed and Blake raised her head. "But I don't think he will say yes. Not counting the fact he's from another world." She lowered her voice during the second half of the sentence. "But the fact is, he's trying to get settled here and Neo is a jealous person. Then there is the fact that he's a lot like Jaune. Completely oblivious to the fact that a girl likes him. They might even think a kiss is just a friendly greeting or something." She shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "It would be funny if it wasn't so sad."
Blake's cheeks darkened ever so slightly when Yang mentioned the kiss.
Something that did not escape Yang's notice.
"Alright, jokes aside, I know something happened." Yang's posture learned forward on the table as she stared directly at Blake across from her. "Tell me, or I swear I'll go straight to Touma and convince him to talk. Even if I have to dangle him off a balcony."
"Neo would have your head." Blake retorted in a suspiciously darkened tone of voice.
"I'm willing to risk it." Yang's expression remained defiant. "Come on, we're partners, and I promise not to tell. Did you two actually do it?"
"No!" Blake protested and then rubbed the bridge of her nose. "If I tell you what happened, will you drop it?"
"Eventually."
"That's the best I'm going to get, isn't it?"
"Yep."
"Pssh, fine. Here's what happened…"
And so Blake told the truth, albeit a carefully edited truth. She mentioned they talked a bit about what happened, but deliberately left out the parts about the dragons. He did ask her to keep it a secret. The biggest mistake she made was finally admitting, at the end, that she did in fact kiss him. Yang looked triumphant, pressing her for details, to which Blake was reluctant to do so, but ultimately did.
Yang, upon hearing this particular detail, looked incredulously at her.
"The forehead? You could've kissed him anywhere, and you picked the forehead? Come on, Blake, you're better than this."
"That's what you're focused on?" Blake asked confused.
"After everything you two have been through together, the fact he saved your life twice, he deserved at least on the lips." Yang shook her head. "He's not the most astute person in recognizing girls' feelings. Otherwise he would have noticed Ruby's awkward attempts at flirting with him by now. With you, he's just going to think you're thanking him."
"I was thanking him." Blake pointed out.
"You know what I mean."
The silence between them lengthened.
"Did you at least ask him to the dance?" Yang questioned.
"No." Blake shook her head. "I thought Ruby would ask him for sure."
"Hmm…" Yang's eyebrows narrowed as she thought back. "I can't recall her saying anything about that. I should ask her." Her eyes snapped back to Blake. "Someone needs to ask him, or Neo is going to take him. You okay with that?"
Blake remained passive, but didn't say no.
"Thought so." Yang stood up. "You read a lot of romance novels, Blake, but acting on them is completely different. I'm going to see if Ruby actually asked him. She offered to make him a weapon already. Pretty sure she considered that second base."
"No."
Quick and concise.
Weiss certainly saw that coming.
She had visited Accelerator's room saying she needed to talk to him privately about something. It was easier than she thought it would be. He actually agreed without too much prodding. She had just explained to him what she and Winter had spoken about. They wanted to set up a meeting between Accelerator and General Ironwood because they had found out about the belt. Accelerator had looked annoyed throughout her explanation and when she finally asked if he would come, she received that overly simplistic answer.
"Why not?" Weiss asked. She had run through possible reasons in her mind before confronting him and was confident he would see reason.
"Don't want to. Seems like a pain in the ass."
Yep. That was the first reason Weiss knew he would use.
"Listen," Weiss said softly. "The invention you designed… it draws a lot of attention now that it has been leaked. People are going to want to question you about it. How did you come up with that design? What inspired you? For all you know, they will hound you to come work for them and invent more."
"I'd like to see them try." Accelerator huffed.
"We both know if they annoyed you, you would set them straight." Weiss nodded in agreement. "The thing is, some people are very persistent. They will keep coming. If you get pushed too far and actually hurt a civilian, then you could become a wanted man. I know! I know!" Weiss raised her hand as she cut him off right as he opened his mouth. "You can handle them, but what about Last Order?"
Accelerator stiffened ever so slightly. That was all Weiss needed to see to know she had his undivided attention.
"In the worst-case scenario, we can't figure out a way to get the three of you home." Weiss said slowly and cautiously. Her words could have the opposite effect she wanted if she wasn't careful. "If that happens, you need to have a fallback. I doubt you really want to be a Hunter and spend all your time going on missions and fighting Grimm. You would only do that if you really needed money or she was threatened; we both know that."
Accelerator didn't argue.
"This shield you designed… it has the potential to make a lot of money. A million Lien easily. That kind of money could make sure Last Order is taken care of here. Food, clothes, schooling: all of it."
"I'm surprised you didn't just take the credit and the money." Accelerator muttered.
"I may have helped, but we both know you did most of the work." Weiss actually looked a little insulted at his words. "I'm not my father. I won't use people. If I get credit for something, it's something I myself have done."
Accelerator nodded ever so slightly. It was a refreshing change of pace to not be used.
"This personal shield generator could change the way military around the world operates." Weiss continued. "My sister actually works for Atlas as a Specialist and I was told we would be working directly with General Ironwood. He's strict, yes, but very fair. He won't try to cheat us."
"Whatever." Accelerator clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You know I'm not going to dress up or pretend to be some professional salesman. Go in, make the deal, and then leave. Got it?"
"That's all we expect." Weiss placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. I know you might not care about our political situation here, but this should help Atlas and Vale relations."
"Whatever." He said again. The fact he didn't knock away Weiss's hand showed how far their relationship progressed. "Was that all?"
"Yes," Weiss assured him and let go of his shoulder. "The rest of our talk was more family matters, though I did confirm Winter actually knew Ruby and Yang's uncle. Why they met is beyond me."
"Probably got drunk and spent the night together." Remarked Accelerator with a yawn.
Weiss' face paled.
"Never suggest that again! Winter would never do that with… with that drunken rapscallion!"
Accelerator got a laugh out of this at least.
Touma looked down at the note Ruby passed him.
Thought of a name for your weapon yet?
Touma smiled slightly and pushed the note back.
No, I'm terrible with names.
Ruby frowned and glared at him before scribing again.
Hurry up. A weapon's not complete without one.
"Miss Rose, Mr. Kamijou! Am I boring you?"
They snapped to attention as Ozpin addressed them directly.
"No, sir!" They said immediately.
"Very well, then." Ozpin tapped his desk. "While class may be over, please make sure to write down your assignment this week. As I said earlier, starting Monday, you will all be assigned to lead a random team on a training exercise. Hunters and Huntresses don't always get to choose who is available for a mission. Being quick to adapt and lead is essential. Afterwards, I want each of you to write a report on your experiences. What you think you did well and what you could improve on. Any challenges you faced and how you overcame them. This assignment will be due next Friday."
As if on cue, the bell rang and all students present were aptly dismissed.
"I'm not looking forward to this," Ruby moaned, as she, Jaune, and Touma filed out the classroom along with several other students. "What if I get some team I don't know anyone on? Like from another school? What if I get CRDL?! I'll just die!"
"You won't die," Jaune assured her. "Think of it as making new friends." He smirked. "Just don't forget us when you get all popular."
"I won't forget you guys, ever!" Rebuked Ruby, giving Jaune a playful little push.
"Thanks, though I'm not sure why Ozpin is making me go to these classes." Touma said. "I'm not actually a Hunter like you all."
"In training, Hunters in training." Jaune reminded him. "And I think it's just to keep up appearances. If you get excused from everything, people are going to start asking questions."
"And you're super strong." Ruby told him. "Even without Aura, you can still beat up Grimm and evil doers; like a hero."
"I'm not a hero." Muttered Touma under his breath, which Ruby ignored.
The trio continued to walk at a leisurely pace through the halls of Beacon. Discussing varying topics which ranged from specific studies to less prominent subjects. From this, eventually, the subject regarding the dance cropped up.
"I'm trying to think of how to ask Weiss," Jaune admitted. "I'm writing a song I think she might like." Touma noticed Ruby shaking her head back and forth from behind Jaune. "I hope she likes it enough to give me a chance."
"Good luck?" Touma replied. He was used to his friends trying to get with girls out of their league. Anything was possible though and maybe Jaune would get lucky. It wasn't like he was. "If she doesn't accept, are you going to ask anyone else?"
"I don't know." Jaune replied. "I don't really like jumping from one girl to another like that."
"Just be honest and tell her how you really feel." Ruby suggested. "Don't do something she would think is embarrassing or she will just yell at you." She shivered. "She doesn't like a lot, actually. Maybe you should just try some simple flowers?"
"Thanks for the advice," Jaune told her gratefully. "I think I'll run into Vale to get some tonight."
When his back was turned, Ruby sighed silently. She knew Weiss didn't like him like that, but there was no way she was going to tell him that directly. Besides, part of her did wish her two bestest friends would get together so they could all hang out.
"Since we are talking about the dance," Ruby said, turning to Touma. For some reason her face was growing unusually warm. "A-are you going with someone?"
Why am I stuttering now!?
"Neo wants me to go with her," Touma replied and shrugged. "She was pretty adamant about it so I said yes."
"…Oh." It felt like something kicked her in the stomach. "Er… good for you two. Well, I gotta go. Bye!"
"Hang o-…" Jaune started to say, but Ruby disappeared at high speeds, leaving some petals behind. "Ah, that's not good." He turned to Touma. "I... think she was going to try to ask you to the dance."
"She was?" A look of realization finally flickered onto his face. "Shit! I accidentally blew her off. I should have explained myself better!"
Just as he turned to run after her, Jaune quickly stopped him.
"Wait!" Upon hearing Jaune's call, Touma did as asked and turned around. "Listen, man, I have sisters. If you chase after her, she will just run around and things won't get better. Let her calm down first, THEN go and talk to her."
Touma looked conflicted by this suggestion. His attention flickering back down the corridor which Ruby had darted down just seconds ago. After several seconds, however, he gave a sigh of defeat, scratching at the nape of his neck.
Besides, even if he wanted to go after her, there was no way he would catch up to her.
"Such misfortune." Grumbled Touma in self-frustration. "Part of the reason I agreed to go with Neo is because she promised to tone down the pranks on Ruby's team."
"Really?" Jaune's eyes widened slightly in surprise at his admittance to that. "Not sure if that will work for or against you honestly. I know Ruby isn't great in social settings like dances, but I bet if you promised her one, it would cheer her up."
"Yeah, I can do that." Touma nodded, though still appearing mildly concerned. "Well, guess I should go back and make sure Neo isn't up to anything."
"She's actually been hanging out with Pyrrha lately," Jaune told him. "Not sure why. Pyrrha was kind of cryptic."
"It's probably not anything good." Touma said dejectedly. "Though I doubt Pyrrha could be tricked into doing anything bad. Plus she's strong enough to stop Neo in an emergency… probably."
"Pyrrha won't let Neo do anything bad," Jaune said confidently. "You know, maybe it's time you and I hang out? We could go to Vale, get some fresh air. I need to get Weiss flowers and you could use a distraction and a chance to let Ruby calm down."
"Think we should visit that club?" Touma asked. "I feel bad about not giving those girls an answer and I can't find their number."
"Huh." Jaune thought about it. "You know, I had their number in my nightstand, but it's gone now. I think I might have thrown it away."
"Damn. Now I feel twice as bad if Yang was right and they wanted us to come back."
In perfect unison, Touma and Jaune's body deflated a bit as a wave of guilt washed over them both.
"Guess we go clubbing?" Jaune said with a grin.
"Guess we go clubbing." Touma agreed with a shrug.
"Did someone say clubbing?"
The two of them turned to see Mercury Black swaggering to them.
"Mind if I tag along?"
Ruby had been racing down the halls of Beacon for a couple minutes now, her face still burning red.
She should have known someone would ask him first. That should have been the first thing she did. It wasn't his fault and she didn't blame him at all. Neo was bound to ask him immediately, based on how possessive she was. Ruby also thought Blake was into Touma and might have asked him during her night visit. Touma was just too nice to say no and he was a catch. He was strong, brave, smart, and kind.
Pretty much the perfect hero Ruby inspired to be.
I'm so stupid, Ruby thought, finally stopping and settling herself down on a bench behind a large hedge outside. There was no reason to run and even if I had asked, he wouldn't have been mean about it. This sucks. Yang never told me liking someone hurt like this!
She had liked boys before, but she never really dated anyone. Her life's goal was to be an amazing Huntress like her mother, but that didn't mean she occasionally dreamed about having a family. The issue was that she was a little socially awkward and loved weapons. Most guys got turned off by that, even if they pretended to care, or were scared off by Yang. Sometimes, Ruby wished her sister would let her try and fail a little more. Maybe she wouldn't have been hurt so bad by something as small as this.
A girl rounded the corner and Ruby looked up instinctively.
"Ruby?" Nora said surprised. "Why are… were you crying?!"
"…No." Ruby sniffed and wiped her eyes.
"Did someone hurt you?" Nora demanded, immediately sitting down next to Ruby. "Come on, give me names. I'll make them regret it."
"It's not like that!" Ruby cried out, wanting to avoid any accidental injury. "I was just... never mind. It's stupid."
Her body jolted in surprise as she felt Nora slip her arm around her shoulders.
"Come on, Ruby," Nora told her. "If something is hurting you, it helps to talk about it. Ren's a great listener for me, so now it's my turn to help you."
Ruby wasn't sure about this, but part of her really wanted to talk.
So she told Nora what happened.
"So Touma is going to the dance with Neo?" Nora asked, clarifying everything. "And you wanted to ask him, but it was too late?"
"Pretty much." Ruby confirmed, kicking a few loose pebbles.
Silence filled the air and her eyes remained firmly locked to the ground.
"You poor thing!"
Ruby did not expect those words from Nora and she especially didn't expect the sudden hug. It wasn't one of Nora's death hugs where she didn't control her strength properly. No, this one was comforting, gentle, and succeeded in actually making Ruby feel better. Ruby wasn't able to think properly enough to try to get out of it either.
"I know it hurts, but it gets better," Nora assured her. "I haven't known him very long, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy. He probably promised the first girl who asked him."
"I know." Ruby mumbled. "I'm blaming myself more."
"Did you learn anything from this?" Nora asked, holding Ruby at arm's length. "That's what's important."
"Err…" Ruby blinked. "Go for it and don't wait?"
"Exactly!" Nora told her. "Life's too short to wait. If you want something, you need to go for it."
"But-…"
"No buts," Nora interrupted. "That's when you hesitate. If you like him, tell him or someone's going to steal him away from you."
"He's from another world though." Ruby pointed out. "Once Ozpin finds a way for them to return, we won't see each other again."
"That's why you have to make the most of your time together now." Nora flicked her in the forehead. "Make memories and, if they have to stay here, they have someone to be with. I wouldn't know where I would be without Ren."
"Is… is it bad part of me wants them to stay?" Ruby asked quietly.
"Would you prevent them from getting home if they could?" Nora countered.
"What?! No!" Ruby shook her head instantly. "I would never do that."
"Then there's no problem." Nora said with a shrug. "You will do your best to help them but, at the same time, it's okay to be a little selfish. You need to fight for your man."
"He's not my man."
"Not with that attitude." Nora jumped up to her feet and pointed at Ruby. "Love is a battlefield and unless you want to physically keep hussies off him, you need to take the initiative. Regardless of the consequences."
"I… I'm not sure I can do that." Ruby was not an aggressive person, unless she was facing Grimm. Nora, Pyrrha, Yang, Blake, and so many others could do stuff like that. Ruby would die from embarrassment if she did something like confess to Touma in front of people.
"Well… it's just a suggestion." Nora said. "Think about it and find the solution that suits you." She waved goodbye and skipped off into the distance, leaving Ruby alone with her thoughts.
"Maybe…maybe she has a point." She conceded, the knots in her stomach seemingly loosened up quite a bit. "I should at least apologize. He didn't do anything wrong."
Her mood improved, Ruby smiled softly to herself and stood up; before walking back to Beacon. Unbeknownst to her, Nora had not yet left and was, in fact, spying on her from around the corner.
"I knew she had it in her." Nora said grinning happily, giving both Ruby and herself a congratulatory fist-pump. "Hmm. I should do something nice for her..."
That thought remained at the forefront of her mind as she whistled to herself while she took her own path back to Beacon.
"What the hell?" Accelerator demanded.
"I told my sister to relay that you would be willing to discuss selling the Personal Aura Generator." Weiss replied. "Nicknamed the PAG now. Due to a scheduling conflict and Ironwood actually being in Vale, he wants to meet with us this evening. Apologies for the short notice."
"Short notice?" Accelerator stared at her. "You literally gave me thirty minutes."
"Very short notice then." Weiss amended.
Accelerator growled at her.
"The headmaster agreed to oversee the proceedings as well." Weiss assured him. "The official reason is that we are students and under Beacon's influence. He needs to ensure we are not being taken advantage of." Weiss talked faster when she saw Accelerator open his mouth. "I think it's just because he wanted to hear about it too. The PAG is an invention that could revolutionize the military and save countless lives. Hunters might even carry one for emergencies on long missions into the Grimm Wilds."
"Yeah, yeah, you said all this before." Accelerator waved his hand dismissively. "Guess I can get this over with."
"Thank you." At Weiss's words, he deliberately avoided eye contact. "I know you don't like authority, but if you could please try to keep a neutral demeanor? And please do not insult the General. We should be able to speed things along."
"Can't make any promises," Accelerator replied. "Some people just rub me the wrong way."
Weiss nodded and dropped the conversation as the two headed toward the meeting room. She noticed when she didn't try to make any movements that could be construed as flirting, Accelerator returned to his normal treatment of her. However, she desperately wanted to talk to him about what he told her before. That he was a murderer. Thinking about it logically, the most likely situation was his power manifested early and he accidentally killed someone when he didn't know how to fully control it. Bringing that up in conversation was nearly impossible though. As much as she hated the thought, there was a different route she needed to take to get information.
She would need to ask Last Order.
General James Ironwood had experience reading people.
Growing up in the military, becoming not only a general of the army, but a headmaster of Atlas Academy, it was a required skill and one he had continued to improve over the years. From students who may lie about why they didn't do homework, to interrogating White Fang terrorists, James has seen it all. It wasn't like he enjoyed examining people. It was done out of necessity. The citizens of his nation were under threat from the Grimm constantly and any issues that arose from within would only cause decay.
The moment the Grimm sensed weakness, they would attack.
It was why James usually preferred the direct approach.
Though, those that knew him understood he had a softer side to him. He had a jovial, friendly, humorous and proud public persona, knowing that the public would appreciate that more. His allies knew he was respectful of them, as their united front was essential to combat the forces of darkness. There were even two girls who James had known for years and saw them almost as his daughters, as he didn't have any of his own. Their father and he didn't always see eye to eye, but he tried to make sure those girls had freedom.
They were Winter and Weiss Schnee.
"Good evening." Weiss stated, as she entered the conference room. Her eyes darted around to see James and Winter on the far side of the conference table, and Ozpin sipping coffee on the left side.
"Weiss!" James said jovially. "It's been so long since the last time I've seen you. I hope you are doing well."
"Very much so, thank you." Weiss replied with a smile.
"I do wish you had considered furthering your studies at Atlas Academy," James continued. "If you ever change your mind, you are welcome to transfer in."
"That's very kind of you, but I like Beacon and the friends I've made here." Weiss said.
"Careful, James." Ozpin spoke up. "Continue like that and I would think you are trying to steal my students." His voice was casual, light, and without a trace of malice in it.
"Haha." James laughed. "You know, Ozpin, we all want to train topnotch Hunters. What's that harm of a little friendly rivalry to help encourage that?"
"One of the reasons the Vytal Festival is so popular." Ozpin agreed. "Now, should we get started? I feel Mr. Accelerator is going to get impatient."
Weiss quickly glanced behind her and agreed. Accelerator looked bored, though it wasn't so much the fact that he was ignored. No, it was the fact he didn't want to be here in the first place.
"Of course, of course." James nodded in agreement. "Please, Weiss, Mr. Accelerator; have a seat." Both abided by his request, and once they seemed comfortable he continued. "I am General James Ironwood of the Atlas Military and headmaster of Atlas Academy. To my right is Specialist Winter Schnee." Accelerator gave a curt nod which was returned by the older Schnee. "I first would like to thank everyone for coming to this meeting. I know it was last minute."
"You could have planned it better." Accelerator scoffed and Weiss sighed.
That was fast. She thought.
"The Vytal Festival has been quite busy in regards to security since the Breach." James continued, unperturbed by Accelerator's lack of manners. Winter scowled ever so slightly, but kept silent. "It was entirely my fault this meeting was scheduled at the last minute, but the subject I felt deserved to be addressed as soon as possible." He gestured to a wall monitor that flickered to life. An older man in a lab coat appeared. "This is Dr. Polendina, head scientist for Atlas. He wished to be included in this meeting but, unfortunately, could not break away from his schedule to come to Vale."
Polendina, Weiss thought. Where have I heard that name before?
"AH!" Dr. Polendina eye's zoned in on Accelerator. "You must be the famous Accelerator I've heard so much about. I was able to get a brief description of your design and wanted to discuss it with you personally. How did you manage to prevent the natural energy erosion? Our tests couldn't contain the energy in a closed system."
"Just a simple algorithm designed to take into account the main joints of a human. Then modify the system coding to adjust to the outer epidermal layer."
Accelerator's tone was still bored, but he at least answered. Probably because the man on the other end of the call actually knew what he was talking about. He could hold a conversation instead of having to listen to an idiot like Cardin just talk about nothing.
"Were there any problems with efficiency?"
"Yeah, this was just a test. There's probably a flaw in the tuning related to the Dust capacitor screening electronic output…"
Everyone else simply observed as Accelerator and Dr. Polendina talked about the details of the PAG. Even Weiss, who had helped Accelerator with a large chunk of the device, was lost. Eventually, James had no choice but to step in.
"I'm pleased to see the quality of Mr. Accelerator's work has been verified." James said. "As of now, Atlas does not have rights to his invention. The point of this meeting was to acquire such rights. Part of the reason Dr. Polendina was asked to join was because we needed to verify Mr. Accelerator's knowledge was satisfactory to rely on his prototype."
"It was a rather impressive invention," Ozpin agreed. "Though slightly different than actual Aura, there were plenty of similarities. I can see this as a useful tool against Grimm. With Atlas's manufacturing, we could expect to supply most of the kingdoms' military units with it."
"After some improvement," James reminded him. "As of now, one blow is enough to deplete the Dust crystal."
"We didn't have much time to fine-tune it," Weiss admitted. "We had just stabilized the energy field before leaving on our mission."
"How long did it take to get this far?" James asked.
Weiss blushed, but Accelerator wasn't abashed at all.
"A week or so."
The silence in the room was stagnant for a few choice seconds.
"A week." Repeated James, looking dumbstruck while Ozpin went as far as setting down his coffee. Ozpin understood Accelerator's situation, but seeing James looked like he got slapped upside the head was rather funny. "Winter did mention this, but I found it hard to believe."
"I relayed what Weiss and I discussed earlier this week," Winter said and gestured to her sister. "I was surprised too. Seeing two students create a device like this is…"
"…Astonishing," James finished and then addressed Accelerator directly. "Not only that, I recall seeing you fight at the Breach. Powerful and intelligent. If you ever feel like coming to Atlas Academy, I can guarantee you your own lab for any research you wish to perform."
"James…" Ozpin actually had to put a little warning into his tone.
"No."
Everyone stared at Accelerator.
"I have no desire to be locked up in a lab." Accelerator stated. "I came here because I was under the impression you wanted to buy the prototype and designs. That's all I'm going to discuss. Everything else you feel like saying, you might as well be talking to yourself."
Winter narrowed her eyes, but quickly resumed a neutral expression. James didn't look too displeased, but you could tell in his eyes he was thinking about something. Ozpin looked amused and Weiss exasperated.
"Shame," Dr. Polendina stated. "We could probably have made quite a team."
"That is true and I don't want anyone to think we brought you here under false pretenses." James agreed after regaining his composure. "Now, Atlas is willing to make an offer of one million Lien to you two, distributed how you see fit for your invention, design, and all related notes."
Weiss was able to suppress her gasp. She had been given warning by Winter about the amount. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Accelerator had remained passive.
"I'm fine with that," Weiss muttered. "Did you want to add that stipulation?"
"Stipulation?" James asked and waved for them to continue. "I'm all ears."
"As you improve the PAG, I want periodic updated tech." Accelerator stated. "I won't agree to anything without that."
"Done." James said. "Once we got the shield to an acceptable level, we planned to mass produce it for all kingdoms. We may even ask for your advice on ways to improve it in the future. Free improvements and upgrades for you and others close to you are perfectly acceptable. Do we have a deal?"
"Deal." Weiss said and shook his hand. "I trust you, but should a contract be drafted?"
"One of the reasons I'm here," Ozpin interjected. "I will pass it on to both of you and, if accepted, sign it and return it to me. At that point, Accelerator and Weiss Schnee forfeit all rights to produce the PAG and similar units without permission from Atlas. Agreed?"
"Agreed." James and Weiss said.
"Excellent!" Dr. Polendina exclaimed. "I can't wait to thoroughly examine your work. Now I must be off and prepare. It was good meeting you all." The screen then promptly went dark.
"Well, if we are done here, I'm leaving." Accelerator scooted his chair back before getting up and heading out the door.
"It was a pleasure to see you again," Weiss told James and gave a short curtsy. "You as well, Winter."
"Likewise." James assured her. Once Weiss left, trailing at the heels of Accelerator, he turned to Ozpin. "You were right. That boy… is interesting."
"He's seen a lot more than someone his age should," Ozpin agreed. "It's why he is the way he is. Miss Schnee and her team have been a good influence on him."
"All I could tell from him is besides being some kind of prodigy, he's arrogant and self-centered." Winter stated. "Those geniuses who start at a young age tend to act like they own everything."
In all honestly, Winter didn't like him for a more selfish reason. Weiss liked him and there was no way Winter would approve of such a rude person for her. Weiss deserved someone refined who cared about her and was able to be there for her when she needed it. This Accelerator person appeared to be the type who would just shut her out if he was annoyed.
"He's more than that," James told her. "You need to learn to see what people are hiding. That boy has been through hell and back. He's confident, yes, but his eyes are familiar. I've seen those same eyes on people who have fought against hopeless odds. I wouldn't doubt he may have been forced to kill people to survive." He sighed and looked at Ozpin. "You brought a dangerous person here. He literally tore a Nevermore in half with his hands during the Breach."
"That is the curse of a powerful Semblance." Ozpin commented. "I hope to teach him that he can't always rely on it. Some enemies can't be defeated with brute force."
"The leader of his team must be something if they can control not only him but a wanted criminal."
Ozpin chuckled.
"Mr. Kamijou is certainly an interesting person."
An alarm suddenly rang out.
"Is that the fire alarm?" Winter asked, already up on her feet.
"I'm afraid I must leave and check on this." Ozpin apologized, climbing up and out of his chair. "James, Winter, it was good to see you again."
A little earlier, Nora was walking down the hallway followed be three unlikely people.
"Ruby's upset? MISAKA asks expressing concern as MISAKA follows you in hopes you explain yourself more."
"That's terrible," Penny agreed. "We should do anything we can to cheer up Ruby."
"Reason I called you here," Nora declared. "We need to do something special for her as her friends."
"Sensational," Penny said. "I agree completely."
However, the quiet white, pink, and brown girl pointed to herself and tilted her head.
"You were with Last Order," Nora admitted. "My plan is to make a cake for her and if you come with us, you can have some too."
Neo seemed to accept this reasoning.
"Aren't the kitchens by the dorms? MISAKA asks as MISAKA tilts her head in confusion."
"We can't do it there or we might get spotted," Nora told her. "It needs to be a surprise. Ren won't let me use an oven either for some reason."
Neo raised an eyebrow at that. She was mainly tagging along out of boredom. Last Order kept challenging her to all sorts of games to find something she can beat her at. Neo took particular pleasure in crushing the girl's hopes, but even that got boring. When Nora showed up talking about them sneaking into Beacon's kitchen, that got Neo's attention. A little bit of rule breaking to break up the monotonous lifestyle.
She didn't expect for them to run into a strange ginger girl.
Last Order seemed to know her somehow and Nora quickly got along with her, so there wasn't much arguing Neo could do. Instead, she just followed them to find out what exactly they were planning. Free cake was probably worth it, but now she had her doubts if those three could actually cook. Now she was just expecting to witness a fiasco and mock them for it.
Really this is all Touma's fault for going to some stupid leader meeting. Neo thought, annoyed. I should have just snuck into the class and messed with him.
Beacon's kitchen was large and pretty impressive. I was early enough that dinner hadn't been started, but they wouldn't have much time. All the prep work was already done and they had maybe an hour to get in and out. Nora immediately went over and turned on the over.
"Preheat the oven so it's hot when we are ready," Nora told the others. "Ren taught me that."
"MISAKA has never made a cake before, MISAKA says honestly." She was hanging on to the edge of the table and looking excited.
"Neither have I." Penny added.
This is going to be good. Neo wore a small smile as she swiped a bag of chips, leaning up against the wall to watch.
"Here's a cookbook." Nora declared, putting the heavy volume on the table and turning the pages. "Ah, chocolate cake. Help me find the ingredients, we need flour and cocoa, eggs, milk…" As she read them off, the girls besides Neo ran around the kitchen looking.
"Found the flour!" Penny called out, running back with a large bag.
"Okay, put it in." Nora told her.
Penny pulled open the bag at the top and that was mistake number one. Her strength ripped the bag open and a white cloud exploded over her. She blinked and looked down at herself.
"Woops."
"That's fine, just scrap some more into the bowl. We can clean you up later."
"Understood!" Penny saluted and did what she was told.
"I got the eggs, MISAKA informs you as MISAKA runs carrying several eggs." Her arms were laden with them. She started placing the eggs on the table and when she reached the last two, she slipped on the flour on the floor. The eggs went flying and splattered against the wall. "MISAKA is sorry!"
"Worry about it later." Nora told her. "We can clean up while the cake is cooking."
"It seems we may need a bath after this." Penny commented.
"Now that we have all the ingredients," Nora told them. "We mix it up." She looked around at the blender. "Eh, I'll be faster." She grabbed a whisk and started to violently stir up the mixture.
"Go, go, go! MISAKA cheers."
Nora was being enthusiastic, so much so that Neo was surprised the metal bowl didn't break. Batter got everywhere including on Nora, but she didn't care. Once the batter was stirred up, Nora poured it into a cake pan and placed it in the oven.
"See? Easy." Nora brushed off the extra flour on her hands.
"Should we clean up now?" Penny asked and Nora nodded, though she didn't look too thrilled.
Neo didn't help them clean up, but Penny, Nora, and Last Order worked hard. They didn't do a good job. Pouring water on the flour just made it harder to clean up. Using a lot of paper towels, hard scrubbing, and persistence, the three of them managed to get the kitchen relatively clean.
"Phew." Nora wiped her forehead. "Cleaning sucks."
"MISAKA doesn't like cleaning either, but MISAKA knows it's important to clean up after oneself, MISAKA lectures as MISAKA shows her maturity."
"It may be a menial chore, but doing it with friends makes it all the more enjoyable." Penny said excitedly. "I got to make my first cake today and hang out with friends. It was a great day!"
"Ginger power!" Nora said and high-fived her.
"Hey! MISAKA says indignantly. Neo and MISAKA aren't gingers."
Neo's eyes flashed and her hair went from pink and brown to orange.
"That's not fair! MISAKA cries angrily as MISAKA stamps her feet." Nora laughed and Penny wasn't entirely sure what was funny, but enjoyed the fact that everyone seemed to be having fun.
Neo suddenly smiled and pointed.
"What is it?" Nora asked and turned around. "Oh, dang it!"
Smoke was flooding out of the oven.
"What happened?" Penny asked in shock. "We should still have fifteen minutes."
"Maybe the secret ingredient is the problem?" Nora suggested as she made her way to the stove.
"Secret ingredient?" Last Order and Penny asked simultaneously.
"We were in a hurry so I added this." Nora held up a half full tiny jar of Fire Dust. "It should speed up the cooking process and add a little kick to the taste."
"Umm…putting fire dust in a stove would cause an explosion," Penny warned. "I'm pretty sure it's about to go off."
Nora's eyes widened and she dove behind the counter as the door to the oven blew open.
A roar of flames and a loud boom echoed across the kitchen.
Penny and Nora reacted fine due to their training, but there was no way Last Order would have dodged. Her eyes had just widened in shock as the fire flew at her. Before she was burnt alive, a hand grabbed her and yanked her behind the counter. The fire harmlessly few over them and set some towels ablaze. Last Order pushed herself off the ground to see her savior.
"Thank you, MISAKA thanks earnestly."
Neo looked annoyed at the situation.
While she did save Last Order, her motives were far from selfless. If Accelerator found out Last Order was hurt under her watch, she wouldn't get out of this alive, even if none of this was her fault. For once, that was the complete truth. Neo had NOTHING to do with that explosion that set the kitchen on fire. It was entire Nora's fault. However, the mischief did bring a small smile to her face.
The smile faded when the sprinklers and alarm came on.
"The fire's spreading." Penny commented, looking concerned. "I believe we should try to stop it."
"No time!" Nora countered. "The coppers are going to be here any second. We need to get out of here or risk the big house."
"Coppers? MISAKA asks confused."
'Teachers.' Neo generated the word in midair.
"RUN!" Nora yelled, pushing them out of the kitchen as the fire alarms continued to blare.
"No offense, but you two don't seem like the party types." Mercury told Jaune and Touma, after they got off the Bullhead. He and Touma were waiting for Jaune to get away from the trash can. "How exactly did you two manage to get into Junior's? I heard they get selective and there's always a line." He grinned. "Are you two banging the staff there?"
"It's a little more complicated-…" Touma began to try and explain before Mercury interrupted.
"Holy shit, dude?! You are! Nice!"
He slapped Touma in the back, causing the boy to stumble forward slightly.
"I think I'm good," Jaune told them while approach, still looking queasy but otherwise in a much better state than before. "I swear the medicine doesn't help at all."
"Think you have to get used to it." Touma told him. "From what I see, it's the preferred method of travel."
These two seems like such dweebs, Mercury thought to himself. It was funny to see him hurl though, but how is that Touma kid so popular? He beat Adam and Roman holds him in high regard too. They also talked about some twins at the club. Weren't those the stuck-up bitches, the Malachites, or something?
He did not know what to think about this situation.
"Think they'll remember us?" Jaune asked.
"Knowing them, they probably found someone new to mess with." Touma admitted. "But we promised to stop by again. Since we both lost their numbers, we can't call them ahead of time."
"Lost their numbers?" Mercury asked surprised. "Man, if I got a hot girl's number, you can bet I'll remember where I put it."
"I put it away for safekeeping," Touma admitted. "It still disappeared." He shrugged. "Just my usual luck."
"Mine was in a nightstand, but now it's gone." Jaune added.
"That sucks." Mercury answered and then threw his arms over their shoulders as he walked between them. "Just think about how glad they are going to see when you show up ready to party. I bet after a couple drinks, you could take them into a back room and really get some action."
"You really underestimate my luck," Touma replied. "What will happen is: I'll have beer poured on me and then get chased by some drunken guy and his friends."
"Pssh, don't be so pessimistic if you don't have a girlfriend." Mercury eyed Jaune. "You sure you don't have one? That red-headed chick who sits next to you seems to be into you."
"Pyrrha?" Jaune shook his head. "She's my partner and we are just really good friends."
"I told him the same thing," Touma told Mercury. "Pretty sure Yang did too. He can't take a hint."
"What about you?" Jaune said. "Neo throws herself at you and pretty sure Blake has feelings if half of what Yang says is true."
Mercury started coughing.
Neo's into him? Is that why she isn't giving us much information on them? No, can't be. She's just using him to keep her cover.
"Ask her out on a date then," Touma countered confidently. "Or, better yet, ask her to the dance. I already agreed to go with Neo."
"I bet she already had dozens of people ask her," Jaune told him and shrugged. "But fine, man. If nothing happens after tonight, I'll ask her. But you have to ask Blake for a couple dances."
"You do know Neo will probably hate that, right?" Touma reminded him. "She doesn't like to share anything."
"Oh." Jaune smirked at him. "Didn't realize you two were a thing. No wonder she came to Beacon."
"Don't be stupid." Touma sighed, shaking his head. "Pretty sure she just considers me property. Guess it won't hurt to ask. Blake's pretty nice, but I have to ask Ruby too."
"Must be tough having a harem." Mercury said with a smirk.
Touma spun around.
"I don't have a harem!" He declared. "I get enough of stuff like that from my friends back home. Besides, you probably have a lot of girls flocking over you."
"You know it," Mercury confirmed with a thumbs up. "The tanned girl with green hair in my party, Emerald? She's totally in love with me. Throws herself at me and just begs for us to do it. If our team leader didn't get pissed at her, she wouldn't have stopped."
Somewhere, Emerald felt the desire to kill Mercury.
"Lucky, bastard." Touma muttered. "I would kill for a girlfriend… but circumstances kind of rule that out for me."
"Like?" Mercury detected there was a story here. Cinder did want to find out more about this kid. Jaune Arc wasn't a threat so he wasn't useful except as a tool to get closer to the others. "Come on, don't leave me hanging."
"I may not be in Vale very long," Touma admitted. "May be heading home soon."
Mercury did not miss the look Touma and Jaune exchanged.
"That sucks." Mercury kicked a rock nonchalantly. If he pushed too hard, they would just get defensive. Though, mind games were more Cinder's forte, he had least knew the basics. It would be a lot easier if they were girls. He could just flirt with them a lot until he got what he wanted. "Family things?"
"Kind of." Touma replied.
"Then you need to enjoy Vale while you can." Mercury slapped him in the back. "Tell you what, I'll help you get a girl tonight. Make some memories."
"No, no, no." Touma shook his head. "That's not necessary, thanks."
"Oh? Think you're hot stuff?" Mercury grinned. "Bet I can pick up a hotter girl than you can."
"That's not what I meant!" Touma growled. The last thing he needed was Neo to think he was trying to pick up random girls. Not counting Blake and Ruby thinking less of him.
Jaune was busy laughing.
The three of the joked and needled each other the entire trip to Junior's. It was a pretty normal conversation for guys, with nothing important being discussed. The sun was just setting for the evening when they arrived. Music was blaring down the street and tons of lights lit up the sidewalk. A long line was wrapped down the block for people trying to get in. Junior might have been a shady character, but he did run an impressive nightclub.
"Fuck." Mercury groaned, looking at the line. "Guess it's time to sneak in, or bribe the bouncer."
"Think we could just send a message for them?" Jaune asked Touma.
"Probably the easiest thing to do." Touma nodded. "If they don't remember us, we can head out."
"Lame." Mercury shook his head.
God, these guys are losers, aren't they?
He followed them anyway as they headed toward the entrance. People in the line looked as they passed, many with expressions of disgust or amusement. Mercury knew what was going through their minds. Three stupid kids trying to cut in line. If they only knew what he was capable of. They would change their tune in a heartbeat. What happened next, though, made Mercury's jaw drop.
The bouncer waved them in before Touma had uttered a single word.
What the fuck!?
Mercury knew Touma had been here with Roman before, but to have this kind of respect? Something had to have happened. He really wanted to know what, but couldn't ask without revealing anything. A lot of them nodded or waved directly to Touma, while only a few greeted Jaune. Seriously, Mercury was stunned at this reception. At least he got in with them. He had heard good things about this place and might as well check it out while it was still standing. Cinder's plan would lead to the end of Vale after all.
"About time!"
Touma and Jaune froze.
So that's them, huh? Mercury thought, eyeing the red and white twins. Not bad. They got good taste.
"And here we thought you, like, forgot about us?" Melanie, the one in the white dress, said. She had her hand on her hip and was somewhat glaring at the girl in red beside. "Miltia here was so depressed the last few days."
"No calls or anything." Miltia added.
"Sorry!" Touma and Jaune apologized together.
"There was a lot going on at Beacon," Touma explained. "And we lost-…"
"Shush!" Miltia put a finger over his lips. "I'm talking now. This is our third date and I'll be damned if I don't have some fun. So less yacking and more partying."
She then proceeded to drag Touma after her to the dance floor.
"It's nice to see her take the initiative," Melanie said, smirking. "She's usually just a bitch to me." She grabbed Jaune's arm. "Now, tall, blonde, and scraggly, let's pretend it's our third date and have some fun too."
"Hang on, what about-…" Jaune started to protest.
"He can drink and have access to whatever he wants," Melanie scoffed impatiently. "You… with me, now!"
Now it was Jaune who got dragged off before he could protest.
"Huh, maybe those two are better than I thought." Mercury muttered, before grabbing a drink at the bar. A couple girls were sitting at a table, with no guys around. He smirked, brushed his hair back, and sauntered over to them. "Ladies…"
"It's late." Emerald commented, looking out the window of her dorm room at the night sky.
"And?" Cinder asked. "Why state the obvious?"
"Mercury isn't back yet and that idiot is bound to get into trouble." Emerald explained. "You wanted us to keep a low profile, but if he misses curfew…"
"He knows the plan," Cinder stated, though she looked up from her Scroll. "If he should choose to draw attention, I will punish him personally."
"Great." Emerald smiled. For some reason she felt like stabbing him all evening. "Oh, did you hear back about our fourth teammate since Neo's position changed things?"
"Adam is providing someone," Cinder replied. "We only need a body capable of fighting past the first round. After that, they can vanish."
"It sucks trying to be friendly with all the targets." Emerald sighed. "Why are they so damn happy all the time?"
"That will change when they realize how powerless they truly are." Cinder mused. "For now, keep an eye on them while I decide how we deal with the one known as Touma Kamijou."
"Speaking of him." Emerald sounded nervous. "When you went to speak to him earlier… you sort of… immediately backed off. I've been meaning to ask you about that."
She quelled under Cinder's gaze and the silence lengthened.
There was a reason for the silence.
Cinder experienced something when she drew near him. It was some sort of primal terror that welled up within her. The reports about Grimm being fearful of him seemed to be true. She had a Grimm parasite with her to complete her main objective and that would make sense. What confused her was she also felt something within her core that did not seem to originate from the Grimm. It might have been her imagination, but she was not going to approach that boy carelessly.
"The Grimm do not like him," Cinder stated, refusing to release the full truth. "I wanted to avoid any possible scene. You and Mercury may need to be the ones to approach him."
"Please tell me Mercury wasn't right, please."
"If needed, you will approach him and seduce with him should the situation call for it." Cinder told her and she begrudgingly nodded. "Very good." She rubbed her chin. "Mercury's absence is beginning to become a sign for concern. He better have a good reason."
As if on cue, her Scroll lit up.
"Mercury," Cinder said coldly. "We were just talking about you."
"Huh? Good things I hope? Did Emerald finally confess her love for me?"
"Shut up, asshole!"
"Enough, you two." Cinder cut them off. "Why are you still out in Vale?"
"Hanging out with Touma Kamijou and Jaune Arc." Mercury reported. "Caught them heading to a club, so I hopped in. Told you talking to them after class would be beneficial."
"You have done well," Cinder complimented and Emerald scowled in the corner. "Tell me, why did you call?"
"I just wanted to verify something." Mercury looked over his shoulder and ducked behind a building. "You… um… didn't send the White Fang to assault Junior's club to kidnap Touma and Jaune did you?"
"What?" Cinder's eyes flashed dangerously. "Explain, now!"
"The White Fang are attacking Junior's club and got into a firefight with his men." Mercury said, ducking as a bullet flew over him. "Touma and Jaune were taken hostage and they are currently retreating." He glanced over a fallen table. "Wow, those twins look pissed."
"I did not," Cinder told him. "Follow them and report back once you know who orchestrated that. I will contact Adam and find out what he did."
"On it, boss."
Cinder growled when the call disconnected.
"That blasted imbecile!" Cinder yelled. "Doesn't he know what keeping a low profile means?"
"Mercury or Adam?" Emerald asked.
"Now is not the time for your childish quips," Cinder told her coldly. "Adam better have a reason for attacking Vale so shortly after the breach. Security will be even higher now. We might have to move up our plans to get access to the CCT tower."
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. All mistakes are SilverFang88's fault.
SF88: Fuck you, Dark.
DB: Look who I found guys!
