A/N

Hey everyone, here's chapter twenty-two. I'll be honest, I'm not 100% happy with how this chapter turned out; I may try to re-write it if I find the time. I have some good news to share though! The last of my exams are this week! So I should be able to return to a regular upload schedule very soon. For those of you who read my RWBY content, Chapters 8,9, and 10 have been mapped out and I'll try to write them soon.

Chapter 22…

It wouldn't be the first time that evening that Ashley found herself feeling intense deja vu…

The dark haired woman had planted herself near the door that led to the Medusa's mess hall. Just like when she had first followed Templeton to the room, Ashley's mind was muddled up with longing - the longing to be literally anywhere else than where she currently was.

Why had she taken Templeton's offer? Ashley barely knew the man and knew next to nothing about the other pilots that had been on the mission - save for one other. The idea of sitting at a bar surrounded by a bunch of complete strangers had never been an enticing one to her…

But after what happened in the shower… Ashley wasn't sure if she wanted to be alone, not yet...

Ashley reached upwards and took a moment to toy around with her hair. It was still damp to the touch and she had twisted it up into a messy ponytail. As soon as she was done she moved her hands low to smooth out the creases of her red and white jumpsuit - one of the few spares that she actually owned.

With a long sigh and the feeling of impending doom churning in her gut, Ashley reached out and activated the door panel.

The mess hall was quiet and mostly empty, save for a few tables which were occupied by the ship's crew. In contrast, the small bar that was shoved into the corner of the room was abuzz with activity; huddled around the bar was a throng of several men - they were all wearing jumpsuits just like hers.

Ashley took a deep breath and began her approach. Each step felt awkward and fumbling and the urge to turn on her heel grew with each footfall.

The other pilots at the bar hadn't noticed her yet? Perhaps there was a chance that it would be a quiet evening?

"There she is!" Templeton leaned out from where he was sitting, a grin on his sharp face. "The woman of the hour!"

Every pair of eyes at the bar turned to meet Ashley. The woman felt her insides withering under the gaze of the many strangers.

All at once the bar erupted with activity. The other pilots loudly clapped their hands together and cheered, complete with several shrill whistles of celebration.

"Nice work, Tigress!" Called one pilot.

Ashley felt her face burn at Blisk's nickname for her. Had it spread around like a contagion or something?

"Great job completing the mission!"

"You saved our asses!"

"Awesome work!"

The compliments flowed like a river… Ashley's legs carried her to a vacant bar stool and her mind went blank. In a rush, the other pilots at the bar crowded around her like vultures on a corpse.

"We all thought you were a goner!"

"Bet those Militia shitheads didn't know what hit'em!"

"Blisk picked a good pilot!"

The compliments and praise continued… and continued… and continued...

"Hey, Ishikara?" Templeton grinned next to her. When had he claimed the barstool right next to her? Ashley wasn't exactly sure… but he was there and he was actually addressing her…

"Huh?" Ashley blinked.

"Whiskey still okay with you?" Templeton cocked his head and gestured in the direction of the bar.

"Yeah… whiskey sounds good right about now…"

Templeton placed the order and a glass of the amber liquid was set down in front of her. Ashley wasted no time in lifting the glass to her lips and draining the contents. The whiskey was smoother than she had anticipated and didn't burn her throat as much as she expected.

Ashley coughed and removed the empty glass from her lips.

"Smooth," she remarked, flicking her gaze back in Tempelton's direction.

Templeton shrugged and raised his arms to gesture to the other pilots. "We all had a talk before you came and we pooled our money to get you a top shelf bottle."

"The good stuff…" Another pilot in the crowd murmured.

Ashley allowed the tiniest smirk to crawl up the sides of her lips.

"Well if that's the case…" Ashley set her glass back down on the counter. "Another one…"

The crowd of pilots cheered and the bartender obliged her request for another glass. As the vessel was being filled, Ashley took a moment to scan the faces huddling around the bar. The only one she was familiar with was Templeton, all the others were strangers.

"Hey?" Ashley whispered in Templeton's direction. "I uh… know what happened to Smith… did anyone else...?"

"Dirge," Templeton quietly answered her as he sipped his own drink. "The guys on his team said he got ripped out of his titan and crushed. I guess his name applied to him too, huh?"

Ashley frowned and traced her finger on the rim of her glass. She didn't know the man… and in her first time properly speaking with him he came across as uncouth and lecherous…

But still… two of her comrades had died…

"That was a little callous of me," Templeton corrected himself in a whisper. "He was an asshole, but still…"

"Yeah," Ashley frowned and downed her second helping of whiskey. She wordlessly set it down on the counter and the bartender deftly refilled her cup.

"Hey, Ishikara!" One of the other pilots at the bar saddled up next to her. "Tell us! How did you do it!?"

"Do what?" Ashley hid her annoyance.

"What else!? How'd you escape with the data!?" The same pilot grinned, admiration shining in his eyes. The other pilots at the bar followed his lead, once again crowding around Ashley and softly demanding to know the answer.

Ashley stealthily turned her head to view Templeton out of the corner of her eye. The man was giving her a knowing look and his eyes shone with amusement.

'Fuck'

"Uh… alright," Ashley took another sip and set down her half-finished glass of whiskey. "I guess I should start by saying that I fell out of the dropship. I was trying to get Smith inside when he got fried by an enemy Ion."

The mass of pilots around her murmured to each other.

"So anyways," Ashley shuffled uncomfortably. "I called in my own titan and we killed the Ion-"

"How?" Templeton loudly muttered next to her and sipped his drink. Ashley recognized that he was trying to make her story more interesting than it actually was.

"How'd you do it?" Warbled another voice.

"Did you take its legs off?"

Ashley fought the urge to rub her temples. "I lured it behind a building, ripped off the laser cannon and ran it through when it tried to flee…"

It was the plainly stated truth… but her audience acted as if it was a stunning example of battlefield tactics. Ashley waited for the cheers to die down before continuing her tale.

"What'd you do next, Ishikara?" Templeton once again muttered in the world's fakest tone.

Ashley leaned back on her stool. "Cain and I headed North for a while…"

"And…?"

Ashley turned her head to give Templeton a flat look.

"My titan and I found an old, abandoned communications station. We got it up and running and sent out our message."

It wasn't the exact truth… but it was the story she had told to Templeton and Ashley was eager for it to become truth.

The mass of pilots at the bar were completely silent. They looked between each other with frowns and looks of confusion.

"That's it?" The pilot who had saddled up next to Ashley muttered. "Really…?"

"Were you expecting something more extravagant?" Ashley shrugged and motioned for the bartender to refill her glass. "Sorry if I disappointed you…"

"Now, Tigress..." an accented voice called out. Every single pair of eyes at the bar turned around to watch Kuben Blisk striding confidently in their direction. A familiar dark haired pilot was following him closely; Cozbi did not interrupt her employer, but she shot a small nod in Ashley's direction.

"I don't want to hear you say that bloody word ever again," Blisk gave his best shark-tooth grin and slapped an affectionate hand on her shoulder.

"Which one?" Ashley sipped her whiskey and ignored his hand.

"Disappointment," Blisk answered and took his hand away. "Listen, all of you!"

The mass of pilots were rapt with attention.

"I don't care if you think Ishikara's story is boring," Blisk wagged his finger, as if he was scolding a group of misbehaving children. "She survived behind enemy lines, sent off a signal that kept that louse of a captain from buggering off, and most importantly… she completed the bloody mission!"

"Here-here!" Templeton cheered and raised his drink. The other pilots around the bar followed his lead.

"All of you should be looking to Tigress as your example, yeah!?" Blisk grinned.

Ashley felt her face beginning to burn.

"She's a bloody professional! All of you take a page out of her book and hang off every word she says!" Blisk rapped his fist against the bar.

The other pilots cheered and raised their drinks in toast. Ashley felt her face burning hotter than it was before; she quickly gulped down her next glass of whiskey to cool herself down a little.

Blisk tapped Templeton on the shoulder and made a gesture for him to leave. Templeton shrugged and stood up with his drink, wandering over to the other occupants of the bar.

"So..." Blisk settled himself on the now vacant stool and waved down the bartender. "Enjoying your night, Tigress?"

Ashley's nostrils flared and she set down her cup. "Do you have to keep calling me that?"

"It's a good name for you," Blisk shrugged. He received a cup of his preferred liquor and wrapped his gloved hands around the glass.

"I have a name-"

"Tigress," Blisk nodded as he took a sip of his beverage. He ignored Ashley's glare and hid his smirk.

Ashley sighed and took a sip of her whiskey. She once again had to battle down the urge to rub her temples.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about Blisk?"

"Now, now," Blisk chided. "I'm not all business…"

"Around me, you are," Ashley narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

"I have some more jobs lined up. Will you be sticking around for them?"

Ashley frowned and looked away. "I don't know… two hundred thousand credits will cover my expenses for a long time…"

"Are you hinting to me that you need more incentive?" Blisk took a sip. "The money will be good… and you've already got yourself a titan. If I were you and I would be eager for more jobs."

"If the cuts are good… I guess so," Ashley finally relented.

"You could've just said yes," Blisk smirked.

"Yes?"

Blisk chuckled and Ashley scoffed. The woman turned back to the bartender and wiggled her glass. To her disappointment the bartender raised up her now empty bottle of top-shelf whiskey. If she wanted more drinks then she would have to pay out of pocket.

"Well," Ashley wiggled in her barstool and planted her hands on the bar. "I came for the free alcohol and now it's run dry. I'm turning in…"

"So soon?" Blisk raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, do me a favour, would you?" Ashley cautiously looked from side to side. "Is the coast clear?"

"I usually don't do favours… but this one time I'll make an exception," Blisk shrugged. "Plannin' to slip out?"

"Yeah…"

"Hmpth," Blisk smirked. The man leaned backwards to peer down the length of the bar. "Oi! The lot of you!"

Every pair of eyes at the bar turned to face their leader.

"How about we have a little competition!?" Blisk called as he extracted himself from his barstool and stood to his full height. The man drew his knife from it's sheep and pressed the tip into the bar. "Anyone here heard of the knife game?"

Blisk splayed out his free hand on the bar and tapped the tip of his knife in the spaces between his fingers.

"Whichever one of you jokers can go for the longest... I'll slap two thousand credits into your hands!" Blisk grinned. "Whose first?"

The rabble of other pilots clambered over each other and crowded around Blisk.

In the chaos Ashley found her opportunity to leave. She wordlessly got up stalked off from the bar. The dark haired woman felt a few pairs of eyes on her, but nobody moved to follow her and no one called out to her.

'Good.'