Chapter 6: A New Friend
Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum. All other mentioned franchises are owned by their respective owners. I own nothing but myself.
WOW it has been a while since my last update. Hello everyone! TTOA here with the next Chapter! Hopefully it ends like my other Chapters. I hope the Chapters are a decent enough length. I am honestly not sure how long I want to make them. Not including the A/N's in the beginning and end of each Chapter, I was thinking maybe 3000 words minimum would be a good starting point (The Chapters "officially" start with my Narrations/Logs), although I can always make them longer. In fact, I would've made Chapter 5 a hell of a lot longer than when I ended it. If you guys think that is a good length or if it's too long/short let me know.
If there is one thing I would like of at least some of you is to leave a review or something. I know it's not required and I don't want to force you, but feedback is what I need so I know what I am doing right or what I am doing wrong. I like it when I see people are interested in what I'm writing, but I don't feel like I'm doing well unless I get some sort of feedback; otherwise I just keep writing how I am with no improvements.
My writing isn't really good, and I am truly amazed that you guys are at least interested in what I am doing.
I know I am new at all this, and maybe I don't have the right to ask so much of all of you, but I seriously cannot thank you enough for looking at my story. Maybe I can get somewhere in all this through writing. It has truly been an interesting experience and I think I will have a lot more fun doing this even if I got back with YouTube.
I also have another RWBY story in the works which should be uploaded soon as well as a possible third one that I am thinking of some ideas for.
Sorry for the long A/N. Let's get started with the Chapter.
"Speech"
Thought
*…* Actions within dialogue
'Air Quotes'
Emphasis
Narration/Log
[#] Author's Comments which will be shown at the official end of the Chapter and before the ending A/N.
X-X-X Scene change
Last time on RWBY: The Hunter from Earth
Opallios continued his training under his Master. During a reconnaissance mission to a previously discovered location, Opallios created a new attack with his lightning Dust and blacked out in the process. A nightmare occurred that reminded him of his life on Earth and of those he left behind. Never in such a state before, he revealed his true identity his Master. Feeling sorry for his student to be in such a state, he gave Opallios the rest of the week off but reminded him that training will resume next week. Opallios decided to go back to working at The Wolf of the Moon in Vale and began delivering packages. He has made it to the first house, and he was greeted by someone he did not expect. Who is the mysterious individual that has caught our hero's attention? Find out, NOW!
I knocked in the door and it opened after a couple of seconds. I was greeted with something I did not expect. What greeted me was a young man who looked exactly my age. He bore Asian-styled features that reminded me of Ren in the show although this man was slightly tanned. He was extremely taller than me, looking to be around 6'2, and had a lean, slim muscular build. His straight, slightly long black hair was neatly kept and his eyes had that same black color almost as if his eyes were the night sky. He was wearing a dark green coat with a gray t-shirt along with black cargo pants and some combat boots. He also smelled slightly like cigarettes. I noticed he had a long sword strapped to his side. I stood there like an idiot for what seemed like forever before he spoke.
"Are you going to stand there gawking at me or are you here for something else?" he asked.
Shaking out of my trace, "First off, I don't swing that way if that's what your implying; and two, I am here to deliver this package. I was told by my boss that it was fragile." I said as I handed him the package.
He chuckled. "Relax shorty, I was just teasing." He looked at the package. "Sweet! This is the thing I asked for a couple of weeks ago." He said as the package disappeared from his hands.
I raised my eyebrows. "Is your Semblance some kind of pocket dimension? Also, I'm not that short."
He smiled, "Okay you're not short. But you are correct about my Semblance. I can store practically anything. The dimension itself is 3mx3mx3m, but I can make it larger at the cost of some of my aura. What about your Semblance?"
"It's kind of like a move-reader. My body adapts to my opponent's fighting style when I am hit. It allows me to block and counter the style's attacks. It also works on Grimm, but since I've only encountered Beowolves, I am not sure it will be effective on all species of Grimm."
"That's pretty cool. Are you a Huntsman or are attending Beacon?"
I shook my head. "Neither. I am training to better myself when I go to Beacon in a couple of years. What about you?"
"Didn't feel like going yet. I figured I could get some more training done before I attend. I was also thinking about going in a couple of years. Looks like we will be going the same year." He paused. "How old are you by the way?"
"I'm 19. I'll be 20 in a couple of months."
"Wow, you're the same age as me, although I think I'm older. What month were you born?"
"October. You?"
"September, HA I am older than you."
"You're also a hell of a lot taller than me."
"You forgot devilishly handsome and badass."
"I'm not sure of the latter, but definitely not the former."
We shared a laugh. "Name's Saga Cilario," he told me as he brought his fist out.
"Opallios Stone." I replied and we bumped fists.
"Your name is a bit hard to pronounce. I'm going to call you Opals from now on." He said with a smile.
I frowned. "My name isn't that hard to say, but I guess you can call me that. Sucks that I can't think of a nickname for you."
He laughed. "It's fine." We stood there for a couple of minutes. Saga broke the silence, "What do you plan on doing later?"
"Right now I'm just delivering the rest of the packages. After that, I'll probably go and get some training done before heading home." I came up with an idea. "If you want, you can help me out with the delivery. I'll split the pay with you."
"I'll do it. It'll give me something to do. But I won't make a habit of doing all of the heavy-lifting for you."
I chuckled. "You won't. You can just store it in your PD."
Saga looked at me, "PD? You're calling my Semblance PD?"
"It's certainly less of a mouthful to say." I replied.
"I guess." He said. "Give me a moment." He headed back inside. After a couple of minutes he was back at the door. "Had to go tell my Mom I was going to be gone."
"You got to do that too? Looks like I'm not the only one with worrying parents." I said as I mumbled the last part. It was then I heard someone behind Saga approaching him. It was his mother. She looked a lot like Saga, but bore more Asian-styled features than him. Her hair was the same color, and it was long as well. Her eyes were a deep purple, almost like the color of plums. She had a slim body and was taller than me as well as most women I've met. Of course she's taller than me. Everyone has to be. She was wearing a flower-patterned short-sleeved shirt with light Grey shorts. She had a warm smile on her face as she looked at me.
"So you are the one who my son is going with? It's nice to meet you. I am simply known as Mei," she said as she extended her hand.
Beautiful indeed... Wait WHAT?! I mentally shook those thoughts out of my head. "Opallios Stone, Miss" I managed to say as I shook her hand.
I noticed her smile grew. "I know I'm beautiful and that's what my name means, but I appreciate the complement. I know you mean well and have no indecent thoughts." My face paled and she laughed. "My Semblance is mind-reading, and I love it when I see people's reactions. Just be sure to keep my son out of trouble."
I saw Saga roll his eyes, "We'll be fine Mom. I'm just heading out to have something to do." I nodded in agreement.
"Just be careful. You know how I worry." She said as she enveloped Saga in a hug.
"I know. I'll be fine." I heard him say. They broke the hug and Saga and I headed out to the place where the fifth package needed to go.
X-X-X
A random suburb
As we were walking, I noticed Saga was suppressing a laugh. "What's so funny?" I asked.
He finally broke into a fit of laughter. "You have the hots for my Mom!" He continued to laugh.
I felt some heat rise to my cheeks. "Shut up! I don't, I just think your Mom is an admittedly attractive woman. Your father is lucky to have her as a wife." I said as a pushed his shoulder.
His laughter died down, "I know that, I just couldn't help myself to tease you. It's very amusing."
"I've only known you for 30 minutes and you are already being like one of my friends." I sighed and looked up at the sky. "They can be assholes sometimes, but I wouldn't trade them for the world."
Saga noticed the sudden change in my mood. "You must really miss your friends. Are they here in Vale?"
"No. They're just really far away. I haven't been in contact with any of them for awhile. I know they're doing fine though." We kept walking in silence. "So what's the deal with your sword?" I asked Saga as I tried to lighten the mood.
I stepped to the side as I heard the familiar metallic shing as he drew it out. It shimmered in the sunlight as I looked at the silver blade in awe. "It's a family heirloom. Her name is Argent Glaive. It was used by my ancestor during the Great War. He was the first person in my family lineage to become a Huntsman. I am the second."
"Such amazing craftsmanship! It is truly an elegant blade." I said and I saw Saga cheeks slightly glow with embarrassment. "Do you have any other weapons?"
"Just a bunch of guns." He said as he put Argent Glaive back in its sheath as we kept walking.
"Are you going to show me them?" I asked.
"Later. There are too many people here."
"But you just drew your sword in public and there aren't many people out here anyway!" I said accusingly.
He smirked. "I just wanted to show it off." There was more silence. "Where is the next package going to?"
"It should be around here." I said as I felt my Scroll vibrate. I pulled it out and noticed we were at the place. I went ahead and knocked on the door. It opened a bit later to reveal a Grizzly Bear Faunus.
"What can I do for you young men?" He asked in a deep voice with his arms crossed.
"We're here to give you this package." I said as Saga brought it out from his PD and I handed it to the Faunus.
"Great, I've been waiting for a while to get this. Here is your payment." He handed me a small pouch of Lien. I gave it to Saga and he placed it in his PD. "Are you two Huntsmen?"
"No Sir, but we are training to go to Beacon soon. I'm just having a side job at the moment." I replied.
"And I'm just along for the ride since someone here isn't doing anything fun." Saga chimed in. I glared at him and he had stupid grin on this face.
"Well, let's hope you two do great. Have a nice day." He said.
"You too Sir." I replied and he closed the door. We left the place and I looked at Saga as we walked back the way we came. "We need to head back to The Wolf of the Moon so we can deliver the rest of the packages."
Saga groaned. "Why didn't you bring all of them with you to begin with?"
"I wasn't able to carry all of them. There are five more packages I need to deliver and it will be a lot easier with your PD since I am not strong enough to carry all of them or fit them in my backpack." I said as I tried to act hurt.
We looked at each other and laughed. Saga said, "Fine. Where do we need to go?"
"It's a few kilometers from where we are now. If you want, we can stop by and get something to eat before going there."
"Oh! I got the perfect place to go get some good food that's really close by. Do you have money 'cause I'm not paying for your food."
"I don't. Sorry."
He sighed. "I'll pay for it just this once. But you owe me."
"Won't the split with the deliveries be enough?" I asked.
"That'll be fine, I guess." he said and I followed him to where he wanted to go.
X-X-X
"A Simple Wok?" I said/asked as I was reminded on what it was secretly based on; to which I smiled.
"It's the best noodle house this side of Vale! I go here all the time. You simply have to try it!" Saga gleefully said.
"For the record, Asian-inspired/themed dishes are one of my absolute favorite kinds of food. I have no doubt in my mind that the food here will be nothing short of amazing." I saw Saga draw up a huge grin on his face as we sat down. "What do you recommend?"
He replied almost immediately, "Get the Tonkotsu [1]. It's one of my personal favorites."
We went ahead and placed our orders. A couple of minutes later at the chef brought it to us. The aroma the food was emitting smelled so alluring that I coughed from almost choking on my saliva.
"Are you okay man? It isn't that spicy." Saga asked as he slurped up of some of his noodles.
After about 15 seconds of coughing, I replied, "I'm fine. My mouth was watering so much that I started to choke on my saliva." Saga proceeded to go in his own coughing fit. "I know, a pleasant thought to have before eating." He then began to laugh.
" *I'm your friend who's an asshole laugh [2]* No! That's hilarious! *hysterically laughs* Oh My God that's the funniest thing you've done yet!" He was laughing so hard that he had to put his food aside so he didn't knock it over. He was crying from laughing so hard and clutching his sides.
"You're an asshole sometimes, but I guess it was pretty funny" I chuckled. I waited for him to calm down so we could continue eating. After a bit we simultaneously slurped up the broth remaining in our own bowls and Saga paid for the meal.
As we made our way down to the store, I burped really loud, much to Saga's amusement, and some of the people around me looked at me in slight disgust.
"Did you get enough to eat?" Saga asked with his stupid smile on his face.
"Yeah I did. Seriously, that food was awesome! I promise to pay for the next one. If you think that burp was loud, you don't want to see me when I drink coffee."
We laughed and we actually arrived back at The Wolf of the Moon. We walked inside and got the rest of the packages. Jason came in from the back.
"Hey Opallios! Good to see that you are back to deliver the rest of the packages. Who's your friend?"
"This is Saga Cilario. His Semblance is a pocket dimension and he will be helping me deliver the rest of the packages for half of the total payment." Saga and Jason shook hands.
"Any friend of Opallios is a friend of mine!" Jason said with a smile.
I went ahead and scanned the addresses on my Scroll and Saga placed the packages in his PD. We then waved goodbye to Jason and made our way to deliver the rest.
Cutting to have the only the sixth and seventh ones left
Saga had his hands behind his head and I had my hands in my pockets. "We now only have the sixth and seventh ones to deliver. It looks like the sixth one is in a small village out to the west. We'll have to travel through Grimm territory for a good three kilometers." I told him.
"Let's hope we can kick some Grimm ass on the way. I've been itching for a fight."
"Personally I would like to avoid a fight, but it would be nice to get some extra training in." I said as we began walking through the forest. It was then we heard a few pig squeals.
"Boarbatusks are nearby. I could only hear five." Saga said quietly as he drew out Argent Glaive and a Black pistol that had some thin gold lines on it. I went ahead and activated my armor and drew Black Lightning along with my left-handed shield. Saga analyzed me for a moment. "Cool armor. Who made it?"
"Sathrall. Helps my resistance against Dust since I am not very resistant to it as most people are. I'll explain why later." I told him as we got into a back-to-back battle stance as we heard the Grimm getting closer. It was then that the Boarbatusks appeared, but instead of five appearing there was only seven. I told Saga, "This shouldn't be too much of a problem. Ready?"
"Let's kick some ass!" Saga said and I could tell he had a smile on his face as he began to shoot one of the Grimm as I rushed at another one.
We were apparently able to startle them as we easily killed the Grimm we attacked; however, the Grimm began to roll up and charge us. I went ahead and dodged one of them while Saga shot another one. The bullet drove the one that attacked me back, but the Grimm was far from finished. While it was dazed I did a Summon Bolt Stream and I brought my mace down on the ground as the Grimm began to charge at us. The last of the six-bolt stream hit the Grimm, killing it. Saga eyes widened as he was impressed with my skills. He heard another two coming at him to which he rolled out of the way of one of them, but a third one hit him where he landed and he was flung into a nearby tree with a dazed expression on his face. Dammit Saga! I rushed over to him. I was able to block another attack with my shield from the second one that attacked him and stabbed it in the head which only seemed to aggravate the Grimm. I decided to improvise and charged a bit of my lightning into my shield and proceeded to bash a fourth oncoming Grimm which it was flung back with electricity going through it. I noticed that my aura was in the lower green while Saga's was in the high yellow, but he finally came to.
"Damn it! I hate Boarbatusks!" He said as he got up.
Not turning to face him, "Good to see you're alright. There are only about four left. Think you can fight for a bit longer?"
"You bet your ass I can!" He went ahead and put away his pistol and Argent Glaive and brought out what looked like a grenade launcher from Halo to which I dove out of the way as he fired at three of the four remaining Grimm. There was a small explosion and all three of them were dead in that one attack. As the last one stood there with fury in its eyes, Saga and I seemed to have an idea. We nodded and he got a couple of meters behind me. The last of the Boarbatusks squealed in fury as it revved up for a long time before charging. I crouched low to the ground and the Grimm ramped off my shield, but it seemed to have stumbled when it hit the middle of my shield causing its unprotected underside to be exposed. It was at that moment that Saga brought out what looked like a shotgun from Halo and shot the Grimm's underside in the same motion.
With the battle over, we looked around at what we did. Saga looked at me and brought out his fist. "Told you we would kick ass!"
"And kicked ass we did!" I said as we bumped fists.
"That was a cool idea with the shield ramp and me shooting it. We would make a great team at Beacon."
I nodded. "Now will you tell me about your guns since I have seen some of them in action?"
"Alright calm down," he said. "We should probably get out of here so more Grimm don't show up. Which way do we go to get the package sent?"
"My armor has a mini-map. Follow me." I said and we headed to where we needed to go.
5 P.M.
We finally made it to the village and we were fucking exhausted. Our muscles were in so much pain from all the walking that we could barely move. We had to lean against a tree to keep us supported.
I looked at Saga as we were both on the verge of collapsing. "Gooooood Daaammmmnnn itttt! How far did we walk?"
"12 fucking miles." he answered.
"FUUUUUUUCK!" I slid down the tree in annoyance and sat on the ground. "We need to get some food."
"And to clean up. Not just us, but our clothes as well. They probably smell like shit." Saga said as he began to remove his coat and his shirt. "You should probably remove your hoodie and shirt as well. I don't understand how you can wear that hoodie in this heat."
I was reluctant to take off my hoodie, but I decided to do so anyway. "Remember when I said I would tell you the reason why I wear the armor?"
"Yeah. And?"
"I'm still going to tell you later." I answered with a halfhearted smile.
"You're an asshole."
"I know." I said as I also decided to remove my shirt.
Saga noticed the shirt I wore. "I didn't know you were into the Red Skull Shredders."
"Honestly I don't know if I am since I haven't listened to any of their music. They reminded me of a metal bands back home."
"You're going to have to tell me what your hometown is like." My smile faltered. Saga saw my sudden change in mood. 'I must've said something wrong.' he thought. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean t-"
"It's fine." I was silent a bit more before I looked up at him with a smile. "I'll tell you someday. When I am ready to." Saga returned the smile.
"You know, I'm not someone who usually checks out other guys, but you are putting on a bit of muscle here and there." I looked at him.
"You really got to stop teasing me like that. I'm not really looking to be buff. Just reasonably fit. So please don't be one of those people who will check me out. I would rather not be checked out."
"Oh come on! I only like teasing you because you are my friend. I do think I'm more built up than you are, but if you keep doing what you are doing you'll have girls latching on to you like bees to honey."
I laughed. "That has got to be one of the corniest things I have ever heard." What I said next had Saga wide-eyed, "Plus, I can't get with a girl anyway. No girl would want to be with someone like me."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's something I've grown to have myself feel like. I mean look at me! I'm incredibly introverted, I hardly display my emotions, and I don't take care of my body well enough to be presentable. If a girl was even remotely interested in me, she would have to be desperate, have no other options, or have lost a bet. Even if she said she was interested in me, there is nothing she could say to convince me as to why. You know the phrase scraping the bottom of the barrel? Well I'm the dirt on the ground on the barrel's underside. Love to me is nothing more than an illusion, a hopeless fantasy."
Saga was silent. He then said with his arms crossed, "You shouldn't be making yourself feel that way. I'm sure there will be someone out there for you."
I placed my head against the tree while turning my gaze outward and away from him and crossed an arm over my knee while placing the other arm at my side. "Well when you've been feeling like your heart has been broken several times because you were either too scared to say something or you knew it would never work out, it gets harder to put the pieces back together to make it the same way. I gave up on love a long time ago."
Saga was starting to get angry. He looked down at me. "You're only 19! You have your whole life ahead of you! You have no legitimate reason to be acting this way! You need to have more confidence in yourself! I'll be damned if I see you put yourself down to be so low." I stayed silent for about five minutes before I started to chuckle. "What's so funny?"
"You remind me so much of them." I got up turned to face him. "My friends were always there for me. They would help me get through my rough days and when I felt like giving up." I gave Saga a brotherly hug which threw him off guard. He returned it. When I broke the hug I said, "It is the first day I have known you, but I feel like we've been friends for a long time. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. It is difficult to find comfort when your life takes an unexpected turn. I would get like this constantly, but I knew I can rely on my friends to get me through it all. Maybe there is someone out there for me. And I think there is someone out there for you as well."
Saga smiled at me. "It's good to see you are out of that mood. I'll be there for you. Besides, someone has to keep an eye on you so you don't get yourself killed."
"You're still an asshole."
"Whatever." We began to laugh.
"Looks like everything seems alright with you two."
"Wah!/Gah!" Saga/I shouted at the unknown presence.
The person, or people laughed. It looked like the entire village was surrounding us. There only seemed to be about 30 people or so. The people ranged from the elderly to mothers holding infants in their arms. Some looked to be grouped together as a family. They all seemed to be really nice people.
Saga asked, "How long have all of you been standing there?" A middle-aged man stepped forward.
"I personally wasn't standing here long. I was nearby when I heard you two shouting and I decided to give you both some privacy. I came back here later with the rest of the village and you two were laughing. My name is Markus and I am in charge of this village. What brings you two here?"
I remembered that this was the name of the person who the package was supposed to be given to. "I am Opallios Stone and my friend here is Saga Cilario. We are here from Vale to deliver this package to you." Saga then brought out the package from his PD and gave it to Markus.
"Thank you so much for this. I've been wanting to add this to my collection. I'll be sure to pay you. You said you two were from Vale?"
"That is correct" Saga answered.
A woman who I presumed to be Markus's wife came up from behind him. "Goodness you boys must be exhausted! To travel to our village from Vale on foot in your clothing with this heat by yourselves is not an easy task. Follow me and I will wash your clothes and get you both something to eat."
"That would be great! Thank you." We said as we went ahead and followed the woman.
I went ahead and let Saga take his shower first while I walked around the small house. It wasn't as big as the one back home, but it was larger than the hotels back in Vale. I asked Markus's wife, whose name I found out was Tabitha, to be careful with washing my hoodie since it was my armor as well and I didn't want to get anything damaged. She assured me that it wouldn't get damaged and promised to be careful with it. Saga poked his head out of the bathroom and saw his clean clothes on a small dresser that was outside the bathroom door since they were dried with a fire dust-powered heater. He grabbed his clothes with his free hand and closed the door to change. My shirt and hoodie were almost done when Saga came back out fully dressed although his hair was still slightly wet and had water dripping. I went ahead and stepped into the bathroom and then took off my remaining clothes and dropped them outside of the bathroom door. I made sure to keep my journal in the bathroom closet so it wouldn't get wet and took my shower. I felt the warm water run along my body as I proceeded to wash my hair as well since it has been a few days since I showered and washed my hair. I grabbed a towel and dried myself off as best I could. I poke my head out of the door and saw my clothes were done as well. That stuff works quick. I only took a three minute shower. I went ahead and grabbed my clothes and after closing the door I got dressed. Fully dressed and cleaned, I looked at myself in the mirror and considered shaving my growing mustache and goatee. I decided against it as I decided shave it before I go to Beacon. I grabbed my journal and placed it in my pocket and headed out of the bathroom. I could smell food in the kitchen and I followed the scent and I saw that there was slices from a fresh loaf of bread with a salad along with what looked to me to be pork tenderloin. I saw Saga was already eating so I sat down and began to eat as well. After the meal Markus paid us for the delivery and we thanked them both for their food and hospitality. Tabitha even gave us some snacks for the trip back to Vale which we gladly accepted. As we were making the trek back to Vale, I asked Saga to show me the rest of his guns.
"Christ if you want to see them so badly you should've just asked" he said with a smug grin.
"You know how many times I've asked you! Plus I think you would appreciate being able to show off your weapons." I said as I pulled an apple from my pocket and began to eat it.
"Touche." He first pulled out his grenade launcher he used earlier. "This is my M23 Multiple Grenade Launcher. I call her Kraken." As I looked more closely at it, it really did remind me of Halo. I nodded when I was done observing. He placed it back in his PD and brought out a sniper rifle. "This is my Anti-material sniper rifle. A Barrett XM500 I dubbed Fomalhaut." I nodded again when I was done observing while still eating the apple. What he had out next was the shotgun I saw him use earlier as well. "This is my M77 Extreme Close Quarters Combat System One-handed shotgun. I call her Altair." Once again this gun reminded me of Halo and I was okay with this as I thought some of the weapons in that game could be used in this universe. I nodded and he then brought out an SMG. "This little beauty is my One-handed M2 Battle Rifle. Her name is Vega." I noticed it reminded me of something, but I couldn't think of it at the time. I asked him if I could hold it for a closer look. He gave it to me and I looked at it in m hands. Turning it this way and that before I realized where I've seen this gun before back on Earth.
It's from the RoboCop movies. I knew I've seen this somewhere before. I thought as I smiled. I handed Saga back Vega and he then pulled out the pistols he also used in the fight earlier.
"And last but not least, these two are my Custom-made TSR-666 Handguns. I call them Onyx Wings. I like these two the most." He placed his weapons back in his PD.
I threw away the core of my apple since I finished it. "What kind of ammunition do your guns fire?" I asked.
"All of them are fitted to fire Dust rounds and Compressed aura. I have special casings for different Dust types depending on what I feel like using, although I mostly use fire Dust rounds."
"Do you normally buy your dust rounds?"
"Yeah. They are a bit pricey, but worth it." he answered as he pulled out a cigarette and began to smoke.
I slightly stepped away from him as he began to smoke. "Do you smoke often?"
"Not too often. Grimm will most likely kill me first rather than smoke." he said as he blew out a smoke ring. "If you don't like it when I smoke I'll do my best to not smoke around you."
"I would appreciate that, thanks." I said as I went back to my previous spot at his side and we walked in silence. Saga pulled out a bag of chips from his PD and began to munch on them. I looked at him. "How long have you had those?"
"Since I left to hang out with you. Want some?" he offered his bag to me.
"Sure." I grabbed a few in my hand and we began to munch on them. "I want to tell you the reason why I wear my hoodie which doubles as my armor." Saga stopped eating and listened. "I was born prematurely, in fact I was born in only 25 weeks [3]. I was only 13 inches and weighed 26 ounces [4]. I should have been dead, but I was given treatment in the hospital where I stayed for 99 days [5]. I didn't get to go home until I was almost two years old. Because of my premature birth, I have a lesser amount of resistance to Dust than normal. I wanted to become a Huntsman so I can protect the people I care about and to give hope to others where there may not be any, but I knew early on I would be facing opponents who use Dust in their weaponry. When I decided to go train to become a Huntsman and attend Beacon, I had Sathrall make me a special set of armor that would help against that resistance. Even though I can still fight without it and I have a large supply of aura, I'm more vulnerable as a result. I made the armor based on a hoodie since they are my favorite article of clothing. Since I always wear one, I knew I would always be protected. It is more dangerous for me without it since one well-placed strike or bullet could be the end of me earlier than most people. This is why that no matter how hard I train or master a skill, I can never be as good as someone such as you."
Saga was silent for awhile as he absorbed the information. "Damn. That sucks."
"I know, but it is something I will be alright with."
"I find it amazing that you are still alive. To be born so prematurely and to have you turn out like this. Your parents must be so proud of you."
"My mother always referred to me as her miracle child."
"And you have the right to be called that considering what you went through." We walked for a bit more before stopping to rest for a bit. After our quick rest we were finally able to make it back to Vale and we somehow didn't encounter any Grimm on our way back despite that it was getting dark outside. We stopped by a store and I checked my Scroll and saw that is was about 7:45 P.M. "Come on Saga. We have one more delivery to make then we can both go home."
"Where does this one need to go?" I looked back at my Scroll for the address. I was about to look it up when I saw the name and I had a worried look on my face.
"Shit." I mumbled under my breath.
What's wrong? Where is this one going?" I showed him the address. "That's Junior's Club. I don't know what kind of package he would want, but I don't expect it to be good. If you are worried about getting in just give me your mace so I can store it in my PD. If things get rough I'll be sure to give it to you. Other than that we should be fine."
"If you say so." I said not entirely convinced as I gave him Black Lightning and saw her disappear.
"Hey if push comes to shove, just try to dance and have fun since neither one of us are old enough to drink at the bar."
"That's just the thing. I haven't been to any kind of club. I also hate dancing."
"Well I'm sorry you're going to have to suck it up." He then added teasingly. "You may be able to get a girl if you know what I mean."
My face turned slightly red. "Shut up. Let's just get this over with." Saga chuckled at my embarrassment. We headed out to Junior's Club.
Junior's Club
Since it was early we didn't have to wait that long in the line. Once the bouncer cleared us through we stepped inside. I looked around and I saw a bunch of people were here despite it only being 8 P.M. I saw the surprisingly large dance floor with people dancing (what else is a dance floor used for). I saw on a higher platform the DJ in what looked to be a bear suit and around the left side was a staircase which I assumed lead over to the bar. I also noticed that there were a bunch of men dressed in black suits with red ties, red shades, and black hats in multiple areas of the club. I assumed they were Junior's henchmen keeping an eye on the club so there isn't any trouble. I really didn't like the music in here. Dance music is one of my personally least favorite kinds of music and I really didn't want to be here. I looked over at Saga and he had a suave-looking smile on his face. I immediately knew what he was going to do so I grabbed his shoulder before he took off. "Not so fast! First we find Junior and give him his package, you can dance and hit on girls after that." I said over the really loud music.
"Fine, whatever." he grumbled. "Where should we look?"
"I was thinking the bar would be a good start." he nodded as he followed me to the bar.
When we got there it was a little quieter but not by a whole lot. I immediately recognized Junior and he was cleaning out a glass I also noticed the Malachite Twins were nearby. I didn't make eye-contact, but I kept their presence in mind as I walked over to Junior. Saga was 'casually' walking over to the twins to try to make a move, and I didn't notice it until I was almost at one of the bar stools. Dammit Saga! Don't start something! I sat in one of the bar stools. Junior looked at me and had a slight frown.
"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"
"I'm just here to deliver a package you ordered. If my friend would come over here I would like to give it to you."
"So it's here then? Good."
I turned to Saga and saw that his head was hung low and the Twins weren't looking at him. He made his way over and sat down next to me. "Got rejected Lady Killer?" I teased.
"Not funny."
"Can you please get the package out so we can leave and go home? I don't want to be here longer than I need to be."
"Geez fine." He pulled out the last package and handed it to Junior who placed it under the bar.
"I'll pay you, but it won't be much."
"Anything would be appreciated." I said as I took the money and gave it to Saga to place it in his PD.
Junior looked at us skeptically. "Are you two working with the police or are Huntsmen?"
I immediately replied. "No Sir. I'm working at a job to make some money so I can later go to Beacon. My friend here helps me with the heavy-lifting." Better to give the truth than to cause trouble. I saw Junior nod.
"As long as you two don't cause any trouble here you are welcomed to be here." he said. I was surprised at how almost laid-back he was about this.
It's gonna suck whenever she gets in here. I thought with a grimace.
Saga however, took this opportunity to say, "Awesome! More dancing for me!" He was about to bolt out of the bar when he looked back at me. "You coming?"
"I told you already I don't dance, but I will stay here longer if you want. I really don't care." He shrugged his shoulders and then he was out of sight. I got up from the bar and found a booth in a dark corner where I was away from the bar and where the music was also quieter. I heard the music change to a more steady song as I sat here thinking about how my day went so far.
"Seems to me you are not enjoying yourself." a feminine voice spoke to me.
My face was covered by the shade of the wall, but it paled. That voice! It can't be! Not her! Anyone but her! Please don't tell me I've encountered her of all places. I thought with a panic. I turned around to face the person who spoke to me and my fears were realized.
Sitting on a small red table nearby was a woman with black hair and glowing amber eyes, while her fingernails are painted dark red. She wears a dark-red, off-the-shoulders, v-neck mini-dress with yellow designs. I saw a blue feather-like accessory on her right hip, at the top of an open portion of her dress which dress ends in an upside-down triangular tail in the back, ending just above the knees. Although I couldn't see it, I knew the dress had a baseball diamond-shaped keyhole on the upper back at the same height as her chest. The sleeves end in a triangle shape, which are wrapped or tied around her middle finger, with the gold designs of the sleeve taking over at the wrists. While her legs crossed I saw her black shorts underneath her dress. Her accessories were a black choker on her neck, a pair of gold loop earrings which also glowed like her eyes that had a black gem dangling from each. She got up and made her way toward me and her dark, glass, high-heeled shoes made a clink sound as she walked. She also had a jeweled anklet on her right leg. She was none other than what I assumed to be the main antagonist of the show, RWBY (despite the fact she may not be the one who is truly in charge as I left Earth before more was revealed about her); Cinder Fall. I knew she has either started doing her plan or was going to start it, and I knew that she is not to be trifled with and no good was going to come out of this meeting. I would've called her beautiful if I didn't feel like I was going to die in a couple of minutes. I would have to do my best to keep a leveled head and not get burned alive. Oh who am I kidding! I'm so fucked. I thought. "I'm not really the type of person who does this sort of thing. Too much noise, too many people, and I don't dance." She went ahead and sat across from me and stared at me. I noticed she was also tall, about 5'11 and from this close she really was beautiful and almost seemed to be around my age if not a couple of years older. What am I thinking?! This is Cinder Fall! I'm surprised I haven't died already! I mentally panicked. She said something that broke me from my thoughts.
"What is someone such as yourself doing in a place like this? You seem to be a little young to be here."
"I was here working for my boss to deliver some packages. One of them happened to be given to Junior."
"What about your friend?" she asked her eyes still studying me.
"He would help me carry them since I wasn't strong enough."
"You seem like you can carry your own weight for someone as young and handsome as you are." she said teasingly.
My face reddened. "I'm only 19 and I'm training to go to Beacon in a couple of years; and I'm not handsome."
She laughed, but I couldn't tell if her laugh was more of a manipulating one or one that showed malice. "You are certainly an interesting individual. Why do you want to become a Huntsman?"
"I want to protect those I care about and to give hope to those who have none. If I can also become stronger as a result I will take it." I wanted to ask her what she plans to do, but that would be too dangerous.
Cinder had a small smile. "Your cause is understandable, but what about those who will take away what hope others have? What do you do about them?"
"I will give them a second chance at redemption." Cinder raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. "I believe everyone, no matter how evil they are or what they have done, is a good person from the day they are born. Those who become evil do so when an event occurs that changes how they view their beliefs. I want to give those who have done wrong a chance to make things right. If they refuse, then I will have no choice but to do everything in my power to stop them. My reasoning may seem childish, but I stand by them."
Cinder was silent and I was getting worried. She then did something I did not expect. She pulled out her Scroll and gestured me to do the same. Not wanting to make her angry, I pulled it out and handed it to her. She seemed to be punching in some numbers and then she handed me back my Scroll.
"Opallios Stone, huh? An interesting name." She got up and began to leave and I watched her go up the stairs. "You'll find my number in there. You decide what you want to do with it." She winked and my mouth gaped open as she disappeared from my sight. I closed my mouth and stared at the Scroll in my hand.
What. the hell. just happened? I got her number?! I don't understand! What does this mean?! Why? I put my head on the table. "I'm so screwed." I mumbled. My mind was all over the place so much that I didn't see Saga sit next to me.
"Dude! Did you just finish talking with that really hot chick? What happened? Did she reject you?"
I was startled by Saga's out of nowhere appearance. "No. We talked. She asked me some questions, and apparently she gave me her number before leaving."
"No fucking way! That's awesome!"
"I don't know what to do though! This has never happened to me before!" I was in despair.
"You should call her as soon as you can. Can't let someone like her get away. Someone may snatch her" he said with a toothy grin.
"And would that someone be you? Last I checked you have a track record of being rejected."
"Don't rub it in."
I chuckled. I got serious, "Saga if you had the power to change a person's life for the sake of many people would you do it even if it might make everything worse?"
Saga thought about it for a minute. "I honestly do not know. I think for some it might be a risk worth taking, but I can't really say for sure." I slumped my shoulders. "Come on. Let's go back to see Jason and go home. It has been a long day for the both of us." I nodded and we left the club.
I have an opportunity to change Cinder's ways. I have no idea if she has started her plan or not. Do I take that risk to have her see things differently? Is it really possible? Is it even right for me to do so? Doing this would drastically alter the events of canon. I weighed this on my mind as we made it back to The Wolf of the Moon. It looked dark inside since there was only one light on. We walked inside and Jason saw us.
"Well it's about time you two got back! I assume everything went well?"
"Yeah. Here's the payment." I said as Saga brought out all of the money we got from the deliveries. Jason counted them and it turned out it was a total of 300 Lien. I was surprised at the high amount. Jason gave me 45 percent of the total to which I split with Saga as thanks for helping me out. We then said our goodbyes and left the store. I decided to walk Saga home. I enjoyed his company and he was a valuable friend to me. We made it to his house.
"Well Opals, this is where I say see ya. It was fun hanging out with you. If you ever want to do something like this again, feel free to let me know." he said as he brought out his fist.
"I'll be sure to do that." I replied as we bumped fists.
"Good luck on your training."
"Same to you."
I went ahead and left to go head back to see Master.
Back at Master's cottage
I walked inside to find him sitting in a leather chair reading a book.
"Looks like you had one hell of a day."
"Tell me about it." I yawned. "I'm going to go to bed. I got more stuff to do tomorrow. I shouldn't be out this late that often."
"See you tomorrow then." he said not looking up from his book.
I headed upstairs and did my nightly routine before writing in my journal and letting sleep take over.
Special shout-out to sgolek1 for Saga Cilario. Saga's mom was created by me, but I'll give most (99.99%) of the credit to sgolek1 for mentioning Saga having parents in his character BG. You can always submit more than one. I hope you don't mind how I have him in the story.
[Author's Comments]
[1] noodles in a pork broth
[2] You have a friend who has that laugh.
[3] About five months, so I was born four months early.
[4] One pound and 10 ounces
[5] A little over three months
Another Chapter is done and I think it's my longest one to date. Now, I will be having a bit of trouble with uploading the next one due to the fact that I might get a job as well as the summer family vacation coming up in the second week of August. Luckily the vehicle we are taking has WiFi, so I will be taking my laptop with me so I can work on the next Chapter as well as my other story ideas. I know I should be relaxing while on vacation, but I want to be able to get some stuff done.
So we have a surprise appearance of Cinder Fall. The funny thing is I was considering making her a love interest (I admit she is really attractive) by making her change her ways since it is unclear when she actually became evil and then when I write this story's sequel I would have someone take her place in canon that I would have no knowledge about who said individual would be, but make the character have similar things that Cinder does in canon. I would do this since if Cinder was like how she is in canon, especially when she goes to infiltrate Beacon with Mercury and Emerald (they would be replaced/altered as well), I would have knowledge of who she is, but since I would technically have no proof of her actions, it would make it difficult for me to arrest her and maybe have her change her tactics. The problem is that I have no romantic experience and I would have to consult a Beta Reader to write all of the possible romantic scenes (if my conversation with her was anything to go by, I have no experience in this kind of stuff).
Which begs the question of do I add romance to the story and make Cinder a love interest? Do I add it and not make her the love interest and make it someone else (Either another RWBY character who is close to my age/slightly older or an OC of your creation)? Do I even add romance at all? I will most likely have a poll uploaded on my profile when I upload this Chapter so you guys can decide. Know that if the vote is that romance is added to the story regardless if Cinder is the love interest, I have never actually written romance at all. I am NOT be doing ANY lemons/smut since I haven't done that either and I would like to keep this story at a T rating. Unless there are enough people who would like to make this M rated, but I still wouldn't add smut/lemons. This means I would have maybe multiple polls or just a bunch of choices that you will decide where the story would go.
This has been TTOA, and I will see you in Chapter 7.
Peace!
