I know it's been a while, but I'm too lazy to put up any kind of summary of where the story left off. Just go back and read it again if you forgot what was happening.
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24 hours later…
Ruby's office was normally very neat and tidy, a reflection of the woman who worked there. Adrian rarely, if ever, saw her flustered. In fact, he safely assumed that nobody had ever seen the legendary Huntress lose her cool like this. But who could blame her? It's not everyday you're handed the reigns of a Huntsman Academy and told Good Luck!
"Oh for crying out… where the fuck is… I need- no, this file, not… aargh…"
Papers and boxes were everywhere, covering her desk, most of the floor and every inch of shelf space. Almost all of it was files and folders delivered to her office about an hour ago, and all of it needing her attention. More specifically, the attention of the new Temporary Headmistress. That was gonna take awhile to get used to.
"Adrian, have you seen the folder marked 'Quarter 2 curriculum'?"
"You just put it down."
"Ah-" Ruby jerked back around from her flailing and spied it, snatching it up and putting it in another overstuffed box before putting that box on the floor and grabbing another.
Adrian rubbed the back of his head and winced. "Are you… gonna be alright?"
"Yep," said Ruby without stopping. "Super. Just… super… aha! There you are-" she grabbed yet another folder and stuffed it into a seemingly random box on the floor. "I know it looks bad, but I've cleaned up way worse messes when I was a kid-"
"No, I mean…"Adrian paused, then gestured to all of her.
"Oh, duh. You meant me." Ruby finally stopped moving long enough to take in the room, as well as take a breath. Even though the office had the air conditioner cranked, she was still sweating. "Yeah, I'll be okay. Eventually. Once everybody has time to cool down and pull their collective heads outta their asses, we'll all get over this and move on with our lives. That's… just how it has to be."
"How many teachers walked out?"
Ruby winced, as that was still a sore topic, then checked a list on her desk. "A lot. Way more than I expected. But as long as I can bring in 4 or 5 decent temps then we should be able to function for the rest of the year. A lot of the guys who stayed can pull double duty until I hire some more."
Adrian caught a look at the top of her list, 3 names in particular, and said, "You really think they're gonna respond?"
"At this point, I don't know what to think. All I can do is make the calls and hope those guys can take the time to come out and help me. To help us."
The name at the top of the list stood out most strongly. "The twins are gonna freak if she comes."
"Don't I know it. Heck, I think everyone at the school will freak if she comes. Part of being a celebrity, I guess. Anywho… you'd better get back to your dorm and get packing. You guys are heading out bright and early Monday morning."
"…"
"Don't you look at me in that tone of voice, young man." A finger was jabbed in his direction, "You got the memo, too – 'All 2nd-4th year teams are to be sent out on away missions for no less than one week to allow for reorganization of school assets.' That means team MOCA and basically everyone else. With so few teachers left I won't be able to do anything with all the students loitering around. I need time."
"I know, but…"
Ruby slapped a folder on the desk, then came around in a huff to face him, mechanical legs whirring angrily. She looked ready to smack him, but instead took a moment to straighten out his collar. Her next words were much softer, "Trust me, Adrian… I don't want to send you away. But you know how rumors work – everybody at the school knows that you were involved with Oscar getting canned, and if I keep you around that'll only make everyone think we're… you know…"
"Conspiring to take over the world together?"
"Something like that, yeah," Ruby giggled lightly. She took his face in her hands and pulled him down to her level, planting a kiss on his forehead just like she'd done last night. Her smile faded somewhat as she said, "I guess things really did change around here, but… I still wanna keep you around. I've grown rather fond of you, Adrian. Now go on, get out of here – you don't wanna keep your team leader waiting."
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It's official; I'm in trouble.
You know that friend I keep mentioning? Well… we had a little incident the other night, nothing dirty, and now… now I can't stop thinking about them. Granted it was a really, really rough day that day, but that doesn't excuse the fact that we almost… almost…
*ahem*
My point being that this development is threatening to toss all my life goals out the window. I've had the future on my mind a lot these last few years, but those plans are starting to move in ways I didn't expect. More and more little things are making way for, and there's really no other way to say this, puppy-love fantasies involving me and my friend spending the rest of our lives together. Although I can't really think of them as a friend anymore, can I? Not when I spent the majority of last night imagining them and myself basically starring in an adult film together (And I don't mean the upcoming remake of Try Hard).
I've lived solely for revenge for so long that I've legitimately forgotten what love feels like.
And it scares me.
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The Next Morning…
They only had a day to get themselves ready before heading out, and that meant one more day of trash duty for Adrian. He wasn't looking forward to it – he never did – not least because it would be a far lonelier chore now. He was already missing Amy.
Especially when he reached the dumpster and discovered that her replacement didn't even bother putting the bags in their proper place. They just left the trash and walked away. The nerve of some people. He quickly mentioned to Misty that he'd be an extra few minutes; his only reply was an eye-roll before the shorter girl pulled open her Scroll to study the latest news. Again. Sometimes he wondered why she bothered to come with him at all.
Adrian finished his own load quickly, then tackled the pile of garbage from the first-years. All the while he silently hoped someone would actually care enough to do the job properly while team MOCA was away, or else the dorm would be buried in trash by the time they got back. Not a pleasant thought. In no time the dumpster held the bulk of the garbage bags, and he quickly moved on to loading the incinerator with the rest.
As soon as he grabbed the first bag of burnable trash from the first-year pile, it tore open and spilled everywhere. He swore a bit as he tried to gather up the junk, then stopped and stared as one item caught his eye.
Sitting in the grass among the scattered garbage was a silver locket he knew quite well; Amy had shown it to him once, and a quick check inside confirmed that it was indeed hers. The face of Amy's sister made that quite clear.
Why in blazes was this in the trash?
Adrian pulled out his Scroll to send a message to Miss Rose. He had no doubt Amy had no intention of throwing it away and would logically be missing it, and if anybody could get it back to her, it was Ruby.
("…over 50 students have been 'sent' to Elysium over the last couple of years, but not one of them has been heard from again…")
He froze. Lieutenant Ashens' voice echoed through his head, sending his mind in another direction.
People sent to Elysium Academy were disappearing. Amy's locket was in the trash. Not one of them was heard from again. Amy's locket, a valuable keepsake she kept around her neck, had been thrown away. No matter how he tried to reason it out, it looked bad. Ashens had said Ruby was the one blocking her inquiries, which meant she was the last person on the planet who should get the locket.
But this was Ruby Rose he was talking about. A legendary Huntress known the world over as a hero, who put her own life aside to help those in need of guidance. Ruby may have been the one blocking Ashens from finding out anything about Elysium, but Adrian had a little insight about the reason for that from Opal; they were worried about the school being sabotaged before it could officially open to the public. It was supposed to be a security measure.
If Amy was fine, then the locket should go to Ruby. She would be sure it was returned to its rightful owner.
If Amy was not fine, then the locket should go to Ashens… but that would also be an admission that he no longer trusted Ruby Rose.
Dammit! For the first time in his life, Adrian was legitimately torn. Who should he side with?
He stood there for several minutes, bag in hand, weighing his options while Misty continued to ignore him from the sidelines. On the one hand, his loyalties firmly put him on the side of the woman who had saved him from expulsion, seemingly the only person in the world who had ever tried to defend him throughout his life. On the other, he was on shaky ground with a woman who had professed a distaste for Huntsman of any kind, who regularly pushed others away… and who was desperate to find somebody important to her.
("I… I don't like those things.")
Adrian's fingers moved before he knew what he was doing, scrolling past Ruby's number until he found the entry for 'Russet Brand,' one of his old friends from back home in Argus (in case anybody asked). He opened a new text conversation and typed: [Has there been a report of an Amy Currant going missing?]
About five minutes passed as he waited, so Adrian busied himself loading the incinerator during that time. At last the reply came through: [Not yet, no. Was she sent to Elysium as well?]
Adrian typed quickly: [Barely a week ago, yeah. I just found something in the school that belongs to her, a locket, but after what we talked about I'm kinda worried.]
He only got one bag into the machine before Ashens replied again: [Get it to Sarge as quickly as you can and tell him it needs to be in my hands before sunset. TRUST NO ONE ELSE. Give me a minute and I'll send you more instructions…]
He didn't bother fighting back the blood from rushing to his face in embarrassment; he'd turned on Ruby and sided with Ashens over what would likely turn out to be nothing. He'd been caught up in her flow, dragged along by it, and now he had no choice but to follow through with his decision. As he waited for the rest of the Lieutenant's instructions, Adrian made a mental note to apologize to Ruby later on. He owed her so much already, but keeping something like this a secret would drive him prematurely gray.
Dammit, it can't be healthy for a person's guts to keep tying themselves up in knots like this.
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That Afternoon…
What the hell are you up to, Ashens?
Captain Jaune Arc held an envelope in his hands that could very well mark the end of his career. Inside was a small silver locket and a note in Adrian's handwriting that held a message from his Lieutenant. By all accounts it sounded like the woman had gone full crazy and dragged his nephew along for the ride.
But on the other hand, if she was even slightly correct about this…
Jaune put the envelope down and sighed, rubbing his temples as he looked around the precinct from within his glass-walled office. Everyone was busy doing their usual work, but underneath it all was a subtle tension. They all knew how close they'd come to financial ruin at the hands of Cafe Prime. And more than a few of them had put the blame squarely on either Sarge, Adrian, or both. If Ashens' weekly reports were to be believed, it wouldn't take much for half the Force to just walk out. Neither he nor the city at large could afford such a loss.
Ruby was dealing with a similar problem, if he remembered right. He certainly didn't envy her position.
And now Jaune held something that by all rights and accounts should be filed away in the evidence locker. An item Adrian himself had delivered by hand, causing the overall mood of the precinct to plummet by his mere presence. Of all the days for Ashens to call in sick…!
Moving as casually as he could, Jaune bent over and made to put the envelope in one of his desk drawers… but quickly and carefully slid it into his bag instead. He didn't dare look around to see if any of his officers were watching – Jaune already knew full well that the Commissioner had a handful of his own men in his pocket, so the only way he'd get this thing out of the building was through slight-of-hand. Next came the tricky part, as he couldn't risk leaving early without raising suspicion. He wasn't supposed to clock out until almost 8.
Getting it to Ashens before sunset would be pushing it, but Jaune did have one trick up his sleeve: an angry wife demanding he come home right now. Adrian wasn't the only one who could put on a show (though admittedly Jaune was nowhere near as skilled), and if he was lucky he could buy himself an extra two hours. Fortunately for both himself and his Lieutenant, Ashens' apartment was on the way to his house. Jaune made a mental note to grab a couple of cans of soup on the way out to make the visit seem more legit in case anyone decided to follow him.
Funny… even though he'd been a Captain for some time, all at once Jaune felt like a wet-behind-the-ears Officer all over again. He had so little real authority anymore that it was a wonder he didn't have to get a signed permission slip to go to the toilet. The corner of his desk no longer displayed Sun and Neptune's mustaches, as that was one of the first things to go once the Commissioner started bringing the hammer down. And of course he seemed to enjoy it. That man always enjoyed making Jaune's life miserable. He just didn't have any ammunition until now.
Dammit, Adrian… this had better be worth it.
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Monday Morning…
Laz liked sitting in human laps. They were warm and cozy.
Small human was best, animal boy was okay but lumpy. Animal girl still smelled weird, so Laz avoided.
Adrian always shooed Laz away. She did not want that. She wanted to sit in his lap most of all.
Laz and her humans rode in a loud metal box that seemed to be flying – a look out the win-dow showed Laz a bunch of clouds rolling by at high speed, but not much else. There was a word in her mind to explain this, but it remained out of reach. Turns out there were lots of words in her mind to help her define the world around her, and more and more of them had begun to appear when she wanted them.
But not all. And trying to dig them up was tiring. Laz lay curled up in small humans lap, resting as the world around them rocked and swayed and roared. Thinking about Adrian.
"Are you sure it was a good idea to bring her along? We are supposed to be on a mission, right?"
"Miss Rose personally requested that we keep her with us, Opal. We're her caretakers right now. Besides, do you expect the first-years to focus on their classes if we leave an Imu on campus?"
"I know I wouldn't…"
"Exactly."
"Aww, she's so cute when she's sleeping like that.~"
"Alright you two, knock it off. We'll be landing in Valley Glenn in a few minutes and I want everyone on their best behavior. That means you too, Adrian."
"…"
"According to the mission request, the townspeaple there are big fans of the Imu. I really don't want them to kick us out just because you and some random guy start arguing about it. Are you listening to me?"
"I hear you."
"Settle down, Misty… he obviously has a lot on his mind. Hey Adrian, how's Miss Rose holding up after the craziness that went down the other day?"
"She's doing everything she can to keep her head screwed on. I'm sure you've heard about the walkouts…?"
"Yeah. It was almost half the teaching staff, right?"
"At least. Dammit… neither of us expected so many people to stay so fiercely loyal to Oscar, even after everything he did."
"He was well-loved, you have to admit that."
"…"
"Well, I'm just glad it's all working out so far."
"Thanks, Crim."
Laz didn't understand much of what her humans were talking about, but she could sense their emotions as clearly as she could smell din-din. Adrian was worried about… something. Animal boy was worried about Adrian. Everyone seemed tired and worried all the time. Small human seemed… hopeful about something, but there was no way to know what. Laz could read emotions, not minds.
Hell, she barely understood her own mind.
The last few nights found Laz waking up in a slight panic – she had been dreaming. Shapes flitted before her eyes like shadows on a wall. Shapes she almost recognized, but couldn't. She felt fear, elation, anger, all one after the other and in no particular order. One of those shapes looked… a lot like Adrian. Another one looked like Laz herself, or at least like what she saw when she looked in the mirr-or back then.
But the last one stirred her own emotions into a frenzy every time. It was a shape she had no chance of recognizing while awake, but it lingered none the less. It was a shape like a human woman with long, curly hair. That's it. That's all Laz could ever remember.
Who is the woman in her dream? Why does she have these dreams in the first place? And what would it take to get Adrian to stop hating her enough that maybe, just maybe, she could sit in his lap?
As with all her other questions, Laz had no idea. All she could do was wait and see if the answer lay buried within her mind.
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Author's Note: This one was a bit shorter than I first planned. In any case, hopefully this provides enough intrigue to keep you guessing. The next couple of chapters are gonna stay mostly on team MOCA outside of Beacon, but I'm also gonna delve into Jaune's side of things every now and again. There's also a big reveal coming soon…
=^..^=