Scythle had a wide grin plastered across her face as she leaned back on the park bench, arms spread across its back as she took in the colors across the field and hills. A soft breeze carried the scent of all the roses to her, allowing her to take in deep breaths of the smell from all the bushes littering the field. It was quiet, a rarity for the former criminal as she looked up to the blue sky, with several white clouds shining in the sunlight. Ruby took another glance around the park before looking at her sister, hands tucked into her lap as she waited for some oddity to reveal itself.
"So when does something explode?" Ruby asked, looking back over the rose gardens, trying to figure out why her sister wanted to come here when she didn't see any signs indicating that all clothes must be left by the gate.
"It's A Garden, Sis." Scythle stated, sending a soft smile to her sister. "Nothing's Gonna Explode."
"So it's just a normal field of normal roses?" Ruby asked. When Scythle nodded yes, the red-haired girl cocked an eyebrow. "Then why did you want to come here?"
"Because It's Pretty." Scythle stated, looking back over the field. "It's Quiet. It's Relaxing. In My Line Of Work, You Need To Take Those Moments When They Present Themselves, They Don't Tend To Last Long."
Ruby looked back across the fields, staring on to a pile of roses on a small island surrounded by a small pond, taking in a breath filled with their scents, carried by another cool breeze. "You never struck me as the person who'd enjoy this stuff, Vio-Amethyst."
"What Can I Say? I'm Full Of Surprises." Scythle said as she looked across the field again. "And Some Of Them Are Good Ones." Her eyes widened as she found them landing on the back of a woman walking down the path away from them, causing a smirk to grow across her face. "Hey, Wanna See If We Can Swipe That Chick's Panties Without Her Noticing?"
"Amethyst."
"I'm Joking, I'm Joking." Scythle said, putting her hands up with a playful grin, mentally adding to herself, 'Mostly.'
Ruby looked down at her scroll's clock before standing up, causing the cable between her and her sister to rattle across the bench's wooden finish. "We should probably head back now. We need to do a lot of cramming to get your grades back up."
"Can't We Just Buy Out The Teachers Or Something?" Scythle asked, following suit regardless.
"With what money?" Amethyst puffed out her cheeks as she pouted at her sister, sending her a glare that she knew Ruby was unaware of.
"I Hate It When You're Right." Scythle commented, following her sister down the path.
"We still have a week before Oobleck's extra credit assignment is due." Ruby muttered to herself as she and her sister walked down the streets of Vale, tapping her forehead as she ran numbers in her head. "And if we can get you to at least a C+ average for the rest of the quarter, we should get your grades up to-"
Whatever Ruby was about to say next would have been dwarfed by a loud crashing behind her, had it not cut her off. Quickly looking over their shoulders, Ruby and Scythle found themselves trailing a table crashing across the road, rolling onto the sidewalk. They turned their attention back to where the crash had sounded from to see the glass doors to the bank thrown open, shattered as they hung off their hinges. Without any other thought, the two quickly ran over to it and looked in through the door.
A large, burly man stomped over to the teller, grey hands balled into large, tight fists as his knuckles tried to push out through his thick skin. He stomped down one last time, causing his White Fang uniform's tailcoat to jump up before drifting down.
"I hear any one of yous calling a cop," He began growling before smacking his fist into his hand, producing a hard clap. "I squash your head like puddy."
"This doesn't make sense." Ruby began noting as she ducked behind the door frame for cover, hoping the Faunus hadn't seen her. "The White Fang have been targeting Dust shipments, why would they-"
"Who Cares, The Plot's A-Calling!" Scythle stated as she whipped her hands back, pulling her guns out of her sleeves as she unfolded her Scythleg.
"Wait, sis!"
"Alright, Bruno!" Scythle yelled as she jumped in through the doorway, as the rhino-man pushed through the glass in front of the teller's both. "Put Your Hands Above Your Head Before I Pump It Full Of Lead."
The red symbol of a panther's head flex across his back as the brute turned to face the purple girl, growling under his horn like mask. "I'd like ta see you try."
"Well Then, I Aim To Please." Scythle grinned before she pulling the triggers on her gun as the brute ran towards her. "And To-" The brute crossed his arms, allowing his silver bracers to take the bullets for him as she continued forward, causing the ground to shake with ever step closer before Scythle's eyes widened.
"Oh Oum!" Scythle yelled as she quickly jumped up his arm as he attempted to bring his fist down on her. Flaring his nostrils, he gripped the black cable coming off her wrist tight before yanking it back. Ruby was bashed into the frame of the door as she attempted to unfold her scythe, while Scythle was pulled down and bashed her chin against his shoulder. With a harsh cracking, Ruby broke through the wood as the brute spun around and threw them against the teller's desk.
"I Am Going To… Reconsider…" Scythle began saying groggily before Crescent Rose bopped her on the head. "Not Giving You A Chance… To Reconsider."
The brute cracked his neck as he once again began charging at them, pulling his head down as he angled his horn at the two. Reaching up behind them, Ruby and Scythle quickly flipped up over the teller's desk before jumping off the wall over him, causing him to charge through the desk and wall without hurting them. With a quick flick of her wrist, Scythle ejected the clips in her gun and spun in new ones while Ruby took aim. The man took lumbering steps out of the hole he just created before growling, pulling up his bracer to reflect Ruby's shot before he reached out and grabbed another teller's desk. Lifting it over his head, he hurled it at the two girls, only for the two of them to duck under it and slide forward as the civilians finished running for safety.
Scythle refolded her Scythleg and began firing at him, launching shots from her prosthetic and her pistols as he quickly darted to the side. A loud crack sounded from the next desk as he pushed it out with his head and chucked it at the two girls, only for Ruby to quickly whip her scythe around and knock it to the side as he charged at them. With a smirk, Scythle kicked off on one leg and spun around in the air, bringing the barrel of her leg into his face like a kick and letting out a shot.
With a loud *BANG!* Scythle was thrown back as the man lost all momentum and stumbled backwards. Ruby's right arm was jerked up and back harshly as Scythle was pulled back by the cable. She was slammed into the ground hard as the man closed the distance between him and Ruby, grabbing her shoulder harshly before throwing her back, yanking Scythle towards him as he leaned back to threw a hard punch.
If not for her Aura, Ruby's arm would probably have popped out of its socket as her arm was pulled back before she berried her scythe's blade into the ground to act as an anchor. As Scythle was pulled to a halt, she whipped her pistols back around and attempted to open fire on the brute as he closed the distance between them. The bullets ricocheted off his skin and suit before he grabbed onto her as she fell to the ground and charged towards a corner of the room. Crescent Rose made a long gash in the floor as it was dragged backwards before Ruby lost her grip on it.
Scythle was slammed into the wall hard as the brute brought his fist back again, gritting his teeth before Ruby stumbled up to her feet, seeing her sister pressed against the wall before looking down at her end of the cable.
"Sorry about this, sis!" Ruby said as she quickly pressed the orange button, causing the cable to flare to life. Scythle cried out in pain as the electricity found her before finding a new path to ground through the brute.
The robber let out a loud cry of pain as the energy surged through him, causing him to bite down on the air in his mouth hard before whipping his arm back and slamming Ruby into the wall, leaving a Ruby sized crater. As the electricity died, the man released his grip on Scythle as he took a step towards Ruby before Scythle launched a quick shot at his back, causing him to stumble forward over the cable.
Quickly unfolding her staff, Scythle grit her teeth as she launched at the robber again, striking him with the tasers in the hopes of at least staggering him. After two hits, the grey-skinned man grabbed the next strike, causing the metal shaft to deform in his hand before lifting Scythle up. She gave him a nervous smile before he threw her to the other end of the room, dragging Ruby along with her as he turned his attention back to the back of the building.
As Scythle gripped her now throbbing head, she heard hard footsteps growing fainter before catching the man heading towards the back of the building towards the vault. Shaking her head, she climbed to her feet and was about to zip over to stop him before the cable dragged at her wrist, causing her attention to turn back to Ruby, the red-haired girl getting up at a much slower pace.
"Come On, Rubes, This Guy's Ruining My Win/Loss Ratio." Scythle stated as she helped Ruby to her feet. Ruby staggered from one foot to the other as the sound of warping metal filled the room. Scythle pushed her staff into Ruby hands before pulling her pistols back out and attempting to zip over to the robber as he slowly pulled the vault door off with a harsh clanging. Turning back to look at the two, the robber growled before throwing the vault door at the two. The metal clanged against the floor as Ruby attempted to duck under the fling piece of metal. Scythle, however, attempted to go over it, causing their cable to get snared and yank them back, and for Scythle to lose her grip on her weapons.
With a few more heavy steps, the man entered the vault, looking around at the drawers and carts of bills before pulling out a pair of sacks and began stuffing as much as he could into them. The vault door embedded itself into the floor on top of the cable, and after a moment, Scythle and Ruby stood up, the latter clutching her head while the former took a look at the metal door and attempted to roll it off the cable. Scythle quickly knocked on the door to catch Ruby's attention, and the two were quickly pushing against its rim to roll it off as the man worked.
Filling up three sacks for each hand, the robber took harsh, lumbering steps towards the back as the sisters worked, catching Ruby's attention as her eyes grew with an idea. "What's the matter? Too chicken to finish the job?" Ruby called out as the man continued towards the back, narrowing her eyes. "Hey bonehead! I'm talking to you!"
The four slashes on his jacket's symbol flexed and stretched with his shoulders as he looked back at the girl, glaring behind his mask. "Yeah, you! Robbing a bank in broad daylight all on your own, getting into a fight with two Beacon students, you sure put the dumb in dumb muscle!"
Growling once more, the man brought down his head, aiming his horn once more before charging at the red girl. The ground shook with each step, and Ruby quickly darted behind the metal door, grabbing Scythle's arm before pulling her out from behind it. With a harsh metal *BAM!* the door was pushed off the cable, breaking down the rest of the entry way as it toppled over. Spinning the purple staff around, Ruby quickly jabbed an end against his chest, sending a surge of electricity through him before he brought an arm back and attempted to bash her with the bags of money. Scythle quickly kicked off the ground and fired a shot over her sister's shoulder, staggering him as he stumbled back before Ruby's jabs began becoming more numerous.
Gritting his teeth, the man jumped back away from a jab before charging at the two again, only for the sisters to jump over him an attempt to wrap their cable around his neck. Quickly bringing an arm up, however, he swatted the cable over his head before taking a wide turn, breaking through the back walls of the bank, disappearing in the resulting smoke.
"Oh, Where Do You Think You're Going!?" Scythle asked as she gave chase, dragging Ruby behind her before the girl's feet caught up with her. As they followed the brute, Ruby grabbed the shaft of her weapon and pulled Crescent Rose out of the floor.
Following the hole to the alley behind the bank, the two quickly looked around before catching a shadow disappearing around a corner. Scythle smirked as she pulled Ruby down the way, rounding the corner to find the man quickly climbing up a fire escape, each step causing the metal underneath him to deform. Ruby aimed her weapon at the ground before pulling the trigger, attempting to beat him to the top of the building before she was yanked back down, colliding with the hard floor.
"Uh, Amethyst, taking this guy down was your idea." Ruby said as she got up, looking at her kneeling sister. "Why aren't we-" Ruby's words were cut off as she found Scythle looking down at a container in her hand, no bigger than a soda can, made of a clear plastic. The yellow liquid almost seemed to shine in the light as Scythle's silver eyes refused to leave it.
"What… Is This?" Scythle asked as Ruby tapped her shoulder.
"Questions later, stop bad guy now." Ruby stated as she gripped her weapon's trigger again. Looking back down at the container for a moment, Scythle nodded before following Ruby up.
Landing on top of the building, Ruby and Scythle found themselves completely alone as they looked across the rooftops, all of them clear of any figures. Skidding over to the building's edge, Ruby peered over it, once more not finding a trace of their target amidst the trashcans and dumpsters. With the length of the cable between them, Scythle quickly checked the door, finding it securely locked with no signs that it was forced open.
"Where'd He Go?" Scythle asked.
"How did we lose someone that big?" Ruby asked.
"Must Have Been A Ninja Or Something." Scythle stated before pulling a hand to her chin. "Oh, Wait, If He Were A Ninja, Than Why Was His Attack So Obvious?"
Ruby looked over the edges one last time before letting out a sigh, turning back to her sister. "Oh well, we at least got something to find him with. You still got that soda thing?"
Scythle held out the can of golden liquid, giving her sister a quick smirk as she looked down at it. Whatever her sister said next was lost on her as her smile faltered, staring into the can of yellow. She wasn't sure why, but it made her feel uncomfortable, giving her the oddest sense of déjà vu she's ever had.
"Amethyst, can you hear me?" Scythle let out a quick hum as she looked back up at her sister, giving her a concerned look. "I said, 'let's head back to Beacon. See if they can figure that out.'" Scythle nodded at her sister before putting the can in her pocket, following her sister down off the building.
"And the White Fang robber dropped this during his escape?" Ozpin asked as he looked between the yellow liquid and the two girls. Ruby nodded, confirming the statement while Scythle kept her eyes narrowed at the container, as though it held all the world's evil. Ozpin let out a hum before he set the container down on his desk, folding his hands together as he directed his full attention to the two girls. "This is a most interesting matter you have brought to me. We'll begin testing this sample and determine what it is. You two are dismissed."
"In the meantime," Glynda began, tightening her grip on her riding crop as she stared daggers at the red-haired girl. "I believe we should go over what we discussed when you first attempted something like this, Ms. Rose."
"Uh, actually…" Ruby began, looking between the blonde and her sister before the nervousness faded from her face. "Actually, attempting to stop the robbery was my sister's idea. I'm already rubbing off on her, seeing as how she wanted to stop a robbery instead of…" Her confidence slowly faded back into nervousness as Glynda narrowed her eyes more and more with each word.
"And you wished to stop the robbery why?" Glynda asked, staring daggers at the girl in purple now as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Huh, Oh." Scythle said, as if only just realizing where she was. "Well, It Was A Good Excuse To Punch Someone." Scythle explained, oblivious to the gestures Ruby was giving her in a quick panic. "Plus, If I Can't Get The Rob That Bank, Then He Shouldn't Either, Right?" Ruby face palmed, finally getting her sister's attention as she quickly realized the blunder. "I-I Mean Because It Was The Right Thing To Do, For Justice And Truth And All That Nonsense, And Because The Only Thing Crime Pays Is A Really Large Hospital Bill?" She looked at Ruby, still shaking her head in her hands before looking back at Glynda, putting on a confident smirk. "Yeah, Something Like That."
Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose as she gritted her teeth, ready to start lashing out at the girl before Ozpin raised his hand. "I suppose this does indicate some progress, even if Ms. Dieful was motivated for the wrong reasons." Ozpin then turned his attention back to the two girls, once more folding his hands on the table. "You are dismissed."
"And don't let something like that happen again." Glynda started as Ruby and Scythle turned to leave, a sigh of relieve escaping Ruby's lips. "Neither one of you are properly trained to handle that kind of situation, and the collateral damage proves it."
"Relax, Glynda, We Did Fine. They're Fine. Everything's Fine." Scythle said through the closing doors of the elevator, quickly waving at the blonde teacher before she got a chance to say anything more.
"Well, apart from the fact that he got away." Ruby stated, the groan of the elevator's motors sounding through the shaft around them.
"Hey, Didn't Ozpin Have A Normal Office Not At The Top Of A Tower?" Scythle asked.
"That was a temporary office while he got this one's gears fixed or something." Ruby said, only causing Scythle's eyebrows to raise forward.
"Wouldn't We Have Heard Something About That?" Scythle asked, staring at her sister intently.
"You don't pay attention to the announcements." Ruby stated.
Scythle scoffed, crossing her arms as she looked away from her sister. "Sounds More Like Someone's Trying To Make A Recto-"
"Amethyst, listen." Ruby said, grabbing her sister's shoulder and turning her towards her. "It. Was getting. Fixed. Okay?" Grumbling to herself under her breath, Scythle nodded to her sister. "Good girl." Ruby stated as the elevator dinged before the doors slid open. Their footsteps began echoing down the hallway as the two headed back to their dorm before Ruby spoke again. "So what happened back there, with that can of… Whatever?"
"I… I Don't Know." Scythle stated, looking down at the ground as she clutched at her head. "Something About That Stuff Just Makes My Head Scream 'Bad.' It Felt Like It Was Telling Me To Chuck It As Hard As I Could Anywhere. It…" Scythle tightened her eyes before cracking one open to glance at her sister. "I Really Don't Want To Think About That Thing Anymore, Let's Just Keep That Between You And Me, Okay?"
"I already told Ozpin about it." Ruby stated.
"Oh, Right, You Did, Didn't You?" Scythle said before tapping the side of her head. "Sorry, I Think I Was Too Busy Thinking Of A Way To Get That Stuff's Taste Out Of My Mouth."
The two walked forward for another few steps before coming to a halt, looking between each other as their eyes widened. "How did you know what it tastes like?" Ruby asked, worry seeping out of her voice.
"How Did I Know What It Tastes Like!?" Scythle panicked as she gripped at her throat.
"D-did you ever get your hands on that stuff, or-"
"I Don't Think So." Scythle interrupted her sister's train of thought as she grabbed at the sides of her head. "I Think I Would Remember Getting-Getting… I Really Don't Want To Think About This Anymore."
"Amethyst, we need to figure this out." Ruby stated, grabbing her sister's shoulders. "First you get distracted by that stuff, now this? What aren't you telling me?"
"I-I Don't Know." Scythle said, scrunching her eyes shut to avoid her sister's panicked gaze. "I Try To Remember, And All I Get Is A 'Do Not Enter' Sign. My Brain Doesn't Want To Remember," Scythle pushed her sister off of her, attempting to shake the thoughts loose from her head. "And Quite Frankly, I Don't Either. Anything That Makes Me Go This Long Without A Joke Is Bad News For Me."
"Amethyst."
"No, Ruby, Please, Let's Just Let This Rest, Okay?" Scythle asked as she started back down the hall again. "At Least Until Next Chapter, Okay?"
"… Okay. 'Next chapter.'" Ruby said as she looked down at the seam between the wall and the floor, still unused to her sister's strange ways of referring to time as she began following.
"Good." Scythle sighed out before catching a figure walking down the hall, smirking to herself as she lowered her gaze down the figure's waste. "In The Meantime, I Think I'm Gonna Go For Some Booty Therapy."
"'Booty thera-'" Ruby repeated to herself as Scythle disappeared in a puff of purple petals down the hall, causing Ruby's eyes to widen. "S-sis, you already got rejected by everyone at-"
"GAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Scythle yelled out as she was once again tased by the older girl. Ruby let out a slow sigh as she walked over to her sister's smoldering form before lifting her up, intent on taking her back to their dorm to rest.
"The White Fang operative displayed strength well above average, even by most Hunter standards, in his attempted robbery." Lisa Lavender recounted through the projector's speakers, security footage displayed at her side as Scythle groggily reached up to her now aching head, slowly coming to as she pulled the wet towel off her head. "His crime, however, was interrupted by notorious criminal Scythle Dieful, undoubtedly in an attempt to make up for her failure to rob the bank some weeks prior."
"I Was Trying To Help You Guys, You Bitch!" Scythle called out, quickly moving out of the corner to throw her bottle of water at the news footage. The plastic bottle flew through the hologram and thudded against the closed window, not seeming to bother Lavender in the slightest as she continued to explain how Scythle seemed to have been holding a young Huntress hostage throughout her attempted heist.
"And you guys say I have a temper." Weiss scoffed, earning Scythle's ire as Blake narrowed her eyes at the footage.
"Listen Here, Schnee," Scythle began, lifting a finger alongside her look of anger before Blake pointed to the screen.
"The symbol's wrong." Blake stated, earning the attention of the rest of the team. "The White Fang symbol has a wolf head, not a panther, and there's one too many slashes."
"Yeah," Ruby said, gripping her chin before looking back up at the raven-haired Faunus. "Yeah, that's right!"
"Eh, Maybe They Painted His Vest Wrong Or Something." Scythle stated.
Blake shook her head, narrowing her eyes slightly at the purple girl as she looked back up at her. "The WF stains and paints the symbol onto the uniforms using the same template every time. They wouldn't have messed up like this."
"And it doesn't fit the White Fang's recent MO at all." Weiss stated, gripping her chin for a brief moment before looking back at the rest of the team.
"So what, someone's trying to frame them for this?" Yang asked, getting a nod from Blake.
"Half of the stuff the White Fang gets accused of were crimes humans framed them for." Blake explained, earning a quick scoff from Weiss.
"The other half, however."
"Shut it, Schnee." Blake grumbled as Ruby put her hand back on her chin.
"So someone's trying to frame the White Fang?" Ruby muttered to herself as she looked back at the footage playing on the holographic screen.
"Eh, Makes Sense, I Guess." Scythle said. "I Mean, If I Had A Nickel For All The Times Someone Framed Me, I'd Have…" She began tapping her forehead before cracking an eye open, looking up at the ceiling. "Boss, That's Your Que To Improv."
Negative Eight.
"Negative Eight?! How Does That Work?!" Scythle cried out, making the rest of the team jump as Yang, Weiss, and Blake reached for their weapons. "Whatever, Point Is It's Pretty Common. Why Take The Chance Of Falling When You Can Get Them Looking In The Wrong Direction."
"But who would gain anything from making people think the White Fang specifically were robbing banks?" Ruby asked.
Whatever Blake was about to say next was quickly cut off as Scythle leaned in. "Well, Given Their Current Status As A Terrorist Organization Hated By Humans And Faunus Alike, I'd Say Everyone."
Blake narrowed her eyes again, ready to lash out at her fifth teammate before Ruby lifted up her hand. "Guys, please, I'd rather not go through the whole 'Blake and White' chapter again."
"It's still weird that you title sections of your journal like that." Yang mumbled as Weiss scooted around on her bed.
"Let's just let Ozpin handle this." Weiss stated. "I doubt anyone here knows anything about solving crime as opposed to committing it."
"Well," Scythle chuckled, gripping her chin between her index finger and thumb, a smirk growing across her face as she winked at the white-haired girl. "Funny You Should Mention That-"
"Scythle, if you tell me some bullshit story about how you're secretly an undercover detective, so help me Oum-" Weiss started, glaring at the purple pain before the girl in question put up her hands, revealing her palms in the universal sign of surrender. Though Weiss couldn't tell if it was mock or sincere.
"Okay, Okay, Fine." Scythle said before crossing her arms as Yang turned off the program no one was watching anymore. "Geeze, You Never Let Me Have Any Fun." She whined to herself as the rest of the team got up to find something else to do.
