Another new chapter so soon!? It must be the end of the world or something!
Jokes aside, here's a new chapter for you all, and as a bonus my first ever Omake at the end too!
Without further ado let's get things rolling!
}Episode 9: My Unexpected Best Friend{
I wish I could say the following weeks of me being under Emerald's watch was terrible. That she worked me into the ground and then some. That she made my life a living hell and that she was a sadistic crazy nutbag.
I really, really, really wish I could say all that, I honestly do! But I…I just can't! If anything those few weeks were actually quite pleasant and…enjoyable.
(Sigh), I guess I should explain things huh? Well you better sit back cause this is gonna be a doozy.
Ahem…
So as you all probably remember when I first found about Emerald being assigned my supervisor I may have had a tiny, itsy-bitsy little freak-out.
…
…
…
Okay, so maybe it was more than a little freak-out, but the point is that after I managed to calm down, I was able to explain how I wasn't mad that Emerald was my supervisor but that I needed a babysitter.
Truthfully Emerald really was the reason, but I didn't have any reasonable excuse that wouldn't make me sound insane. I mean what would I tell them, that Emerald was an evil henchman working with one of the most respected teachers at the school to destroy the world and bring about Grimm Darkness?
Not only would they throw me in the loony bin for that (among other reasons) but that would also get Cinder and her goons on my trail. That or a visit from everyone's favorite tiny ice-cream themed sociopath to introduce her umbrella to my neck!
So yeah, they seemed to accept my answer, but Goodwitch still lectured me about watching my tongue and language and not to have outbursts like that in front of the students, and Emerald just laughed it off. She'd seen my freak-out at lunch, so she wasn't really all that surprised.
And so began my forced tutelage/monitoring by Emerald.
The first week after my first eventful day of work, nothing really happened. Emerald and I went about our duties as janitors, and no opportunities really presented themselves for me to have "an episode." Though that didn't stop Hoppity McStalkerton from trying to record me doing something crazy, but for that week she would be disappointed.
I did my damndest to be just an ordinary janitor because I had Cinder Fall's most loyal soldier watching over my every action. Any communication between us was meaningless small talk and business workplace chat, which I would only give small replies to. I kept it that way out of my insane paranoia so that I wouldn't accidentally say anything that would pique her interest.
On the bright side I didn't really run into team RWBY during that time, so I figured they stopped trying to seek me out. I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to feel relieved since they wouldn't get involved with White Fang early, or saddened since they gave up on me. Either way, I felt a little of both.
I tried not to think too much on it, I didn't need the extra stress. No, Instead I put all my focus on trying to secure my daily meals without any trouble. Secretly living in the school was hard enough as it was, but trying to get my food without any complications was just a whole other level of hard.
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…
Oh right…I haven't explained the whole 'secretly living in Beacon' thing have I? Let me rectify that.
So another good thing in those few weeks was that I had some of the best sleep of my life…well, comparatively to my old box.
See, I did not want to head back to Vale, not with the White Fang on the prowl for my hide. It's not like I had anything to go back to, my box wouldn't miss me, and I sure as heck wasn't going to go anywhere where Foxy might find me again. That little brat was the reason I was in this mess in the first place.
So no, I decided that I wasn't going to be a hunted hobo anymore, I was going to be an in-hiding squatter! And my hideout naturally was the maintenance room.
Janitors had later hours compared to the rest of the staff, and while nearly everyone else would get on a bullhead into town, I would just clock out, go the room to retrieve my belongings and just not leave. There was a nice little corner between the wall and shelf that held our sanitation chemicals that I claimed for myself. It was dry, not to warm or cold, and smelled faintly of oranges. You'd be surprised how comfy a corner could be, especially with the padding I tripped it out with.
Since it was a boarding school and the majority of the students lived there, there was a full maid service. On my rounds during my very eventful first day, I had taken the liberty to…borrow some bedding and pillows.
Hey, it's not stealing if it never left the grounds alright?!
But yeah, they had bedding and stuff specifically for lying on the floor. I'd always assumed that Ruby and the gang had just brought their own sleeping bags or something for that sleepover before their first test in Volume I, but I guess it's nice to be proven wrong once in awhile.
That night, after my bed had been secured, I took a whole gallon of hand soap and snuck into the Locker Rooms and I finally, finally got to take a shower after two months!
Let me tell you I had no clue water could turn such a deep shade of brown. I'm pretty sure two pounds worth of dirt fell from my beard and hair alone. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it for myself…and I did feel lighter after it too.
I stayed under that glorious water for at least an hour, and only after I had exited did I realize how truly horrendous I had smelled. The smell on my clothes was so bad, I couldn't even believe I had gotten used to it, or how Ruby and the rest could have stood being so close to me. Looking into the mirror, I still looked like a Mountain Man with my scruffy beard hanging a good three inches, but at least I was a clean mountain man again.
After that, I burned all my old stinky rotting clothes in the furnace and sent their ashes up to the old gods. My hoodie was the only thing to avoid this fate (I loved it too much) so I put that through the communal Laundromat the student's used with a whole jug of detergent, and a healthy dose of bleach for good measure. After that, I assembled a new mix matched outfit from clothing I picked up from the lost and found.
Hey! It was Lost and I Found it! It's all in the name! Aside from the two pairs of baggy green track pants I'd acquired, I also had a hot pink shirt that said Princess on the front in gold lettering that perfectly fit my malnourished form.
And yes, I wore that outfit proudly under my jumpsuit because it was soft, clean, breathed easily and felt good against my skin. I still wear it even now as a matter of fact, despite the holes, scorch marks and blood stains.
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…
I will not apologize for comfort.
So with my new green and pink, but very comfortable outfit, I slept upon my borrowed bed, and it was glorious.
It's amazing what getting a good night's sleep can do for your mental well being…well it certainly doesn't hurt.
And so for that first week, I would implement this system of living in the school, sleeping in my corner, taking hot showers, etc. On my off days, I would just wear my uniform and pretend I was part of the weekend crew and hang out in the maintenance room for most of the day. I don't know how I didn't get found out by the higher ups. I mean, there were cameras everywhere in that school. Maybe they just didn't care enough about what I was doing, but for whatever reason I wasn't harassed about it.
There was still one problem though, and that was acquiring food.
Even though I hadn't been found out, I was still ever paranoid about my unique living conditions, and I still wanted to avoid attention.
In the early mornings I would wake up just as the kitchen was opening and before any normal students would arrive, grab my food and haul ass back to my room. After the day was done, I would wait till near closing time of the cafeteria to snatch up whatever leftovers were left when there were fewer students.
Lunch however was out of the question. I refused to go back to that cafeteria when everyone in the world and their dog was there. I was too paranoid that someone was gonna interact with me due to Velvet's dumb videos.
I mean I doubt any of the students (sans Cardin) would actually attack me, but even still I had already garnered too much attention. I wanted to be just a simple background character that no one noticed unless they spoke, but instead I was practically known though-out the whole school as the insane trash eating janitor who would blow you up in a second.
It kept people away, and that was all fine and dandy for me since it meant less chances to accidently spill plot info or screw up the plot any more. No, really what it came down to was the stares.
As I'm sure I've pointed out, and will continue pointing out from here to the end of time, I am a very paranoid person. This paranoia stems from one simple thing, crowds. And I'm not talking standing with a group of people, no I'm talking about being the center of attention.
Everybody looking at you, silently judging your every action like you're on some sort of talent show or something. I hate it so much. To suddenly be receiving mass amounts of stares was a nightmare for me, so I chose to avoid it at all costs.
Which brings me to the Friday of my second week as a janitor and how my life took another unexpected turn.
}Line Break{
It was my lunch break, and there I sat in the Maintenance Room reading a book on Grimms while I was starving and dreaming of Dinner Time leftovers. (Incidentally that book had a lot of interesting information that the show never mentioned. Some of that info would actually save my life a few times down the road).
So as I read, and tried to ignore my stomach I was interrupted by the sound of the Maintenance Room door opening. Looking up from my reading I saw…Emerald holding two trays of food.
I was naturally confused at this so I asked,
"What's with the double trays, extra hungry today?"
Emerald smirked at this as she walked over and sat on the opposite side of the table from me.
"Me? Not so much. You on the other hand…" she trailed off as she placed the extra tray in front of me.
I dropped my book into my lap as I looked upon what was on that tray of food. A fully loaded foot long turkey sandwich, a mountain of tater tots, a chocolate cupcake, and a can of soda.
To say I was drooling would be an understatement.
"Just don't go nuts and hug me like last time or I'll have to tell Goodwitch," she chuckled.
I looked up at this chuckling evil villain with confusion etched on every layer on my face.
My confused look deepened at that as I stared at the tray of food in front of me. Shoving a paranoid thought that it might be poisoned aside I instead asked,
"W-Why?" I asked.
"Um, well, because it technically counts as excessive affection, which isn't allowed during school hours and-"
"No, I mean, why are you giving me food?" I clarified. Don't get me wrong, I was starving mad, but this was still a villain after all, I couldn't overlook the chance that she was going to poison me or something. Although that kind of thought got overwritten when she smiled back at me and said.
"Two reasons. One because it's my job to watch out for you, and that includes making sure you don't starve."
She took a bite from her sandwich and swallowed before continuing with a softer look,
"The second is because I heard your little rant outside Goodwitch's office yesterday. I figured some food would be a good pick-me-up for you."
Rant is kind of a strong word.
You see, the day before had been payday and Emerald and I had both been handed our checks for the week the only problem was the number displayed on mine.
I was supposed to receive 40 Lein a week, which is more than generous considering we worked in a school where explosions could happen at any minute, but due to my Day 1 Shenanigans, I had only received 5 on my first paycheck. So when payday numero dos came about, I was more than a little miffed that the sum still read 5 Lein.
I of course brought my complaint to Glynda in the most perfectly calm manner possible.
"To be honest, I can't believe she let you get away with yelling, 'What The Hell's With My Check Goodwitch?' right to her face," Emerald giggled.
As I said, perfectly calm.
After my outburst, Goodwitch merely adjusted her glasses and explained to me that my balance had not just been for the table, but for the dust samples and pieces of lab equipment I'd blown up also.
Faced with that, I accepted my pitiful check gracefully.
"And look," Emerald said with a put off face, "I know our little situation is unique, but I don't want you to feel as though I'm actively looking to punish you. I'm not out to get you or anything…"
Alright, I didn't actively accept my check, I started doing what I do best. Ranting. I ranted to Goodwitch how I hated that I needed a babysitter, how stressed out I always was, and how I couldn't go to the cafeteria anymore for fear of kids pulling out their weapons because of that stupid Rabbit's videos. I even kicked my cart for emphasis.
All Goodwitch did was look at me as if I was a child throwing a tantrum, asked if I was done, and then told me to attend to my duties.
Apparently, Emerald had heard all that.
"I-I'm sorry," I apologized humbly. "It's not you, it's just getting crummy pay kind of tipped me over the edge a bit. Th-Thank you for lunch, I really appreciate it."
To this, Emerald smirked and replied,
"No worries man, we all have bad days now and again. Now go on, dig in before you wither away."
I nodded at her words as I dug into my food. I didn't even care if that I was displaying terrible table manners. And the food? It was delicious, with no hint of poison whatsoever…not that I would have known anyways, but still.
As I ate, I couldn't help but ponder the woman in front of me in my usual paranoid manner.
Okay, what's your game? Are you just being nice as a cover? Did Cinder put you up to this for some reason? God why can't I read minds? Life would be so much easier!
Honestly I was surprised that I didn't think up a whole list of reasons on why she was being nice to me. I guess hunger will do that to you.
Anyway, we ate in silence for a good couple of minutes, or as silent as my frantic chewing could be, before Emerald suddenly asked,
"So, Chris, I have to ask, What's the deal with you and the students?"
CRAP! Did she see me with RWBY? Is she fishing for connections?
"I-Uh…*Gulp*" I swallowed my food. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, what's the deal? You never go into the cafeteria and you told Goodwitch you were afraid of them. Are you embarrassed because of the videos?"
"Well…not exactly. I…I don't want to face too many of them if I can help it…I don't like the stares…" I admitted.
She raised an eyebrow at that.
"Ah, I see. Can't handle being the center of attention can ya? Yeah, I know the feeling," she nodded as she took a bite of her sandwich.
I all but did a spit take upon her conclusion, and how quickly she had come to it.
HOW TH-!? Dang she's sharp for a henchmen! Cinder must have given her some lessons in perception or something!
Emerald apparently found my bemused look funny and laughed.
"Dang man, it's not that hard to tell. Whenever the students start staring at you you get all clammy and you get this look in your eyes that screams 'ah too many people.'"
"Hehehe…is it that obvious?" I chuckled in embarrassment.
"Yeah, kind of," she deadpanned. "Which is surprising considering how often you become the center of attention with your…um…"
"Craziness? Insanity? Mad Scientist Antics? High Functioning Sociopathic Tendencies? All of the above?"
And now it was her turn to do a spit take as she started choking a bit from laughter. She caught her breath after a few moments and said
"I was going to say personality, but hey those work too," and giggled again causing me to join her.
"Yeah, my wonderful charm is both a gift and a curse…mostly a curse though. The amount of times I got kicked out of an apartment or fired can stand by that."
Emerald chuckled again before saying,
"Oh I know the feeling. I once got fired from this fancy diner place I was waitressing at because one snobby rich dude said my hair style messed with the restaurant's beauty. The manager ordered me to change it, but when I told him no he canned me."
"Dang that sucks," I sympathized as I took a sip of my soda. "I don't know about you but there would have been a stink bomb waiting in his office if that happened to me."
"Actually, I did get a bit of revenge…" she chuckled mischievously, causing me to lean in with fascination. "Never doubt what time and four pounds of jam can do."
My eyes widened as a huge grin crossed my face.
"Oh God don't tell me…"
"Yup. I coated his entire office like it was a piece of bread."
I started cracking up at that mental image.
"And not only that," she continued, her shoulders shaking from laughter, "But he also had a sticky situation when he got into his car after work."
And we both lost it at that, filling that Maintenance Room with merriment.
"Oh that is freaking brilliant! I can just imagine the look on the guys face! You know, as long as we're exchanging prank stories how about I tell you about the time I…"
And so for the next couple of minutes Emerald and I talked about our various adventures in the art of pranking. There were no shortage of laughs during that break, just shortness of breath.
For the first time in a long time, my large scale paranoia wasn't at the forefront of my mind. Dangerous yes, but with it pushed back, I actually felt a little lighter.
We joked, we laughed, and we had an all around good time. At one point I unzipped my Jumper I was sweating so hard and she saw my Princess shirt and about died.
"AHAHAHAHA! Is Tha-Is That-Why are you wearing a pink shirt?" she cackled.
Without missing a beat, I declared in a serious manner.
"It's Not Pink! It's Lightish Red!"
And that set us off on a whole new level of guffaws as it should have. Donut is hilarious.
By the time we had finally calmed down, our lunch break was almost up and my sides hurt so much I felt as though I'd run a mile.
"Here, let me get that for you," I declared as I picked up her tray and trash and emptied it with mine into the garbage can. I am a gentlemen to some degree…I AM!
When I came back around to the table, I saw her smirking at me once more.
"Hey what's with the smug smile?"
Instead of answering me, she just nodded her head and said in determination,
"I've decided."
"You decided what?" I asked in confusion. "That I make this shirt look good?"
"From now on I'm gonna bring you lunch!" she declared as she stood up from her seat, causing me to step back a little.
"Huh? Wha…why?"
"Because like I said before, it's my job to watch over you, and when you're properly fed, there's a whole new you that shines. Since you aren't good with all the staring kids, it's my job to make sure you're comfortable and fed….that and it would be nice to have these lunch chats again with you. I can't even remember the last time I laughed that hard," she finished with a smile.
I knew I should have just declined her proposal and told her not to bother. I knew I should have avoided her so that I had less of a chance of Cinder finding out more about me. I knew I should have distanced myself because I knew what she would be a part of. I knew all of that but…
That smile, and that grateful look in her eyes…
"Yeah…that sounds good," I replied with my own smile.
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…
…
What!? It was nice having a chat with someone without having to worry about The Butterfly Effect suddenly happening. B-besides I reasoned that if I could keep an eye on her, then maybe she might slip up and give me proof that Cinder was evil. If we were having lunch every day, I could keep tabs on her as well.
And…I really just needed a friend to talk to… Even if I suspected it was a façade…
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…
I miss those lunch breaks with her…
}Line Break{
And so began my new daily routine.
Emerald was true to her word, and every single day she would join me in the Maintenance Room for lunch.
I…I found myself actually opening up more and more each day.
For a good three weeks we talked and laughed, hell we even shared stories about past employments. We conversed about our favorite movies, hobbies and other unimportant stuff that felt grand at the time…but you all don't want to hear about that. Instead I'll tell you guys of when I truly couldn't figure out where I stood on her.
It was around the fourth week of her being my supervisor, a day before my next paycheck. The deductions to my previous check had been less substantial than the first two, but it was still pennies for the work I put in. (Thankfully, secretly living at the school allowed me to save those pennies.) Emerald and I had just finished our daily lunch chat when it happened.
"Look, you have a right to be annoyed. If some douchebag keeps tagging your apartment then you just need to make a complaint to the land owner," I reassured her as I threw away the napkins and plates.
We had been discussing Emerald's apartment problems, specifically how a couple of punks had been spray painting it recently. Normally a minor annoyance to the general population, but Emerald just so happened to be a neat-freak, which meant this problem was up there with gang land violence for her. I on the other hand was more surprised that she lived in an apartment at all, and one so close to the red-light district.
For a master pick-pocket and henchmen to the big bad you'd think you could afford a snazzier place…or maybe that's part of your cover, I pondered.
"It's not that easy Chris," she said exasperated. "I have gone to the old geezer and she told the cops, but they've done squat in catching the brats. Sure the wall gets cleaned up, but the next day it's just something else!"
"Not much you can do," I told her with a shrug. "The cops could care less about a couple of greifers, especially when it's so close to the red-light district."
"I know, it just sucks," she grumbled with a sigh.
I just patted her back in comfort as I said,
"Hey at least you got a place to rest. I'm still sleeping in a box in some alley till my old boss gets the shop rebuilt."
Not technically a lie since I was still homeless, but I couldn't have Cinder's henchmen know I was staying at the school no matter how much I grew to trust her.
She looked at me in confusion for a bit before her eyes widened in remembrance.
"Oh right! You used to work at that Dust shop that blew to kingdom come right?"
I just held a small glare as I remembered how Grunt blew up all my clothes and food that night along with my place of work before I shook my head and said,
"Yeah I did," I punctuated as a small glare came across my face.
Stupid Grunt, blowing up all my food and clothes. If I ever find you again, I'm coating your underwear with Icy Hot, I thought vindictively. To those that are ignorant of that cream's effect on your nether regions…let's just say it's not very pleasant.
Putting my plans of vengeance to the back of my mind, I glanced back at her and continued.
"The boss finally got back from his trip, should be up and running again in three to four months, so who knows, maybe I'll have a place to crash again."
Would take less if the old man just hired a construction crew and not insist to rebuild it himself. Stupid family 'traditions' and his pride!
And to those wondering how I knew about my former boss's return? A Phone Book. Yup, they still had those. I just looked up his number, called it, and he now had my Scroll number. He'd actually thought I had died after not hearing from me for so long, so I put his mind at ease.
Back to Emerald, she nodded at my explanation before looking to me in a strange manner.
"How…what is it like? Being homeless I mean," she asked tepidly.
I couldn't keep the confused/shocked look off my face at her rather out of nowhere question. I mean it's pretty well accepted among the fandom that she was a street rat, so suddenly being asked how I handled the streets seemed pretty weird.
My confusion aside, I walked back to the table before resting my hands on it opposite of Emerald. I gave a heavy sigh before answering.
"Well…it was-isn't the greatest experience of my life. Every day is another fight for survival and I feel like the whole world is out to get me. Trying to salvage food and sleeping in the cold sucks, and don't even get me started on how everybody treats me. Some people act as though I'm a freaking Beowulf or something that will attack or rob them at the drop of a hat," I then sucked in a shaky breath as I finished up my feelings. "It just sucks…and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy."
Emerald was uncharacteristically quiet after I said that. None of her usual jokes or witty cracks at what I said that I had gotten used to.
It…honestly worried me. I know I shouldn't have felt anything for why a villain was acting like that, but I had grown accustomed to her and I couldn't help it.
So, being the kind friend that I am, I tried to change the topic.
"B-But things are looking up thanks to this job, and I won't be in that situation for long. But enough about that, did you hear about ho-"
"How do you deal with it?" she interrupted with concern in her voice, causing me to blink in confusion. "I mean…how do you handle living like that? Don't you ever feel hopeless, or want to give up?"
I had no clue at the time why she was asking this, but looking back on it the answer was obvious.
Clearly Emerald's life on the streets was far…different compared to mine. A young girl by herself without a home for far longer than what I had gone through…yeah, she probably had it a hell of a lot worse than I did. She'd have had a whole new level of problems to face that I never had to go through.
I chose not to ask her about this, as I'm sure it was a sore spot for her. At that moment, I was a friend she was seeking an answer from, so I gave her one.
"I won't lie, there are plenty of times I do feel hopeless. I want to give up almost all the time, but I don't. I keep on trucking along, not because I'm determined or stubborn or anything like that, but because if I did, then I'd never see my family and friends again. If I give up, then the universe would win. I won't let that happen."
Flashes of my mother and sister back on Earth appeared in my head when I said this, and I could feel my resolve to find a way home harden once again.
Don't worry guys…I'll get home. I promise.
Apparently my answer wasn't enough to snap Emerald out of it as she was still quietly staring at the table. As both our Scrolls went off I just sighed before walking over to my cart and calling over my shoulder,
"Come on Zatanna, we have work t-"
"I was homeless too you know…for awhile at least," she all but whispered causing me to freeze and my tracks.
Holy mother load! The fandom was right, she was a street rat! I thought in glee before frowning at another realization. Wait a minute, why are you telling ME this? Aren't you supposed to be undercover? It's only been a month, why would you trust me this much?
My thoughts, as usual, went unheard as Emerald continued,
"I was like you, always trying to survive to fight another day. I would pickpocket just to make ends meet, It was the easiest way to earn some food. Then one day I got caught…and when I did, I gave up all hope of survival..." she admitted as she stared through the table and into the past in melancholy. I dared not say anything, but her mood changed as a small smile came to her lips.
"But then they showed up..."
I couldn't stop my eyes narrowing in suspicion at that.
Ship-ruiner Fall no doubt. But she said them as in plural, did she get recruited with someone else too?
Thankfully she wasn't looking at me to notice my look as she continued.
"If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here. I keep on living so that they will be proud of me, even though I know I can never repay that debt. Chris…" She then looked at me with a look that threatened to melt my heart. No tears fell from her eyes, but I could see them trying to escape.
"Sometimes all you need is a little help from a friend to find your hope again…"
"I…um…"My mouth tried and failed to function.
And yeah, that line may sound sappy, but it was also quite inspiring…
She looked at my sputtering and looked away for a second with a small smile.
"S-Sorry if I kind of sounded corny there," she laughed softly.
"N-No, it was…nice," I admitted.
"No need to lie man. And look, the point I'm trying to make is, I got by with the kindness of some friends. If there's anything you need, I want you to know that all you have to do is ask me for help."
"I…Thanks Zatanna. I appreciate it."
And I did. In the months I'd been there, that was the nicest thing anyone had said to me.
"B-But I can't really ask much of you. Like I said, I won't be in my position for long."
"Yeah I know, but still, I hate thinking of you leaving this place every day and living in a box…If you want, I could let you crash at my place," she offered causing my eyes to widen.
Wait, What? Did she just…?
"I mean, it's not a very big place, but I do have a couch, that's gotta be comfier than the sidewalk right?"
I couldn't believe it. Emerald, THE Emerald that would help ensure the death of some of my favorite characters was offering me a place to stay. The offer was genuine and sweet, but I couldn't accept for two reasons. One, my usual paranoia, and two…well…I'd been in this world for many months, and the clothes in Remnant were ridiculously skimpy. Emerald is a very attractive woman, and I didn't know if I could truly handle myself living with her. The last thing I wanted was to try and make a move on her and get my throat slit…
"I, uh…" I stammered before coughing into my hand. "I appreciate the offer Z, but I wouldn't want to impose on you like that. I promise you, I'll be fine."
"Oh, Okay…" she said a bit dejectedly. "Well if you change your mind, the offer still stands. I'll help you in a heartbeat man," she said as she slugged my shoulder.
Laughing nervously I half heartedly punched her back.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Alright, let's move on from this sappiness. The call of the dirt is beckoning," she declared as she walked to her cart. I smiled and followed suit as we both got back to work.
With everything said and done I couldn't help but feel like we were a little closer after the whole background drop and couch offer. But then I remembered who she was, and I couldn't keep one thought from entering my head as we left.
God Damn It Emerald! Why are you confusing me like this?! Are you the same character from the show, or are you different? I want to believe you're good…but I have no clue if you are or not! Who are you?!
}Line Break{
Now I really wish emotionally confusing and morally questioning thoughts were the only things I had to deal with that day, but we all know the universe hates me to the point of making everything suck somehow don't we?
Now what happened next is truly the definition of bad luck, and I fully believe that the only reason it happened was cause of the universe decided I'd had a long enough break from suffering.
You see me and Emerald were walking to storage in the East Wing. The Forever Fall field trip was coming up and Goodwitch had been working everybody overtime to make sure all preparations were set for the trip. So much so that she was short a few hands, so we janitorial staff got conscripted to take stock of the supplies for the trip.
Easier said than done since taking stock takes forever if you're Semi-OCD like me and triple check everything. On the bright side, I finally had a good idea of where I was in the show's timeline.
Anyway, as we walked there Emerald and I moved onto a more upbeat topic, my hair.
"I honestly don't think you need to cut it. You pull off the shaggy style quiet well, and it compliments your beard" she chuckled.
"Yeah, because the Charles Manson look is sooo in right now," I grumbled in response.
"Ah lighten up, it's not the worst thing pulling it off."
"You say that now, but when I get cornered by a bunch of cops and get arrested for looking like some escaped convict then we'll see who's laughing!"
"Honestly Chris? Knowing you, you would laugh while the cops dragged your sorry ass out to jail," she said in a deadpanned tone.
I actually stopped the cart when she said causing her to look back at me with a raised eyebrow. After thinking it over, I nodded at her assessment.
"…Yeah you're probably right. They don't call me Joker for nothing you kno-"
And that's when the universe reared its ugly head.
"Ah! Mr. Sullivan, Ms. Zatanna what a pleasant surprise."
I all but froze like a statue when I heard that voice, but I rapidly got through my paralysis as I recited a little mantra I had created if I ever ran into her again.
No burning, there are witnesses. No burning, there are witnesses. No burning, there are witnesses.
Not a pleasant mantra but an effective one. Especially when Cinder Freaking Fall was right behind me!
Emerald, oblivious to my mental plight simply gave a wave as she said,
"Ah, Ms. Fall! Hello, nice to see you again."
I just nodded as I turned around and avoided eye contact.
Cinder probably noticed since I saw her smirk from the corner of my eye, but she made no comment as she simply addressed Emerald.
"Actually, Ms. Zatanna I could use your help. Some of my students made a bit of a…mess in my last class and I need you to take care of it. If you can of course, I know Glynda has been running you all ragged lately."
"Sure thing Ms. Fall," Emerald said enthusiastically before looking to me. "Guess I'll see you in storage later Joker, tell them I'm gonna be a little late."
Before I could even say anything she was gone like a cartoon character, dust cloud and all.
Left alone with the bitch that would ruin everything I began to sweat nervously as my mind screamed and tried to stay rational at the same time.
Okay, so Cinder is on a first name basis with Goodwitch-THERE'S NOT WITNESSES I'M SCREWED!- and Emerald just acted like an obedient lapdog happy to serve its master-SHE'S GONNA ROAST MY ASS!- Talk about obvious signs of bad news- GET BACK HERE EMERALD, I'M GOING TO DIE!
There was one thing both my warring psyches could agree on though.
I should probably GET THE HELL OUT of here…
And so I tried to listen to the voices in my head and stealthily leave, but Cinder stopped me before I even took a single step.
"Ah, Mr. Sullivan, a moment please?"
Gulping I desperately put on a blank, casual look as I turned around and said,
"Uh, sure Ms. Fall. What can I do for you?" I asked, as I tried not to look at those eyes that held a glint in them. (No doubt an evil one)
"Well I just wanted to apologize for our initial meeting," she said casually.
ArgleFlargleBlargle?! My mind crashed at that sentence.
"I was probably a little too…forward when I confronted you," she continued as my mind rebooted. "I was only doing my job after all, so I hope you understand that it wasn't personal."
"Objection!" I cried out, pointing my finger at her like an idiot. Common was not found.
She raised an eyebrow at this and asked,
"What?"
Before I could even stop myself I stared her down and called her out on her little contradiction.
"If it wasn't personal then why did you file a complaint against me to Ms. Goodwitch? Surely if it was just your job and if it wasn't personal as you said, then you wouldn't tattle on me right?!"
What are you doing!? Are you trying to get yourself killed!? Shut up shut up shut up! My brain finally came back online, and with it common sense.
Oh crap, what did I just do?
Cinder actually looked taken aback by my sudden claim, her eyes were widened and everything. Which I honestly wasn't surprised by since this probably didn't happen often to her. An idiot speaking out against her I mean.
Sadly for me she was only stunned for a second before she was back on the offensive. By that I mean she had gotten close enough to get her had on my shoulder. The same one she burned in our first meeting.
Needless to say all bravado left as she touched me again. She didn't even heat it up this time. She didn't have to. The sinister meaning still remained. My stoic face also started to crumble, but I struggled not to lose it.
"Mr. Sullivan, you'll have to forgive my earlier…forcefulness" she looked at the effect my hand on her shoulder was giving me with a smirk, "You see, I lodged that complaint because I felt…insulted by you. Surely you of all people understand that if one is insulted they must do something in order to even things out. My complaint was merely me doing just that...So consider yourself lucky…"
I started to sweat slightly at that.
"I…OK, but If I may ask, what did I do to insult you?"
Cinder simply gave a smirk that just oozed arrogance as she let go of my shoulder and started to walk away.
"You called me by a name I don't take kindly too, and with too much familiarity," she then turned back around with a hint of a glare in her eyes, "Now you know better than to do so..." And with that, she turned around and left me alone.
When I was sure she was out of range I grabbed my chest and began panting as if I'd run three miles.
"That crazy flaming nutcase! All of that because I called you Cindy? Really? Note to self, ask Emerald what's up with that…"
I then wheeled my cart over to a nearby water fountain and drank like my life depended on it as I tried to catch my breath.
"Seriously, what's wrong with Cindy? It's a normal name compared to you who's named after a Killer Instinct character," I grumbled.
And then it happened.
You all know the saying 'lightning never strikes twice?'
Well if you do, it's bullshit. If you didn't, now you know. It's bullshit. Why is it bullshit you ask? Well because having one encounter with a person I didn't want to see wasn't good enough for my suffering, so the Universe delivered.
While I drank, I realized too late that an empty hallway shouldn't have heavy footfalls heading towards me at a rapid rate.
Before I could do anything, I heard a certain voice say
"There you are!" and the next thing I knew I was stuffed into a laundry bag and carried away.
"Oh What The F-*BONK* Ooooohhhh…" I yelled and tried to struggle, but my head was suddenly struck by something hard.
I heard the person carrying me curse, but I was losing focus so I didn't hear what they my mind started to go black, there were only two things that flashed through my head. One was how I hoped no one touched my cart or stole anything from it. The other…
God Damn it Yang! What the hell are you doing?!
I sure didn't like the answer to that question upon waking up. NOT! ONE! BIT!
}End of Episode 9{
Looks like Chris has been kidnapped, and by Yang of all people! Cookie to anyone who can guess why!
Anyway, I usually say more and response to reviews but first I must present to you all my very first Omake! I hope you enjoy it!
}Omake 1: The Stalker Bunny [Canon] (Idea by: Bomberguy789) {
"Come on, do something interesting already!"
There were many ways to describe one Velvet Scarlatina. She was resourceful, respectful, kind, caring, and above all an upstanding student of Beacon Academy.
"Do something! Anything! I've been following you for weeks so just do something already!"
…And apparently a stalker. It is always the quiet types as they say.
We now find Ms. Scarlatina hiding behind a corner as she watches the newly hired janitor Chris Sullivan, who is currently walking with Ms. Zatanna. She has been following this man for quite some time now, her Scroll always at the ready.
Now most people would go with the cliché reasoning of her having a crush on Mr. Sullivan, but considering his style and… unique personality that is not the case.
No, to Ms. Scarlatina, he is a source of entertainment waiting to give her glorious views on her blog. Sure the blog was first started as a means for her to escape the jerks and racists, but now it was her means of being recognized with admiration and fame.
Truly the only thing a girl needs in life.
"Eating Trash, screaming at yourself, and helping Jaune beat that jerk, you're a gold mine. So give me some gold already!"
However, lately her source of newly found internet fame has been inactive, not so much as a shouting match or an explosion. Truly this may just be the end of her blog.
"Oh he's just talking to Professor Fall now, Ugh! As if that's going to be good," she groans as she lowers her scroll.
"What'cha looking at Hops?"
Ms. Scarlatina, more annoyed at the janitor than anything else, simply huffs in annoyance at the overly cheerful female voice as she tucks her Scroll away and walks off while saying,
"Nothing apparently. You'd think he'd do something crazy already, but no! Mr. Sullivan is just standing around doing his job and acting normally! Ms. Zatanna is ruining him. The nerve of some people…"
Even when annoyed the bunny girl kept her respect for officials, no matter how strange they were. Part of her charm of course.
"Oh…The Box man is over there is he? Well then…"
Ignoring the heavy footfalls, Ms. Scarlatina was almost completely out of the hall when she heard the janitor shout in alarm. Now while most people would rush to check on the situation and offer help, Ms. Scarlatina rushed to get her next scoop.
However, all she would find was the janitor's cart, with no janitor in sight.
"OH COME ON!" she shouts over missing something juicy.
The bunny girl sighs in annoyance, before walking over to the strange, and in her opinion awesome, modified cart and pushing it away from the drinking fountain. The intent to return to the Maintenance Room so no one could steal anything from it.
"Geeze Mr. Sullivan, if you're gonna have another freak out at least take your cart with you…and make sure I can get it on camera."
Truly Ms. Scarlatina is beyond respectful to return another's abandoned property, even if her priorities are a bit skewed.
}End Omake{
So…how was it? Clearly it wasn't directly Bomberguy's complete idea. It did however inspire this, so I hope its okay. Plus consider it canon, cause it's not too silly after all. Please tell me if this was any good, and don't forget to suggest even more omake ideas!
Time to call some of you out as pre usual!
Tim: Finally some criticism! Sadly this is how I'm writing this story, and it's just my general writing style. But still thanks for the criticism!
TM Calypso: Thanks, I hope you keep enjoying it!
Le MAO XXIII: Well that's the least of Chri's worries now huh? Also love the Omake idea and the payback idea! I'll have to see if I can work that in, of course if it happens at all…MWAHAHAHAHA!
Monkeyman10526: The world may never know…I mean I know…or do I? WHO KNOWS WHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Bomberguy789: I hope you liked the Omake I made based on your idea! Also love the ideas, and lets just say that no character is made without a purpose, so maybe shield girl will be back. Or maybe not, who knows?
Prestige Productions: Man I actually laughed at that, I was basically Whaling! Also if you want a Hobo Glynda fic, it'll cost you *holds pinkie to mouth* 1 million dollars!
Don't be afraid to send in ideas for the story itself guys, I can always use more ideas! And as you can see I do actually use your ideas via the Omake!
Anyway, sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes, please let me know of them so I can fix them.
All logic used in this fic is completely head-canon. Also any backgrounds made are purely fanon in some cases. If you don't agree that's okay, it's just how I see things.
Holy hell we've did it folks! 100 faves exactly! I feel so much pride I think…yep I'm crying virtual tears right now. How is that even possible!? Seriously thank you all for faving this story, knowing that 100 freaking people liked so much to face really fills up my pride, plus were almost at 200 follows at 173! Let's make these numbers continue to rise till they pierce the very heavens!
Ahem anyway, with that all done this has been LightDusk16 signing off!