AN: So this pandemic is quite something huh? You would think I would write more during the lockdown than after the vaccine had already started circulation but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. The cookie is my brain. Onto the story!
"How do you even get motion sickness through instantaneous teleportation?" Saphie's voice was muffled by the bathroom door. "There is literally no motion involved!"
That was the question of the hour wasn't it? Jaune swished some water around his mouth to remove the last of the foul aftertaste of bile. Guess not even Wizardry can get around that.
He glared at his Manual, waiting for a biting statement about how it could but Jaune was simply too much of a beginner/idiot/moron/doofus/whatever new insult the Manual decided to use that hour. The Manual could be annoying and borderline rude but in the past day Jaune had grown to trust that it was truly looking out for him. It helped that they had shared their minds almost continuously for the past day, with the Manual's snide remarks never containing any malice.
Saphie had finished mopping the floor while he was in the bathroom and was putting the mop and bucket away when Jaune stepped out. "Alright Vomit Boy, ready to get your sword back from big bad men who stole it?"
"Don't even start with the nickname please." Jaune sighed. He had been hearing that nickname for almost his entire life and it was definitely not endearing.
"Only because you said please." Saphie walked back into the room. They were in the living room of her small apartment. It was…cozy to be kind. The entire apartment was the small living room with a bathroom, bedroom, and a small kitchen and was just larger than the dining area in the Arc household. It was barely enough for two people and Jaune didn't see any sign that an adult lived here. Thankfully, he had the luck to empty his stomach directly onto the floor rather than the small sofa or coffee table. He didn't want to make her mad when it was only their second meeting by ruining half the furniture in the small apartment.
"So, do you know where they took your sword?" Saphie flopped down onto the sofa, leaving Jaune with the option to either join her, sitting hip to hip, or take a seat on the floor. He chose the latter, leading Saphie to raise an eyebrow but not comment. The warmth in his cheeks was probably a clear indication of his thoughts and he tried to clamp down on them. It wasn't like he was unused to talking to girls; he had six sisters growing up.
The problem really began when he hit puberty. Members of the opposite sex suddenly went from girls to girls. What used to be easy conversation turned into awkward pauses and lack of eye contact. It didn't help that his interest in becoming a Huntsman led him to be in classes with people who were essentially the fittest in all of Vale. His classmates grew up and out, and to avoid feeling so weird around them, he started to only hang out with his male friends who were in the same situation. He still remembered his first crush, which unfortunately was also the daughter of the Combat Instructor, Mr. Xiao-Long. He still remembered how ill-fated that had been: combat class, squaring off, seeing pity in her lilac eyes, glancing down for just too long, then an angry punch knocked him out for half the day. It just was not meant to be between them.
You really need to go outside more. His manual snickered.
Jaune mentally smacked his Manual and returned his focus to Saphie. "Well…no. I don't, but I know what they looked like!"
She cocked her head. "That's a start. What gang were they from?"
"Gang?"
"Don't tell me you don't know what gangs are."
"Of course I know what they are!" Jaune threw his hands in the air. Why did everyone think he was ignorant? He just wasn't street smart, that's all.
Or socially competent. Or charismatic. Or confident. Or…
He mentally swatted his giggling Manual again. "I can describe their appearance to you if you want though. Black suits, red tie, one had a black hat with red sunglasses on top."
Saphie blinked. "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
She sighed. "This makes things more complicated."
"I mean, does it matter who they are? Break in, get Crocea Mors, and leave right?"
"That would've worked if it was any other gang. They tend to have smaller hideouts with bare bones security, designed to be abandoned in a hurry if the police decide to come knocking. Your friends here sound like they're from Junior's gang. Operate out of a nightclub in the commercial district. Started as a money laundering front under his father but its unexpected success made them consolidate everything under it."
"Wouldn't that make it easier for the police to stop Junior's gang?"
"No, because any deals conducted on the grounds have plausible deniability. Suppose a drug deal gets busted. The nearby security guard gets blamed for not paying attention, Junior promises to not let anything like that happen again, the proxy doing the deal gets a few years in jail, his family gets compensation, the guard gets shuffled around a couple of shell security companies before coming right back. No dirt on Junior and only the club's reputation gets affected."
And when your club is known for being the headquarters of the second largest gang in the city, it works out." Jaune nodded in understanding. "How do we know they're there?"
"Simple. We don't."
Jaune opened his mouth to question that but she cut him off with a wave.
"But, given how tight their operation is run, the mooks probably only leave the club at night for the business they cannot do at the club itself. Extortion, wet work, sabotage…"
"Theft and mugging." Jaune chewed on his lower lip, eyes staring through the floor in front of him in deep thought. "Could we pull this off in the next couple of hours? My mom will be picking me up by this evening and I can't put off getting Crocea Mors back."
She snorted in derision.
A flash of anger shot through him. "Hey, just because you have the freedom of not having a parent around doesn't mean everyone does!" His eyes widened just as the words passed his mouth and the anger turned into regret. "Sorry Saphie, I…"
"Don't worry about it. I'm long over it." Her voice was stable, but her eyes lost a bit of the self-assuredness they had. "Like you said, it's freedom not to have someone telling you what to do all day."
"Isn't that technically your job at the cafe?"
No need to worry Jaune, I have a wizardry here to prevent someone from putting their foot in their mouth right here. His manual was almost hooting in delight.
"You really need to learn to shut up sometimes. Get a filter." Saphie had a dangerous gleam in her eyes and Jaune decided to take her advice. At least she isn't sad about her absent parents?
She waved her hand, clearing the air of the sudden tension. "Here is the plan the way I see it. Both of us can't afford to not get the sword back today. I can't take any more time off work and your parents will ask about it sooner or later."
He nodded, mouth still shut.
"So here's what we do. You call your mom, tell her you're planning on having dinner at the mall with your friend, and you'll be home before dark. I can arrange for my brother to go over to his friend's house for the day and pick him up at night. It's 11 now, so we have about 8 hours or so to prepare ourselves, break in, and get your sword back."
They both stared at each other for a second before she realized what was happening. "You can speak now."
"Ok, cool, sounds good, but I feel like you kinda just glossed over the small detail of actually being able to break in and get the sword?" Jaune grimaced, the words rushing out. "I've seen enough movies to know the police won't be our biggest issue if we get caught breaking in."
"Then we won't get caught. Easy as."
The statement was said with such confidence that Jaune nodded in agreement before realizing what had actually been said.
"You're doing the whole 'glossing over the hard part' thing again!"
"Nah, if we do it during daytime, they'll probably be too distracted by the crowd to pay attention to us breaking in."
"What kind of club has a crowd in the middle of the day?"
"That," Saphie pointed at him before dropping her head into her hands. "That is a good point."
They sat in ponderous silence for a minute.
"Hey Saphie," Jaune spoke slowly. "Are there any limitations to the teleportation wizardry you used to get me here?"
Saphie sighed and nodded. "It can only do one person at a time since I haven't managed to actually figure out how to keep separate people, well, separate during the teleport."
Jaune blinked before gagging slightly as he imagined what kind of monstrosity an error like that could produce. "Anything else?"
"No, the rest is pretty standard stuff. Oh! Almost forgot. The wizardry only teleports you, so your body will create a large rush of air when teleporting in and out."
"Both of which would create a loud sound." He sighed. "Well, so I'm guessing we can't just teleport in, grab the thing, and get out. Could we try getting in using a more conventional approach?"
"Conventional? You mean breaking and entering?"
He nodded in the affirmative.
"It would have to be done in the nighttime. Lower number of grunts around, more scrutiny on the dance floor and the deals being done there, less chance of us getting caught."
"We don't have that kind of time." Jaune tilted his head back and traced a crack on the ceiling with his eyes. They only had today to get his sword back and they couldn't use a wizardry to teleport in nor could they break in like common thieves. Attempting to fight their way in would be an exercise and futility and the thought of it died a premature death. Trying to be a hero was what landed him in this situation in the first place. If he had just ignored the mugging or called the police, he could've been at home deciding on what he wanted to do in life rather than sit in a relative stranger's apartment planning on how to steal back a family heirloom from well-dressed thugs and killers.
If he had ignored the mugging, would he have found Wizardry? This power, which was both more fantastical and more natural than any semblance he had seen, was something that had been given to him, a responsibility entrusted to him "in life's name and for life's sake." The answer was obvious. He just wasn't the type of person to ignore someone in need of help, consequences be damned. Some would call it naïve, foolish, innocent, but it was just the type of person he was. The Powers That Be obviously had seen something in him. He was an investment. He would make sure he was a good one and bear any consequences that came of it.
"What if…" Jaune wet his lips. "What if we just walked in the front door?"
Saphie looked at him like he was mad. "You flunked out of Signal and have no weapon. How do you expect to not get killed the second you become aggressive?"
"Don't be so dramatic. We go in, pretending to want to do business. Antiques smuggling." The plan started to take shape in his head. "We're partners from Mistral who've been sent to Vale to scout for opportunities from expansion by one of the many crime families there. They are especially interested in battle tested Huntsman weapons and are willing to pay in cash. Immediately."
"That is…not a bad idea." Saphie admitted. "Business on Club grounds ensures sanctuary for all parties until someone breaks the peace. But there are two problems here: how do we know they'll have the sword and how in Remnant are we going to pay them?"
Jaune sighed. "That part is a little dramatic. If we approach them in the afternoon, whoever stole my sword will most likely be inside. Chances are, they're all going to be bored sitting inside all day and would likely gather if there was even the slightest chance of violence. That's when we make the offer."
"So just threaten Junior in his own club when there is no public around to stop him from doing anything rash to us. Not to mention the fact that we are dead broke!" Saphie's head fell into her hands. "Forget what I said earlier. This is a terrible plan."
Jaune winced. "Is there no Wizardry that can create the illusion of money?"
"Maybe. It won't matter though; he'll check the cash before he hands over the sword." Saphie's long sigh was muffled by her hands. "Back to square one."
"Actually, not quite."
Jaune wrung his hands, as if ashamed of the idea going through his head. "I know someone who might be able to help…distract Junior. I could go invisible, steal the sword, and make an escape in the chaos."
"Distraction? Chaos? What are they gonna do, start a shootout?"
His guilty silence was all the answer she needed.
"Awesome, wow. Ok, whatever, it's only just both our asses on the line." She rolled her eyes. "Would they be willing to help on such short notice?"
"Oh, she'll be there." Jaune's lips were suddenly dry. "I just hope she doesn't see me…"
"For the record, I think this is a terrible plan."
"You've said that before."
"And I'll keep saying it."
He huffed and remained silent.
The two of them were standing on a street corner in front of the Club, eating ice cream and attempting to look casual in the low light of dusk. A kind person would've called it a valiant attempt. Saphie was not a kind person.
"You look like a jackass Jaune. Stop staring at the bouncer. He probably thinks you want to take him out."
"Like, on a date or with a gun?"
"Either one."
He grimaced. "Sorry, I don't exactly have much experience staking out a criminal hideout. Why don't you tell me all about your adventures as a hardened criminal?"
Saphie bit back her retort, reminding herself that it was just Jaune being nervous. He had been getting more and more touchy as the heist got closer and she could tell he had never had to do something quite so risky in his life. Neither had she, but there was an air of innocence around him that had endeared him to her after their first meeting. He wasn't stupid really, but was sheltered. He had never wanted in life and never had to fight through the ugly side of life to get by and just survive. He had a large family and had many friends growing up. It was a small surprise at how they even had any common ground to interact on, but the gift of Wizardry showed that they both had that drive to protect and nourish, to save and help grow.
They had tried to search for other Wizards in the area, but all their Manuals told them was that they were denied access to the feature. Their own listings in the Manual had gotten a new line.
Occupied: On ORDEAL
It hadn't sounded good and their following conversation was as much about distracting them from that listing as it was for actual talking. They had drifted away from planning the heist to talking about themselves through lunch and about Wizardry for a couple hours after. It was surprisingly easy to talk to him as compared to many kids her age. There was no pity over her situation, no questions about her family.
The lack of judgement was really the core of it. He was a good person at heart and that impression was only reinforced when he had talked about his reasons for wanting to become a Hunstman: to become a hero that could save those who needed it and protect those he loved. She couldn't fault any of that when he said it with such conviction.
They'd spent an hour afterwards pre-writing the spells they needed for the plan. Invisibility spells for Jaune to use after he got the sword in hand, one for her to use just in case, a get-out-of-jail teleportation spell for each of them in case things got to hairy.
Speaking of hair…
"Is that your contact over there?" She pointed at a tall, blonde a few blocks away walking their way with a swagger that only came from the self-assurance of knowing you could take on everyone nearby at once and still win. Her revealing clothing choice helped sell the self-confidence angle too, she had to admit. Doesn't she get cold in that? "She definitely looks like Huntress material. Is her hair the weapon? Smacking Grimm upside the head by just spinning in place seems kinda lame though."
"Please don't make jokes about her hair." Jaune's voice almost cracked with nervousness. "I don't care she can't hear us. I don't want to risk it."
Saphie didn't argue. Jaune had called her from Saphie's phone after they had left her apartment pretending to be an anonymous informant with knowledge of her mother's location. According to Jaune, it was common knowledge at Signal that Yang Xiao-Long had issues about her mom abandoning her as an infant. Jaune had explained how some bullies from Yang's elementary school had circulated that rumor when they'd all first entered Signal a few years ago. It was also how she had discovered her semblance and nearly burned down a classroom. Jaune's eyes had become unfocused describing how Yang had almost single-handedly beat the gang of five into paralysis before her father had stopped her and dragged them all out of the burning room. Jaune's fear was almost tangible.
The fact that Jaune was planning on using this undoubtedly deep-seated trauma of his schoolmate should've said something about Jaune's thought process but Saphie had to admit that they were desperate for a plan.
She had initially, despite having heard of Hunters' propensity for excessive violence, thought this tale of Yang's anger exaggerated. It wasn't until the scroll's speakers had almost exploded from Yang's angry outburst that she finally accepted that it was not a bad idea to use her as an agent of chaos.
"Just stick to the plan. Don't get captured. We'll be out in ten minutes tops."
Jaune drew a deep breath. "Alright. In and out, ten-minute adventure. We got this."
They so had not got this.
Saphie cowered behind a table, flinching as glass shards from the dance floor sunk into the metal with enough force to kill a small bear. Jaune was next to her, trying to open the sheet of paper with the invisibility wizardry written on it. A valiant effort, given the fact that his hands appeared to be trying to make a run for it by shaking themselves off his arms.
"I thought you trained with her at Signal?" She hissed at him. "How are you more scared than I am?!"
"Bravery is not lack of fear, it is ignorance of the presence of danger." Jaune recited almost robotically. His voice barely made it to her over the sound of the music that the DJ was somehow still playing. Talk about commitment.
"Are you quoting at me? You little... oh Powers that Be, of course her bracelets launch explosives." She started laughing as yellow streaks from her weapons exploded something expensive. "Why not?"
The reason they were in the current situation wasn't really anyone's fault, really. The meeting had begun surprisingly well. Junior had sat down with them and she had managed to convey their backstory with almost no hitch. Junior had agreed to the deal, either accepting their cover or just caring more about the cash they promised than the truth. One of the goons had even confessed that his friend had brought in a Huntsman weapon a couple days ago and that he could be convinced to part with it for a high enough price. The man had almost gone off to fetch his friend when Yang made her entrance.
Everything was going perfectly. Peachy. Just stellar. The man had just barely reached a door in the back of the club when Yang had decided she had had enough and threated Junior's ability to make smaller Juniors in the future.
Junior Jr. Heh.
No, no, no. She shook her head. She might have been trapped under a table in a nightclub as a Huntress-in-Training put on a close-quarters combat clinic, but she would never lose enough self-respect to make such jokes unironically.
Jaune had squeaked at Yang's action and then pulled them both into cover when Yang offered to kiss and make up. Saphie had opened her mouth to question the action when Junior went sailing into the air from a single punch. The question died a quick death.
To say negotiations had gone downhill from there would imply there was any hill left. After Jaune's 'contact' had started throwing high explosive rounds around, she was sure they were somehow managing to tunnel through rock bottom.
Saphie wanted to scream. She did so. It wasn't as cathartic as she had hoped. She turned her attention back to Jaune who had appeared to have overcome his shock at the sudden violence.
"What do we do now?" They flinched as one of Junior's men smashed into a bar stool, leaving behind an almost comical indent in the metal. "Run?"
Jaune looked longingly at the unguarded door. Its tinted glass let no light through, but the promised sanity of the outside world was tempting. Another goon was launched at the bar, this time smashing into a shelf of liquor bottles more expensive than Saphie's rent.
"The guy who said he knew where Crocea Mors went that way." Jaune pointed at a door that had been marked 'Private' when they had come in. It lay on the ground a few feet away having been blown away by a squad of bouncers rushing out, overly eager to get their medical insurance rates increased. "We'll go invisible inside. Let's go before this place burns down."
She nodded and they scrambled to the door, heads low. They ran through the doorway and climbed the stairs that law behind, taking them two at a time. The top of the stairs was a T split into two hallways. Jaune pointed two fingers at his eyes then swiveled his wrist to point them at the right hallway. She nodded and kept a watch while Jaune cast his invisibility spell. The result was an improvement over Jaune's first Wizardry in the clearing where they had first met: almost complete transparency if he stood still with a mirage-like shimmer if he moved. He returned the favor while she cast her own and they quickly split up to search their respective hallways.
Almost every room she came across was the same: door ajar and clothes scattered on the beds. It seemed like everyone had managed to not miss the explosive fight downstairs and rushed out to get their asses kicked. It made her search easier, as none of the fighters downstairs carried anything resembling Crocea Mors and it was also unlikely they'd leave it behind. She was thankful about that too; the amount of dirty underwear she'd seen strewn about the rooms had left her feeling slightly sick.
She was gingerly pushing open her twelfth door before an ear-piercing shriek echoed through the hallway from behind her.
Some girl's in trouble!
It's Jaune. Her manual calmly pointed out, amused.
Great, that means I can't ignore it. She turned and started running back the way she had come. Time to beat up some career criminals.
Roman Torchwick was… He tried to search his mind for a proper word before deciding on the tried and true confused.
The look on his diminutive associate's face confirmed that it was the right emotion to feel when staring at a career bodyguard attempting to…dance with what appeared to be a particularly hazy patch of air.
It could only be called a dance with a stretch of the imagination in the same way that Junior's men could be called competent. A vague but ultimately wholly unsatisfying fulfillment of the basic requirements. The man's feet were all off beat and his choice to use a sheathed sword as a dancing partner was questionable, but there was something there that kept Roman's attention. His muscles bulged under his suit, sweat dripped down his face, and his teeth were clenched in a snarl. The man was completely selling the illusion of straining against the air with a performance that was sure to make even the most talented street mime gasp with delight.
The man had been completely normal until a few moments ago. Frustrated at a stalled negotiation with Junior, Roman had retreated to the lounge upstairs and had just finished listing all the reasons Junior's dad should've used a condom all those years ago when the door had opened and the 'performance' began.
"Well, I don't know what triggered this and I'm not really a fan of interpretive dance. Neo, show the man the door." He puffed his cigar and watched as Neo lunged forward, hand on her parasol and mismatched eyes eager to knock some sense into the thug…
Only to mutely gasp in surprise as she smacked into the man's airy dance partner, sending all three of them crashing into the wall. Roman's mouth fell open, cigar falling unnoticed to the carpeted floor, as he tried to process the sight of Neo floating almost a foot above the suddenly unconscious thug, her brows drawn together. The part of her closest to the haze disappeared into it, giving her the bizarre appearance of sinking into invisible floating quicksand.
The moment of confusion lasted for, well, a moment before his brain got over the bizarre sight and started processing it. Huntsman with a camouflage semblance? Assassination or arrest? Invisibility implies assassination. Guess the bodyguard actually did his job for once. Roman aimed his cane at the hazy volume of air that Neo was already pulling to its feet, no doubt thinking the same as him. Now that he was looking for it, the patch of air was definitely humanoid.
"Who sent you?"
A classic opener that any self-respecting interrogator would start with. The figure remained silent as any self-respecting assassin would be in the situation. Neo threw the figure to its knees as any self-respecting heterochromatic midget psychopath would. The metaphor was stretching thin and Roman quickly abandoned it in favor of swinging his cane into the man's crotch, expecting his cane to rebound off aura and set the tone for the interrogation.
What he did not expect was a very high-pitched scream followed by the figure slumping forward, slipping out of a surprised Neo's hands, and falling face first onto the floor. Footsteps echoed down the corridor and Neo turned invisible to slip outside only to be bowled over as another hazy patch of air slammed into her and sent them crashing into the room in a tangle of air and shattering glass. Neo managed to get her hands around the neck of the new intruder and the struggle quickly came to an end as the new figure also slumped into unconsciousness.
They stayed in silence for a few seconds, trying to process the madness that had just occurred. He looked at Neo, floating inches off the carpet like some sort of Vacuan street magician to his own foot currently resting on a second invisible body. Two people with identical semblances, no aura, and apparently no training. This was something new, something unique. No two people had the exact same semblance bar the Schnees and he doubted that Atlas would send those aristocratic, stuck-up, better-than-you…
His musings were cut short as a large explosion rumbled through the building. The size of the explosion and the ensuing silence were tell-tale signs that the fight downstairs had just about finished up and it was time to make himself scarce. He needed answers from his invisible intruders and an active police investigation was somewhere near the bottom of the list of places where to perform an interrogation, right below 'the middle of a Grimm invasion.'
"Neo, let's take our guests somewhere…warmer, shall we?"
Her smile was all teeth.
AN: If anyone is confused about how Jaune went down easily against the thug in the first chapter but could manage to struggle against him in a sword tug of war in this, just imagine a kid running at you yelling vs what feels like a ghost trying to steal your sword. One of those situations is far more easily reacted to haha. Furthermore, Jaune is not the best at combat. I realize that in the show he becomes a half decent fighter under Pyrrha's tutelage (even from beyond the grave) but he is near hopeless in combat against experienced enemies as of now. Even his great theoretical grades couldn't stop his abysmal combat grades from tanking which says something.
Anyways, here begins the foray into more known RWBY timeline. I have taken some liberties with certain things (ie not bothered to trawl the wiki for details). All in all, if it's not important to the plot then I'll try and stick to canon but if it is, then I cannot guarantee consistency with canon. Stuff like how Yang's semblance was discovered and the open secret about her mommy issues are things that I cannot remember ever being discussed in the show (maybe in V4/5 but I can barely remember most of those volumes as it is lol) are an example. If I'm ever inconsistent within the story itself just hit me up on PMs so I can get it fixed (these months between chapters certainly doesn't help).
I have a rough idea of the plot for this story in my head already, but details like pairing are not really part of that yet since romantic subplots are something I have no experience writing. If you want something like that in this story, just shoot me a PM. If there is enough interest for that it's better for me to plan that out now rather than try to shoehorn it in later.
Wizardry might seem like its kind of useless right now with them only really using teleportation and invisibility but the story has just started and this is still his first week. There is a year until Beacon; he needs some sort of way to get good enough to attend and its certainly not his sword skills lol.
If you have any suggestions for like story cover art I'd love to hear them because I am just not feeling the current one.
As usual, story comments, reactions, reviews, and PMs are all very appreciated and help motivate me to write more and faster.