Alright, time to get chapter 12 on the road. We are nearing the end of volume 1-?: Am I popping up before it ends? You've been keeping me in space since chapter 3 or something.
Maybe. There are some details I have to get down first. Like, for example, Ash's morality. You know, since he knows Roman and Neo and all that, people will ask if he is a good or bad boy.?: Well, say it now. What is he?Can't tell. That'd be spoiling stuff.?: No-Fun.What I can say, however, is that the next few chapters are bound to be good. We have Penny coming in soon if the chronological order is anything to go by, she is due towards the end of volume 1.
Nerdy: Dude, don't forget me. You treat me like shit but I'm still your writing partner and all I ask is for some damn respect.
You will earn that when you stop using bad jokes all the time. It pisses me off.Anyway, without any more fuss 'round here, let us begin this stuff. It is going to be fun.
It was late at night and Ash was fast asleep in his room, his Scroll to the side and weapons where they belonged for the night. The night was peaceful outside, the campus being nice and quiet, with not a spec of chaos-
Until a rock got thrown through Ash's - fortunately open - window. The boy woke up from the loud sound it made when it hit the floor, groaning as he raised his tired head and allowed his red iris to glow in the dark of his room. "The hell?" He muttered as he reached out for the rock.
He looked at it, then at the time. It was 2 in the mourning, and tomorrow he had class, so who could be sending him a message at this hour? The smell of ice-cream on the rock answered the question. He cracked his neck, hearing his bones pop as he slowly undid the paper attached to the rock, then read it.
The handwriting, however, surprised him. This was not Neo, that girl couldn't write to save her life. This was Roman. Why he sends a rock except for a message via scroll, he doesn't know. He reached out to his scroll and saw the missed messages, though. Oh, right. He set it on silent for the night.
Well, this one is on him, he guessed. He then leaned over the window, and not even getting close properly he was met with the pointy tip of Hush in his face, followed by Neo standing in the tree next to his window with a raised eyebrow.
"Hello, Neo" Ash replied with calm, his red eyes looking at Neo. He didn't have to worry, Neo and Roman knew about his eyes, so they could look. Still didn't make things comfortable for him, but it was whatever.
The mute woman smirked at him before signing him to get back, after which she jumped into his room with enough precision not to make a sound. She rested her parasol on her shoulder and looked at Ash, giving him a mischievous grin.
"Ah, shit…" And he knew what this meant. "Let me guess; Roman is short on staff, needs help, The Fang and Junior's man are useless." Neo nodded. "Alright…" He sighed. "Let me get my good clothes on, my glasses, weapons, and whatnot. Meet you down."
Neo began to sign to him, using sign language. "Would anyone notice you snuck out?"
"Not unless you tell them." He answered back, earning a jab to his ribs. Right, he has to be careful with his words. "Sorry about that. But yeah, should be good. Got a ride into town?"
She smiled, nodding. "Good." He then turned to her. "May I get ready? In private?"
She signed. "Hey, I am not stopping you. Believe or not, in the early days, me and Roman had to get dressed in the same room more than once"
He cringed at that. "Just...Get out!" Ash ordered, making her roll her eyes. She went into the hallway, leaving him some privacy. But of course, knowing her semblance, Ash had to get the essential parts down quickly before she returned.
Which, to his luck, happened just in time. She gave him an angry pout seeing as she missed her chance, to which Ash gave her a cocky grin. "Not today, you freaky midget!" He said, making her scoff.
Neo went to the window, then she jumped off, using her parasol to land safely. Ash did the same, but he jumped all the way to the tree, using his claws to grab onto the bark and slowly descend. He slowly walked towards her, Somnium Cavas and Asimenio Oneiro with him, then Neo began leading him towards the landing platforms where the Bullheads are. They went to a seemingly empty one. Seemingly.
Neo put her hand forth and the surrounding air began to shift, revealing a Bullhead out of thin air. Gotta love her Semblance at times. Ash boarded the Bullhead, taking a seat in the front. He couldn't drive them, but luckily there was a pilot already waiting. He was not wearing a White Fang mask, so this one must be one of Roman's own henchmen. Neo got in as well after placing the illusion back on the Bullhead.
"Alright, you 2 ready?" The pilot asked.
"Go," Ash said, letting him know they were. They departed from Beacon in the dead of night, but their departure did not go unnoticed. In the highest tower of Beacon, Ozpin watched as Ash took off. He had been working until late until he heard the sound of a Bullhead. A subtle silent model, but not subtle or silent enough. He watched, eyes narrowed.
"Well, Mister Auburn, you just keep getting more and more interesting."
The Bullhead headed for the warehouse where Roman was already waiting with a few vans and White Fang individuals, looking somewhat on edge. Ash jumped off the Bullhead the moment they landed, Neo not far behind him, and went to the thief. He has not seen him in person for a bit.
The thief turned to the 2, and a smile crept upon his face. "Ash! Glad you could finally join us! Is your scroll broken or something?" He asked, showing his usual behavior.
"Just on silent" Ash replied, making the thief give a small sound of realization. He had figured that out himself, hence why he sent Neo, but didn't want to miss the chance to hear Ash say it himself. "Anyway, whatcha need?"
"Straight to the point, I see. Very well. Tonight we need to do a couple of robberies at some local Dust shops. All SDC-related." He brought out his scroll and sent Ash the map of Vale, but with some places marked on them. "And we need you to help us rob one. You see, my other associate said he needed to take care of some stuff and left me without a few men."
"I see…" Ash replied, looking closely at the map. The stores were pretty far one from the other, so hitting them all in one night before the police showed up wouldn't be possible. By the time they were on the third run, they would already be on them. "How much Dust we talking about here?"
"A few tons," Roman answered. "The shops just had a recent refill on Dust, so they are full of goodies."
Neo stepped in, then began to sign. "We have to do those under 2 H MAX, or else the police will show up. We got a few vans to transport goods."
"But not enough manpower? " Ash asked. "But how will I be helping here? I am only one guy, and I doubt one person is all you need, or else you'd have just replanned a little."
"Yeah, about that…"
"We were also called." Ash felt a shiver run up his spine as he heard that voice and he slowly turned around to see their source.
Behind him stood 2 girls around his age, one wearing an off white, strapless dress that graduated to a cyan towards the skirt with a cyan layered feathery tulle that hangs longer than the dress and a small bow in the top center part of the dress. A pair of white thigh boots with red lace-up detailing, and all too noticeable blades at the rear of the boots connected to the heels.
Twin silver chains run from the back of the boots connecting to a layer armored piece on the fronts of the boots. She wears cyan stockings under her boots with lace-trimmed tops that peek above the boots and garter straps that supposedly connect to what Ash assumed were her underwear. Better not look, or else he is going to regret it.
She sported a pair of white forearm length gloves with cyan lace detailing running from wrist to forearm accompanied by a silver vambrace on her left forearm. A white belt around her waist that has twin silver chains on the front alongside a cyan gemstone in the center whilst a pair of cyan feather-like wings extended from the back. Her accessories included a white flower-shaped hairpin above her left ear, a white feather scarf with two short red feathers surrounding a long cyan feather on the left side. She also sports a silver pauldron on her left shoulder. And her appearance showed long black hair with a straight fringe that covers her eyebrows and pale green eyes, highlighted by heavy cyan makeup.
And beside her stood an almost perfect copy of her, but with a short black bob style hair with a straight fringe and pale green eyes, highlighted by heavy red makeup. She wore a red strapless dress that is patterned with newspaper articles - who understands fashion nowadays, really - and the dress has black and dark red lace layered tulle that hangs down more than the dress. She has an off-centered bow belt around her waist. She wears a pair of red thigh-high boots with black heels and soles alongside white lace-up detail. Twin silver chains run round from the back of the boots connecting to layer armor plating on the front of her boots. She wears lacy black stockings that peek out over the top of her boots accompanied by black garter straps that supposedly connected to - again, better not look- her underwear. She sports a pair of black fingerless forearm length gloves with red lining around the tips of the fingers. Her gloves sport a newspaper design similar to her dress running from the backs of her hands to her forearms with a light brown frill trim peeking out of the ends.
And her weapon sat over her gloves, her claws. Her accessories included a large long wing-like red feather and two short white feathers above her left ear and a short black fur shrug held by four beaded chains with a white gemstone in the center.
Those 2 were the ones Ash hoped not to see until he was out of Beacon and out of the Kingdom itself. Melanie, being the white-dressed one, and Militia, the one dressed in red. The Malachite Twins.
"Well, would you look at that…" Militia said as she walked slowly towards him, her weapon getting uncomfortably close as she ran her hand to his cheek. The poor boy was frozen. "Ashie."
"Ok." he slapped her hand away. "You can tease, but you know full well I only allow a handful of people to call me that, and you 2 do not count amongst those people."
"Oh, what's the problem?" Melanie said with a fake hurt tone of voice. "Aren't you glad to see us? It has been quite some time since our visit out of the Kingdom to your little home."
"A visit I still dread to remember…"
"Anyway, girls, how about you leave all the flirting for later, do ya?" Roman said, coming to Ash's rescue. "We have work tonight, and I promised Junior a cut if he lends you 2 to me."
"Right." The twins said together, heading towards their van. But they did turn around and gave a wink towards Ash, the boy shivering in his feet because of those 2.
"The Malachite Twins, Roman?" Ash asked, to which the thief shrugged.
"Kids nowadays are crazy, Ash. You yourself are a prime example of that."
"Let's just get this over with so I don't have to stand their teasing for long," Ash said as he made haste for his own van, the one he, unfortunately, shared with the twins. Gods above, this was going to be a long night.
He should've faked getting hit in the head by the stone and being passed out.
The engine of the van was becoming ever so annoying as Ash was enduring the presence of the twins. They did not attempt to tease him yet, but he knew full well they will the first chance they'll get. He was, however, curious as to why they are here in the first place, something which crossed his mind but never bothered to ask them personally. Junior would not lend them to Roman so easily, especially if the information broker knew the kind of mess he was in right now.
Junior was in trouble and needed a loan. That was the only plausible explanation for this. "So, mind saying why you 2 are here, exactly? I know Junior cares about you 2 a great deal."
The twins both looked at him, making Ash gulp, but then they sighed in unison. "Truth be told, the club was thrashed some time back," Militia said, beginning.
"Some crazy blonde bimbo stormed in, literally grabbed Junior by his balls, then went on to beat up everyone inside...Including us." And Melanie finished.
Ok, why does that sound like Yang? Ash had a gut feeling she might've told him about that, and frankly, he wouldn't be surprised if she was really the cause.
"And now you 2 are here to help earn enough money so Junior can fix the club?" Ash asked reluctantly, to which the twins nodded. Looks like good old Junior is in quite the financial pinch, but he was not too surprised.
If what he heard from Roman is true, the thief is bleeding Vale dry of Dust, which in turn has a bad effect on the economy. He was willing to bet that if Junior knew the reason prices on Dust were going up and the economy was going to shit, which assumingly did indirect damage to his business as well, then he would've tasked the 2 twins before him with permanently dealing with Roman.
"How much?" Ash asked again.
"Nothing short of a few…" Militia counter on her fingers, trying to come up with an estimated number. Then Melanie stepped up, holding a certain number of fingers to Ash. Mama Mia, that was a lot of Lien.
"Holy Gods from above…" Ash muttered, leaning back on his chair. "He needs that much?"
"Yes," Militia answered. "And he is pretty stressed out and frustrated because of it, having cashed in some favors to help redeem the needed amount back, but it is not working out so well."
"So here we are," Melanie said interjecting right after Militia finished her sentence. "Doing the low-class dirty jobs."
"At least you 2 are gonna get out of the club, right?" Ash asked, making the 2 raise their eyebrows. "Oh, don't give me those looks. You 2 spend all the time there. How you never get bored or grow sick of it is beyond me."
"Well…" Melanie trailed off, leaning back and placing a leg atop the other, a motion imitated by her sister. "We usually take time to scout out the more 'easy' ones and tease them for a bit. They sometimes end up buying more drinks, earning us more money, or…"
"They get more frisky after some hollow promises." Militia finished, then she snorted as she recalled something. "Do you remember that one guy? The shaky one?"
"Oh yeah. The one who was trying to pick up a girl?"
"Do you remember how much he went red after you teased him?" The twins shared a laugh.
"Oh, that was hilarious. The poor boy had to be dragged out by his friends." Melanie said, then she remembered about Ash. "You should've been there to see it, Ashie-"
"Again, do not call me by that nickname!" Ash added quickly.
"Anyway, the boy was just a treat to tease." The white twin continued. "You should've really been there, he was just such a little cupcake."
Somehow, judging from her playful tone, Ash was starting to feel sorry for the poor bastard who got caught in the claws of those 2. Whatever they did, Gods know how terrible, he wanted no part in it.
"Hey, if you kids are done with the gossip, we arrived." The driver said, causing the twins and Ash to go silent. This was payday, meaning they were about to get down and dirty. The van pulled up in an alley, and Ash was the first to get down, followed by the twins, and looked around. "I will remain here and keep the engine running while you 3 go in and get the Dust."
"Got it," Ash replied as he looked around, spotting the building where the shop was located. It was dark, and his vision was limited more due to his sunglasses, but he managed to make up the outer shape of an open window on the second floor, right next to a pipe that ran from the top of the building into the ground below. "How does that pipe look, Melanie?"
The twins gave it a quick look. "It looks to be in good condition. Why are you asking?"
"I say we do this quietly," Ash said before running to get some momentum, then leaped onto the pipe, using his Faunus traits - his claws - to grip the pipe better as he climbed up towards the window, leaving behind 2 surprised twins.
"Well, that happened." Militia said as they watched Ash jump inside the building through the window. Her sister sharing her surprise. "Who would've guessed he had it in him."
"I know, right?" Her sister replied. When they heard he joined Beacon, they were afraid he was going soft. Well, he was just breaking into a building.
The door to the back opened from the inside, Ash standing in the doorway leaning on the door. "Come on in." He invited them, and the twins walked inside.
Once inside the shop, the trio looked around, putting on masks given by Roman to make them look like the White Fang. Ash was reluctant to put his on, but did so, removing his glasses in the process while also making sure the twins didn't see his eyes.
They walked towards the main part where the Dust was and the twins got out a few suitcases with the equipment needed to get the dust from the tubes while Ash took care of the crystals and crates and took them to the van. It was a quiet and clean job, no incidents whatsoever. The trio got back in the van and the engine roared as they were heading to the next shop.
They made sure to leave no evidence behind, and Ash went as far as looking for cameras and the security room. The entire second floor seemed to be used as extra storage space, but they had little Dust there.
Now on their way to their next target, Ash felt his scroll buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a text from Roman.
"Bad news, kids. I just got word that your next target has a guard. Be careful" The thief's message made Ash curse under his breath, catching the attention of the twins.
"Something wrong? " Melanie asked first.
"Next stop we make is going to be frisky. Something about a guard. Be ready to fight, from what we know they might be a Huntsman." Ash warned them, making them twins ready their weapons. Ash did the same, loading Dust into Asimenio Oneiro, but then he noticed the Energy Dust laying around. He never played around with that, so he loaded one in as well out of curiosity. He tightened Somnium Cavas around his hip and waited for the van to stop.
And it stopped just in time. Ash and the twins got off, finding themselves to be a good distance away from the shop in an alleyway. They had to be careful, so they kept some distance. Ash peered over the corner, trying to see if he can spot the guard.
No one was there. He hummed, trying to understand what was going on. Did Roman prank him? No, it couldn't be. Especially since they were doing a job and he was understaffed. Something was up and he did not like it in the least.
"Keep your guards up, girls," Ash ordered as he drew his blade, trying to use his senses to find the guard. Surely they had some negativity for him to pick up on, right? Wrong. He couldn't feel a thing except for the twins, the driver, and some other people here and there. Nothing.
He decided not to stay around doing nothing, however, and began moving out towards the shop. The streets were empty, to their luck, and as they reached the door the twins got to work, beginning to lockpick the door. Militia worked fast, and not long after the door was open.
"Surprise!" Only for a powerful shot to blow Militia away into the street.
"Sister!" Melanie shouted, turning to the attacked to receive the same treatment as her sister.
"Damn it!" Ash swore and he jumped back, dodging a shot from the guard, who, they knew now, was a huntsman. The man walked out of the shop as the twins got up, looking at the guy who just shot them. Thank the Gods for Aura, or else they'd be down for the count for good.
The huntsman had a heavy bulky built with a rough beard and holding a shotgun in hand, but seeing the mechanical look betrays that the weapon might have other secrets. His brown eyes traveled from Ash to the twins, his hair black and sporting a recently shaved beard. "So, you kids thought you could rob the store? The White Fang masks also do not fool me, I know you guys are human - safe for the boy, who I assume is a half-breed." He sneered as he mentioned Ash. "Now what woman in her right mind opened her legs to an animal?"
Ash rolled his eyes behind the mask, taking the huntsman by surprise. "No reaction at me insulting your mother? Or the animal part?" Ash did not respond, and instead got his sword up, the twins also getting in position. "Well, looks like this ought to be boring." He complained before dodging Militia's charge, jumping back towards the shop, but he was nearly caught off-guard when, as Militia retreated, her twin showed up throwing a high kick towards his head with her blade attached to her heels.
The huntsman, however, brought his weapon up and transformed it, the handle extending itself into blades to create a battle-ax which he used to block her strike, then changed the direction his handle was pointing, aiming at Melanie once again and pressing the trigger.
But he was cut short when he noticed Ash charging in, forcing him to back down once again to the side. The 3 teens lined themselves up, each having their weapons at the ready. The huntsman, however, smirked, then charged in on them. They all assumed he was a hot-headed fool, one of those people who barely passed and were not second-hand mercenaries.
But as they charged, the man didn't simply swing his battleax horizontally but use the momentum to spin around and strike. His ax came swiftly upon Ash, the boy barely blocking with his father's sword. The twins tried to strike, but when they looked they found the man to be no longer there, confusing them.
"Strike him!" Ash shouted as he locked eyes with the man, but noticed the twins were looking confused.
"Who to strike?" Melanie shouted back, confused. One moment that man was there, and in the other, he was not, and Ash was struggling against air.
Militia looked at Ash with confusion. "What is going on?"
"Is this…" Ash spoke whilst struggling to hold his ground. The man had superior strength. "Your semblance?" He asked, getting the man to smirk once again.
"Indeed," He answered before he began to shout and pushed Ash back, followed by him blasting him with his weapon, causing Ash to roll on the street and lose his sword. That weapon packed a mean strike.
He looked up, seeing the man point his weapon at the twins, the girls still unaware of his presence. Ash shouted out for them to watch out, then he shot the barrel of the Huntsman's weapon, causing him to miss Melanie.
"Damn it!" His semblance came undone, allowing the twins to see him. The moment they did the 2 charged him, Melanie jumping up and coming from the air with an ax kick while Militia went in for a forward charge with her claws, but the huntsman took his weapon and swung it down into the ground, causing to break and raise some dust - the normal kind.
Melanie landed, not hitting anything, Militia coming shortly beside her. Once again, they couldn't see him. His semblance was annoying. Then Melanie felt the edge of something striking her in the stomach, her Aura flaring to prevent damage, but she still got send into the next wall, and Militia was not far either.
Having barely reacted to what happened to her sister, she felt the pressure on her chin as the huntsman kicked her in the jaw, sending her down on the street. This guy was on a different level than them, and Ash knew it.
The boy tried to get up, which he managed, and got his sword back, standing up with his guard raised. The twins were barely having any Aura left, and he knew it. He listened for any sign of that man and eventually saw Melanie look his way, extending her hand weakly. He dodged at the last second to the right by rolling as a loud sound echoed and the ground where he stood broke.
"Damn brat." The man swore, then began the hunt. His semblance seemed to allow him to hide from everyone except for a target person. Invisibility, which also might explain why Ash couldn't feel him earlier either. But there had to be a weakness to it. But for now, he had to dodge.
Ash kept moving, taking notice that this guy was not that quick on his feet. "Stay put!" The man snapped and transformed his weapon, starting to fire shell after shell at Ash as he ran.
The twins barely got up as they noticed Ash running towards the shop. That was bad. If the Huntsman shoots the Dust in the window, then the entire street will go sky-high. But luckily, he stopped when he saw where Ash stood. That got him thinking. The door was still open. He looked behind him, seeing the twins, and nodded at them.
Ash rushed through the door, entering the shop.
"Oh, no, you don't- " He tried to chase him in, but he was stopped when he felt a sharp pain in his pain, his aura flaring to prevent his skin from being pierced by Melanie's blades. The girl then jumped, making the man turn around just in time to receive a slash across his face by the other Malachite.
He took a few steps back, nursing his cheek. He knew Aura prevented damage, but he also knew that his semblance consumes a lot.
He was running low. The twins caught on to that and began their assault on him.
That was when his luck ran out. With Ash no longer there, he could only make himself invisible to one twin, which did not work on them. Using graceful moves, as if dancing during the fight, Melanie would kick, then retreat for Militia to come in, and then Melanie would return to deliver her strikes again. A perfect combo.
But what helped them was also their semblance. Sense Share.
A semblance that they, as twins, both have. It allows them to feel and see what the other sees and feels; be it a taste, a sensation, anything the other experiences, so will the other do as well. Henceforth, if one could see him, so did the other.
The huntsman was using his skills now to mainly block and evade. Those 2 were too fast and agile for him, and they had pushed him back all the way into the shop's window, but right there they jumped away, making him raise an eyebrow.
Suddenly, a light started to shine from inside and he looked behind himself. Ash was holding his gauntlets, both of them, at him, lightning and energy cracking around them. He helped himself to some stuff in here. He knew that a bullet would not cause an explosion, and the Huntsman was far away from the window in order to do this.
"Night." Ash shot his infused bullets, the projectiles breaking through the window and striking the Huntsman dead on in the chest, his Aura breaking and his frame being sent back from the blast straight into the building over the street before falling on the streets. He let out a few groans, but eventually passed out. "Good riddance," Ash said as he collapsed on his ass.
The twins walked inside shortly, both showing exhaustion. "That was...painful" Militia complained.
"I agree," Melanie said. "Whatever Roman pays us, it better be a generous amount. Or else I swear I am going to kick his ass to next Sunday."
"Same," Ash said, breathing a bit heavily. "But we better get a move on. We hosted quite the circus and the clowns are bound to come sooner or later."
The twins knew he meant the police so they began to get to work. The van came to the front of the store and the driver even came down to help load the Dust. They didn't get everything due to sirens growing closer, so they had to run away before they were caught.
The van was not as loaded as they wished, but it was enough. Hopefully Roman would not bitch about it being too little.
"This is decent," Roman said as he looked at what Ash and the twins managed to get. He listened to Ash explain the problems they ran into, and he said that he will make sure not to be a scumbag when evaluating their Dust amount. "For rookies." And of course, he had to be a bit of a jerk still.
"That was unexpected, Roman." Militia complained. "Look at my dress! It's filthy!"
"Yeah, yeah. Tell it to someone who cares!" Roman said, getting himself a new cigar and lighting it up. "The Dust you kids brought me is acceptable all things considered. So you can tell Junior he will get the money, but that I also expect you 2 to work with me more n the future."
"Very well" Thew 2 replied in unison and turned around, leaving the docs. Ash let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Now, Ash…" Roman turned to him. "How are you holding up?"
"Been better, that's for sure. My Aura took a serious beating from that guy, and his semblance didn't help either." He replied. "Where is Neo, by the way?" He needed his ride back to Beacon before his absence is felt.
"She is getting the Bullhead to take you home." The thief replied. "She is the only one here who can sneak into Beacon undetected, after all, thanks to her semblance."
"Yeah. I kinda own her some ice-cream." Ash joked, making the thief chuckle a bit himself. "So, how are things going?"
Roman's expression became sourer as he poofed his cigar, blowing out a grey cloud of smoke. "Turns out their demand for Dust is growing, so the next weeks are going to be a living hell for me." He looked at Ash. "Listen here, Ash, because I am going to need you to help me with a plan I have."
"I am all ears, Roman…"
Later that night, Ash just got back to Beacon with the bullhead hidden by Neo's semblance. He was walking towards the dorms, trying to go undetected by any pair of eyes. It was around 4 AM in the morning already, so he should really get some sleep.
He walked towards the dorms, looking up towards his window. He then began to climb the tree next to his window, and once up top, he jumped, opened his window, and rolled into the room. Easy thing. He left the window unlocked before leaving so he wouldn't need to go through the front door.
He put his weapons away and crashed on his bed, not even bothering to take his clothes off anymore. He was beaten, literally. It didn't help he had a full day ahead, but if need be he will catch up on sleep during Port's class and maybe Oobleck's. He will need it when he gets to Goodwitch's class, knowing that woman will try to pair him with someone that will beat him up.
He would like not to give her the satisfaction, thank you. But Beacon stuff aside...Roman was insane. On more than one level. He wanted Ash to do some stuff within Beacon to have him and Neo escape Cinder for good. Why was it crazy? Well, because he might just end up with a new roommate if this works. Gone will be the days of his privacy and not having to share his only bathroom.
But that aside, he had to catch up on sleep.
"And that is the match" Goodwitch announced as the current students left the stage.
It was the next day and, if not for his glasses, people could've easily seen obvious bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. He caught on in Port's class, but Oobleck was sharp and didn't let him sleep at all. He even tried to use his glasses to hide his closed eyes, but somehow that guy knew and called him out on it. In the end, to avoid detention, he stayed awake.
To his luck, however, Goodwitch did not call him to fight today, which was fortunate for him, and unfortunate for her seeing as Ash would've most definitely lost this one. Then again, that's what you get after taking part in a massive heist during the night on a school day. So he did it with his own hand.
The class came to an end and he was going to head for his room, crash on his bed, and sleep. Until he heard someone call his name from behind, and there he saw Little red rushing to him. "Hey, Ash!" She greeted him. "Say, are you ok? You seemed to be acting strangely during Oobleck's class, and even now in Goodwitch's class as well."
"Just had a rough night," Ash replied with a tired tone of voice, not even masking his fatigue from her. "Couldn't get much sleep."
"Ohhh~. Did you have someone over by chance?" Yang said as she approached them from behind Ruby, Weiss tagging along. But Blake was not there, for some reason. "Tell me, what did you do last night, Ashie? Had fun? What's her name?"
"I really do not want to deal with your puns now, Yang…" Ash replied.
"Awww. Well, the bets are still open." She said. "I made a bet with Nora regarding the reason why you are tired today. My guess is that you had a girl over and did some...naughty things."
"Yang!" Ruby called out her sister's name, blushing a bit from the embarrassing subject. Weiss just scoffed.
"It was most likely some common prostitute." Oh, the insult the Ice Princess of beacon knows to say, but alas they were wrong.
"Why not ask him?" Yang countered Weiss's words, but Ash was really not in the mood.
"Look, I didn't have anyone over last night-"
"So you went to rob places?" Yang asked, making Ash stop in his tracks for a second.
"Excuse me?" He asked, feeling a little uneasy from her question. She was on point, and that is not possible. Ash did go to rob places last night, but they had no way of knowing it. He had to be ready to high tailed it out of here if he was busted.
"Nora's bet. She said you must've gone out to rob places. There has been a massive chain of those last night." Yang explained, making Ash feel somewhat relieved it was only Nora's hyper imagination at work here. Who would believe her?
"Gods no!" He lied. "I might be a boy from outside the Kingdom, but even I know common sense and law."
"Well, since none of us were right, that leaves the third candidate with all the wins. Ren." Yang said, sighting. "He said you simply had a bad night and couldn't sleep."
"Yeah…" Ash replied. 'Anyway, where is Blake?"
"Oh, she said that she wanted to go to the library to be alone with her books."Ruby replied. "Something about us being a little loud."
"Which you are." Weiss added.
"You weren't any quieter, Ice Princess." Yang countered. "You were ranting a lot about the robberies that happened last night."
"Because that was an obvious attack on the SDC!" Weiss snapped, bringing up her family's company. "All of those stores were affiliated with the SDC, and thus the stolen Dust causes damage to the company itself. Besides, I am sure the White Fang was at hand. Their presence in Vale has been increasing lately from what I heard."
Ash sighed. "Then how about going to play detective? You girls can go get Blake and-"
"You are coming with!" Weiss interjected, surprising Ash who was just joking.
"W-why?" Ash asked. "What?"
"You actually do have a point, Ashie." Yang said, throwing herself into the conversation. "I mean, the police ain't doing much, and I guess the robbers have Aura and whatnot, they will need a Huntress or Huntsman. "
"This also sounds like fun and quality time for us as a team!" Ruby added as well. "And as Team Leader it is my duty to make sure we work well as one."
"Yeah, but why are you asking me to come as well?" He asked again, feeling anxious. He will see his handiwork in the aftermath.
"You are the 'Wild Card', are you not?" Yang asked, making Ash sign in defeat. "There you go!"
"But why are you the one asking me?" Ash asked, facing Weiss. The heiress cleared her throat, then began her explanation.
"Because, as much as I hate this, your Semblance uses Dust, so I assume you have SOME knowledge on the subject." She explained. "I need you to help me explain to them why this is bad for my family's company because I cannot get through to them no matter what!"
Ash stood silent for a few, taking in what just happened. "Are you asking for my help?"
"As much as I hate doing so at the current moment, yes I am" Weiss replied.
"Fine…" Ash sighed. "But you better buy me a strong coffee when we arrive in Vale."
"Deal."
"Yay!" Ruby exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Let's go to Blake and ask if she'd like to come with us!"
"Oh yeah, Team RWBY plus an A are on the move!" Yang said.
"Plus an A?" Ash echoed. 'I feel a bit...insulted, not gonna lie."
And with that, we have the end of chapter 12. Sorry if I am slow with them, but work has been rough, not to mention school's starting soon as well. Then there is me writing for Nerdy's stuff as well. Hope you guys can understand. Peace.