Chapter 8: The Hunt

Shinai bowed his head, sipping from the steaming cup. He nodded slightly, musing silently for a moment, before inclining his head again. "This is very good, what is in it?"

Ren nodded back, taking a drink from his own mug. "Ah, these are oolong tea leaves. They're… not exactly inexpensive, but I like to keep a small stock of them, for occasions like this. What do you generally drink?"

"Simple ryokucha green. Tea was generally only ever had during special occasions in the Temple, or occasions where a ceremony would need to be held. Most traditionally Mistrali comforts were… rare."

"That's unfortunate. It was always an everyday pleasure in my home."

"Did you grow up in the city?"

"I-"

Nora appeared from seemingly nowhere, pushing between the two roughly, only their quick reflexes saving their drinks. "You guys are so weird! If you love soggy leaves so much, why dontcha just marry them?"

Shinai's gaze slowly turned towards Ren flatly, purple eyes meeting pink. Ren shook his head, placing his cup off to the side. "Tea is important to us and our cultures."

"You're never this big of a culture nerd!"

"It's just… been a long time since we've met someone who gets it. It's nice to talk to someone else who knows the traditions. That's all."

"You two talk like you've been together for a long time." Oracle called over from her perch leaning against a tree, currently in the midst of peeling an apple with a knife.

"What?" Nora called out, stiffening. "Haha, we're not- we're not together! I mean, together-together, he's just my only childhood friend! That's it, haha!"

"Yeah, they're just like this," Jaune said, shaking his head. "And they always say and do weird inside things that I still, genuinely, have no idea about."

A red blur shoot through the midst of the gathered friends, coming to a stop directly before Jaune. Lance leaned back to get a better look at the other swordsman, one eyebrow cocked. "Yooou…" He muttered, trailing off, beginning to round him with an assessing gaze, chin held in one hand. He came to a stop, staring down at the smaller huntsman. "…Wow… It's almost uncanny."

"Uh… I'm- I'm sorry?"

"It's like… looking in a funhouse mirror. It's like we're the same person from two completely separate universes," Lance gave him another once-over. "But you're from a universe where we're not nearly as cool."

"I-" Jaune looked uncertainly towards Pyrrha, leaning away from the other swordsman, sweat beginning to build on his brow. "Uh… was that a compliment?"

"A compliment? No, no, no, no. No. I can't have my doppelganger runnin' around making me look bad. No, no, no. This is my solemn vow, Arc; whatever it costs, whatever it takes, I will save you. I will free you. I will make you cool," Lance threw an arm over the other blonde's shoulder, looking out into the distance, nodding. "I always wanted a little brother to inspire to be better. This'll have to do, Middle Me."

"Mi… middle me?"

"I already have a Mini Me, so you'll have to settle for second."

"I, uh… I don't… thank you? I think I should be thanking you? I guess?"

Lance turned towards Jaune, clapping him on the shoulder with a stern look. "Don't thank me until we're both waking up the morning after a party at a stranger's house without any idea of how we got there. You like parties, son?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"You like being alone on Friday nights?"

"N…o?"

Lance seized Jaune's hand in a tight grip, giving him a hard nod. "Now that's a gods damned red-blooded huntsman right there."

"He's gotta point," Oracle called over without looking up. "Ya could use a pointer or two to maybe not come across like such a wet noodle- no offense, hon."

"…None taken." The swordsman said with a defeated sigh, idly rubbing his hand as Lance stepped away.

"Zaffre ain't the one to do it though- he barely knows the difference between flirtin' and blowin' air outta his ass, and I bet there are places on a woman's body he's never even heard of."

"Yeah, yeah, it's not like you haven't spat that at me before," The greatswordsman shot back. "Get some new material, you're ten-ply."

"Oh, ten-ply, huh? It ain't like everyone and their dog says that. But keep talkin' about me havin' stale material, you'll win an argument with me eventually."

Pyrrha cleared her throat pointedly, derailing the two huntsmen before they could get started, a small, uncertain smile painted across her face. "I think we should simply let Jaune be who he is; he doesn't need to be anyone else."

Lance and Oracle turned towards her in unison, dual gazes flat with disbelief. The former snored, while the latter shook her head. "Pyrrha, darlin', ya can't possibly believe that."

"I mean- look at him. He's like a puppy. A puppy that's gonna get murdered by a snake, or something. 'Sides, if I have to see him get turned down by Schnee one more time, I might just actually throw myself off the cliff again." Lance added, arms crossed.

Pyrrha crossed her arms in return, face turning defiant. "Well, I happen to like Jaune just the way he is, thank you very much."

"…Thanks, Pyrrha." Jaune said, giving her a genuinely sincere, small smile.

The two members of SOUL leaned back in their spots, eyes meeting again, narrowing in suspicion, though they said nothing else.

Ren looked between the quartet, before turning back towards the unbothered Shinai, still quietly sipping his tea. "Your teammates are…"

"Unique, yes."

"I was going to say; nice."

The samurai stilled in the midst of drinking, staring down into the dark depths of his cup thoughtfully, eyebrows furrowing. Finally, he sighed, face melting back into its trademark stoicism. "…Yes. They are."

"Now, now, no need to be-"

"Ooh, you better think really carefully about your next words."

"Or?"

"Or- or- or I'll-"

Rainier stopped, turning to Daria with an amused, cocked eyebrow, hands on his hips. "You'll what?"

She trailed off, face twisting in indignation, color slowly darkening. She pointed a furious finger in his face, only a frustrated squeak managing to escape her lips, shaking.

He grinned back down to her, non-plussed, before placing a small kiss on the back of her hand.

"Gods!" She barked, storming away from him, hands in the air. "You're impossible!"

"Improbable!"

"Stop!"

"Never."

"Yo, wait up!"

Both members of DRGN came to a stop, turning back down the stone pathway they'd been travelling; Yang and Ruby were walking up behind them in a hurried pace to catch up with the other duo.

Yang looked between the two of them. "You two okay?"

"Oh, just-" Rainier began.

"Peachy." Daria finished sourly.

"Yeah… sure. If you guys say so. Hey, Rainier, you got a moment?"

The faunus blinked in surprise, leaning back with a small, sparkling grin. "Why, for you? Of course, Miss Xiao Long."

"Enough of that, we've got a problem."

The DRGN members looked between the two sisters, their faces slowly falling. Daria stepped towards them. "What's going on?"

"It's Blake," Ruby said quietly, silver eyes filled with regret. "She's gone."

"…Gone?"

"She… she and Weiss got into an argument, and… she ran. We haven't seen her since yesterday."

"And where is our dear Miss Schnee?" Rainier chimed in, cocking his head to the side curiously.

Yang rubbed the back of her neck. "She's waiting back at the room. We're gonna head out into town again to see if we can find her."

"And she didn't want to see me? How utterly inconceivable."

"Rainier," Daria muttered. "More important things at the moment."

"…Right. Apologies."

"We wanted to see if you would, maybe, help us look for her?" Ruby broached tentatively.

The faunus stared back at her inquisitively for a moment, eyebrow slowly raising, suspicion overtaking his features. "…And why would you do that?"

"Uh! Well, it's… you're, uh-"

"You're a sleuthy guy," Yang cut in, giving her sister a look full of warning. "…You can't tell me you're not. I don't know if it'll help at all, but you lending a hand would… really just make us feel a whole lot better about it."

Rainier and Daria shared a side-eyed glance, neither missing the interaction between the sisters, before the former cleared his throat. "I suppose I… could help you search for her. Do you know where she would have gone?"

Ruby shook her head. "She just… left. She won't answer her Scroll, no one's seen her since, like, lunch yesterday."

"So she'd be in town, then- if she wished to disappear, she would have gone there."

"That was our thought process, yes."

"…May I ask what the argument between Misses Schnee and Belladonna was?"

The huntresses went quiet for a moment, looking to each other unsurely. Yang broke the silence with a sigh, shaking her head. "It's… complicated-"

"'Complicated-complicated', or 'we can't tell you-complicated'?" Daria asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"…Both?"

"Course."

Rainier shrugged, hands clasping behind his back. "Very well. It wouldn't do to let two beautiful-" Yang gave him a sharp, stern look. "Dangerous, independent and very capable huntresses down… allow me to try that again. It wouldn't do to let my new friends down, no? I will aid in your search for Miss Belladonna. I'll head out with due haste."

"Hey," Daria cut in quickly, giving him a look. "You're not going to invite me?"

"Invite you? Ha! Dearest Daria, I do my best work alone," His smug look faded into a more sincere one. "…I also believe that I need some time alone, my dear. This search seems to me as good an opportunity as any to clear my head and gather my thoughts."

The teammates stared off for a moment, before his leader sighed in resignation, looking back to the sisters. "…Keep me updated, alright?"

Yang gave her a grin back. "Can do. We'll have our girl back lickety-split."

"Thanks, Rainier," Ruby said, offering the faunus a small smile. "We really, really appreciate it."

He stilled for a moment, mouth opening slightly in preparation of a riposte. Finally, he simply shot her a small smile of his own, giving her a tiny nod. "…Of course, Miss Rose," He nodded to Daria as he began to split off from the trio of huntresses, waving them off lazily. "I'll be back by dinner, Dearest!"

"You better be, little friggin'…" She trailed off sourly.

"Don't worry," Yang nodded. "He'll- we'll be alright. We'll give you a call tonight, yeah?"

"…Yeah."

"We're… going to go now," Ruby said awkwardly, teetering on her feet. "Okay, byeee."

Daria watched as the two huntresses turned to leave towards their dormitory, the leader of DRGN left alone on the concrete path. She let out a groan as she continued her path towards her own room, muttering to herself sourly as she went.

The elevator whirred noisily as he continued its assent, the quickly shrinking spread of Beacon Academy blurring past the shaft's crystal-clear windows.

Lance, though, was staring steadfastly at the doors ahead, leaning against the back wall, hands gripping the guard rail tightly. His face was drawn into a poorly hidden grimace, lips pulled thin, his chest rising and falling in a vain attempt to try and force himself to relax.

"Come on, man," He muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Chill. It's no big deal. He's probably just going to ask about that shitty science grade. That's it. Principals do this all the time. No biggie…" He trailed off, head falling with a sigh. "Who are you foolin'…"

The elevator beeped pleasantly, the doors sliding open, Ozpin's office coming into view. The swordsman hesitated for a moment, before slowly stepping out into the wide-open, ornately designed room. The headmaster looked up as Lance trepidatiously marched towards him.

Ozpin gave him a small smile, before his expression turned serious again. He gestured to the seat before him. "Please, Mr. Zaffre. Have a seat. I think we have quite a lot to talk about."

Rainier let out a sigh as he stepped under the wide arch hanging over the street, two workers suspended on ladders on either side, currently hanging a colorful, green banner; 'Welcome to Vale!' it read boldly. He offered the duo stiff nods, his gaze casting around the city street curiously, watching as a bustle of activity continued to unfold, citizens dressing up the brick facades of the city with streamers, banners, balloons, flags, and a motley of other festive decorations.

"Looks like home." He muttered, hands digging into his pockets, the tension beginning to drain from him as he continued onwards, looking around the city's considerable commercial district with a relaxed grin, not a sense of urgency in his movements. He slowed to a stop, looking to the shop beside him with a cocked eyebrow, mulling a thought over, turning to enter.

"Hello!" The cashier called brightly, a smile splitting her face as the faunus walked in, looking around the small building curiously. "How may I help you?"

"Oh, I'm just perusing." He said back, idly making his way towards the front counter, crouching low to stare at the brightly colored pastries held safely behind the glass partition.

"Your accent," She began, leaning over to look down at him. "You're not from around here?"

Rainier flashed her a bright smile. "No, no, I come from Vacuo."

"Vacuo," She began with a gasp, eyes wide. "You must be here for the Vytal Festival! You're a huntsman?"

"Well…" He straightened back up, inclining his head to her with a coy expression. "You're correct on one of those regards," He extended his hand to her. "My name is Rainier Platina, son of Camilla and Leonardo Platina, brother to the White Wolf of Vacuo. And you are, my dear?"

She took his hand, nearly jumping in shock as he lifted it to his mouth, planting a kiss onto her knuckles. A dark blush spread across her cheeks, her hands reaching up to nervously run through her hair. "O-oh! Oh, I'm- I'm, my name is Sacchari- Sacchy! You can call me Sacchy."

"Mm, Sacchy. What a lovely name; sweet, even," He paused as she burst out into giggles. "Miss Sacchy, I will simply take a dozen donas- donuts."

"Uh… uh, what- what kind? Would you like, I mean?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him, lips pursed.

He grinned broadly at her. "Surprise me."

Sacchy nodded quickly, turning away shakily, beginning the process of carefully picking out donuts from below, thinking hard over each selection, placing them into a small white box. She popped back up with a bright, unsure grin. "I… I picked some of my favorites. I think you'll really like them."

Rainier peeked into the box with a raised eyebrow. A satisfied smile crossed his face, closing the lid. "This looks absolutely delicious. Vale delicacies, I can see. You must be an incredibly talented baker."

"O-oh, no. My dad bakes everything, I- I just help sell them."

"Well," He shot her a wink. "Thus far, you're doing a stellar job, yes?"

She grinned at him toothily, stifling another round of giggles, before shaking her head, breaking free from the momentary interaction. "Um, that'll- that'll be 70 lien."

He quickly placed a stack of bills onto the table, turning his smile back towards her. "140. Keep the change, my dear Sacchy."

She stared down at the bills blinking owlishly. "I- um, thank… thank you, Mr. Rainier- Platina."

"Oh, don't worry. The pleasure was all mine," He picked his box up, giving her a bow as he began to back away. "Have a beautiful day, Miss Sacchy."

"Y- you too!" She called as the faunus exited the store, staring after him wistfully, leaning against the counter.

Rainier grinned as he stepped back out into the warm, late afternoon air, a content sigh escaping his lips. "They're all crazy; you still have it." He nodded to himself as he continued on his way, eyes turned towards the clouds above, basking in the light.

"I told you he had a tail." A voice muttered from behind him, joined by a chorus of snickers.

"Jeez, what the hell is wrong with him?"

Rainier came to a stop, his smile slowly falling, expression settling into irritation.

"Hey, hey you, mutt!" One of the voices called. "Turn around!"

The faunus brought his gaze back down, letting out a small sigh. He calmly placed the box of donuts beside him, casually turning towards the voices; a group of teens, similar to his age, were gathered, looking towards him with a mix of distaste and cruel humor.

"Man," One muttered. "You can't even really tell he's one of them from this angle."

"Look at his leg! He's even got dog paws!"

"Like it's something to be proud of."

Rainier's smile came back to his face, head cocking to the side. "May I help you all?"

"What's it like?" One asked, poking through the rest of the group. "Being like that?"

"What? Incomparably handsome, extraordinarily charismatic, talented and skilled beyond my years? You're going to have to be more specific than that, my clase baja friends."

"Being a freak!"

"Yeah!" Another added.

Rainier looked between the group of teens, idly pushing the box away from him, lifting his arms in a languid stretch. "…Well, if you're referring to my tail, then I'm not sure of what 'freak' you're speaking of. If you're referring to my leg, however… I'm more than willing to show you, yes?"

"Show us? You really think that you could take on all of us?!"

"Yeah, we grew up on these streets! We're tougher than any Vacuoan mutt!"

The faunus continued to stretch, looking the group up and down, taking in their casual clothes, leaner forms, and lack of any armaments between them. "Yes, I'm certain you are. Do we say one minute? No, that's selling myself far too short, I can do it in thirty. Hell, let's make it fifteen, I do appreciate a good challenge."

They looked between each other, tension settling over the street. "What the hell are you on about, dog?"

"Wolf, and I'm simply deciding how long it will take me to break each of you." He settled in his place, Wolf's Claws sliding behind him as a grin slowly crept across his face, the group similarly preparing to fight, spreading out around him.

He began to move- when his gaze fell onto the glass of the pastry shop; Sacchy was watching with wide, terrified eyes, a man standing behind her, a Scroll held in his hand with a worried frown. He looked back to the group of teens, his fury holding for another few moments.

And then he slumped with a sigh, the tension draining from him. He rose back to his full height, looking around at the sloppy half-circle surrounding him. "While I would love to fight, my gutless, cobarde friends, I simply don't have the time, and it's not remotely worth the trouble. But I will leave you with some words of advice; your lives mean next to nothing. If you would have stood and fought here today, assuming you even know how to activate your auras, I would have slaughtered you without a second thought. I have more meaning to this city as a faunus foreigner from the opposite side of the continent than you do as human locals. Now, this is where we say our goodbyes; if you wish to find me again, I would recommend paying attention to your TVs come the end of the summer to watch the Vytal Tournament, where you may see me fight and perform in front of millions worldwide, while you will be watching in whatever disgusting dive bar you've found your sorry lives have led you to, so you may drink and lose yourselves in your own misery and broken dreams. Oh, and, next time you think it's a good idea to challenge a huntsman to a fight, please do. I eagerly look forwards to seeing your faces on the evening news,"

The street went dead silent as he recovered his box of donuts, waving to the teens happily. "Hasta siempre, you wastes of air!"

The teens stood, looking to each other in various states of hurt, confusion, and anger as he casually turned to walk away, not giving them a second thought, idly munching on a donut as he went.

Daria stared out of the bay window that dominated the far side of the room, watching the stars begin to twinkle against the rapidly darkening sky. She pulled her Scroll up, looking at the irritated picture of Rainier emblazoned on its screen. She let out a sigh as she called him-

And immediately went to his voice message system, beeping obnoxiously. She didn't bother leaving a message, hanging up and throwing her Scroll to the other side of her bed, flopping backwards with a sigh.

Nash looked up to her from his position on the floor, legs propped onto his own bed, loudly blaring Scroll held in his hands. "Wha's up, D?"

She looked down to him for a moment, before shaking her head. "…Don't worry about it."

"Mama always said that if a girl said not to worry about it, don't believe her… she also said that girls are evil and crazy, but y'know." He said, sliding casually from his perch to lie completely on the floor.

The boy brought a smile to Daria's face, bringing her to push herself up into a sitting position, staring out at the remaining members of her team, both tuned in towards her. "…I don't know, it's just Rainier, I guess."

"Ah, yeah, he's great."

"No, I don't think he really is."

"Never mind, I hate 'im."

"Nash- work with me here."

"Kay."

She sighed again. "…It's just, I don't know what he's about. There are times I think he hates me, and then there are times when he seems like he's genuinely having a good time with us. Like- I haven't heard from him since, like, lunch, and now I think his phone's just straight up off. I don't get him."

"Well…" Gail said, tapping her pen nervously on the desk in front of her. "…Maybe he's just… confused."

"Yeah, but it's been weeks. I'm- I really think I'm at the end of my rope. No offense to you guys, but we really need him. I don't know what I'm doing! I'm surprised I even got into this school. He just… doesn't seem like he wants anything to do with us."

The archer was silent for a moment, shoring up her confidence to turn towards her leader, swallowing hard. "…He just… I don't… think he came to Beacon to- to be part of a team. I… think we… I don't know, took him by sur…prise?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I…" She trailed off, face beet red at the dual gazes of her teammates locked onto her. "…He- he, um… he comes from a different place from the rest of us. He… he just… needs some time to get used to us, I think. M-maybe, him… taking a day away from us is a- a good thing. Give him time to process, maybe? He's a… product of his past, like we all are. He's just… he's still just finding his place here."

Daria stared at her teammate for a long moment, before nodding solemnly. "…Alright. Or maybe we need to have a talk with him."

"A… talk?"

"A talk!" Nash agreed, throwing his arms in the air.

"A serious talk. Put our foot down, y'know? Give him an ultimatum."

Gail said nothing else, gaze casting back to the ground unsurely, before turning back to her work quietly.

Her leader watched her for a moment before reclining in her seat, hands folded behind her head. "I think a part of me just really wants to like him."

"Ooh," Nash cooed, turning onto his belly, hands holding his head up. "Do you like-like him?"

"Nash, no, stop," Daria muttered sourly. "If he flirts with me one more time, I think I'm gonna throw up."

"That sounds like like-like."

"Nash. Please. I will hurt you."

"Kay."

Daria continued to stare off into space, resignation filling her form. "…We're getting him on this team. One way or another."

Rainier sighed as he continued onwards, box of donuts still tucked under his arm, the sun setting behind him bathing the city streets in a dim, orange glow, the streetlights beginning to come to life. He stared down at his box of pastries for a moment, chewing thoughtfully. He shook his head, picking up his pace again. "You don't need it, you don't need it."

"-Nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. Back to you, Lisa. " A TV droned from a store-front window as the faunus marched down the street.

"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this week's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. This once peaceful…"

Rainier came to a stop, staring in at the TV before him, the logo of an angry, red wolf's head emblazoned on its screen, three claw marks tearing through the red. His grip tightened around the box under his arm, teeth clenching together tightly, eyes going dark with fury, his body beginning to tremble, breath coming faster and faster, a snarl coming across his face.

As quickly as he entered his trance, he broke from it with a hiss of pain, bringing his free hand up, unclenching the white-knuckled fist; blood began to pool in his palm from where his nails had begun to dig into his flesh. He winced as he shook the pain away, wiping the blood onto the dark fabric of his shirt, gaze turning back to the TV, a snapshot of a crowd of faunus on its screen, signs raised high in righteous anger.

He let out a huff as he turned to continue on his way, putting the screen behind him, shaking his head with a quiet, nearly imperceptible groan. He turned to the setting sun behind him, staring at the rapidly bluing and darkening horizon. The faunus nodded in resignation, turning into the café to his side.

The man keeping the counter looked up from the countertop, wiping it down with a towel and glass cleaner. "Hey, we're just about closed."

"Uh- may I just get a coffee? I'm… looking forwards to a long night, and I'd sincerely, sincerely appreciate it." Rainier cut in, holding a hand up pleadingly to the man.

He stared back at the faunus for a moment, turning to look at the half-cleaned mess that was the back counter for a longer moment- and sighed, head falling. "…Alright, alright. What can I get you?"

"Ah, gracias, gracias, Mr…" Rainier cocked his head to the side to read the man's nametag. "Beau. Ah, I will take a cinnamon dolce latte, thank you, kindly."

Beau turned with a nod, beginning the process of brewing the faunus' drink, the small shop descending into patient silence, the barista humming quietly to himself as he went, the lights above buzzing calmly. After a moment, Beau slowed thoughtfully, turning over his shoulder. "You're Vacuoan?"

"Ah, yes, I am. How did you know?"

"Ha, my parents were Vacuoan."

"Ha indeed. Tis a small world."

"Yeah it is. Recognized your accent, you're from out west then?"

"Coastline, yes."

"My mama was from just outside Tear's Fall."

"I happen to be from Tear's Fall!"

"Really is a small world."

"Indeed!"

Beau nodded, shaking a can of whipped cream. "Yeah, we had another Vacuoan come in just earlier today," He turned towards Rainier with a cocked expression. "I think he mentioned he'd just arrived for the Festival."

"Fascinating, it seems that's on everyone's mind."

"Uh huh. Yeah, a faunus, he was, he and his girlfriend. Tan like you, with a monkey tail. You know him?"

That piqued Rainier's interest, the wolf leaning forward. "Unfortunately, no, I don't attend Shade Academy. Two faunus, you said?"

"Yeah- think she was his girlfriend, at least. They sure bickered like an old married couple, when she even managed to talk."

"Well, my- our homeland, I suppose, is rather renowned for our equality. Everyone suffers equally."

Beau laughed, finishing the last touches on Rainier's drink. "She wasn't tan like you two, though, more of a Mistral or Vale complexion. I didn't really pry, it's not polite. Not my business, anyways."

The faunus froze, eyebrows furrowing. "…So she wasn't here from Vacuo, you assume?"

"Again, I don't really ask."

"…Dark hair?"

"Long, dark, yeah. Golden eyes I think, not as pale as yours. Dressed dark. You know her?"

"…Son of a bitch. I've been looking for that girl all day."

Beau crossed over with the latte. "Really? What for, if you don't mind?"

"She's… been acting strangely. Simply attempting to track her down. Do you know where she would have gone?"

"She and the other guy mentioned something about the docks tonight, some big Dust shipment coming in, or something. Dunno, wasn't really paying attention. Something about the White Fang, I think."

"…Brilliant."

"That was my thought. Here you are, sir." He handed the drink over, getting a nod from Rainier as he placed a stack of bills down.

"Plus a tip, for staying open late for a poor faunus; as well as being the most helpful man I have met in some time. Have yourself a beautiful night, you saint of a man."

"Well. Thanks. You too."

Rainier took his drink and donuts, turning to leave with a baffled expression, pushing the door open with his foot, stepping out into the cool night air.

"…Ha. Son of a bitch."

He turned to head towards the city's portside, muttering to himself in shock as he went.

"Hey, wolf!"

Rainier came to a stop, gaze slowly rising from the concrete slabs below, face falling in unimpressment. He turned on his heel with a cocked eyebrow- and immediately brightened with a surprised smile. "Zaffre!"

The swordsman raised his arms as he marched forwards to catch up with the faunus. "What are you doing out here this late?"

"Taking care of a few things, my friend- the same goes to you!"

"Just needed to, uh… clear my head. Been a long day. Whatcha got there?"

Rainier looked down at his food, setting his cup down onto the ground. "Donas, my friend. Care for one?" He pulled one out and offered it to Lance with a raised eyebrow.

Lance stared back for a long, flat moment. He gestured down at his bared chest; eyebrows raised. "Dude. Look at me. You really think I eat carbs?"

The faunus' hand didn't drop, expression not wavering in the slightest, the two huntsmen coming to a standstill.

The swordsman looked between his friend and the pastry before him repeatedly. His hand lashed out to rip the donut free from Rainier's grasp, taking a bite out of it angrily, staring hard at the Vacuoan. He waved the confection at the faunus. "This is really friggin' good."

"I know. I will have to revisit that shop before too long. Anyways, while we are both here on a lonely Saturday night-"

"-I appreciate it, man, but I don't swing that way." Lance said between bites.

"How unfortunate," Rainier muttered dryly. "No, I was going to ask if you wished to go investigating with me?"

"That's uh… I've got a lot of questions."

"I've been on the search for Blake bloody Belladonna all day, and I believe I have a lead. For whatever reason, she appears to have gone to the docks. Perhaps the White Fang will be there, yes? Perhaps we'll get to fight them, yes? What do you say, my friend?"

"Man, you had me at White Fang."

"Excellent. Shall we?"

"After you, wolf."

Rainier dipped low to scoop up his drink as the duo began to make their way towards the coastline. The sound of a ship's foghorn cut through the night air, echoing across the buildings ominously, the sound of several bullhead rotors chopping noisily joining it, dark shapes racing towards the docks beyond.

The two huntsmen slowed to a stop, exchanging a look, silently confirming each other's concerns.

Without a beat of hesitation, they took off running, disappearing towards the hive of activity beginning to build in the shipyard.