Chapter 3: Reluctant Relaxation Part 2

Later that same evening, Emerald Sustrai, Cinder Fall, and Mercury Black sat in their guest dormitory at Beacon, Cinder sitting on her bed, one leg crossed over the other, while Emerald sat on her own bed, with Mercury laying on the floor with his nose buried in yet another comic book that he'd gotten from dust knows where. Cinder was leaning forward slightly, her flaming orange eyes narrowed a little, listening intently as Emerald spoke to her about their first possible ally: Noir Harceleur. Emerald had been spending the last 20 minutes or so telling Cinder everything she knew about the faunus, from his fighting style to his appearance. In as much exquisite detail as she possibly could.

That evening, to say the least, had been quite eventful, and even traumatizing. Erebos had taken the three of them to the White Fang HQ where he had announced that he was taking over Cinder's position in command, and to say the least, tensions had exponentially increased. Adam Taurus had been clearly reluctant to accept this change of command, and many of the White Fang had been as well. when one White Fang member had had the gall to flat-out protest, Erebos had decapitated him with a single swing of his wicked blade, Kaji, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind as to who was really in charge now. Adam had reacted with rage, declaring that he would not have anyone killing off members of the Fang, for any reason, which Erebos had inquired to be a challenge. Adam had backed down, but Cinder felt in her gut that it was far from over. Taurus was not one to accept defeat so easily, and Cinder felt in her gut that he'd try something else soon. He was too stubborn, too fanatical. Too brash.

Indeed what really had Cinder on edge was the sudden nature of her dark father's arrival. Where had he been all this time? What had he been doing? Could he have possibly known about Cinder's original plan, the plan that marked the sole reason for her infiltration of Beacon? How much did he know about it? All this and more was on Cinder's mind, and every moment she thought about it, her lack of knowledge regarding what her father's plan was stabbed her heart with an icicle of fear. It truly terrified her to think that he may have been watching her from the beginning, waiting, regarding her and anticipating her every move for the right opportunity to show up. It was a truly horrific thought, and Cinder's blood chilled at the very concept. And it didn't at all help that Emerald and Mercury were now embroiled in it as well. They were in way in over their heads, and there was no way of them knowing it. Cinder felt for the first time in her life a twinge of pity for them, especially Emerald. The poor girl had no idea what she'd gotten into, and Cinder now sat listening to her monologue about their first possible ally, though Cinder felt in her gut that this was not at all the reason for her being stationed at Beacon now.

Cinder sat back on her bed as Emerald finally finished speaking, sitting in deep thought for several minutes while processing what Emerald had said to her in the last 20 minutes. It seemed to Cinder that the individual Emerald had spoken of possessed an unusual amount of darkness within him, and it was quite clear that as a fighter, he felt little to no emotion in combat, and would likely kill without any remorse if such a measure of violence was necessary. His fighting style, according to Emerald, was apparently highly unorthodox, comprising of sword maneuvers that involved spinning his blade by its handle around his wrists, neck, and even his ankles in ways that made it incredibly difficult to keep pace with him. In addition, he had evidently perfected this style and was able to perform those complex maneuvers and combinations thereof at lightning fast speed and with perfect precision, repetitively, and never break his pace or lose possession of his weapon. The only reason he had lost possession of his weapon in his fight with Pyrrha Nikos was because she had used her polarity semblance, in addition to the momentum of his sword arm's movement, to cause it to go flying from his grip. And even then, he'd regained possession of it in mere seconds, thanks to his very unique pseudo-teleportation semblance that allowed him to traverse short distances by dissolving into a cloud of ashes and moving from one spot to another without any visible form of propulsion. His attacks had no discernable pattern, and were seemingly random and improvised, and this made Noir unpredictable, and highly deadly as a result.

As Emerald had hoped, Cinder was finding this individual very intriguing, and was, indeed, quite interested in the possibility of this individual being a possible future ally.

"Are you certain that this Noir Harceleur is a...persuadable individual?" Cinder finally inquired, looking Emerald in the eyes.

Emerald thought upon it for a moment and then sighed a bit. "I'm...honestly not sure. He doesn't speak very often, and he's always managing to disappear for hours on end, and a lot more so since the Grimm got loose in Vale a few days ago."

Cinder thought for a little longer, considering this. "Even so...he seems to be a rather promising prospect."

Emerald sat in silence, patiently waiting for Cinder to say what she was hoping she would.

"We will need more information before we can tell Erebos about this...individual." Cinder looked right into Emerald's red eyes, her own seeming to burn holes in her. "I want you to gather as much information as possible on this Noir Harceleur by any means necessary. If he proves persuadable, then we will let Erebos know."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll definitely do my best." Emerald replied, and though she didn't show it, deep down she was squealing in excitement. She'd been hoping that she'd be ordered to gather information on the faunus, for as one may imagine, by this point she was fascinated with him to the point of obsession, and was eager to do anything to gather information on him.

"And Emerald?"

Emerald looked up at Cinder's mentioning of her name. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Don't get discovered. We are already hard-pressed to stay concealed among the students here, especially since there are only 3 of us, and thus not a full team by their standards."

As though in answer to this statement, Cinder's scroll started ringing, and she immediately answered the call, knowing it was likely to be Erebos.

"Yes?" she answered, and after a few moments she placed the scroll on the bedside table, putting it on speaker. Sure enough, Erebos Kraid's deep baritone rumble emitted from the scroll.

"I will be brief. After thinking on the possibilities of your being stationed at Beacon, I have decided that it is best for the three of you to be joined by my right hand man. He will be joining you in a few moments and he will explain the details when he arrives. He will also ensure that the three of you obey my commands, and hear me now. He is not to be trifled with. I expect a report within 7 days." With that Erebos ended the call, and Cinder, Emerald and Mercury stared at one another for several minutes in silence. None of them were certain as to how they felt about being joined by a fourth individual, a stranger at that, and one close to Erebos.

The three of them jumped at a sudden knock on the door.

"E-e-enter," Cinder managed to say, though her voice was shaking as she waited for whoever it was to enter the room.

The door opened and a boy of about 17 entered the room. He was shocking short at only five feet and six inches tall, and yet he was built powerfully, stocky and athletic. He had vivid green eyes and a head of medium length black hair that was streaked with red and in thick locks turned up at the ends at the back, giving him a very aerodynamic appearance. His garb was black, black jeans and a black t shirt over a long-sleeved black undershirt with a high collar. A large gray inverted cross adorned the front of his shirt and around his neck was a necklace with a matching inverted cross, though this one was red. Black fingerless gloves adorned his hands and a pair of knee guards, each with a single round spike in the middle, adorned his knees. A pair of black shades were on his forehead, and two chains secured by a single padlock served as his belt. His shoes were red, black, and silver, and rather formal looking as well, looking to be more fitting with a suit that with his default garb, and his face was as calm and expressionless as his master's, and his skin was the color of dark polished ebony, as though it reflected the dark aura the Cinder felt emitting from his being.

Cinder stood to greet the stranger. "I suppose you're the one sent by Erebos?" She inquired, and though she didn't show it in front of her own cohorts, she recognized the individual in front of her. I should have expected this...it only makes sense. If Kraid is here, then it only makes sense for him to be as well.

The boy nodded and spoke in a mid-ranged voice, calm and collected, and with an air of superiority and confidence that he had no doubt picked up from Erebos himself.

"Yes, I am. I am here to ensure that the three of you obey my master's commands and complete your assigned duties. My Lord Erebos says that from now on, you three will answer to me, and I answer only to Erebos himself. In addition, I will assist in retaining the illusion that we are a visiting team from the city of Haven. Cinder Fall will be the figurehead leader, while I am the real leader behind the scenes. Lord Erebos also states that should any of you attempt to betray him, I have his permission to kill you."

A cold, chilling silence filled the room at his words, and Cinder couldn't stop the feeling of helplessness that engulfed her entire being. Erebos was only continuing to undermine her authority in ways that had her wishing the man as dead, though she would never mention such a wish out loud for fear of his wrath, and, apparently, the additional wrath of the boy in front of her.

"Now," the stranger stated, looking at each of them individually, "Are there any questions?" For several minutes, none of them seemed to even have thoughts, simply staring at this stranger in disbelief of their situation, and everything they had planned, all of it, was now obsolete in the face of this new development. When no one seemed to have a question, the stranger turned to exit the room, when Mercury spoke up.

"Hey, I have a question. What are we supposed to call you?"

The boy turned towards them and spoke as calmly as ever. "My name is Remnant. And that is what you shall call me from here on in, that or sir."

Mercury actually burst out laughing at this. "Remnant?! Your name is Remnant?!" Mercury thought that was just hilarious. "Wow, dude. You're named after the freaking planet, what a weird..."

Mercury suddenly froze, and Emerald and Cinder could hear Remnant's calm voice...singing? Sure enough, Remnant was singing, a haunting melody that chilled their very bones, and as they listened they heard words:

"Maintenant vous vous allongez dans le sommeil

Quand vous vous réveillez, vous êtes sûr de pleurer

Nightmare, oh Nightmare

Vos craintes viennent d'être"

Neither of them knew what this meant, nor why he was singing it at all, until a look of pure horror crossed Mercury's face. The gray haired boy let out a strangled cry as he fell to the floor, his eyes frozen open in horror at what he was seeing, whatever that was. Remnant continued to repeat the words and the melody quietly and soothingly, and it almost sounded like a lullaby, but as they watched Mercury, how his look of horror became more profound with every repeat of the haunting melody, the realization dawned on Cinder and Emerald. Remnant's melody was causing Mercury to hallucinate, to see things, horrible things, terrifying things, things one would only see in their nightmares. Cinder stared in horror at the boy, and Remnant smirked right back at her in return before finally relenting and stopping his torture of Mercury's mind. The gray haired boy lay there on the floor of their guest dorm, sweating profusely and breathing in harsh gasps. Remnant, satisfied that his point was made, turned once again to leave the dorm, and as he neared the door, Cinder shakily asked.

"Is...is that your real name?"

He looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. "My real name is not for one as low as you to know. I was named Remnant by my master when he granted me a purpose. I live to serve the Shadow."

Emerald spoke up, albeit extremely nervously, "Why did he name you after the world?"

Remnant's answer sent chills through each of them. "Because when I die, so shall Remnant." And with that, he strode out of the dorm to complete a mission given to him by his master. As he left, Cinder and Emerald stared at one another, unable to comprehend just how deep the pit was that they found themselves in. Cinder felt more afraid now than she ever had before, a profound fear that she could not keep from chilling every fiber in her body as the haunting melody Remnant sang still echoed in her mind. It seemed that her father wasn't the only monster that now had her and her comrades under his thumb.

Emerald shook herself and kneeled down next to the shaking Mercury, who's breathing had managed to stabilize, but that look of horror remained on his face. Whatever he had seen had put him into a profound state of shock, and Emerald had never seen him so terrified before, even in the face of Erebos. Whatever he'd been forced to see, Emerald didn't want to know. All she knew is that Mercury had, once again, made an ass of himself and paid the price.

"Mercury...why must you always piss off the higher ups?" she asked with a wry smile, and even Mercury managed a small grin. As Emerald comforted her team mate, she sighed.

In addition to this new development, there was still Noir Harceleur to consider. How exactly she was going to get his attention, she had no clue.

Cinder, her brow furrowed, stood from her bed and followed Remnant out the door, following him down the hall and stopping once she had him in her sights. "Remnant."

He stopped, in the process of taking out a mass of black cloth from a black bag over his shoulder. "Do you need something, Cinder?"

She hesitated for a moment before walking towards him. She knew she was on dangerous ground, but she had to speak to him. "I just need to know something. I promise this won't take long." Remnant hesitated for a moment before shoving the black cloth back into his bag and turning to face Cinder fully, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well I certainly hope it won't, I got shit to do." His demeanor was different now than it had been in the room, and now he seemed to be acting his age, something she rarely saw him do. But then...he always had been a chaotic individual.

"I need to know...why did he bring you here? And why is he having you watch me?" Cinder looked down at Remnant, looking right into his eyes as he gazed right back.

"Well when ya say it out loud, it just sounds gross." He quipped with a smirk, letting that hang in the air for a moment so he could have his joke. Cinder just rolled her eyes, having expected a joke on his part, as whenever he wasn't around his master he was quite known for them. Remnant was silent for a moment before finally saying, "Okay, okay, okay, I won't yap ya ear off. But...seriously." He went right back to his persona from the room, as though switching personalities like switching gears on a bike. "Truth is he told me not to tell you why. I doesn't want you getting ideas. He also told me that you, me, and your two little kids back there will be operating on a 'need-to-know' basis, and if there's anything you don't need to know, then you won't know. And that's it."

Cinder looked down at Remnant with a furrowed brow as he said this. This if anything made the situation a whole lot worse, both for her and for the others. After a moment of thought, Cinder's expression changed to one of concern, almost pity, as she continued to look down at him.

"You know you don't really have to do this, Remnant...you never have." Remnant looked away a little uncomfortably, his expression becoming strained as he inhaled deeply, letting out a long sigh.

"You and I both know that I do. I have no choice but to obey his commands. He is my purpose. And he commands my heart and soul." Cinder's heart dropped as she heard this flat and blunt rebuttal. This boy...whatever his service to her father, Cinder had known this boy for years. He had almost been like a brother in a way. A cold, uncaring, and heartless brother, but a brother all the same. And seeing him so hopelessly and needlessly dedicated to her father's service was almost heartbreaking.

Having said his rebuttal, Remnant turned and strode away, disappearing around the corner and leaving Cinder standing by herself.

In that moment, Cinder felt very alone, and very trapped.

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A heavy dubstep beat shook the walls of the massive nightclub, with electronic synths cutting through the air. Red and white lights lit the massive dance floor and were magnified by the glass pillars lining the floor at regular intervals. Hei Xiong "Junior's" Nightclub was in full swing, and he had stepped up his style considerably, going from heavy techno to dubstep and industrial, hiring a professional dubstep DJ and setting up a massive strobe light wall behind the DJ podium. As the pounding beat vibrated the very air in the club, the people within moved with the music's pounding beat, and Hei Xiong himself, also known as Junior, observed with his signature grin, his eyes hidden by his vivid red shades as he straightened his tie. He was, deep down, glad and relieved that business was still continuing to do well, especially after the recent start of another club in uptown Vale, supposedly run by some bird faunus guy that used to attend the academy. But more than anything, Junior was thankful that the troublesome blonde that had torn up his club before wasn't there at that moment, with his club full of customers and with the lien being raked in from eager customers looking for good drinks and a good time.

As if in answer to this thought, several of his men started yelling for his attention and he immediately facepalmed when he heard the words "It's her!" Of course she'd show up right when he got things going again, and sure enough, the doors of the club burst open and Yang Xiao Long herself strode in, taking in the new style of the club and the crowd of people within with her typical air of smug calm. Noir Harceleur was walking behind her, his massive wings wrapped around him like some kind of high collared robe, concealing most of his face and only showing his eyes and the top of his head, and because of their massive size, they went down to just below his knees, giving him the appearance of someone garbed in a high collared robe. Though he was only doing this because of his situation, being forced into a social gathering, the effect was intimidating, and Junior's men cringed at the very sight of him walking in with Yang, and a few even took cover behind the bar.

Junior sighed and walked out from behind the bar, while the Malachite twins, from their balcony overlooking the dance floor, stood upon seeing him leave his place and began to descend the stairs to join the gathering. Junior had traversed about halfway across the club when he noticed the figure in black standing several paces behind Yang, and immediately froze. The individual had a very familiar look, and yet Junior had never seen him before.

But he had heard rumors. He'd heard rumors of a dark individual with eyes red as blood, hair as black as the midnight sky, and a cold glare that stared into one's very soul, a creature that walked at night, searching for blood and thirsting for it. An individual that even the White Fang didn't want to fuck with. Rumor had it that this creature couldn't be killed, but as far as Junior was concerned if it bled, it could die. Though as he looked at the individual standing next to Yang, he couldn't help but wonder. Was this the creature that had been described to him?

Was that, the six-foot-one tall person behind Yang that stood here, wincing at the incredible volume of the club's music, looking as though he didn't want to be there, the rumored monster known as the Nightstalker?

Meanwhile, Noir was in complete agony as the sheer volume of the club's music pounded against his hypersensitive ears, and he had both hands covering his four ear canals as he yelled out to Yang.

"Couldn't you have picked somewhere a bit quieter?! I can barely hear my own voice!" he yelled out to her as he covered his double-canal ears, his face screwed up in pain even as he blocked out the noise.

Yang spoke cheerfully. "Oh don't worry, you'll get used to it after a while! Besides I know the guy who owns the place. He owes me a drink anyway."

But even as she said this, Junior pointed at the two of them, and yelled, "Stop right there!" Yang looked over at Junior, raising an eyebrow as the music in the club came to a grinding halt. The people on the dance floor immediately backed away at the sight of Yang, and, thankful for the sudden quiet, Noir's massive wings unwrapped from around him and for a moment were spread like angel wings before folding to his back. Junior, upon seeing that, immediately panicked, yelling at his men.

"Stop that man! Whoever he is, don't let him in!" Immediately, dozens of men in black suits and red shades with drawn blades and guns were charging towards them, Yang disbelieving as she looked from Noir to the henchmen. Could it be possible that Noir knew these people? Noir, resigned for the worst, strode forward but stopped when Yang put her hand on his arm.

"What is it, Yang?" he inquired as the armed henchman drew closer.

"Noir, I can handle them if you want. You don't have to hurt any of them. Besides, if you actually injure any of them you won't be let in here again, with or without me."

Noir turned back towards Yang and actually smirked, something she'd never seen him do before, and he calmly said, "Trust me on this one."

With that he turned back towards the charging men, and just as the one closest to him was about to land a sword blow on his head, Noir side stepped, causing the man to fall forward flat on his face. In seconds a second henchmen swung at him from the other side, and again, Noir easily side stepped, and this one landed right on top of his cohort. When two of them attempted to swing from in front and from behind him, he ducked, and their blades clashed over his head harmlessly and the momentum of their swings caused both of them to lose balance and slip on a spilled drink, both of them falling on their backs. In this manner, Noir traversed the dance floor calmly, Junior's henchmen effectively dispatching themselves as Noir dodged every attack, never lifting his hands to strike back or draw Schwarze Klinge. Yang just stared wide-eyed at the "battle" as Noir effectively defeated all of Junior's men by doing absolutely nothing except dodging.

How the hell is he doing that...he's not even flinching! Yang couldn't help but feel impressed by Noir's prowess, if it could be called that, as he was barely doing anything. He was just walking and avoiding hits, and he wasn't even breaking a sweat. Within several minutes every one of Junior's henchmen were on the ground, and only then did Noir stop walking, stretching a bit and even popping his neck.

Junior just stood there, appalled. This was beyond embarrassing, even for him. It was one thing to have all his men beaten by a 17 year old blonde girl but seeing them beat each other up with some stranger avoiding their attacks and not even flinching was something else altogether. This was a new low for Junior's henchmen, as well as the club, and now all of Junior's customers were flooding out of the club as the Malachite twins strode down the staircase from their balcony, looking thoroughly annoyed.

Yang, grinning widely, strode down the staircase and joined Noir on the dance floor as he sighed in apparent relaxation, not even a bead of sweat on his brow.

"Well. That certainly helped me loosen up a little." Noir actually seemed fully at ease for once as he strode over to Junior's bar, sitting down and sighing in actual relaxation, something he hadn't felt for a long time. And it was all thanks to the blonde taking a seat next to him, grinning widely.

"Heh, glad to see you're letting off some steam for once, batman," Yang grinned. "You certainly are something else."

"You flatter me, Yang. All I did was dodge." Noir replied, though her complement seemed to please him a bit, and he blushed slightly as he looked away.

Yang smiled and was about to speak again when two familiar voices cut her short.

"Melanie...Who is that?"

"I have no idea, Miltia, but if Junior wants him out then let's get him out."

Noir and Yang turned towards the voices. Sure enough, the Malachite twins, Melanie and Miltiades, were approaching the bar, Melanie standing there a few paces away with her arms crossed while Miltiades approached from behind her, her arm blades out and ready for action, and as they approached, Noir sighed and stood up. It seemed he wasn't quite done making his point after all. Yang also stood, ready for action as the Malachites approached, and once again, Noir waved her down, intending to handle his own problem on his own. Noir sighed as he strode towards them, but just as the Twins made to strike, a lean but stocky young man dropped out of the banisters and blocked both of the Malachites' blows, crouched, his left arm blocking Miltia while his right blocked Melanie's kick. He was about five foot six, with a sharp angled face, a short nose and sharp high cheekbones. A smug, egotistical smirk crossed his face as he held the Malachites at bay, and a fedora hid the rest of his face. He was dressed in a dark chestnut tank top, with red cargo style pants and a pair of running shoes on his feet. With an air of smug confidence he stood up, brushing off the blows with relative ease and turning to face Noir. His smile widened and in a midrange, almost tenor-ranged voice, he spoke.

"I step away for five seconds, five seconds, and you have to go ruining my date. What is this, our freshman year at Beacon again?"

Noir just stood there, staring at the individual, with his red eyes frozen open, his mouth hanging slightly open as the individual in front of him smirked smugly, his shocking blue eyes looking out at him from under his hat through a pair of angle-framed aviator goggles.

"Check...?" Noir managed to say as he struggled with words. Yang, her curiosity peaked, looked from Noir to the stranger and back to Noir. Does Noir know this guy?

Then, without any warning, Noir punched Check Cremissi hard, square in the face, sending him a few feet in the air and landing flat on his back as Noir turned and stormed from the club, his normally relaxed demeanor replaced with an expression of raw rage. As he reached the entrance, Check, recovering quickly, caught up to him.

"What? Something I said?" Check inquired, with the same smug air as before, even after getting punched in the face.

Noir actually turned around, his face inches from Check's and, with an uncharacteristically angry glare, snarled, "Fuck off." With that he stormed out the club, spreading his wings and taking flight, rapidly disappearing into the late evening sky. Check, though taking it in his stride, still felt somewhat snubbed as he turned back towards the dance floor but before he could think anything else...

WHAM! A second fist connected with Check's face sending him flying into the middle of the dance floor, landing flat on his back a second time and rolling right into the DJ's stage. Yang, furious, had punched him, hard, and as he shakily stood up, Yang shouted from the doorway.

"Thank for nothing, asshole. You just ruined his first good day in months." With that she put her helmet on and got on her motorcycle Bumblebee, revving the engine and driving off into the night to find Noir. She had never seen him so angry before, and to see him so angry like that actually made her feel concerned for the bat faunus, because she'd never seen anyone piss off the bat the way the stranger had.

Meanwhile in the club, as Yang strode out, Check straightened up and took a good look at her from behind, taking in her figure and frame before nodding in approval. Nice going, Nightstalker. You've got yourself a REAL nice one. His thoughts were suddenly cut off as two high healed shoes slammed into his chest, knocking him flat on his back for the third time, and this time pinning him down. As he looked up, he realized the Malachites had him pinned to the ground, and both looked quite angry.

"Uh...girls?" There was a short pause during which neither of the twins said a word. Both of them just glared down at him, one heel each on his chest.

"Girls?"

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Noir landed on the boarding platform where the airships would normally be, his temper boiling over to a point it hadn't been for a very long time. Seeing Check Cremissi so suddenly after so long, to say the least, had mentally irked him, and had emotionally destabilized him to a point that being around anyone wouldn't be very wise on his part. Noir felt anger, rage, hurt, incredulity, and most prominently of all, a primal urge to rip Check limb from limb. The man had been the cause of much pain for Noir, and to see him again brought all that fierce anger back with a vengeance, anger, Noir had been spending the previous year fighting to keep hidden, to keep concealed, and to keep buried away in the depths of his subconscious.

Noir needed to be alone, away from everyone, away from everything. It was the only way he knew how to deal with this burning rage he was feeling. It was the only way he knew how to deal with any emotion, really, and it was difficult for him to want help from anyone. He needed to get away from it all in order to process it all. Otherwise he would lose control, and he dreaded doing so. He hated allowing his anger to control his actions. He hated letting his emotions guide him, for it only led to pain, suffering and death. Several students practically jumped out of his way as he passed them, many of them staring with incredulity as he never even looked at them. One of the students, Coco Adele, upon seeing Noir pass her felt a surge of familiarity from his manner and actions.

Deja vu...what's got him worked up now? Coco sighed to herself as she watched him, and found herself momentarily wanting to follow him, but knew this wasn't the right thing to do. Or the wise thing to do.

Noir stormed down the hall of the Beacon dorms, his fury at seeing Check boiling over as he nearly knocked over Emerald Sustrai, who was leaning out to speak to him.

"Hey...Noir, right?" Noir stopped for a moment, taken a little off guard by the sudden greeting despite his boiling temper. Simply out of common courtesy, he felt obliged to respond.

"Yes." He didn't say anything more and just stood there, his red eyes meeting Emerald's for a moment. Emerald, upon seeing Noir's eyes looking right into hers, was forced to look down slightly. Noir's gaze wasn't like hers. While hers was guarded and concealing, Noir's was piercing and fierce, as though shielded with razor blades. Emerald had never seen a gaze like that, not even Cinder. It was as though Noir was looking right into her very soul.

"I've, uh..." Emerald had to take a moment to gather herself before continuing. "I've been wanting to talk to you since the invasion...I mean, you've been kinda distant as of late..."

"An observation I've been hearing a lot lately." Noir's response was cold, edged, and flat, and Emerald shuddered when she heard it, and part of her was already losing hope. Noir, now that Emerald saw him up close, was very intimidating, and it was rather clear that he was not in an accommodating mood. Yet despite this, Emerald couldn't deny that she found him attractive, in a very dark and intimidating way. Noir, unbeknownst to her, could hear her escalating heart rate, and he knew immediately why she was talking to him, and her next question removed all doubt.

"Listen, I..." Emerald inwardly cringed as she began to ask, part of her freaking out at the mere thought of asking this; she'd never even considered the thought of asking this question of anyone, let alone Noir Harceleur, "...I was, uh, wondering if you'd be interested in, maybe, going out, like, for dinner or someth-"

"No." Noir turned his back to her and continued going in the direction he had been. He didn't even let Emerald finish her question and just walked towards the staircase, leaving Emerald looking very put out. As Noir walked away, Mercury spoke from inside the dorm.

"Are you sure you don't want my advice on how to ask a guy out?" Mercury was smirking ear to ear at Emerald's failed attempt at asking Noir out.

"Shut the fuck up, Mercury." Emerald growled as she re-entered the dorm, quite aggravated now. Noir, meanwhile, continued ascending the staircase at a steady pace as he tried to calm down. He continued to seethe in anger from his encounter with Check, and went higher up the dorm building's floors, until finally coming out on the roof, looking forward to the solitude it provided. Unfortunately for him, there was someone already there, waiting for him and looking quite angry.

"Mind telling me what the hell your problem is?" Royal Bivera demanded, her arms crossed as her vivid green eyes narrowed, her long rainbow colored hair flowing down her back as she raised an eyebrow.