Chapter 5
The words "NO RESPONSE" glared at Yang from the screen of her scroll. She wasn't sure what she was expecting. If Blake had wanted to talk to her she'd have called. It was a fool's notion to believe it was going to be that easy. She closed and pocketed her scroll before looking forward. With an idle brush of her golden hair with her hand she set into motion once more.
Crossing another road she saw more Atlesian soldiers, and as per usual they saw her. Yang offered a friendly nod and she received one in return as she walked by the two. It was good to know she wasn't searching alone any more, no matter how little help Winter had told her she'd receive. The clouds in the sky hadn't yet cleared so it was still dim, this already proved a slight hindrance in the warehouse but she felt it was going to be even worse when she reached the abandoned apartment complex. Especially because as time went on it continued to grow darker, the sun wasn't leaving until at least another two hours or so which should give her just enough time to reach the building, search it and then leave. Though she was expecting at least five or seven floors within the complex.
Yang grumbled to herself, looking up at the building. It was at least eleven floors in total. Far more than she was hoping for. The clouds in the sky had both persisted and darkened as small droplets of rain had begun to fall. A light overcast was nothing that annoyed her but the simple thought of rain made her want to seek shelter, and where better than the place she was searching? She stood outside the doors. They were sealed shut and many of the windows on the building itself were boarded. Just how long had this apartment complex been abandoned for? She glanced around to find no one in sight. She was on the edge of the industrial district and by this time rarely anyone was still working. It was even more of a ghost town than it usually was.
Yang started walking towards the right side of the building, hoping to find another entrance. If Junior came here as much as Winter thought he did then he no doubt had a reliable and quick way of getting inside. She turned the corner of the complex and entered into a narrow alley. The rain was already less noticeable due to the shelter provided by both large buildings. The alleyway was as stereotypical as it could get, there was garbage strewn across the floor, gutters coming down from the buildings, trash cans and dumpsters along the walls. It didn't seem like anyone was here and so she started making her way through it, her lilac eyes scanned her left side at the walls of the complex for any way she could find in.
She soon came up to a rather odd stack of barrels. Looking around she saw no others within her vicinity and pondered what could be in them. She gave one of them a knock with her left fist to find the sound resounded within the empty barrel. Cautiously glancing around once again Yang looked back to the barrels before sending a kick towards them and knocking them all down. The noise was loud and if anyone had heard it she hoped they'd just pin it on the wind. Behind the barrels however she had found a short staircase leading down into what she could only assume was the basement of the building. Finally it seemed like she was getting somewhere.
The small red door at the bottom of the staircase was unlocked, and with a satisfying click she pushed it and left it to open itself. To say the inside was dark was an understatement, she couldn't see a thing. Once more pulling out her ever useful scroll she held it in front of herself as she turned on its light. The basement was mostly empty save for what you'd expect to find. A few empty boxes, a mop and bucket, a bicycle, broken bottles. She stepped inside and kicked the door behind her shut.
Making her way through the basement she could already see steps leading up into the building proper, though she had to pay attention to as much as she could. It was an investigation after all. The stairs up were wooden and creaked as she walked her way up them. At the top of the steps her shoes came upon old carpet, it did well to hide the sound of her footsteps. The room she was now in was a hallway, looking both ways she only saw intersections. Since she had no reason to pick one over the other she chose to move left at a guess. The light of her scroll caught the dust in the air which provided an eerie atmosphere. When she saw windows, dim rays of light from the cloudy sky managed to creep in. To top it all off the sound of the rain was getting heavier and slamming against the complex. Other than that there was no sound save for her own padded footsteps and her breathing. She turned another corner to find boarded doors lining it. She pushed at each one just in case with her boot, but none of them budged.
Her legs kept moving and she kept searching. It seemed almost like a maze and by chance she found the stairs. She would have liked to have found the reception area first but she wasn't about to turn back. She could find that room on her way out. The stairwell wasn't carpeted and so her footsteps echoed loudly no matter how much she tried to walk softly. Looking up between the middle of the railings she could see only darkness as the stairs would continue to rise many more floors. It appeared she was going to be here for much longer than she thought. After she reached the second floor another maze of dark and dusty hallways was waiting for her.
The seventh floor. Her legs were tired from climbing so many stairs and wandering around as often as she had been. So far her search had turned up with nothing. Every floor was the same, all the doors were boarded up. So she'd only seen empty hallways so far. She assumed this floor would be no different. With her scroll still lighting the way she began down the hall. Her eyes as usual scanning from left to right at every boarded up frame she passed. She coughed from the dust, she couldn't imagine how much of it she had inhaled by this point and it was starting to effect her. The rain outside was still slamming down, she had wondered if it would turn into a storm at this rate.
Her eyes caught something to her left as she shined her light against one of the boarded up doors. Scratched into the frame were three lines. It might be nothing but it was the only irregularity she had seen so far and it looked rather recent. Slowly she pushed her boot against the door to find the boards supposedly locking it down weren't connected to the frame around the door at all. It just slid open. She took a step back with caution, she'd be in a bad situation if there was a meeting in there right now but to her relief she heard nothing. With this positive sign she peaked her blonde head into the room, shining her light around. Inside were chairs facing one another, as if set up for meetings. At the back of the room was a bar- no, a counter that was no doubt used for a kitchen once.
Deciding the room was safe enough she moved in further. The windows were boarded like all the rest, allowing very little light into the room. All the furniture had been moved to the walls and out of the way. The place definitely had a shady vibe. As she prepared to start searching her heart dropped as she heard a door slam. A distant one with an echo. It was soon followed by footsteps, a lot of them. People were coming. She turned to gently close the door behind her as she sought a place to hide. Looking at how the chairs were positioned there would be no better spot than behind the counters of the kitchen. Neither sets of the chairs faced it directly so she'd have a better chance of remaining out of sight. As swiftly as she could she slid over the counter and ducked behind it, pressing her back up against it and then switching off the light of her scroll and placing it in her pocket.
The footsteps steadily got louder as whoever was coming ascended the stairs. She could make out what sounded like two sets. The first set was heavy and thud loudly with each stomp. The second was softer, but with a sharper click. Heels. It must be Junior and Neo. Either that or Winter was investigating with an armed guard, but she somehow doubted that. The footsteps stopped after reaching their loudest echo, they had likely reached her floor and were now walking upon the soft carpet.
Yang attempted to steady her breathing as she heard Junior's voice from outside the door. "Check it out" he spoke. The fact he never received a reply only seemed to confirm Yang's fears. The door to the room opened and she could hear someone walking around. Their pattern was erratic, moving from one side of the room to the other. They seemed to be searching and they were getting closer. The sound of her heels against the carpet, a soft thud that drew closer and closer. Yang stopped breathing entirely and it felt although her heart had stopped.
Surely she would stop searching. Surely she would turn around the second she was about to find her hiding spot, like in all the old movies. The investigator was always a breath away from being caught. But movies were just that. Movies. Yang's lilac eyes turned to see magenta and brown staring right back at her. That usual lopsided grin that just boiled her blood. Yang couldn't move. What was she going to do? Should she fight her? Should she try to run? Junior was waiting just outside the door.
It was then that to her surprise Neo brought a slender finger up to her lips in a hushing motion, gesturing for Yang to stay quiet. Her lilac gaze continued to watch her with confusion as Neo made her way towards her and stood right besides her upon her right, the side Yang was most at a disadvantage. Neo casually looked over the counter towards the door before tapping her umbrella against the counter twice, loud enough for Junior to hear and then enter the room. Yang remained as silent and still as she possibly could, still glaring up at Neo in confusion. Just what was she playing at?
Junior spoke out to Neo as Yang heard him approaching his chair no doubt. "Guess the wind knocked over them barrels" he commented. Yang cursed herself in her thoughts. The mess she had left had caused them to be cautious. The reason Neo had searched the room was thanks to her. She could see Neo smile at Junior with closed eyes and a nod. The way she always looked so happy was disconcerting when she was the most cruel, humiliating, sadistic person Yang knew. Then it started, as if she had heard her thoughts. Like she was trying to prove them right. Her right hand came towards Yang's cheek who tried to lean her head away, but not far enough. Finger and thumb pinched her skin sharply and without remorse, instantly cutting at the skin with her nails.
Yang kept in her desire to fight back, her desire to vocalize her pain. It clicked in her mind. Neo didn't want to reveal Yang, she wanted her to reveal herself. To be her own downfall. Such a humiliating strategy fit Neo just perfectly. Her movements were so subtle that Junior couldn't tell she was doing anything behind the counter.
"They're late. Sure you don't want a seat?" came Junior's voice once more, he sounded a little nervous. To which Neo shook her head, finally releasing Yang's cheek as a trickle of blood slid down from where she had pinched. But it didn't stop there as her finger started trying to simply poke her in the eye. Yang shut them tightly as a result, the prods were harsh and if she had her eyes open there may be a chance she'd lose one of them. Even with them closed though, it was painful. She had to endure, that was what she was made for. She was meant to be the tough one.
More footsteps became audible echoing from the stairwell. "Hah, like trained dogs they come running when you mention them" snickered Junior, to which Neo simply smiled and nodded once more, halting her attempted eye-poking and resorting to grabbing a fistful of Yang's hair and start tugging at it harshly. She grabbed at Neo's wrist to try and stop her but she just kept on pulling. Her hair was in no danger of being ripped out but once more, the pain was building on her. The sound of the other footsteps soon disappeared, likely meaning they were on the same floor. And not long after the door opened as three sets of footsteps came in.
"Did you knock over the barrels?" came a voice Yang didn't recognize as multiple people sat down, likely on the opposing chairs.
Quickly the response came from Junior, "No, must've been the wind. Had Neo here check the area, we're clear" he answered.
Neo had stopped tugging at Yang's hair and was now pulling at her ear. It seemed like the torment wasn't going to end for a while. Yang grit her teeth, it was already taking all of her willpower to not set ablaze and start attacking.
The voices continued. Yang had to pay attention despite the abuse she was receiving. This is what she came for and she wasn't going to let some brat ruin that for her. She had to listen, ironic that Neo was almost trying to pull her ear off by the lobe. "So do you have news on the girl?" asked one of the voices.
"We do..." Junior paused, as if thinking on his words. "Not about her personally though" he answered.
"Wasting our time then?" came a response as Yang heard someone stand up to their feet.
Quickly Junior's reply came again, "Now just hold on. It's not about her, it's about someone looking for her. Her partner" he answered.
Blake. They were talking about Blake. Neo was sure to know this was information Yang wanted to hear, so her torment only increased further. Her heel placed itself upon Yang's thigh and started to crush down against it, the heel delivering a stabbing pain into her leg. As a result she opened her mouth in silence, trying to hold in the agony. It was then that she felt Neo push her finger and thumb into her mouth, gripping her tongue and trapping it between them as she started to dig her nails into it. She wanted to bite down on her fingers but if she did it was likely to get a reaction out of Neo and alert the others. Her eyes started to water from the pain.
"Which one?" asked the unknown voice, seeming more interested and sitting back into their seat.
Junior chuckled once more, "The one your boss gave a helping hand" he said, joking about Yang's condition. It only made her blood boil more, she wasn't sure how much longer she could take this kind of treatment. But this did confirm something to her, the other members were White Fang and they were looking for Blake and using Junior as an information broker for that purpose. She felt Neo tug at her tongue harshly, causing her to wince from the pain once more.
"Neo stop carving things into the furniture, how many times do I have to tell you? It's evidence" spoke Junior as Neo looked up to him, offering an apologetic grin. It appeared he had noticed some of her upper body movements.
"How do you know she's looking for her? Did she come to you?" asked a member of the White Fang.
Yang endured on as finally Neo stopped stepping down on her leg, but instead of returning it to its previous position on Yang's right side, her leg stood down on her left instead. She was practically stood on top of Yang now who could only glare up at her from a new intimidating view. Neo placed her umbrella down onto the counter, freeing her own left hand. The reasoning for the new position became apparent, Neo didn't feel like she was doing enough damage with just one hand and in order to make it look like she was doing nothing to the others, she had to reposition. Yang watched as Neo's left hand came towards her face, and soon after her nails started raking across her skin, leaving red marks upon her flesh.
"Yeah, she did. Good thing I've got one hell of a bodyguard" replied Junior, completely oblivious to what was happening. "What about you anyway? Can I expect your side of the bargain to come into play now?" asked Junior.
The member of the White Fang replied with a sigh, "You'll get your delivery of dust, but it'll only be half the amount in return for your half-measure" he spoke.
Yang once more looked up at Neo as her nails stopped carving into her skin, the hold on her tongue only tightened however, she could already taste copper. She watched as Neo idly started sucking on the index finger of her left hand. "Half-measure? Come on guys, you've got a monopoly on dust thanks to your operation with Torchwick" spoke Junior, sounding rather annoyed.
"If we start rewarding you for doing a bad job you'll get lazy. If you want your dust, impress next time" stated the White Fang member, Yang could hear them all standing up. A wave of relief flowing over her pained form as she imagined an end to this torture. That being said Neo had removed her index finger from her mouth and brought it down towards Yang. The finger and thumb pinching down on her tongue finally stopped, but instead their purpose turned to keeping her mouth open as the saliva-covered finger pointed at her. She couldn't give in. She couldn't let Neo get her way. She tried her best to close her mouth before Neo repositioned the hand holding it open so that she would have to bite down on her in order to stop her. And as mentioned before, that would surely cause a reaction.
Junior sighed in defeat, "Fine. Fine" with that Yang could hear the door open, and people leaving. If only they would move faster. She didn't have much time until... Neo closed Yang's mouth gently around her finger that pressed down on her tongue, pushing it around inside her mouth. Yang shut her eyes in humiliation. Neo would die for this. She would kill her. It might not be here, but she would dedicate herself to beating that smug face into the ground, no, she would tear it apart piece by piece. She glanced up to see Neo staring down at her with her sadistic grin, she clearly enjoyed breaking her spirit. A little too much, you might think, as her light complexion took a slight shade of red upon her cheeks. With her spare hand she took out her scroll, briefly messing around with it before taking a silent picture of Yang with her lips over her finger.
"Neo" began Junior as he stood up. Neo quickly looked to meet his gaze. "Neo what are you doing?" he continued with a questioning tone. With a brief pause Neo showed him her scroll, she was half way through a saucy message it seemed. "Okay..." began Junior awkwardly. "Hurry up and finish your texting, I need a drink" he finished. Neo watched him intently as he left the room. After that she looked back down to Yang who glared up at her, her eyes red and full of fury. Yet neither of them moved yet. Junior was still just outside. It became a silent stare down with Yang's furious stare meeting Neopolitan's smug one.
Slowly the finger was pulled from Yang's mouth, the source of the almost sickly sweet taste leaving, though the taste would no doubt linger for a while longer. A loud echo came from the stairwell and as soon as it did Yang hurled her fist up towards Neo with a scream of rage. Before she could meet her body however Neo had sprung her knee towards the side of her head, harshly knocking her down to the ground, dazed. As her vision steadied she could see Neo once more sucking on her own finger, the one that had been in her own mouth. Along with that she could hear footsteps quickly echoing back up the stairwell. Her cover was finally blown, but she had won. She didn't break in the middle of it.
But now she just wanted to see what Neo looked like with a bruised and bloody face. She stood back up to her feet and attempted to rush her with a charge, kicking off the floor with her right leg and using Celica to launch herself with increased momentum at her target. Neo simply rolled herself over the counter, avoiding the attack and landing on her feet on the other side as Yang crashed into the wall, creating a hole in it to the room next door. The footsteps outside were rushing down the hall, as much as she wanted to rip Neo apart she had to leave. Upon her wrist Ember reloaded before being thrust forward, a missile firing towards Neo who side-stepped the attack once again. The rocket hit the boarded window behind her but destroyed a larger chunk of the wall entirely. A hole to the outside had been created, the rain still hammering down.
Yang kicked off the wall behind her with Celica as the door slammed open, Junior appearing with weapon in hand. As she launched herself at the opening Neo intervened, slamming a kick against her lower half and causing her to flip forward and slam into the ground in front of the escape she had made. She was close enough though and crawled towards it, pushing herself out into the open. She didn't care how big the drop was, she'd find a way to survive. As she started to fall she was abruptly stopped, looking up she saw Neo who had caught her left ankle, she looked furious at the fact Yang had just attempted to deprive her of her fun.
She wasn't going to let her have her way. With her right leg she used Celica to launch a blast up towards Neo who had no choice but to drop her in order to continue her streak of not being hit by an attack. Yang started to fall, the vision of the pavement growing closer and closer. The sound of a gunshot and an object moving swiftly into view, a black ribbon trailing in its path. She knew this object.
Gambol Shroud.