Chapter 20
Separated by a pane of a glass with white walls on either side of her. Yang was sat upon an uncomfortable chair as she looked through the glass to see her father, Taiyang, on the other side. He rested his elbow upon the small shelf-like table in front of him as he leaned his face upon his hand. Taiyang didn't seem too worse for wear, in fact he looked just fine as if being in prison hadn't effected him at all. Yang frowned as she spoke, "Are you alright?" she asked.
Taiyang breathed a laugh through his nose, "Don't tell me you've been worried, buttercup" he replied as he smirked lazily at her.
"You know where you are right?" continued Yang as she leaned back in her chair. Her father's voice was distorted as it came through the speakers.
"And you know what I am, right?" retorted Taiyang. "Anyone who tried to start something with me in here have learned not to. I'm a hunter Yang, and these guys? They're just crooks" he continued on as he idly glanced from side to side.
Yang sighed, "Well sorry for being concerned I guess" she answered.
Her father shook his head as he leaned forward towards the window. "Don't be like that. I'm fine as rain in here, I'm more worried about you though" he replied with a worried expression.
"I'm doing okay" nodded Yang, "I've got Blake and Winter with me, so if you're worried about me being safe, you don't have to" she answered.
Some part of Taiyang seemed to frown at her words, no doubt he felt his fatherly duties were being taken from him. "Are you eating well?" he asked, attempting to gain some of those duties back in a sense.
Yang half-smiled, "Eating well. Sleeping well. Keeping healthy. I'm not a kid any more dad" she said.
Taiyang nodded slowly as his eyes glanced down, "Yeah, sometimes I need to remind myself" he admitted. "You stopped being a kid a long time ago, long enough that you shouldn't have had to stop being one at that age. Got myself to thank for that" he added.
"Not gonna start beating yourself up in front of me again are you? Thought we got through that phase" said Yang in a light-hearted fashion as she attempted to cheer her father up.
To that Taiyang smiled, "We did" he agreed before his blue eyes peered back up to his daughter. "So what are you doing now?" he asked.
She thought about not telling him, to save him the worry. But this was her father, she had lied to him enough about matters of importance. Maybe if she told the truth she could convince him not to chase her after he is released. "I'm ah... Going to Atlas" she nodded.
"Atlas?" asked Taiyang with a confused look. "Why?"
"To find my friend Weiss. Blake and Winter are coming with me, and Winter's a full fledged huntress, I'll be fine" answered Yang.
"So am I, I know you've never seen me fight properly but I'm strong Yang. If you need help to find your friend then I'm going to come with you" answered Taiyang in a confidant manner.
Yang shook her head, her blonde hair swaying. "Dad, if you wanna help... find Ruby" she answered. To this Taiyang paused. "I haven't been able to reach her since she left, and I know Uncle Qrow went after her but... I'm sure wherever she is she needs more help than I do"
"Ruby..." sighed Taiyang thoughtfully as his eyes drifted away. "You're positive you'll be okay?" he asked once more as he looked to Yang through the glass.
"More than positive" answered Yang reassuringly with a bright smile.
That smile alone was enough to convince her father who smiled back as he softly chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah, you will be. Alright" he nodded with a deep breath. "When I get out I'll find Ruby. Then I'm coming straight for you. One day I'm going to do what I should have done that night you both left searching for your mother" he said. Yang knew what he referred to, the time when she took Ruby with her in a child's attempt to find her mother Raven. Back then Qrow had rescued them while Taiyang mourned the loss of Ruby's biological mother. "One day... I'll save you. Both of you" stated Taiyang with a determined stare.
Yang curled her hand into a fist as she placed it upon the pane of glass in front of her. In return her father did the same. From either side of the glass their fists touched. "I'll be waiting" answered Yang. The two lowered their hands. "I'll see you around dad, I love you" said the blonde, maintaining her smile.
"Love you too buttercup. Stay safe" replied Taiyang as he continued to smile back. With that he stood up from his chair as he made to leave her view, but before he vanished completely he kept smiling at his daughter. Yang had no idea when she'd next see her father and so she savoured those last seconds of seeing his face before he was removed from her view. She sat in her chair almost at a loss afterwards.
She pulled in a deep breath and exhaled. After a few seconds a figure walked back into view behind the pane of glass, sitting down upon the chair. "Hey Blondie, what's with the face?" came Junior's voice as he grinned at her.
Yang glanced up at the man, "Hey Junior, it's nothing. Here" she stated before lifting up an umbrella from behind her side of the table, more precisely it was Neo's umbrella.
Junior leaned back in his chair in surprise, "Woah... Didn't know you had it in you" he replied as his eyes looked upon the weapon. "So she's..?"
"Dealt with, yeah" answered Yang.
For a while Junior looked thoughtful before his eyes returned to Yang, "You done me a good thing here Blondie... Anything your daddy needs I'll be sure to get for him. You got my word, so long as I'm still in here anyway" said Junior.
Yang raised a brow at the man, "Really?" she asked in surprise.
"Yeah, really. I honestly didn't think you could be a match for her. I thought she'd be the death of me. So in a way you saved my ass, and Junior always settles the score" smirked the man. "So anything else you need?" he asked.
With a shake of her head she stood up from her chair, "No, that's all. I'm leaving Vale for a while so... Thanks Junior" spoke Yang.
"Any time Blondie. Stop by for a drink when I'm out of here okay?" responded Junior as he gave a single wave of his hand.
"I'll remember that" smirked Yang as she nodded once back at the man before turning and making her way for the exit, umbrella in hand.
Outside of the prison the sun was high in the sky and the clouds were nowhere to be seen. The heat came down upon her as she made her way towards the street, the light shining off her brilliant golden hair as she walked. Before her was a silver car, it was of sleek design with four doors and blacked out windows. In front of the car stood Winter, and by her side Neo and Blake. Yang had arrived to the prison on foot, so seeing the car came as some surprise to her as her eyes scanned it over multiple times.
As she reached the three she held out the umbrella back to Neo who took it with a smile. Yang looked to Winter who spoke. "Anything else you need to do before we leave?" she asked.
Yang shook her head, everything and everyone that mattered to her in Vale had been addressed, the quiet city no longer had anything to offer her. "How long do you think it'll take?" she asked, looking to the car.
"That depends entirely on how the trip goes" replied Winter vaguely as she turned to open the door of her Atlesian car.
"Wait, I call shotgun" announced Yang as she tried to make her way around the front of the car. Before she could though, Winter had turned around.
"That seat is reserved" she stated.
"What? By who?" asked Yang in confusion as she looked back to Blake and Neo.
The Faunus shyly began making her way to the front passenger seat of the car. "When the road gets dark it will be beneficial to have her eyes should we find ourselves without street lights" answered Winter as Blake entered the front passenger seat.
Yang turned her attention to Neo. "Does that mean I have to sit in the back with... her?" she asked, glancing back at Winter who nodded once in return before entering the driver's seat of the car. Yang could already feel Neo grinning at her as she grit her teeth, opening the back door of the vehicle and entering. Neo followed behind her, closing the door as she sat down.
The inside of the car was mostly black. The seats were leather but due to the sleek design of the vehicle the inside felt rather cramped. The front section of the interior had various lights upon its interface, the car was clearly expensive and she expected nothing less from Winter. "Does anyone need anything else before we start? Nothing big, the boot is full enough as it is" asked Winter to which everyone shook their head. "In that case..." continued the woman as the vehicle sprung to life, like her bike it was eerily silent and barely made a sound from its engine.
"What about seat belts?" asked Yang.
Winter looked back over her shoulder at her with a stare, "My skill in driving extends to cars too" she answered.
"You're gonna drive us into an Ursa then?" replied Yang with a smirk. She could hear Blake chuckle quietly in front of her.
The woman's icy blue eyes narrowed, "There should not be any Ursa on the route we will take" she answered, not denying the idea. Yang felt nervous all of a sudden. Looking ahead Winter pushed her boot down as the vehicle began to accelerate. Glancing out the window Yang could see the buildings passing by. The streets of Vale were still empty, the roads vacant of any other car. The city was still dead. They passed some of the buildings Yang had been to since her stay here. The rooftop diner, the abandoned complex, the warehouse, the coffee diner near the shore, Junior's club, her soon-to-be abandoned apartment.
Blake looked over to Winter, "So how are we getting to Atlas?" she asked.
"By sea" replied Winter, "There is a port in the north that frequently takes shipments of dust from Atlas, my father will have an eye on those transports. We will be attempting to gain passage upon one of the other vessels, so any ship without the S.D.C logo. From there we will arrive in Atlas and promptly start making our way to my home" she answered.
"So we're not flying?" asked Yang as she looked to Winter.
The woman kept her eyes on the road as she responded, turning a corner. "No. My father will expect me to return to Atlas as soon as I can, his eyes will be on airships as well. It is difficult for me to travel without being noticed, I do not exactly blend into the masses" she replied.
Blake's golden gaze looked ahead to the road, "Any idea where we'll be staying? It'll take a few days right?" she asked.
"That is correct. We will be staying where we find accommodation. However, the road we plan to take lacks... civilization at some parts. We may go two days without seeing any buildings, or anyone else for that matter. Perhaps longer than that. In such cases we have tents we can set up, of which we have three. If the weather proves too extreme we will simply sleep in the car" answered Winter once again, halting the vehicle at an intersection. Despite there being no other car around she waited for the lights to turn green before accelerating and turning the next corner.
The vehicle was now travelling upon a road that lifted up and out of Vale. Out of the right window Blake and Yang stared as they saw Beacon in the distance. Still broken, still darkened. The creature frozen upon its pinnacle. It was a reminder of times lost for them. Yang frowned as she watched the tower as it grew further away while they started to leave the city itself. Blake's hand came into her view and turning forward she could see her smiling back at her from the front seat. Yang smiled in return and took her hand into her own, squeezing it gently. It was a difficult thing for the both of them to see as they turned back to watch the tower again. Maybe when they returned things would be different in Vale. Maybe things would be more... normal.
Yang let go of Blake's hand as the Faunus sat properly again into her seat. Looking back to Winter Yang asked, "So why just three tents?"
Winter changed gear as she responded, "Blake suggested it would be adequate. As a result we had more room for supplies" she answered.
The blonde couldn't help but smirk at the fact it was Blake that had suggested it. In the corner of her eye she caught Neo somewhat... shifting towards her. She had halted as Yang looked upon her directly and the smaller woman simply glanced forward as if nothing had happened. Her lilac eyes lingered upon her for a pause of uncertainty before looking out the window on her right. The forest she could see was red, they had entered the forever fall, a forest on the borders of the city of Vale.
In the front passenger seat Blake's eyes looked to the forest with a tint of sorrow. She had been here before after all, before she joined Beacon. Her head leaned against the glass of the window as her golden gaze turned forward again. The road ahead was empty and seemed to continue on into the forest for miles. It was straight and she could see that the red leaves of the forest littered the concrete road. The silver car pulled the leaves from the ground as it passed, creating a small trail of red in its wake. They looked like petals as they gently fell back to the ground to cover their tracks.
Beams of light from the sun shined down through the gaps they could find in the foliage above. They flickered in and from existence as the wind disturbed the branches. The silence of the car left only the sound of the leaves rustling by and the wind blowing through the forest. With a tap of her finger against one of the many buttons upon the interface Winter opened the sky roof to allow more light into the vehicle. With the top of the car now open the sounds of the forest became clearer, they could even hear the engine now, though it was still quiet.
Yang's head darted back as she believed Neo had shifted closer to her once more, the small woman was now sat besides her, almost brushing shoulders. She kept her eyes on her as she narrowed them, but Neo kept looking forward. Blake glanced back and upon spotting that Neo had gotten closer to her girlfriend her expression soured. She tried to give the woman a warning glare but she didn't seem to notice it as she simply continued to stare ahead.
"Food and drink are in the boot Yang, you can reach it from where you are if you or anybody else is hungry or thirsty" reminded Winter as she kept her right hand upon the steering wheel, resting her head upon her left hand as her elbow leaned against the small shelf of the window.
Yang looked over her shoulder, she found she could lift up the back panel to reveal the contents of the boot. "I'll have something to drink" came Blake's voice.
"Uhh... they in this ice box?" asked Yang as she unclipped a blue and white box, as she opened it she could feel a cold breeze brush up her arm. Inside were an assortment of chilled cans. "Orange soda, Blake?" she asked in return as she reached for the can.
"Lemon" came Blake's voice as the Faunus reached out an arm in preparation, she could see Neo glare at her for the briefest of moments.
With a sour expression Yang picked up a can of lemon soda, holding it back to Blake. "Lemon? Really?" she asked as Blake took it from her hands, the sound of opening the can following shortly after.
"What's wrong with lemon?" came Blake's voice.
Yang shook her head to herself, "Winter?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder to the driver of the vehicle.
"I am fine for the time being" she answered.
The blonde turned her attention to Neo. She bit the inside of her cheek before sighing softly to herself, "Neo, want anything?" she asked. Neopolitan looked up to Yang and grinned as she nodded. For a while Yang simply watched her before realising she wasn't going to get an answer. "Uh... What do you want?" asked Yang. To answer this Neo shrugged, seemingly letting Yang decide for her. The blonde turned back to the ice box and pulled out a can of appropriate cream soda. She held it out to Neo who gratefully accepted it with a wink and a smile. Yang rolled her eyes at her before grabbing herself a can of orange soda. Closing the ice box with the can she turned and sat back down in her seat, opening the can with her teeth and taking a long gulp. When she had sat back down she was sure Neo had moved even closer, their shoulders were now pressing against one another. Something Yang didn't particular approve of.
The silver car kept up its pace as it continued on along the road of crimson fallen leaves.