Captaindrake123: What's this!? An update!? So soon!? Lol, here's an interlude chapter for you all.
Let's take a look at how Drake has affected the world around him, shall we?
Interlude: The World Around Him.
Olive stared at the news on the screen in front of her, rubbing her eyes for a moment…
"Nope, still there" She muttered to herself.
"Watching the news?"
The green-haired girl turned her head to see the older green-haired woman in a brown apron carrying dishes to the kitchen sink, she sighed in irritation "Auntie Laurel, those are my dishes, I can handle those-"
"Nah-uh" She simply wagged her finger after putting the dishes away "You have work soon, you have to get ready"
Olive huffed for a moment, before sighing "Thank you…" She said quietly, her tone clearly grateful.
"This is nothing" The older woman smiled, glancing back at the screen "So what are you watching? You're usually never interested in the news…"
"Eh…apparently there's a vigilante or something" Olive watched and read the news carefully, Lisa Lavender's face filling the screen, showing various images.
"In Vale city?" The woman in the kitchen asked "...I mean, that's happened a few times I suppose-"
"No, no auntie…" Olive interrupted her, calling out to her from the living room as she got into her work attire "It says there's one in Patch…and apparently the guy was fighting the White Fang"
A sharp sound echoed throughout the room suddenly, clattering and clinking of glass.
Olive's head snapped up, throwing aside her hat and rushing to the kitchen "Auntie!?" She poked her head through, seeing her aunt standing by the sink…a shattered plate on the floor beneath her "Auntie? Are you okay!?"
As her nephew looked over her, the older woman nodded, her blue eyes relaxing, and her hands (that were shaking) started to become still "I'm sorry sweetie…didn't expect to hear that" She shook her head "White Fang? What are those criminals doing in Patch of all places?"
Olive took a moment to let her eyes roam her aunt again, seeing the startled state she was in "...I dunno, but…it was probably just an isolated thing, and it was stopped anyway" She tried to reassure, grabbing her shoulders "It's okay…we're safe" She soothed.
"I know that…" The older woman looked at her nephew with a slight stink-eye "I was just startled, nothing ever really happens here…I'm okay Olive"
Olive pursed her lips, nodding her head mutely, well aware why this topic was distressing to her, and decided to let it be "... alright then, I gotta get going anyway…but I doubt we'll get much business after that whole thing, so I'll probably come home early"
The older woman nodded, already picking up a broom "Ah, make sure to call first then, after all me and your uncle tend to have a little 'us' time while you're gone…"
"Auntie!" Olive shouted with a red face as she shoved her laughing aunt, a scrunched-up face of disgust "Gross! I don't wanna hear that!"
"Oh grow up~!" Laurel sang as she dumped the swept-up remains of the plate into the garbage, sending a Cheshire grin toward her only nephew "You'll understand one day…speaking of which, you said there was a new boy at your workplace-?"
"Oh, would you look at the time!" Olive suddenly shouted, looking at her wrist like it had an invisible watch "I really am gonna be late, better go right now!" She made a complete one-eighty, grabbing her hat off the table, and walking to the door.
But then stopped right as she touched the door handle, turning her head to look over at her aunt again "...everything is gonna be okay auntie, I'm a huntress-in training after all" She spoke to her, a small smile of confidence adorned her face "I can easily take down a couple of thugs"
"...I'd rather you didn't run into them at all" The older woman quietly stated from the kitchen, before raising her voice "I appreciate it Olive, I'll be fine, you just stay safe"
Olive paused for a moment before nodding, exiting the door, and shutting it behind her.
Before she moved anymore however, she pulled out her scroll and texted to her uncle...
Olive: Auntie is a little on edge from the news, please help her relax
She didn't have to wait long for a response.
Uncle: I saw the news, I'll be sure to watch over her, don't worry.
Nodding to herself in satisfaction, she started running to make it to work in time, letting her mind wander as she did.
She knew that her aunt had a bit of a past with the White Fang before, sometime before they went violent, helping out in the peaceful protests and such…until she didn't.
'Never did get the full story on that' Olive hummed as she ran, her aura enhancing her body and pushing her to higher speeds 'All I know is something bad happened…really hope this is a one-time thing'
As much as the idea of fighting criminals allured her as a huntress-in-training, she does realize that the 'in-training' part is there for a reason and that the police should handle it, and that the distress of their presence alone caused her aunt such a reaction was very upsetting, she'd rather it just be an isolated case.
'But if it isn't…can the police even handle it?' She doesn't really watch the news much, but she keeps up enough to know that the White Fang is…weirdly slippery, despite their more public 'acts of revolution'.
'Then again…somebody already handled them' The short videos of the little girl and her family came to the forefront of her mind.
At a purely empathetic level: it made her glad that they were safe, she could…somewhat imagine how she would feel if she were in the same position.
On the other hand…
'This Miracle guy is weird, a 'superhero'?' It sounded kinda ridiculous, something she heard of from her younger classmate Ruby mention once in passing for a comic book in the halls of signal, but she was never really into it herself.
After all, she has powers with aura and everything, superheroes were kinda repetitive when you live in a world full of hunters and huntresses. Not to mention the idea of 'saving everyone', the grimm take lives every day, huntsmen and huntresses fall on the front lines every day, and some retreat and leave people behind, just like her parents-
"He just…he didn't stop"
She slowed her pace as the words of the father came to the forefront of her mind.
"...his aura was broken, and he was still fighting, still winning"
.
.
.
Olive picked up the pace again, thinking again about what she heard '...aura breaking is no joke'
It was drilled in her by her teachers at Signal to keep track of her aura level, and if you couldn't tell intuitively, you find the time to check your scroll for your aura levels.
Because if your aura breaks in the middle of a fight…it's pretty much over for you. The exhaustion becomes too much, your helpless and only maybe you could find the strength to stand and move to get somewhere safe.
It was the tradeoff for superhuman abilities, she supposes, if it were to be suddenly taken away the results weren't pretty.
The grimm feed upon the helpless, there was no better example than when a hunter loses their aura in the middle of a battle. The same could be said for a hunter in the middle of a den of criminals.
'And this guy kept fighting without it, and won' Olive thought as she passed Hollow street, catching a glimpse of the police on the scene '...I dunno about a superhero, but this person is tough, and he seems like a good guy'
Fighting through aura exhaustion to save a family of three? How could she of all people not respect that?
She wished someone like that was there for her back then…and for them.
Olive shook her head 'Past is the past Olive, can't do anything about it now…' She kept her eyes forward.
She wasn't sure about the morality of it all, of a vigilante running around and if it was the right thing to do to take justice into your own hands, but anyone who would fight like hell to save someone else's family was just fine in her book.
But it wasn't something for her to dwell on, life went on after all. She has a job to get to.
"...okay then, definitely wasn't expecting this out of the day" An older blond man with tanned skin watched the news with curious eyes, yet a troubled expression on his face.
The same however could not be said for his youngest daughter.
Glancing at the red-hooded huntress-in-training, Taiyang saw the stars that began to sparkle in Ruby Rose's eyes…only for her expression to turn shocked and frustrated when the screen turned off, courtesy of her father holding the remote.
"Wh-hey! I was watching that!" Ruby shouted from the couch, sending her father a dirty look.
"...shouldn't you be getting ready for school Rubes?" Taiyang crossed his arms, staring at her firmly.
"I-I was getting ready!" Ruby exclaimed, "I just really wanted to watch that!"
He simply pointed to her attire, wearing nothing more than a pair of polka-dot sweat pants and a black sleeveless shirt with a heart on it "...in your pajamas?" He asked.
The young teenager grumbled "...I'll get ready" Picking herself up off the couch, she zoomed away with her semblance in a fleet of rose petals.
"No semblances in the house Ruby!" Taiyang shouted in the direction his teenage daughter ran.
"Sorry!" Ruby shouted back from her room before the sound of a door bang echoed throughout the house.
"Jeez…" The blonde shook his head in fond exasperation, glancing back at the television…before hesitantly turning it back on.
As he listened in he couldn't help but think to himself about the situation: the White Fang being on Patch was alarming in more ways than one…
'A vigilante too? What else is there? Is a leviathan on its way here?' He dragged a hand down his face, he'll have to talk to the board at Signal about this, and make sure that the students are safe.
"Whoa, don't see that every day" Taiyang jumped a little at the voice of his oldest daughter walking out of the bathroom, looking at the screen while blow drying her hair with a long extension cord "If stuff like this was on the news more I'd definitely watch it more…"
"Aren't you done yet?" Her father questioned her, getting annoyed at the hot air being blown towards him along with the sound of the hairdryer "We're gonna be late at this rate"
"You can't rush perfection dad!" She said, turning it off as she stared at the screen "...so is that what you sent Ruby away for?"
Shutting off the screen, he gives her the stinkeye "You say that like I'm not doing it for you either?"
"Aw, come on! I'm a big girl!" Yang waves it off with an annoyed huff "What's a couple of thugs gonna do?"
"Give you ideas" He rolls his eyes, but a gleam of humor entered them "As well as some fang for your bite"
"...pfft!" Yang giggled for a second, her father smirking as she covered her mouth at the pun "...okay, that was a good one, guess I'll have to hear about it at school, good things come to those who white after all!"
Both father and daughter laugh at that one, only for the other daughter to come down the stairs in her signature black and red outfit with her long-red hood and cape and a combat skirt "Ugh, don't you two ever quit!? There was a heroic story on the news and your just punning away about it!"
Yang went to make another pun at that "Yeah, how abo-wait, heroic?" She stopped short for a moment, clearly missing something "I thought the White Fang was busted by the cops or something?"
"That's pretty heroic itsel-" Her father stated, only for him to be interrupted by a black and red blur coming beside him "Nope! The family of the bakery shop was apparently held hostage, and a mysteriouuuuss savior came to their rescue!" She moved her hands around her for emphasis, turning around and sticking up her chest "A heroic spirit, going up against all odds! Saving them in the nick of time-"
"We're out of time ourselves" Tai pulled her out of her reverie by the back of her cape, causing her to yelp "C'mon, get in the car girls!"
"Yes dad…~" Both sisters said in a drawled-out deadpan voice, both making their way towards the front door of the house…
His youngest muttered to herself, just on the edge of his hearing he could make out a bit of what she was saying "Can't wait to tell-..." Ruby suddenly stopped, glancing at her sister "...the girls, yeah, they'll listen" She said the last part a little stiffly.
Yang looked back at her, opened her mouth, looking frustrated for a moment…before shutting it and moving on.
Both were awkwardly silent as they made their way and went out the front door, passing by the sleeping corgi in the dog bed.
Taiyang watched them both for a moment, noticing the strange tension between the two now that they were just walking together as he got his keys.
'Something is definitely going on there…but I'm sure they'll figure it out' It's not like he hadn't noticed anything at all, he knew that Ruby was acting a little strange and going out a little more often, and that Yang was clearly frustrated with something over it, but he trusted that when Ruby was ready that she'll tell them what's going on.
'Besides…she seems…happier' He thought to himself. It's not like she wasn't happy before, but nowadays it seems like she's always excited to go out more 'Whatever it is, I think she can handle herself…for now'
Gotta let his teenage daughter have her space, but not too much! Just like the parenting book said…
"I got a little bigger fang to deal with at the moment anyway…" He smirked at his pun, considering the situation with the fang wasn't exactly pretty, but it wasn't something to get too alarmed about yet.
'A vigilante though might be a bigger one…he did save that family, but on the off-chance this is some kid from Signal that got impatient and decided to go off on their own…' It's not the first time something like that happened, but in this case it would be a hell of a lot more concerning considering the rogue sections of the White Fang were a lot more dangerous than some common thugs.
"Gonna have to ask around about that…maybe call Teal and ask for more info, make sure this really was just a one-time thing" He glanced at his scroll, going through the contacts…
He stopped at the name of his brother-in-law, wondering if he should even bother trying to call him "...he's probably still on a mission" He sighed and foregone the idea, grabbing his keys off the table and heading out "I'll just deal with it as it comes"
While it would be nice to have the dusty old crow around to help, especially having him visit the girls (as much as the man frustrates him with his alcohol problem), having his old teammate help figure this out would create fewer headaches than he would cause…but he also understands that he's got other priorities to handle first.
He's gotten used to his brother-in-law disappearing for months on end without contact, helping the world in the shadows of a certain headmaster's tower.
Even if he hates how much it takes his friend away, it always seems like everyone in his life has to leave. Even Yang is planning on going to Beacon in the next few months-
'Relax Tai, everything is fine' He told himself suddenly, taking a deep breath, he knew it wasn't like that. He's proud of his little dragon, and he'll be proud of his little rose too once she gets into Beacon.
"But right now I have a class to teach! Better get ready the white-board for my fangtastic lecture! When your friends hear it they'll learn so good it'll seem like a Miracle!" He shouts out to the car as he went out the door, hearing the muffled sounds of his oldest daughter laughing and his youngest groaning.
'Heh, still got it!'
Qrow Branwen was a lot of things: strong, handsome, handsome, dastardly…
He could go on and on.
But one of the things he didn't appreciate about his lifestyle and traits was his absence in his family's life-well, in a way…he did and didn't.
Because while he was an excellent huntsman…he was a very unlucky one.
His name was Qrow for a reason after all…although he's not sure where the 'Q' came from.
Case in point, he is currently staring at the broken engine of his designated bullhead flight at the airport.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me…" He grumbles to himself, of all the times his semblance had to activate, it picked now?
'Knew I should've just said 'fuck it' and flew' Qrow dragged his hand down his face as the intercom rang off.
"Attention flight attendants for bullhead number four-seven-nine, we are currently experiencing technical difficulties-" He tuned out the rest of the chatter, taking out his favorite cantine off his belt and going for a swig.
It's not like he even needs a bullhead, but it's better for him to sometimes appear on the flights to help misdirect anyone as to his movements; eye-witness accounts also help with deniability of his presence in another location that can't be reached in a realistic timeframe without a bullhead.
Take a flight to one location, then fly yourself to your real destination for the mission, and then fly back after said mission is complete. No one would guess the guy who was in location A when he was shown clearly to be in location B, no matter how much the evidence in location points to said guy, said guy couldn't have possibly been there without a teleportation semblance.
And there's no way his sister would help him out of the kindness of her heart.
Total deniability achieved.
'But it sure is a pain in the ass sometimes…' Qrow rubbed his nose as he sat down on a nearby bench, looking over to see some kids running by, meeting some family members that were coming to visit from what he could hear '...although, this does give me the chance to rethink my plans'
He very well could visit Tai and his nieces if he turned around now, he was on the edge of Vale, and it would take him maybe a little over a week to cover his tracks and come visit them for a little while…
'...but the mission comes first' He thinks to himself, casting aside the guilt in his gut for a moment 'The fall maiden is around Mistral somewhere, I have to get her to Ozpin'
Before he could even consider the list of possible locations to search first, his scroll started going off, making him ground his teeth a little in annoyance, looking at the caller ID and reading it: 'Miss Stick up her butt'.
"This better be good" He was not in the mood to talk to Goodwitch, as fun as it is to rile her up at times, he was a little busy. But he gets so few chances to call without arousing suspicion in the field, and Ozpin wouldn't risk his cover (likely planned the call at a perfect time), so he might as well.
Pressing the answer button, he brings it up to his ear "Whaddya got for me witchy? A booty call?"
"Cease your drunk babbling immediately and be professional for once in your life" Was the immediate response of the stern teacher on the other end of the line "This news concerns your brother-in-law and your nieces after all"
This immediately shut him up, his eyes widening, his shoulders no longer slouching, he immediately straightened his back and kept full attention to her voice "What? What's going on? Are they alright?" He demanded, earning him some curious looks from a passerby.
"They are quite fine Qrow" A familiar calm and masculine voice entered the line "Sorry for the scare, but there are some things we should speak about that concerns them…"
"At least he takes something seriously…" He scoffed as he heard Glynda mutter on the scroll.
"Don't scare me like that, for a second I thought you were gonna say Tai died…" He groaned as he gave the stink-eye to one person who was getting a little too curious looking at him, causing the man to look away.
"Nothing so tragic, although a tragedy did almost occur near where they live" Ozpin started explaining "I assume you haven't been watching in on the Vale News Network?"
Glancing at a nearby screen with a commercial from SDC on, some weird new product he doesn't have the patience to figure out, he shrugged "Of course not, it's mostly flowery crap being put out, no one wants to know about how bad the real world is so it's not reliable anyway"
"What type of agent doesn't keep up with the world events…" Goodwitch complains, and a suffering sigh reached his ears.
"The type that knows that they won't show what really happens" Qrow snipes back, feeling the buzz hit him, making him lose what little patience he has "Speed it up, what's going on with my nieces?"
"Nothing" Ozpin responds, and then pauses cryptically (Qrow hates it when he does that) before the headmaster continues "Patch however has recently held a visit of a White Fang cell hiding away in a bakery shop, holding a family of three as hostages, all while going completely unnoticed"
Qrow blinked in shock, setting down the cantine he held in his free hand from his lips "...you serious?"
"Yes"
"...on Patch?" He shakes his head "What the hell would they be doing on Patch of all places?"
"Unknown" Glynda re-enters the conversation again "From what we can gather, they hid by using construction uniforms, pretending to do renovations by taking advantage of the water tower falling previously to solidify the cover story-"
"Wait-the water tower fell? On…what was it…Hollow street?" He barely remembered the street name "How did that happen?"
"Unknown, but the White Fang were involved in it…one of their higher ranked members were crushed under it" Glynda reported succinctly "But back to the point, the White Fang cell was using the family's bakery shop, called 'CastleTreats" as a hideout for their operations, having the family call various people while under threat to help alleviate suspicion on their activities; such as schools, work, and various other acquaintances who would notice their absence"
Qrow took in all of that information, staring at the family with the kids from earlier, walking out of the airport "...I visited that shop on my last trip back to Patch…I bought Ruby and Yang some sweets for a small gift" He pauses "Think I remember the kid's name…Lem…Lem something…"
"Lemona" Ozpin stated.
"Yeah, that" He sighed "What happened to them?" Qrow braced for the worst.
"The family is shaken, but alive and well and in police protection," Glynda said, her voice noticeably gentler, before switching back to normal "They were saved"
Qrow let out a relieved sigh, his shoulder sagging "Freaking Oum…if that were to happen right next to Tai and the kids…" He shook his head, focusing again "Why are you calling me about it though? I assume you're not just keeping me up to date on the well-being of my family's home"
"No, I would ask that you were to go visit your nieces" Ozpin ordered, surprising Qrow for a moment "While your current mission is important…the queen can wait for a quick visit for family"
Qrow caught the double meaning behind it: check out what's going on, the queen might be on the move.
…as well as a chance to see his family for a little bit.
"This visit is unfortunately on a time limit, I ask that you simply report any strange happenings before you continue your business" Ozpin finished, the scroll call ending there.
Qrow scoffed, realizing that the decision to visit was made for him, and yet didn't feel happy about it whatsoever.
'...well, maybe a little happy' It'd be nice to see the girls and Tai again.
Looking to read up more on the situation, he checked out Vale's news on his scroll for the first time in a while.
Patch Vigilante on the prowl for Criminals?
Bakery family saved By Mysterious Man in Black!
White Fang Hideout Busted by a Miracle?
A Superhero on Hollow Street!
The New Hero in Town: The Miracle!
"The hell?" He read through the article titles, picking one at random and skimming through it "...a vigilante? HAH!" He laughed, shaking his head with fondness "Ruby's gonna be fangirling, I can already tell…"
His thoughts drift to the Chief of the Patch Police as he scrolls to a picture of him "...and I'm sure Teal's gonna really enjoy this" He finishes sarcastically.
"I am not amused Mauve!" Chief Teal slammed his hands on his desk as Mauve continued to laugh while holding his belly.
"Hehehe…!" The private detective tries to calm his laughter with only some success, he looks down at his scroll in humor "...oh this is too good! Did you see some of the news articles? "
The Chief swiped the scroll out of his hand, reading through the article line by line "...saved without casualties…crusader…makes the police look like fools!?" He seethes out the last bit.
Mauve laughed again as the chief fumed, slapping his hand against the desk "Oh boy, their not wrong either…!"
"Shut it" Teal glared at the private detective as he shoved the man's scroll back to him "We were not fools, every single officer that made it to that scene was ready to perform their duty"
Mauve calmed down for a moment, glancing out of the glass of the office and into the space of the police station, noticing the despondent mood among all of them hanging in the air; the sluggish movements, a few baggy eyes…
The cynical man sighed, staring back at his current boss "...your right, but whoever that 'Miracle'" He air quoted"-guy was, he's way ahead of the curve than the rest of us in this police station"
Teal had a frustrated scrunched-up expression on his face, he made to refute-
"Face it" The detective said sternly, shutting him up for a moment "...this guy, whoever he was, figured out where they were, infiltrated their hideout, rescued a bunch of hostages, and got away scot-free without a trace to his name; in other words, he outsmarted everyone"
Wind leaving his sails, the older police officer's head sagged in his seat for a moment, glancing at the papers in front of him: the forensic's report by Indigo Cole.
Shards of metal, smoke in the air, electrical burns, molten iron through the floorboards…!
"And not a single one turned up with any residual dust usage" He murmured to himself "How the hell is that possible…?"
"It's a mystery alright" Mauve leaned in his chair, looking at the ceiling with intent " not the first time something like that has happened, semblances could make up the difference there…"
"One that causes electrical burns, makes smoke appear out of nowhere, and produces molten iron that can burn through a whole floor and some of the concrete in the basement? All in the span of a sequential series of fights with little time in between?"
"...okay, you got me stumped there" The detective sighed, rubbing at his eyes, wanting to smoke a cigar "...admittedly, I'm not much better off here, the guy is a total blank: no mentions of him whatsoever in any of my contacts, whoever he is, he's new"
Standing up out of his chair, Teal simply read the report as he walked around the room, pacing and letting his thoughts run "The most damning thing of all is the only analysis of dust we actually did find…and it was a simple fire dust vial in a freaking pot of all things!"
"What type?" Mauve asked suddenly, catching his attention.
Staring at him, Teal deliberated saying anything, but saw the gears turning in his head…
"Simple lowly purified fire dust, not even combustion grade, from what we can tell it was used for the boiler to heat up the water...which the Fang seemed to have rigged to explode for when they were gonna leave, but it was clearly dismantled, most likely by the vigilante"
Snapping his fingers, the private eye hummed "...I got…kinda a theory"
"...'kinda a theory'?" The Chief narrowed his eyes at him.
"Just humor me" Sighing, the detective, made a grab for the repot-only for the chief to swipe it away from him, he groaned "Ugh-does it say anything about what else he put in there?"
"...the Gouda family all had similar statements of him pouring in flour and using syrup" The Chief grumbled "Which doesn't explain anything-"
"A flour explosion"
Stopping in his tracks, Teal's eyes stared into the yellow eyes, seeing his mind working.
"A flour explosion?" Teal repeated questioningly.
"Yep" Swinging his arm around quickly, Mauve quickly swiped the paper from the older man's grasp, causing him to gawk in annoyance and surprise "This says there were some intense burn marks that couldn't have been caused by the dust alone, correct? A flour explosion could have"
"...what the hell is a flour explosion?"
Mauve paused for a moment, taking in the question before answering after collecting his thoughts "...when flour gets spread into the air, and there's an ignition source, it ignites"
"...I've never heard of that-"
"You wouldn't have" The private eye sighed, giving him back the paper "The only few times it ever majorly happened were accidents at flour mills, usually killing a good few people along with the explosions"
Narrowing his eyes, Teal thought it over, knowing that the private eye wouldn't explain it in full "...the news covers it up" He stated, looking over at him "And the flour companies go along with it, to save publicity"
"Yuuup" Mauve drawled out, glancing out the window and into the rising morning sun "I got assigned to a case by one of the victim's family a few years ago, they were suspicious of the way their loved one died at the mill they worked at…company said that someone was irresponsible enough to put combustion dust into one of the mills, they didn't buy it"
Looking back at the chief, his eyes were dull and bored…no, not bored…tired.
"I figured out what really happened, it was faulty equipment, likely trying to save money by using cheaper stuff, the flour flew everywhere, in a barely ventilated area, somebody lit a smoke…and…"
"Boom" The chief finished, taking in the new information carefully "...but why does it do that?"
The detective shrugs "I dunno the science behind it, I just know that when it becomes a cloud in the air it can ignite, and when a large and sudden burst of heat and pressure builds up in a closed-off room-"
"It tries to escape, like the combustion dust in a bullet…or a bomb" Chief read over the report again, glad to have figured out at least something about what happened that night "But what about the syrup-wait…no, that's…"
"Yep" Mauve smirked, shaking his head in delight "Sounds kinda ridiculous, doesn't it? A makeshift weapon in the middle of a bakery shop? This guy is either lucky…or he's smart"
"And he'd have to be" Mauve continued, crossing his arms "Since he probably doesn't have an aura to fight with"
.
.
.
Teal's mind clicked at what he was trying to say "No…you don't think-"
"That two higher ranking White Fang officers getting their asses handed to them, and the month isn't even over yet" His hand twitched, most likely to reach for a cigar, but he withheld "...somebody's going on a manhunt for the fang; Banesaw was crushed under a tower, even though he escaped it will take time for him to heal…not to mention Cerise Alyssum, infamous for her brutality, although very elusive and hard to find…is suddenly down an eye and covered in burns"
"Damn it…this is just great" Burying his face in his hands, the older man groaned "...we really wouldn't have known they were here if that vigilante didn't come into the picture, would we?"
His thoughts drifted to the family that was saved; while he never had a wife or any children, he did have a nephew who was ten years old, if his brother and his family were the ones in that situation-
'They are in Vale, their safe' He reminded himself keeping his cool, before moving on and looking back at Mauve "Would you say that the list of people that knows about flour explosions are low?"
"...um, yeah, I suppose it would be" Mauve said, somewhat surprised "Although, I'm not sure if the vigilante is who we should focus on finding…if anything maybe we should get in contact and ask for his hel-"
"Absolutely not" Teal's hand slams into his desk, expression stern and immovable "Vigilantes set a dangerous precedence, we have kids of huntsmen and huntresses on this island, if someone got it into their heads that they could do the same…"
"Not pretty, got it" Mauve let it go…for now. Someone who seemed to have a good read on the fang was too good to pass up completely, but he'll focus on other matters for the time being.
"To think someone without aura could get into these fights…" Mauve nodded at the Chief's words, a little surprised himself. It was almost like something out of a fairytale…normal people could hurt huntsmen, of course, and there was always a freak coincidence or accident that would save an aura-less victim from an aura-wielding-assaulter, strokes of luck and all…
But to have someone do it repeatedly? Under such conditions? That was something else…guess it only went to show that even with an unlocked aura, you're not invincible, your still mortal. Some people forget that.
Although, the brutality of some of the results was not something to scoff at.
"He's probably already planned his next move right after his fight" Mauve stated, chuckling "Who knows what he was thinking last night"
Last night…
Ash sighed, another sleepless night came to him, he pulled back his graying black hair as he walked the halls of his apartment complex, the landlord just looking to get a bit of fresh air-
"...RRRRRRRRmmmmmm….!"
The sudden strangled noise rang out, scaring the landlord and making him jump in the air for a moment "Wha-who did that!? Who's there!?" He lightly shouted, looking around frantically.
.
.
.
There was silence, Ash let his shoulders sag "...your hallucinating things Ashy boy, go back to bed" He muttered to himself, too tired for this and rightfully too freaked out to continue his small walk.
As he made his way back, he thought he heard something again, but it must have been another result of his sleep deprivation or just his mind playing tricks on him.
"Damn…porcupi…!"
There are no porcupines in Patch after all.
"...probably already planning ten steps ahead of us" Mauve finished, getting a strange gut feeling that he was wrong, but ignored it in favor of the dramatics.
Shaking his head, Teal got up while putting away the report, locking up his desk, and starting to head out "I'm gonna have some people look into it, I want you to give them some insight before continuing your investigations on the Fang…hopefully if we can catch this guy we can get some answers, but we still need to keep track of their movements"
"Fair enough, just lead the way" Mauve sighed, already feeling that it was gonna be a long day.
"Oh, and before I forget: you!" The chief pointed at one of the nearby junior officers, who stood at attention "Figure out what the hell a 'German supplexah' is!"
Staring at the floor of her cell, the boss of the White Fang warehouse simply kept her gaze on the grains on the floor, her expression scrunched up, giving her a mean and dangerous look with her already sharp features and now blind right eye.
"I have no right to take away your life"
It only scrunched up further as she remembered his words, the chains attached to her rattling as her shoulders tensed up again. An extremely thick set of steel restraints covered her hands, with the chains attached to the walls kept her in place.
She couldn't help but repeat the scene, over and over, going into every detail…where did she go wrong?
"I don't know…what you went through, or who hurt you"
Why did his words echo in her mind?
Glaring up at the ceiling, she snarled in frustration as she yanked on the chain, annoyed at the numbness of the painkiller in her, her bandaged-up burned back…
She can't help but remember, it was the first fight she had in a long time that pushed her so far, that frustrated her so much…it was…
Exciting.
Infuriating.
Suspenseful.
Confusing.
It was a swirl of emotions, she was no stranger to a good fight, and could appreciate one: this one however was more…something.
She tried to place just what that something was…
Tricks at every turn, yet also a determination that refused to cease. A will that, no matter how many times it was knocked down, got back up and fought.
It both earned her respect…and yet also angered her, much to her own confusion.
But most of all, she couldn't wrap her head around why it felts so different…it was the first time that she felt this way after a fight.
"...but it doesn't give you a monopoly, on pain"
It was the first time that afterward, she was… introspective.
She was excited, confused, sad…and yet curious.
'What did you mean by that?' She wondered, the only thing to do was wonder in this cell.
Someone who would stand against her, outsmart her, and when all else failed, faced her head on…all to defend someone else.
'...when I couldn't' Faces flash across her mind, but quickly cease, buried in her psyche.
She respected him, and wanted vengeance on him…but most of all, she wanted to know more about him.
Who was the person that could say all that? Who could have such a will?
Because it was most certainly no mere human who she fought in that bakery shop; he was definitely no faunus either…
He was something else, she didn't know what, but she wanted to know. She wanted to know what being could have such strength, wit, and will to carry on when everything was against them.
"And mark the words of Cerise Alyssum…" She stated in the third person, her remaining red-eye gleaming with longing, her memories of her past surging through her, yet brushed to the side, unable to accept it, but all her feelings converged on the one person who challenged that dam holding it back.
"...Miracle, huh?" She questioned, scoffing to herself as she rested the chain against the floor "…I'll face you again, and I'll have my answers"
It was a week since she was rescued by the superhero, and she was sent back to school, despite some of the- 'r-r..reserv…reservations'- of her parents. She heard the word a few times over the week, she's not exactly sure of what it means, but she got the idea that it meant they were worried.
But she wanted to go, it was so long since she saw her friends after all. She just wanted things to go back to how they were…
They didn't, everything was a little strange when she went back to school.
People looked at her weirdly, or at least the teachers did, the other kids kinda just stayed away.
The few times that someone did talk to her about it, she apparently drove them off when she tried to talk about the superhero who saved her, sometimes even saying that she was lying…
'I'm not lying, stupid jerks…!' Lemona fumed as she took her seat at the lunch table, angrily munching at her food, and ignoring some of the stares of the kids, and even teachers, around her "It's not my fault your brain's the size of a peanut…" She grumbled to herself about one of her previous girlfriends, not so much friends anymore.
It was pretty hard fitting back in after…everything that happened, she still sometimes gets scared at any loud noises that are made, they remind her of when the big man kept visiting them.
But she was determined, she didn't want to be scared anymore (she was scared enough back then already), she wrote on the piece of paper sprawled out on her table, her missing homework, with great focus as she shoved a spoonful of green pees in her mouth (yuck).
'Miracle was super smart, I have to get smarter…' She thought to herself, already finishing the last question and setting it aside.
Ever since then, after everything that happened, she never wanted to be scared or powerless again, she had a goal in mind now!
Even if everyone else laughed at her when she mentions it, she wanted to be like that symbol of strength she saw that night.
She could still hear some of the whispers even now.
"Yeah, she's lying…"
"Bet she was pretending just to get attention, thinks it makes her cool…"
"Superhero? Their just fake huntsmen"
The first time she heard them she went home and cried into her pillow, her mom comforting her all the while. Now though, she only got mad at times, and in the other moments, she just held back her tears.
The teachers were a little different, they are very nice…but only because they looked at her like she was gonna shatter at the slightest thing going wrong. Like she was fragile.
'I'm not fragile!' She squeezed her pencil in frustration, ripping into the paper of her assignment a little 'I'm gonna be strong! I'm gonna be a-!'
Clang!
A sudden sound assaulted her ears, something hitting the ground, a squeak against the floors and some metal ringing; it sent a shiver crawling up her spine, her back straightening and her grip on the pencil lost, it fell out and rolled off the table.
Everything around her was suddenly too loud, she couldn't make out anything around her…
'Nononono…' She repeated over and over in her head, grasping the sides of it and hiding her face.
The pained screams of her papa and the terrified cries of her mother echoed in her mind.
'Calm down…calm down…breathe…like mama taught you' She thought as she took in large breaths in her nose and out her mouth, counting backward from ten and then forward.
After a few moments of this, her senses cleared up more as the panic began to leave as quickly as it came, at least enough for her to hear what was going on.
"-eave us alone jerks!" A shout from a girl sounded off, and Lemona turned her head hesitantly towards it.
"Oh…" She let out quietly as she watched from the side, the sight was familiar to her.
That black-haired boy with blue eyes, Jett, and the other girl that hung around him all the time with short red hair was hovering over him as he lay on the ground, near some lockers just outside the lunchroom.
Older kids, three of them were hovering over him and her, they were well-known for being jerks and messing with people by pranking and bullying them. They were just a bunch of meanies…
One of the said meanies had an aura, always boasting about being trained by his dad to be a huntsman one day, and there wasn't much anyone could do against him without a teacher around.
Moving her head to look around, she didn't see any of the teachers around anymore…probably gone to eat in their own room.
She hoped to call one of them, these guys were always picking on Jett for his love of comics, making fun of him and shoving him around…she didn't know Jett very well, she barely talked to him, but she hates looking at this.
'He'll be okay…' She thought to herself, trying to look down and ignore it, just like always '...right?'
The anxiety and fear were still there, she could still remember those moments under the bad men's wrath, it froze her in place at her table.
But she couldn't help but look back again, at the black-haired boy on the ground…
His scared eyes met hers, just like the fear in her parents' eyes.
The memories of those nights flooded back for a moment, making her shut her eyes again '...I'm scared…I'm scared…I'm-'
"Your safe"Her eyes shot open as his voice entered her mind, the memory of his protective hold on her, shielding her from danger "I'm a superhero from the stars above, and I gotta make sure those bad guys don't hurt anyone else"
Saving her from the helplessness…the same helplessness she saw Jett in.
.
.
.
Her feet moved without her thinking about it, no, her mind was on the tray on her plate.
The tray was gripped tightly in her hands, she thought it out as she looked over at them 'There's three of them, and I can't hurt the big one with aura…but I can make him messy'
She remembers the moments when her hero tricked the bad guys, outsmarting them, and planning ahead, she needed to do that. Just like how he saved her.
Pulling off the banana peel from her tray, she stuffed it into her pocket, a plan already forming as her feet carried her over to them…
'I can do this…' She reassured herself, her nerves hitting her again, but she didn't stop.
As she got closer, she heard their voices more clearly "-when are you gonna learn to stay out of the way huh? Your comics are stupid!"
"Are NOT!" Jett shouted back, the red-haired girl hiding him behind her as she nervously stared back at them "Give it back!"
"Or what?" The largest of them dangled it over the younger boy "You gonna cry about it-?"
"Excuse me"
Her voice cut in, surprising the other five kids, all of them looking at Lemona as she held her tray, looking up at the older bullies "You're bothering the people eating, can you please stop?"
It was so out of place for all of them that it took a moment for anyone to say anything "...yeah, so what!? What are you gonna do about it?" One of the minions questioned, the one with the snobbish look and the blonde hair.
"It's just annoying" Lemona sighed exaggeratedly "And really stupid, you sound like a bunch of pigs" This shocked him into silence as she pressed on.
"Especially you, going 'oink oink' all day" She pointed to the boss 'Focus on me' she thought as she continued to lay it on him, glancing at the other two victims staring at her in shock "Your so loud and annoying, all lumbering around 'my aura this' and 'my dad that', nobody cares! You don't do anything with it other than push people around with it, your nothing but a big dumb smelly bully!"
.
.
.
A pin drop could be heard from the silence, some passing kids just stared at the scene, waiting for the shoe to drop.
Lemona watched as the bully walked up to her, a head taller than her, staring down at her -she could suddenly feel him lift her up to meet his eyes by the front of her shirt.
It was scary, it reminded her too much of that man, the fear threatened to seize her again…
But she remembered why she was doing this, and she simply stared back; because as scary as this was, it wasn't nearly as terrifying as back then.
Nothing was.
"You think your funny, stupid?" The boy growled at her, giving her a whiff of his breath.
"...take a mint" She muttered as her face scrunched up at the smell 'Just get a little madder…'
"T-Toma, that's the girl who was kidnapped…" One of his other minions whispered to him.
"Shut up!" He shouted back at him, making the boy shut his mouth, and the now-named Toma snarled at her, his ego bruised "What's with you! I'll beat you up!"
"I ain't scared of you…" Lemona shakes her head at him, seemingly almost bored "...I've seen way scarier things than you" She says seriously, glancing back at the other two again, their eyes meeting.
The determination in Lemona's eyes reached them.
'Save the day, save everything' Her eyes caught sight of the comic in his hand 'Everything!'
"Well I-!"
Not willing to hear any more of the bully's rambling, Lemona put her plan into action, raising her tray over her head, remembering how the mysterious savior hit the bad guys with the pan as he fought, mimicking his motions…and slammed it over his head!
"AH!" His aura shimmered, he dropped her in surprise after the tray broke over him, splattering mashed potatoes and spicy chicken all over his face and into his eyes "Ow! It burns! My eyes-!"
"Toma!" His minions cried out.
"Run!" Lemona shouted to them, as she swiped the comic from the larger boy's hand, throwing one part of her broken tray at one of the other minions trying to get her, making him flinch as it bounced off his head, she ran towards the two.
Helping the red-haired girl pick up Jett from the ground, they both ran down the hall "Runrunrunrun…!"" Lemona urged them as she sprinted.
"I'm going-I'M GOING!" Jett screeched as he scrambled to keep up his pace with the other two girls.
"Go faster! He's catching up!" The redhead shouted, Lemona glanced back down the hall behind her to see the big bully running towards her and the others, his eyes squinted from the spicey food still…
"Get back here! I'LL KICK YOUR BUTTS!"
Lemona quickly pulled out the banana peel from her pocket, seeing his vision impaired and focused entirely on her 'Where-there!' she sees the corner, readying herself as they make their way towards it, the bully getting closer and closer until…
"Hah!" She let out as she tossed the peel on the ground in his path, right as he was sticking his arms out to reach her and they turned the corner-
"Wh-" He stepped on it, his foot suddenly losing its friction and throwing his balance out of whack "AAHHHH!" He screamed as he slid past them and crashed straight in the wall!
Shatter!
"Yes!" Lemona shouted in victory as she saw the scatter of green light particles in the air, happy that her plan worked so well 'I saw that in a cartoon once! It actually worked!'
She was sure he'd be fine, his aura took most of it.
The three continued to run, a glance back would show them that the other two had stopped and stood by Toma, seeing tears in his eyes as he held his lightly scratched-up face.
By the time they stopped running, they were hiding over by the stairwell to the upper floor, panting in exhaustion.
"Hah…hah…" Jett especially seemed to be tired, sitting down and looking at the floor "Whoa…that was…that was…"
"Crazy…" The redhead finished, looking at Lemona panting herself "Why did you…?"
"I mean, that was awesome!" Jett suddenly stated, standing up, excited "You were just mocking him! To his face! And then the tray and then he slammed into the wallitwasawesome-"
"It was pretty cool…" The redhead girl with purple eyes smiled.
Lemona took the time to collect herself…before handing out the crumbled thing of paper in her hand in front of Jett.
"Here" She said quietly, the sudden sight caught him off-guard and made him stop his rambling "I uh…" She hesitated for a moment, nervous "I know you like this stuff, so…I made sure to get it back for you, sorry if it's messy" Her last statement was quieter.
Jett paused, staring at it…he gently took it out of her grasp; it was crumbled, and it had a bit of mashed potato on it…but otherwise it was completely fine.
"...thanks" He said, clearly thankful, looking at her with gratitude and confusion "But…why did you…who are you?"
Lemona blinked at him, glancing at the red-haired girl beside him, who clearly had the same question on her mind.
"Isn't it obvious? Your the one who always talks about it" Lemona stated simply, with a smile of pride, looking back at what she just did, at the two people in front of her.
'I rescued them, I won!' Her smile blossomed on her face, confidence surging in her eight-year-old body 'I beat a guy with aura!'
Her goal, the path to it, was that much clearer. Becoming that symbol of strength she saw that night.
So when they still stared at her, confused and not knowing what answer, she decided to make her debut, just like in everything she researched about the topic during the week after she was rescued.
Putting her hands out on her hips, and puffing out her chest, she announced herself.
"I'm Lemona! A superheroine in training!"
.
.
.
"Why are you posing?" The redhead deadpanned.
"Don't ruin the moment!"
Throughout the Kingdoms, the world simply turned: some were affected by his actions, others indifferent to it.
For the people whose lives he had influenced; both directly and indirectly, they were changed, some for better and some for worse; some appreciated it, others scorned it…
But life goes on; time doesn't stop for one person. And although the foreigner's actions caused some ripples around the world, it would ultimately just be another day in the world of Remnant.
And yet, his story is not over, who knows what other moments in time his actions will change, intentional or not.
There is nothing to do but to keep moving forward, to see what happens.
Captaindrake123: Aaaaand done! Wow, this took longer than I thought it would, but definitely faster than last time! This interlude chapter was supposed to be shorter but I kinda let it get away from me…oh well!
And where did the sudden influx of favorites and followers come from!? Man, I'm surprised so many people like this story, but it definitely flatters me. I appreciate all the compliments in the reviews and the PMs over the last chapter and the story in general, I hope to be able to keep getting more chapters out. Chapter 10 is already being worked on now.
Anyway, one last thing before I go (no, not an omake, sorry I'm really tired), I wanted to talk to the guest guy in the reviews "Fake name taken" to respond to him, so if you reading this…please log in so we can have a fun talk about this! That's the sorta stuff I'd like to pm about and discuss!
But to elaborate on something he mentioned, the name 'Drake' being technically a color name, is only if your REALLY pushing the technical scale of things with the color name rule and you squint, but in practice just doesn't work.
The definition of Drake has multiple meanings: one is that of a 'male duck', which while it refers to a duck, it is SPECIFICALLY only about male ducks (which have multiple colors on them), it doesn't refer to anything about their feathers or anything of the sort either, and the word duck is never typically used for describing a color…and neither is 'Drake'.
It has to be one of three things for the rule: Be a color, sound like a color, mean a color. Drake itself is not a color, it doesn't sound like a color either, and it only kinda means a color if you think about the color of ducks, but it's referring specifically to gender…for males of the species, which have multiple colors on them…but also lose said colors when they shed their feathers after mating.
So yeah, it just doesn't really work well, the 'spirit' of it isn't there; Drake was clearly never intended to be named as a color, which makes it a bit of an odd name for the people of Remnant.
…actually, I think Drake is a bit of a rare name normally too. Even the rapper Drake isn't actually named Drake. Fun fact for the day.
There is also the other definition: the old english word for 'draca' or dragon, which Drake is derived from (it's where the word 'drakling' comes from for young dragons). And the history of dragons, while usually presented as colorful beasts, it's more random what color they're portrayed in for their specific element (fire, water, earth, etc.). In other words, the color itself is not portrayed, the color portrays an element.
Don't even get me started on 'Joseph', his last name.
Anyway, that's enough out of me, hope you enjoyed the interlude, world-building is always fun I think.