RABBIT HOLE
Grandma used to say that the only way to keep a secret between two people is when one of them is dead. I'm starting to realize why. It's hard enough to keep the mountain full of skeletons hidden in my closet, but to keep a secret that's not yours to share is even more taxing.
A part of me would rather fight Polendina and Ruby again than keep all my secrets.
I know Yang is upset, and that I can never truly satisfy her frustrations and her curiosity for the simple fact that what Pyrrha feels about Jaune is a secret that's not mine to give away. Nothing short of the truth will fix her train of thought about the relationship I have with Pyrrha, and anything less will simply worsen the situation. I feel uneasy. I know Yang needs time to process this but the anxiety I feel fills my whole body to the point where I feel like I'm about to explode.
"This won't fix this..." I say to myself, as I reach my hand on the doorknob. "But I have to try."
I felt afraid of the fact that if I let this sit, Yang will form a twisted impression of me that I cannot change, and that is something I have to avoid at all cost. I wrapped my hand tightly on the doorknob and braced myself, as hundreds of possible scenarios sped through my mind, each worse than the other, but before I could turn the handle, a familiar voice broke what little courage I could muster.
"So this is what you look like without the mask."
They're a couple of hours early.
"Ezra."
Right then at that moment, I knew who that voice belonged to. I quickly compose myself to face the problem that suddenly decide to show itself at the worst possible time. I turned around, hoping that whatever anxiety and worry I had on face was completely flushed out.
"Yeah. That's what they call me. You guys must be the students from Mistral."
In front me was Cinder, wearing a makeshift uniform of Mistralian decent. Beside her was a tan woman with green hair cut into a bob and a slender young man with gray hair, who seems to have no issues showcasing his confidence in front of me. Though to be quite honest, it reeks more of arrogance than confidence. These are who I assume are Cinder's close associates: Emerald Sustray and Mercury Black. That part wasn't hard to figure out, but that isn't really the issue at hand...
"You're early."
I made no attempts to hide the annoyance in my voice. I had no qualms complaining this time around as I do have a legitimate excuse. Their early arrival throws our schedule out of sorts, the kind of infiltration they paid me for is difficult and finicky. These things need careful handling if I am to keep my cover. I glanced at Yang's room and reluctantly let go of the doorknob. I had hoped that I can clear any stew of misconceptions Yang is boiling in that stubborn head of hers, but she's going to have to keep cooking for one more night.
I yanked my head towards Cinder, waiting for her response, but true to her rebellious soul, I was met with nothing but a smug look and deafening silence - a sentiment that her posse seem to share. It wasn't until we made it to their room that she finally decided to speak.
"What's with the look OWL? I was simply being proactive and decided to arrive early."
A casual response. Too nonchalant for someone like Cinder, which means her arrival could only mean one thing...
"You're testing me aren't you? Again."
Cinder crossed her legs as she gracefully sat down on the bed closest to the wall.
"Nice to know you're as perceptive without the mask as you are with it. Yes. I am testing you and how you're going to react. That, and I have some things I need to discuss with you regarding our... contract."
That last bit had a little bit of oomph in the way she said it, and my gut doesn't like it at all. I'm so close. One more task and I'm finally free. What could she possibly have to bring up now.
"I would like to extend our partnership. Indefinitely. Of course, your payments will continue to flow indefinitely as well."
To say that I was shocked was an understatement. I quickly answered back, hoping that this is a last minute decision that I can still sway to my favor.
"I refuse. If you want another contract, then we discuss it after this current one, otherwise-"
I was cut off by the man named Mercury Black.
"Are you sure you're in a position to answer back, OWL?"
Confused, I turned around to see that not only was Mercury and Emerald surrounding me, but all the doors and windows were already locked.
"Interesting." I calmly responded. "You know full well that I respect your strength, but are you all really confident that you can keep me in here without sustaining any sort of injury?"
Emerald smirked, eager to accept my challenge. She slowly slid her hand towards her weapon, readying herself for a fight. Mist began to gather around my feet, slowly swirling it's way up and engulfing me with it. Before any of the hostilities in the room came to fruition however, Cinder stepped in and tapped me by the shoulder.
"Now, now OWL. We all know how strong you are, and it is unwise admittedly to fight you without a plan prior, but that's no excuse for you to reject my... offer."
I turned around to face her with my teeth gritted and fists clenched, but it was quickly softened by the image of that was flashing on Cinder's scroll.
"I've heard about your extracurricular activities with Neopolitan, and let's just say it would be a real shame if anything happens to your grandparents."
She betrayed me. Neo... I should have known better! Still... Cinder is shrewd, even with Neo's help, to think that Cinder can infiltrate the Nest and figure out the location of my grandparents is terrifying. I had taken it into account, how Neo's semblance worked, I had spies watch her, studied every little bit of her mannerisms, changed our codes by the hour all so that we can ensure Neo's attempt to infiltrate the nest would be nigh impossible. But it was never Neo that we needed to worry about, but Cinder.
The only answer I can think of was that Neo never intended to help me, and she ratted me right away. Cinder saw her opportunity to shift the Nest's gaze somewhere else to leverage me back into her plot. I- we've been played, and this is where I now stand: left with no other choice. I swallowed my pride and acknowledge the situation I'm currently in. I loosened my fist and tilted my head downwards.
"What do you want?"
Amused at my sorry state, Cinder laughed then quickly laid down the details of what she wants from me knowing full well that I am in no position to argue anymore.
"After your infiltration at the night of the dance, I need you to lay low and assist us in the chaos that's going to ensue right after. Simple right? Seeing as all you have to do is sit back and play house with your Beacon friends, then when the time is right, maybe nudge a couple of people here, pick a couple locks there... maybe drink some coffee while you're at it and voila! You're done."
I crossed my arms, simultaneously glancing back and forth between Mercury and Emerald, weary of every movement they make, no matter how casual it is.
"What's that supposed to mean? Chaos? Are you planning on hurting any people? Bombing the arena perhaps?"
Cinder glared at me in response.
"What? You're all of a sudden developing a moral code? Ha! After all that you've done?"
She smirked at me, and I could do nothing but glare back. She has a point, though I've never killed any, I don't exactly do petty crimes either. I've certainly hurt people before. Lots of them.
"The details are still in the works, so you don't need to know the specifics for now, but trust that you'll eventually find out at the right time. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open... like you usually do."
She's awfully vague. Besides, 'in the works'? I don't exactly buy that. She's far too cunning to leave the details unhinged. It's obvious that she's leaving gaps in her explanation and I don't like it, not one bit. I'm willing to bet that whatever it is that I don't need to know are in those so called gaps, and it's what I don't need to know that will get me out of this mess. But Cinder will never tell me that, and prying will only piss her off even more. Not ideal considering my current predicament.
I glanced at the room once more as the three stood there patiently waiting for my response. The air in this room is heavy, but I must not be intimidated. I am OWL, my name is known all over Remnant, and I will not be pushed around by a bunch of thugs. I did not get to this level by simply bowing down to every threat. Retaliation now would be unwise, but I will not let them get the better of me and my people.
If Cinder wants to hide what she wants to do with Vale, then I simply have to pry it out of her some other way. The trick is, you don't ask them what it is their hiding, you tell them what you think the answer is and they will instinctively correct you with their actual motive.
"Fine. I'm on board, but based on your uniforms, aren't you Mistralian? Why do your damage here in Vale? What political gains will you get from disrupting the people here?"
Cinder's eyes widened in shock.
"Political?" She paused. "Why yes of course. The Vytal Festival is broadcasted throughout Remnant is it not? What better stage is there?"
Bingo. It's not political at all. The way she paused, the way her eyes widened are an indication that there's more to it than meets the eye, I just know it, but before I can pry any further, an astute Mercury stepped in.
"You're asking an awful lot of questions. If you're in then, we have no need for you tonight."
His cockiness knows no bounds, though oddly enough, I have no issues with it. If only we worked together under different circumstances.
"Calm down, Mercury." Cinder beckoned. "Don't forget, OWL is still a vital member of our team, we just hit a... roadblock, but it would seem that that's all settled, right Ezra?"
I walked away from the three of them and nodded my head without ever looking back. Furious, I slammed the door behind me. I will show you, Cinder. Do not treat me so lightly, I will get you back for threatening me, and my family.
But. Not yet.
The mist I created in Cinder's room was nothing more than a distraction. A slight of hand if you will, for me to secretly slip a small feather-sized recorder somewhere underneath the crack of the wooden floors. I shudder to think what Cinder will do to me and my family, and I admit that she is far stronger than I am. I only caught a glimpse of it, but the moment she tapped my shoulder earlier, she instantly dispelled my mist. I'm confident in my abilities, but against a foe that strong, I don't know if that's a duel I can survive.
That means there's only one way for me to beat her, and that's by doing the one thing Cinder has always criticized about me - observing.
I perched myself once more in the city rooftops of Vale, donning my OWL attire. I sent a message to The Nest, letting them know that we are compromised, and that they should stand still and lay low till we get enough information to retaliate. As much as I would love to fight back, there's simply too much I do not know. This job has evolved into a far more serious event than I have previously anticipated.
I once was sure what Cinder's motives were, but now I'm completely lost. I look up at the sky that once belonged to me and my family are now polluted with Atlesian Warships. General Ironwood has arrived in light of the Vytal Festival, but in a weird turn of events, he arrived with an army. What is it is he exactly trying to protect in this heavily guarded city? Is it related to Cinder? Perhaps he's here for Polendina? Too many questions I don't know the answers to, and the rabbit hole keeps getting deeper.
"Yang... what do I do?"
I gently ran my fingers across the scar Ruby left on my mask, as my thoughts began to wander. I rest the palm of my hands at the bottom of my mask, contemplating on taking it off while I yearn for the time that this will be over, a time that I plan to spend with Yang. The goal that I thought was once so close...
[INBOX - YANG XIAO LONG: NO NEW MESSAGES]
...Still so far away.
Author's Notes:
Hey guys, it's been three years. I honestly don't know if my old audience would still be interested in reading this but allow me to apologize if you found any sort of enjoyment in my story and was abruptly cut short. Life got in the way to keep it short. To my new readers, I promise I won't disappear =P I have chapters planned till the end of Volume 3 which is when I plan to go back to the drawing boards (aka re-watching RWBY) to continue forward with the story till it's current with Volume 8 / 9 whichever happens first.