A flash went off, briefly blinding Crue. "Son of a bi-scuit!" He exclaimed, lightly rubbing his closed eyes.
"Biscuit?" Velvet giggled from behind the schools camera.
"I'm trying to curse less." Crue explained with a sigh. "Apparently I've been quite influential to Ruby's vocabulary." Once the white spots were blinked away, Crue stood from the stool that was in front of a white background.
"That's sweet." Velvet smiled, going over to a terminal and typing something in. Crue's picture came up shortly afterward, the boy in question frowning at the image.
"I hate getting my picture taken." He mumbled, peeking between Velvet's ears to get a look at the snapshot.
"How come?" Velvet asked, tilting her head upward.
"I always think whatever expression I'm doing looks forced." He rubbed his jaw, the muscles sore from keeping a smile on his face.
"Coco mentioned something about that actually." Velvet said, looking back to the picture. "She said you had a bad case of 'resting-murder-face'."
Crue barked out a laugh, backing away and leaning against the wall of the room. "That's fair." He nodded. "Although the person I want to murder most is up there." His eyes went to the ceiling of the room, staring beyond to the sky.
"All done." Velvet called happily. Crue turned to see his profile, almost completely accurate. "I just need your birthday."
Crue opened his mouth to give the answer, but found it running dry. "Uh…" He murmured, causing Velvet to look at him with wide eyes.
"You don't remember your birthday?" She said in disbelief.
"What? Psh. No. I just… uh…" Crue quickly got out his ID card, the one that was in his wallet the first time he ended up in this world. "Yeah. I was right." He sighed. "13th of March." He checked the year. "Uh. What year is it?"
"115 AVD." Velvet answered.
"AVD?" Crue questioned.
"After Victory Day." Velvet responded in a confused tone. Crue quickly rapped his knuckles against his head. "Oh right. Amnesia. Sorry, I keep forgetting about that."
"It's fine." Crue waved off. "So, what does After Victory Day mean?"
"It's the day the Great War came to an end. This is the Era of Colour, so a new calendar was created." Velvet explained as though she was a teacher.
"Huh." Crue glanced down at his card. "Well, I was born in 98." "Consistent." Velvet began typing into the console, only to stop and turn to Crue.
"Crue, you're 18." She said slowly.
"I'm what?" The Faunus replied, eyes wide. "But I was, hold on." Crue took a moment to try and comprehend the jump in time from when he entered this world. "What month is it?"
"August."
"It's fuc-." Crue cut himself off, once he noticed Velvet stiffen. He coughed once, and started again. "It's August?"
"Yes." Velvet said carefully.
"I didn't mean to shout." Crue told her softly. "I just-. Feckin' Hell. I'm 18. I missed my birthday." He slumped against the wall, the weight of the fact he was no longer in his own world crashing down on him once more.
"Um, don't worry Crue." Velvet attempted to cheer the boy, now technically a man, up. "Maybe you just can't remember it."
Crue let out a small laugh. "Yeah, maybe." Seeing as the mood had significantly decreased, Crue decided it would be best they leave. "Do I have to wait for it to be printed, or what?" He made for the door, Velvet getting up and joining him.
"You'll probably have it delivered to your dorm." She paused as she realised something. "What dorm are you in?"
"Ozpin has yet to give me a dorm of my own." Crue grumbled. "So I'm basically bunking with RWBY." He noticed Velvet's raised eyebrow. "As in, I'm sleeping in the same dorm as them."
"Oh. Did Ozpin put in an extra bed?" The Rabbit Faunus questioned.
"Ha. I wish." Crue sighed. "I've been sleeping under Weiss' bed for the past two months. It's really not good for my neck." To prove his point he cracked the joints there.
Velvet shuddered at the sound. "Um, Crue. Can you, not do that? Please." She requested. Crue looked confused for a moment, before realising what she meant.
"Oh, the cracking thing? Yeah, sure." He agreed, scratching the back of his neck.
"Thank you. I'm sorry, it' just, with the sensitive hearing and all." Velvet apologised, looking down at her feet as she walked.
"It's fine." Crue said immediately, putting his sunglasses back on. "Supposed to give you arthritis or something." He shrugged.
"Really?" Velvet asked, in slight shock.
"Nah." Crue smirked at her. The Rabbit Faunus pouted at her blonde companion. "Old wives tale." Velvet shook her head, her ears bobbing along with the motion.
The two continued on in silence for a brief moment. "Um, where are you going?" Velvet asked.
"Uh." Crue realised. "I don't know. I was following you." His brows knit together into a frown briefly. "You took that from Jaune and Ruby. Try something original."
"Well, I was planning to go into Vale with Coco." Velvet informed him. "Would you like to come?"
Crue hummed in thought. "Yeah, sure. I've been meaning to buy some more clothes anyway." He nodded in agreement. "And a sleeping bag."
Velvet nodded, taking her scroll from her pocket and calling her team leader. After a few short moment, Cocos face popped up on screen. "Hey Velv. You coming or not?" She asked.
"I am. I was just wondering if it would be ok if Crue joined us." She angled her scroll so that Crue was in frame. The Wolf Faunus threw up a peace sign.
"Yo." He greeted.
"Hey Crue. Yeah, you can join us. You'll probably be doing some heavy lifting though." She teased. Crue rolled his eyes, the action unseen due to his glasses.
"Sure. Whatever." He shrugged. He saw that coming a mile away.
"Alright, hurry up then." Coco ended the call, causing Velvet to pocket her scroll.
"The next Bullhead is pretty soon. We should get on it." Crue nodded, the two Faunus increasing their speed to get to the docks.
After a short moment, the two managed to get a Bullhead. Crue took his scroll, realising he should probably tell the others where he was going. As he waited for Weiss to answer her scroll, he watched the scenery fly past.
"Crue?" The Faunus glanced down, seeing Weiss looking at her scroll with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey Weiss. Just wanted to let ye know I'm gonna be in Vale." He informed the heiress. "Man, my accent is coming out more."
"You are?" Weiss said, her blue eyes blinking in surprise. "What for?"
"Just clothes and shhh-tuff." He switched words mid swear. "Velvets here too." He angled his phone so that the Faunus could see.
"Hello Weiss." She waved at the scroll.
"Hello Velvet." Weiss greeted. "Please keep an eye on Crue. And make sure he doesn't get into any, predicaments."
"Ya know, I'd probably be insulted if that wasn't so true." Crue mused. "Slán go fóill."
"Slon guh what?" Weiss questioned, before the connection was cut.
"Probably going to regret that later." The Wolf Faunus shrugged, pocketing his device.
Velvet stared at the male curiously, who raised an eyebrow and attempted to meet her gaze. "What did you say?"
"Slán go fóill." Crue repeated. "Means goodbye for now."
"What language is it?" The Rabbit Faunus asked.
"Ir-Cel-ish." Crue blanked. "Uh. Not sure." "IRELAND DOESN'T EXIST HERE WHAT THE HELL AM I MEANT TO SAY!"
"You don't know what language you're speaking?" Velvet said with surprise.
"Nope." Crue responded with a pop, knocking his knuckles against his head. Velvet looked at him with slight suspicion.
"Have you ever spoken it before?" She asked.
"A few times." Crue answered. "The first was…" He crossed his legs when he remembered the day in question. "The day of the ice incident."
"Ice?" Velvet questioned, before gaining a deep blush and turning to stare out the window. "Oh, right. That… incident." She shook her head lightly, more than likely to get rid of those images. "That was the day before we went on our mission."
"Oh yeah. You missed the dance. So Weiss and Yang had to take over." Crue recalled, rubbing his chin.
"I wish I could've gone." Velvet replied, her ears dropping slightly. "Though, I doubt anyone would have asked me."
"Why? Yatsuhashi would scare everyone off?" Crue asked.
This got a giggle out of Velvet, but she shook her head. "No. Well, maybe. I just don't think anyone thinks I'm very attractive." Crue frowned at her words, and the tone in which she said it.
"If I wasn't trying not to curse I'd be on a damn spiel right now." Crue rested his head against the seat of the Bullhead. Velvet looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"What I mean, is that you're fu-ecking adorable." Crue answered earnestly, giving the Rabbit Faunus a blush. "You're easily the second cutest person in Beacon." "FUCKITY FUCK WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME SAY THIS I MEAN I KNOW ITS TRUE BUT FUCKING STILL!"
Velvet's face turned red, as the Bullhead finally touched down. The two Faunus got off the vehicle, making their way to the square where Coco was. It was only after they were halfway there, that Velvet finally spoke.
"Second?" She murmured.
"Ruby."
"That's fair."
Crue let out a laugh. "That's really all you had to say?"
"It was a fair question!" Velvet stammered, blushing all the while. Crue simply laughed, as Velvet began ineffectively hitting his arm in an attempt to get him to stop.
A shrill whistle caused the brunette to cease her actions. Both Faunus looked up to see Coco waving at them, wearing her usual attire, her handbag resting on her shoulder.
"Hey Coco." Crue waved, walking up to the second year. "Still as fashionable as ever."
"And you are fashionably late." Coco nodded back. "Hey Velv."
"Hi Coco." Velvet smiled. "Where were you planning to go first?"
"I was thinking 'Lienys'." The fashionista replied. A smack caused the two second years to look at Crue, who was dragging his hand down his face.
"Crue?" Velvet asked cautiously.
"Hmm?" He answered.
"Everything, uh, everything ok?" The Faunus asked, looking at her junior in concern.
"Peachy." Crue responded, sighing. "Really? Lienys. That's the best equivalent to Penneys you could come up with?" "Where is the shop?"
"It's down here." Coco turned on her well maintained heel, walking down the street. Crue followed her with a sigh, Velvet right next to him.
"Do you not like Lienys?" The Rabbit Faunus asked.
"It's not that." Crue waved off. "I'm just, mad? I guess." He explained to Velvet. "Like, I feel like I should know this stuff. But I don't. I know I know them, but I don't, remember them. If that makes sense."
"It doesn't." Velvet replied, shaking her head lightly. "But, that might just be your analogy." She smirked playfully at Crue, the man laughing in response.
"Yeah, I was always terrible at those." Crue muttered, scratching his chin. "I need to shave."
"Well, gonna slap your face again?" The Wolf Faunus looked up, seeing Coco glancing at him over the rim of her glasses, standing in front of the store in question.
"Nah. Gotta keep the money maker in peak condition." Crue snapped back, smirking at the leader.
"Money maker. Sure." Coco chuckled, walking into the store, the other two following. Crue rolled his eyes behind his glasses, as he looked at the clothes the store had to offer.
"I wonder what the girls are doing." He thought. "…That was your sign for a cut away." Crue continued to walk around, inspecting the clothes. "I have actually no idea if you cut away just then. Are you always following my point of vi-"
…
"Alright guys, are you ready?" Ruby asked her team, as they stood outside the exchange dorms, several different items in hand.
"Yeah!" Yang cheered, clutching a bag of marshmallows. The four girls made their way through the dorms, stopping before one dorm in particular. With a glance back at her teammates, Ruby knocked on the door.
"Hello?" The door was answered by a girl in green hair. "Ruby?" Emerald asked confusedly, before seeing the rest of her team. "Weiss? Yang? Black?"
"Blake." The Faunus said in a deadpan tone.
"Right. Blake. Sorry. Um, what are you doing here?" The Mistralian student asked.
"Well, um, is Polly there?" Ruby asked. Emerald nodded, stepping aside for a moment to let the others in.
"Cinder and Mercury stepped out for… a thing." Emerald informed them. She showed them Polly, who was sitting on her bed, hugging her legs.
"Polly?" Ruby called softly. The petite girl jerked her head up in confusion, seeing the four extra people in her dorm.
She turned to Emerald, who shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know what they're doing here either."
"It's because of Crue. We're here to help you feel better." The words surprised both Emerald and Polly.
"But, isn't he your friend. Isn't he?" Emerald voiced her teammates confusion, as well as your own.
"That is correct." Weiss nodded.
"Buuuut." Yang drawled. "You're our friend too." She said, pointing to Polly. "Oh. You too Emerald." The blonde reassured with a pat on the back.
"The point is." Weiss cut across the brawler. "While Crue may be our friend, he is a boy. You, on the other hand, are a girl."
"And girls gotta look out for one another." Ruby smiled.
Polly looked unsure, until Blake stepped forward.
"We brought ice-cream."
…
"-oint is I need some kind of sign that you're following me, and not off giving exposition or something." Crue thought, as he, Velvet and Coco walked through the streets of Vale, bags in hand.
"So, how about coffee?" Coco offered. Velvet made a sigh of content, and Crue gave a noise of contempt. "You don't like coffee?"
"Leaves a bad taste in my mouth." He winked beneath his glasses. "But ever since the damn initiation whenever I think of coffee I think of killing that… What was it? The monkey."
"Beringel." Velvet answered.
"Thanks. That yoke. When I got its, residue in my mouth-awk-the taste is coming back." Crue made a disgusted face, shaking his head.
Velvet and Coco both laughed at his antics, as they led him to a small coffee shop. Crue didn't catch the name, but he assumed it was some form of play on words with 'Starbucks'. He didn't want to know, for fear of wanting to punch something.
"So, what are you guys getting?" Coco asked, sitting down at a table. "I'm just getting straight up coffee."
"I think a cappuccino would be nice." Velvet answered. "Crue?"
"Hot chocolate." Crue noticed the silence that followed his answer, and looked at the two brunettes. "What?"
"It's like, the end of Summer." Coco answered.
"Yeah. And? You guys are getting coffee." Crue replied. "There's never a bad time for hot chocolate."
"He's not wrong." Velvet said, looking to Coco.
The beret wearer rolled her eyes, but said no more. "They'll be over in a while to take our orders."
"Oh grand." Crue said, standing up. "I need to use the loo." He walked away, leaving the two girls looking at each other in confusion.
"The what?" They wondered, seeing Crue walk out of their vision.
"So, inviting Crue along for the shopping trip, huh?" Coco asked her teammate, a smirk on her features.
"I-It's not like that." Velvet stammered. "I had to take his picture, and we were talking, and then I invited him along."
"The blush on your face says there was something else." Coco teased. Velvet's blush grew, as she grabbed her ears, hiding her face with them.
She murmured something that Coco didn't catch. "Sorry? What was that?" The brunette said, a wide smile on her face.
"I said, I accidentally sent a-" "HANDS IN THE AIR!" The two huntresses in training whirled their heads to the entrance, where four men held rifles pointed at the shops clients. The civilians screamed, complying with his orders.
"We need to do something." Velvet hissed, her knuckles white.
"I can't take out my gun with this many civilians around." She grit her teeth, staring at the man who seemed to be in charge. "I don't like that guys hat. Beanies are so out of style."
"That's all you have to say?!" The Rabbit Faunus whisper shouted.
"Check the toilets!" The thug in the beanie instructed. One of the men, who was holding a large pistol, made his way to the shops bathroom.
"You!" Beanie shouted, pointing his rifle at the cashier. The woman behind the counter shuddered, as she stared down the barrel of the gun. "I want you to-" "AAAH!"
All heads turned, as the man who had been sent to inspect the bathrooms was now running out of it, missing his weapon. The leader grabbed him by the collar as he approached. "The Hell is wrong with you!?"
"I-It's h-h- IT'S H-" "Who the fuck…" A voice came from the bathroom, one that Coco and Velvet, as well as the four thugs recognised. "…tries to rob a man while he's taking a piss."
Crue walked out of the bathroom, holding the thugs pistol. He and the main thug stared at each other, the Faunus trying to recall where he knew him from. "…Beanie?"
The leader raised his rifle, pointing it at Crue. "W-What the Hell are you doing here?!" Crue frowned, taking of his glasses and folding them, hanging them from his waistcoat.
"I was here to get a drink." He answered, stepping toward Beanie. "But now, I guess I'm going to play clean up." He stopped walking, and turned towards the cashier.
"Hey." He asked, causing the woman to blink. "If I get rid of these guys, can me and my friends have our drinks for free?" The woman opened and closed her mouth, looking akin to that of a fish.
When she couldn't find any words, she settled for nodding rapidly. "Really? Sweet." Crue jerked his head back to the thugs, breaking into a wide and unnerving smile. His eyes flashed gold as he stared at the Beanie thug.
"S-Stay back! I've got Aura now!" He threatened, pointing the rifle at Crue's head.
"That gonna help ya when you're the only one here?" The Faunus asked. Beanie's eyes widened, turning around to see if what he said was true.
The weapons his group had brought were now comically spinning on the floor, before falling over. Beanie turned back, only to see Crue standing practically right in front of him. "Run."
The thug did just that, sprinting from the establishment with a rather feminine scream. Crue made to rush after him. "Hey! He's gone!" Coco called, standing up and staring at Crue.
"He left." Crue corrected. "Leaving is good. Never coming back? Better. I'll be right back." With that, Crue sped from the coffee shop, running after the thug. He saw him dart into an alley. Crue jumped onto a wall, activating his Semblance and running up it.
Running along the rooftop next to the alley, Crue looked down to see Beanie knocking over several trashcans in an effort to stop Crue from chasing him. "Poor bastard." He thought, jumping down and landing on the man.
The thug let out a cry of pain, as Crue spun him round, slamming him against the wall. "PLEASE! NOT AGAIN!" Beanie begged, holding his hand in defence.
"Where's the real heist?" Crue asked.
"I-I don't-" Beanie was cut off by Crue slamming his head against the wall.
"Bullshit. You were going to rob a café in broad daylight. You're nothing but a distraction." Crue's eyes were a dark gold as he stared down the man. He sniffed the air, looking down and seeing a dark patch on the man's trousers. "Really?"
"White Fang!" Beanie whimpered. "White Fang set us up with the weapons. They're planning something big!"
"WHERE!?" Crue roared.
"The shipyard!" The thug cried. "Their leader is there too!"
"Adam?" Crue said in a hushed voice. His mind flashed, seeing Adam stabbing Blake, and cutting off Yang's arm.
"Go." Crue ordered, throwing the man from the wall, sending him sprawling onto the hard concrete. "And don't go committing any more crimes! Then I won't have to come after you!"
Beanie ran down the alley, getting as far away from The Wolf as he possibly could. Crue took out his scroll, calling his locker, and then Velvet. "Velvet?"
"Crue? Are you ok?" Came the Faunus' voice.
"Peachy. But I found out there's a bigger thing going down." He informed her. "Beanie said there was a White Fang operation going down at the shipyard." He heard her gasp. "I'll be fine on my own, I just wanted you to know."
"We're coming with you." Came Coco's voice through the scroll. Crue frowned at that, but saw no way he could disagree.
"Alright. I'll meet you there." Crue cut off the scroll, as his locker came crashing down into the alley. He opened it, and was about to grab his things, before he stopped. "What're the chances Cinder is at this?"
He shook his head. "If I see them, I'll just pretend I didn't." He grabbed Setanta, and slammed the locker shut. He looked down at his hand, seeing the pistol he had stolen from the thug. He then looked to the ground, seeing the rifle Beanie had dropped.
He picked up the rifle, and stared at the locker. "Hehe. Lightbulb."
…
"Hurry up! We need this Dust moved yesterday!" Adam Taurus shouted at the White Fang members before them. They all saluted him, and hurried with their operations. The terrorist group moved around the shipyard, while Adam stood upon a gangway, overseeing the operations.
"Well done Adam." Cinder Fall cooed, watching as the workers quickened their pace. "This should be more than enough than to make up for the setback of the breach."
Adam growled at her tone, but said nothing. "So, all this is for the Vytal festival?" Mercury inquired, leaning on a railing and overseeing the workers.
"Correct, Mercury." Cinder acknowledged. "The plan is to set charges and blow the Dust crystal that shall be holding Amity Colosseum. The chaos it will create should be sure to attract Grimm."
"So, I take it you'll be blowing it after me and Emerald have gotten out of there." Mercury questioned. When Cinder didn't respond, it made him understandably anxious. "Cinder?"
Cinder was not listening to Mercury, rather, she was trying to hear… something. Glancing down, Cinder saw that several Faunus, those with animal ears, were also looking around. "Do you hear that?"
[Flight of the Valkyries – Wilhelm Richard Wagner]
"INCOMING HOSTILE!" A member cried, pointing to the sky. Everyone looked in the direction that the Faunus pointed out, and promptly found themselves in disbelief.
Riding atop what appeared to be a missile, was a man, standing with his arms crossed as the projectile sped towards the shipyard.
"Binoculars! Now!" Cinder instructed, holding out her hand. The item she requested was put there immediately, and she held them up to her eyes, looking at the incoming missile.
"You've got to be kidding me." Cinder growled, almost melting the object in her hands.
"What is it?" Mercury asked, readying to fight.
"We need to go." Cinder said, walking away.
"What? Why?" The assassin briefly turned to Adam, who shrugged.
"Because of who's on that locker." Cinder told him. Mercury stopped walking.
"You think it's someone we can't take?"
"No, it's someone we can't let know we were here." Cinder responded, pausing briefly to look back at the oncoming adversary. "It's Cullen."
…
"I DID NOT THINK THIS THROUGH!" Crue screamed in his head, as the locker he was riding on began to descend rapidly, aiming for a group of White Fang. Crue leaped from the locker, as it crashed into the ground, causing a shockwave that sent many Faunus flying.
He landed on the ground, and swung Setanta around, sending any nearby White Fang flying. "Now, I don't know why you're here." Crue said, grabbing the rifle he stole from Beanie and spraying it. "But I'm not just going to let you get away with it."
"You'll never stop us from setting charges on Amity!" A random grunt exclaimed, shaking his fist at Crue. The Faunus blanked, rubbing the bridge between his nose.
"Alright. Now I know. Thank you random grunt number 64." Crue said sarcastically. He sprayed the rifle once more, causing the surrounding White Fang to duck for cover.
"Where's your leader!?" Crue roared, ditching the gun once it ran out of ammo and switched back to Setanta. He swung, knocking three White Fang together. He jumped back, as the ground before him lit up with bullets.
He switched Setanta into its sword form, blocking several other White Fang as they swung cutlasses at him. He kicked one of them in the stomach, sending them flying. He broke out of the block, slashing horizontally, and causing the two grunts to fall back.
Crue turned round, and promptly felt his eyes widen. Several White Fang stood before him, all of them pointing rifles at him. "This… would be an excellent time for the cavalry."
Bullets flew, but not from the White Fang. The terrorists found themselves being mown down by a hail of lead. Crue turned to see Coco, holding a now smoking mini-gun. Next to her was Velvet, holding some of the grunts weaponry, as well as a box on her hip.
"Bout time!" Crue called, waving at the two huntresses.
"Do you know how hard it is to run somewhere carrying this?" Coco gestured to her weapon, which was now pointed at Crue.
"Point taken." The Faunus responded, moving out of the way of the heavy gun. The two huntresses joined Crue on either side, looking at the tide of White Fang before them. "Here." Crue gave Velvet his other rifle, gripping Setanta tightly.
"So, nothing but mooks?" Coco checked. "I called the police, and Beacon."
"Seems that way." Crue said suspiciously, holding his sword vertically, as his eyes scanned the crowd of White Fang. "Where are you?"
"Why aren't they attacking?" Velvet whispered. Crue took off his glasses and turned them round so he could see behind him.
"DUCK!" He exclaimed, dropping the glasses and swinging round. The brunettes did as instructed, and heard a 'CLANG' reverberate through the shipyard. Looking up from the ground, they saw Crue holding his blue blade against one that was blood red, the opposing blade just before where Velvet's neck was.
The Faunus that attacked him was clad in a black trench coat, and snarled at the Faunus below him. With a heave, Crue pushed him off. "He's mine!" Crue exclaimed, rushing after the leader, and leaving the other two to deal with the grunts.
"Crue wait! That's-" Velvet was cut off when the White Fang began attacking. Crue slashed at the newcomer, as he backed away, parrying every blow.
"I'm yours?" The Faunus called cockily. "I'm already taken."
"Blake isn't yours asshole!" Crue roared. His words caused him to freeze, and Crue took the opportunity to change his weapon back into a hurl, and smack it into the side of his stomach. "Get up! Adam!"
Adam did rise, but when he did, he felt his instincts scream at him. He looked at the male, finally deciding to meet his eyes. Eyes that were a burning gold glared at him, before they shifted, into a cold steely blue.
The colour change did not help Adam's situation, if anything, the blue seemed more terrifying than the gold. "Who are you?" He ordered.
Crue never was any good at following orders, as he roared, swinging Setanta at the Bull Faunus. Adam blocked it easily, and moved closer to Crue's head. "How did you know about Blake?!"
"NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS!" The Wolf Faunus exclaimed, bringing his head back and slamming it into Adams. The two males recoiled, both groaning. "No one wins in a headbutt." Crue muttered, before gripping Setanta tightly once more.
"You know Blake." Adam deduced. "How do you know her? Who are you to her!?" He threatened, brandishing Wilt.
"Not her fucking boyfriend that's for sure." Crue called back, matching Adams pose with his own sword. "And neither are you." Adam twitched, dashing forward. Crue managed to block the swing, but went flying back into an open container labelled 'Lienys'.
"I will interrogate your friends next." Adam said, swinging his katana down and sheathing it, walking back towards the explosions.
Pain erupted in the back of his head when he turned. He winced, checking what hit him. To his surprise, it was a shoe. He looked back to the container, where Crue stood, eyes boring into his very soul.
"Hey, Adam." He said while panting. He held up a cloak that was coloured a deep red. "Olé, bitch." Adam sped towards the cloak- towards Crue, one hand on the hilt of his sword. Crue stayed where he was until the last second, flipping the cloak over Adam, causing him to run into the container at near full speed.
"Animal instincts. We can't help them." Crue said, throwing the cloak over Adam as he jumped back. The fabric was quickly shredded, leaving a panting Adam instead of it.
"For example." Crue said, closing the distance between him and Adam as he rose Setanta. "It's not in a wolf's instincts to take prisoners."
Wolf. The word echoed in Adams head, as he finally connected the sensation of having his entire body fear the person before him. "You're The Wolf!" Adam exclaimed, slashing at Crue.
"Really?!" Crue said, in an annoyed tone, blocking the attack. "You're the one that's all about equality, and here you are profiling me just because I'm a Wolf Faunus." Crue slashed back, Adam leaning to the side to avoid it.
"Ya know what I call that?" Crue asked rhetorically, as he turned Setanta back into a hurl. "Bullshit." The term caused Adam to growl as he swung his sword. The two weapons connected, blue and red clashing.
There was a click, as Adam pointed his sheath at Crue's stomach. The male's eyes widened, as he was blasted back. He skidded to a stop on the ground, breathing heavily. Taurus casually walked over to him, sheathing his sword and stepping on Crue's chest.
"You know, I'm somewhat glad I met you." He told him cockily. "Now I know that Blake is at Beacon. And I will, bring her back to me."
Images of what that promise entailed flashed in Crue's mind, and a deep, guttural growl emanated from his throat. His eyes turned dark gold once more, and with a roar he pushed up, sending the White Fang leader onto one foot.
Crue roared, as he raised his hand, and raked it across Adam's chest. Adam let out a cry of pain, as he jumped back from Crue, bringing a hand to where he was attacked. He looked down to see blood.
His eyes widened as he heard another growl. He looked back to Crue, seeing him crouched on all fours, his weapon completely forgotten. "How-" Adam did not get to finish, as Crue pounced towards him with speed the terrorist couldn't follow.
He brought up his katana in time, hearing a shrill screech as it blocked Crue's attack. Adam kicked out, feeling it connect with his opponent. He finally managed to get a good look at Crue, seeing him kick up dirt as he connected with the ground.
Adam, despite what his underlings thought of him, was not a hot headed muscle brain, he knew when a retreat was the best option. And seeing as said underlings were currently being beaten senseless by two huntresses, it was definitely the best option.
"I'm ordering a retreat." Adam said into his earpiece.
"For once, I agree with you sir." Came the voice of his Lieutenant.
"For once?"
The Lieutenant wisely decided not to respond. "I'll get the Bullheads ready." Adam nodded, sprinting to the landing zone. His first message was heard by all of the White Fang members, those still conscious that is.
"Fall back!" The terrorists began shouting, leaving Velvet and Coco halting their fire.
"What's going on?" Velvet wondered, seeing several Bullheads now descending on the location. The exhaust from the Bullheads blew both girls hair back, and sent Coco's beret flying.
"They're retreating?" Coco questioned. "But, why?"
As the Bullheads rose, they got the answer to their question. Crue ran atop the roof of one of the dock buildings. What was strange was that he was running on all fours. At the end of the roof, he leaped up, and landed on the windshield of a Bullhead.
The pilot inside screamed, staring into Crue's golden eyes. The Wolf Faunus reared a fist back, and punched through the glass, gripping the control wheel, and jerking it to the side. The vehicle followed suit, roughly turning on its side, spilling out all of the White Fang members inside.
They landed in a neat pile of limbs, right in front of Coco and Velvet. "All it needs is a bow on top." Coco elbowed Velvet.
"AAAH-OW!" The pilot of the Bullhead fell onto the pile with a groan.
"Hey." Coco called, causing the pilot to look up. "What kind of Faunus are you?"
"Boa. Why?" She groaned out.
"Eh. Close enough." Coco chuckled, folding her gun back into a handbag. "And you didn't even have to use your weapon."
Velvet nodded in agreement, before looking around. "Where's Crue?"
On cue, a Bullhead rushed overhead, attempting to fly after the other one. Key word there, attempt. "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FLY THIS THING!" Crue exclaimed, the fear of crashing bringing him out of his hunt after Adam.
"I'D REALLY LOVE TO SOME DEUS EX MACHINA ABOUT NOW!" Crue yelled, turning sharply to avoid a crane. His scroll began to ring and with great difficulty he answered it.
"CRUE! What are you doing!?" Came Coco's voice.
"HAVEN'T A FUCKING CLUE!" He answered, looking at the many buttons, knobs and dials before him. As he was busy trying not to crash, the other Bullhead managed to get away, the one that held Adam Taurus.
"Think I'll survive a crash!?" Crue asked, turning it and aiming for the ocean. There was some fumbling over the phone, and a different voice came through.
"Crue! Please don't crash!" Velvet pleaded.
"Don't worry! I won't die!" Crue told her, as he grabbed his scroll and rushed for the open door as the vehicle began to dip.
"How do you know that?!"
"Because I don't feel like it." Crue ended the call, and tapped himself four times with his index and middle finger. "Father, Son, Holy Spirit, GIVE ME SOME FUCKING LUCK!" He jumped from the Bullhead, landing with a roll onto the sand.
"That went surprisingly well." He thought aloud, standing with a groan as the Bullhead hit the ocean, throwing up a large amount of water. Crue let out a low whistle as the tailfin sank beneath the surface.
"I thought there'd be an ex-" KABOOM"OK YEAH THERE IT IS!" Crue yelled, running back towards the shipyard as debris was flung into the air. "AAH!" Crue screamed, jumping to the side to avoid flaming metal.
"Crue!" The Faunus in question looked over, seeing Coco and Velvet calling out to him. He waved, and walked over, before a heap of metal that held the pilots door crashed down atop him.
Velvet gasped, both hands coming to rest over her mouth, as tears stung at the corner of her eyes. Coco's mouth fell open in disbelief. "He- He-." She tried. "I don't-"
"FUCKING HELL!" The door was flung open, and Crue stood up, breathing heavily. "YA AIN'T GOT ME YET BITCH!" He laughed, pointing to the sky. "Bloody hell." He panted, bending over and resting his hands on his knees.
He looked up, seeing Velvet and Coco staring at him with wide eyes. He looked down once more, seeing the surrounding debris. He met Velvet's eyes, hers looking quite red. "Told you I wouldn't die."
Velvet's expression morphed into a sad frown, as she marched over and began whacking his arm, much harder than she did earlier. "You! Big! Dumb! Idiot!" She exclaimed, punctuating each word with another slap.
"I-OW-didn't-OW-I said I wouldn't-OW!" He finally stepped back, tripping over the debris and falling onto his back. "Ow…" He droned out, Velvet gasping lightly.
"Oh! Crue! I didn't mean to!" She apologised.
"So you meant the other stuff? Haha-ow." He wheezed, trying to stand. Velvet reached down, helping the other Faunus to stand.
Coco walked over while Velvet was helping Crue stand. Once the man was on two, albeit wobbly, feet, he met Coco's eyes. "Are you gonna hit me too?" He asked.
"Maybe." She shrugged, holding out a hand. Crue instinctively winced, but opened an eye to see what she was holding. "You dropped these."
He took his sunglasses back from the fashionista, checking the reflection. His eyes were a steely blue. "Huh." He murmured, placing the shades back on his face. "I feel like my eyes were… never mind."
The three hunters looked at each other. "Don't suppose we got our orders did we?" Crue asked with a smirk.
"No. Surprisingly enough we weren't able to order our drinks and come here to save your sorry ass at the same time." Coco punched Crue's shoulder, causing him to hiss.
"Speaking of which." Velvet spoke, the others looking to her. "What was all that about? In the café, with the thieves."
"Yeah. They acted like they knew you or something." Coco questioned, lowering her glasses and staring at Crue.
"Uh. Well…" He caught sight of something. "Hey! Look! Literally anything else!" The two girls followed his finger, seeing a squad of police cars moving towards them.
"Why is it they always show up after all the terrorists are gone?" Coco complained. Crue shrugged, then grabbed his shoulder in pain.
"Why did you hit the same one?" He grumbled.
The police arrived, taking details from the trio. "How did you get here?" An officer asked Crue. In response, Crue pointed to the locker that was now sticking out of the ground. "Fair enough." He wrote down a few more things, before leaving them to their own devices.
"So, think we'll get a piece in the yearbook?" Crue joked, sitting atop a crate.
"Doubt it." Coco sighed. "If anything, we'll be getting a detention."
"For stopping terrorists?" Crue questioned.
"Professor Goodwitch."
"Good point."
"Ahem." The trio turned, seeing an officer standing before them. "Crue, Velvet, and Moco?"
"Coco." The leader corrected. The officer nodded an apology, and then gave a whistle with his two fingers.
A moment later, two other policemen appeared, one carry three drinks in a tray, and the other a set of bags. "You left these at Stardust."
Crue's eye twitched, but resisted the urge to hit something. "Go on the guards." He thanked, taking the drinks as the other two took the bags.
They set up the drinks on a large crate, sorted out the bags amongst each other and dragged a smaller crate each. "Feels like a picnic." Crue commented, sipping from his hot chocolate.
Coco and Velvet looked around at their picnic area. Consisting of police, broken debris, unconscious and cuffed White Fang. "Some picnic spot." Coco commented.
"Eh, I've been to worse." Crue shrugged.
"Really? Where?" Velvet asked.
"Finglas."
"What the Hell is Finglas?" The leader of CFVY asked.
Crue stopped drinking, feigning confusion. "Ya know. I'm not really sure. Probably a shh-tinky place." He sighed, rubbing his head.
Coco looked to Velvet in confusion. "He's trying to curse less." The Rabbit Faunus told her. Coco made an 'oh' of understand, and went back to drinking her coffee.
After around half an hour, a member of Beacon staff approached the three. Tapping her foot impatiently, she waited for one of them to speak. "Hey Ms. Goodwitch." Crue greeted casually, gesturing his cup near her. "Hot chocolate?"
A vein grew on the deputy's forehead. "Crue. What are you three doing here?"
"Stopping an evil terrorist organisation from disrupting what is meant to be a peaceful fight between the nations of this world in a way to show that we are grateful for what we have." Crue said as he sipped his drink, a pinky finger raised.
The blank faces he drew from that speech was priceless. "I had a while to think about it."
Glynda sighed, rubbing her temple. "The police told me they confiscated several containers of Dust. You think they were going to be used against the Vytal festival?"
"I know so. Some grunt literally said they were going to set charges on Amity." Crue told the professor. Velvet and Coco glanced at each other in confusion.
"You didn't say that to the police." Coco accused.
Crue turned to her with a dead face. "Would you have said there was going to be attempted terrorism at a crowded event to just a police officer, instead of a huntress?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Well, fu-eck me then." Crue murmured.
"Where would they set charges?" Velvet wondered.
"Probably that giant ass Dust crystal." Crue hypothesised. When the others looked at him oddly, he continued. "What? It's a structural weak point."
"He's right." Goodwitch nodded. "I'll have James increase security."
"First name basis with the General, are we Ms. Goodwitch?" Crue teased. Glynda glared at him, and with a wave of her crop, the box beneath him collapsed.
"Deserved that." Crue wheezed out. "Least my hot chocolates ok." The Faunus said happily, taking another long sip.
"Why is he drinking hot chocolate in the middle of August?" Glynda asked the two seniors. They both shrugged.
"There's never a bad time for hot chocolate." Velvet said with a smile.
"Preach." Crue's empty hand pointed at her over the box they were using as a table.
Goodwitch sighed, checking her scroll. "Very well. Let's get you back to Beacon."
…
"I suddenly have a fear of Bullheads." Crue's nails dug into the cushioned seat below him, as his heart thumped in his chest. Goodwitch regarded him with a curious stare, then Coco explained what happened.
"You flew a Bullhead?" She said in surprise.
"Crashed one. I don't know how to fly." Crue told the professor. "And I really don't want to fly anymore."
He shrunk slight, head going between his shoulder blades. Velvet looked upon him with pity, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It's alright Crue. You're not going to crash." She whispered softly. Hearing the words eased the man's tension, but still left his throat dry.
Velvet continuously reassured her fellow Faunus, as Coco and Goodwitch glanced at each other, the leader wearing a smirk. "You see it too?" She mouthed.
Glynda nodded, storing that piece of information away for the teachers betting pool.
When they touched down at Beacon, Crue ran out, gripping onto a nearby post. "Ok. Now I know how Jaune feels. At least I didn't throw up."
"At least you didn't what?" Coco asked, stepping out of the vehicle after Velvet.
"Throw up. Like Jaune. First time he flew up to Beacon. Bleehck. Right over Yang's shoes." The fashionista shuddered, imaging if she were in the same situation. Well, if she were, Jaune probably would not have made it to Beacon.
"I'm going to go back to the dorm, and try out this new sleeping bag." Crue told them. "See yas." He waved, before stopping hearing someone jogging after him.
He turned, getting a face full of bunny ears as Velvet hugged him. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAA" And it went on. Crue, acting on instinct, returned the hug.
"Don't do anything reckless like crashing a Bullhead again. Please." The Rabbit Faunus begged. Crue looked up to get Coco's opinion on this. She made a gesture of cracking her knuckles.
"I won't." Crue promised. Velvet stepped back, looking up at him. "Promise." Velvet sighed in relief, nodding and turning back to Coco. Unseen by Crue, the moment she turned away a huge blush grew on her cheeks.
"I can't believe I just did that." Velvet hissed to Coco.
"I can't believe you made her do that." Crue glared to the sky, believing the Author to be behind Velvet's actions. "It's only been three days dude. Too soon for a relationship."
Crue walked back to the dorm, fully intent on sleeping in his brand new sleeping bag. "CRUE!" The Universe had other plans however.
"NOT THE SHOULDER!" Crue cried out, as he was tackled by three of the members of RWBY. "Ow…" He whined out.
"We heard about what happened at the shipyard!" Yang exclaimed. Crue's ears flattened against his head, as he tried to speak.
"Can I stand first?" Crue requested.
"But we have questions." Ruby moaned.
"About who you fought." Blake said quietly.
"I will answer them once I am up." Crue responded. The three got off of him, allowing him to stand. He grabbed his bag and placed it near his chest of drawers. He noticed Weiss sitting on her bed, and momentarily wondered why she didn't glomp him.
"Ok." Crue turned round, looking at three sets of expectant eyes.
"What do you want to know?"
Got this one out on time. Sweet. So, a little less sub plot, and more questions as to what the hell is going on with Crue. Surely this has nothing to do with the fact Salem now knows of his existence… Nah.
A little bit of my own storyline now I guess? There's quite a while until the Vytal Festival, what could Crue get up to during that time? Well, whatever it is, it will be full of cynicism, cursing and pain. Most of said pain being directed at Crue.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you have any questions, ask them. If you have any reviews, leave them. And as always
Until Next Time
-Friday
[Side note]
[Coming up with chapter names is hard]