Chapter twenty-six: Stage one: Preparation
"I'd like you to come with us."
"Umm… why?" the newly named Oscar asked, raising an eyebrow at me. He looked rather… strange, for a random person on the street. His eyes were similar to Blake's, a bright amber, while his skin was tanned in a way I seldom saw in Vale. He looked almost southern Mistralean. His hair was light-brown, cut into soft spikes down towards his eyes, patching over his forehead. He was dressed in a ratty white shirt with a simple pair of brown pants, some dark-green, clearly second-hand boots on his feet. "I'd like to ask you a few questions. How Ozpin died and all that. It's not safe to talk here, come to my office." I said, giving a slight smile towards him, slowly shifting my eyes around to make sure no one was listening in. Oscar looked down, his eyes shifting off to the right for a moment before he nodded, gesturing for me to lead the way.
As we started walking, I overheard Oscar and Velvet talking. "Sorry about running into you ma'am." "It's okay… you get used to it." she said. I looked back to see her ears droop slightly, Oscar's guilt no doubt getting even worse when he looked away. I turned back, looking straight ahead as I felt a pressure on my arm. I looked down and, sure enough, there was Blake, subtly tying her bow back over her ears. Our eyes met, "You sure taking him to the office is a good idea?" "No. In fact I'm almost sure it's a terrible idea, but we need information, and right now, he needs protection. That's what a caretaker does, right?" I asked, giving her a slight smile. She sighed, leaning further into my arm as her eyes trailed along the road, keeping an eye out for threats while putting on the guise of a tired lover. Ironic to call it a disguise when it's the truth.
Surprisingly, we were able to get to the office almost without a hitch, no police stopping us about Velvet and Ton-Ton, no one wondering what Oscar was doing with Ozpin's cane, no assassins. Nothing. I walked past the office, looping around the back entrance. No one questioned it, they knew what I was doing. "Everyone in." I said, holding the door as I motioned everyone to dash inside. Oscar came in last, amber eyes meeting blue ones. We didn't speak as I shut the door, locking it behind me as I turned ahead, walking through the door to the front of the office. Neo and Ton-Ton -naturally- immediately ran upstairs, no doubt to go play. Velvet opened the door to her own little office, sitting back in her chair as she prepared to open up. Blake and Oscar stayed with me, the three of us walking into my office. I sat behind my desk, "Have a seat." I gestured to the chair across from me. Oscar sat down, Blake leaning back against the door-frame, her hand casually toying with her jacket. I knew she could draw her gun and put him down in a split second if he tried anything.
"I'd like you to tell me everything you can about what happened. No matter how trivial. Understand?" "Yeah… I get it." he said, lightly twisting the head of the cane. No doubt he was nervous, basically being interrogated with a man he knew was armed, a woman he likely thought (rightly so) was armed guarding the only exit. He leaned back slightly, taking a breath before he started explaining. "Well, I was on one of my delivery routes when I heard gunshots. I waited a minute or two before I ran over, and I saw the man on the ground. I tried to keep pressure on his wounds, call for a doctor but, he died before anyone could get there. He was shot against a wall, a lot of bullet casings were on the ground. He told me to take his cane to Jaune -you- with his dying breath. This guy came up to me a minute later -the guy you shot- he pointed a gun at me and told me to give up the cane. I smacked him across the face before I booked it out of there." Oscar said, seemingly getting a bit more comfortable being where he was.
I nodded, holding out my hand. Oscar understood, handing me Ozpin's cane. I spun it around, ran a hand along it, looked for any kind of hidden message to it. No braille on the sides, no secret compartment I could find, not even a chip in the damn paint. It looked to be just a normal, walking cane. "Wait, he was twisting the head piece… I wonder…" I thought as I moved up, trying to twist it. Slightly, but not enough. Twisting to the left however, I felt it coming further undone. Though, trying to twist it after that resulted in nothing at all, just a loose piece. "Hmm… strange. What job do you do Oscar?" "Uh, I'm a courier in a way. Get packages from one place to another." he said, his eyes questioning me. Why would I be asking him what his job was? I nodded a few times, looking down and tilting the cane a bit more. "You like being a courier?" "Uhh… it's not terrible no. Horrible pay and a lot of running but… well, I don't like being one, no." he said.
"Yeah… an immigrant right? Came here a few years back before the Quota Act?" "How'd you guess?" he said, giving me a faint smile. So he was Mistralean. I had a feeling. Then again, with the way he looked, it wasn't that hard to figure out. He leaned back a bit, clasping his hands in his lap, dropping that faint smile. "Well… how do you feel about getting a new job?" "Depends what it is." he said. Despite his best efforts, his eyes still shone with that faint hope, the hope of getting out. Being better. I recognized it well, since I'd seen it in the eyes of my clients so many times, so many times they thought they were moving up… then they get pulled right back down. I reached into my pocket, lighting a cigar before I let out a puff of smoke into the air. I frowned at him, "Chief Ozpin was one of the few good people left in this city. I have a feeling I know who's responsible. I just need proof. Problem is, I can't get to it without being seen, he already knows me too well. Effectively Oscar, I'm asking you to become a spy." "Where?" was his only reply, his eyes still hopeful, if slightly fearful now.
"The Vale City Police Department."
"What!? There's not a chance! I couldn't pull that off!" "I'm not asking you to become an officer. That'd probably be the worst thing you could become actually. I'm asking you to get a maintenance job -maybe even a janitorial one- and keep your eyes and ears open for anything we can use." I said. His eyes weren't filled with only wonder this time, but also a distinct and real sense of fear and shock. Blake had the same thing in hers, slowly walking behind him and looking at me. Her look asked if I was serious, mine told her I was deadset. I looked at Oscar, "Look, I know it's risky, but what other choice is there? There are a very small number of uncorrupt officers, and most of them are already under suspicion by Ironwood as is. They'd be caught in seconds, you wouldn't be. The recruiter owes me a favor, so you'll get in no problem. You just need to keep your eyes and ears open, find out about anything you can." I said, letting out a puff of smoke to the side.
Oscar looked down, gripping his hands in his lap before gazing back up at me. "Why?" "I'm a detective Oscar, I want to solve this case. I want to bring the guy who orchestrated Ozpin's hit to justice. I want to stop this city from falling into the ground." I stood, glaring out my window as I saw the people walking about, no clue how many of them moles for the Rose family or the Police. I turned to Oscar, "Something's coming Oscar, something that will change this city forever. I want to stop it, but I can't do it alone. I need someone on the inside, and right now you're the only one that isn't a suspect or under suspicion by Ironwood. No one's going to recognize a random Mistralean immigrant just looking for a job." I explained, leaning back in my chair.
"So… are you in?" I asked. He looked down, his eyes shifting across the table. I could see the gears working overtime in the back of his head as he started thinking of things. The risk, the reward, the reasoning. All of it. He looked up, "What would I have to do?" I smiled at him, standing up before I walked over. I patted his shoulder, waiting a moment before he stood, revealing me to be almost a foot taller than he was. "Glad you're on board. All you have to do is go to recruitment office 1B tomorrow afternoon. A man with long, blonde hair will be the guy waiting. Ask for a job as a janitor, he'll give it to you. Then, just keep your eyes and ears open and report back to me what you can dig up… now, you can go." I said, motioning towards the door. He looked up at me for a second before he nodded, turning and walking out the door. That left just me and Blake.
I walked over, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I know… let me explain." she said, looking away from me. I turned, walking back and sitting in my chair as Blake sat across from me. She took a breath, "Ruby was… she was the best friend I ever had. When I ran from Adam, she was the first one to shelter me. When Nix died, she was the one that payed for the funeral. She kept us together… she kept me and Weiss from arguing, she kept all of us together. Without her… we drifted apart. Weiss went back to her family, Yang left hers, and I… I didn't do anything. I stayed right where I was because without Adam I didn't have anywhere to go. I'd been staying at Junior's bar for almost a month before you found me. I… I love her. Not the way I love you though, the way I love my mom, my dad… Nix… she was like that happy girl I hoped Nix would grow up to be… then her mother stole her away…" she gritted her teeth, gripping the arms of the chair.
I nodded a few times, motioning for her to go on. "We did everything together. We went shopping, clubbing… hell we even held up a bank together one time… for the record, that was Yang's idea." she said when she noticed my incredulous look. "Yang introduced me to Coco after me and Adam's falling out and… well, you know how Adam always wears that mask?" she asked. I nodded, raising an eyebrow. What did that have to do with anything? I figured it was just the standard white fang uniform, not something he'd… wait a second… if he always wore that mask, did that mean… "She did something?"
"He's got a glass eye thanks to her."
I sat back, processing the information for a few moments. So… was she always somewhat violent or, was that because of her mother? Either way, to think Adam and Ruby were worst enemies was… well, something else entirely. "So... he lost his eye because of you?" I asked, smiling when she giggled. She nodded a few times, leaning back in her chair as she sighed. "In a way… so, what now?" she asked, looking down towards my desk. I sat down, looking over Ozpin's cane again before I reached over, dialing the familiar number on my phone. "Velvet… yeah, it's okay… actually, I was calling to tell you to close up shop for the day… yes I'm aware we've been closed most of the last week… I'm dealing with a case… alright, take care of her… bye." I said, hanging up before I stood, patting my coat to make sure I still had my gun. Sure enough, it was still there. I loaded a fresh bullet into it before I lit a cigar, offering one to Blake. "What are we doing?"
"We're going to Ozpin's home. If there's any clues about this cane, they'll be there. Cigar?" I said, offering it to her again. She shook her head, standing up as I laid the cigar back in my pocket, letting out a puff towards the ceiling. I picked up my phone again, dialing Ren's house and -when that failed- Nora's. It rang three times before he picked up, "Hello… yeah, it's me… Ozpin's dead, and I'm looking for the killer… uh-huh… yeah… okay, I understand… bye. Good luck." I hung up, walking past Blake out the door. Granted, I'd kind of expected Ren's answer before I called… I mean, he just got engaged, he and Nora had a lot of work to do. "Who was that?" Blake asked, catching up to me as I locked my office door behind her.
"Ren. He's out-" "So am I in?" I turned, smiling slightly as I saw May walk towards us, a pistol on her hip and a small smile on her face. She had a revolver -one rather similar to mine at that- and what looked to be a knife on her other hip. She was dressed in a pink skirt and a white shirt, something that matched a bit better with Neo's hair than hers, but I wasn't going to complain. "Sure. Don't know if we'll be getting into a firefight but, couldn't hurt to have some extra help." I said. May nodded a few times, the three of us walking out past Velvet as she headed upstairs, no doubt to get Ton-Ton and Neo from upstairs. Meanwhile I stepped out the front door, locking it behind us as the three of us started walking. "Any idea where Ozpin's house is?" May asked, sticking to the street side as Blake stuck to the building side of me.
"It's a ten minute walk west, an older mansion near the woods. He's invited me there to talk business before." I said, flicking my eyes around the area as we walked. Always looking out for any suspicious characters as I thudded Ozpin's cane against the ground. We were halfway there, fire minutes later when I noticed something suspicious. That something being two men walking towards us. Normally that wouldn't be so suspicious, given that it was Vale and there were often times people walking around. Even the guns in their coats wouldn't be all that surprising if it weren't for one thing. The look in their eyes. The look of killers, thugs, hitmen. I knew that look well.
After all, I'd had it for 14 years.
Time seemed to slow as they started running towards us. May seemed to sense it too, drawing her gun as I did the same. Their eyes widened as me and May fired, unloading our cylinders into the two men as they tried to draw their guns. I cracked open my cylinder, making sure to catch the shells so Ironwood couldn't link me as easily to the murder. May did the same, both of us loading in fresh bullets as the three of us -without speaking a word- started running. We ran for almost two minutes before I saw Ozpin's home in the distance, slowing us to a walk. "Anybody know who those guys were?" Blake asked when we were nearly at the gate leading into the estate.
"Hitmen if I had to guess. Hired to get Ozpin's cane and kill whoever was holding it." I said, keeping my eyes staring straight ahead as I dropped my cigar -which had long since burned down to a stub- and snuffed it out with Ozpin's cane. I looked ahead, "We're here." I said simply, walking up to the gate. It wasn't locked. There was a problem. Ozpin always locked the gate when he left. That meant that someone had already been inside. Sure enough, when I pushed the gate open, I saw the familiar lock and chain laid off to the side, the chain snapped with a pair of bolt cutters if I had to guess. "Someone's been here already." May said, cocking her revolver as I did the same, Blake drawing her pistol. I shut the gate behind us, turning back and keeping my eyes on the house.
It was a fairly large place, green siding with large windows on both stories. A rather nice place if I had to say so. We go up to the door, finding that it too was broken into. We walked in, listening closely to see if there was anyone else in the house with us… silence. The only noise being the ticking of the nearby grandfather clock. I walked through the foyer, frowning as I saw what looked to be a mass of papers burning in the fireplace. "Oh no, they beat us-" "Not yet they haven't. If I know Ozpin, he wouldn't make his secrets as easy to find as a piece of paper." I interrupted Blake, the three of us walking into the kitchen. We holstered our weapons, confident that no one was inside the house but us. "May, search this floor. Blake, look upstairs. I'll check the basement." I said, the three of us splitting up to search. I walked out the back door, finding the cellar doors right next to them. I pulled them open -Ozpin never bothered locking them- and walked back down, reaching around to try and find a light-switch.
A few seconds of feeling along the cold stone walls, I found what I was looking for. I shut my eyes as the lights blinded me. When I opened them, I saw about what I expected. A large basement, a large shelf off to the side, a few bottles stacked on them in the traditional fashion of a wine cellar. "Hmm… what are you hiding Ozpin?" I muttered, pulling out and inspecting the bottles of wine. None of them opened a secret door or anything -if only it were that easy- and each of them seemed to be just an ordinary bottle of wine. I walked over to the side, looking in the furnace to see -sure enough- more papers as fuel. Looking inside, I noticed those papers seemed to be old police reports. Nothing really of interest that wasn't already burned. "No help here…" I said as I shut the door. I must've turned over every little thing in that basement… nothing. Not a single thing to help with the case or this cane.
I walked back into the main room, Blake coming down the stairs at the same time. "Anything?" she shook her head, shrugging as we walked into the kitchen. May was looking at the clock, her face disgruntled. I walked over, looking at it with her. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, it just looked to be a normal… wait a second. "You see it too right?" "Yeah." I replied. The second hand wasn't moving normally. Rather, it was moving in what seemed to be a random order… that is, until I started seeing it repeat. "I think you're onto something May… hold on a second." I said as I looked at the cane, then the clock. Three seconds backward, two seconds forward, two seconds backward, one second forward, repeat. "Worth a shot." I thought, turning the head-joint three times counter-clockwise, then two clockwise, then two counter-clockwise, then once clockwise.
"Jackpot."
I said as I felt the head-joint come undone, revealing the inside of the cane. I walked over to the kitchen table, setting down the head-joint before spilling the cane's contents onto the table. Inside were two things: A note and a key. The note said only one thing: 'The clock is the lock'. I looked at the key, noticing it to be a rather large, like one you'd see in an older home. Or… in an older clock. I looked at the grandfather clock, opening the bottom of it before I started feeling around. Sure enough -in the base of the clock's cabinet- I felt a knob, with a keyhole right above it. I grabbed the key, turning it in the hole before I pulled up on the knob. I felt around inside, raising an eyebrow when -at first- I didn't feel anything at all. It just felt like an empty cabinet. I felt a brief moment of panic: Had they gotten to it too?
Though, that panic proved to be for nothing when I felt the small, metal object in the otherwise wooden cabinet. I pulled it out of it's place, smiling when I saw it was another key. This one, though, I recognized. "Another key? Wonder what it goes to…" May said, leaning down and looking at it. The brass key had the familiar circular shape, with the number 517 on the front. On the back? A logo. The logo of the Vale Citizens bank. I turned it, showing it to May and Blake. "It's a safety deposit box key. Whatever he had of use is in that bank." I said, setting the key in my hat with my wallet. May stood, smiling at us as she sat back. She chuckled, "So… all we have to do is go to the bank and get whatever's in this box? Seems easy enou- wait I know that look… there's a catch isn't there?" she said, frowning when she noticed my glance at her.
I sighed, "Unfortunately. We'd either have to be in Ozpin's will or be a direct relative in order to open the box ourselves. The police -on the other hand- only need to show due cause to open it. Even if we knew someone in Ozpin's will, the police would have either confiscated or destroyed everything by the time we even get to look in the box." I said, running a hand through my hair. Of course it was never easy… then again, Ozpin normally didn't make things easy for me did he? Blake slumped over in her chair, frowning at us. "So that's it… we lost." she said. May sighed, doing exactly as Blake was doing. I shook my head, glaring at the wall as I screwed Ozpin's cane back together, tapping it against the floor. "We're not done… we have the key. We just need to get in the safety deposit box room to use it." I said, Blake and May's eyes widening. They knew what I was implying… granted, only Blake looked that phased by it. May's was more a look of excitement. "Are you saying you want to-" "That's exactly what I'm saying. Ladies," I turned, smiling at them.
"We're robbing the Vale Citizens bank."
…
"Why are we here again?"
"We need help, and if anyone's as interested in this case as we are, it's her." I said, slowing to a stop in front of the old warehouse. I'd only been here a few times, and every one of them it was usually blindfolded and gagged. After arriving at the office, I'd figured it best just to bring May with me. Blake… well, it might not end well with her. I stopped outside, holding open the door for May as she stepped out, gripping her revolver. She could sense the tension in the air, the unease that came with this place. "Keep your hand to your side, but don't make it look like you've got a gun. Walk quickly, but don't run. And whatever you do, don't make eye contact with anyone, understand?" I asked. She nodded, following me towards the familiar door as I reached into my coat, casually dropping my hand down to my side, my gun in my hand. I'd had to borrow Ren's car for the drive (thankfully he was too preoccupied with his wife to care that much).
I stopped at the door, rapping on it with my right hand. They knew I shot right handed, they wouldn't be looking for a gun in my left. I saw the familiar slot near eye-level with me open, revealing two gray eyes staring at me. "Business or-" "Business Ilia. Strictly business." I interrupted, not wanting to go through a speech again. She opened the door, revealing the tan skinned, browned haired woman standing there. She was dressed in what looked to be a pink skirt and white blouse. Must be heading out. "Come on in, you know the rules Jaune." she said, stepping past me and May as the two of us walked in, Ilia shutting and locking the door behind us.
May leaned a bit closer, looking around at the gray walls nearby. "This is a terrible-" "I know, but it's the best bad idea I have." I interrupted, giving her a slight glare before I turned back ahead, seeing the larger door at the end of the hallway, past the boxes and pallets that were stacked up all over the place, a few grunts with the all too familiar masks moving them around. They paid me little mind, other than a few looking towards me once in awhile. An unwritten rule for them: If Ilia let's someone in, don't kill them unless they do something stupid. I stopped at the larger door, wrapping on it again. The door was pulled open to both sides, revealing the familiar office. It was rather nicely decorated -much in contrast with the abandoned warehouse look of the rest of the compound.
Seated in front of a wall with a large painting of the White Fang founder, behind a mahogany desk decorated with empty wine glasses and a familiar bottle, was Sienna Khan herself. She looked over at me, giving me a slight smirk. "Well well, Jaune goddamn Arc. Come to see me again?" she asked, standing up, revealing the long, black dress with the red bow in her hair. She wasn't dealing today, I could tell that much by the attire. I nodded, giving a faint smile as I walked over to her, pulling out the one chair in front of her desk and gesturing for May to sit down. She looked down at May, her eyes asking the question I knew was on her mind. "An associate of mine. There's a job-" "Hold on." Sienna interrupted, holding up a finger. She uncorked the nearby bottle. Mistralean wine of course. Always was her favorite.
She picked up three of the glasses, pouring wine into each of them. "Care for a drink?" she asked, showing her feline nature in her smirk. I nodded, grabbing the stem of the glass, May taking the hint and doing the same. She sipped her glass as I did the same, May following suit a second later. She sat on her desk, leaning back slightly as she brushed her hair from her faunus ears, smirking at me. "So, what're you here for this time?" she purred, moving around over the desk, sitting her feet just in front of me. I shook my head, giving her a slight smirk when I saw her pout. "Not that Sienna. I'm here about a job. Figured you might be interested. Lot of money in it." I explained, feeling a small spark of guilt at what I was doing. I was helping criminals, I knew that, but I was also doing it to put away other criminals so, all things considered, I guess it balanced out.
She sighed, "Where?" "The Vale Citizens Bank. I've got a key to a safety deposit box that may have some valuable information in it. Information that can get Ironwood put away." I explained, reaching into my hat and holding out the key. Her eyes widened as she lept at it, me holding it high above my head as she pressed against me, reaching towards it. She backed up, wrapping her arms around me as she smiled. "Okay Mr. Arc. You've got my attention. There's just one hitch… given the other jobs I'm doing, I don't exactly have the manpower to rob a bank that size. Think you can get me some… recruits?" she asked, snaking an arm around my shoulders. I had to keep from backing away at her touch, guilt swarming me as I remembered the black haired cat faunus waiting for me at home.
"I know a few. Sugar sloths, they'll-" "Get them to do the job for low pay, and I'm in. I'll forgo the vengeance I have against little Nora for destroying my weapon shipment." she said, still smirking, her teeth seemingly more pointed now than they were just a moment before. I nodded a few times, giving her a brief smile as she pulled me aside, sitting down on her desk as she made me do the same. She trailed a hand up my coat. I knew what she was doing, looking for weapons. Of course, she wouldn't find it in my coat. Not now at least. "A little bare today aren't… oh you sneaky bastard~" she said as I held up my gun, aiming it towards her. She giggled, holding up her hands as I stood, keeping that small smile on my face as May shot up, quick drawing her gun as well.
"What now? You've got me at gunpoint, plan on-" "Leaving. Sienna. I'm leaving. A lot of work to do." I said, holstering my revolver as May did the same, keeping her eyes on the door behind us as I eyed Sienna. She pouted towards me, leaning back and yawning before she finished her wine glass, crawling back over her desk and sitting down in her chair. "What happened Jaune? Where did the time go?" she said, frowning towards me over the desk. I shook my head, frowning at her as I turned away, May keeping her eyes on Sienna now as I started walking towards the door. "It's done Sienna… this is business. Not personal, I don't-" "I know you don't… I know." she said. I heard her pouring another wine glass as I walked out the door, May walking out with me. We were outside before May finally spoke up, asking the question I knew she would.
"Okay… what was that? Are you friends with her or something?"
"We were… once. I'd rather forget but… guess I can never really get away from her." I said, walking over to the car and holding the door for her. When we were both in, and I was driving away from the warehouse, May spoke again. "The way she was talking… the way you were talking… the gun, the wine…" her eyes widened, "You care about her." she said, her eyes boring into me. I just kept driving, my eyes blank as May stared, trying to coerce an answer out of me. When we got to the first stoplight, I finally obliged. "Did… I did. She was… well, she-" "You fucked her brains out?" May said, nearly causing me to swerve off the road with how blunt she was. I glared at her for a second before I stopped in front of the Rexford.
"No. We never slept together… well, at least not like that we didn't. I mean-" "Have you or have you not seen her naked?" May interrupted, still glaring at me. I ran a hand over my head, glaring over at the shorter sniper. She was starting to get on my nerves with the constant interruptions. "She sleeps naked, a lot of people have. We went on a few dates almost a year ago, she didn't know who I was, and I didn't know who she was. Not really anyway. I saw her, thought she was cute, flirted with her and -surprisingly- she actually accepted, we went on a few dates, and we broke up when I refused to -as you put it- 'fuck her brains out'." I explained, getting out of the car and walking towards Nora's apartment. May followed, pressing the button to lock the car behind her. May opened her mouth to ask something else, but I placed a finger on her lips before she could speak. "I'm going to ask you to do one thing, understand? One thing." she nodded. I moved my finger, holding it up towards her.
"Never, ever, tell Blake."
