Small Steps 1.7

Glass

"Hey, Tattletale."

"Junior. How's business?"

"Good. That tip you gave me was pretty good. He seemed to know what his stuff was worth, but didn't push too hard to get it. Always good to deal with someone who knows who's in charge. Hey, me and some of the boys were going to play some poker, would you like to join us? It's mostly a chance to relax, I don't think there's a problem if you don't pay in."

Poker? In Remnant?

"I'll play. And I'll pay in, I've saved up a little."

Lisa lost a few hundred lien before catching on to the idiosyncracies of the game and, more importantly, the players. Li was cunning, almost as good at bluffing and reading people as Junior was. Ignatius was reckless at bluffing and would meet any raise if he thought he had a decent hand. Odel would back down from almost anyone who showed confidence in their hand.

Learning the game was trickier, but still not that hard. The game was a lot like Earth poker, but with different scoring quirks and a different deck. Suits were kingdoms, simple enough. Numbers were one through seven; there were four face cards, Councilor, Huntsman, Royal, and Dragon, though some games didn't count the Dragons as belonging to any kingdom, so the deck differentiated Dragons by art color alone. Finally, there were five Grimm cards, which didn't belong to any kingdom, and three Rogues, which were like Jokers in that most games didn't use them much unless they were needed to replace some other card.

Lisa also examined the images on the Councilor, Royal, and Huntsman cards of each kingdom, hoping to gain an insight into national stereotypes. She didn't get much from them, except that Atlas was high-tech and that the Mystral Huntsman was using what Li identified as sorcery. As far as Lisa knew, sorcery neither existed in Remnant nor was widely believed to exist; the same was true for dragons. She supposed that even a world of fairy tales needed something to put in its stories.

In any case, after several hands, Lisa made her money back and then some. Her favorite round was when she managed to bluff so hard that Ig folded on three Huntsmen and two fives when she had nothing but a pair of Dragons…but not before betting nearly ten thousand lien. Between this and substantial contributions from the others, Lisa nearly doubled her money right there. At that point, Ignatius stormed away from the table, provoking a burst of laughter from everyone else.

Lisa found the conversation more interesting and useful. Lisa pretended to be focused on studying her cards, while she paid minimal attention to them, a bit more to the other players to see how they were doing, and mostly focused on interpreting their statements to glean more understanding of the world and the group. As it happens, she learned more about the latter than the former. Junior's group had strong opinions about family, honor, and the like, and unlike many, they actually lived by them. Lisa suspected that the only reason Junior was even running the syndicate was because his father and sister had—Junior certainly didn't seem to have much in the way of talent. The others…their opinions on the situation varied. Ig and Li thought something should change, but Odel felt that if they didn't abide by their principles through thick and thin alike, they were no better than common crooks.

Another hand ended, and Junior glanced at the clock. "Odel, Li, probably about time to start setting things up for the night. Lisa and I have some business to discuss."

"Well played, Lis," Odel said. Li nodded; Lisa could tell his pride was bruised after losing so badly and so consistently to a teenage girl. Lisa considered that almost more of a compliment than anything Odel could have said.

After the others left, Junior began to share what he knew and wanted to know about the underworld of Vale.

~0~

"Have you considered contacting the White Fang about purchasing Dust?"

"…You are joking, right?"

It had been three days since Lisa started working for Junior. No one wanted to play poker with her anymore, after two consecutive days where she practically robbed anyone who let her join a game; despite this, she managed to get to know some of them.

"Even with how destructive the Fang are, they surely took some Dust from the train. If their leaders have any sense, they took as much of it as they could. Definitely the crystals, raw Dust might be too volatile. That much Dust, they can't use it all—they don't have the facilities to use it as more than bombs and maybe fuel."

"They go through a lot of those."

"And even more other things. Dust's worth a lot, and the way things are going, the prices are just going to rise. Give them a half-decent price, and you'll have a good investment. Not to mention that if you can give the Fang reason to trust you, there's one nightclub they won't be choosing when they decide to scare the common human a bit."

Junior had been preparing an objection, but that last argument seemed to give him pause. Lisa had learned his buttons. He was concerned about appearing to be in charge, so Lisa only made major suggestions when no one was watching. In addition, Junior was stubborn; Lisa had to ease her way through the argument, carefully breaking down his reluctance bit by bit. He wasn't confident in his abilities, and, again, liked to feel in charge, so she timed the peak of her arguments to when Junior would guess that she was about to start explaining things that any self-respecting crime lord should know. It was a delicate art, but Lisa would have been talented at manipulating people even if she hadn't triggered.

"…It's worth considering, at least. I'll bring it up with the boys, see what they think." Lisa knew that was almost as good as a yes. He wasn't going to bring something up with the boys if he wasn't already planning to do it; he merely did so so he could check for flaws, and so he had a chance to back out later rather than committing.

"Glad to hear it." Lisa knew the White Fang would be back, and that Junior knew all about the warehouse. If Lisa could broker good relations between Junior and the White Fang…there were a number of potential options. "Is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"There's a Hagel executive coming by later tonight who has some rivals he wants us to deal with. Think you can scope him out, without him knowing?"

"'Think' implies some level of uncertainty."

"Don't get cocky, Tattletale."

"It's only cockiness if I'm wrong."

Junior smiled. "Then don't be wrong."

~0~

Lisa had been working with Junior for a week. She was listening to another business offer—one from Roman Torchwick, a newcomer who was making waves in the Valish underworld. He had lead a number of high-profile crimes, with a penchant for stealing Dust, and yet almost nothing was known of him. Torchwick never hit the same place twice, rarely with the same henchmen. He reminded Lisa a bit of the Undersiders, in their early days, when Coil was paying them to rob banks and casinos. It seemed to be nothing more than a passing resemblance, but Lisa kept it in mind.

Junior was also interested in Torchwick. Junior was an information broker, in part, and Torchwick was an unknown. More than a few people had come asking for information on him, and every one left disappointed. This was problematic, given how he built a reputation for knowing everything. Junior also worried that Torchwick might look to expand his business into fields which would compete with him—or he might just decide to attack to take potential complications out of the way.

So, when Junior heard Roman was interested in hiring some of his boys, he didn't bother consulting anyone before accepting. Not that Lisa minded—she couldn't think of a reason not to. The meeting would be in the club, surrounded by Junior's men and women. They weren't the best in Vale, but they could stand up to just about anyone. Well, everyone except Huntsmen and the like, but between their weapons, their years or decades of training and experience starting from early adolescence, and supposedly some secret techniques they learned, that didn't say much.

Naturally, Junior wanted to get as much as he could from the meeting with Torchwick. So there Lisa was, sitting alone at a table not far from where Junior and Torchwick were discussing numbers and terms, listening in, focusing entirely on divining everything she could about Torchwick. Lisa wasn't sure she liked what she heard. Torchwick certainly didn't care about Junior; Lisa got the impression that Torchwick considered him nothing more than a resource to be used and thrown away. If Junior was in a mood to be reused, all the better, but Torchwick knew he could find goons elsewhere. Lisa considered the number of times Torchwick's crimes lead to the capture of a substantial number of his henchmen, and she didn't see any reason this time would be different. Torchwick gave a "long-term partnership" spiel, but his body language and tone disagreed.

The job sounded simple enough, though. Hit a Dust shop, From Dust till Dawn, notable mainly for being open late at night. Lisa couldn't help but wonder why someone would be buying Dust that late. The shop was run by an old man, alone, and was in a part of town where police response was slow. Lisa noted that it was on Wave Street, near Eighth, and relatively close to Beacon…but she couldn't imagine one of the teachers or other Huntsmen there coming down to town to deal with a simple robbery. Students…maybe one would be reckless enough, if they heard about it in time. Afterwards, they would be flown away by a tiltjet with some kind of cloaking device, along with the Dust. Simple, safe. So why did Lisa distrust the plan so much? Perhaps it was the fact that Torchwick had access to a cloaking tiltjet and was robbing a civilian Dust store.

An agreement was reached. Lisa knew you tried not to anger someone without knowing if they could ruin your life, especially someone with a track record like Roman Torchwick's. Still, it left her uneasy. She got up and walked towards Junior, planning to share her insights, but was cut off by a tall blonde with a leather jacket a few sizes too small. Remnan fashions still seemed alien to Lisa. The blonde was headed straight for Junior; Lisa quickly considered her options. Probably best to let Blondie talk with Junior first, but Lisa had still gotten up, and while no one the club should notice or care, Lisa didn't like betting on "should". She'd look unusual at the bar, and almost as weird just walking from one empty table to another across the room, so Lisa decided to feign a visit to the restroom.

She went in, found it empty, and waited a minute. If no one was specifically watching her, no one would notice anything unusual. If someone was, she would be noticed no matter how long she waited. When Lisa came out, she saw Junior hunched over, in pain, and the blonde with a smug look on her face. The two of them were surrounded by a number of Junior's boys, weapons drawn.

Hunched posture, surrounded by his armed men, pained noises: Recently sustained a blow to the crotch region.

Loyalty of men to Junior, lack of strangers in area, blow to groin: Blonde delivered blow to groin.

Professional attitude, surrounded by his armed men, positive facial expression of blonde: Largely unprovoked.

Lisa wondered what the hell had gone on while she was in the bathroom. Junior got up, groaning a little more.

"You'll pay for that," Junior growled as he donned his red sunglasses and walked towards the middle of the dance floor.

The blonde followed. "Oh, Junior, I was just playing with you! Don't be so sensitive!"

Willingly surrounding herself with armed men, unconcerned tone: Ignorant of the danger.

Aggressive behavior, ignorant of danger: Conflict likely.

Ignorant of danger, no apparent weapons: Untrained/Unprepared for armed combat.

Unprepared, unprovoked attack, surrounded by armed men: Defeat inevitable.

Lisa took a seat and watched the show.

"Come on, let's kiss and make up, okay?"

"Huh? …Okay…"

Lisa sighed. Junior's just trusting enough to do that, even after being kicked in the nuts, Lisa thought. Not that it matters much, I suppose.

The two leaned together, but a moment before their lips actually met, Blondie punched Junior in the face, sending him flying across the club.

Throwing man across the room, lack of appreciable reaction force, Remnan: Possesses Semblance, point-blank telekinesis.

The club swiftly emptied of everyone except Junior's men and the DJ, who continued playing diligently. The blonde shifted into an aggressive posture, and her bracelets unfolded into a pair of gauntlets, with what seemed to be shotgun shells attached. Lisa's power began filling in the blanks, but she already knew the answer. She was a Huntress.

Junior's men charged towards the blonde Huntress, and she lept high into the air.

Point-blank telekinesis, great leap: Semblance capable of affecting self.

Semblance capable of affecting self, aggression, confidence: Semblance has defensive application.

The Huntress slammed into the ground, her gauntlets on fire, sending Junior's men flying backwards and making the dance floor literally ripple.

Large number of affected men, rippling floor: Semblance is not limited to single target.

Flaming gauntlets, Remnan weapon: Fire Dust.

Rippling floor, Fire Dust, leap, aggression: Huntress showing off.

Lisa had stuck around longer than most of the club's patrons, but now she started to look for a safe escape route. The Huntress kicked one of Junior's boys into the ground as the song changed, before slamming another with her gauntleted fist. She heard an unusual noise.

Shotgun shells, muzzle flash, unknown mechanism of Remnan firearms: Huntress has shotguns built into gauntlets.

Shotgun, lack of blood, likes showing off, Huntress, telekinetic: Fine control over Semblance, possible subconscious desire not to believe she is wounding people.

Lisa looked for an exit she could run to. That Huntress is too punch-happy for my tastes…I really don't want her to see me. She would have run, but there was still a chance that they could pull ahead. The Malachite twins weren't Huntresses, but Junior said they had unusually strong auras. Certainly, the others didn't stand much of a chance, even once the DJ began providing covering fire. Carmine always was reckless…The Huntress ran for the DJ booth and lept, firing one gauntlet down.

Semblance makes her capable of greater unassisted leaps, use of weapon to assist leap, subconscious use of Semblance: Semblance primarily operates unconsciously.

Unconscious Semblance, use of weapon to assist leap: Unaware of Semblance?

The Huntress shot the DJ before slamming him into the booth, cutting off the music, and then throwing him to the ground. He didn't move, like Junior's boys before him. The Malachites had finally heard the commotion, though, and they walked into the club.

"Melanie, who is this girl?"

"I dunno, Militia, but we should teach her a lesson."

The Huntress made a noise between a grunt and a laugh, barely audible in the shattered club. She shook her arms, ejecting all the spent casings, before taking two belts of different-colored shells, hurling them into the air, and catching them with the weapons.

Red hue, user's penchant for fire: Shells likely use fire Dust as means of damage.

Her suspicions were proved within seconds, as the Huntress leapt onto the dance floor, launching what almost seemed like fireworks, streaming toward the twins before detonating on the floor. They rolled and lept out of the way of every shot as they charged towards Yang. Melanie kicked the Huntress, who slid away from the attack before launching another shot at the pair.

Damn it, you two, attack at the same time!

Militia charged at the Huntress, followed closely by Melanie. Then, as if they had heard Lisa's thoughts, the Malachites attacked together. They briefly knocked the Huntress off her feet, but she glid away from the blow before they could follow up. She landed on her feet, and charged at them once more, slamming Melanie away. Lisa almost thought she saw her hair glowing, but it was probably just a trick of the light. Militia was quickly overpowered with a number of punches and blasts, sent flying into a fixture. Melanie charged at the Huntress; Lisa realized this was probably the best distraction she would get and ran for the back room.

Twenty seconds later, the sounds of fighting stopped and Lisa was in the back. She'll leave, and then I can see if anyone's still alive. Proably not many, aside from the boys Torchwick took with him; the Huntress was using shotguns. Even if she wasn't spraying gore everywhere, it was hard to imagine that they would be okay. If nothing else, how very still everyone lay once struck was a giveaway. Brain damage or broken necks or something, probably.

She heard Junior's low, grumbling voice. At least he'll be alive. If she doesn't kill him…Junior really should have stayed down. With this in mind, and the sound of both Junior's impractical rocket launcher and the Huntress's shot-gauntlets firing, Lisa slipped out the back door and through a side alley to the front of the club. She saw a small figure in a red cloak, waiting, probably for the Huntress. Lisa crouched in the alley, watching.

Several seconds later, an explosion and more gunshots, the last ending with a muffled explosion, distracted Red-Cloak; Lisa took the oportunity to sprint behind a car, still concealed from Red-Cloak's point of view. Several seconds after that, the loudest explosion yet, followed by the club's windows shattering, with Junior flying out, followed by the Huntress. Junior was still.

The Huntress and Red-Cloak started talking, but Lisa didn't listen. She just ran around the end of the block, and prayed the Huntress wouldn't come after her.