AN: Well, this chapter was a pain in the ass to the write but I hope it was worth it. Sorry for the lack of updates! And holy shit, thank you all so much for reviewing, following and favouriting this fic. Really, it really motivates me to get past my writer's block. :D Now on to the story!
Stepping down from the airship, Blake walked briskly towards the entrance of Vale. Behind her, Weiss and Yang followed her lead. Both girls kept silent, barely even glancing at each other as they gazed straight ahead. For the most part, Yang had barely managed to recover from the event which happened several weeks ago.
But it was when she saw the icy demeanor of the Schnee heiress, indifferent and bored, that her temper flared, the urge to pound her into the ground becoming increasingly difficult to control. Holding her reins was none other than Blake Belladonna, who, despite siding with her irate girlfriend, was able to comprehend the situation to a deeper extent than the other two. Her animosity towards Weiss had died down after they talked, but they still weren't exactly 'buddy buddy' either.
The blonde trudged forward, lost in her thoughts.
"This isn't about Weiss." Blake said with a heavy sigh. They were currently in their empty dorm room, the missing presence of Ruby enough to make Yang set on edge. When her girlfriend refused to meet her gaze, she gently grabbed her weapon clad hands and gave them a squeeze. "Listen to me. This is not. about. Weiss."
"Damn straight it isn't. That snobby waste of space has another thing coming if she think she can make herself the victim." The brawler rebutted heatedly. Her lips curved up into a snarl as lilac irises flitted towards the bed of the other member of team RWBY. The meticulously made bed somehow or rather made her blood boil. Resisting the urge to set it asunder, Yang let out a huff before her attention was once again stolen by the amber eyed beauty standing before her.
"That's not what I meant, Yang. And you know it."
Blake responded softly. Guiding her slowly, the both of them ending up sitting on the edge of their shared bed. Their gaze connected in that single moment; one burning with fury, promising to unleash hell on earth, while the other was of resignation, anxiety wrapping its tendrils around the mind like a hungry python.
"….Yeah." Yang breathed, taking in a deep breath to clear her mind. "But it doesn't change the fact that what happened was Weiss's fault."
"It's not just her Yang. I'm sure you've already realized it, but all Weiss did was pull the trigger. We were the ones who provided the bullets."
The cat Faunus grimaced when her girlfriend started to shake, her irises switching between lilac and deep crimson. It was a sight to behold, the normal happy go lucky girl bogged down by her own guilt and anger.
Hands curled into fists, she heatedly shook herself out of Blake's gentle hold ("Yang?!" she heard a surprised gasp) before rushing towards the wall and punching it with all her strength. Fist bouncing off harmlessly, the girl prepared to release all her pent up anger with the second strike, arm drawn back like the sinewy string of a bow, before it flew through the air like a speeding missile.
A cracking sound resounded through the room.
Pain shot through her arm, causing Yang to pull back with a faint growl. She prepared her arm once more, this time with the intent of breaking her own hand, but thankfully, Blake swiftly moved into action and firmly locked the girl's arm in place.
"YANG!" Blake seethed.
Realizing that she wasn't going to be let go of until she calmed down, the blonde wordlessly lowered her raised arm while taking several deep breaths. Her sizable bust rose up and down rhythmically against Blake's arm as she breathed in and out, in and out. The previously tense atmosphere in the room began to drain away, replaced by melancholy and resignation.
And then, Yang shut her eyes.
The image that came to mind made her jaws clench, a heavy feeling settling on her shoulders and weighing her entire body down. A stunned Ruby, standing slack jawed as Weiss started to berate her. A hopeful gaze met hers, with a hint of a plea shining in those childish, lovable eyes…which had been blocked when she purposely directed her attention away.
But when the ice queen began to accuse her little sister of cheating, that had been the last straw which made her look back towards their direction again. She opened her mouth to defend Ruby, only for a tirade of curses to escape from her sister's mouth. Shocked beyond relief, she sought out for those familiar silver eyes filled with happiness and naivety; but all that she found was bitterness and hatred staring back at her.
Yang stilled, her entire body beginning to shake. Her bloodied fist began to tremble once more, but she made no movement to hurt herself once again. Instead, she placed her hand over her lilac eyes and began to sob.
"Let's pick up the pace." Blake said as they finally exited the landing space for airships. Forcibly dragged from her memories, Yang sluggishly trailed behind her girlfriend while Weiss sped up to fall in step with Blake. Feeling the tension in the air diffuse slightly at her proclamation, she heaved an internal sigh of relief. It felt like there were thunderclouds between the two, wherein one wrong step could result in a fight of epic proportions.
Yang grunted in response and crossed her arms while Weiss gave her a curt nod. Figuring that it was the best they could do, she quickly flagged down a taxi and handed the driver a piece of paper with a vaguely scribbled address.
The man nodded in understanding and with a faint click sound, the doors were locked and they were off.
"Right, I'll be heading off now. See ya later!"
"Remember the directions kiddo." Jack said gruffly, with a hint of a smile on his face. "I wouldn't want you to get lost and be late."
"Nah, I won't. Sides' I'm leaving early aren't I?"
He rolled his eyes at her smart mouthed response but waved her off anyway. Ruby's cheerful face disappeared from sight when she stepped out of the shop. The bell tinkled eerily and soon, the place was drowned in silence.
Walking back to his kitchen, Jack wordlessly poured himself a cup of coffee. Shuffling to the refrigerator, he browsed through his selections in search of some milk. It was a rarity that he had coffee without any sort of additional ingredient. It wasn't that he hated it black, it more because he hated the memories that came with it. When that thought crossed his mind, the fingers reaching for the can of condensed milk halted.
He stilled.
A youthful, carefree face flashed in his mind. A can of sweet java. The smell of autumn, fresh pine and mint.
Jack slammed the door shut with such strength that the refrigerator trembled. The milk forgotten, he shakily brushed back his stray locks and fell into the nearby kitchen chair, taking in ragged breaths. Pushing the cup as far away as possible, as if it contained poison, he slumped into a heap, cradling his face in his hands.
"…I'm sorry. But it had to be done." He murmured. "I'm okay. I'm okay."
Slowly, he picked up his scroll and typed in a quick message before pressing send. The disgusting feeling in his stomach didn't leave though, even when he dumped spoonfuls of sugar into the coffee and chugged down the burning liquid.
Ruby weaved through the crowd, deftly avoiding the tangle of human limbs. It was easy to do so, even without her semblance. Continuing down the crowded path, she kept close to the wall to avoid any possible mishaps.
"Gah, why couldn't he just drive me there?" She groaned and adjusted the parasol in her hands. It was notably long, but it was still small enough to be used by anyone with a shorter stature. Despite the relatively light weight of the weapon, Ruby was also carrying her beloved Crescent Rose. She hated the feeling of being exposed, since she had to have to hold the parasol there was no way she could put her beloved in a more accessible position.
If anything, the weight of her scythe felt comfortable enough beneath her red cloak.
As she continued towards her destination, the girl noticed that the crowd had thinned considerably. There was now enough room for her to move freely, without the fear of accidentally hitting someone (it would not be pretty). It struck her as odd that the client would choose such an 'unpopular' meeting place, since most people got jittery around weapon shops and or people with giant ass weapons which could beat them into a bloodied pulp.
But then again, they did commission something which could easily pierce through a deathstalker's shell, so it was unlikely they couldn't hunt and or fight to a certain extent.
Ruby jerked to a halt when the cement pavement ended abruptly.
She looked up in surprise. Her surroundings were unfamiliar, but she could tell that she was in the slightly more 'rougher' side of town. Buildings with chipped blocks, walls with peeling paint and spiraling vines made quite the impression on her. To top it off; she could see a whole street of seedy looking establishments unravel like a yarn of cloth, a whole line of them spreading out in front of her.
Confused and slightly perturbed, she glanced at the written address again. Was this neighborhood really the place she was supposed to be…?
Nervously, she continued walking and occasionally looked up to follow the street signs to her destination. Fidgeting uncomfortably at the stares prickling her skin, she could only wish that her hands were empty so that she could at least hold onto crescent rose. Breathing out in relief when she turned into a secluded area, she finally spotted the name of the establishment she was looking for.
The first thing Ruby noticed, was that the shop looked better off than the others in the area. The building itself looked fairly old, but it was well kept and the walls seemed as if it had been freshly painted recently. Two large opal sized windows in the red brick wall stared back at her, the panes giving off a bronze sheen under the faint sunlight.
What caught her eye though, was the fact that she couldn't see into the shop at all. The windows seemed to be using frosted glass instead of the usual transparent kind. Overall, Ruby felt that it was awfully big on privacy, but seeing as they were situated in a dangerous place, it didn't seem as strange as it could have been. In fact, she would've thought that it was a smart move, had her mind not been occupied by other, more pressing matters.
Cautiously, Ruby stepped up to the doors. Pushing them lightly, the door creaked as it slowly swung open. She slowly walked through the shop. On her left stood numerous barstools, placed up in a straight line in front of the black lacquer counter. A lone man stood behind it, dressed in a black vest. Slicked back hair framing a fierce looking face, he looked as if he walked straight out of a gangster movie.
He eyed her when she came in, confusion marring his face. But it disappeared as quickly as it came, becoming a mask of impassiveness. The man bowed slightly in greeting, his hand still cleaning a glass mug while he did so. Ruby stiffly responded with a bow of her own, but she scuttled away when his gaze turned elsewhere. Moving forward, she went deeper into the store.
The length of the shop resembled that of Beacon's hallways, but was wider in width. The bar that was on her left was replaced by a brick wall as she ventured further in. On her right were small pockets of space, each separated by a thin wall, holding two chairs and one table, or four chairs and two tables at most. She nodded to herself, liking the outlay of this hole in the wall. It certainly gave customers their privacy.
Or at least, the illusion of privacy.
Ruby began to look around, her tenseness diffused away by the silence that permeated throughout the café. It was well lit enough, with a faint smell of cinnamon wafting from what seemed to be the kitchen, which was blocked by the counter. She tentatively took a seat in one of the spaces, marveling how fended out the area seemed. If only they had places like this in Beacon.
She stretching languidly, rolling her neck as she settled in. Kicking her feet up into a comfortable position, she leaned back with a tired sigh. The excitement and nervousness of meeting her mystery client had put her nerves on edge. Placing the parasol like one would a wet umbrella, Ruby finally took the opportunity to retrieve Crescent Rose from underneath her cape.
She let out a pleased murmur and expanded the entirety of her lovely darling of steel. The sharp end of the scythe jutted out from the small space, and after some adjusting, managed to get it in the position she wanted. Figuring that she had some time to kill (she was early after all), Ruby pulled out her bullet chamber to make sure they were properly in place. She eyed her special dust bullets, handling them with care as she slotted them back in to their special chamber. A faint 'click' sound let relax and move on to the other one holding normal sniper rounds.
If anyone asked, Ruby would admit that she was not meticulous by nature. She was the type of person who learned through experiencing things firsthand. Her mind flashed back to one of the missions where RWBY had been tasked with clearing out a herd of extra aggressive bewolves, and her sniper rifle had jammed at the most inopportune time.
She almost had almost become minced meat (she still remembered the glint of bloodied canines), courtesy of an enraged Beowulf with a missing arm. Ruby grinned a little at the memory of having her ass hauled away by one of Weiss' glyphs, but the grin was quickly squashed when she remembered her current predicament.
But…the mission had turned out just fine, she supposed. There were zero casualties among the first years, save for Jaune tumbling down the airship when his head was still covered by a plastic bag. Thoughts shifted to Beacon, Ruby remembered Ozpin's time limit. And as of now, her stay with Jack would soon be over. The prospect of returning to Beacon seemed to be more off putting than anything else. She didn't want to return to that time ever again.
And even if the situation between the rest of her team mates grew sour, she didn't think that she would sit through the unintentional abuse another time. Putting herself back together hadn't been an easy task, and she absolutely fucking refused to be broken anyway.
So preoccupied in dusting off her weapon and contemplating her musings, she failed to notice a short, lithe figure slide into the seat opposite of her.
And she would have gone unnoticed too, had Ruby not looked up and stared straight into the barrel of a gun.
Sitting at the other end of the table, Neo shot her a delighted smile.
And pulled the trigger.
The reaction she drew from the student was instantaneous. Quicker than she could blink, the object of her interest shielded her most vulnerable areas, namely the exposed neck and the skull. It was a reaction taken straight from defense textbooks, and the criminal couldn't help but giggle brightly. Ah, her interest in Ruby hadn't been for no reason after all.
"What the hell–"
Neo held up a finger and winked at her. The empty gun swung carelessly from her grasp. Twirling it in a show of dexterity, she brought out the barrel and displayed its contents like a prize. Four gleaming bullets glared at Ruby garishly. Cheeks reddening in anger, the younger girl growled menacingly, lips twisted into a feral snarl.
"Are you fucking nuts?! You could've killed me!" She slammed her fist on the small table, causing it to shake. Neo felt satisfaction pump through her veins as she watched her rant, her expression turning darker and darker with every minute at the lack of response.
"Are you even listening?! And who the heck are you, anyway? Is your hobby murdering people you don't even know in empty cafes?"
To her utmost surprise, the stranger's smile grew wider with each passing question, and Ruby could feel her temper rising. Combined with the adrenaline and the fact she almost had her head blown off, she itched to take out Crescent Rose and shred her into ribbons.
'Holy– where did that come from?' Her eyes widened at the murderous thoughts. Gulping down some much needed oxygen, Ruby sought to clear her mind. What a reaction that had been…the only time she recalled feeling such toxic emotions was when she had first received the news of Summer's death, and during the period where she had been largely ignored by all of her 'friends'. The intensity of the anger she felt scared her.
Suddenly remembering that she was not alone, Ruby quickly looked up. Neo stared at her target in disappointment. The spike in her aura had been almost mesmerizing to feel, but it was gone as soon as it came. Oh well. She would have plenty of time to work on that.
"W-Who are you?" Ruby spoke meekly, slightly shaken up by the occurrence. Anger dissipated, the girl placed a hand around the parasol, eyeing the stranger before her. "What do you want with me?"
At the question, Neapolitan settled into her chair, placing the gun in front of her. She made a hand gesture which seemed like she was mocking Ruby. 'Uh uh uh' She signaled, and took out an empty notebook. The click of the pen made Ruby jump, breaking her out from the stunned silence.
'Isn't it rude to not properly introduce yourself to the one who hired you?'
"I can't –wait. W-What?"
The girl went slack jawed, slouching in her chair.
Jesus. This…this woman who damn near blew her head off…was the one who hired her?
Ignoring the dumbstruck expression on Ruby's face, Neo continued scribbling on the blank canvas with a practice hand. She grinned toothily and shoved the note book into her face, gleefully forcing her to read the elegant, cursive words.
'Now. Let's do this the correct way, shall we?'
Neo teasingly pointed the gun at her, a gleam of excitement visible in the two different colored irises.
'Don't be shy.' The words read. 'I don't bite...much.'