Well Cr00cy, we sail on. Time to find out who's still on board.
Chapter 9
Truth, Fear, and Family
Cinder Fall was a Monster.
Big ole capital M.
Neo knew this. She had some clothes that she STILL couldn't get the smell of smoke out of that proved this to be true. Well...smoke and a few other things. She wouldn't have guessed that people smelled like bacon, but hey, you learn something new everyday.
Well, those guys were probably done learning, she supposed.
But that was all in the past. What was more important, was what Fire Bitch was doing now. It certainly looked suspicious, which fit with what the man had told her.
What man you ask?
Why, the one that she'd found following Blondie around town. Stalking was a crime after all, and if Neo was anything, it was a dutiful citizen, protecting her fellow citizens from harm.
What's that? Why was she following Blondie around?
That was clearly different. She was simply spending quality time with what was hers...without the other party being aware. See? Completely different.
Besides, she was bored.
What was so interesting about the man, Sir Screams A Lot, was that he thought he was being sneaky about the whole thing. Blondie certainly didn't notice him, but then, Blondie had more important things to attend to, like saying 'hi,' to everything with a pulse on the street.
SHE noticed him right away though, she was observant like that. She'd watched for the better part of a week before she decided that maybe she should get to know the man a little bit better. Maybe they could bond over their mutual interest in Blondie. She'd resolved to show him how to be sneaky first. It seemed like the neighborly thing to do.
A little bit of chloroform and a quick Semblance powered trip later, they were ready to spend some quality time together in Vale's warehouse district. She'd found that most people didn't travel around with chloroform on them, which seemed super unprofessional to her, but whatever.
Once they'd had the place to themselves, she decided that a game was probably the best way to break the ice...and maybe a few other things.
So, they'd started playing twenty questions! She thought it would be a lot of fun, but as it turned out, her new friend wasn't very good at it at all. In fact, he seemed VERY loud and annoying in his protest of her choice of game. Now, she thought that seemed rather rude, but never let it be said that Neo was a poor host. She picked a new game for them to play.
Operation.
Her new friend was FAR more enthusiastic about this one. He couldn't stop shouting thing like 'please don't stop!' at her. She might have added a word in that sentence somewhere, but that was only because she was having to focus so hard on the game! She'd started drinking partway through, after all.
People drank at parties, right?
Well, the sight of her drinking had set her friend off something fierce. So much so, that he'd started crying. She'd slapped herself on the head - she was being rude! She offered him some, and he jumped at the chance, practically begging for a taste. She wasn't sure why he was so surprised when she started pouring the alcohol all over him, but what really caught his attention?
When she lit the match.
And just like that, her new friend had decided that he wanted to play twenty questions again.
She sighed, some people were just hard to please. She thought it was a bit rude that he didn't even wait for her to start asking questions though, just started screaming out answers.
'My name is (INSERT INACCURATE STATEMENT HERE)!'
She hadn't given him a name yet, so he didn't have one.
'I was told to follow that Jaune guy!'
Did he mean Blondie? It was rude not to use people's correct names.
'I work for Watts!'
Well that wouldn't work. What would she call this 'Watts' guy? She shrugged, she'd decide when she saw a picture. Sounded like a an asshole though.
'I've got his contact info in my Scroll!'
She'd fished the Scroll out of the guy's pocket, and flipped through to this 'Watts.' Huh, guy looked like an asshole too. She didn't bother calling, it was probably a burner phone. Also, you know, the whole no speaky thing.
She pulled up a picture of Blondie on the guy's Scroll, an adorable one of him eating at a local cafe that she'd be sending to herself later, and tapped on it while mouthing, 'why?' Turned out the guy was ok at charades when properly motivated.
'His wife! It's leverage to get his wife to work for us!'
She'd scowled at that. Didn't he know that it was against the rules to lie in this game? Monsters didn't allow people to control them. Everyone knew that.
She'd decided that probably meant they were done with this game, so she picked a new one.
It was there, at the top of the ten-story warehouse building, playing hopscotch (well, he was covered in scotch, and she may have helped him a bit with the hop), that he'd earned his name. Sir Screams A Lot.
Good times.
Just for funsies though, she decided to go check up on Fire Bitch, she'd adopted her after all. She would have normally proved to be far more difficult to find, but thanks to the tracking device on SSAL's Scroll, she found her in record time.
She was sure that SSAL had been lying when she saw what Fire Bitch was wearing. That skin tight catsuit was clearly meant for some kind of roleplay with Blondie. It was super kinky. She approved, and resolved to buy one of her own after this was over. After all, if Blondie liked it…
But here's where things started going a little bit screwy. Fire Bitch didn't head back towards her house, where they could all play a rousing round of 'two people and a voyeur,' but instead slinked from shadow to shadow, making her way deeper into the city.
The real shitty part of the city.
She followed the woman through the dimly lit streets and darkened alleys, (did no one learn their lesson?), till they reached their destination, a run down bar in with a sign that read, 'Prince's,' hanging out front. She wasn't entirely sure what all Prince was up to, but if he ran a business on this side of town, she suspected that it was no good.
Her suspicions were confirmed when Fire Bitch blew the door off its hinges, revealing a room full of very surprised, suddenly sober men. One of them decided that what he wanted to do with his life was to reach for something under the table.
Well, we all have to go somehow, she supposed.
This was by FAR the most entertaining thing that she'd seen a long time. Whatever their disagreements about who sat where on the hierarchy of Monsters, she had to admit she enjoyed watching Fire Bitch work. The woman was an artist.
She danced through the gunfire, dealing death as she spun and dipped. Here, obsidian blades flew from her fingertips, burying themselves in the throats of a trio of men trying to find their feet. Here, a long, black scimitar cleaved a man in twain, splattering the back wall with a dark red. There, flames engulfed a group of men that were scrambling to bring their weapons to bare, reducing them to dark splotches on the floor. She watched with rapt attention as the woman bent over backwards, as if dipped by some invisible partner, allowing a bullet to pass over her, before spinning with effortless grace, her scimitar becoming a spear that she hurled into the man, pinning him to the wall.
Then there was one. The bartender scrambled over the wooden counter in front of him, stumbling his way towards the entrance, rudely trying to leave before the performance was complete. Fire Bitch just sighed, summoned a dark bow and arrow, took aim, and let fly. The dark shaft buried itself into the bartenders back, its head erupting from the other side, and sending a small spray of blood onto her face.
Like she said, art.
As such, she decided to show her appreciation by loudly clapping for the performance. She would have whistled too, but...well, you know. Either way, Fire Bitch seemed more than shocked to see her, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"What are you doing here!?" She hissed, nocking another arrow.
Well, that seemed rude.
What was she doing here again though? Oh yeah! She wanted to know what the hell was going on with Fire Bitch and this 'Watts,' real name pending, guy, and what it had to do with their co-owned blond. She decided to try to sign the question as best she could.
The dark-haired woman scowled. "The hell are you saying?"
She sighed. Some people just had no respect for the vocally impaired. She pulled out her Scroll and typed out her question politely as possible.
What the fuck are you doing?
"What I have to." The woman returned with a growl.
Neo rolled her eyes. Was there ever a more tired response?
"It's none of your business anyway." The woman said, as she slowly started to lower the bow.
Maybe a different angle? Something less inflammatory?
Who the fuck is Watts?
And just like that, the bow was back up, arrow pulled back.
"How do you know that name?"
Neo shrugged helpfully, and merrily started typing again.
Why are you taking out his trash?
"You don't know what you're talking about."
Did everyone suck at twenty questions?
Found one of his guys tracking Blondie.
Fire Bitch's brow furrowed. "Blondie?"
She sighed and went back to typing.
Jaune.
"That bastard." The woman growled. "I figured he'd be keeping someone on him."
It was Neo's turn to scowl.
Did he say he was going to hurt him?
Fire Bitch stared at her for a long moment, before finally lowering her bow again, letting it dissolve to ash.
"If I don't 'behave,' yes." The woman spat.
Neo's eye widened at that, and she typed in at a frantic pace, holding up her Scroll when she finished.
Why isn't he dead?
Fire Bitch scoffed. "It's not that simple."
Neo felt something stirring in the pit of her stomach that she hadn't felt in a long, long time. Real anger. Anger at this 'Watts' for thinking that he could threaten what belonged to her, anger at Stilts and Crop-Top from not dealing with Blondie's tail themselves, but most of all at the woman in front of her. She should be dealing with this asshole, not taking out his trash. She was a Monster goddammit! Monsters like them took things, things were never taken from them.
It's simple if you'd stop being a little bitch.
The dark-haired woman's eyes narrowed as the sparks of flames appeared there.
"Watch yourself, little one. I need Roman, but I don't need you."
She knew she should be afraid, some small part of her brain that she rarely used screamed at her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. This dumb bitch was just going to let this Snidely Whiplash-looking motherfucker threaten her? Threaten them?
Go get Blondie, give him to the stooges, and let's kill this motherfucker.
"Jaune doesn't know! You know he doesn't know!" She snapped.
Tell him.
Fire Bitch barked a laugh. "Tell him what? Tell him that the life he knows is a lie? That he's married to a monster?"
Finally! They were speaking the same language! She held up a thumb in approval.
"He'll run." She stated simply.
Then I guess he wasn't really yours, huh?
"Listen closely, you multicolored bimbo-"
She was angry. Good, anger they could use.
"I have had it up to here with being insulted and belittled over the course of this week-" She half-roared.
There she was, the Monster she knew. They were almost there. A little bit more, and the woman would be ready to track down the man that dared to threaten what was hers, what was theirs.
"So if you think you're going to come in here, and tell me how to deal with MY husband, I'll show you a goddamn monster. Nothing, I repeat nothing, will come between me and my husband and child!"
The two women stared at each other for a long moment in silence, eyes locked. Neo's jaw worked up and down wordlessly, which was pretty standard, but…
Her child?
The smaller woman took a small step forward, and the other leapt back, flames springing to life in her hands. It all made sense now, the way she moved, the way she subtly guarded her midsection above all. Neo held up her hands in surrender, slowly extending one towards the other woman, like one might a deer. She had to know.
She took another step forward, her mouth formed in a silent shushing motion. The taller woman eyed her warily, hands held at the ready.
She was undeterred. She took another slow step, hand slowly extending towards the other woman's belly. She had to know.
The taller woman froze as Neo's hand gingerly, almost hesitantly, touched her belly. The smaller woman let out a silent gasp.
Neo had felt many things over the years. She had felt many a fading pulse, she had felt the feeling of someone's dying breath on her cheek, she had felt nothing at all as she stared down on many a still body. But never, ever had she felt this. She felt life. It was small, and it has fragile, but it was there.
In that instant, the two women understood each other with a crystal clear clarity, they would do anything to protect that life. It belonged to them. They just happened to disagree on what that anything was. She knew what she had to do. She slowly typed out a quick message before showing it to the larger woman.
I killed the guy.
She pressed her hand firmly against her, and they blinked out of existence together.
Cinder Fall was a monster.
She knew this.
But she also knew that she was a very careful monster, always making sure that everything was in its place. Which is why her pulse started to rise when they popped into existence in a darkened room...and why she started to panic when its details quickly became intimately familiar to her.
It was HER living room.
She rounded on the imp with rage in her heart, and fire alight in her hands.
"You fucking bitch!" She hissed, watching with fury as the smaller woman popped out of existence, blowing a kiss to the corner of the room as she went.
"Cindy!?"
An icy terror froze over the burning rage that consumed her, and the flames died in her hands. Just like that, one simple word, her own name, and she could feel her world crashing down around her. She slowly, painfully turned to see him, as if drawing the action out would change the outcome. The sight broke her heart when her eyes feel upon it.
Jaune sat in his favorite, overly stuffed chair, a blanket covering his legs, and an empty tumbler and a small bottle of liquor on the table next to him, a bewildered expression on his face.
He'd waited up on her, he'd been worried about her. She wanted to reach out, she wanted to comfort him, but her body betrayed her, and so she stood, staring in horror at the love of her life as the questions started to spill from his lips.
"Cindy what's going on? Was that Neo? Did you have fire in your hands?"
Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly as her mind raced. Was there anything, anything at all that she could say that would change this? That would free her from this prison? His next set of questions extinguished the hope.
"What are you wear-...Oh my Gods, is that blood!? Are you ok!?" He shouted as he sprung from his chair, sprinting over to her and running his hands over her, searching for the wound that wasn't there. Finally, her body allowed her to do something. She gently reached up and took his hands in hers, her heart aching when she saw that his were now stained red. Such things just looked wrong on Jaune, he was too kind, too pure, for them.
"My love...I'm ok." She whispered.
He shook his head in confusion. "Baby, what's going on? Talk to me."
It was the last thing she wanted to do, she would, and had, killed to avoid it. She wouldn't lose this, no matter what it cost her. This was hers, maybe the only thing she'd ever really considered such, and she'd fight for it bloody tooth and nail. She swallowed, and started to speak, her voice shaking.
"Jaune, I-"
The realization hit her like a hammer. The last message that little bitch had shown her before she'd destroyed everything.
I killed that guy.
Her eyes widened in understanding and horror. She'd killed the man watching Jaune. Watt's man. Whatever pact that was between them was done. Her breath started coming in quick, panicked, pants.
She squeezed his hands painfully tight. "Jaune, we have to run."
He balked and leaned away. "What?"
"My love, I need you to go grab a bag, fill it with what you need, and only what you need. We're going to leave. Right now."
He shook his head and moved his hands to her shoulders, pulling her closer.
"Cinder, I need you to talk to me. What is going on? Why are you covered in blood? What are we running from?"
"Jaune, there's no time!"
"Make time." He demanded. "I am your husband. Talk to me. Tell me the truth."
She wanted to laugh, she wanted to cry. Didn't it sound so easy? Just tell him the truth? She'd rather serve the devil herself. But here at the end? There was nothing left to her, nothing else that would save him, and so for the first time in their marriage, she told her husband the truth…
"I'm a monster." She said, barely loud enough to be heard.
"What? Cinder, you're not making any sense!"
Her hands slowly rose up, grasping his wrist, and pulling his hands away from her as she stepped back.
"I hurt people, Jaune. I hurt people tonight, I hurt people almost every night this week, and I'll probably hurt people next week." She explained coldly, numbly.
He stared at her, uncomprehending. "Who? Who did you hurt? Why?"
Her mouth was dry, as she tried to put it into words. "The people I work for. They tell me who I need to hurt, and I do." She settled on.
"Who, Cindy? Who do you work for?" He pleaded. "Is it Vale PD? Beacon?"
There was panic in his eyes now, and it made her feel all the worse when she couldn't stop the bitter laugh that bubbled up to her lips.
"No...no, it's not Beacon." She took a deep breath, and took the plunge. "Jaune, we're planning to destroy Beacon."
It was his turn to take a step back. "What?"
"We've been planning it for years, decades, I'm sure. Far longer than I've been with the organization. The night I met you?" She swallowed, steeling herself. "I'd just finishing trying to kill a woman for her powers, so that I could see it done. Just got unlucky and got caught by one of Ozpin's pets. But make no mistake, these people? They will see Beacon fall."
"H-how? Why?"
"Adam, well, him and Roman. They've been providing us with the manning and resources we need to level the school, and bring Ozpin to his knees."
"Cinder...there are children there...how could they…"
"It's not just Beacon, all of Vale, really. Every man, woman, and child could burn, and it won't matter. Not to these people, Jaune. Those are the kind of people I work for."
He shook his head, letting out a nervous giggle. "You're kidding, right? Em and Merc are hiding in here somewhere. You could never…"
The look she gave him was one he'd never seen before. There was too much pain in it. His hand rose to cover his mouth.
"Oh, Gods…" He whispered.
"Jaune…" She said, reaching out for him, needing to touch him, to ease his pain. It broke her heart when he stepped back out of her reach, staring at her in shock.
"Who are you?" He whispered again.
"I am your wife." She pleaded.
"You are a fiction!" He snapped. "How long? How long have you been lying to me? Playing me for a fool?"
"Baby, it's not like that…"
"Then what is it like!? Is it like being told that your wife works in 'acquisitions?' Is it like waiting up in the middle of the night waiting for someone who's busy making sure that other people don't come home at all? Is it like that the woman that you thought loved you isn't even real?" He spat.
That, she would not stand for. She felt a heat filling her chest. Good, she needed to feel something.
"I love you, Jaune Arc, don't you ever say that to me again!"
"Or what? You'll 'hurt' me too?" He shot back.
"How can you say that!? I am your wife!" She roared.
"Cinder, I don't even know you! Is that even your name? Where does the real you end, and my wife begin?"
She put a hand to her chest. "This is the real me! No one else gets to see this, no one! You are the only one that knows me!"
He scoffed. "How could I possibly know you? You've been lying to me from the start!"
"To protect you!"
"I am your husband! We're supposed to be partners, equals in this, not whatever this is!" He roared, before shaking his head. "Why? Why do you work for these people? Why lie to me?"
"Because I'm scared! I've been scared my entire life, and I got tired of it!" She shot back. "Jaune, I pray everyday, to Gods that I don't believe in, that you never have to see the things that I have, to experience them, but a certain point...people break, and they either choose to be the victim or they choose to hurt people, and I got tired of being hurt." She shook her head. "I've done terrible, awful, things. Things that wouldn't let you sleep at night, much less let you sleep next to me, but they allowed me to be a little less afraid, because there were fewer and fewer people capable of making me a victim. These people? These people offered me the chance to never be afraid again." She chuckled bitterly and stared at the floor. "It was too good to be true, of course. They meant that I'd never be afraid of anyone but them."
She looked up, locking eyes with him. "But it's always been different with you. You make me feel safe, like I don't need to be afraid anymore, and you've never asked for anything in return, except for me. For once in my entire life, I've had something that is mine, a piece of real happiness, something I thought was a fiction. The thought of losing it, losing you...I'd do anything to stop it."
"Even kill?" He questioned, coldy.
"Yes."
He swallowed, running a hand through his hair nervously.
"Have you?"
"...Yes."
He cursed and turned away, breaking their stare. It was over. Just like she always knew it would be, like she had lied to herself, and told herself that she might be able to avoid if she played everything just so. She wanted to break, wanted to collapse, but she steeled herself. She might not be able to save them, but she could still save Jaune.
"It's ok." She whispered, voice slowly rising. "I was wrong, we don't need to go, you need to go. I've lied to you, and now you're done with me, and I'm done with you. We both got a bit of what we wanted in the end. You should just run. Go to your family, collect them and run as far as you can. I'll take care of things here, you don't have the stomach for what comes next."
He looked at her again, something new in his eyes, a mix of rage and confusion. Something very un-Jaune like.
"What the fuck did you just say to me?" He whispered.
If she could just push him far enough, he would leave, he would be safe.
"I said you're not strong enough to-"
"Not that part." He said, stepping closer towards her. "Cause you're absolutely right about that, but did you just tell me to run out on my family?"
"I-"
"Where do you get the fucking gall!?" He snarled, a rage unlike she'd ever seen on his face. "I may be a weak man, but I don't have to be strong for this. This is my family, and I'll fight for it, even if you won't!"
She gasped. "But you said I was-"
"You are my wife!" He roared, pointing to himself, before pointing to her. "That is my child. This is my family, and if you think that I'm the kind of man that will let someone take that away from me, or that I'm going to turn tail and run because you say so, then maybe you don't know me either."
"Jaune, they will kill us!" She pleaded.
He shook his head. "Only if they catch you. You should run, whatever you are, I'll only slow you down. Go, they'll find me, but maybe I can buy you some time. They won't kill us, they'll kill me."
"It's the same thing!" She roared back, grabbing his shirt and pulled him close. "My child will not grow up without a father, do you understand me? I am going nowhere." She could feel the tears running down her face now, burning hot streaks down her cheeks. "Don't think you've got some monopoly on caring about this family, you self-righteous prick." She buried her face in his chest. "You're a fool." She whispered.
"I know." He whispered back.
"We're going to die."
"Probably."
She felt his hands slowly make their way up her sides, before wrapping around her, and holding her close. She'd be damned if she didn't somehow feel safer.
"But I chose this, and you chose this. Maybe it's not real at all, but it's everything I have." He whispered.
"I'm so sorry."
"It's ok." He said, before shifting. "Well, it's not. We're not ok, not yet, probably not for a long time...but I'm going to find out if we can be...one day."
She pressed into him like it would save her. "I love you."
He squeezed her gently, as if she were fragile and he might hurt her, and she loved him for it.
"I love you too."
She pulled back, looking up at him. "Jaune...I don't know what to do."
"I do." He pulled out his Scroll, and started typing away with one hand, the other still wrapped around her.
Her eyes widened. "Jaune! Who are you talking to!?"
He grunted. "Em and Merc."
"My love, if they turn on us-"
"Cindy." He cut her off. "If these people are as bad as you say, they're going to go after them too. We can't leave them like that."
She swallowed. "But if they do…"
"They won't."
"How can you know? They're survivors, Jaune. They'll do what they have to, just like me."
He chuckled. "How's that working out for you? And I don't know, but I have faith."
"How?"
He shrugged. "Because they're family."
"You're a fool." She whispered, but made no move to stop him as he sent the message.
"Done." He said, before pulling up another contact and typing again.
"Jaune!"
"We have to stop the attack on Beacon." He declared.
She balked. "Jaune, there's nothing we can do, everything is already in place."
"You said it was Adam, right? He's the one that's leading the attack?"
"Yes, but-"
"Then I want to talk to him. Adam doesn't want this, I don't know if he ever really did. I think he's just trying to do what's best for his people."
"You're wrong." She told him. "This is everything to Adam."
"Not everything."
She scoffed. "Faith again?"
He gave her a small smirk. "More like insider info on this one."
"It won't be enough."
He shrugged. "We're dead anyway, right? Might as well swing for the fences."
"I married a fool."
He hummed. "I think I included that in the vows." He said, as he continued typing. "Speaking of the White Fang, I can't believe you tried to 'White Fang' me."
"Is that the movie with the-"
"The wolf dog that he has to chase away, yeah."
She huffed. "I hated it."
He snorted. "You hate all dog movies."
"I do, they're too sad."
He barked a laugh at that, and she shot him a look.
"Oh, I'm sorry." He teased. "Are we not allowed to laugh about this yet?"
"No, and what are you even going to say to him?"
"I have no idea."
She sighed, watching him pull up another contact on his Scroll.
"Jaune!"
He sighed and lowered the device. "Look, we're going to need all the favors we can get here."
"Who are you texting?"
"Neo."
"WHAT!?"
He shot her a sideways glance. "Really? This is really how you want to play this one right now?"
"She's a-"
"I am dying to know what accusation you're about to make, I really am." He drawled.
She huffed. "Why do you even have her number?"
He hummed. "You remember about a week ago? When you sent me out for that ice cream? She saw me in the store and helped me find something similar. Girl knows her ice cream."
"I'm sure her motives were entirely pure." She muttered.
He looked down at her and slowly shook his head.
"You are the woman I married."
She pulled him closer. "Always."
He clicked the send button, and lowered his Scroll.
"She'll be here in a few."
"Lovely."
He sighed and looked down at her.
"I like that outfit...minus the blood."
She gave him a small smile.
"I know you do."
Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black were not good people.
They knew this.
What's more, they knew this about each other.
It's why they had both chosen to come to this meeting armed. They'd learned long ago not to take chances.
They walked towards each other slowly, under the flickering lights of the street lamps. They'd agreed on this place, because while not public enough to prevent the murder of the opposite party, it'd at least make life a bit of a bitch for the surviving one. Priorities were important.
They stared at each other for a few moments, shifting nervously, before Emerald broke the silence.
"I guess you got Jaune's message?"
Mercury snorted. "Yeah, I'll say."
Emerald gave him a small smile. "It's definitely a very 'Jaune' message."
"'I know. We're going to stop them. Do what you have to. Love you both.'" Mercury quoted with a smirk.
The tanned girl shook her head. "He's crazy."
"Yeah." He agreed.
The silence washed over them again, before Emerald broke it once more.
"So, I guess the only question now is...are you crazy too?"
Mercury chuckled, running a hand down his face.
"You know, I used to fucking hate you."
"Can't say I haven't felt the same from time to time." She admitted.
He nodded. "But, I traveled with you two sadistic bitches for awhile, and things started to change."
"To be fair, I'd call myself a masochist."
He laughed again. "Yeah, I guess you'd have to be." He shook his head. "Maybe I am too, but it started to be fun, a weird fun, but fun."
"Yeah."
"But it still never felt...right, I guess? It was always a means to an end."
"Till Jaune."
He nodded. "Till Jaune." He sighed. "Then stuff started to get fucking weird. Getting paid became...secondary. Maybe because…" He swallowed. "Maybe because I wasn't Mercury Black anymore. Maybe because I'd become Merc, just Merc." He looked up at her. "I like being Merc."
"Yeah...I like being Em."
"I like living too though."
She nodded. "Me too...and I intend to keep on living too."
He took a step back, subtly falling into stance.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah…" She smiled. "I'm going to be an aunt, after all."
He scowled for a moment, before his eyes widened in understanding.
"No fucking way."
"Very much fucking way."
"When?"
"Like, three or so weeks ago."
He shook his head as he considered the information, before nodding to himself.
"You know they're going to kill us, right?"
"They can try." She answered.
He laughed. "What are we going to do with their ashes?"
She tsked as she pulled out her Scroll and dialed Jaune's number.
"Something super fucking disrespectful."
Weathering the Storm
The ship groans as the waves slam home against the hull, stressing it till the point of cracking. The freezing cold water sprays onto my face, a stark reminder of the fate that awaits us should the ship fail us.
My gaze shifts to the crew, and I can see the fear in their eyes, the seeds of doubt. Yet they stand strong against the storm, holding desperately onto the ropes and rails as the winds whip against them. All eyes are locked onto one form…
The boy.
He hacks desperately at the mast of emotional connection with my knife, trying with all his might to peel back the dark wood of lies and fear to find its center, its core.
"Sir! It is too rotten! There is no end to it!" He cries out to me.
"Keep at it, lad! You've almost done it! You're almost through!" I encourage him, before I feel a hand fall upon my shoulder.
I turn and see Crooc looking at me with weary eyes, shifting his gaze towards to sea, and pointing towards a massive swell rising out of the deep.
The tidal wave of rising action, come to smash our ship to pieces, if we do not sail strong and true.
"Well fuck." I grumble, as it gains speed and mass, rushing towards us.
"What was that, sir?" The boy shouts.
"Nothing, boy! Keep your eyes on your work! Nothing else matters!"
The wave continues to climb into the darkened sky, illuminated like some angry ancient God by the flash of lightning. We cannot stand against it.
"Sir! I...I think I see something!" The boy cries out in excitement.
"There's a good lad! Tell me, tell us all, what do you see?" I shout back.
The wave looms over us now, at least three times again the height of our ship. We watch in horror as the wave begins to break, ready to crush the ship in its watery grasp.
I can only stare in morbid fascination at the wave blots out the sky, shouting to the boy again.
"What do you see, lad!?"
The boy squints against the dark, holding his face close to hole in the mast he has dug.
"It's...sir...I think…" He gasp in understand. "It's love!"
No sooner have the words left the boy's lips, the mast explodes in a blast of light, ripping away the dark and rotting wood and throwing the boy backwards with a yelp. In its place stands something new, something always there, but buried beneath the surface.
A gleaming mast of rich, warm wood, standing firm against the wrath of the storm. The ship lurches forward, driven onward by new, and true, purpose. The bow of the ship crashes into the wave, its planks screaming against the force of the wave as we attempt to cleave through, every mouth of the crew open in screams drowned out by the roar of the storm.
And then...we are through.
I cannot control myself any longer, and the strength flees my legs. I fall to my knees laughing hysterically as the boy limps over to me. I wrap an arm around him.
"Are you alright, lad?"
He shakes his head. "I am unharmed, sir. But I don't understand! There were too many lies, too much fear! How did we persevere?"
I grin and shake him. "That is because you still don't understand ships, lad! It's love! It's always been love! Love for each other, love for the family, love for what might be! No one is afraid unless they stand to lose, and they stand to lose everything! It is love, fear, and family, that is what we have built our ship on, boy."
He shakes his head again as he shivers.
"I don't know if I'll ever understand your ship, sir."
"But do you enjoy it, boy?"
"...Aye, sir."
I slap him on the back. "That is all I ask."
A great 'crack' fills the air, and we all snap our eyes towards the crow's nest, where Demy holds a pistol in one hand, and a black flag in the other.
"What does it mean, sir?" The boy ask, staring up at me.
"It means Demy has spotted a ship, lad. Let's see who it is."
We turn to see Burk raise his looking glass, looking to the horizon, before turning and whispering into the captain's ear. The spooky man nods once, then turns towards our anxious faces. He gives us two words, the only two we need.
"Stress Relief!"
The deck erupts in cheers.
First Impressions
"So…" Mercury started, as he walked down the dilapidated and darkened street next to his partner. "What do you think he's like?"
The green-haired girl glanced around the street warily.
"I mean...when she described him, I thought, I dunno...dashing, dark, probably loaded." She watched as a raccoon and a feral cat fought over a candy wrapper. "But, this place seems, kinda…"
"Super shitty?" He offered.
"Yeah."
"I bet he's a badass." He said, "like 6'6," and 260 lbs...at least."
The girl tsked. "That's your type, not Cinder's."
He smirked. "I'd guess you'd know about not being her type, huh?"
"Har har, fucking har. You're hilarious."
"I try."
She sighed. "Try harder. Also, I think we're here." She said, as she looked up at the broken and battered apartment building standing before them, at least as many windows broken as intact. She took a deep breath. "Ok Merc, we need to...Merc! Focus!"
The silver-haired man whipped his head back towards her. "Sorry, but...I saw a toddler."
She squinted at him. "So?"
He shook his head. "No, you don't understand. I saw toddler, no parents, walking down the street alone."
"What!? Where?"
He shrugged. "I don't know! He just disappeared into the night!"
"Gods." She hissed, this is the shittiest of neighborhoods, this guy has to be pretty rough. "Ok Merc, this is the boss's boyfriend we're talking about, so I'm going to need you to fight against your nature and not screw this up, kay?"
He rolled his eyes as knocked on the scrapped and peeling door of the apartment. "Ok, mom. I think I can handle this."
"Sure you can." She quipped, as they listened to the sound of footsteps approaching the door, accompanied by an, "I'm coming!"
Mercury brushed of his shirt and put on his best winning smile. He was about to be professional as fuck.
He already started extending his hand as the handle turned and the door opened, no doubt to reveal the badass that he just knew lived here.
"Howdy!" Jaune greeted as he swung the door open.
"What the hel-" He grunted as Emerald slammed an elbow into his side. "-llllloooo, to you too!" He said, as the blond excitedly grabbed his hand and pumped it up and down.
"You must be Mercury!" He looked at the dark skinned girl. "And you're Emerald! Nice to meet you both! Cindy's told me all about you."
"Cindy?" Mercury grumbled, as Emerald pushed him aside.
"We've heard a lot about you too." She lied with a smile. "Thank you for having us."
"Of course!" He slapped his forehead. "Where are my manners? Please, come in!" Jaune said, as he moved back to reveal the apartment in all its glory.
Its single room, should be condemned, studio apartment glory.
"Oh...this is…"
So many good descriptions came to mind. A death trap. A crime against humanity.
She settled on, "...really nice."
He laughed as he led them in. "You don't have to lie, I know it's not much, but it's-"
"-ours." A very familiar voice finished from across the room. They turned to see Cinder sitting uncomfortably on a couch that had seen MUCH better days. "You're late." She stated.
Emerald shot ramrod straight. "Sorry ma'am-"
"Cinder." The woman in red corrected.
"Sorry...Cinder. We got a little lost. Some of the street signs seem to be missing."
Jaune tsked. "The raccoons must be stealing them again."
Mercury balked. "The fuc-" was about as far as he got before Emerald's heel crashed down on his foot, and he smirked as she let out a yelp.
"Oh well," she shrugged, wincing. "We're here now."
"Yes." Cinder agreed, motioning to two mismatched wooden chairs in front of the couch. "Why don't you take a seat? Jaune, my love, can you get the wine?"
"Sure!"
The slowly eased into the seats and stared in fear at the woman in front of them. She cleared her throat and spoke in a low, threatening tone.
"You will be respectable people in this home." She eyed Mercury. "Meaning that you will not be yourselves..."
"Why me!" He complained.
"You know why." Emerald shot back.
"...or there will be consequences. Dire consequences. Am I understood?"
They both swallowed and nodded, before Jaune returned with full glasses, taking a seat on the couch next to Cinder, and her face exploded into a smile.
"Thank you, my love. Do you need anything?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Were you still going to try to bake the cookies?"
She huffed. "Of course, I can handle it!"
"Ok…" He said slowly. "Just remember-"
"Jaune, honestly, it's a simple task. Wait here with Mercury and Emerald, and I'll handle it." She eyed the two. "Just remember to be yourselves, you two."
"Yes, ma'-Cinder." They chorused.
The three stared at each other in silence as she walked over to kitchen. Emerald nudged Mercury and nodded at the still smiling blond. Merc cleared his throat, and spoke in a painfully slow, loud voice.
"So, Jaune, do you live here?"
The man cocked his head to the side. "Yep...for a few months now."
"That's good." Mercury loudly assured him. "It's good to have a place to live."
Emerald shot him a confused look.
"Yeah, I always thought so." Jaune agreed.
"We…" Mercury slowly motioned to himself and Emerald. "Like your home. It is nice." He said, slowly pronouncing every word with care.
Emerald's eyes widened in understanding, and she kicked at her partner.
"Jaune." Cinder called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, baby?"
"...which one of these devices is the oven?"
He signed and smiled good-naturedly at them. "One sec, guys," before rising and walking over the kitchen.
"What the hell!" Emerald hissed as soon as he was gone.
"What?" Mercury asked, confused.
"Merc, he's normal, not slow!"
"Oh...but, I mean…"
"Goddammit Merc, if you say you thought they were the same thing."
"Hey, I didn't exactly get out a lot with good ole daddy Mc'Asswhooping, ok!" He defended. "It's not like you guys are any better!"
She tsked. "I can have a normal conversation."
"Prove it."
"Fine!"
"What are we talking about?" Jaune asked, causing the pair to jump.
"Nothing!" Emerald assured him. "Everything ok over there?"
He chuckled. "She's hopeless."
"I heard that Jaune Arc!"
"Love you, baby!" He turned back to them. "She's a real fire hazard."
They chuckled nervously, and he grinned.
"And I'm not just saying that because she's hot." He finished, with a far too pleased wink.
Mercury's hand was about halfway up for a high-five when Emerald swatted it down, giggling at Jaune's joke.
"Oh, you're too funny." She cooed.
It was Mercury's turn to stare at her in confusion.
"Heh, Cindy hates the puns."
"Well, I think they're hilarious." She said, leaning forward placing her hand on Jaune's, sticking her chest out more than strictly necessary in the process.
Oh shit. "Uh, Em?"
She shot him a glare. "Mercury, I'm trying to talk to Jaune."
"Yeah, about that…"
"Jaune…" They heard Cinder's voice call hesitantly from the kitchen.
He chuckled. "Yeah, baby?"
"...Where is the 'cookie' button on this machine?"
He snorted.
"Jaune Arc! You will hold your tongue and come help me if you know what is good for you!"
"I thought you liked my tong-"
"Jaune!" She roared.
He cackled as he rose to his feet and crossed over to the kitchen. Emerald just shot Mercury a look and mouthed, 'what the duck'...or something similar.
He shook his head. "Holy shit! You're casing him!"
She balked. "Am not!"
He snorted. "Em, you're like, two minutes away from asking that guy if he wants a 'happy ending' to get into his pants."
"I'm a thief, not a prostitute, you asshole!"
He shrugged. "Yeah, and pockets are in the pants, so my point stands. Also, check YOUR pockets."
She tsked and reached into her pocket. "There's nothing-" She sighed, and pulled a small paper card out of her pocket.
Mercury's eyes widened. "Is that a half-full sandwich reward card?"
She hung her head. "Yes."
"Em, I've seen some pretty heinous shit, but stealing a poor man's sandwich card? Brothers, that's fucking low."
"I didn't mean to!" She snapped. "It just happened!"
"What just happened?"
"Son of a bitch!" Mercury yelled, cocking one of his legs on reflex, before settling down. "Dude! How do you do that!?"
Jaune raised an eyebrow. "My apartment is like, the size of a shipping container. It's about two steps from the kitchen to here."
Emerald sighed. "Look, Jaune, we're just a little bit nervous. Cinder's our boss, and we need this to go well."
He shrugged. "That's all? Don't worry about it, Cindy puts on a big act, but she's harmless."
She stared at him for a second, before slowly nodding.
"Sure, let's go with that."
Mercury shrugged. "You seem like an alright guy, how'd you meet the boss lady?"
"It's a funny story, actually. I-" He paused, and sniffed the air. "Smoke?" He whipped his head back towards the kitchen, where flames had already claimed the oven and part of the wall. "Cindy!"
"I did nothing wrong!"
"Then why is the kitchen on fire!"
"It's a complicated process!"
"They're cookies!"
"They were going too slow, so I helped them!"
He shook his head. "Helped them? How did you-...never mind, just go!" He turned back towards the two mercenaries. "We gotta go!"
"But what about the fire!?" Emerald asked. "Don't you have an extinguisher!?"
The way Jaune laughed as he sprinted after his girlfriend confirmed that no, no he did not.
A few minutes later, as they stared up at the burning building, Emerald looked over to the blond.
"Did other people live there?"
He laughed. "That death trap? Nah."
"Should we call someone?"
He shrugged. "Fire department will be here in like...an hour."
"Bro, your neighborhood fucking sucks...no offense." Mercury observed.
Cinder tsked. "Now we can move somewhere tolerable, Jaune."
He sighed. "Yeah, guess so. Think we can afford it?"
"Don't worry about it." Three voices answered him.
Mercury shook his head and leaned over to his partner.
"You don't think it's going to get any weirder than this, right?"
She snorted. "There's no way."