Chapter 6
'…and so did Heracles enter the Underworld, his sight trained on the feared hell-hound, Cerberus, his twelfth and the last of his labours before complete absolution for his sins of madness. On his way there, he chanced upon a pair of hero-kings, Pirithous and Theseus, bound firmly to the seats carved of stone they sat upon. Their brazen attempts for Persephone's hand in marriage brought the two men to Hades' realm, and for their impudence, they were cursed to remain affixed to the stone chairs, while the Furies tormented them day and night.
'Taking pity on the two men, Heracles pulled and freed Theseus from his seat. It was said that, as he was freed-'
"-his buttocks remained stuck to the stone?" Ruby read with a snigger, peering over my shoulder for a better view. "What the fuck? Is that even possible?"
I shrugged. Myths tended to flirt overtly with surrealism, from what I understood. Hell, one Atlesian creation myth tells of the world being created from a colossal giant, his blood forming the seas, his flesh turned to earth, the mountains raised from his bones. And in Western Mistralian mythology incest, of all things, played a big role in creation of the world. I mean, who comes up with all this shit?
I rose from my seat, backside still intact, but my posture must've been bad, since my tailbone started to ache like hell. I mostly just stood up to get some blood flowing in my legs, but Ruby must've assumed otherwise, as she said, "Can you get me some water, please?" This, with a cheeky grin. Lazy butt.
"Sure, sure." Vale Police Department wasn't the kind of place you'd feel welcome, but at least they had a water cooler. No security alarms went off as I traipsed across the lobby, but the two security guards stationed near the reception area still kept an eye on us. Unless I was mistaken, they seemed more wary of us, than we were of them. Then again, they were probably trained to deal with small-time criminals – Hunters with Auras and Semblances were likely far above their pay grade.
I handed Ruby her water, then returned to reading. 'And when Heracles tried to free Pirithous, the cavernous walls around him roared, and from the shadowed depths creatures surged forth, dragging the doomed hero-king to his fate.'
Poor bastard. Western Mistralian mythology is rife with audacious mortals meeting their disastrous ends. Hubris, it was often said, is the precursor to tragedy, an excellent observation, which is why we as a species keep making the same dumb mistakes anyway. Like touching electric fences even fully knowing they'd shock you.
Ruby stretched with a groan, and slumped into her chair, eyes glazed over with boredom. She gave her scroll a few disinterested taps, before giving it up as a lost cause and settled for resting her head on my shoulder. "Bored. Entertain me."
"What happened to working on your weapon schematics?"
"Already done. Can't do much more until they give me my baby back, though," she said, a baleful look directed at the officers behind the reception terminals, too preoccupied with their work to even notice. The two security guards near the entryway did, though, and seemed to tense up a little.
"They'll be in good hands." Even as I said it, I understood where she was coming from – Hunters rarely parted from their weapons. The old adage of a weapon being an extension of a Hunter, however hackneyed, hasn't changed much since its inception.
Granted, neither of us were officially Hunters, hence our predicament; it was illegal to carry weapons within cities without Hunter licences or other special permits, something that slipped both of our minds when we walked into full view of police squads surrounding Yang. If it wasn't for timely intervention of Qrow, Ruby and I could've easily been arrested then and there. I suppose we should be grateful that they just confiscated our weapons, with a slap on the wrists for good measure.
Ruby still grumbled – as far as she was concerned, no one touched Crescent Rose without consent, and certainly not out of her reach. Acquiesced to the law she did eventually, but still. For my part, I obliged willingly enough, but there was a curious, noticeable absence of familiar weight on my left side where Crocea Mors usually rested.
I glanced at the clock, then at the corridor which bent out of sight, at the end where the interview room laid tucked away. When we reached the V.P.D some two hours ago, we were left in the lobby while Yang was spirited away for questioning. We didn't have the full story, but terms like 'arson' and 'assault' got thrown around a bit, which I'm guessing meant Yang was pretty much screwed. At this point, the question really was just how much trouble she'd be in.
Two hours and maybe an additional quarter of an hour passed by. Qrow stepped out of the interview room then with a slouch, all but falling into a chair next to Ruby, who asked, "How did it go? Is Yang going to be okay?"
"The short answer is mostly 'yes.'" He had a hip flask in hand, but seemed to remember where he was, as he pocketed it with a sullen look. "The long answer is fiendishly complicated, so I'll let someone else do the heavy lifting when we finally get out of here."
"And that will be when, exactly?" I asked, suppressing a yawn. It was already dark outside, and we haven't had dinner yet. Anxiety and fear for Yang's (and our own) welfare killed our appetites earlier, but the long wait devoid of stimulating interruptions dulled our frayed nerves, and hunger came back, hitching a ride with boredom.
"However long it takes for those arseholes from the council to finally wrap things up," answered Qrow with a grunt. "So hopefully soon. Otherwise, better get comfortable."
"Fuck," Ruby and I said in unison. Leaving to grab a snack wasn't an option, and there wasn't a vending machine around either. Ruby leaned her head against my shoulder again, grumbling. Qrow gave me a strange look, one I couldn't decipher, before looking away with a tiny shake of his head. Odd.
They did eventually stop grilling Yang on a spit, letting her walk out a free woman. The smile on her face when she saw us seemed forced, and far from reaching her eyes. She returned Ruby's embrace willingly enough, patting her on the back as Ruby tried to hide her watering eyes.
I was content to stand back and give them space, until Ruby's arm shot out and pulled me in for an awkward group hug. The smell of burnt wood still clung to Yang, and by the time we separated, I had to dust off spots of ash on my arm.
"Sorry about that," Yang began, though whatever she wanted to say next died on her lips when we saw the remaining occupants of the questioning room file out, at the lead an entourage of four – three men and a woman – all sharply dressed and about as expressive as stone statues. Yang pursed her lips, venom in her eyes as they walked past her without so much as a glance.
"Are they…?" Ruby asked, sotto voce. Not quietly enough, it seemed, as the woman turned to face us, a slight frown on her otherwise impassive mien. Something about her felt familiar, though I couldn't quite put my finger on who it was, or how I got that impression.
"The big bad wolves of the Hunter Council," Qrow drawled from the side, arms crossed. "What you're seeing now, kiddos, are every Hunter's bogeyman. You want a long, fulfilling career as a Hunter? These are the folks you'll want to brown your noses at."
The woman's nostrils flared, as her colleagues' faces scrunched in anger. Qrow matched their gaze with a contemptuous one of his own. Before things came to a boil, however, Ozpin and Glynda made their presence known then, and the thick tension dissipated, for the most part. The representatives from the Hunter Council took their leave, and Yang breathed out a sigh of relief.
"I'd advise you to stop poking the hornet's nest, but something tells me it'll simply go through one ear and out the other," Glynda said with a displeased look, the same one we were on the receiving end of back in Beacon.
Unlike us, Qrow seemed amused. "Nothing I haven't heard before."
Glynda huffed. "This isn't just for your benefit, but also for your daughter and your niece. If you continue to antagonise the council and their branches, they could very well suffer for it."
That wiped the smirk off his face. "Shit, yeah, sorry."
Ozpin intervened, clearing his throat. "Might I suggest we head back to Beacon? The hour grows late, and it'd be best to not overstay our welcome here."
Fucking finally. Not that we were welcomed here in any capacity, mind. The officers seemed just as relieved to kick us out, returning us our weapons and all but shoving us out the door. Ruby squealed with joy at her reunion with her Crescent Rose, cradling it as if it was a new-born. While not nearly as dramatic, I was just as glad to have Crocea Mors back.
Ozpin had a personal car he drove here with Glynda, a small round thing that looked a little like a beetle, with just enough space for two passengers in the back. Qrow and I, we both insisted the girls take them, while we walked the rest of the way. It wasn't that they were incapable of looking after themselves out in the city at night – far from it, especially in Ruby's case – but simply because Qrow was their father and guardian, and as for me, I wanted to be considerate. Besides, wouldn't it look like a dick move if it was the opposite?
Ruby and Yang protested at first, but Glynda settled the matter by closing the door and driving off. Qrow and I shared a look, then with a shrug started legging the rest of the way to Beacon Academy. Since it was close-by, by the time we called a cab and hitched a ride, we would've been knocking on the Academy's front door if we walked there, so there was no point in hailing a taxi.
The route from here was straightforward, and on the main road, well-lit by streetlights. We walked in uneasy silence, and I thought we'd keep it that way until I heard him awkwardly clearing his throat.
"So, you're back for good now?" At my inquisitive look, he added, "Ruby told me about her little get-together plan. Gonna be honest, when she took off to Atlas to find you, I thought she'd be making the return trip alone."
"It's hard to say 'no' to Ruby," I said, earning a chuckle from the older Branwen.
"You and me both." There was a pause, the kind that hinted at weighing of words before giving them life. "Ruby's been… I wouldn't say 'depressed', but there weren't a lot of things for her to be happy about, these past few years. In a way, I'm glad she decided to seek out her old friends. I'm hoping you'll stick around, for her sake at least."
"Of course." Not that I had anywhere else to go. With Iris gone, team RALY was the closest thing I had to kin at that point. Even if Ruby wasn't trying to reunite her Regalities back together, I would've followed after her, anyway.
Winter Schnee's letter of recommendation still remained buried in my bag, unopened. If parallel worlds did exist, I wondered how many versions of me chose to crack that seal open, instead of accompanying Ruby back to Vale.
"Good to hear." Qrow took a draught from his flask, before offering me a swig. I shook my head.
"Thanks, but I'll pass."
"Still a lightweight, huh?" He shrugged. "Suit yourself."
"You haven't changed much either, last I saw you," I said. "You ever considered cutting back on drinks?"
Qrow groaned. "Fuck no. Yang's been harping on about it for a while now, so if you've got a lecture prepared, save your breath."
"She's probably just trying to look out for you." That, and probably trying to stop her sister-cousin from following in his footsteps, though if that was the case, I'd say it would've been too late. "Speaking of which, what happened back there with Yang?"
"It's not my story to tell, so you'll just have to wait until we get to Beacon." He took another sip from his canteen. "Speaking of which, here we are."
Technically we weren't, since we stood just outside the Academy's outer walls, the entrance flanked by two watchtowers. There were several guards standing watch on the ground, and likely more around, somewhere. One of them came up to us with a raised hand. "Halt. This is private property-"
"Name's Qrow, Qrow Branwen, and here's my ID," Qrow interrupted, showing his Hunter licence on his scroll with one hand, the other jerking a thumb in my direction. "As for that guy, he's Ozpin's guest, and used to be student here. Now, mind if we move this along? It's been a long day."
As the guards hesitated, a voice cut through, "Let them through. They're expected, alright."
A dark blur came into view, a woman in greying hair dimly lit by the shattered moon. If I had to guess, I'd have placed her near Qrow's age, though nowadays no one looked their age anymore. The guards immediately snapped to attention in salute, easing at her gesture.
"Appreciate it, Greene. I owe you one." Qrow raised a hand in thanks.
"Just doing my job," came the reply. With a humourless smile the woman jerked her head towards the Academy proper. "You might want to get going. I'll make sure my snipes don't nip you on the way there."
She then turned to gauge me. "You're… Arc, was it? You've grown up quite a bit, last time I saw you. Welcome back to Beacon."
"Thank you, ma'am," I managed. They opened the gate for us, a section of the wall slowly swinging inward, curiously quiet for all its bulk. The main avenue yawned before us, wide enough for a dozen, maybe more, to walk abreast with room to spare, lit by soft glows of light poles.
As we walked down the length of the main path, I decided to ask, "Who was that woman? Someone you know?"
"She's a member of Beacon's faculty, been one for a while, actually – decades, I think," Qrow answered. "She doesn't give lectures or grade exams though. She's the one in charge of Beacon's security."
"How come we've never seen or heard of her before?" I asked, confused.
"You're not supposed to, that's the whole point," Qrow said. "Beacon Academy's security forces have two faces. On one side, they've got arm twisters in uniforms and desk jockeys pushing papers and students around, and these are the ones they let you students see in broad daylight.
"The other side, well, they tend to work mostly behind the scenes. They can blend into the crowd if and when they need to, and when it gets dark out, they're the ones standing watch while the Academy sleeps. If the students don't know they exist, then these guys are doing their jobs right."
"Seems a bit…" Extreme, I would've said, but then again, I once read several historical accounts of assassination attempts within Academy grounds around Remnant. That, and considering how the beating heart of Vale's CCT network was buried beneath the centre of Beacon, I supposed this cloak-and-dagger level of security measures made sense.
The woman, Greene, stayed true to her words, as we eventually reached the base of staggeringly tall Beacon Tower unharried. Now that I knew there was a hidden side to the Academy I thought I've known well enough, I couldn't help but wonder if there were other secrets hidden within its walls. And was I imagining pairs of eyes following us, or were those aforementioned 'snipes' really watching us?
"These people, are they like, you know, you and Ruby? And how many of them are there?"
"For fuck's sake, kid. More questions?" Qrow sighed, mildly vexed. "If this is gonna be a thing, walk by yourself next time. I'll be taking the avian highway."
"So why didn't you?" I knew about his ability to shapeshift – he kept mum about the details though. Far as I knew, there was no Semblance in recorded history that allowed a person to completely change into another being altogether. Something to ask Ruby about, next time, provided she didn't mind.
"Because of Ruby, obviously," he grunted. "And no, they're not like us Blackthorns. And how the fuck should I know?"
We stepped into the elevator, Qrow pressing the button for the top floor. I had more questions bouncing around in my head, but thought it'd be better to save them for another time.
Once we reached the top, it opened directly into Ozpin's office. For all the turning gears and cogs of the giant clockwork that sat atop the tower and dominated the interior of the office, its main occupant and his guests showed little signs of being under time's influence. Ozpin and Glynda looked more or less the same as they did five years ago, save for slight wrinkles on Ozpin's face, and occasional hint of grey in Glynda's tamed hair.
The two of them, plus Ruby and Yang, were seated around Ozpin's desk, a wide, crescent moon-shaped table of brass frames and see-through glass, within which lay cogs and gears identical to the ones slowly rotating above, albeit at a much smaller scale.
"Dad! Jaune!" Ruby waved us over, and only then did I see several plates loaded with food, the pleasant aroma making my mouth water and stomach growl in response. Yang fetched two more sets of plates and cutleries, while Glynda brought two more chairs, Ruby scooting along to make rooms for the two of us.
"It's well past the usual time for dinner, but Miss Rose told us you haven't had much to eat, so I had something light prepared for you all. It should be enough to tide you over until breakfast in the morning."
"Thank you, headmaster." Chicken legs, mashed potatoes with thick gravy, slices of bread with various spreads. It felt like I was a student again, digging into packed supper in dorm rooms after late-night trainings.
In hindsight, my table manners were probably far from eloquent, but fuck it, I was starving, and the food was good. Ruby and Yang were practically inhaling theirs, and they had a head start. Glynda had a slight look of disapproval on her face, but Ozpin simply watched the demolition with a small smile. Even their usual dispositions haven't changed much, it seemed.
We eventually cleaned all the plates, compliments to the chef. As we stacked the dishes and the cutleries onto a tray (didn't notice this earlier), Ozpin brought out a tea set, silver with blue filigree markings. He poured us all a cup, the fragrance sweet with a hint of spiciness. Cinnamon, unless I was mistaken, and something else I couldn't quite make out.
"It's chamomile tea," Ozpin answered, and I looked up, thinking he was answering an unspoken question. He was, just not mine, as he was looking at Ruby, who tilted her head with a confused look. "A particular blend with cinnamon. Happens to be one of my favourites."
"It also helps with relaxation," Glynda quipped, quietly sipping hers. "Something I'm sure we all could do with today."
Yang stiffened at that, her face a careful neutral mask, though I could see something simmering beneath the cracks. Ruby gently rubbed her back, and whatever steam Yang had seemed to bleed out at the ministration.
"I'm sorry I got you all involved," Yang murmured. "If this was something I could handle on my own, I wouldn't have gotten anyone else in this mess."
"Well, some fights you just can't win with brute force alone," Qrow said, nodding to Beacon's headmaster and deputy headmistress. "Good thing you two responded quickly. Those hounds from the Council weren't messing around, that's for sure."
"Yang? What exactly happened?" Ruby asked. I'm guessing they didn't exactly talk much back in the car.
Yang bit her lower lip, and Ruby backpedalled, "Only if you're comfortable sharing! If you don't want to, I can understand."
"No, I…" Yang sighed. "I don't mind telling you, just, not sure where to start."
"What about when you left Patch?" I offered. "Ruby and I, we were actually coming back from Patch when we ran into you back in the port. The headmaster from Signal, he told us you've been gone for a while."
"Something about taking on missions in Vale?" Ruby chimed in.
"More like several," said Yang, setting her cup down. "When I left a month or so ago, it wasn't with a plan in mind. I was getting stir crazy, and one day when I woke up, I decided to just pack my bag and head to Vale. It was only meant to be for the day, then I swore I'd get back."
And she did mean to return, but when the appointed hour has arrived, she let the boat sail away. A small, timid voice from the deep recess of her mind spoke of her job back in Signal, how the Academy didn't approve her leave, and her not turning up for her usual shift would very likely reflect badly on her performance review. And what about her house, who would look after it with her gone, there was a backlog of bills she hasn't sorted yet, and-
'Shut up!' She yelled internally, heat coursing through her hair, eyes undoubtedly turning red. 'Fuck you, and fuck the Academy!'
She imagined grabbing the nagging part of herself and bodily throwing her into the sea, splashing water everywhere from the sheer impact.
Her scroll chose that moment to ring, and Yang was almost tempted to throw it into the water too when she saw the caller ID. Signal Academy's headmaster was the last person she wanted to talk to at that moment. Besides, she already knew what he'd say, anyway.
'Let me guess, I'm failing miserably as a teacher, others are complaining about me, and how come I'm not as good as my dad? Well, screw you! Yeah, Taiyang was a great teacher, too bad he's dead! Died and left me alone, because of course that's what everyone does! Mom, dad, uncle, Jaune, even my own sister!'
Something cracked in her hand. Looking down, her own face looked back at her from the scroll, several spidery lines running across the screen, marring her reflection.
She felt her anger subside a bit. This wasn't the first time she broke something – be it accidental or intentionally – during her fits of rage. She always felt bad afterwards, not that it helped fix her issues.
Ren tried, she remembered, calmer than anyone she knew, with the patience of a saint. She imagined him sitting next to her on the bench, eyes closed and head leaning against the wall.
'Breathe in slow, hold it, and breathe out, nice and easy,' he once told her. 'Try to think of water, a steady trickle down from rock to rock.'
'You left me too.' She felt her hair returning to normal, eyes reverting to their usual shade of lilac. 'Even you. Stupid Ren.'
"Umm, excuse me?" A voice asked from her left, a woman in charge of the ticket booth.
"Yeah?"
"Well…" The lady gave her a funny look, and Yang couldn't blame her. "If you'd like another ticket…?"
"Thanks, but I'm good."
"Oh, well, in that case, would you care for a refund-"
"You ever been to Patch?" Yang cut in. The woman, flustered, shook her head.
"I can't say I have."
"Then here." Yang placed the unused ticket on the counter. "Use it. Nice place to get away from it all, unless you live there, in which case it's the opposite."
"Uh…"
"If you don't want it, give it to someone else. Sell it, throw it away, I don't really care."
Without waiting for a response Yang pivoted on her heels, and headed for the city. She didn't know how long she'd be in Vale for, but she knew she wouldn't return to Patch just yet. She'd need a place to crash, and find some work to tide her over for the time being.
It was quiet in the room, occasionally punctuated by Ruby quietly sniffling, muttering apologies into Yang's shirt, while she patted her on the back, herself on the verge of tears.
"Yang, I…" What else could I say, except to say that I was sorry?
She shook her head before I could finish my sentence. "Jaune, it's fine, really."
I wasn't sure if it was, but I nodded in acquiescence all the same.
"You know you're welcome to use my flat whenever you need it, right?" Qrow pointed out, before he groaned, "Ah fuck, forgot to give you a key, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but that's okay. Strange as it sounds, I didn't want you to see me moping. I wish you didn't have to see me like that, back there," Yang said, looking at Ruby. "You had your own problems to deal with, what kind of sister would I be if I dumped mine on your shoulders?"
"A perfectly normal one, obviously!" Ruby cried out, lightly shaking Yang. "You should've said something! Yeah, we all had our own struggles, but we could've helped! That's what families do, isn't it?"
"I know, I'm sorry," Yang sniffed. "Goddamnit, just don't leave me next time, okay?"
We let the two have a moment to themselves, Qrow offering them his hip flask, to which both Patch sisters each took long draughts from, their tea forgotten.
"Thanks," Yang said, wiping her eyes. "Anyway, after that, I've been taking on missions here and there, for liens and to blow off some steam. A lot of steam. I have to say, going back out into the field, back to our old stomping ground, I felt much better, free."
"Hunting Grimm is a good way to relieve stress," Qrow agreed. "Works better than talking to some guy in a lab coat with a clipboard, that's for sure."
Ruby chuckled. "Seconded."
"What happened afterwards?" I asked. "How did hunting missions outside Vale lead you to, you know, the whole warehouse thing?"
"I'm getting there. I did take on odd jobs here and there, until one mission took me across the sea all the way to Vacuo," said Yang. "Hell, was it hot there."
"Vacuo?"
"Yeah, Vacuo. Long story short, got myself a contract for protection duty for a cargo ship heading for Vale. Me, and a few other Hunters. The money was good, and I needed a ride back to Vale anyway, so why not? Everything went fine, until we landed in Vale."
I could see specks of red in her eyes, fists clenched as she continued.
"What the hell is this?"
The crew froze, exchanging looks with one another. Their eyes fell on the broken crate, its content spilling open.
"Miss-" One of the sailors approached her, only to freeze in terror as her hair set ablaze seemingly of its own accord, her eyes turning blood red.
"I said," Yang growled, glaring. "What. The hell. Is this?!"
The captain came forth, flanked by the Hunters that took on this job alongside her.
"Miss… Xiao Long, was it?" The captain burred, seemingly unfazed by her change in appearance. "I'm Hans, captain of this vessel. I was hoping-"
"Answer the fucking question, fuckface," Yang spat, pointing at the pile of grain-like substance. "You never mentioned anything about smuggling Dust."
"You were contracted to simply guard the ship from Grimm, nothing more, nothing less," the captain retorted, and Yang felt her blood boil at his indignance, as though she was the one in the wrong here. "As a matter of fact, you've just damaged our valuable goods, which we'll have to recoup by taking a cut from your payment."
As Yang readied her Ember Celica, she saw other Hunters do the same, their weapons trained on her. So, they were on the captain's payroll, then. If and when the fight broke out, she was on her own.
Behind her she heard the warehouse door close, few of the sailors bolting the door shut. They too drew their own weapons, mostly machetes, with a few cocking handguns.
"You fuckers realise, the moment you open fire, the noise will draw a lot of attention, right?" Yang sneered. "Then they'll call the police over, and you'll all be done for."
To her surprise, the captain simply laughed. "What the hell's so funny?"
"For one who's alone and trapped, you're surprisingly bold, Miss Xiao Long." Hans smirked. "Yes, you'd be correct in your assumption. Unfortunately, they won't get here anytime soon, and by the time they do arrive, we'd be long gone by then."
"I think I can last that long," Yang growled.
"As if, you arrogant pisspot," one of the Hunters snarked, tightening his grip on his shotgun.
Yang scowled at the Hunter. "Aren't you lot Hunters too? Whatever happened to sticking to your oaths? 'To serve and protect the innocent from the Grimm'?
Another Hunter scoffed in response, hefting a battleaxe on her shoulder. "Fuck off, bitch. All that noble 'save people' shtick is utter bullshit, anyway. Why the hell should we risk our own neck for people who don't even give a fuck?"
"Oi, let's just kill her and be done with it," the third Hunter said to the captain, who shook his head.
"I have a better idea. Miss Xiao Long, what say you we settle this in a more peaceful manner?"
"Hey, Hans? What the fuck are you doing?" the Hunter with the shotgun hissed, which the captain ignored.
"Here's my offer; I will double, no, triple the agreed amount on the contract, and in exchange, you forget everything that's happened here. All of us get to walk away rich, and more importantly, alive and in one piece. It's a fair trade, wouldn't you say?"
"And if I tell you to go choke on that contract and jump off a cliff?"
Captain Hans sighed. "Well, I tried." He nodded at his crew. "Kill her."
Under normal circumstances, the outcome was nothing short of suicide. Her Aura could eat a few bullets and machete cuts, but with her Semblance active it'd only keep her safe for so long, before it broke and left her wide open for the deathblow.
The thing about being a Hunter, she later learned, was knowing when to pick your battles. If the odds were in your favour, then cry havoc and raise all hell. If not however, then the old saying 'discretion is the better part of valour' still held true to this day.
Before one of them fired the opening shot, a section opened on the side of Ember Celica, and a metal pipe-like device sprang into the air, where it collided with a shot from her Ember Celica, detonating it mere moments later. As it cracked, a dark thick fog rapidly expanded, enveloping the inside of the warehouse within moments.
It was a little trick she learned from one of her Winterbourne friends, and seeing its effectiveness in action, she made a mental note to buy Blake a drink or few the next time they crossed paths.
"What the fuck!" Yang heard her foes yelling curses amidst the uncontrollable coughing, errant gunshots pinging off of metal frames, occasional cries of pain by those on the receiving ends of blind friendly fire.
She had her scarf up, covering her mouth and nose to protect her from the irritants in the smoke. None of them were fatal, but they did cause a distraction, and the smokescreen lingered long enough for her to blow a hole through the partition between the door frame and the wall.
One of the sailors stumbled into her path, completely oblivious to her presence until he was sent flying to the other side of the warehouse, lost to the fog. She heard a hollow thump from somewhere in the smoke, and immediately dove through the door, just as a grenade set off not far from where she stood moments ago.
It must've hit one of the Dust cargoes, likely the fire elemental variety, as another, far larger explosion followed immediately after, a great wildfire leaping from one end to the next, devouring the warehouse at its entirety, including those unfortunate bastards still caught inside.
The shockwave slammed her to the ground, much of the impact absorbed by her Aura, but it still hurt like hell. In the distance she saw dock workers running about, yelling for water and the police. Behind her, thick dark smoke billowed upward, carrying with it the stench of burning flesh and chemicals.
As she propped herself up, a sharp blow to the back of her head forced her down, her vision swimming. Squinting upwards, she saw captain Hans, badly burnt, blood oozing profusely from his wounds.
"You fucking bitch!" Another stomp, this time on her back. "All you fucking had to do was keep your head down! Instead, you ruined everything! Everything!"
Yang rolled out of the way this time, her hand finding purchase on his ankle and with a hard tug pulled the man off his feet, his face hitting and bouncing off the concrete. She steadied herself as she stood up, gingerly rubbing the back of her head.
Looking around, she saw the wildfire dying, having burnt itself out in a blaze of glory. If there was anyone left inside, they were likely ash by now, the sailors and the rogue Hunters, along with all the Dust inside the crates. Damn.
The police sirens were growing louder. She toed the captain's motionless body. "Hey, fuckface. Time to face the music. Get up already."
Hans remained still, unresponsive. Yang wasn't sure if he was merely unconscious or dead, and realised she didn't care either way. She found a section of the warehouse still left standing and sat against it, waiting patiently for the police to arrive.
She could see Patch island from here, a ferry slowly making its way to Vale. She wondered if any of the islanders were on board, and if they were, would they be able to see her, covered in ash with blood on her hands? And to think, she only took on this job so she could pay off some of her bills.
A stray thought crossed her mind then.
"Ah shit. My pay."
By the time Yang finished recounting her tale, it was getting closer to midnight. It's been a harrowing day for all of us, in different ways. Ozpin, ever thoughtful, apparently had rooms prepared for us in the staff apartment block, this particular one joined to the dining hall. It was more or less the same as the student dormitory, just with more legroom and en suite bathrooms.
A quick hot shower later, I changed into loungewear, one of several articles of clothing Weiss gifted us during our sojourn in Atlas. Still smelled alright, so at least I didn't have to sleep in my birthday suit.
Across the corridor, I heard Ruby and Yang chatter in low voices through the door opened ajar. While we had a room to ourselves, seems like Ruby didn't want to leave Yang on her lonesome, not after what happened today.
And that got me thinking. I reached for my scroll, tapping on to my list of contacts, a list of only a handful of people, not enough to even fill a whole screen. Ruby's was the first I added, then later Yang, who in turn gave me the number for the last member of team RALY.
As the call went through, I realised that it was probably past decent time for phone calls in Mistral, what with time zone differences. Before I could cut the transmission, it connected.
"Hello?" Came the sluggish reply, voice heavy with sleep.
"Uh, hi… Ren?"
"That's me. Who's… wait, Jaune?"
"Yeah, it's me. Just wanted to check up on you."
"Hang on." I heard the sound of rustling in the dark on the other end, a loud snore bouncing around the room. Seconds later I saw the screen turn on, and Lie Ren stared back, bags under his eyes.
"Sorry, the others were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake them."
"Shit, no, sorry. I shouldn't have called at this hour. Sorry."
"Don't be, I couldn't sleep anyway."
"Insomnia?"
Ren nodded. "The usual. Anyway, it's good to hear from you. It's certainly been a while."
"Yeah, it has," I said. "Sorry for not getting in touch. Probably too little too late now, but…"
"It's alright. Not like I did any better," Ren said with a yawn. "Where are you now?"
"We're in Beacon now, actually."
"Beacon?" Ren raised his eyebrows. "How'd you end up there?"
"Let's just say that today has been a long day," I said, weary. "Ruby and Yang are both here, too. And Qrow."
"Are they doing alright? Yang sounded a bit… off, last time we spoke."
"Yeah, looks like she's been going through a tough time," I said, watching his face fall. I thought about filling him in, but decided not to. As Qrow said earlier, it wasn't my story to tell, it was Yang's.
From their room, I heard Ruby and Yang laughing. "But you know what, I think she'll be alright."
Ren sighed in relief. "Good. Look after her, will you? Even Yang needs someone to lean on every now and then."
I nodded, grinning. "We'll keep your day job safe until you're done with whatever you're doing in Mistral."
"I can hardly wait," he dead-panned, though the corners of his mouth curved upwards all the same. "Take care, Jaune."
"You too, Ren."
With the call finished, I placed the scroll on the night stand, and climbed into the bed, hugging the blanket close. I could still hear the Patch sisters talking in hushed tones, light and airy, just like how they were before during our Academy days.
Maybe it was the fatigue from today. That, or it was getting back in touch with my old teammates. Either way, sleep came easily to me that night.