The gunshot caught everyone off guard as they all simultaneously jumped from the sound. Not only were they startled, but scared of whoever was packing the heater. The entire lot turned and looked in the direction of the shooter, who luckily seemed to only fire a warning shot.
Their eyes darted across the street, not too far away from Rabbit's barely working car. The shooter was looking right back at them, her eyes never resting on any single person, wanting to stay alert if any of them were going to rush or shoot her.
She was wearing almost all black, which certainly suited her. She had raven black hair, a black bow, a black scarf, a mostly zipped up black jacket, a black garter belt with white pants, black high heels with a dark purple around the ankles, leaving the only thing that stood out from her dark attire were her bright golden eyes.
She was a beauty, but not a single person noticed over the fact that she was holding a loaded gun in their direction with a defensive look in her eyes. The first thought that came to everybody's minds was that she was just a crazy girl with an itchy trigger finger, but then they started to take note of what she was wearing.
It was all so out of the ordinary, the bow, her leggings, even the small bit of clothing they could see under her jacket seemed out of place. She looked so surreal that she couldn't have had been for real. But then things started to click.
"Shit…" Rabbit mumbled to himself. "She's a huntress!" He announced to the entire lot, knowing that they'd all get in a lot of trouble if they were caught and turned in by her. Even though they were many, and she was one, it didn't take a genius to know even an inexperienced huntsman or huntress could take them all out faster than they could surrender.
Everyone in the lot shuffled their feet trying to get out of there as soon as possible. The members of the Free World rushed for their van, while Rabbit and his friends ran in the opposite direction, but didn't make an attempt to run for the car that was just a few feet away from the huntress.
Everyone only got about two steps before she fired another round aimed at the sky, stopping them all in their tracks. "Drop your gun!" she called out from across the street. By the tone of her voice, she was clearly making an order. But even though it was elevated, her voice was soft and smooth, but somehow still kept a strong intent behind it.
She re-aimed her gun, pointing it in Cheddar's direction. "What gu-" Rabbit started, but as soon as he turned his head to Cheddar he realized what the huntress had been talking about. Things had happened so fast Cheddar forgot he was even holding the gun.
"Cheddar, what the hell man! Why the fuck do ya have a gun!"
"Well Papa Doc had one so I figured-" Cheddar started.
"Man, put that shit away before you kill somebody!" Rabbit retorted. Followed by Future saying "Man put that down." much calmer than Rabbit had.
Cheddar looked around the lot, the huntress, the Free World from across the lot, even his own friends were afraid of the stunt he was pulling. Reluctantly, he went to stash the gun in his belt. "Okay, alright." He said as he complied. The tension in the situation seemed to be easing down, but it didn't last long.
As he was sticking the gun in his pants, his finger slipped and the trigger was pulled back. There was an almost muffled bang as the gun went off and fired at Cheddar's leg. "Fuck, man!" one of the Free World members said to no one in particular.
The huntress dropped her gun, but it was attached to some sort of ribbon, which automatically re-holstered her gun into a metal backpack she was wearing. She ran across the street towards Cheddar, with a look that resembled more of a panic than what she had before.
Cheddar's friends and the huntress all huddled around him, who had fallen backwards and onto the ground by now. The Free World saw their opportunity and made their escape in their van, while Wink just turned and ran in the opposite direction.
"Get in the fucking car!" Rabbit shouted.
Things were getting bloody, and everyone in the car was shouting in some way. Somehow Blake managed to get in their car, most likely because they were all in too much of a panic to care.
The one with the long dreadlocks was driving, the one with his hair back was riding in the passenger's seat, and the large one somehow hound a way to sit between the two while still being in the front end of the car. Rabbit sat on the left side in the back seat, Cheddar in the middle, assuming those were their names, while Blake sat on the right.
Rabbit was arguing with the person driving on directions to the supposed hospital they were heading to, while Blake just watched as he was failing to keep his friend's blood from spilling. He was doing a lot of things wrong, one being using an unfolded jacket to try and stop the blood loss.
"Here," Blake said, trying to control the situation the best she could. Rabbit looked at her with a confused and worried expression. She removed the jacket Rabbit had been applying to Cheddar's leg, and rolled up his pant leg to reveal the wound.
The two in the front seats that weren't driving turned their heads away, not wanting to cringe at the sight of their friend in that state. Blake began to remove the ribbon on her head. She didn't want to reveal her secret which she held back on even telling her closest friends to a couple of strangers, but someone's life was on the lines, and that was more important than her pride.
She took her untied ribbon and began wrapping it around Cheddar's thigh, between the gunshot wound and the rest of his body. It took a moment for Rabbit to realize what she was doing, but as soon as she pulled the ribbon to tighten its hold on Cheddar, he realized she was making a tourniquet.
Blake tied the ribbon to keep it in place, effectively stopping the blood flow to his leg. Cheddar winced at the pain, but toughed it out for the moment. The shouting almost started back up, until Cheddar said something that got Rabbit's attention.
"What?" Rabbit said in response.
"Emcee Bob." Cheddar repeated himself
"Man, what are you talking about?" said Rabbit still not understanding what he was saying.
"Is that a good name?"
"What's wrong with 'Cheddar Bob'."
"I like 'Emcee Bob'. Right?"
"Yeah." Rabbit said reluctantly. "Emcee Bob."
Blake was across the street from the hospital, leaning against a tree, feeling to an extent guilty. As if this could have been avoided if she wasn't around. She saw Rabbit crossing a street and walking up to his friends that weren't any farther than thirty feet from her.
"The doctor said that he hit an artery, but he'll be okay."
"That's good, man." Iz said quietly, but still loud enough for them to hear. Future had been standing a few feet away when he returned to the group.
"Where have you been?" Rabbit asked.
"Praying." He simply replied while twirling the cross hanging around his neck.
"Will he be alright?"
"Yeah."
Rabbit looked across the street and saw the huntress from earlier, leaning against a tree. He was certain she would have left by now, not a lot of people risk being somehow tied in with what went down in the parking lot. He looked at her as she did the same to him. Rabbit took a second to think, before turning to his friends.
"I'll catch you guys later. Future," Rabbit said as he tossed his car keys to his friend, who caught them smoothly.
"you got the car tonight. I'll pick it up at the Shelter later." he finished.
"Gotcha." Future replied.
The two gave a casual hug before they parted ways. Future and the rest of his friends got in the car, while Rabbit crossed the street up to the huntress. Her eyes followed him as he approached her.
"Your, friend," She started, even before he could say anything.
"is he gonna be alright?" She asked, calmly, with just a trace of worry in her voice. Blake already knew the answer, her extra set of exposed ears picked them up from when he talked to his friends. But she needed to hear it one last time to be sure.
"Yeah. He hit an artery, but he'll only need some crutches for a few days." He replied.
Rabbit looked at her in the moonlight, everything about this scene fit so well. She was beautiful, but he knew he didn't have a shot with her, so he just ditched the thought of being with her as fast as it came. They probably wouldn't have gotten along anyway.
"I'm, Blake." She said, almost hesitantly between words.
"Jimmy. My friends call me Rabbit." He said casually.
"Because you're a faunus?" Blake asked, wondering if he had rabbit ears like Velvet under his beanie. Or maybe a det of feet.
"Nah, I'm human. My friends started to me call me that 'cause I'm fast to think and speak." He replied. He left out the part about how he 'likes to fuck' as Cheddar put it.
"That was cool what you did back there. With the tourniquet and all." He said wanting to thank her for what she did.
"Thanks." Blake said,diverting her eyes momentarily. She thought Rabbit was nice enough to spend time with, but it was pretty late, and she knew the rest of her team would freak out if she didn't get back by the time the sun comes up. She began turning to leave abruptly, but quickly realized that she didn't know where she was, in a town which she didn't even know existed until today.
"Hey, uh," She started.
"I just remembered, I don't know where I am. Do you think you can give me directions?" She said slightly embarrassed.
"Uh, yeah." Rabbit said trying to act casual.
"Where you headed?"
"Back to Vale."
"Vale, right." Rabbit took a moment to think of where they were right now and how they were gonna get there.
"Alright, there's a bus stop right by my place. It's a bit of a walk there, but it's the fastest way back to Vale. It wouldn't be if I kept my fucking car." Rabbit said, but mumbled the last sentence to himself. Blake gave him a smile smile, slightly amused by his was never one to swear herself, but she wasn't entirely against it.
"Sounds good." She said.
The two started down the street, not making much conversation at first. But they both realized the air around them was getting pretty awkward with just the sounds of their footsteps and passing cars.
"So you're a huntress, right?" Rabbit said, trying to break the ice.
"Yeah, I'm going to Beacon right now. But the classes are put on hold for the festival, so I'm free for the next week." Blake replied.
"Yeah, yeah. Isn't there a whole tournament thing going on with all the schools?" He asked, to which she nodded
"My team and I made the first round and we're moving up into the second tomorrow. But because of the way the tournament is structured me and friend Ruby are sitting out for the rest of the tournament while my other friends Weiss and Yang move up." She said, happy to ease the slight tension between them. But she had a couple questions for him that she thought she'd ask.
"What do you for a living?" She knew it sounded weird saying it aloud, but it's not like it was a personal question, and she was genuinely interested in given where he lives. Rabbit took a moment to think, or maybe it was out of pride he didn't want to answer.
"I work at a factory, pushing bumpers for cars. My boss can be a dick at times, but the pay is enough to get me by. But what I really want to do is be a rapper." He chuckled a little bit, thinking about how little his dream is compared to what Blake is doing right now.
"I know it sounds stupid, but it's true. I got shit to say, and my friend Wink is trying to get people to hear it. It's also my best bet to get me out of this dump I call 'home'." Rabbit said that last bit with a slightly more serious tone.
"Speaking of which," Blake said
"where do you live? I know you meant this town as a whole, but you told me we're heading back to your place. Where's that?" She asked.
"Well there's the bus stop I was telling you about." Rabbit said, pointing just a little up the sidewalk.
"And I live just around the corner with my ma. There's a big ass sign with lights, you can't miss it. And this 'town' is Detroit" He paused for a moment.
"I had a place with my girlfriend, but we broke up and I moved back in with my ma a few days ago." He said, slightly embarrassed, but he would have been more embarrassed if he lied and she found out.
"It looks like the bus won't be here for another six minutes. Let me just run in and grab some things before we leave."
The two reached the corner, Blake followed a little behind Rabbit as he turned the corner to walk down the road up to his house. She stopped to admire the scene in front of her. The big and bright sign read '8 Mile road mobile court', while Rabbit walked in it's warm orange glow against the dark night sky and dim road of the trailer park.
Everything about it from the trailers to what he was wearing created a strange atmosphere that she couldn't describe. It was at this moment Blake realized Rabbit had it rough, especially now that she knew a little bit about him. It was like she went back in time and saw herself.
Blake snapped herself out of her daze, and realised Rabbit was a ways away from her. She sprinted to catch up with him, not wanting him to think she ditched him. They turned the road and walked about three trailers down.
"Alright, wait out here. My mom might have guy over, and I don't want to make you see that." He told her, to which she simply replied with "Okay."
Rabbit walked up the steps and quietly opened the front door, closing it behind him. Blake saw that he turned on a light, and started looking for whatever they were there for. He only took two minutes for him to get what he wanted, as he emerged from the trailer. This time he had a pair of headphones around his neck with a cord running down into his jacket pocket.
"Got what you needed." Blake asked as he walked down the steps to her.
"Yeah. The bus will be here in about two-ish minutes." He replied as the two walked back up the road to the bus stop.
Just as the two got to the bench that was illuminated by a cold white glow from the light above it, the bus came rolling up the street in their direction with the words '8 Mile' above the front windshield.
"You mind if I tag along for the ride?" Rabbit asked, slightly timid from what her reply might be.
"Sure. I don't see why not." Blake replied.
The bus came to a halt just in front of the two, the tire suspension making a small hiss as soon as it finished decelerating. The doors opened outwards, making way for the two to get on with Blake being first.
They both looked down the isle of the bus's insides, lit with the same cold white glow as the bench. The entire bus was empty, leaving Blake and Rabbit to whatever seat they wanted. Blake took the aisle seat on the left side of the bus three seats from the front, while Rabbit sat across from her on the right aisle seat.
The doors closed and the bus driver hit the gas, starting the calm ride as the words on the bus changed from '8 Mile' to 'Vale'. After the bus found a steady speed to stay at, Rabbit turned his body towards Blake, letting his legs rest in the aisle. She was looking out the window, taking in the state Detroit was in. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he's certainly found himself doing the same thing a number of times.
"So, uh. What made you want to be a huntress?" Rabbit asked her, trying to make the ride pass by faster for the both of them. She slowly moved her eyes from the window to stare down at her feet, thinking about what she wanted to say. Or rather how to put it.
"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption, someone has to stop it. And whether I make a difference or not is one thing, but not trying is another." She said with a mix between anger and sadness, but still kept her voice level and un elevated.
"Sorry, if I got a little serious there." Blake said apologetically.
"What's there to be sorry about. Life gave you the short end of the stick, and you want to change that, and for more people than just yourself." Rabbit said supportingly.
"Thanks." Blake said with a smile, moving her eyes to meet his.
"Why do you want to be a rapper?" Blake asked, wanting to see how he'd come to choose that path to walk down.
"Well, it's kind of like what you said. The rest of the world is moving in the fast lane, and I'm stuck here on life's soft shoulder. And for a long time I had no way to get off it, 'cause I'm a victim of a lot of that shit you said. There's shit ton of things in this world that need fixing, but I'm not the one fit to do it. Rap spoke to me when nothing else did, and I hope to bring that same kind of feeling to the rest of the world, and hopefully spark a mind that's fit to fix things." Rabbit said, losing himself to his thoughts and the rhythms that went on in his head.
"Uh, sorry. I droned on a bit longer than I should've." He said in an apologetic tone.
"What's there to be sorry about?" Blake said with a sly smile, to which Rabbit gave a small laugh and smile as well.
"You mind If I get your number?" Rabbit asked, feeling much more comfortable around her now.
"Sure, can I get yours?" Blake asked, also interested in talking to him again.
"Yeah," he replied, happy to be able to stay in touch with her.
The two exchanged, numbers for their scrolls. Rabbit's never talked with a girl that kept things as real as she did, and that's something that gave her a level of respect he gave very few people. Blake had never met a human who had a life as hard as him, and saw the world just as, if not better than she did.
Just as the two finished exchanging numbers, the bus came to a halt. They had arrived at Vale, just a little deeper in than the outskirts.
"This is it." Blake started.
"I know the rest of the way from here. I'm happy I met you, Rabbit." She said with sincerity.
"Yeah. Me too." He replied.
"I'll talk to you later." Blake said, extending her hand out to him.
"Cool." Rabbit said casually, accepting her handshake.
Blake turned and walked along the aisle and down the steps of the bus, leaving Rabbit standing in the aisle alone. After Blake walked down the sidewalk a ways, the bus doors closed with a hiss, and started down the street back to 8 Mile.
Blake walked down the sidewalk towards the helipad where the next bull head would take her back to Beacon. All of the children with their parents have gotten to bed by now, leaving only a few young adults and teenagers lingering in Vale who were still enjoying the festival.
Meanwhile Rabbit sat back down in his seat on the bus, this time by the window. He slipped his headphones on and started listening to a beat with no lyrics. The calming piano keys flowing through his mind. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and pencil, and starting coming up with lyrics. Rabbit sat in solitude as the tall warm buildings of Vale changed to the rundown stores and homes of Detroit.