Chapter VI:10-80
As you'd expect, there would be repercussions when attacking a criminal base of operations, even to a remarkable girl like Yang Xiao Long.
Criminals or not, they do have rights as citizens, and as citizens they are under the protection of the law but an interesting case is; a criminal would never go to the police, and since there was no one to file a case against her, then, in the eyes of the flawed Justice System, Yang Xiao Long is in fact innocent to all charges, even with Ask (knowing full well) deducing her entire rampage was not enough as grounds for arrest.
That however didn't stop a young lieutenant from nit-picking.
'Bitch' is the insult Yang will forever condone one Lt. Amy Riley.
"Just you and me, girl to girl." She set up in order to prevent Yang from enticing the very lonely male members of the Crimes Unit.
"Listen Amy-" Yang's friendly tone was roughly dismissed by the sharp-tongued correction
"It's detective actually." she corrects "Not Amy, no, no, no, Amy is for the civilians who need someone they can open up to, not delinquents like you."
And 'delinquent' has now become a term forever associated with the name Yang.
"To you I'm Detective Riley or Officer Riley. Got that?"
Yang in all her 'Yangness' was a hair trigger away from upper cutting a police officer. "Oh you are so…" thankfully that trigger was loosened by a well needed interruption.
Ask did what all males would do in this situation. "Well, I'm sleep deprived as it is." He exclaims, stretching his arms for emphasis, yawning to seal the deal.
"Perhaps I'll take a nap somewhere with no women of hostile intentions. Oh look. There's one, better go and nap there." Self-preservation at it's finest, Ask shows the correct way to leave a danger zone.
Yang POV
And there he goes leaving me with a really angry cop who probably hates my guts for making a fool of her and her unit by waltzing in on the crime scene. I must really have terrible taste in private detectives...
This could be a really embarrassing story one day. Let's hope I don't tell it in a prison.
Amy…I mean Officer Riley goes on and on about boring rules and what happens if I break them. God! It's like I did a bad thing. I hurt some bad guys, I should get a medal or something! But no, I get a lecture instead.
Riley is just so boring...
It's either "Rules this" and "rules that." or "Assault with a lethal weapon is punishable by 20 years to life in prison..." and something about "Attempted murder is not a joke..."
I would have stayed in school if this is all I'm going to get.
I look around, drifting my sight to random parts of the club, remembering all the fun I had here, Ah…good times. You could even say "I left with a Yang"…gotta remember that for later. I put it next to "Yang in there" and "Xiao Long guys"
Riley keeps saying something about "The illegalities of trying to castrate someone." Whatever that means.
I'm so bored, I scan the room trying to do a deduction, Ask could do his detective thing in his sleep, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, while all I see- what everyone else sees is…what they see, and not life stories and events.
Speaking of the guy, where'd he…And yup, he's taking a nap, sleeping against the bar, I'm actually jealous of the guy, mostly because I feel like taking nap too.
Ask stirs in his sleep, I actually thought his knew I was watching him, then he snores... loudly.
He really is asleep, I remember right when I saw him in class. And come to think of it has he been sleepy the entire time?
Geez! What did he do last night?
SCENE CHANGE
Last Night
12:34 AM
Location: Grumpy's Bar
"Looking for missing persons, female, late-teens to early-twenties, a tip gets a free drink; an annoyance goes to the hospital." Ask declared to the sleazy, human-trash infested bar. The bartender and owner looks as nervous as hell, this wasn't the first time the detective asked around here. Yang had good instincts interrogating a snitch like Junior, but for something like a missing person, you need to lower your standards of search. A bar full of rapists, ex-cons, abductors, and cheap pimps for cheap hookers is far more abundant in information than a nightclub with only one snitch. But the best thing about bars; everyone's a snitch.
Proving that theory right, all of the bar's patrons turn their gaze at one man sitting alone at a table with a glass half-empty of liquid sin. He glares at them all, betrayed as he gets pushed into the cross-hairs.
"Fuck you guys!" he yells at everyone in particular.
Ask is pleased with this and shows more generosity than usual. "A round of drinks on me." As the crowd cheers, the bartender starts sweating bullets, and Ask moves closer to his first lead."As long as they don't mind the noise."
"Ya got nothin' onme." He says flat out in Ask's face, clearly drunk and pissed; a dangerous combination.
"You work for a human trafficking ring, hired to kidnap and drug helpless girls, turn them into prostitutes then become their pimp." Ask deduces, quickly, and tactlessly as always.
"Prove it." The man challenges.
"Tattoos." Ask starts with the obvious, getting the firm grasp of it. "Sign of membership in a particular organization related to prostitution and kidnapping, usually not in that order, scar underneath your right ear tells me you've been doing it for a while, received it from a woman's nails as you drag her from behind, normally it'd just be domestic abuse but the angle of it would mean she was either on the ceiling or her finger's heights are reversed, both is highly unlikely, and I say 'for a while' because you still smell of perfume and let's not undermine the fact that's a perfume brand popular among teenage girls."
The man's eyes widen for a brief second as Ask finished, he then gulps down his drink and stands up to face Ask.
"You know what?" he then shoves the now empty glass in Ask's face "Shut your yap, or I'll jam this up your-AAGHHH!."
The walking piece of shit was unable to finish his sentence as Ask shatters the glass in the jerks hand.
"Gaagh…you little-"
Ask tightens his grip, the man falls to his knees from the pain of having shards of glass continuously forced into his hand.
"I have a finite supply of patience, you have a ten working fingers, I trust you can calculate that far." He warns, grip never slipping "Where's the girl?"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
Ask applies greater pressure to the man's hand, the glass shards embedding deeper. He pulls out a phone, one of several on his person. For petty revenge, Ask shoves the phone in the criminal's picture of the girl Yang sent him on the screen.
"Dark black hair, moon pale skin, wears heels so she's obviously short without them, probably from sheltered upbringing." He describes forcefully. "Don't tell me she doesn't sound familiar."
"It…doesn't…I SWEAR TO GOD! I don't-"
That was not the answer Ask wanted, so he puts his phone away, takes a bottle of hard liquor, pops open the lid, and pours down the man's open hand man screams fill the bar, and the patrons break their promise and glance their way to the interrogation in progress.
"Anyone else want to swear on an imaginary friend?" Ask called out to the populace. And with that, everyone goes back to their own boring non-painful lives.
"Talk." Ask commanded with a deadly calm voice.
"Please, please man. I-I-I don't know nothing, I haven't done a job in months." The low-life begins, each word that escapes his alcohol drenched teeth becoming desperate. "We-we-There ain't nothing going on about a girl like her."
Ask tilts his head in thought, more information was what he needed "Detail."
"S-Sure thing, I got eyes everywhere on the kidnapping gig." Ask glares harder, the walking filth cowers further. "Ain't no one with your description." As he cowers in fear Ask knew right then and there he wasn't lying.
"How can you be so sure?" Ask doesn't growl nor does he yell the question, the very manner he spoke had just the right amount of terror and politeness to make anyone squeal.
"Listen, man...we don't sell-" Ask glares at the trafficker, reminding him to chose his words more carefully. "I mean- kidnap- that's what I meant! kidnap human girls any more man."
The man continues, calmer this time. "We only have a demand for faunus girls these days, man. We haven't had any normal girls in decades!" he explains, hoping Ask could listen to reason.
"Can anyone verify that?"
The faunus trafficker nods his head furiously "Ask any dead beat in the business, they'd tell you the same thing."
Ask didn't need to,treating faunus like pets or slaves was a practice as old as the race, even today many rich perverts and frequent brothel patrons developed sick fetishes regarding animal girls, if the demand was real the supply was too.
"Explain the perfume…"
"My girlfriend wears it to feel young." Ask deduced early on that that probability was not possible, hence Ask taking out one of the man's fingers and pulling it out of its natural alignment with a reverberating crack noise.
Nine fingers left.
As the career criminal screams, Ask gives him his last warning. "Never lie to me." For all intents and purposes that sounded like the very last words most would hear.
"I'M A CROSSDRESSER!" was his sad but honest confession. So a man who kidnaps defenseless girls, dresses as one. Ask believes this reason, the tiniest bit of respect for the criminal he had in a vice gone, thankful a child wasn't sexually involved with this lowlife.
Then one of Ask's phones starts to vibrate.
"What?" he answers his phone, letting the poor fool go and making him fall to the ground.
"No matches." the person on the other line reaffirms that statement. "What about Jane Does, that are much older...thirty if necessary." the disappointed scowl plastered across Ask's face meant that also lead to nothing.
"Hmm…guess I'll check on living one's, the help is appreciated." Whoever was on the other end of the line must've been real important in the eyes of the bystanders. Ask then turns to leave but not without giving the bartender a moderate sum of Lien.
"Debt's paid, forget my face." And with that he exits the bar; pocket a bit lighter but answers to ponder.
Present day
YANG POV
Riley shots me another question "Where you under the influence at the time?"
'That was a dumb question, no one fights drunk.' I answer a "No."
Ever said a word so many times that it sounds weird the longer you say it? Well right now 'No' sounds like a bizarre chant coming out of my mouth. It was if this interrogation was nothing more but to punish me with nonstop questions.
"Have you ever been under the influence?"
Before I knew it I was giggling 'She's got me there'
"Want to find out?" I resort to flirting with her now, not that she wasn't pretty, Riley was kind of cute even with her constant bitch-face. But like always, she takes it the wrong way...
"Are you attempting to seduce an officer of the law?"
'Oh great, I try to keep things light and she thinks I tried to flirt my way out.' I try to brush it off, and as I try to stop this from getting even more awkward, my eyes brush past Ask, who as if he could tell I was in a tight spot, smiles while asleep. He looked really relaxed, his usual brooding face looked calmer compared to when I saw him in class.
'Wonder what he's dreaming about?' I caught myself think, it's probably just a Rubik's cube or a good CSI: Vale episode or something. Officer Riley asserts herself again, by slamming an actual book on me, cutting off my current mussing.
The question on my mind was: 'Where'd she pull a giant law book from?'
"I'm sorry am I disturbing you?" Sarcastic and mean, she's really starting to piss me off.
"Don't be." I shot back. She goes back to her tablet, writing more stuff down, probably stuff that would get me sent to jail and banned from nightclubs and parties.
"You're probably use to killing people's mood." She twitches a little. Score one for me.
Out of nowhere she asks "How does it feel?"
"Excuse me?" Feel like what? Good-looking, awesome, kick-ass, blonde, and funny? Yeah I guess she'd be curious of how awesome people feel.
"You know being the client this time; I'm sure after having so many yourself, you must have wondered what it was like being the client."
I had literary no clue what she was talking about. That was until she did the 'blowjob' gesture, then I realized she meant that kind of client.
'Oh she is so going down.'
"Always knew the freak was human after all, thought he was a queer for sure. But you, where'd he get a high-end hooker like you? Must have cost that rich bastard a whole lot of Lien to fill those udders of yours."
I was always taught to respect the police, always be nice to the ones who serve and protect, cause hitting a cop his six to nine months in jail.
But there is one loophole…
"At least I'm not hiding behind a badge." I mutter under my breath, making sure I tried to make sound inaudible, with it sounding too low for her to hear.
"What?" Riley angrily spat, her eyes glaring at me, hoping her semblance was heat vision.
'Got you right where I want you.' If there's one thing I'm sure I can do other than kicking ass, it's getting people pissed. Ruby says it's annoying but anything can be used as a weapon.
I press on, pushing the right buttons to get her as violent as possible "A cop with a shiny badge, thinking she can do or say whatever she wants because her badge keeps her safe." I've never used "shiny badge" before but I heard it's the equivalent to calling someone a noob.
Rule Number 1 Of Getting a Cop To Hit You: Don't insult the cop. Insult the badge…
She points a finger at me, trying to look superior, using her size to her advantage (which wasn't really much to begin with) her lips weren't in their usual thin-line, but half way to biting my head clean off. "Look here you little trouble maker! I-"
"You're not doing anything to prove me wrong." Her composure slightly deflates, I can see her shoulders lower a bit, My God this woman was easy to piss-off
"Oh you are asking for it." Was her attempt to save face, to look like she had restraint, to look like she was the better man.
"I'm begging for it! Who's gonna give it to me?!"
'What? I never said I was the better man, cause I'm definitely not a man.'
She takes off her badge, throws it at Nolan, I know full well what that meant; she's not a cop anymore, well not on duty, anyway. Hitting a cop is six months in prison, but hitting her now is the same as hitting a mook. She gestures a 'Come at me' sign with her arms spread wide at the sides, I let her have this moment.
"What's wrong? Afraid of-" then Pow! Right in the cockhole. She goes flying, and after some air time she finally lands with a thud on the dance floor, she spits out her gum as she gets back up. She jumps at me, ready to rip my head off.
Now this is a fight.
The sound of us colliding make every head turn toward us, we punch, we scream, (we don't pull each other's hair, that's for amateurs,) we kick, we knee, we elbow, we beat the living shit out of each other. The MCU look at us like a free show, some horrified, some trying to stop it, and that one guy enjoying it, as I deliver an uppercut and knock Officer Riley of her feet, she nails the landing this time, know she knows how good am I, she undoes her tight professional ponytail, letting her hair fall free, all the boys cheer, probably hoping she'd take something else off. Now everyone in the MCU was watching, cheering for their bet.
Oh this was just getting started. I deliver another jab, this time Riley's ready for this one, she dodges my fist and grabs my arm in a hold and uses my momentum to throw me across, I counter it as I land then twist myself to kick her. She grabs my boot-clad foot with just her hand, a really bad-ass pose to be honest.
Okay, guess cops focus on more person-on-person combat than I thought…
With all the noise we were causing, I was sure no one could stay asleep.
I see Ask wake up, as grumpy as the first time I saw him. He walks away after giving the scene in front of him a quick look before he goes to the other side of the bar he was sleeping on.
I get falcon punched across the room before I could wonder why he went there.
"Never turn your back on me, blondie!" Riley screams as she comes at me, I catch her with a one-handed choke hold, lifting her I the air then throwing her up just to punch her right before she lands. I have to give it to her, she can take a hit. Proving my point she gets back up as if it was nothing and continues our fight.
"Twenty-Five Lien says Riley floors her." I hear Schumacher make the bet to Burton.
"You're on." Burton accepts it. Oh, he better.
She hurls at me again, with some battle cry that sounds like a dying Nevermore and throws a fist at me. I catch it and punch the ground she's standing on with minimum force, knowing full well that Ember Celica's blast might –CRAP! It's still with Ask- and I realize too late as she hammer locked my arm and slammed my face to the ground.
'Damn my dentist is going to kill me.'
Normal POV
Being wise enough not to be anywhere near a 'bitch fight', Captain Mac Allen and Ask decided to observe from a much safer distance; behind the obviously bullet proof bar counter.
Ask used this opportunity to carry out the true reason for helping Major Crimes; to gain further information on the case.
"She's a bit dodgy for a client, ain't she kid?"
"Doesn't matter, I took her case." Ask answered with a tone comparable to having just been told his favorite show was on hiatus. "To be completely honest, it's a pleasant change of pace."
"Better than lost cats, eh kid?"
'Why must everyone mention that?'
"Business is slow; I take what I can get." Ask admits, Vale was usually calm compared to the other cities of the world, though not entirely void of crimes, very few go to a private detective these days, minus the cheating spouses, he gets tons of those.
"Welcome to Vale, kid." Ask nods at his nickname, he didn't entirely hate it, nor did he enjoy the sound of it, but at least it's not "freak" or "weirdo." as he's been occasionally called.
Yang escapes from the arm-lock, swiping the lieutenant's legs and punching her in the gut. The effect was the Riley turning literally flying into a wall.
For a second Yang thought she'd just won that fight, but seeing Riley look as if she hadn't even been hit made Yang feel as if she'd underestimated a fully-trained police officer in a world were armed teenagers with superpowers was a normal thing.
Riley shoots her blonde opponent glare, one she'd reserve for the lowest of scum that dwell on the gutters infesting her city.
...or those who piss her off.
Yang, for the first time in a while feels something close to nervous.
"The case file you wanted from me last night." Mac Allen hands the digital files to Ask, he plugs it in to his sleeve mounted computer, it was a built-in computer system with holographic interface that has connector cable and terminals and ports. Designed primarily for special operations forces but still too costly for civilians. You'd have to make it yourself to avoid paying.
And so Ask did.
With case files of this nature, sending it wirelessly through unprotected channels would be idiotic. He reads it immediately as it finishes downloading, his eyes scanning every piece of date the holograph showed, saying 'thank you' is out of the question when he was this focused.
"Is this reliable?" as always no information is better than false, always double check whenever possible.
"It should be." Was the old policeman's retort "I was the one who filed it." The answer slightly shocked Ask, he didn't show, but to the refined observer he might have been openly gaping.
"Damn paperwork cost me an anniversary." The old police captain complains feeling the effects of a lifetime in service against the commitment of marriage "This makes us even for 'Rick Brook'." he adds in a more serious note.
Ask finishes reading, more worrying questions than answers, now more than ever. "Not yet." Ask shows his mobile to the captain, the image he's been obsessively analyzing filling the screen. "Familiar?" the captain accepts the mobile phone, bringing closer to his eyes, his vision not being as reliable as it was in his prime.
"Sorry, kid." Captain Mac Allen apologized. "Haven't heard anything about a pretty bird." There was an air of instinct in him, making him feel suspicion "No missing persons or kidnappings either." he murmurs, mostly to himself, missing persons cases was usually something the police kept track of, this one, if the old man's mind hadn't failed him, was not one filled.
Ask can't help but feel…depressed, if some should call it that. Allot of idiots these days think a bad day is depression, honestly calling it depression is just a way to make people think it's serious, in reality they just don't appreciate their lives enough.
'Idiots…'
"You sure this picture is recent?" the captain inquires. Ask shoots him a look before saying.
"You might want to duck about…now." Without another word he pulls the police captain down, barely missing a chair thrown their way. He hears grunts and the sound of a body being slammed on the ground as he returned to standing upright.
Ask pockets his phone once again, another waste of time, another dead end, another reason for this case to be cut out for him. 'All that effort to gain a favor, wasted.' Ask exasperatedly thinks to himself, not minding the sound of shattering glass from the far end of the room.
'Xiao Long sure knows how to make a mess of things...'
"Not really, no." Ask answers, the picture was obviously old, 'Too old' Ask would often repeat in his mind with suspicion.
The older man grabs him by the shoulder, dragging him forward by an inch to evade the door being angrily blown open by a very pissed off Major Crimes Officer that then proceeded to tackle Yang to the ground with an incoherent curse or two.
That answer had to make do, because an incoming ball of sunshine, bad puns, and blonde hair was flying their way. They both duck as Yang flies past them, hitting the wall with an audible thud.
She growls as she gets back on her feet and jumping back into the fray.
"Umm sir?" they both turn to the sight of a nervous-looking Snyder who was sweating buckets through his practically new uniform.
The Captain merely hums.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" the dog faunus nods his head to the skirmish unfolding behind him, then ducking to the side to avoid what used to be a ceiling light being thrown his direction.
"Be my guest." That was a challenge not an invitation.
Snyder looks back at the wreckage behind him, flurries of cusses and fists coming from two of the most destructive forces he'd ever seen turn a partially destroyed club into a completely destroyed club. He flinches as an explosion caused by unknown means blinds his eyes and turns back to answer the captain with an honest reply.
"On second thought never mind." He whimpers as his dog ears instinctively try to cover his eyes. He gets back to his other officers for there is safety in numbers.
After seeing the FNG encouraging his namesake, Ask had to address the elephant in the room, or dog in this case. "Mind telling me why he's here?"
It was a fact that most members of the Major Crimes Unit were Sergeant at best, Snyder was still just a rookie not even detective, yet for a reason Ask had the utmost need of knowing, was here working with the MCU.
The captain refuses to look him in the eye, he knew the damn nosy kid would ask this "Know how hard it is for a faunus to be in the force?" He says like a hardened veteran who saw the answer first hand as he watches his Lieutenant elbow his consultant's latest client (who was currently their perpetrator.)
"Well my apparent lack of position in the police force and of animal appendages makes it fairly difficult to sympathize." Pleading Ask for sympathy is like a asking a Grimm to fight for humanity.
"Well neither do I." he claims frankly, his old man voice clearly haughty "I just need him for his nose."
It takes Ask awhile to process what he just heard "Beg your pardon?"
"The kid's got a talent for sniffing out criminals, literally." He puts emphasis in the last word "Obviously dog traits, got him on the Unit to help out with investigations, makes it a lot easier for us. Think of him as a naïve, less-fucked-up version of you with dog ears and super-smell." Mac Allen was always one who preferred results over procedure, explains why Ask was in his beck and call.
Or was it the other way around?
"Some offense." Mac Allen adds
"Some taken." Ask half-heartedly accepts being slightly insulted, all the while wondering just how speciest Mac Allen was towards those with ancestry faunus.
As the two talk in a friendly manner, another two exercise the less peaceful means of human interaction.
"Whoa…Gagh!" Yang cried as she falls hot-ass first on the floor, for the umpteenth time. The Police Lieutenant unlike last time keeps her grip on Yang's arm in order to put her in an arm bar.
Fun Fact: The Vale City Police Department has an annual MMA tournament.
Guess who won 3-times in a row?
"Huh, are you tapping out? Are you tapping out? Huh, huh, are you?" she taunts as she pulls Yang's arms while her legs push down the rest of her body. The taunting proves ineffective as Yang, in an, amazing feat of strength stands up, lifting the police officer with her with just one arm.
One look at Yang's crimson eyes spoke for itself.
"Oh boy…" and so begins Lieutenant Riley's career as a temporary Ember Celica.
To answer the previous question; not Riley.
Yang starts violently punching Riley into anything she deemed was hard enough, a wall met Riley's face, an innocent indoor tree got smooched by Riley's lips, and a poor glass decoration ended up getting reversed-rape by the lieutenant's entire lower-back. But no of that could deter Riley's perseverance, her arm-bar still held, not even Yang could withstand this much strain for long.
The only question was who'd give up first.
While Ask had a little question of his own.
"You wanna know why we're here?" the Major Crimes leader sighs out, his underage detective-for-hire was the most curious tosser he'd ever met, but keeping him in the loop always paid off
"But of course, not only that but also why here, why investigate the destruction of a night club in the shady part of town? That's not within Major Crime's jurisdiction unless something made it within their jurisdiction." It doesn't take a genius to know the reason:
"It's Snyder's target isn't it?" again a spot on deduction from Ask.
The captain doesn't look impressed, rather a slight feeling of pride as Ask once again solved it spot on. "We recently got a tip on Roman Torchwick, codename: Candle." Ah another codename, all the good criminals have them, only the interesting ones who warrant a color naming scheme though, Ask never really questioned (or cared) why.
"You probably heard of him" a small time crook gone big is something all law enforcement keep an eye on, Ask also heard about the gentleman of gangs, this news was superficial to Ask, a theatrical criminal wasn't even on the list of things Ask needed to worry about.
"An anonymous source said something about seeing him in this club last night, goldie over there might have even seen him." Goldie, as Mac Allen dubbed Yang, broke another glass decoration using Riley's body as a wrecking ball, it wouldn't last as she finally escapes the hold and sits on top of Yang's shoulders, locking her leg's in the blonde girls neck, she then starts savagely beating Yang's head, her elbow-elbow-fist-fist combo could give anyone a concussion with enough blows.
Too many scenarios and theories where racing through Ask's head to worry about something trivial as brain damage. "An anonymous source?" that sounded far too suspicious to ignore.
"A girl. And no, not your blonde."
"She's my client." He clarifies, not liking how the captain said your blonde.
"Your 'client' is a little too spunky for the voice we heard. All calm and mellow, sounded like an emo kid in her late teens, maybe older, sounded dead to be honest."
He pursed his lips in agreement. "That's definitely not Xiao Long." Thought just how good of a voice actress his client is had never been an issue till now. Perhaps he should investigate further.
After several long seconds of silence, without the simplest topic to discuss, the two just stand, watching the women fight brutally without mercy. Cheering coupled with fists colliding was an incredibly awkward combination, more so than silence and coughing.
"How's your wife?" Ask brings up, a tastelessly obvious question to continue a conversation with. He blatantly ignores Schumacher's screaming and the rest of the crowd's cheering.
"Hit her in the boobs!"
Both of them take the advice.
All spectators feel a mix of arousal and pity at the sight of two women hitting each other in the second most sensitive spot in the female anatomy. Yet the still did not elicit any emotional response from the two still in conversation.
The old 'how's your wife' conversation starter was answered by the captain pulling out a dried shrunken human head, holding it by its hair as it dangles in Ask's face
Ask could only stare at it blankly.
"I see…"
'It's a shrunken head…' it's funny how most people's train of thought derail in a fiery explosion of blank emptiness once they've been shocked.
Upon closer inspection, Ask could better tell the severed and specially prepared head was quite in good condition, remarkably sewn as it had a certain air of meticulous design, neat yet very much traditional.
"Her crafting skills are improving, what magnificent workmanship, almost thought it was real." Ask off-handed compliments, as if an expert in severed heads.
"Keep it, she says you can appreciate a shrunken head." Mac Allen said with a bit of disgust, he whispered a faint "Bloody macabre motherfuckers." as he hands it to Ask.
"I think I'll name you…Price."
"T-That's my name!"
"It is?" he asks bluntly with no shame, the captain feels a bit ticked that Ask forgot his name…again
"I just got the name from the tag on the beard." Ask explains causing even further unnerve in the only person who could have put that there was the maker, meaning the captain's own wife.
Inside Captain Mac Allen's self-appointed normal mind:
'That won't make me feel like I'm getting murdered today…
Meanwhile back in the dance floor-turned battlefield, Yang and Lieutenant Riley still went on bow for blow. No backing down, no surrender, no MERCY!
But getting tired of this fight, they both wordlessly agreed to stop dodging. Just punch each other till your fist genetically binds with the other's face, due to insane amount of force, or when one of them gets knocked out.
Which ever comes first.
The officer lands a punch on Yang's stomach, the strength in the blow making her skid against the floor. The blonde brawler retaliates by landing her a punch square in the face. Riley topples backward and blindly tries to counter with a grapple. But due to gravity and the awkward angle of her fall she ends up grabbing the first thing her hand grasps and yanking down hard.
The said thing being Yang's blonde hair.
Yang hisses and stumbles forward in return, takes one good look at the officer shaking off what used to be part of her glorious mane and that was all it took.
"You…BITCH!"
Flames engulfed her after she literally exploded in a fury of righteous vengeance. Everyone in the room backs away from the dance floor and from a blinding explosion of fists and curses.
"YOU. ARE. GONNA. PAY. FOR. THAT!"
Each word was punctuated with a 'boom' noise. Everyone watches in downright awe and pants-wetting fear.
All except for the Captain and Ask, who finally notice the exchange, the moment they waited for was finally here. Ask feels the floor shaking, obviously marking the end of a death battle between Yang, the victor and Officer Riley, defeated and sprawled in a crater on the ground, surrounded by fire.
"Told you so." He says in a bored tone. He lets out a yawn as the other officers let out whoops and groans.
Captain with a sigh of exhaustion says "Alright that's good enough for me." He admits, alright with one of his officer's lying limp on the ground.
"You're free to go."
"What?!" Yang doubled back, just like that she was free to go? Thankfully the Captain notices her apparent confusion.
"We needed proof that you could do what you said you do, a semblance caused crime is a hell lot easier to excuse than any other crime." His eyes swiftly land on the downed Officer Riley "We wanted to see if you weren't just making your semblance up, so Riley here fought you to see if you really did do it by accident, can't let you go without a slap on the wrist, either."
"And Riley was so very eager to be your opponent." Ask adds to the exposition, the looks on everyone other than mac Allen's face told that he was as much in on the plan as the captain was.
'He probably thought this far ahead, didn't he.' The little voice in Yang's head said, for some reason sounding a little fuzzy. 'It must be the head trauma.'
The captain clears his throat, announcing he wanted the attention of everyone in the room, he walks towards the edge of the crater, looks down on the still fiery Yang, Ask not too far behind him. "In light of the lack of evidence to arrest you, and a resounding sign that says we can't, Yang Xiao Long, you are here by exonerated from this investigation…" he waits for Yang to climb out of the crater she created, Ask offers her a hand up, she takes it with not much fuss, indicating she's at least not angry with the young detective.
The two were now standing next to each other, they face the captain who patiently waits for their attention "Get out." The captain barks, finger pointed to the doo-…what use to be a door.
Yang pants for a moment and blinks a few times, eyes turning from vibrant red back to their original lilac hue. "Oh. Great." her personality was also back to upbeat after having a murderous intent just a few minutes ago.
'What a dangerous woman...' Ask notes from behind Yang 'Physically she is a threat but the way she's a hairline trigger from homicidal to cheerful.' the detective adjusts the collar of his button-up shirt. 'She's probably the riskiest client I'll ever have.'
"Thanks, Cap" they just met and already Yang had given the perpetually-angry officer of the law. Mac Allen's wrinkled face twitches a bit from the cutesy nickname.
"Thank this piece of work here." he gestures to Ask, a typical move played by Mac Allen, turn the attention towards someone else, if Ask would find that tactic artful if he wasn't so peeved at the moment.
"He's the one who wanted to keep your ass outta prison."
There was a threat in the context; Yang paid no attention to it. Instead she smiles at the paranoid sociopath in the room; earning her a confused and mortified Ask-look that without any doubt said. "My survival is being threatened" as he was staring at her intently from behind.
Catching Ask staring at her, Yang plays a game with him "See something you like?"
Ask answers with just the same amount of zeal "Just can't help but notice your lips..." taking a page from another book of a different genre, Ask tries his best to play her game.
"...they enticed me." in a husky tone, surprising himself as well as Yang.
'Damn...that line's pretty hot'. Yang admits that would be a very good pick-up line.
"What about my lips?"
Their eyes locked, like a challenge to see who backs down first, brilliant pools of blue vs stunning lilac, the game was very much on, and allot was on the line..
"A woman who can change facial expressions quickly- specifically the lips- are said to be very talented." Ask explained in the same passionate way he makes most of his deductions, it seems to be the only way he can talk with emotion.
Yang steps closer to him, too close, close enough to feel the slightest shiver she wanted to illicit from him. "Are you saying I'm talented with my mouth?"
"I'm still here by the way." the captain reminds them, all too eager to stop them from flirting, the thought of Ask flirting brings pain to Mac Allen's digestive track.
Both turning to leave, Yang says one final "Thanks again, Cap."
"And thanks for the shrunken head." Ask pulls the head out from the pocket he was keeping it in, frightening Yang a bit from the fact it technically is a Shrunken Severed Human Head.
"Okay you got the head let's go~." She said as she pulled her private-investigator to the exit and as far away from the Major Crimes Unit as possible.
"Good day officers." Ask politely says a farewell as he was being dragged by the collar of his shirt, his heels dragging in front of him as he's being pulled from behind by a very strong Yang.
Yang just noticed the situation she was given, a chance to finally do something she's wanted to do for a very long time.
She gets the sunglasses she keeps with her everywhere. Not actually knowing she used both her hands, making Ask drop to the ground.
"I'm fine by the way." He groans with his back painfully on the ground.
Yang holds the sunglasses in her hand "Yeah…" she puts the glasses on "Xiao long guys."
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
'Gotta love one liners.'
A collective number of sighs was the only comical thing that came from that joke.
That reaction was obvious, what isn't was Ask's reaction.
He laughs.
A genuine heartfelt laugh.
She was so surprised she'd literally dropped him.
For Xiao Long, Yang wanted someone to laugh at her joke, she just wished she was sure it was her joke he was laughing at, not the pain of being dropped on the floor cold hard floor spine first.
As the detective and perpetrator leave the crime scene, the aged police veteran has one last lingering thought as he watches.
'Can't believe that runaway grew up, God, I feel old.'
Nolan walks right next to his senior police officer to finally speak his mind. "Captain, you do know he's just using us, right?"
Mac Allen's reply was simple, but true "So what? We're just using him too."
No one notices an officer pathetically crawl out of the crater. "Yeah…you better run!" she taunts then collapses back on the ground.
They also fail to notice a Grimm schemed clad assassin follow their two subjects of discussion.
"But aren't you his brother? Why-?"
"Why am I mudslinging him?"
"Because he's dangerous individual with enough skills and connections to get away with almost anything, he's almost untouchable. A ghost, a ghost that can hit you back, tormenting you from a far and making you lose your sanity, all while knowing he can get away with it." "So I urge you, please. Don't involve yourself or your sister with him."
"I don't think he's that bad." she reasons innocently "He's a little stinky and a bit of a weirdo but he's really good at what he does so he can't be all ba-"
"Should I mention he attempted to kill our mother…thrice."
"…"
"Oh great, she's having a flashback."
Yang POV
It may not be as easy as I wanted, but he kept his promise and helped me get away with it."Well, that was a thing" I never thought I'd ever get out of getting arrested by beating a cop half to death with my bear fists, but life's fun that way.
Looking back, I see Ask highlighting how weird the entire fight as in the fist place. "How was that even possible you technically assaulted an officer?"
"Well, she started it!" It's not my fault she was a jerk.
"And you finished it. They were only doing their job, Xiao Long."
"Oh yeah, that's right." I just remembered something very important.
"Oww!" Ask yelps in pain as a Yang-Level-Punch hit his arm, he has such a girly scream "What was that for?!"
"For tricking me! All that just because I wrecked a club, the cops even made me take a mug-shot in case I ever do it again. Now I can't go to nightclubs without a 'Beware' picture of me on their doors." To be honest I just really wanted to punch him, I can live with the whole mug-shot thing, but leading me in a trap.
"You did do it. You shouldn't expect your actions to have no repercussions, and I can say without a doubt you deserved it." he said while rubbing his sore arm, I didn't hit him that hard, did I?
Oh well, guess he needs some aura training.
'Her punches hit like a sledgehammer, does she have blood in her steroid stream?'
"At the very least you should think twice before jumping into battle." He warns, Ugh…not this again! "You really are more brawn than brain as I've deduced earlier on...Oww!"
"Yeah, so where to?" I wonder if we were heading to a place to beat up guys for information, the old trench coat detective's way of doing things I use to see on tv "What's the next stop?" that may have been a little too excited but hey, he doesn't seem to mind.
"The police are useless, and so is the mob."
Ouch… that was harsh.
"Mob?" I know what mob means, but I still don't see the connection it had.
"Obviously you believe your friend was involved with criminal activity, thus you came to question a snitch like Junior. However the lack of information would mean that she is not currently affiliated with the criminal underworld." Ask said, a matter-of-factly, honestly I just thought Junior knew everything going on around Vale, turns out he only knows about the bad stuff happening, I should have asked the police too but…this one's mine.
"As for the police, well they know about her just as much as Junior does; nil."
He says nil again, can't he use easier words, and when did he get so mean all of a sudden. I start walking in a direction; the one I took when me and Ruby left the scene, Ask follows me this time, wonder if I can lead him somewhere dumb like how he lead me to a drugstore? My plans to prank Ask gets cut short when I stop to see him planted on the road, I go back, wondering why'd he stop, and what he's looking at.
"Though some Intrusive Thought came from this…activity" I hear him say as I pull him off the middle of the road, angry drivers finally able to keep driving without having to run him over.
"Hmm?" I've heard of those before, Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that just pop out and make you feel weird about thinking of, like imagining dropping a baby.
"As of now Ruby is a suspect." was the last thing I thought someone would ever say.
"Excuse me?!" I angrily protest,no one accuses Ruby of anything illegal but me.
"Think about it, a 15-year old girl, in this shady part of Vale. What could possibly be a reason for her to be here, unless…"
"Unless?" I really wanted to know this. What could possibly be running through his sleuth head to think Ruby's even capable of being a suspect to...anything?!
He looks at me, his blue eyes dead serious. Where they always so detached? "She is involved in crime as well."
I just laughed, thinking he'd just made a joke. 'Ruby, involved with crime, what next I'll fall in love with a cat?'
But I look back and see, he's not joking.
"I don't like where this is going."
"It's not going anywhere, just making an observation."
"Well, I don't like what you're observing."
"You don't want her involved in this, do you?"
"Wha-"
"You didn't bring her along to aid you in your assault on the club, you didn't give her any information regarding this case, you didn't let her see the picture as you gave it to me, and you didn't bring or drag her along with you to this investigation, all evidence points to you not wanting her to know."
"Am I right?"
I was speechless. He's got me there. "Some of it." Nothing left to say. I just wanted us to get out of here, I don't know why but it feels like somethings watching me...
"Let's get a cab." he says already walking toward the highway, I followed after him.
I'm getting sick of following after him...
Getting in to a cab, Yang doesn't notice one of the most dangerous killers in recent history sent to kill her had just been spotted by the detective she hired.
"He saw me" Adam says out loud to himself, while he's behind a vandalized Schnee Brand Toothpaste billboard.
"I've never been seen before." As a professional assassin, this was very bad news. It meant he'd gone soft, he was slipping, too many days without killing someone powerful had dulled his edge.
That or his blonde target had a guy with really good eye-sight with her.
A sensation Adam hasn't felt in a long time resurfaces; Thrill. The thrill of not knowing, of doubting your abilities, fighting with a handicap, made even better fighting not one but too worthy opponents.
"Looks like I'll be doing things the hard way."
Knowing this was going to be a long job, like what most men would do if they had something to lose, he makes a call before doing something most would refer to as stupid.
"Yeah...Blake, I'm gonna be home late...No it's not that...Yes of course I'd tell you if it was about The White Fang...No I am not...Wait? You want me to bring home what?... Some tuna? Alright I'll get some on my way back."
Adam loses focus on the conversation as the cab his target was in further goes out of sight. "Sorry I've gotta go." Adam ends the call with "I love you dear..." as a joke and angles his head away from the screams coming from the other line as he hangs up, leaving the other person behind said line, ridiculously annoyed.
End Of Chapter.
And a special message from the writer:
I was suppose to update this, and my other stories much sooner, then the news of Monty Oum's death reached me.
I almost gave up on all three of my RWBY stories, always regretting that I should have posted it sooner, that I should have written faster...
I really wanted him to read my works...know I'll never know.
I actually stopped with RWBY and RT entirely, the very loss of someone you've never met yet made you feel so much joy, it was so weird...
I realized-forcefully reminded actually- that by continuing this story and all other creative works, his legacy will live on.
So as crappy as this story may be, I wont give up on it, Monty Oum wouldn't want that.
So for Monty I will finish this story and all the others.
Thank you for reading.