Ch28: Dance. *groan*
(Tuesday, Y+1, M+4, D+14)
"So, what do you want to know about The White Death?" I ask my teammates, all sitting or laying in/on their beds. They'd been waiting for most of the day for me to actually start talking about what I'd been doing.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ruby asks, I can tell she feels a bit hurt.
"Because the locations of my targets were originally provided by somebody within the organization. A few days ago, he managed to escape to another kingdom. I didn't want anyone here to accidentally spread the name around. It's standard safety protocol." I respond.
"Who was it?" Weiss asks.
"You wouldn't know him. Blake does, though. I actually met her in his shop." I chuckle.
"Tukson?" Blake sounded a bit surprised. "Tukson helped you?"
"Yep. I gave him my number and told him to call if he needs anything. He's in an undisclosed kingdom now." I say.
"He was lucky to get out. The White fang doesn't take too kindly to deserters. Especially after I left." Blake says.
'You don't know the half of it.' I think, remembering the shopkeep's fate in the show. "Next question?"
"Why did you kill them?" Weiss asks.
"They were trying to kill me. It was only fair." I say flatly.
"No, the first time. The one with the cont-"
"Where I'm from, there are things that we call crimes against humanity. There were places, concentration camps, that were so horrible that they managed to horrify even hardened veterans. Men who had managed to survive a war lasting about five years. The… contents… of that container reminded me of the photos and videos of those camps shortly after they were liberated. There are few things that I consider to be pure evil. Those camps are one of them. Those camps were crimes against humanity. I guess I responded in the same way some of those soldiers must have. I punished those responsible." I say. "Next question."
"Why'd you choose white?" Yang asks.
"What?"
I ask, a little confused.
"Why'd you use white as your color? I mean, it's not like you're the only person in Vale who uses Blue and Black."
"Because of The White Death. Well, the original one." I say, confusion playing across the girls' faces.
"Earth thing?" Yang asks, using my usual term for something from my first home.
"Yep. Simo Häyä, AKA The White Death, was the single deadliest individual to ever exist. For a bit of backstory, Simo was from a small, cold country called Finland. Finland was under attack from a much larger and more powerful country called Russia. During the war, Simo was called up into service in the Finnish army to help defend his country. He took a bolt-action rifle, some food and some ammunition and hunted Russians. In three months time Simo had managed to become the single most feared individual in the Finnish army. He was an unstoppable machine of death. He managed to kill around seven hundred or so Russian soldiers; five hundred with a scopeless rifle and two hundred with a submachine gun. Eventually he ended up being shot in the jaw with an exploding bullet. He survived, killed the sniper who shot him and managed to drag himself to safety. He fell unconscious for and woke up a few weeks later. On the exact day he woke up the Russian army left Finland. Simo left the army and returned to being a farmer. If anyone asked him about his service he would say that he did what he was told to do as best as he could." I monologue, leaving the girls stunned. "Honestly I was a bit honored when they started calling me The White Death."
"You based yourself on a murderer?" Weiss asks.
"He was no murderer. He was a soldier fighting for his country. Few things can motivate a person more. He did what he was asked to do and he did it well. next question."
"Where did you get those androids?" Ruby asks.
"I stole 'em." Everyone gives me dirty looks. "From the White Fang." The looks go away, mostly. "What did you expect me to do? Give up the chance to lead a small army?" I ask with a smirk. "Anyway, what were you girls doing last night? I seem to remember reports of a large mech stampeding across downtown Vale." I say with a slight smirk.
"Well… We also decided to take on the White Fang." Yang says.
"Just without all of the killing." Weiss says pointedly.
"As I said before. It was only fair." I say coldly. "But, as you were saying Yang?" I quickly shift back onto topic.
"Well Ruby decided that we should figure out what the White Fang is doing in Vale with all of the Dust robberies. We were talking about it and then Sun showed up at the window with his friend Neptune. They wanted to help us out so we let them come along. Me and Neptune went to ask Junior about what was going on." Yang recounts.
"Weiss and I went to the CCT and found Penny, that girl we met at the docks. Turns out she's kindof a synthetic person. She even has an Aura. It's reaalllyyy cool." My little sister says.
"While Ruby was off running around with Penny I went to the CCT and found out that Vale has been the prime target for Dust robberies over the past few months." Weiss explains.
"Sun and I went to a White Fang rally to try and get information. We found out that there is a White Fang base in the southeast and that Torchwick and his employer have stolen a number of Atlesian Paladin combat mech suits."
"The prisoners in the Emerald Forest base were being forced to mine Dust. It seems that with all of the stolen weapons and Dust, we have a war brewing." I say, serious. "Fortunately for us, I've got a small army in the works."
"Huh?" Ruby questions.
"My androids. I have ninety-two. used to be ninety-seven but I lost five in the raid." I say. "Their remains will be put to good use." I eulogize. 'I'm eulogizing frakking robots. Great, what's next? Spent shell casings!?'
"Awww." Ruby says, sounding sympathetic.
"Anyway, I'm tired." I say, walking to my room. "You have no idea how tiring it is to arm and equip forty-five androids. And work on something else. G'night."
(Thursday, Y+1, M+4, D+16)
"Well, that was boring." I say to nobody, having watched the not even ten-second fight between Mercury and Pyrrha. 'He wasn't even trying, but still.'
The bell rings and I get up and walk to the dorms, on the way, I spot the dynamic duo, the thief and the butcher, Emerald and Mercury.
"Well hello. Aren't you two from one of the Mystral teams?" I ask conversationally, my helmet held in my right hand.
"Yes." Emerald says.
"Well then, let me welcome you to Beacon academy. Have a nice day and please do try to choose your opponents a bit more carefully Mister Black." I say, putting on hy helmet with a reassuring click-hiss. I walk away whistling the harmonica tune of Piano Man (by Billy Joel).
"Who was that guy?" I hear Mercury ask as I walk away, thanks to my Faunus hearing and my helmet's enhanced sensory systems (currently just vision and hearing).
"I have no idea." Emerald responds.
I smile under my helmet, heading in the general direction of The Cave. 'Just a few finishing touches. Like AC. Definitely needs AC. And cupholders, lots of 'em.'
[some time later]
*Assorted construction noises*
[some more time later]
"HAHAHA! I'm DONE!" I shout, standing before my creation. "Time to go to the dorm. I'm tired." I say to nobody in particular.
*bamf*
*screaming*
"It's been months Weiss. Why do you keep screaming whenever I bamf into the room?"
"Because I never know when it's going to happen!" She almost shouts.
I sigh and walk into my room, noticing the absence of the other faunus on the team.
"Where's Blake?"
"She's been working late trying to find leads on Torchwick and the White Fang." Weiss says. "She hasn't been sleeping much lately."
"I'll talk to her tomorrow. Maybe that'll help a bit." I say, closing my door.
(Saturday, Y+1, M+4, D+18)
"Blake. It's been a few hours, don't you think you should take a break?" I say, sitting next to her as she does Murphy knows what on a computer.
"I can't take a break. Not while Torchwick is out there doing who knows what!"
"And you can't figure out what he's doing if you're too tired to think straight." I reason.
"But lives are at stake! I can't stop!"
"I'm not asking you to stop. I'm telling you to take a break. If you don't get some sleep soon I'll be forced to make sure you get some. If I need to, I'll even get the nurses to tie you down and give you a sedative. This kind of thing isn't healthy."
"But you stay up late all the time!"
"Yes, and I always make sure I get some quality sleep. Which you aren't doing. At least go to the dance. Unwind a bit."
"Why should I go to the dance? You aren't?"
"I changed my mind. Just yesterday evening, in fact."
"I thought you didn't like fancy clothes."
"I found a workaround. If you want to see what it is, you'll have to be there." I say, standing up and walking away. 'Wonder how the dance planning is going?'
*bamf*
"Hey Kurt." Yang says, as I step from my signature cloud of purple-black smoke. "You get Blake to slow down any?" She hefts a very large speaker tower.
"I'm not sure. I ended up threatening to bring in the nurses to sedate her if she didn't get some sleep." I say, sighing. "Maybe you could talk to her." I say, opening the ballroom door to let her in.
"Thanks." she says, stepping through. I see Weiss showing Ruby two pieces of tablecloth that look almost exactly the same.
"How're you doin' Ruby?" I sit down next to her, placing my helmet on the table. "Got a dress yet?"
"No. It doesn't matter." she mopes.
"What doesn't matter?"
"The dance, the dress, everything. If Blake doesn't go then what good is it?"
"I'm sure she'll come around Ruby. I mean, if I'm willing to go to some fancy schmancy dance, then she should be willing too."
"Wait, you're going to the dance?" Ruby says, a smile starting to form on her face.
"Yep. And just wait 'till you see what I'm wearing." I say with a smirk.
Weiss and Yang argue in the background over fog machines.
"Your dance is going to have fog machines?" I hear from the entrance.
"We were thinking about it…" Weiss says in a very un-Weiss manner.
"That's pretty cool." Neptune says.
"You ladies all excited for dress-up?" Sun says, walking in.
I cough to get his attention.
"Hey Kurt." He says. "You going to the dance?"
"Yep. Got an outfit and everything." I respond, twirling one of the multiple knives I keep on my person between my fingers. "What're you guys wearing?"
"Ummm… this?" Sun gestures to his, quite informal, choice of clothing.
"Ignore him, for he knows not what he says." Neptune says, interposing himself between Sun and the rest of us.
"Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in Vacuo, it's not exactly a shirt-and-tie kind of place." Sun defends himself.
"You don't say." I deadpan. "Well, I'll be in my hangar. DO SVIDANIYA COMRADES!" *Bamf*
"Time to add the cupholders. Many cupholders." I say to myself, walking over to my near-completed project.
(Sunday, Y+1, M+4, D+19)
"How do you like it?" I say, slowly turning around in front of my sisters.
"It's definitely distinctive." Yang says, one eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, I kinda figured that most of the other guys would wear the same plain suit." I gesture to pretty much every other guy. "So I figured that I'd get a commissarial uniform. And I also figured that, while I'm at it, I might as well make it combat capable. So I added various armored plates and bullet/pointy object-resistant fabrics along with the fact that I currently have both a high caliber pistol and a literal chainsaw-sword strapped to my waist. And my usual greatcoat. But fancier." I list off the various aspects of my uniform. "Oh yeah, and the commissar cap." I say, pointing to the black and red cap, adorned with a winged skull forged from brass. "The hat completes the whole ensemble."
"Sure it does." Yang says.
"You two just don't understand my fashion sense." I reply
"Whatever."
"I think it looks nice."
"Thanks Ruby. I knew you'd have my back." I say.
[10 minutes later.]
'Well, look who has decided to show up. The good General himself.' I think, seeing Ironwood enter the ballroom, a small building near the CCT that Beacon Academy had reserved for the occasion.
The General dances with Glynda for a while as I stand near the punch-bowl and chat with some of the other students, some wanting to hire me to improve their weapons, some just wanting to chat, and most curious about what the heck I'm wearing.
"So General, how's the dance?" I ask, steeping up next to him.
"What are you supposed to be wearing?" He responds a bit rudely.
"Something that isn't being worn by pretty much every other boy in the room." I reply. "It's iconic."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm a student. It's not obvious?"
"No, why are you standing there?" He asks, a bit more irritated.
"Name's Kurt Wagner. Ringing any bells yet?"
"Oh. How did you know I was here when you called Ozpin?" He asks.
"I have observational skills and a brain. The small fleet you brought with you wasn't exactly subtle either. Granted, I'm not exactly the subtle kind of guy myself." I say, gesturing to the weapons at my hips.
"Why are you carrying those?"
"I'm training to be a Huntsman, time spent running to get your weapons can get people killed." I say. "You're a soldier, I'd have put money on you at least having a knife on your person."
"You… aren't like the others. Are you?" The general questions.
"Whatever do you mean?"
"You act more like a soldier than a hunter. And you seem… different."
"Well, I'm not exactly the definition of normal. Have a nice dance General." I say, walking off in time to spot Mercury and Emerald walking in.
I spent a while chatting with some of the other students and my teammates, before eventually ending up next to Ozpin at the edge of the ballroom.
"Are you enjoying yourself Kurt?" He asks, taking a sip from his ever-present coffee cup.
"Not really much for dancing. I'd rather be working in the hangar, to be honest. But Ruby wanted me to be here, so here I am." I say, a bit of a smirk on my face.
"Well, you can't spend all of your life working on your various projects."
"I know, it's jus-" I hear the faint yet distinctive noises of scythfle fire and Dust explosions. "I'll be a few minutes." I say, my head snapping around to face the direction I heard the noise coming from and rushing to the door in the back of the room, the one that leads to a back passage to the CCT. I stealthily open the door and slip through, drawing my weapons, the chainsword revving slightly. I move through the door at the end of the short hall and spot Cinder.
"Hello miss." I say, bringing my chainsword into a guard stance. "You wouldn't happen to have met a little girl in a red dress, would you?" I ask humorously.
In response she creates a pair of black glass-like swords and launches herself at me. I block her with my chainsword and pistol and shove her back, cracking off three rounds of 25mm HE pistol fire. When Cinder tries to block them with her swords, the rounds explode and shatter her weapons.
"Can't pull the same trick twice." I chide, emptying the five-round magazine at her.
She took a round in the chest and staggered backwards, causing the other to miss. she then launched a small barrage of Dust crystals.
I jumped back to avoid it and when the dust had cleared, she was headmaster, Goodwitch and a few students rushed up to investigate.
"Do you remember that woman we fought before the beginning of last semester Goodwitch? The one that was on the Bullhead with Torchwick?" I ask, reloading my pistol and sheathing my weapons.
"Yes." she says, a bit of confusion in her voice.
"I think she's back. I heard gunfire and Dust explosions coming from over there." I point towards the CCT. "Namely Crescent Rose. I headed out to investigate and came across a woman dressed in a black stealth suit and a mask. She fought with black-glass weapons that appeared out of midair, some sort of dust magic. She relies heavily on Dust magic, it appears. Fire Dust I'm not mistaken." I report to the headmaster and Goodwitch.
"Well then. Enjoy the rest of the night, you've given us a lot to think about." Ozpin tells me as I head off towards Beacon and The Cave. 'Time to prep my gear. Missions start tomorrow. I'll need to make sure my troops are ready.'