Yang looked different from the last time Richard remembered, she was wearing a black coat with red lining. There were gold shoulder plates and four buttons that closed at the stomach area. The coat hung at her sides showing her white and black pants underneath. Along with that she wore grey and gold gauntlets and black boots with gold accents. One last notable feature was an armband on her right arm that had her symbol on it.
"Well you've definitely change," Richard stated.
After which a guard smacked his head onto the table, "don't speak unless spoken to." The guard aggressively ordered.
"Ease off Jenkins," Yang ordered the guard.
Without hesitation he let go of Richard and stood back at attention, "Yes ma'am."
Yang moved to her side of the table across from Richard and took a seat.
"So, caught with a group of stowaways hmm?" Yang teased.
"They're not stowaways, they're refugees, and they were trying to escape from Atlas," Richard began to correct.
"I know, I know," Yang calmed him.
"Then…then what will happen to them?" Richard asked showing concern.
"Nothing, they checked out alright, no terrorist plots have been unveiled…yet."
"And that's supposed to mean…?"
"Well you can't be sure, after all we are at war and sides tend to change."
"And I'm here because you don't trust me after being gone for three years, am I right?"
"No," Yang gave a simple answer. Richard was befuddled by her answer, but what came next confused him even more. "Parker, take off the suspect's cuffs," Yang told the other guard. He did so without question and Richard's hands were let free.
"Both of you leave, lock the doors behind you, and if you wouldn't mind turning off the cameras that would be great," Yang once again ordered. The two guards left the room one out of each exit, and Richard could hear them lock the doors. Meanwhile Yang just gave and intense look at him as she seemed to be waiting until the cameras were presumably off. Still sitting in the chair Richard looked up into the corner of the room to see the security camera moved to be facing down and the red light turn off.
What happened next wasn't in Richard's favor, at all. Yang immediately threw the table aside and with massive force, punched Richard in the gut sending him, in his chair, back against the wall. The pain was excruciating to Richard as he fell on his side curled up.
"Okay…I deserved…that one," Richard stated groaning in pain.
"Hell yeah you did," Yang said cracking her knuckles while standing over Richard. Yang then gave a strong kick to Richard's side causing him to groan some more.
"And...that was for?" Richard asked.
"Not telling us you were an assassin right away." Yang gave another kick to Richard. Richard out of breath motioned for Yang to give another reason.
"That was for saving your ass on the train." Yang then gave another kick.
"That was because I'm in a bad mood."
"Right…we done here?" Richard said coughing out a little blood.
Yang went back to her chair and sat with her legs crossed.
"Yeah, I'm done."
"Great," Richard said turning to lie on his back. Without any more time to rest Richard felt another kick hit his side.
"And that's for not apologizing yet," Yang stated.
"Right, sorry….okay are we done for real now?" Richard desperately asked. As a response Yang extended her arm out to him. Richard hesitated at first but soon after grabbed on as she pulled him up to his feet.
"Now let's get you patched up," Yang said in a happier tone.
"Woop dee do" Richard sarcastically cheered as Yang knocked on the exit.
The guard opened the door and stood aside at attention as Yang walked out.
"Parker, get me the suspect's belongings we're done here," Yang ordered the guard.
"Yes ma'am," with that the guard went into a room and came out with Richard's bag in hand.
"Let's go," Yang motioned to Richard. He followed still holding on to his gut. Yang took him to an infirmary area; it was small but housed the necessary equipment for wounds and illnesses.
"Got a patient for you doc, clumsy guy fell down some stairs." Yang informed the nurse currently looking at some files.
"Well let's see what the damage is, go ahead and take a seat," the nurse told Richard. He moved over to bed in the room and had a seat on it.
"Right, so where does it hurt?" the nurse asked Richard.
"Uhh, I'd say my lower left rib," Richard answered. The nurse placed her hand on the area causing Richard to jump a little from the pain. She moved her hand around and watched as Richard clenched his fists at the edge of the bed.
"Are you sure all you did was fall down some stairs?" The nurse asked.
Richard looked over at Yang sitting down, she gave him a glare.
"Yup, hehe clumsy me." Richard told the nurse.
"All I can give you for now are some pain killers, if it keeps up come back to me, your rib could be fractured or possibly broken." The nurse said handing Richard a small container.
"Got it," Richard confirmed. The nurse then handed him a bottle of water, Richard opened the container and took two pills along with some water.
"Thanks doc," Yang said standing up from her seat.
"Anytime commander, now if you'll excuse me I still need to organize patient files for Doctor Brown," the nurse stated grabbing the papers from before and exiting the room.
"Now why don't you tell me what happened in Atlas before we see her," Yang told Richard.
"Well, should I start from the beginning?" Richard asked getting off of the bed.
"That'd be nice, c'mon we'll walk and talk." Yang said walking out of the room. Richard followed and walked beside her as he began to explain.
"When I disappeared three years ago, it was for a council held by the assassins, one where all of them met to discuss world events, and the creed's course of action for the rest of the year. But the earthquake happened, and our headquarters was bombarded, I don't know by who but they almost killed me. I was injured from the blasts when Arno, a friend of mine, saved me. After that Arno took me to a hideout underground Atlas. I saw firsthand what the White Fang did to the place, they changed it into their personal capital."
"Right, now how did you get here? And why so concerned with the other Faunus on the boat?" Yang questioned.
"I decided to leave the hideout despite Arno's warnings, when I did my plan was to come here, to Vale, but I needed a way of transportation. That's when I found the group trying to leave, they were discovered though. They would have been executed on the spot if I hadn't intervened. They offered me a seat on their boat as payment and I took it. It was the weeks on the ship I spent, when I found out that they were actually my relatives. My great-grandfather had married a cat Faunus, and from there our family tree split between them and my grandfather."
"Family huh? That's why you're worried," Yang said sounding more earnest than before.
"I never knew until they gave me this," Richard pulled out the shortened cloak from his bag.
"This was my grandfathers, he left with them by accident, they saw it fit to return it to me." Richard said putting it on.
"It suits you, so you ready to meet her?" Yang asked.
"Her? I'm guessing you mean Ruby," Richard asked. Yang nodded.
"I don't even know what I'm gonna say, it's been so long, she's just as mad as you were I imagine."
"We'll it's hard to tell, she keeps to herself some more now, being second in command and all."
"Ruby's second in command?" Richard asked.
"You don't seem surprised," Yang pointed out.
"I guess that's cause I'm not, she was always devoted to being the best she could be."
"Well that got her to where she is now, she didn't let anything get in her way," Yang began to explain.
Richard began to think now, he had to know what to say when he saw Ruby. There was no way for him to avoid the guilt he would most likely feel for being gone so long. He'd feel even worse for the last engagement they had, when he promised to see her.
Richard was spaced out in thought; he didn't realize Yang had been leading him through a militarized section of Vale. They came to a building near the south district, Yang walked up the stairs leading to the door. She knocked.
"It's open!" A voice on the other side called out. Yang glanced back at Richard and motioned him to follow as she opened the door.
"How's the Northern front on Mistral going?" Yang asked as she walked in.
"Troops are holding the line, though I still think controlling that lake would give us an advantage for transporting troops safely across the front."
Richard walked in and saw Ruby once again after three years, she was wearing the same uniform as Yang, to Richard's surprise she didn't have her cape on. Ruby was hunched over at a table in the center of the room examining the maps projected on it.
"Yang, if you came to ask about another recruit I already told you, our main companies are comprised of twenty to thirty other specialized soldiers and you've already maxed out on…" Ruby cut herself off when she looked up at Richard. An awkward silence filled the room as the only things exchanged were stares.
"Whelp, you two get settled, I'll be in my quarters if you need me," and with that Yang walked out and closed the door behind her.
The room stayed quiet as the two old friends continued to stare at on one another, waiting for the other to say something first.
Richard was about to begin, "I...
Clion818: Cliffhanger Part 2: The Cliffinging!
N204: I love this chapter.