Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Burning Snow. Enjoy the 6000-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and a few others do.
Neon had a habit of sitting and skating back and forth when she did so. There was so much she wanted to do that she had been properly done something to have fixed it.
The fact she skated back and forth in place bothered her. It bothered her to do so. There were a lot worse things she could have been doing and it had only served to have bothered her more and more as time went on.
She was too quiet, too unfathomably quiet at this. It had cut her to the bone for the time being. There was such a problem with her moral compass that it bothered her.
"What's going to happen next?" Neon heard as she skated back and forth in place as of she had been born into the skates.
Yes, today promised to be odd as Neon pulled up her hood and rested her face on the wall. It was so odd. So odd, yet so fleeting… It hadn't been what it should have been. Today was scaring her with how it had gone. It had scared her a lot more to have noticed what would come and what would go.
Flynt stayed silent, knowing what happened if he got involved. She didn't, she was curious as ever and it showed entirely in her demeanor and what else may or may not come this way.
Yes, today was very odd and it appeared it'd be getting much odder with time and effort. Neon continued to swish back and forth on her skates, unsure of what was going on or how this was to go.
She was far too innocent to be in the middle of a war like the one they were in. She was crass, sure, but Flynt knew Neon wasn't someone who constantly tried to start fights. They couldn't handle such a war that they needed to have to focus upon. They had a lot more to need to expand on.
"Is everyone going to be ok?" Flynt heard from Neon.
"I don't know, we don't know what General Ironwood asked us to come for," Flynt stated to which there was a sigh. "Hey, we're going to be cool, ok? Everything is going to be cool, ok? This is going to be a regular mission then we can go get snacks and all relax and chill, ok?" Flynt asked as she raised an eyebrow, too amused at her antics to stay worried.
There was a few moments of silence as she fell quiet once again. The silence deafened him as to how damn annoying and cold this all was. He needed some answers and he needed them before something like this sent chills down his body. He knew more than anything that had just plain bothered him.
"Are you going to be all right?" Flynt asked to which she nodded. "Good, that's cool. I don't want you to get bothered by this when it's all said and done. All I know is we're going to be sent onto the plains, ok? They need us for something out there and I don't know what the heck it's going to be, ok?" Flynt stated to which there was just what to have to question.
"What's going to be happening today?" Neon asked to which Flynt simply shrugged. "Thanks, Flynt, real informitve. I don't know what the hell is going to happen, but I'd at least like to be able to relax and take it easy, my hair is sticking up." Neon said while she ran her arms up her sides.
Neon frowned at Flynt's nonanswer. There was a lot less she wanted to do, but all it ended up in the same place for him. It was maddening, but it could be handled and he didn't know what would be happening.
It bothered her… A lot. All of this did, it seemed as if there was no end to the damn madness that would end up plaguing them. This was insane and it showed in her stance that she had thought it so it had thought, so much of this constantly got to her.
Flynt noticed her skating back and forth in place as if trying to keep her rhythm which seemed to be out of wack lately. It was beginning to get to the point where he assumed she'd be doing this for so long that it'd drive her simply mad with grief or something similar along those very lines when it was all said and done.
She didn't even know exactly what was going on. it seemed as if there was a dance that she hadn't found or was trying to have found for now. The few ideas for her mind have escaped her and it bothered her greatly to have seen it fall into such a state of disarray.
"Things have gotten so offbeat since this war started, Flynt." Neon said to which she sighed. "I don't even know what's going on anymore. All I know is my brain hurts from it all." Neon said to which Flynt watched as she slumped against the wall.
Neon was so damn confused as to why nobody seemed to want to say anything. There didn't even seem to be a plan from Flynt to offset it. what the hell was going on if they had so much wrong and yet nothing seemed to be going right? Neon dint even knows which side was right or wrong anymore. So many damn questions for now.
"Things are going to get weird, Neon. That's just how they have to be." Flynt stated his head before he questioned
"That doesn't mean it has to be crappy." Neon stated before she sighed. "Ok, let's go, I just hope General Ironwood has a good plan." Neon stated before she sighed to herself and glanced around.
"I'm sorry." Neon heard as she slowly turned and looked around, too saddened to think about it for now.
"FNKY… Good, I was starting to wonder if you were held up or something." Ironwood said while he looked out the window.
Flynt looked around the office which seemed to be making him thrown off more and more. The team slowly entered as Ironwood turned slowly from the window.
"Are you all right? I thought graduation wasn't for another month. Flynt stated to which he got a nod. "We came here as soon as you said so. I didn't know what was going on so I just decided to get all of us here at the same time." Flynt stated to which Ironwood held up his hand.
"And that's good. I expected you all to come here where your needed and make sure you all received the briefing." Ironwood stated before he sighed. "We have a problem and I need someone who can operate off the frontlines of war. There are a lot more things I need to handle and this is… One of them." Ironwood stated to which Flynt fell silent.
"I'm not sure I understand, sir," Flynt responded as Ironwood turned.
"There's reports of a notorious criminal in Mantle. Someone who could undermine the supply fields for the project I'm trying to produce." Ironwood said before he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "I could send Winter after them, but I wanted to try and catch them for questioning. There are a few problems with the plan, but I've nearly gotten them all ironed out." Ironwood said, ignoring the joke he accidentally did as he walked across the room.
There was a few seconds of silence as he seemed to find some semblance of peace when it comes down to it. He clicked his jaw and looked over the rest of FNKY before he seemed to find his words again.
"With all of these problems on the horizon? I need teams that can operate away from the chain of command." Ironwood stated before he shook his head. "This criminal for example is a survivor which has been slowly crossing from one Kingdom to another," Ironwood stated before he shook his head.
"Well, that should be pretty easy, is it?" Flynt asked to which Neon frowned and rested her head in her hands.
"Maybe, but a criminal isn't exactly something we've trained for." Neon said before she looked at Ironwood. "Sir? Can we at least know who he is? Nobody's told me anything and I'm starting to think I'm getting the short end of the stick." Neon stated before she pouted.
"This isn't going to be easy, I'll tell you that, Neon," Ironwood said before he pointed at the report which formed on the window. "This is Graz Reolin. He's known as the 'Snow Swindler', a skilled thief, decent fighter, and someone who has managed to con a decent number of criminals in Mistral, at least until the criminals seemed to wise up and drove him out." Ironwood said as he gestured before he questioned himself.
"So he's a teenager?" Neon stated asked as she looked at the file.
"Yes, he's gotten very good at pretending to have been 20 years older than he is. It's why the Spiders didn't burn him down to it." Ironwood stated to which he shook his head. "He's not associated with the enemy nor does he have any sympathy for the White Fang or any such factions. He's simply an individual when it came down to it." Ironwood stated before he placed a hand on his temples.
He shook his head before Neon tapped her glove-filled hands. She knew something about this was weird as she looked at the portrait of a boy who seemed to have been no older than a teenager. Their black hair seemed to have been stained white near the tips in such an odd shape. He seemed to have worn a hood which seemed to have a place for a mask. A pair of icy blue eyes centered his face and she seemed to question what to do.
"However? Despite being a non-connected criminal? Graz is still completely dangerous and with unknown motives and goals." Ironwood added as he pointed at the report. "I've had a drone follow him and yet they've not done anything yet," Ironwood added before he frowned at such a thing.
"And we're supposed to… Arrest him? You sound a lot more surprised by him than anything else." Neon stated as Ironwood hummed.
"Because I'm curious which side he's on. Graz thus far has only targeted criminals and people connected to them. It's not enough to form a portrait of." Ironwood stated before he pointed at the board. "I want him arrested, not killed, arrested, and brought in for questioning. I'm going to have Clover and his team watch to make sure nothing goes wrong. When he's in your custody? Contact me and we go from there. Anything else I should amend?" Ironwood asked to which the others only looked at each other.
They were used to only a few words for answers and a briefing that only lasted a few minutes. However? Neon still rolled her eyes as she processed the last part of the words.
"Great, helping Clover and the goodies with clean-up." Neon spat as she sighed. "What about narrowing him down, sir? You said he has some training, wouldn't it be easier to try and lure him into a trap and then just use one of the Bolas on him? I can probably run circles around him." Neon stated to which she felt as if she had fallen entirely silent for now.
"Whichever way you can get him into custody? Do it, that's all I care about besides the civilians and collateral damage." Ironwood added to which there was clear-cut silence as of now.
"Maybe we can keep him trapped… Hmm," Flynt said before he looked at his scroll. "Got it, Neon? You keep him pinned down here and I'll help you take him down, Kobalt, Ivory? You guys block down his paths, keep him dancing with us." Flynt said before Ironwood waved his hand to dismiss them all.
He knew they'd get results because they were one of the best times when it came down to it. This only served to make it odder and odder when push came to shove. They had so much potential when it was decided.
Neon skated to the elevator in the time it took for them to get moved to the other side of the room. She crossed her arms before she flipped her hood upwards, the cat ears on her jacket seemed to make her appear a lot more like a cat than she already was. Neon leaned on the wall before she zipped the coat upwards.
"We need to get going, Flynt." Neon stated to which Flynt hummed before he seemed to question. "We need to go find this guy before he gets lost." Neon stated before she sighed and then looked around before she tilted her head.
She hadn't yet questioned what to have to do next. She was tired, she was bored, and yet? All she was willing to do was push herself further and further.
(Mantle)
Graz slowly started to push forwards while he seemed to have to question. He sighed before another cold breath which seemed to have to question for now what to have to get to this place.
He shook his head before he sighed to himself and then slowly started to get to a place for the time being. Graz knew he'd give anything to get anywhere anytime soon. They had more than enough time and effort to get involved.
The man sighed which didn't produce the cold air it would normally. Another odd facet of his semblance. He could only pause and then continue forwards with such interest as he shook his head and slowly trudged forwards.
He had come here for asylum and found nothing but a frozen hell. The boy still knew that woman back in Mistral was angry he had escaped her grasp. The spiders were the rulers of Mistral and it was clear they had no real damn idea what they had done something while she seemed to have to focus on rebuilding her empire.
He? He had just been lucky enough to think about such a little topic when it comes down to it. They had so much of a damn thing about Lien that it boggled his mind.
Then again? They had power, he had contacts. Graz never felt he could trust physical assets either….
He continued forwards, aimless and as driftless as the snow which surrounded him.
(With FNKY)
Neon would never call herself bored. Not of life, not of anything similar to life or such. It had just been life to her and she knew more than them that it was so damn hard to get it off her back.
"We need to get going sooner or later," Flynt stated to he could have gotten a plan off the ground.
Neon swung her nunchucks… A weapon which she had named Bebop. The name had made Flynt laugh when he heard about it.
Now he didn't seem to laugh at all. Everyone was so serious it hurt. They were at war; everyone was scared of Atlas and now they had a criminal or someone to hunt down and arrest.
She skated back and forth, swishing around on the soles of her feet as her skates slowly moved her around. It had been so odd her and so cold.
"Neon… You good?" Flynt asked to which she nodded. "Cool. We're going to get going, we need to track him down… And you're the one who came up with the plan to trap him." Flynt stated to which she nodded.
"I'll get it all done, Flynt. I just got to… Find the beat." Neon said as she sighed. "Why is everyone so serious today? I feel like I'm going to go insane." Neon added to which she was given silence from him.
Neon sighed and simply waited for the Manta to get ready. She remembered when they used dropships, perhaps it had been because they had been involved in the battle of Vale which meant they weren't used anymore. If anything? It had driven them towards an edge for the time being.
The Faunus simply swished her tail around and slowly bobbed back and forth in place as she questioned what to have done to get it all done and dusted for the time being.
It was so odd, such an odd little thing for the time being and that bugged her massively at the time being when it was all said and done. They had so much more to have discussed at the end of this, so much more and she was already getting cold.
Her aura flashed a bluish pink as she sighed and skated away. She watched Flynt follow her as she leaped onto the manta and turned around.
"What happens if I end up fighting him alone?" Neon questioned to which Flynt frowned.
Neon was just as capable of fighting someone and he knew even if Graz had some formal training? Neon still had enough to fight him to a draw.
Yet? He was still worried, he didn't at all know what was coming. This was something that just didn't at all go his way and he knew this… He knew this in his heart, yet he was so uneager to tell Neon it as well. So unwilling to admit to her that she wasn't in the same league as this yet he didn't want to say much if at all.
"Yeah, we're going to talk about it," Flynt said which made Neon frown. "Text us when you chase him down, we're going to catch him together. If you take him down by yourself? Then still radio us." Flynt added to which Neon frowned and simply waved him off before she slowly skated towards a seat.
She knew her mission, Flynt knew her mission, everyone who was around her knew her mission and she was going to have finished it before they got to her. They didn't want her to win by herself, Neon aimed to prove them wrong because she knew that she could do it, they just had to give her a chance.
The others boarded as Neon rolled her eyes and slowly started to skate back and forth in place before plopping onto a seat. The cat Faunus tucked her feet under her and started to jam again as she started to think about what was coming. She didn't know what else was coming and she didn't at all care for the time being.
(With Graz)
Graz rested a hand on the wall before looking at it as ice and snow and started to creep along it, he felt warmer than he was before which bothered him.
Graz was never warm unless something was wrong which meant he was more and more confused and worried for now. It was a lot more than he was used to at the end of the time when it came down to it. Graz didn't want anything to do with this place but he had no damn time to think about it.
He looked around the damn town as he sighed and took another breath of cold air. It would have burned his lungs if he wasn't at all used to it, he was always used to it.
He snorted and allowed it to continue to slow down, freezing everything in sight, and everything in sight shattered like pieces of glass. Graz was honestly silent before he leaned on the wall more, frost and snow covering it quickly before he pulled up the collar and hood of his jacket.
Graz was honestly prepared for the time he froze to death, a point where his semblance didn't save him from death when it came to it. Graz slowly continued into the waste, looking around as he sighed and then looked at the ground.
"Time to vanish," Graz muttered before he shook his head. "I need to get somewhere else and then talk to my friends," Graz stated before he rubbed up his temples.
There was a slight wind as he looked up to see a Manta gunship that passed overhead. He didn't at all know what to say before he slowly started to pass into Mantle, eager to find a dark alley or a pub where he could listen to his contacts and find a way to get to a position where he could go back into the shadows.
The place where prying eyes couldn't have sought soothed him if nothing else. It was a nice way to show how little he was familiar with this city and its trappings.
However? Something he was aware of? The fact that Atlas had far more security and much fewer cracks to slip through at the end of the day, had so much more to do with the time being. It was simply something he had to contend with for now.
(With Neon)
Neon twirled her weapon before looking at it with interest. A simple glowstick was her only means of defense against the Grimm, against the White Fang, against anyone who would try to kill her or her friends, there was a lot worse she could do for a defense, but it was something she could have found to be entertaining when it came down to it.
She rested the weapon on her hip, not simply because of the fact they were operating on zero authority, but factually that she didn't at all know what point this brought. She was only too amused at this, and only too focused on how well they'd bring him down.
They had more to have fathomed for the time being. They didn't at all understand their lot in life. She didn't at all know what was going in the mind of her commanders, only that they had more to do, more to see, papers to finish upon which thing to handle next.
Neon didn't at all envy those who had become pencil pushers in the Atlas military. She didn't at all wish to be one, but she understood the need for their kind so people like her could handle business as properly as expected of their role.
Still? it wasn't all bad, not all in her head, not when she could find a way to enjoy the life she had been given.
Neon skated back and forth, too eager to get on with her mission and too ready to be on it already seemed to have gotten off the ground. He wasn't prepared for the time being, he didn't know what to have done next.
Perhaps he didn't at all understand methods, perhaps he didn't want to do anything to get it off his head.
He looked around before he slowly started to have gotten over his mind. Neon opened the doors and looked at her with such amusement as to how this would have ended anyway.
Neon leaped down to the ground and started to skate off. Flynt could only sigh as he realized the woman was going to be thinking of something that wasn't there for now.
The problem with her was obvious, she wasn't used to war and she wasn't constantly used to battle properly focusing them on something like this. It would be a lot more terrifying if they didn't find some way to win, to find a good answer to this without them killing each other… It'd be terrifying if not for the fact they had bigger fish to fry and something else growing in the twisted darkness.
Neon had been silent for so long that he missed simply hearing her speak.
(With Neon)
Neon gripped a pole and used the momentum to slingshot herself around the corner. She was glad her skates didn't catch on anything like they had been doing for so long, it irked her that they had been in a position to have done so.
'I would have won that damn fight if my skates didn't get caught in the rock.' Neon thought to herself as she sighed and simply glanced around the city.
Neon pulled up the collar of her jacket and zipped it up to the top. It wasn't often she did so, but with Atlas being a tundra? Well, it was clear she had some time to get it all ready and pristine.
She sighed and continued to skate through town, her semblance pushing her further and further as she did so. Graz's face was ingrained in her brain and it was clear she'd find him before long… Yes, only a matter of how many blocks she had to cover before then. It wasn't a hard matter, nor one she was unaccustomed to. She was the scout of FNKY, their blitz blaster, their first warrior into the breach and it showed in their body language just what was going on.
She skimmed around the corner as the cat Faunus pondered how best to have driven him out of this sort of debauchery. Yes, she didn't know any better and she didn't wish to have to focus upon such small numbing issues, she didn't wish to have it all stung around for the moment.
Neon let a small portion of snow and ice fall over her face while she had fallen silent, too amused or too thrown off by such defiance for the moment. A small thing, sure, but something beyond reproach that she could not simply let stand. It was clear from what little he had known that her power was something else.
Graz didn't seem as bad and it was clear with a few seconds of silence that she had found him to be a rather fun idea company, something that even all his power would pale to have brought, to see it all come crashing downwards upon their heads… It was a pox that couldn't easily have been handled, they needed more… They had to have more.
"Hey, I know…" She heard before the sound was silent and the voice faded off.
She turned the corner to see Graz standing over the body of whom she suspected was probably one of the criminals from Mistral, a Sai clasped in his hand which he expertly twirled and returned to his belt.
Neon spun her nunchucks and attacked to which Graz only raised an eyebrow, not at all noticing who she was or what she might be.
Her first strike was dodged as Graz rolled to the side, clearly not grasping WHOM she had been or what her business here was. It was clear to him that she was an enemy at the moment, it was something he'd not at all understand.
He sent her back with a kick though she easily recovered and tangled her weapon around his, stopping him from attacking… Until he revealed another on his belt and easily managed to spin around. It wasn't something for the time being.
Neon had yet found him wanting before he questioned what she was… How he might stop her, see her driven to the ground as he trying to do, her nunchucks unwrapped and with it her grip on him as Graz turned.
"Not going to fight you… Don't think so." Graz said before he pressed a hand to the ground and watched as frost and ice easily covered the ground.
Neon found her feet uneasy as she glanced at him only to sprint away, vanishing down the alleyway. Neon huffed and easily began the effort of circling, skidding slightly but still finding her footing. She rocketed past the small little attempt to trip her up, perhaps finding the attempt more amusing than notable. It was entirely clear that he took her seriously and this wasn't just an attempt to stop her.
Neon watched as he turned the corner only to pause as she flipped over his attempt to have done something about it. She smirked at him before she tilted her head before she looked around, far too curious as to how this was to have gotten them.
"Nope, ain't getting rid of me that easy, I just want you to notice that. Ain't getting rid of me so easy." Neon stated before she tilted her head to the side, amused as of the time being while she questioned before now.
Perhaps he had wanted something else to have that honor at the moment. He twirled his weapons around, glancing at her as his sai spun through his hands, too interested to have questioned what she wanted and how to have focused now.
She looked at him as their weapons clashed again, it was clear that this fight wasn't going to have been easy, it was clear as he sent her backward with a quick flick before she flicked her nunchucks at him which almost tossed her off guard.
Neon recovered and slammed him into the wall, making Graz sigh as he was thrown to the side.
"What's going to happen next?" Graz asked before Neon looked at him, prepared only for now as he tilted his head to the side. "You're new. I don't know who you are. I don't know what's going to happen next… But I do know you've been around here before… Not your first fight." Graz stated to which she fell silent.
It was clear to him that she and he both had problems all of their problems had gone over the edge. He looked at her, glancing around as if prepped for some elaborate scheme if nothing else. He'd commend Neon for her spirit while she attacked, whipping her chain at him only for him to catch it in his sais, throwing her around and causing her to stumble for a second before she skated at him with her weapon raised to do him harm.
He sighed and raised his weapon, easily capable of worse… Far worse and it was clear more than anything that neither fight was going either way. She was throwing into the wall before she looked around, too interested in their problems to have fixed them easily.
"What's going to happen next? Are you going to take me to Atlas to be booked? I haven't committed a single crime and last I checked? I might want to go there. It might be something I want to be given how well things have been going for me." Neon stated before he looked to the side.
She didn't at all know what to question for now. It was clear such things had been something that needed to have been dealt with.
"Maybe I just don't like you, you think about that?" Neon stated to which Graz shrugged, all too curious as of now.
"I don't know. There are a lot of people who don't like me. I can't say it offends me much if you don't like me." Graz said before he continued to twirl his weapons. "If you want me that bad, lady? You're going to have to earn it, you know." Graz said before he shook his head as he looked around more and more.
It was a moment of clarity as he realized Neon was a danger. He could not simply outrun such a thing. He didn't at all understand what Neon was like, but it was clear something would have to give.
Perhaps it was him? Perhaps it'd be her. No way to tell for certain and no way for him to have given such a mistake that it seemed he questioned before he seemed to have focused upon. It was something he didn't at all understand but he seemed to have pondered it for now.
Graz rolled under one of her swings before looking at her, holding up his hand which had frozen over while he shook his head.
He knew she was going to attack him and she knew that he was all too familiar with such a problem that it drove him insane. He didn't at all understand what had come onto his head at the time.
Neon blocked his sai before she was thrown backward before he tilted his head, she questioned what Graz was doing with training like this. He slowly started to climb upwards before he looked at her as he swung at her, trying to dissuade her from following him.
Graz rolled his eyes before he rolled to the side and deflected another strike as the ladder he had tried to grip lay to the side. It was clear to him that she wanted to attack him but the angle of attack was off just as well.
"Not used to no mobility, hmm?" Neon heard as Graz swung his weapon around in a circle, ready to fight her, to have a ball even. "Trust me, I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to… Don't plan on running away when I can't afford to and it's clear you won't afford me to." Graz said as he twirled his sai, eager for her next move.
Neon rushed him as Graz kicked off the wall and slid under her hit. Her hit froze the wall as he slammed a hand into the ground which froze over, frost crackling over every single inch as the boy slid around and towards the other end.
"I've been on the frost before, you know. It's something I'm good at. You? I'm pretty sure I can handle you in a damn fight." Neon heard as she looked at him and readied another swing of her nunchuck.
He was all too ready for now. There was something that he had found so off about her, so off and yet so intoxicating while it came down to it. She was all too ready for a fight and he wasn't going to just allow it to have gotten where it should have.
He had other problems to worry about. She was a threat and a problem, one which he needed to address… But it wasn't something he'd have allowed to have tainted the way he did such things. Neon was going to be an enemy; someone he'd have to handle himself and make sure of for now.
He didn't at all know what would have happened for now. They had pressing concerns to address… He didn't want her to have been thrown off. Graz was curious and he'd not allow her to get in the way of his schemes and goals for the time being when push came to shove.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will show more of Graz and Neon's fight. It will be 900-6500 words and such. Until then, Lighting Wolf is out!