Darkbloom

Chapter 14

The next several days passed by without incident. Truthfully, they had all started to blend together, Jaune thought – he would get up early in the morning, sit with Cinder for a bit, and then go out and help rebuild the town alongside Blake. Personally, he was looking forward to leaving Solaris, himself – it was a nice little town, he had to admit, but just like Cinder, he was about ready for a change in scenery.

So it came as no surprise to him when he entered Cinder's room one day and found her standing up, looking out the window. He stopped and blinked, surprised, then cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned towards him, and he nodded.

"Good morning," he said. He looked over to the window. "What are you looking for?"

"Nothing of importance," Cinder answered. She moved back over to her bed and sat on it.

"How's the arm? Better?"

"Far better," she told him. "I believe I am about ready to leave this town."

"Shame; I think the locals are going to miss having us around, Blake included."

"Do not tell me you are considering staying?"

Jaune shook his head. "Nah. Don't get me wrong, Solaris is nice, but I'm kinda tired of it, you know? And not just because we were in a big fight here just a few days ago. So if you're down to leave, so am I."

"Yes, I believe I am ready."

"Alright, sure. I'll go fetch some supplies and wake Blake up, and we can leave."

Cinder waved him off. "Hurry back."

Jaune nodded, and then set off.

A short while later, the three of them found themselves just outside Solaris' gates, waving goodbye to the townspeople that had gathered to see them off. Once their goodbyes were said, they turned and began to march down the nearest path, Blake reading from the map as they walked.

"So I take it we're headed to Vale?" she asked.

"That'd be correct," Jaune said. "Right, Cinder?"

Cinder didn't respond at first. Rather, she was too focused on staring up at the sky, looking for something. Jaune followed her gaze, but was unable to see anything. He frowned, then leaned in a bit closer so she would hear him easier.

"Right, Cinder?"

"Hm?" she asked, turning towards him. "Yes, yes – Vale. Lead us to Vale, Blake."

"Sure," Blake answered, seemingly nonplussed. "At the rate we're going, assuming we don't run into anymore trouble… it should take us about three days to get there. Everyone okay with that?"

"We're in no rush," Jaune said. He waited for Cinder to add to his comment, but she stayed silent. It was certainly uncharacteristic of her, but he wasn't about to bring that up in front of Blake, lest he unintentionally bring up questions Cinder didn't want answered in the first place.

Instead, they continued on mostly in silence, with only the odd comment from him or Blake to interrupt the day.

That night, Jaune laid awake in their makeshift campsite while Blake slept a short ways away, her chest gently rising and falling inside her sleeping bag. Cinder had offered to keep watch, and the two of them knew better than to argue with her, but something about her recent mannerisms bothered him enough to want some answers.

Cinder was almost certainly going to reprimand him for not getting some sleep while he could, but he didn't care. He wanted to know what was bothering her, and there was no better time than now, given that Blake was passed out asleep.

Jaune climbed out of his sleeping back and moved over to the front of the campsite, where Cinder was sitting on a downed tree. Her shoulders tensed when he approached; no doubt she heard him or otherwise knew he was drawing near.

"Jaune," she said without turning around. "You should be asleep."

"And there it is…" he muttered. Shaking his head, he told her, "It's tough for me to sleep when I know something is clearly bothering you."

"Oh?" Cinder turned around, staring at him. "And what makes you presume such a thing about me, hm?"

"Well, I like to think I know you pretty well at this point," Jaune answered. "Perhaps that's a bit presumptuous of me, but I think it's mostly true. I know you well enough to know how you generally act, and I can say with absolute certainty that I've never seen you quite this on-edge before. So yeah, I think it's easy to tell that something is bothering you."

Cinder gave a small exhale. "You are sharper than you let on, Jaune. Nothing gets by you, now, does it?"

"I wouldn't go that far-"

"Have a seat."

Jaune obliged, sitting down on the tree next to her. He shifted a bit, somewhat nervous – if Cinder was on-edge, then that was definitely cause for concern, at least to him.

"So what's going on?" he asked.

"We are being watched," Cinder answered.

Jaune's eyes widened. "We are…? Who is it? The White Fang?"

She shook her head. "Not quite. No, this is someone a bit more personal to me."

"The old man…?" Jaune asked, his voice a hushed whisper. "You think he's got someone watching us?"

"Or something," Cinder specified. "I have found a number of feathers scattered Solaris – far more than one would expect. So either blackbirds tend to flock here on the regular, or somehow, the old man has a spy in our midst."

"...You think he sent a crow to spy on us?"

"Not quite," Cinder said dryly. "No, I think that whoever he sent to track our movements has something to do with it. Perhaps they themselves can control crows using their Semblance, or perhaps some magic the old man gave them."

"So, what do we do?" Jaune asked, taking care to keep his voice quiet. "We can't exactly just go attacking crows because we think they're following us."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one, that would be incredibly cruel to what could very well be innocent animals. For another, that would just alert the old man that we're onto him."

"Hm… Yes, I suppose you are correct," Cinder reluctantly acquiesced. "What would you suggest, then?"

"I would say that we should carry on as usual," Jaune recommended. "We keep doing what we're doing and act like we don't know that we're being followed. But at the same time, we secretly stay on ours toes, just in case whoever this is decides to actually make a move. I don't think they will – that'd be showing their hand way too quickly – but if they do, it'll pay to be ready."

Cinder nodded along. "As sound a plan as any." She looked up at the sky again, frowning when she saw the shattered moon. "Perhaps using my magic against the White Fang leader was a bit much…"

"I mean, that's definitely true, but not for the reasons you might be thinking," Jaune confirmed. "Still, I understand where you're coming from and all, but you can't blame yourself. You did what you needed to do in order to stop the threat and survive. I don't think anyone can fault you for that, at least past a certain point… but if it's too much to ask, can we go without incinerating people?"

"No promises," Cinder said. She rose to her feet and dusted herself off. "Get some rest, Jaune. You will need it for what is coming, I am sure."

With that, she turned and left him alone. Jaune let out a tired sigh, then looked up at the night sky.

He couldn't help but wonder just who was out there, watching and waiting for them.

It took them a few days to reach Vale, as expected. Thankfully, the trip was light on Grimm; there were a few that had accosted them along the way, but nothing major. Cinder had even gotten a bit more talkative after he'd suggested they act casually, both with him and with Blake, which was a welcome surprise. Then again, it made sense – now that Cinder had actually seen Blake fight, she seemed to respect her a lot more. Blake, for her part, was growing more comfortable with Cinder as well.

Truthfully, Jaune wasn't sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, it was good that Cinder was opening up a bit towards other people… but on the other, he couldn't help but feel as though she was just watching and waiting and scheming for a chance to claim Blake's soul for her own.

Then again, perhaps that was just him being paranoid… but at the same time, he knew Cinder in a way that Blake didn't. And it definitely made his skin crawl a bit, trying to parse out what Cinder may have been thinking whenever she spoke with Blake.

At the start, it had been so easy to forget that Cinder wasn't human. But not anymore – not since that night in the forest. Cinder was a monster, if a somewhat benevolent one, but still a monster nonetheless. And that was cause for caution.

Eventually, though, the three of them came to Vale's gates. They stepped through them and into the giant city, and immediately, Cinder was taken aback by what she saw.

"Brothers…" she breathed. "What is all this?"

"Welcome to Vale," Jaune commented.

"This is Vale?" Cinder questioned. "It is enormous."

"Vale is one of the biggest cities in the world, second only to Atlas," Blake informed her. "I take it that neither of you two have been here before?"

"You have?" Jaune questioned, surprised.

Blake nodded. "A few times, when I was still a part of my former organization. They have a branch here."

"How big?"

"Big, but I doubt we'll have anything to worry about when it comes to them – Adam Taurus and Bane were their leaders, and with Bane gone and Adam recalled to Menagerie, they're almost certainly in extreme disarray at the moment."

"All the more reason to be cautious," Cinder chimed in. "An animal is often at its most dangerous when panicked and cornered. No offense intended, of course."

Blake shook her head. "Admittedly, your description is apt. The White Fang may be looking for us – emphasis on may – but even if they are, we'll have a lot less to worry about now that they're leaderless and without direction, especially now that Weiss isn't traveling with us anymore. She was a high-value target for them; with her out of the picture, they'll almost certainly feel less emboldened to try something against us, especially after what happened to their strike team a few days ago."

"Let's hope you're right…" Jaune muttered as the three of them began walking. He turned to Cinder. "Where to first?"

"Hm…" Cinder said, bringing a hand up to her chin in thought. "I do not suppose either of you know a place where one might be able to get a drink? I have had a craving since we left Solaris."

Blake nodded. "I know a few places. Most of them probably aren't your speed – the music's too loud, for one, and for another, many of them are White Fang hangouts – but there is a quiet little place downtown that I know about. Might be worth checking out."

"Sure, lead the way," Jaune said.

A short while later, the three of them found themselves in a cozy little tavern, just off of Vale's main road. It was just before evening, meaning the bar was starting to fill up with people, but it wasn't overly crowded, which was good – not only did Jaune want a little peace and quiet, but the fewer people Cinder was around, the better.

In any case, they had taken a table towards the back of the building and had ordered a round of drinks. Blake and him were underage, of course, but some quick smooth-talking from Cinder had earned them both some glasses of fruit juice spiked with white rum.

"I must admit that I already find Vale intriguing," Cinder said, swirling the wine in her glass a bit. "To think that so many people would so willingly live in a place like this is… it is certainly interesting."

"Interesting how?" Jaune couldn't help but ask.

"I understand that humans are social creatures by nature, but I would expect there to be some kind of limit to that sort of thing. Apparently not, however – you are all fine being packed in like this."

"Claustrophobia not really your thing?"

"You already know it is not."

"Feels like I'm missing out on some of the conversation, here," Blake chimed in.

Cinder waved her off. "It is nothing of concern, we are merely making small talk the only way we know how."

The bell above the tavern door suddenly chimed as the door was flung open. Jaune turned in his seat to get a better look at who had just entered, and was surprised to see a blonde girl about his own age come marching up to the counter. She had a poster in her hand, and didn't hesitate to all but shove it directly into the bartender's face.

"Have you seen this girl?" she asked, distraught.

That got Jaune's attention immediately. He leaned in, trying his best to better hear what was going on.

The bartender reeled a bit from the shock of having the girl so close to him so suddenly, but recovered quickly. He adjusted his glasses and leaned in to get a better look, but after a moment, shook his head and let out a small sigh.

"Sorry," he said. "Haven't seen her before."

The blonde girl's face fell. "That's okay. Would you mind hanging this poster up in your bar? If anyone sees her, they can call the number at the bottom. Please?"

"Sure."

The girl nodded, then handed over the poster to the bartender. He took it and pinned it up on a nearby wall, in an easy-to-spot place. Once that was done, the girl gave him another thankful nod, then went to walk away, only to spot the three of them sitting at the table in the back. She blinked once, but then made her way over to them.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Hello to you, too," Jaune replied. "I heard what you were talking about with the bartender. Wish we could help. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

The girl did her best not to let her pain show, and failed miserably. "...That's alright," she said. "But if you don't mind, could you keep an eye out for her? She's my baby sister and she's been missing for a few days now."

"That wouldn't be a problem for us at all," Jaune offered. "What's her name, and what does she look like?"

"Her name's Ruby Rose. She's short, just over five feet tall, with short black-and-red hair and silver eyes-"

"Silver eyes, you say?" Cinder suddenly asked, surprised.

The blonde girl looked over to her in confusion. "Yeah. It's unusual, I know-"

"That would be an understatement. But do go on, please – if we can be of assistance, we will."

That got Jaune's attention. He wasn't sure why Cinder was suddenly so concerned over this girl, or more specifically her silver eyes, but he didn't doubt that whatever reason it was, it was all in pursuit of some goal of hers.

The blonde girl took a shaky breath, then went on. "...She was last wearing a kind of gothic outfit, I guess? It's all black-and-red, with a black skirt and corset and a red cape."

"Does she have her Aura unlocked, and her Semblance?" Jaune questioned. "That might be helpful to know."

"She does. Her Semblance lets her move really fast, and she leaves rose petals behind her when she moves."

Jaune nodded along with the information. "Was there anything else you wanted to add? Places we might want to look, or anything like that?"

"Believe me, we've tried all her usual spots. We came up completely empty at each one. We suspect she was either lured away or taken by force when she was running some errands downtown."

"Well, we'll certainly keep an eye out for her," Blake offered. "What's your name, again?"

"Yang Xiao Long," she explained. "Here, I'll give you all my number in case you come across something."

They all exchanged numbers, and then Yang let out a sigh. "Please let me know if you find anything promising," she begged.

"We will, Yang," Jaune told her. "And that's a promise."

Yang took in a shaky breath, then nodded. She turned and left the tavern, leaving the three of them alone with just each other.

"How unexpected," Cinder commented once she was gone. "In town for nary a few hours and already we find ourselves embroiled in something larger than we could have ever suspected."

"You both want to pursue this?" Blake asked, surprised. "I mean, not that I'm opposed, but it's just… I didn't expect you two to be so willing to drop everything to help someone you barely know."

Jaune exchanged a quick glance with Cinder, then looked back to Blake. "What can I say? Little sisters are close to my heart. I have a few, myself. If one of my siblings was missing, I'd want some extra people who were willing to drop everything to help her."

"That's understandable, I guess," Blake admitted. "Excuse me, I'm going to go get some water."

Blake left for a moment, and once she was out of earshot, Jaune leaned in to speak with Cinder. "You seemed to be a lot more interested in this after you found out about Ruby's silver eyes. Is there something I need to be aware of regarding that little tidbit of information?"

"All shall be revealed in due time, Jaune," Cinder promised. "I will explain to you later tonight, once we are alone."

"Blake can't hear?"

"Not that I do not trust Blake, but she is a mere mortal. There are some things I would prefer to keep close to my chest at the moment. Perhaps in due time, we can bring her into the fold, but for now, it is best that we exercise at least some discretion."

Jaune nodded in understanding. Whatever Cinder's reason for being interested in this girl and her eyes, he supposed it couldn't be too outright malevolent – Cinder was a lot more subtle than that. At least, he hoped.

A short while later, they all left the bar to find accommodations for the night. Once they'd found an appropriate place to stay, the three of them split up, Jaune and Cinder to one room and Blake to another.

And once they were alone, Cinder pulled him aside so they could start planning.

"Who do you think took her?" Cinder asked.

"Well, we've got no way of knowing for sure," Jaune answered. "The obvious bet is the White Fang, if only because we know this is something they do."

"And if it is not them?"

"Then I guess we're at a dead end until we begin uncovering something more. But it would probably pay to check out a few of their bigger hideouts around Vale. Like Blake said, they have a branch here, and they're the obvious suspects."

"Hm. I suppose that makes sense," Cinder conceded.

There was a flash of movement outside the window, and Cinder immediately whipped around to face it. Jaune followed her gaze, and watched as a large black feather came fluttering down past the glass. Seeing it, he frowned.

"Seems we're still being monitored and followed," he surmised.

"So it would seem," Cinder growled. "He is a persistent one, if nothing else. I will enjoy bestowing unto him his ultimate fate."

A chill went down Jaune's spine at that, but he didn't argue, and he made sure not to reveal any of his true emotions to her. Rather, he moved over to the nearest bed and collapsed into it, a tired sigh escaping him.

"I'm beat…" he muttered. "All that walking over the past few days took a lot out of me, even with Aura."

"Rest well, then," Cinder said, moving past him. "I will be in the bath if you need me."

Jaune waved her off, not even lifting his head up when she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. The sound of running water greeted him a few seconds later, and when it did, he rolled over and stared up at the ceiling tiles.

He wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into when he had agreed to search for Ruby Rose, but whatever it was, he knew it wasn't going to be anything good.

He could only hope and pray that Cinder reined herself in more than the last time.

Hoo boy, it's been almost a month since I last updated this thing. That's my bad, dudes - got distracted with other stuff happening in life, plus other projects. Not much more I can say besides that.

Anyway, I do have an announcement to make. It's probably a little early for this considering it's still a month away, but I figure I should make people aware early, just in case: I will be in London on a work trip for three weeks, from around the beginning of September pretty much right to the end of it. That means I will likely find it very difficult, if not impossible, to work on my stories and post updates for them during that time. It will also be harder for me to respond to reviews, most likely. I will do my best to keep working on my stories, updating them, and replying to any reviews I may get, but if updates/review responses slow down for a bit during September, that's why. Things will return to normal once I'm stateside again, but until then, expect delays.

Now, with that out of the way... I don't have too much to say, really. It's pretty late and I'm pretty tired and have work in the morning, so I'll leave it there. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, sorry for the delay, and I'll see you next time!

Enjoy my work and want to help me out a bit? You can support me, as well as read more of my writing, over on Amazon. My second original story is available for purchase now, you can find it by going on Amazon and searching for 'Dead World' by John Haruspex. The story is available now for three bucks in ebook format (or free with Kindle Unlimited) or twelve bucks in paperback format, if you prefer physical media. (Remove the spaces)

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My first original story is also still available at the following link as well:

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