Okay, so I was feeling a bit generous, mainly because it's February, the month of Valentine's Day, so I decided to post another chapter for you guys.
To Better (K)nights
҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Vale Shipyard¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉
"Why are we here?" Blake asked as she, Jaune and Sun stopped at the entrance of the Vale's Shipyard. After learning about shipment of Dust that had come in, the blonde decided to lead the two Faunus towards the shipyard.
"If we know where the robbers are going strike next, then we should at least scout out the place." Jaune said, stopping to look back at the two Faunus. "Now, let me do the talking." The blonde said before he walked up to a small office window and knocked on it. "Excuse me," Jaune said, getting the security guard to look up from his paper. "We're here to inspect the shipyard." The blonde said, motioning to him, Blake and Sun.
"No one's allowed in without a pass." The security guard said before he focused back on his paper.
"Sir, we believe that someone is coming to steal the Dust." Blake said, getting Jaune to sag his shoulders and sigh. "If you just let us look-"
"No. One's. Allowed. Without. A. Pass." The security guard repeated, pausing after every word, before he fixed his paper again. Blake looked back at the two blondes following her and saw Jaune shake his head while Sun shrugged.
"Can't say we tried." Sun said, getting Blake to hang her head before she walked off. Unfortunately, she didn't get more than five steps before she heard the sound of glass breaking.
"Hey!" Looking back, Blake widened her eyes to see Jaune's fist on the window, a large crack spreading from it. "We need to get in there!" The blonde said, his face changing to a more serious one.
"W-who are you?" The security guard asked, the fear clear in his voice as he backed away from the window, his paper a forgotten mess on the floor.
"You can call me Arcane," The blonde said, removing his hand from the window before motioning to Blake and Sun. "We're here to check up on a shipment of Dust and make sure it's still here. With all the recent Dust robberies, we want to make sure nothing's going to happen and, if possible, set up a watch post for tonight."
"Under who's orders." The security guard asked, his recent fear being replaced with authority.
"Weiss Schnee." Was all Jaune said to make the man pale. As if to prove his point, Jaune pulled out his scroll and showed a picture of him with Team RWBY, Weiss and him standing near one another. "Now, are you going to let us in? Or are we going to have to take this up with management?" Jaune said, pulling back the scroll before showing to the window and revealing Weiss' number.
"L-let me get the gate." The security guard said, moving to the controls before the gate began to open. Without a word, Jaune motioned for the two Faunus to follow him. Once the trio were far enough, Jaune let out a sigh of relief before letting his body relax.
"Nice cover up there." Sun said, patting Jaune on the back while Blake stepped in front of him.
"How'd you do that?" The Faunus asked, getting a weak chuckle from Jaune.
"If I can lie my way into Beacon, then getting past a security guard on duty is not that hard." Jaune said, before he began to walk around the shipyard, stopping now and then to inspect one. Testing the doors, yanking on the lock lightly and knocking on the side before nodding his head and moving on.
"What are you doing?" Sun asked, getting Jaune to look at him in confusion.
"Checking the shipments." Jaune said, his voice making sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That's why we're here, right? We're supposed to check these containers and then set up a watch post." As if to catch his point, Blake nodded before she began to walk away.
"I'll find a place for us to set up a watch post tonight." The Faunus said, stopping to point to Sun. "Why don't you and Jaune finish checking the shipments?" Before Sun could answer back, Blake was already around the corner.
"Well, I guess we're stuck togeth-" Sun stopped talking when turned to Jaune saw the blonde was further away than before. "Hey! Wait up!"
"We've got to keep up appearances." Jaune said when he saw Sun running towards him. Seeing the monkey Faunus nod, Jaune gave him a playful smirk. "But I guess acting like a new recruit works." At that, Sun's head shot up to see Jaune inspecting another container. Ignoring Jaune's comment, Sun joined the blonde, moving to a nearby container and repeating Jaune's actions before moving on to another.
"What make you think they'll come here?" Sun asked. "I mean, what if they wait until the shipments go out and strike then?"
"Would you wait to steal a plate of cookies when there's an entire jar's worth?" Jaune asked, getting Sun to raise an eyebrow. "The point is, the benefits outweigh the risk. Just one of these containers could be enoughfor them. Why wait for these containers to leave when they're just sitting here, waiting to be taken?"
"Good point." Sun said, looking over another container before speaking up again. "So…" The Faunus said, getting Jaune to stop and look at him, "Is Blake always serious like this?"
"I couldn't tell you." Jaune said, shrugging as he walked past Sun and looked at another container. "We've never really talked that much before now. I know she likes to read books, but the only ones who know more about her would be her teammates. She's a good fighter though, from what I've seen during combat class." Jaune said, getting Sun to nod. "Why? Interested?"
"What? No! C'mon man!" Sun said, jumping from Jaune before shaking his head. "She just seemed, you know…lonely is all." The Faunus said, getting Jaune to stop before looking around. Instead of pushing the issue, Jaune just nodded before he continued his inspection.
"Well, she looks like she gets along well with her team." Jaune said before he remembered her fight with Weiss, "Most of the time, anyway." Before the two blondes could continue their conversation, Blake dropped down, landing next to Jaune and getting him yelp to stumble back.
"I found a spot." Blake said blankly, looking down at Jaune to see him wince.
"How much of that conversation did you hear?" The blonde asked.
"Enough." Was all Blake said before she turned around and motioned for Jaune and Sun to follow. Even though she had her back to them, Blake could tell the two blondes winced to her response.
"Right…" Were the blonde's only response before she heard two sets of feet following her.
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"Here," Blake said, stopping on the roof of a nearby storage building before motioning to the packed shipyard.
"Nice spot," Jaune said before he took a few steps around the roof, "You can see the main gate and docks from here." The blonde said, "So, if there's a chance they're taking a boat or some sort of vehicle we'll see it."
"Seriously?" Sun asked, getting Jaune to look at him. "Dude, no offense, but do you see how many containers there are?" The Faunus said, getting Jaune to look at the shipyard again. "I can barely see anything."
"They're already sending out some of the containers." Jaune said, nudging his head to the side where a few workers were already loading a container onto a few trucks. Without a word, Jaune looked back to Sun and saw him nodding in defeat.
"There's a chance they might be hiding in one of the containers." Blake said, getting Jaune to look at her.
"Maybe…" Jaune said before he looked over the shipping yard. "At this point, I think all we have to do is wait for nighttime." As soon as Jaune finished saying that, he immediately made his way towards the ladder. Blake widened her eye and that and stepped in his way, a look of disbelief in her eyes. "Relax, I'm just heading back to Pyre's to grab my things. I'm not exactly ready for a fight." Gently pushing Blake aside, Jaune disappeared over the edge of the roof, leaving the two Faunus alone.
"I'll just…" Sun said, getting Blake to look at him. "…I'm gonna get some snacks." The Faunus said before he leaped off the roof.
҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Lady Fyre's¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉
"Welcome back." Pyre said when she saw Jaune step into her shop again. "You and your girl have a nice talk?" the Faunus asked, wiggling her eyebrows while Jaune blushed a bit.
"She's not my girlfriend." The blonde said after he got his blush under control. "And I'm just here to grab some of my things." Pyre simply nodded before she went back to working on her project.
"So…busy night?" The Faunus asked as Jaune walked passed her.
"Huh?" Was the blonde's response.
"You going to have a busy night?" The Faunus asked, getting Jaune to look around the shop. "Kid, the fact that you came back only to grab your gear says it all." Jaune blushed at the answer before he shook his head. "So, you going to let me in on your plans?"
"I know this might sound stupid, but…have you heard of the White Fang?" Jaune asked.
"That organization of Faunus that 'promote peace'." Pyre asked, getting a nod from Jaune. "Who hasn't? I mean, those guys are giving Faunus a bad name. And for what? Because they think we're better than humans?" The Faunus started before she coughed in her hand "What about them."
"Well, Blake, the girl that was with me, was a part of them." Jaune said, getting Pyre to shrug. "Well, she attends Beacon and one of her teammates is Weiss Schnee." That got Pyre's attention. "Yesterday, Weiss and Blake got in a fight when Weiss accused the White Fang of the recent Dust robberies."
"So, I'm guessing that she wants to prove that the White Fang are not the ones behind the robberies." Pyre asked, getting Jaune to nod. "And you decided to help her out." Pyre said, getting Jaune to nod again.
"Not willingly at first...but my family used to support the White Fang before they started to turn more violent." Jaune said, "It's kinda funny that a former supporter of the White Fang is actually helping a former member." The blonde said, getting Pyre to smile.
"Well, aside from pointing out the obvious." Pyre started, "I guess all I can say is take care of yourself. What you're doing is very dangerous and, unlike your girl, you're not protected by Beacon." Pyre said, "For all intents and purposes, you will be considered a mercenary by the authority."
"I will, and don't worry, I'll do my best to keep me and Blake out of trouble." Jaune said before he left the store. As soon he was out of sight, Pyre let out a sigh before she got up from her seat.
"I guess I better finish the kid's other weapon." Pyre said before she began to walk entrance to the shop and turned the 'Open' sign to 'Closed'. "Something tells me he's going to need it sooner rather than later."
҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Shipyard (2 Days Later)¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉
"Geeeezee…" Sun said as he, Blake and Jaune continued to look over the shipyard. "It's two days since we've started this." The Faunus said, getting the others to groan and nod. "Are we sure they're going to come?"
"Until those all the containers are gone, we're going to have to stay." Hearing that, Blake let out a groan of her own while Jaune let out a sigh. "Look on the bright side; most of the crates are gone anyway and there haven't been any reported robberies since we've started. That means the robbers either stopped or…" The blonde said, getting the other two Faunus to look at him. "…they're coming here."
"I still can't believe the security guards just left." Blake said, getting Jaune to nod.
"I'm guess that since we're here, they felt like they could leave it to us." The blonde explained, getting Sun to raise an eyebrow, "I mean, I did say we were here on Weiss' orders. That put some responsibility on our shoulders, whether we like it or not."
"But it's so boring." Sun groaned out, getting Blake to let out a frustrated sigh.
"If you want to leave, no one's going to stop you." The Faunus said, getting the two blondes to wince.
"Easy Blake." Jaune said, getting the Faunus to snap her attention to him. To her surprise, Jaune didn't flinch and stared back at her with a stern face. "I get that the White Fang are a part of your past, but that doesn't mean you can push away anyone who doesn't care about them as much." Jaune's words and stern tone made Blake flinch in response. "Sun, if you don't want to be here, then that's fine with us. Blake is right, neither of us are making you stay."
"Look, I didn't mean it like that." The Faunus said, taking a step towards the two. "I'm just not the kind of guy that likes to stay in one spot for too long. I didn't mean to sound like I don't care." Jaune nodded at that before he looked at the two Faunus.
"I get that, and I can agree that this is boring." Jaune said, holding up a hand to silence Blake. "But, this is important and if we don't do something, who will?" The blonde asked before he focused on Blake and spoke in a softer tone. "Blake, I know this is serious business, but you shouldn't be taking it too far." The blonde said, "What we're doing is dangerous and could easily get us killed." Jaune let a moment of silence pass before he spoke up again. "The last thing I want to have someone's death hanging over me because their common sense was lost." The blonde said, frowning when Blake flinched.
"When you put it like that…" Sun said before giving a weak chuckle. Jaune didn't respond and simply turned around to watch the shipyard again. As soon as he did, the sound of turbines made the three teens drop to their stomachs as a Bullhead flew over them. "…I guess you were right." Sun finished, getting a 'shh' from Jaune as they watched the Bullhead land in the shipyard and open.
"Oh no…" Hearing Blake say that, made Jaune feel a bit sad.
"Is that them?"
"Yeah…it is." Jaune said as he watched more White Fang members leave the Bullhead. Taking a quick look at Blake, Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder before speaking up again. "I know it hurts knowing, but we shouldn't let that distract us from stopping them."
"Hey! what's the hold up?"
Hearing that, the three looked to the landing to see the White Fang members stop and look back at the Bullhead before a man in a white jacket step out.
"Is that Roman Torchwick?" Jaune asked, his attention going to Blake when he saw her stand up and unsheathe her weapon. Before Blake could jump off the rooftop, Jaune yanked her back and made her crouch down. "What are you doing?" The blonde asked.
"This isn't right!" The Faunus said before she pointed to the Bullhead. "The White Fang would never work with a human! Especially one like him!"
"That doesn't mean you should go charging in!" Jaune said, his stern voice coming back. "At best, it could get you caught and put me and Sun at a disadvantage!"
"I am not a child!" Blake hissed, ripping her hand from Jaune's. Before she could take a step, the blonde grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
"Maybe not but you're sure as hell acting like one!" Jaune countered, shoving Blake towards Sun. "That is known criminal surrounded by armed men! What are your chances of getting out alive?" The blonde continued, pointing to the shipyard.
"So, we're just going to let them go?" Blake asked, flinching when Jaune glared in a manner that reminded her of Goodwitch.
"A plan can go a long way." Jaune said before he looked at the shipyard again. "And no. We are not going to let them get away." As Jaune said that, he grabbed the Faunus and pull them down as two more Bullheads flew overhead. Moving closer to the edge, Jaune looked down and raised an eyebrow when he saw a lone White Fang member currently relieving himself against the wall.
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"You realize how stupid this looks?" Sun asked while he did his best to hide the body of the guard as Blake adjusted the mask Jaune had on.
"Relax, as long as I don't do anything suspicious, you and Blake can cover the rest." Jaune said, giving the cat Faunus a thumbs up when she stepped away. "Just cause a big enough distraction that it starts to separate them. Then do your best to take out much as you can, that should give us an advantage."
"You sure this will work?" Blake asked as she watched Sun head to the roofs while Jaune looked over the rifle he took from the White Fang member.
"I don't know but, it'll probably help if you two can get things done quickly." Jaune said before he stepped out from behind the crates. As soon as he did, another White Fang member walked around the containers.
"You! Where have you been?" The Faunus asked, getting Jaune to swallow a lump in his throat.
"I was uh-" Jaune said before coughing into his hand. "I was scouting out the place. You never know if there are going to be any loose ends." The blonde said, doing his best to look relaxed despite sweating up a storm.
"Don't lie to me." The Faunus said before covering his nose. "I told you, if you needed to go, you should've done it before we got here." The Faunus said before she turned around and began to walk away. "C'mon, the others need your help."
"Right…" Jaune said, taking a second to look back and see Blake and Sun moving across the rooftops. "…so, know why we need this Dust?" Jaune asked, getting the Faunus in front of him to let out a snort.
"The White Fang need this Dust for another operation. Adam told us to listen to the human if we want to accomplish this." The Faunus said, their disgust of Torchwick clear as day.
"Right, so why do we need it?" Jaune asked, putting an emphasis on 'we'. This got the Faunus in front of him to stop and look back. "I don't' like working with humans, but you have to wonder why your- our brothers and sister need this Dust." Jaune continued. "If this is about getting back at the humans, wouldn't it be better to blow this Dust up?"
"Taking the Dust is just as effective as destroying it." The Faunus answered back. "If you want to question orders, then take it up with the human." The Faunus said before leaving Jaune behind.
"You there! Get over here and help us!" The blonde let out a sigh before he turned to his left and saw a few Faunus hooking a few cables onto a container.
҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯With Blake and Sun¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉
"So, how are we going to do this?" Sun asked as he and Blake reached the other end of the shipyard.
"Jaune said that all we needed to do is create a distraction." Blake said, "Do you have any-" Before Blake could finish her question, she covered her cat ears when Sun had pulled out his weapon and fired off a shot. When the ringing stopped, Blake took the time to glare at the Faunus.
"What? That should get their attention, right?" The Faunus asked.
҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯With Jaune¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉
Jaune, along with everyone else, jumped and readied their weapons when they heard the sound of a gun going off.
'That's one way to get everyone's attention.' Jaune said, trading looks with the other Faunus before he heard Torchwick speak up.
"Well!? What are you all waiting for?" The man shouted before he pointed to the source of the gunshot. "Someone go and see what the hell that sound was." Seeing Roman turn his back while the remaining White Fang members before to disperse, some of them heading towards the gunshot. "You there!" Hearing Roman shouting again, Jaune turned around and froze when he saw the man point his cane at him. "Come here."
'I really hope Blake and Sun do something else.' As if to answer his prayers, more gunshots began to ring out, getting everyone to stop what they were doing and pulled out their weapons.
"What are you doing standing around for? Waiting for an invite!?" Roman shouted, getting more White Fang members to drop what they were doing before running off to the source of the fight. Jaune was about to do the same before felt something wrap around his shoulder and pull him back.
"You, help finish loading the crates." A Faunus said, jerking their thumb towards the Bullhead that had Torchwick in it. Nodding in agreement, Jaune put his gun away and picked up a nearby crate before heading towards the criminal.
"Come on! The sooner we get out of here, the better." Roman said, motioning to the pilot once Jaune was near the top of the ramp. Once Jaune set the box of Dust down, an explosion caused him and Roman to look towards a warehouse to see it now on fire with the remaining White Fang members making their way towards it. "Animals, honestly." Roman said before he took out a cigar. "Can't do the simplest of things. Alright, let's get out of here before we attract too much attention."
Looking towards the warehouse where the gunshot were going off, Jaune took a second to take a deep breath before he pulled out his pistol and fired off a shot.
And that's the end of this chapter. I know, I know, I did another cliff hanger, but I mainly put this up so I could announce that there's a poll on my profile...since you guys don't tend to listen if I put out just an update chapter. So yeah, there's a poll deciding the pairings, so if you voice your choice here...it'll be ignored. Not to sound mean but the PM's are getting real annoying so I'm going to let the majority decide.
And again, I have a P-atreon. If you feel like supporting me, head on over (P-atreon/Sagistic).