A.N. Hewoo I'm back! First thing first... that Mirvein guy in the comment really gave me the motivation to continue this and I probably can release a few chapters since I'm on break until February. I do have the desire to at least finish a story that I started but college takes more priority. And yeah, I got average at the semester finals.
Alright, that's enough for my rambling. Thank you for all of you who still read this and enjoy the chapter!
Prasinus Ramoex was a man of many names. There was a time where he was only known as the Backstreet Boogeyman, then there was a time when East Vale called him The Red Hero, ah there was also his first moniker—The Fallen Prince. Today, he was mostly known as the Platinum's Hand or the First Ring, as he was the right hand-man of the Index Boss.
As the right hand-man of the most powerful man in the underbelly of Lustrous Vale City, there wasn't much excitement to be enjoyed if he was to be honest. You would think that a man such as Damian Super Hikaru Takahashi would have enemies prowling the very ground he steps on, and you would be correct. However, it was commonly known that such enemies—those who approached with the subtlety of a Star or those who were skittish like a rat—always ends up in the sewer sooner or later courtesy of himself and occasionally the Second Ring.
Most would say that was a life full of excitement and stress due to the position where Sir Takahashi stood on, but to Ramoex, that was a live full of boredom. The enemies were too weak to give him a challenge, and with how his E.G.O. works, the more he recorded the more his power grows. Yeah, quite the boring life. The pay was good though, and Sir Takahashi was a good conversation partner once you gain his trust.
The Council could provide The Index, and by extension him, a challenge if they decide The Index to be a nuisance. The key word was if, and he knew very well that The Council won't do something that risky. Say, let him entertained that though of a Council raid for a moment. His status as an E.G.O. was kept secret form the world, even The Council wasn't aware of this. As such, if The Council did a raid, the Councilor Guard would be deployed at minimum, which would ended up in a failure after that Roy became the liaison between The Index and The Councilor Guard.
With the Councilor Guard out of the way, what challengers still under the command of The Council? The Beasts and Fixers of course. There were four Beasts and one Color stationed on the city right now while the others were out on long mission or the Salem Watch. For the Beasts there were Ozpin The Owl, Qrow The Crow, Pyrrha The Stallion, and Angel The Snake. For the Color there was Marco The Black Opera. Three fourth of the Beasts already aligned with The Index; The Snake was a one-on-one specialist, easy to deal with; The Black Opera was acting weird within tolerable limit for months now… inconclusive then.
Huh, now that he thought about it, The Index had become a superpower right under The Council's rule. "Huh… neat."
"Oi, Ramoex, are you listening?" The calling of his Boss pulled him back into the real world. From the painting in the Boss' study, Ramoex saw that Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose had left the room. He heard their story alright, which excite him for the coming war.
"Yes, Sir." He replied in the affirmative.
"Then what's your opinion on it?" Sir Takahashi questioned.
His answer was definitely anticipated by the Boss, "It would be the most exciting years in Vale, Sir."
"Why I'm not surprised…" the Boss let out a small sigh before returning his focus back to his papers, "Go out and have a break my friend, nobody is stupid enough to attack me directly."
Ah, that was something he could get by easily, "Yes, Sir. Do you want me to buy you something?"
"Remember that takoyaki stall near Backstreet E-03? Buy me the mixed jumbo package."
"Aye aye Sir," and with that his presence left the painting.
Backstreet E-03 was considerably saner than most other Backstreets in the city. The crime rate was lower, business was somewhat booming, the streets actually looked cleaner on some parts, and most importantly the people here were visibly happier than other Backstreets. The reason for that was quite simple actually, The Second Ring publicly declare this particular backstreet as her turf. So, if you don't want the Big Mama and her boys to fuck you up, you better shut up and be a good citizen. She wasn't here at the moment since her reassignment to Atlas, but her boys still kept the public order going.
Now, he did not came here solely on the Boss' request to buy takoyaki, he chose this place specifically for his break due to a café that his colleagues kept recommending him. Thus, he might gave the café a chance in this calm day before the upcoming war.
After another corner, the café in question was finally within view. The place surely lived up to its reputation of being eye catching. For starter, it was the only building made up of wood as its core component rather than steel and concrete. Then there was a small patch of grass in front of the entrance complete with a pair of wooden bench for maximum aesthetic. Finally, the simple yet eye catching sign above the entrance "Lyco Reco: Sweet & Café" gathered the curious eyes of passerby, leading their curiosity deep into the place that radiated this much color within the bleak street.
It seemed that his colleagues didn't spout random trivia after all.
His feet soon carried himself to the entrance and he stopped just a few steps from entering. In his advance, he saw a mirror that stood just beside the door, definitely put over there by the owner. He noticed something in that mirror. It was his own reflection that smiled back at him. Huh… he was smiling for once, a rare occurrence for sure.
'Might as well be presentable, eh?' With his mood high in the sky, he swept back his maroon bangs and revealing the crimson eyes hidden underneath. Next came the black tie to be straightened out before readjusting his equally black jacket. Now he looked like a proper business man returning from work, and with him never showing his face on mission, nobody would suspect that he was the First Ring of The Index.
RING
The chime of the doorbell indicated his entrance into the unknown café and before he could fully registered the interior, he was greeted by a very energetic young woman in red yukata.
"Welcome to Lyco Reco dear customer!" a mob of blonde hair filled his vision and a smile that blinded the eyes greeted him. "Table for one? Ah, returning from work, Sir? Then I recommend the Sundown Special! Oh, and maybe a little bit of matcha flavoring here and there.~~"
The woman continued on with her recommendations of desserts and beverages that no doubt would send one's taste bud into the stratosphere. But, through all of that ramblings, Prasinus Ramoex heard almost nothing of them. Instead he was focused on how the woman seemed to display pure undiluted joy. Those twinkling of the eyes and smiles that reached up to her eyes were not something easily faked. Either she was an excellent actress or this state of boundless joy was her true self. Either the case, Prasinus Ramoex found himself stunned, for he never met someone with this much joy in full display.
"Ummm, dear customer? Are you alright over there?"
That question helped him regained his focus back and now he found himself facing the still smiling woman but with eyes that conveyed concern and curiosity.
He blinked once, and then looked to the side where the counter existed, "I'll take the counter seat." The boundless ball of joy lit up again. Somehow she looked even shinier with how her eyes turning into twinkling stars, 'I've seen lots of weird things but that might the most Mistrali Animation shit I've seen in real life.'
"Oh good choice, good choice! Then Sensei will handle your orders!" she gestured to the black man behind the counter, "Have a good time dear customer!" After that was done, she went off to other tables deeper in the café.
Ramoex slowly took his seat and made eye contact with the man with Southern Vacuo descent. The bigger man then initiated a conversation, "First time visiting here?"
"Yeah… that honestly surprised me."
The man laughed goodheartedly, "Hahaha! You are not the first one, my friend. In fact, every first timer was surprised with how bright Chisato is."
Ramoes humm in thought while his vision slowly lingered on the boundless ball of joy. That shining sparkle was currently playing cards with the other customers at the back together with another woman wearing blue yukata, and by the look of it, the blue yukata woman was winning.
'That…that's beautiful.'
Ramoex returned his gaze back to the big man behind the counter, and he too supported the same smile Ramoex had seen with his colleagues when they were talking about their kids. He couldn't help but ask, "Your daughter?"
His smile can't get any wider than that, "Oh yes! Not by blood, but she's still my daughter nonetheless, and I am proud of her."
Ramoex agreed with that, who wouldn't be proud when their kid grew into such a wonderful person like that? "Say, what's your name, big man?"
"Hmm? It's Mika, yours?"
"Ramoex." The First Ring of The Index then angled his body to face Mika directly which prompted a raised eyebrow from the bigger man, "Alright Mika, listen to me. I suggest you take your daughter away to Northern Vale, go to the high district, and find a man named De Micko. Mention my name to him and I guarantee that you and your daughter will have a wonderful life away from the clusterfuck that is The City. Your daughter is too pure for this sinful city."
He expected the bigger man to be surprise by his suggestion, instead what he got was a full blown laughter to his face, "HAHAHAHA! You know, Big Mama said the exact same thing when she met Chisato for the first time. I assure you my friend, there is more to this café than meets the eye. We've survived in this place for more than three years, and we can handle more, especially since Big Mama handles all the problem around here."
Ramoex knew he had to push the issue, "No, no. You don't understand. Big Mama has been reassigned to Atlas and there's a war marching right towards Vale at this very moment."
Mika's answer to that statement was to narrow his eyes and bringing his right hand for something under the counter, "Now hold on a minute. We have an informant here and while they found the restlessness of the power within the city to be concerning, there is no apparent sign that a war will be happening."
Unfortunately, before he could explain further, the doorbell chime again. Chisato, of course, was there to greet the new arrival, "Welcome to Lyco Reco dear customer!" That prompted Mika and Ramoex to cease their talk and appear as casual as possible. They both chose to appraise the new arrival.
A neatly combed hair and a round beard greeted them. The man also had the same attire as Ramoex, a three-piece suit that portrayed a business man returning from work. The only part that stood out of the man was the assortment of masks dangling from his hip, the kind of masks one's would find normal at an opera or a gala by the high nobility.
The man at the door smiled at Chisato before replying with, "I'll take the counter."
Just like before, Chisato lit up in stars, "Ohoho, more customer for you Sensei! Then have a good time dear customer!" After she left, the man took a seat besides Ramoex.
Mika assumed that this man was just a regular business man like his attire implied, but Ramoex recognized this man as more than a business man. This man was Marco The Black Opera, the only Color left in the City. Ramoex would like to have a fight with him and his troupe, but he knew better than to cause commotion in this heavenly place.
Marco thought otherwise, "You are Prasinus Ramoex, The First Ring of The Index."
The atmosphere between the three men shifted immediately.
The woman known as Big Mama was commonly known as The Second Ring of The Index, a kind motherly woman who loves everyone. But, almost nothing was known of the elusive First Ring. As such, Mika's reaction of widening eyes and flinching backward a bit were completely justified. Mika's right hand went back under the counter, but unlike before where nothing happened, Ramoex could now felt the gaze of the other staffs. Chisato, the woman in blue, and that one woman at the very back were subtly stealing glance at him.
Marco kept his silence, keeping his eyes focused on the First Ring to gauge his reaction. He was hoping for Ramoex' face to morph into something akin to surprise, or maybe apprehension. There weren't many who figured out his identity after all. The Black Opera was rendered surprised instead when The First Ring of The Index did not react how he expected to.
Prasinus Ramoex grumbled, looked around the café for a bit, before sighing, "Yeah, so what of it?"
Marco was rendered speechless with how uncaring the First Ring reacted. For a second, he took a glance at Mika to see if he was hearing the same thing, and if his stunned state were any indication then they were hearing the same thing.
"You… are not surprised." Was his reply after a half minute of silence.
"Well," he casually began, "they who seek for me are often than not challengers who thought The Index was akin to bugs they could easily crushed under their feet. I proved them wrong and they became a mere record in my Panorama. Are you here to challenge me, mister Black Opera?"
Both hands were brought up in a placating manner, "Oh no, no. Not of the sort. I am here to talk to you personally, good monsieur."
"Huh…" that was new, Ramoex thought to himself. Perhaps, a drink would be appropriate for a small relaxing talk, "Mika, I'll have an espresso, double shot, and some cookies on the side."
The Black Opera also gave his order, "I'll have the same thing, monsieur."
The bigger man jerk in surprise before complying with the orders, letting both warriors had their own talk.
"Say, before we begin, how did you do it anyway?"
"Oh? It wasn't an easy task." Ramoex could hear a bit of pride seeping out from those words, "The Snake, Pantalone, Pulcinella, and Sandrone put lots of their resources on this."
Hmm? "The Snake was into this?"
"Oh yes! She too is curious about the elusive First Ring, especially with how the high nobilities are quite twitchy when The Index is mentioned…even I too wondered about what really is happening up there and out there."
"Hmph… Go on."
"Ah yes, where was I? We first documented all of your known appearances before we begin scrutinizing them deeper. We only did that for years, believing in our wild chase of one glorious finding… and then you did that one misstep in setting up your alibi."
'Huh…?' That actually got him thinking. He knew he was a professional, hell he stayed incognito for Brothers' know how long. However, he did have one moment… two actually where his emotion got the better of him. Only one of them was relevant to the current topic, "The Anor Londo incident I presume?"
The Black Opera was all smiles while he snapped his fingers at him, "Bingo! Indeed, we found out The Index' involvement early on with how you and the then Captain Ermessia were deployed. You had to pull away in the middle when a complication in Atlas required your presence, but you sent your underling dressed as yourself to Atlas. We quickly realized it wasn't you since your underling conducted themselves differently than yourself. And then, from out of nowhere, a random knight with your exact fighting style came along and helped Captain Ermessia from the background. It was easy works after you revealed your face near the climax of the incident. Is that correct so far, Mister First Ring?"
A low whistle resounded from The First Ring. He had to admit, that was one hell of dedication just to reveal his identity. Bonus point for them for attempting the investigation without him knowing in the first place, "You are correct, Mister Black Opera… Little Ermessia would've lost her life if I wasn't around at that time… Fucking backstabbing Kaathe…"
It was at that moment where their espresso came, and it became a brief moment of respite for the two warriors to enjoy their drink.
Ramoex saw something at the corner his eyes and decided to take a look. It was The Black Opera offering his own cup. Raising an eyebrow, he took his own cup and clinked it with the other man's and downed the entire content with a single gulp.
"Alright, back on topic… what do you actually want to talk about?"
The Black Opera put down his cup and then nibbled on the small cookies provided, in which The First Ring followed suit. "We only want to know what is actually happening to our Vale."
"From all the topics out there, that is what you want to ask me?"
"We've asked everyone. We reached out to the Beasts and Colors outside but they barely know anything about what the nobilities are planning. We've reached out to Sir Ozpin and he gave us vague answers. We've reached out to many informants within and outside the city and they only know the restlessness of the nobilities and the Distortions. We considered reaching out to Sir Takahashi, but Sir Ozpin and the Councilor Guard had eyes around your HQ. That left you, one of the top power in the city." A heavy sigh escaped his lips before uttering his final question, "So… do you know anything?"
The First Ring hummed to that question, slowly nibbling on the remaining cookies. After the last crumb of cookies was eaten, only did he responded to the question, "Then, you are not loyal to the council anymore?"
A grimace appeared on his face, "Hmph! Loyalty is never a part of our conduct towards the Council. We were paid well, yes, but loyal we are not. Only the threat of the Councilor Guard kept us in check."
"Then, why act now?" He asked in return.
"Because we are desperate!" That came out in a whispered shout that earned a raised eyebrow from the First Ring. "Sir Ozpin is doing something, The Councilor Guard is hyperactive like never before, and the Council banned us from taking missions outside of the city." The blue eyes of the Black Opera stared directly at the pair of crimson belonging to the First Ring. Those were the eyes of the desperate, of a man calling for help, "Please… we just want to know what is going on within the city of our beloved forefathers…please."
It had been a taboo among warriors in the City to never beg for something. It could led to one-sided deal which then drained one side of the one making the deal. A deal with the devil scenario so to speak. But, The First Ring of The Index wasn't a man who made deals like that, especially to someone who actually had motivation to do something against the Council. 'Hmm, The Index could use more men like you.' Thus he made his decision, "What is your troupe currently doing?"
"Pardon?" Surprised laced his voice.
"Your troupe, what are they doing now?"
The Black Opera seemed to hesitate for a moment, opening his mouth then immediately closing it. A few seconds later he answered, albeit a bit hesitant, "Pedrolino, Dottore, Columbina, and Capitano are outside in case something went awry… Scaramuccia, Tartaglia, and Signora are hunting down the Distortion Buratino… Pulcinella, Sandrone, Pantalone, and Arlecchino are patrolling the walls… why do you need to ask that?"
'Good.' The First Ring stood up from his chair, prompting the Black Opera to do the same. Deep from within his pocket, several lien cards found themselves stacked on the wooden counter. "I pay for his coffee." And the First Ring promptly left the café followed shortly by the Black Opera.
"Listen here, Marco… If you truly wish to know the truth, then I warn you that you cannot walk away anymore. Do you agree with that?"
A resolute nod accompanied by a determined gaze was his answer.
"Good choice, my friend! You are now a part of something greater that encompassed the entire city, nay the entire Kingdom of Vale! A war is soon to come, a war for Vale and her people, welcome to the revolution my friend."
Thus Marco The Black Opera served under the banner of Ozpin the Owl.
Three days had passed since Johnathan and Ruby delivered their findings to Sir Damian Super Hikaru Takahashi. Just like Sir Ozpin had said, the Boss' reaction was quite similar to the Beast Hunter. After that they were told to be on standby until further notice, but when will that notice come they knew not.
Since they were told to be on standby that meant no mission for the both of them, just staying home while waiting for the notice to come. Of course, waiting around doing nothing led to quick boredom for the duo and that led them to thinker and maintain their own gears.
Johnathan was simple, for Crocea Mors—both the sword and the shield—was protected from blemishes by the will that lingers on within the blade. Ruby however, was trickier. Her collection of weapons was massive and it took time to care for all of them. A small suggestion from Johnathan later and the duo maintained the weapons of the silver-eyed woman together.
A small talk later and they proceeded into a friendly spar.
A one friendly spar later and it became competitive.
A competitive spar later and they finally sat down for a hot meal before enjoying a hot bath together.
Which in turn led them sleeping on the sofa again with lots of beer cans strewn around.
It was at the dawn of the fourth day where they found themselves sitting on the rooftop of a nearby apartment accompanied with coffees and instant noodles. It wasn't something that they planned beforehand—John suggested the idea of watching the sunrise when he woke up too early. As such they went out with hot water and instant meals on their hands dressed in something that first caught their eyes amongst the piles of clothing in Ruby's living room.
For John, it was a hoodie and jeans combo, while Ruby wore a fitting black dress covered with the red cloak she received from Sir Ozpin.
Ah, what a way to enjoy the beginning of a day.
"You know, my family used to do this every three months or so," Johnathan casually said after slurping his final strand of noodles.
That made Ruby pause in her slurping and quickly downed her own noodles, "The sungazing part or the impromptu breakfast part?"
John snorted, "The first part, but with something more. You see, there was this one cliffside back home where you can see the sunrise perfectly. We gathered there and dad would whipped out the grill and roasted some meat we hunted yesterday. Mom would get the juice out and we all toast as the sun rose to the sky." …. "Man, I miss my family."
Looking at John smiling to the sky like that hit something within Ruby's own heart. A memory began stirring, visage of a blond man smiling down at her under the sky full of stars, "I can relate to that."
Averting his gaze from the sky, Johnathan stared at his partner.
"I miss my family too… my sister Yang, dad, and mom. I might not remember much but the feelings still stay. I feel this warmth in my heart every time I recall it you know… this warm fuzzy sensation that spreads across my body that always makes me happy by the end." As she went on with her words, her eyes slowly made contact with John's, until they stared at each other souls, "Yeah, I miss my family."
A ray of warmth suddenly enveloped them, and they craned their heads to the source. They saw the great grey wall that always protected the city, and from beyond it the ball of warmth that radiated the world slowly greeted the sleeping city.
A warmth that was not from the sun circulated in their bodies, happily dancing as their own emotion peaked into something they rarely experienced themselves.
A simple happiness that manifested in a small smile.
"I wish we can enjoy this moment forever."
"Yeah, I can agree with that."
Moments like this were not meant to last forever. They were fleeting, and every single individual in the planet strive to chase and claimed them for themselves.
A sound distracted them from the glorious view and they turned around to see whatever behind them that made the sound. From the entrance of the rooftop, two individuals emerged. White cloak with the Index insignia enveloped them. One with hair that shone in silver while the other one with a head of metal. Senior Ermessia and Big Steel were there.
Ermessia, Official Third Ring of The Index, spoke, "Ruby, Johnathan, get your equipment. It's time."
A.N. When I structured a story I usually use the format used by recent Arknights events, where the story is viewed using many perspectives and explain things a little bit disjointed. I honestly like that approach since we as readers can be made aware of other moving parts of the story that the protagonists are not made privy to.
Welp, thanks a lot for you who still read and enjoy this story. Do leave a comment if you want to.
P.S. Arknights anime is average, but the last two episodes are bangers.