Auras and Alibis

Chapter 8

"Good afternoon."

Ren cracked both eyes open, a wide yawn escaping him as the blinds were pulled back and light flooded into the room. "Nora…? What time is it?"

"Time for you to get up," she said to him. "Your shift starts in an hour and a half. You've still got to shower, shave, get dressed, eat something, and get there. Don't want to be late on your first day, do you?"

Ren let out another yawn, then shook his head. "No, I don't. You're right about that."

He threw the covers off himself, then got up out of bed and stretched. He was only dressed in his underwear, but Nora didn't care – the two of them were long past having any sort of nudity taboo around each other.

Being best friends since childhood tended to remove any barriers or sense of personal space they may have had towards each other.

"How are the streets looking?" Ren asked as he stepped into the nearby attached bathroom, then stripped down and moved into the shower. He didn't even bother closing the door behind him, instead just shutting the sliding glass door and turning on the shower.

"Eh, same old, same old," Nora replied. From the position of her voice in the room, Ren could tell she was probably leaning against the door frame. "You gonna need a towel in there, by the way?"

Ren's eyes widened. "Shoot…" He looked around, trying to find one on the towel rack right next to the shower, but it was empty. A small, dejected sigh escaped from him. "Yeah, I will. Mind getting me one?"

"Not at all." He heard Nora peel herself off the wall, then begin to search through the bathroom. "You know, this wouldn't be quite as necessary if you actually got a haircut for once."

"I can't get rid of the long hair, Nora."

"Why not? It's not like it's integral to your costume or anything. If anything, it's a hazard in a fight, since someone could grab hold of it. I'd just like to point out that I do not have long hair, despite being the girl on our team. Want to know why? For the same reason I don't like capes."

"I can agree with you on at least that much," Ren conceded. "But come on, you love my hair."

She paused. "...Yeah, that's true – you do look good with it… in a purely platonic sense, of course."

"Of course," Ren hastily added.

"I mean, what other sense would there be between us?"

"There wouldn't be one."

"Yes, exactly. We're best friends for a reason."

"Indeed."

They were both silent for a few minutes before Nora cleared her throat. "I made you lunch, by the way… or would it be dinner, given how late it'd be? But then I guess that'd make what you're about to eat lunch… or would that be dinner, given that it's like 3:30 in the afternoon? I guess it could be a late lunch or early dinner… but then what would come after dinner? I'm so confused…"

"Nora," Ren said, interrupting her thoughts. "Thank you, I appreciate the thought. I'm sure that whatever you've made, it will be a fine breakfast-lunch-dinner-meal-thing."

"Yeah, I knew you would. It's leftover stromboli, by the way – hopefully they've got a microwave you can use at the hospital. Or maybe you can just throw it in an MRI machine or something."

"I don't think that's how MRI machines work, Nora." Ren reached for the shampoo, applying some of it to his scalp before setting the bottle back down. "I'm pretty sure all that'd do is give the stromboli an x-ray."

"That'd be kinda cool, you have to admit," Nora said. "I'd love to see what layers of cheese look like through an x-ray machine… and, for that matter, to see whether it actually would cook it or not."

Ren finished rinsing the shampoo from his hair, then turned the water off and opened the door to the shower, intending to reach for the towel rack. Instead, Nora was standing there, holding a towel out in front of her. Ren flushed red, but accepted the offered garment, wrapping it around his waist.

"Thanks," he commented, stepping out of the shower.

"You know, there's something that's been bothering me," Nora said as the two of them stepped back into the bedroom.

"Really?" Ren asked. "About what?"

"Jaune's fiance."

"Cinder? You think something's going on with her?"

"Well, it's just… she seemed a little evasive when we last spoke to her, don't you think?"

"She's always been a very private person, Nora," Ren said. "According to Jaune, there are things about her that she's never even told him. And you know how Jaune-sexual she is. If she's refusing to tell him something about herself, then I'm sure there's a reason for it. Probably some kind of bad memory she doesn't want to dredge up."

"That doesn't explain why she refused to answer basic questions about her job, though," Nora pointed out. "Seriously, you two work in the same industry, and yet you could probably talk more about what the job is like than she did the other night."

"Again, she's probably just a private person… though admittedly, I can't help but be a bit curious now, too," Ren confessed. He shook his head. "Still, that's not really any of our business."

"Yeah, you're right." Nora sighed. "I'm just a little concerned, you know? I don't think she has many friends, Ren."

"Neither do we, Nora."

"That's different – we're both Heroes. She isn't. From the outside looking in, it seems like all she has is Jaune. And that's kinda sad, at least to me."

"Well, why don't you do something about it while I'm at work?" Ren questioned. "Take the night off from patrolling and go do something together with her. I'm sure she'd appreciate the gesture."

Nora hesitated, but then nodded a moment later. "If you're sure…"

"Of course I'm sure." Ren flashed her a small grin. "Take care, Nora. I'll see you in a bit."

With that, he left, closing the door behind him and leaving an uncertain Nora behind. She stepped out of his room, emerging out into their shared living, then turned to stare at her scroll, lying on the nearby coffee table, and bit her lip out of hesitation.

Finally, after a few seconds of mulling it over, she reached for her scroll.

Cinder was in the middle of her calisthenics routine when her scroll began to buzz. Initially, she thought it was Jaune, but her hopes were dashed when she saw it was Nora texting her. Irritation flared up in her mind, but she was quick to bury it.

Nora was Jaune's friend, and as much as Cinder didn't trust her, she wasn't about to upset Jaune by being rude to one of his few friends.

With that in mind, she opened her scroll and read the message.

N: Hey, Cinder! I know we don't hang out much, but that's kinda why I'm texting you. I figured, why not reach out and see if she wanted to do something together, just the two of us?

Cinder's brow furrowed. This was unusual, to say the least – Nora and Ren had both texted her before, but it had always been in relation to Jaune somehow. She'd known the two of hem for almost as long as she'd been dating Jaune, and they'd never once made an attempt to directly reach out to her like this.

Still, as much as she wanted to refuse, Cinder knew she couldn't – Nora would surely mention that to Jaune, and then Jaune would be upset, and the very last thing she wanted to deal with was an upset Jaune.

And so, with her heart full of reluctance, Cinder typed out a message of her own.

C: That sounds lovely, Nora. What do you have in mind?

Cinder cringed as soon as she'd sent the message. 'Lovely?' Who talked like that, especially in relation to someone who was supposedly a friend of hers?

Cinder had never had a friend – the closest thing was, of course, Jaune – but she assumed that was the best approximation for what she and Nora had, even if it was all fake on her end.

Her scroll buzzed again, catching her attention. She opened it once more to read the message.

N: Great! I'll swing by in a bit. I figure we can go out and have some drinks, maybe? You know, as friends. I know a great bar, and it's ladies' night, so they'll have great deals going on.

Bars had never been Cinder's scene, and for that matter, she wasn't much one for alcohol aside from the occasional glass of wine. But if that was what Nora wanted, then who was she to refuse?

She sent Nora a quick confirmation, then set her scroll aside and let out a heavy sigh.

"This is going to be painful…"

"-So then I told him, that's not a refrigerator, that's Ren!"

Cinder grit her teeth as the two of them walked down the street. Nora had always been hyperactive, but it had also always been somewhat bearable to her, because she'd only ever seen Nora with Jaune or Ren around to attract her attention. But now that it was just the two of them, Cinder was being treated like a lightningrod for Nora's… Nora-ness, she supposed.

"Anyway, that was the first time we went fishing," Nora replied. "The second time we went fishing, it was a bit weirder. Let's just say, I can never go back to that hospital again-"

"Respectfully," Cinder interrupted, doing her best not to let her irritation show. "Can we please discuss something else? Something, I don't know, a bit more down-to-earth and normal?"

Nora shrugged. "Sure. Ooh, I have an idea – tell me about how Jauney's doing. I mean, I'm sure him and Ren are getting along great now that they're working together, but it's still good to confirm it, you know?"

Admittedly, he was doing a lot better, Cinder realized – Jaune had been a lot more easygoing and at-ease since Ren had started working at the hospital alongside him. She may not have liked Ren, but she respected that he was a positive influence on Jaune's mental health and well-being.

Of course, her taking a break from her villain role probably helped with that, too. She couldn't help but cringe when the thought crossed her mind – she was going to have to get out into the field again at some point, she knew – already, she could feel the tendrils of her compulsions closing in around her mind, and no amount of fucking or burning Grimm was going to stave it off forever. She needed to get out into the field, but she was going to have to be careful about how she did it. It was a quandary, to say the least.

Cinder shook those thoughts out of her mind, turning back to Nora. "He's been good," she reported. "Very good, in fact – better than usual, even. Getting to work with Ren has been a huge boon to his mental well-being. Not to say he was ever unhealthy in that aspect, but even I can see the improvement he's gone through."

Nora flashed her a grin. "That's great! You know, you two make a really cute couple. You're both really good together."

Cinder nodded, as that was something she already knew – that was why she'd picked him and stayed with him, after all. "Thank you, Nora."

"Yup. Ooh, we're here!"

Nora pointed ahead excitedly, pointing at a bar down the street. A large, well-lit sign overhead indicated that it was called The Black Cherry; it wasn't nearly as upscale as she'd expected it to be, but it wasn't completely run-down either. If she had to place it on a list somewhere, it would be below Junior's club, but above some of the other dive bars in which she'd done business before.

Nora suddenly took her hand and began to drag her towards the bar. Cinder offered no resistance as she was pulled along, and before long, the two of them were inside. Nora seemed especially excited, for some reason, as she was almost quivering with excitement.

"Finally!" she said. "I haven't been out drinking in ages! Ren and I were trying to cut back to save money, but now that he's got that new job, I can spend a little on myself for once." She turned towards Cinder. "Go ahead and get us a table, would you? I'm just gonna scope out the bar for a bit and see what looks good."

Cinder nodded, and then the two of them split up. She found a table off in the corner, and settled in, but she only had a few seconds to enjoy the peace and quiet before a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Yang, I think you've about had enough."

Immediately, Cinder perked up. There was no mistaking that voice for anyone else's – that was Scarlet Reaper. Suddenly interested, Cinder leaned back to get a better look. Sure enough, there were four girls seated at the table behind her, and they all looked very familiar.

All the girls had glasses of alcohol in front of them, but only one – the blonde – seemed to be drunk, if the way she was swaying softly from side to side and letting out the occasional hiccup were any indication.

"I'm fine, Ruby," the blonde insisted. "Seriously. Let me enjoy myself for once."

Ruby crossed her arms. "I'd be more willing to do that if you knew your own limits better than you claim to."

Yang exhaled sharply. "I think I know my own limits well enough, thanks." She suddenly became aware that Cinder was watching them, and turned towards her. "Something the matter?"

"Oh, no, nothing at all," Cinder said, doing her best to disguise her voice. She apparently failed miserably, because Ruby's eyes widened.

"Camouflage…?" Ruby asked. Cinder was about to deny it, but never got the chance before a grin split Ruby's face. "It is you!"

She rushed over to Cinder's table in a heartbeat, standing there and appraising her. "Wow, you're even prettier out of costume…"

Cinder's brow furrowed, and a vein pulsed in her forehead. "I am spoken for."

"Ooh, you are? That's so sweet!"

"It is," she said tersely. "Now, if you don't mind-"

"Hold on, hold on!" Ruby insisted. She looked around for a moment to make sure it was clear before leaning in. "Why don't we hang out a bit here? I mean, we're already becoming friendly in the business, so to speak, so why not do a little bit of unofficial hanging out? Couldn't hurt."

Cinder was about to refuse when movement from over Ruby's shoulder caught her attention.

"Got us a bottle to start," Nora said as she reached the table. She paused when she saw Ruby standing there. "Who's this, Cinder? Looks like you know her. Is she a co-worker?"

"In a manner of speaking," Ruby said to Nora. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ruby Rose."

Cinder couldn't help but grit her teeth. Now she couldn't pretend like she didn't know Ruby or her friends, and she was locked into whatever baseline story Ruby wanted. She could only hope that Ruby's explanations were either ironclad, or that they were vague enough that Nora wouldn't have any of her questions answered.

Nora nodded along. "Oh, so you two are friends."

"We are!"

"That's cool. I'm a little weirded out, though – Cinder's always been very private. I didn't think she had very many friends aside from her fiance, especially someone as outgoing as you are."

Ruby let out a surprised gasp, then turned towards Cinder. "You're getting married?!"

"I am," Cinder said, trying not to let her anger show. Her palms were burning already.

"That's so amazing! When is the wedding? What's the venue? Do you need anyone to help?"

"Slow down, sis," Yang said, coming up alongside Ruby. "I think… Cinder, was it? I think Cinder needs some time to let this all sink in."

"Oh, do you all not know each other that well?" Nora questioned.

"Eh, kinda. The four of us are pretty close, but Cinder's the new kid on the block, so to speak. We all just started hanging out pretty recently."

"Makes sense," Nora agreed. "Say, do you four want to share a table? This one looks big enough for all of us if we pull some chairs up."

"That'd be great!" Ruby exclaimed. "Here, I'll get some chairs, and then we can get some more drinks!"

"I thought you said your sister already had enough," the black-haired girl pointed out.

"That was before Cinder got here!"

The white-haired girl brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Ugh… she's like a human puppy, always so eager and excitable…" She shook her head, then looked to her teammate. "Blake, can you go help her get some chairs before she hurts herself?"

"Sure, Weiss," the black-haired girl replied with a nod.

As the two of them walked off to pull up some chairs, Cinder knew she was in for one hell of a night.

Against her expectations, things hadn't started out all that badly – they'd mostly made small talk while drinking, nothing too major. Nora was far more interested in Ruby and her friends than Cinder expected she'd be, but then again, Nora had always struck her as a bit of a people person, so perhaps her expectations had been off.

That was unusual for her, but perhaps it was the alcohol talking.

And speaking of alcohol, Cinder had been careful not to get too drunk. She was a bit tipsy after a few glasses of wine, but nothing a little sleep and some cold water couldn't fix.

"You know," Nora suddenly announced, her words coming out slow and slurred. She gave Cinder a lopsided look, smirking as she did so. "Jauney's a lucky man."

"Jauney?" Yang asked, her words coming out just as slurred as Nora's. "Is that what you call her fiance?"

"You know it. You should see them together – they're super cute. Soooo in love, it's not even funny…"

"Aw…" Ruby said. "That's so cute! I hope I have a relationship like that one day…"

"Don't worry, sis," Yang said, pulling Ruby over to her to ruffle her hair. Ruby thrashed in her grip, but was unable to break free. "You'll make some other lucky guy very happy one day. That is, unless Cinder was willing to share…?"

Cinder's eyes narrowed, and it took all her willpower to hold herself back from burning the entire bar down around her. Thankfully, it only lasted for a moment before Yang burst out laughing.

"Y-your face!" Yang said between gasps of air. "I can't!"

"Don't mind her, Cinder," Weiss offered. "She was just joking around, she didn't mean anything by it."

"Hmph. Very well," Cinder replied.

She was going to have to keep an eye on Yang Xiao Long, she decided; that girl seemed like she could be trouble. They all seemed like that, but Yang seemed especially so.

"So, I have to ask," Nora said, leaning in. "What do you four do for work?"

"Oh, we're all still in school," Ruby said nonchalantly. "Vale University, nothing major. We happened to room together our first year, and we didn't completely hate the arrangement, so after our first year was up, we figured we'd stick together."

"Makes sense. So none of you are working yet?"

"Odd jobs, here and there," Blake told her. "Nothing major or long-term; our studies and extracurriculars don't really allow for anything too official."

"Yeah, I get it. Personally, I've got a menial day job; nothing super exciting. Cinder's the one with all the excitement going on."

All eyes were suddenly on her, and Cinder had to bite her tongue to keep from cursing Nora out. Instead, she forced a smile. "Oh, I just work private security, nothing major."

"Nah, that's not true," Nora teased, wagging a finger. "You take on all kinds of cool clients, don't you?"

"You know I can't discuss my clients," Cinder countered. "That goes against company policy."

"I don't see any HR personnel here. Do you?"

"Be that as it may-"

"I know, I know, you still want to abide by company rules." Nora waved her off. "You're too much of a stickler for the rules, Cinder. You gotta take the rod out of your ass sometime, you know. Then again, maybe that'd disappoint Jaune?"

Cinder couldn't help but flush red. Nora flashed her a grin. "Ooh... dirty girl."

"Change the subject, please," Cinder insisted. "Mine and Jaune's bedroom proclivities are our own business."

"Yeah, I suppose that's enough teasing for one night." Nora stretched her arms out, a yawn escaping her. "What time is it?"

"About ten," Ruby offered.

"Shoot, that late? I've gotta get going." Nora stood up. "Nice meeting you all. Cinder, I'll see you around. Have a good night, everyone."

With that, Nora left, leaving Cinder alone with Ruby and her teammates. Ruby waited until Nora was just out of earshot before leaning in to speak quietly to Cinder.

"The four of us were gonna go out on patrol for a bit after this," she said. "You know, walk around town, maybe beat up some low-level bad guys. You in?"

Cinder hesitated. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, or perhaps it was just the fact that it'd been awhile since she'd seen some action and she really needed to cut loose. In either case, the response left her almost completely involuntarily.

"I'm in."

Hey hey people, Minaris here. Back at it again with another chapter for the ol' Auras and Alibis.

Anyway, hope you're all doing extremely well today. I am doing just fine, myself – no real complaints, at least. Mainly just trying to keep my nose to the grindstone and continue working on this stuff as best as I can.

Speaking of the stuff I'm working on, I think the next chapter for Seeing Red should be out relatively soon. Black Sun is probably going to take a bit longer, but that is still actively being worked on, too.

Speaking of Black Sun, someone left a comment on that asking for details about my 5.56 AK. I was going to wait to post something about that on that story instead, but in the off-chance that the same person is reading this story as well… I have two 5.56 Kalashnikovs at this point, one is a Zastava M90 and the other is a FB Radom Beryl. The M90 is a bit cheaper, but the Beryl is built to a higher standard, though the M90 is certainly no slouch. But between the two, the Beryl is my favorite. I'm not getting rid of either of these guns any time soon, though – I love them both.

I will say that the M90 is a different pattern of receiver (Yugo pattern) than standard AK rifles, so a lot of the parts for those will not work on the M90. Thankfully, most everything made for the Zastava M70 will work on the M90 as well, so the aftermarket isn't completely non-existent, it's just not as robust as the one for a standard-pattern AK.

If I was going to do it all again, I'd probably get a WBP Jack in 5.56 and drop it in a Sureshot Mk3 chassis or something. Maybe some day…

Anyway, that aside, that's pretty much everything I've got for this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!