Ruby heard the door to her new room slam shut.
"Y'know Summers," Annette said from the doorway, "when you said you had a place for us to stay I didn't think you meant a room on top of a nightclub."
"I know the guy who owns this place." Ruby said not looking up from her current project which was spread across the floor of the small hideout.
"That much I could figure out." Annette said, "it's the way everyone here pales and makes themselves scarce when you show up." Still Ruby didn't look up, "you have that effect on people, what are you working on anyways?"
"Really I hadn't noticed," Ruby said, "as for my little project, this," Ruby motioned to the various parts and pieces all over the floor, "is Penny"
"Your talking weapon?" Annette asked and sat down next to Ruby, "why'd you take her apart?"
"Penny is facing the same problem I had with Crescent Rose." Ruby said as she began putting parts back together, "the average civilian won't recognize her but I needed to make some modifications to make her unnoticeable to the people hunting us." Ruby said as she slipped a red colored blade into the same spot Penny's older blades had been.
"Okay, I think people might still recognise it when someone starts using twenty odd swords against them." Annette said. By now Ruby had mostly assembled the her old friend. Penny's base form was now that of a belt with drop pouches on either side.
"Going back to the nightclub thing." Annette began as Ruby finished and began getting dressed, "what are we going to do about sleeping? You know how these places are at night right?"
Ruby shrugged as she donned a black trench coat over her current outfit.
"Sleep during the day, the windows have blackout curtains for a reason." Ruby said.
"I don't think that's what those are for Summers" Annette said. Ruby's only response was another shrug.
"Penny time to wake up." Ruby said as she slipped in her earpiece.
"Online! Friend Ruby!" Penny said, "this feels a little different."
"I told you I was going to do a complete overhaul." Ruby said, "nothing feels bad does it?"
"Nope!" Penny said, "everything is A-Okay!" Ruby nodded and put the finishing touches on her new disguise. She then turned to the mirror and a single red eye scanned her disguise. Her outfit was not dissimilar to what the goons around juniors wore, by design. Black slacks and a white collard shirt were covered by a black trench coat, a black fedora with red accents sat on her head. Her hair dyed a darker shade of black covered her eye patch and a red handkerchief covered her lower face. After confirming everything was in place Ruby turned back to Annette.
"I've got a meeting to go to," Ruby said, "I won't be back till later." Annette simply nodded and watched Ruby go out the door.
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Ozpin sighed, it had been a long night. With Glynda taking the weekend off, taking care of any disturbances in the student dorms fell to Ozpin, a task he would much rather delegate. With a ding the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to his office. Instantly Ozpin knew something was off. He hadn't placed a barrier around his office, it was a tremendous waste of his already limited magical capacity, but still Ozpin could feel it, someone had been here. Or rather someone was still here.
"It's about time professor." A voice said from behind his chair as it turned around, sitting behind it was a small figure which, judging by the hair and other features, was a girl. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to meet with you." most of the girls facial features were hidden but Ozpin could clearly see the familiar pairing of red eyes and dark black hair.
"Really now and you are?" Ozpin said as he walked over to his coffee pot in the corner and poured himself a fresh mug, it was going to be a long night indeed.
"You can call me Vulture." the girl said. Bird names again, if she wasn't somehow related to the Branwens he would be surprised at this point.
"Well Miss Vulture may I ask what it is that you want?" Ozpin asked, his eyes narrowed, this is where he learned what kind of person this was.
"I want information." Vulture said. "Does the name Aurther Watts mean anything to you?" Ozpin tightened the grip on his cane, how did this person know that name?
"Ah, I see it does." the girl said, Ozpin was surprised he knew his expression had been schooled to reveal nothing which meant that this girl must have noticed the minute contraction of the muscles in his hand. That level of attention had terrifying ramifications in a fight.
"Nevermind, I didn't come here to talk about him but rather his partner," The girl propped her feet up on Ozpin's desk, "Cinder Fall."
"Yes, well I have neither heard or seen hide nor hair of her since she attacked my school." Ozpin said and pulled up another chair, one of the ones he used when he needed to see students in his office, they were not as comfortable as his chair.
"I would prefer if we do not lie to each other professor," Vulture said, "It is part of why I have not asked who you really are, as I would prefer you do not ask that question either, But I'm not stupid," Vulture sat up in her chair, "and neither are you, so my question is what is the cost of information on Cinder?"
"What are you wanting to know about her?" Ozpin said before taking another sip of his coffee.
"Everything you know." Vulture said, "what is the price?"
"If I were to tell you your soul would you take it?" Ozpin asked seemingly offhandedly.
"Yes." Was the reply, Ozpin looked closer at the girl, no the woman sitting before him. There was something vaguely familiar about her, probably her resemblance to Qrow, but in that red iris he saw something he recognized. He had seen that look before, the look of someone who had convinced themselves that they were nothing more than a weapon, the look of someone who considered themselves irredeemable but still useful. A remorseful killer. There were some things that couldn't be explained by modern science, some elements of Aura, and the human soul itself, that couldn't be faked. This woman carried the weight of many dead. Ozpin leaned back in the uncomfortable chair.
"The cost of that information is trust." Ozpin said, "If you wish to know the truth of this matter, I must trust you."
"What is truth?" the girl mumbled to herself, "what do you require of me." Ozpin thought for a moment. If he was going to use this girl like his other agents he needed to know to things, if she was skilled enough to face the horrors in the dark and if she could be trusted with those horrors.
"The leader of the local White Fang chapter is a man named Adam Taurus, he is in hiding with his subordinates somewhere here in the industrial section of Vale." Ozpin began, "He was heavily involved in the attack on my school."
"What do you want me to do?" Vulture asked.
"I want nothing, I am just a teacher after all." Ozpin said before finishing his coffee, "teachers do however give tests, this is yours."
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Ruby was still thinking about what Ozpin had said when she went to meet up with Juniors men and fulfill her 'rent' obligations. She wasn't entirely sure what he wanted her to do with that information. What would make him think favorably towards her? Should she turn Adam into the authorities? Get information from him? In all honesty she probably would've just killed him, but now this was a test. Then again maybe the test wasn't what happened to Adam but whether or not Ruby could find him, Ozpin hadn't given an exact location after all. Shaking the thoughts from her mind Ruby decided to focus on the task at hand. Secure her lodging by beating up two bit thugs and making sure they wouldn't challenge Junior again.
"Miss Red!" that was one of Juniors men up ahead. "You're here!" Ruby gave the man an 'are you serious?' look.
"What's Junior need done?" Ruby asked.
"He just needs you to back him up at this meeting," The goon answered, "it's probably going to turn into a fight." Ruby allowed a smirk to appear on her face. She had removed pulled down her mask beforehand, in Vale's underworld the only people who wore masks were the common street thugs, or the White Fang, those connected with bigger gangs or families had no reason to hide their faces.
"That's fine," Ruby said, "I could use a good fight." with that Ruby rounded the corner to where junior was standing with a few of his men.
"Red." Junior said in greeting.
"Junior." Ruby replied in kind.
"Thought you might be late." Junior said as he motioned for his goons to head back inside.
"I keep my agreements." Ruby said.
"Good." Junior replied, "here they come." Ruby looked and sure enough several figures stepped into the area. The one in front, who acted like the leader, wore a white dress shirt that was mostly unbuttoned, black slacks, a gold chain and sunglasses, at night. Ruby had to school her face to keep from shaking her head. The others wore different clothing but most had some form of matching tattoo, except for one. A kid who couldn't have been older than thirteen or fourteen stood next to the boss of the group. He wore light grey slacks and vest with a blue collared shirt. His blonde hair was long and done in a ponytail, if Ruby wasn't more observant she might have thought the kid to be a girl. Ruby immediately picked up on a few clues, the fact that the kid was there in the first place, the way he walked next to the boss while the rest of the goons held back, and the confidence he exhibited. The kid was an Aura user, not a veteran by a longshot, but he was still the biggest threat in this group of thugs.
"You got our money Junior?" The boss of the group asked.
"I've got money, yes, what do I get for it." Junior said.
"Didn't we say in our letter?" the boss laughed, "you get our protection."
"Ah I see, well I have no need of your protection, so thanks but no thanks." Junior said.
"Junior the underworlds gettin' more and more dangerous," The guy said, "your guys used to cut it but without an Aura user, you're just plum out of luck." the goons behind him laughed, "I'm a nice guy so I'll let you reconsider, we wouldn't want anything to happen here now would we?"
"I don't need to reconsider it, now get lost." Junior said.
"Shame." the guy said, "Ashe if you would please." Ruby felt a spike of killing intent as the young Aura user disappeared in a puff of smoke. Ruby used her semblance and saw him reappear behind Junior, a knife was headed right for Juniors throat. Ruby quickly and calmly grabbed the knife with two of her fingers before allowing the world to return to normal. Junior was shocked, the kid was shocked, the goons and their boss were shocked. Nobody but Ruby could have a clear picture of what just happened. Ruby used the knife as leverage to pull the lightweight teenager over Junior and herself to land in front of her, so that she was between Junior and him. The kid landed in a crouch, with his knife in a backhand style, good for stabbing not for slicing, which was exactly what this kid had been trying to do. The kid lunged again, but at Ruby this time, she grabbed the knife, twisted, and delivered a palm strike to the kids chest, simultaneously ripping the knife away from him and sending him back towards the other goons.
"I'd like you all to meet my new hire." Junior said, "this is Red, she's a huntress." the other goons eyes seemed to bulge.
"What?!" the boss shouted, "how the heck could you afford a huntress?!"
"Red's an...old friend." Junior said, "and information is a very lucrative business."
"Listen miss Red, This guy can't pay you like I…" the boss stopped talking when he heard something dig into the cement at his feet. He looked down to see the knife Ruby had taken from the kid embedded in the ground between his feet.
"I believe I told you to get lost." Junior said. The boss and his goons soon scrambled out of the area, the kid took a little longer looking at Ruby dazed and a little awed, before he too took off.
"If that's all Junior…" Ruby said.
"Yeah thanks for your help Red," Junior replied, "glad to be on the receiving end for once."
Ruby nodded and walked inside. The night was already in full swing, music pulsing and the drinks flowing, Ruby took no mind of it as she turned her thoughts back to her conversation with Ozpin. She knew from her time with team RWBY that the White Fang held regular recruitment meetings. The last time they needed info on the White Fang, Blake had gone with Sun into the recruitment. She could try to get in but without any extra appendages it might be difficult. Ruby entered her room and began taking off her disguise. The question she was asking her self was where could she find a Faunus to help her…
"Hey Summers how'd it go?" Annette asked from behind. Ruby whirled to look at her pilot in her green eyes, then her eyes drifted a little higher to the silver cat ears sitting atop her head. "Summers?"
"Hey Annette, you ever wanted to go undercover?"
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A/N Alrighty another chapter done, Adam should be shivering right about now. Also Annette is about to get in over her head. I'm a little disappointed nobody decided to comment on my deserts of Atropia reference, but oh well. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, It was a pain to write as I've had to do it while battling allergies from something in the air of the most recent place the Army has had me working. That aside, enjoy leave a review, and I'll talk to you guys again when I get the next chapter done.