White Knight Errant
A RWBY fanfic by Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: This is a fan based work of prose. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and WB Animation. Please support the official release.
Well it had been a week and so far, Cinder's little infiltration seemed to be going well. At least according to Neo. Their fraudulent papers had held up, which Roman had not been counting on. Sure, he was a pretty damn good forger himself, but getting the headmaster of Haven to really sign off on their papers?
That was impressive. In a terrible sort of way.
Clearly, someone had put some actual thought into this entire scheme. Whatever the hell it was. He somehow doubted it was Cinder herself: Sure, she was brutal and had some cunning (and power to back it up), and she could be reasonable at times, but she was too quick to fry people who disagreed with her to be the real brains of the operation.
The fact she looked like a pornstar in her school uniform may have also been a red flag. But hell, he remembered how things were when he was at Beacon. You couldn't go five steps without running into a supermodel looking woman! Or a pornstar looking woman! Or both!
Ah, those were the days. Well, back to work.
He was secure in one of his favorite safe houses, relaxing in a bathrobe and looking over the reports from his men. Hey, even a criminal empire ran on paperwork. He sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Godsdamnit this woman is gonna ruin me," he muttered, "I'm up to my eyeballs in fucking debt! What the hell am I gonna do…?"
The door alert went off. He checked the video feed from his security cameras, and sighed heavily. He groaned again.
"Really? Fucking again?" Roman hung his head low, holding it between his hands.
"Uggh…" He was expecting these guests, at least, but dammit, he really needed some 'me time'.
Then again, since most of his 'me time' lately involved ruminating over how fucked he was, he supposed he may as well get back to work.
"Should've just stuck to boosting cars," he muttered, getting up and rummaging around in his closet to get dressed, "Should've just stuck to boosting jewels, and romancing lonely trophy wives, but nooooo… Got too damn greedy, didn't you Roman? You just had to think being handsome, badass and clever meant you should go right to the top!"
Properly attired (and with his make up on-He had standards, thank you very much!), he turned to the door where his unwanted guests had been patiently waiting.
He snapped his fingers and the door swung open. He sat back in his chair, looking relaxed as an exceptionally attractive young woman with dark skin, shimmering white hair, and a purple suit strode in with a warm, grateful smile. Behind her, following like a shadow, was a tall, thin man in a dapper blue suit and fedora, his face covered by a gas mask as he walked with a canesword.
"Thank you for having us, Mister Torchwick," the young lady gushed, dimples appearing in her cheeks as she smiled, "I'm a huge fan! That mid-air Queen of Aurora heist was amazing!"
Roman allowed himself a charming smile. Well! At least this associate of Cinder's could do flattery.
"Thanks! Took some doing, but hey: Nobody had robbed a casino airship that was also hauling a billion lien worth of Dust at the same time. Somebody had to put that in the record books," he said, modestly buffing his nails against his chest. "You are?"
"Iridescent," she said cheerfully, "This is my associate, Mister Slick. We recently took control of the Sanusian Deathmatch Fighting League."
"Yes, I've seen your work,' Roman observed. "Never quite my scene."
"Oh?" Iridescent asked, tilting her head almost cutely. Roman nodded, and waved a hand.
"Don't get me wrong, I see the monetary appeal of making schlubs fight in gladiatorial death matches against Grimm and each other, but it's a little too infrastructure heavy for my tastes. Plus, human trafficking was never really my thing. No offense."
"None taken," Iridescent said cheerfully, "I was born to it. My parents were slave fighters."
Roman nodded slowly.
"That right?"
"Yup!" She said, still far too light in tone, "My dad used to be a landed noble, but he lost it all gambling and had to make a living somehow. Met my mom, they got together, and had me! Apparently, they were fighting for my freedom when they died."
"Uh… Yeah," Roman managed, "Sorry about that?"
Iridescent shrugged. Slick remained motionless, and expressionless, as he had from the beginning.
"I was raised to be a lure, a gofur-Anything they wanted me to do, really," she said, "I was plotting to get my revenge, take over. It was a very long, involved plan. Was going to take years."
Her smile changed tone, and became utterly dreamy. She held her fists between her large breasts.
"Then… Then, I met him," she sighed, "And everything changed!"
"Him? Him who?" Roman asked, arching an eyebrow.
"He was just supposed to be another mark," Iridescent explained, "He was wandering just outside of Radian, a young, Hunter-in-Training. A real white knight. I pretended to be attacked by bandits, and he beat them all! I asked him to please free my village from the headman… And he accepted! He wandered right into our clutches, and we put him to work fighting in the pits!"
"Uh huh," Roman said, nodding slowly.
"He fought so heroically!" Iridescent went on, "Never giving up! Oh, it set my heart ablaze to watch him fight! He reminded me of my father, that grim determination, the hatred in his eyes."
"Uh huh," Roman added, again nodding. It was best to just let crazy dames stay lost in their reminiscing. Much safer that way. It was one of many reasons he was grateful Neo was mute.
"Then…" Here Iridescent's grin grew, her teeth shining, "Then, one wonderful night… He used an Aura Blade, and killed the Boss and all of his lieutenants! All in a single blast! In one fell swoop, he had liberated me in the most violent, destructive way possible!" She sighed happily.
"I offered myself to him, but he ran out into the night! I'd thought he'd been lost to me forever… But then… I found him."
Mister Slick held up a Scroll. Some of the media footage of the dock incident played. The vid froze on an image of a familiar blond in armor. Roman's heart sank into the pit of his stomach.
Oh no…
"Yes," Iridescent giggled like a schoolgirl. She tucked her hands behind her back and smiled shyly at him. "I was wondering… Would you help me get his attention, Mister Torchwick? I would be ever so grateful."
"I don't think Cinder would be happy," Roman managed. Yeah he was appealing to their mutual boss, but for good reason.
Iridescent snorted.
"As long as the Deathmatch League is giving her fighters and money, why should she care?" Her eyes blazed.
"Besides," she went on, an unhealthy light in her blue eyes as she grinned hungrily, "I'm not about to let those whores get their hands on my Jaune."
Roman mentally sighed.
Seriously Kid? Another one?
Well… Hopefully the Kid had gotten some rest during the break. He was going to need it.
And maybe Cinder's non-existent standards for hiring would play to his advantage this time.
"What did you have in mind?" Roman asked, bracing himself.
Yang checked over her makeup in the RWBY dorm mirror. Like she had the last five times. It wasn't likely to have changed much in the last ten minutes, but you never knew.
She looked over her outfit: A black and yellow striped tank top held up with two black strips tied around the back of her neck, with her muscular stomach fully displayed. Over this was a short black jacket. Her wide hips were held in a tight black skirt, with yellow stripes over her thighs. All of this set off with black, calf-length boots. All in all, she thought she looked as hot as she could manage.
It was an outfit she'd put together over the semester, especially for this date. She was very good at that.
"Don't be so nervous," Blake commented from her bunk.
"I'm not nervous!" Yang insisted. She grinned.
"I'm charged up for this! Yeah! Full of anticipation!"
Ruby pouted from a desk, Crescent Rose half-assembled in front of her.
"Yang," she whined, "Don't lie, okay?"
Yang blew out a breath.
"Fine, I'm a little nervous," she said. She walked over to Ruby and smiled. "But I bet I won't be half as nervous as you will be."
"HA!" Ruby cried with a cocky grin, "I-I'll be totally calm for my date! Yeah! No nerves here!"
"Sure, Rubes, sure," Yang chuckled, ruffling her little sister's hair affectionately. Ruby scowled, and brushed her hands away.
"Ugh, stop that! I can't wait until I'm tall enough for people to not do that," Ruby grumbled.
Yang glanced over at Weiss, who was texting furiously on her Scroll. She raised an eyebrow.
"You got anything to say, Weiss-cream?" She asked.
Weiss glanced up, and shrugged.
"No, nothing," she said, "Just hope you're not too disappointed in Arc."
Yang snorted.
"I don't think I will be," she stated. "What's with the cold, anyway? Thought you made up with Jaune?"
"I'm fine with Arc, mostly," Weiss sniffed, "But he's such a shameless playboy! Carrying on with three women!"
"We're each just going on a date with him," Yang pointed out, "We're all aware of it." She squeezed Ruby's shoulder comfortingly. "And you're pretty forgiving of Neptune flirting with anything hot and female."
Weiss flushed.
"I-I'm not! He's just… You know, he appreciates beauty," she muttered, "And his eyes are only for me!" She brushed back her hair with a scowl. "He's only going out with me! He's just talking! And looking! I-I can forgive that! He did protect me in battle!"
"So did Jaune," Blake quipped. Weiss blushed heavily.
"He protected all of us," Weiss growled, "That doesn't mean I'm just going to-to accept being second or third place in his heart!"
"Neither are we," Yang said with a smirk, patting Ruby's shoulder again, "But it's fine to just go out and have some fun."
"Then why are you so nervous?" Weiss shot back. Yang hummed, and shrugged.
"I guess you're right. Thanks Weiss!" Yang said cheerfully. "I'm going to go enjoy my date with Jaune! With or without your approval!"
"You're so motivational, Weiss," Blake observed, turning the page on her book. Ruby snickered, even as Weiss huffed.
"Ugh! Whatever! I'll just be looking forward to a proper date with a proper man, thank you very much!"
There was a knock at the door. Yang walked over to it, and opened it up with a bright smile.
"Hey Jaune~," she said cheerfully. Her smile grew a bit as she looked him over: He had taken the blue slacks from the suit, with a partially buttoned up white button-up undershirt, and combined them with a brown leather jacket. He'd arranged his messy hair into a still messy 'do, but there was a method to the chaos that made it look more tasteful.
He smiled warmly, and presented a single flower to her-A rose.
"Hey Yang," he said. "You look amazing."
"Thanks," Yang said, taking the flower and turning it around in her hands, "Nice jacket. Where'd you get it?"
"I uh, I asked Schwartz if he had anything I could borrow," Jaune said, "He said I looked good in this."
"He was right," Yang replied. She set the rose down in a glass full of water, and took his arm. "Don't wait up, girls~!"
"Hey Jaune have a good time-!" Ruby said quickly, waving, before Yang shut the door. She pouted a bit. Blake then rose from her bed, and pulled on her own jacket. Ruby blinked.
"What are you doing?" Ruby asked.
"Well, we're going to follow them, aren't we?" Blake asked. Ruby blushed.
"I-I mean… Um… Sh-Should we?" She asked.
"You don't want to?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. Ruby flushed.
"I-I mean, yeah, I do, but isn't that… Weird? Wouldn't we look crazy?"
"What's this 'we' stuff?" Weiss groused. "Are you kidding? Nobody would go and spy on their date!"
There was another knock at the door. Blake opened it, and Pyrrha stepped in. She was dressed in a hoodie and wearing sunglasses.
"R-Ruby," Pyrrha said, nervously, "Um, I realize it would be a bit unfair if I went spying on Jaune and Yang's date alone, so… Would you like to join me?"
A beat. Nora stuck her head into the room too, wearing a fake mustache and a broad grin.
"Come on! It's not stalking if we're all going!" Nora said cheerfully.
Ruby looked over at Weiss triumphantly. The platinum blonde reached out, grabbed a pillow, pressed it against her face, and screamed into it for a good ten seconds. She then dropped the pillow, sighed, and grabbed her own jacket.
"Fine. If we must," she grumbled.
Outwardly, Jaune was able to keep his reactions fairly calm. In between getting knocked around by him, Gato's training had also included some mental excercises to stay focused. And of course, learning how to channel his Aura for medical purposes and Golden Lion's Roar had required some training in managing your emotions.
So on the outside, he looked composed as he walked with Yang out to the Bullhead docks, her arms around his, the scent of her perfume in his nostrils and her curvy, warm body pressing against his.
On the inside…
HOLY SHIT GODS ABOVE SHE'S HOT HOW IS SHE THIS HOT I DIDN'T THINK SHE COULD GET HOTTER HOLY SHIT…!
They sat down together on a bench as the engines started up. They didn't really talk much during the flight, just general stuff. Jaune double checked his nausea pills, and took five. That kept him focused, mostly. He wasn't puking his guts out, though the entire trip was still pretty miserable.
However, for all of Jaune's calm and preparation, it really was hitting him right now:
This is a date. This is a date. Holy shit this is a date. I'm really doing this.
I know her. I know her. She's not Iridescent. We're friends. I can trust her-
She shifted a little, and her chest pressed against his arm. Even through his nausea, heat blasted through his mind and body.
HOLY SHIT SHE JUST-!
"We're here!" Yang said brightly, as the Bullhead came to a stop. She helped Jaune up-Even with all the anti-nausea pills, he was still unsteady. "Geez, sure you're all right?"
"Y-Yeah, I took some meds," Jaune managed. He set foot on the ground, and took deep, calming breaths. Yang giggled.
"Sorry, sorry, it's just funny how you still get air sick!"
"Yeah, it's a barrel of laughs," Jaune muttered.
"Or a few buckets and trash cans of laughs," Yang laughed.
"Hmph," Jaune grunted.
She kissed his cheek.
"Don't sulk."
"I-I'm not," he managed, the green in his cheeks being replaced with red. She took the lead, pulling him along to the parking lot outside the airship port. She pulled out a small yellow remote from her purse, and clicked it. Something between two SUVs chirped in response, and she eagerly walked towards it with Jaune in tow.
They came across a heavily customized, bright yellow and black motorcycle. Sleek, powerful, and mean. Jaune sucked in a breath.
"Woah… A Wayland Motors 6113?!"
Yang grinned broadly as Jaune separated from her, looking the bike all over like a kid on his birthday.
"I call her Bumblebee! You're familiar?"
"Are you kidding? These are classics!" Jaune said enthusiastically, "My dad had one! Saphron inherited it when he got a Remus 205!"
Now it was Yang's turn to gasp.
"Your dad had a Remus 205?! Was it full milspec?!"
"It was!" Jaune grinned, "Armor, run flat tires, Dust booster, the works! It was so cool! It uh…" He trailed off, his smile becoming a bit sad, "It vanished when he died. Never found it."
Yang smiled apologetically, but Jaune held up a hand.
"No… It's okay," he said, "We're here to have fun. And we're already off to a great start."
"Perfect!" Yang said cheerfully. She tapped the side of the vehicle, and two helmets slid out of a hidden compartment. One was yellow and black, matching the motorcycle. The other was pink with cookies all over it. Yang smile's remained apologetic, but there was some mischief in her eyes.
"We seriously have to wear these?" Jaune asked, taking the pink helmet. Yang shrugged.
"We did tell Goodwitch we'd obey the law in Vale," she said, "And I didn't think to get you your own helmet. You'll have to use Ruby's."
Jaune sighed, as Yang carefully tucked her hair into a hairnet, and then donned her helmet. She threw her leg over Bumblebee's seat, and sat down. She activated it, the rev reverberating through the air.
"Besides," Yang said with a wink through her visor, "If you suffer through the helmet, you get to ride with me."
Jaune had the girly pink helmet on and was sliding in behind Yang in moments. He coughed, and pulled back a little.
"Ah, er, sorry-"
Yang giggled again.
"You regularly sleep with a girl in your bed, Stud," she pointed out. "Or it is just because it's me you're suddenly shy?"
Jaune took a deep breath.
"I refuse to answer on grounds of self incrimination," he stated. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist. She revved up, and slowly backed out. Then, she gunned it, and Bumblebee tore out of the parking lot like Yang had lit a rocket.
"W-WOAAHHHHH!" Jaune wailed, clutching Yang tightly as she darted into traffic. Numerous angry horns filled the air as she raced around and between the cars. "H-HEY! I WANNA SURVIVE OUR DATE, DAMNIT!"
"JUST ENJOY THE RIDE, HANDSOME~!" Yang shouted back with a laugh, "YOU'VE ALREADY GOT A GRIP, EH?"
Jaune flushed harder, but held onto her curvy, muscular and yet soft form as she tore through the Valean traffic. Her bottom posed the biggest challenge.
Okay… Okay… Focus, Jaune thought, Focus… Remember Gato's teachings…!
His mental Gato nodded, looking mysterious, wise, and composed.
Yes Juan, he spoke, Focus on the flow of your energy. Focus on channeling that energy, like a river.
Right, focus on the river of energy, Jaune thought.
Focus on channeling that river, Mental Gato went on, Harnessing its explosive power and energy!
Right, harness…
Focus on channeling all of that energy, Mental Gato continued, Into a long, hard sword, throbbing with energy you struggle to contain-
THAT'S NOT HELPING!
Mental Gato just laughed, as Jaune sighed and did his best to hold on as Yang shot through a busy intersection. No, it wasn't helping, but damnit… A smile still came to his face.
They made it to a club in Middle Vale, a few blocks away from the Old Vale Walls. Yang grinned as she drove Bumblebee to a parking spot on the street. She pulled off her helmet and hairnet, letting her golden locks fall to her back. She shook it out, her golden mane practically glowing in the neon lights illuminating the street.
"Here we are!" Yang said brightly. Jaune looked up at the club's neon sign, and raised an eyebrow.
"'Junior's'?"
"You're familiar?" Yang asked, leaning back quite intentionally. Jaune twitched, but tried as hard as he could to keep his calm.
"I mean, my uncle Alex talked about it from time to time," he said, "Lots of bar fights."
Yang pouted.
"So I'm not the first, huh? Still… Good to know we'll fit right in."
Jaune raised an eyebrow.
She smirked at him.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of a little bar brawl?"
"No, but I am afraid of Professor Goodwitch," he stated. "And so should you."
Yang groaned softly. She slid off the bike, huffing a bit as she crossed her arms under her chest.
"Fine," she grumbled, "I'll behave, Daddy."
"Good," Jaune said, smirking through his blush as he extended his arm for her to take, "Gotta be a good example for Ruby, Mama."
Yang blushed deeply. She smiled, and took his arm in both of hers.
"You know, you just might end up having some fun tonight," she grinned.
"One can always hope," Jaune said, as he led to the club doors.
The rest of teams RWBY and JNPR had followed at what Ren had assured them was a safe distance. They'd grabbed the Bullhead right after them, and had given chase via the public bus system.
They soon reached Mid-Vale, and a rather loud nightclub in a rougher part of town. Ruby hopped off the bus, nearly vibrating with nervous energy. Pyrrha was right behind her, just as nervous. Nora followed, stroking her fake mustache in a way she thought made her look innocent, while Ren, Blake, and Weiss followed with varying levels of apathy or disbelief.
"How did you track them?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't put a tracking device on Arc, did you?"
"What? No, noooo!" Ruby said, laughing nervously. Pyrrha laughed just as nervously, while Nora joined in because laughing was fun.
"Of-of course not!" Pyrrha insisted. "I uh… I can just track him with my Semblance!"
"That's not weird at all!" Ruby insisted.
Weiss sighed, and held a hand to her forehead.
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Arc, but that is a little weird, Pyrrha," she said gently.
Ruby beamed, holding up her Scroll.
"Then, good news! I just tracked them thanks to the app we all got to track people through their Scrolls! That… That's far less creepy, right?"
"Oh yes, it's absolutely less creepy!" Pyrrha said with an eager nod. Weiss gaped.
"No it isn't!" She protested.
"It isn't?" Pyrrha asked. She gaped. "OH NO!" She held her cheeks. "Oh no, oh no, nonono! I-I promised I wouldn't be crazy!"
"You're not being crazy!" Ruby insisted.
"You're both being crazy!" Weiss groaned.
"It totally isn't crazy! It's all out of love!" Nora said cheerfully.
"YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" Weiss cried in exasperation.
Ren shook his head, as calm as ever.
"Why are we disturbing them at all?" Ren asked. "I'm sure things will go just fine. We don't need to barge in on their private time."
Pyrrha winced.
"I… I mean… I suppose we shouldn't," she murmured, "I just really want to… To see, but…!"
Blake nodded, finally stepping forward despite being silent the whole trip out into Vale.
"Absolutely. This is all just out of love, and to make sure the date goes well," she said. "After all, each of you is getting a fair shot with Jaune. It would be deeply unfair if Yang… Well…"
"Well? Well what?" Ruby asked, eyes widening. Blake raised her eyebrows. The slightest hint of a smirk was on her face.
"If she decided to go all the way."
Ruby and Pyrrha both turned bright red. Weiss gaped, her own pale cheeks darkening. Nora grinned. Ren shook his head.
"I doubt Jaune would let it get that far-"
"NO! Yang would never do that!" Ruby cried. "Sh-She promised it would be fair-! She's my sister-!"
"She wouldn't do that!" Pyrrha insisted. "N-Not with Jaune's trust issues! Sh-She would never do that!"
"Are you so certain?" Blake asked softly. "It might be best to make sure. Discreetly, of course."
"Discreetly? Them?!" Weiss cried.
"But," Nora pointed out, "Jaune-Jaune is really, really hot!" She grinned and patted Ren on the shoulder. "Not that I would ever stray, Renny!"
"I know," Ren deadpanned, "I think you're being paranoid. Jaune and Yang won't do anything like that-"
"BUT WE SHOULD TOTALLY MAKE SURE THEY DON'T!" Ruby shouted, charging in with Pyrrha. They barged in through the front doors, the bouncers taking one look at them and parting. They were clearly familiar with Huntresses and wanted no part of them.
Nora grinned and dragged Ren with her. "COME ON!"
Ren, looking a bit exasperated, followed her along.
Weiss shot a glare at Blake.
"Why do you provoke them like that?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Blake said, almost innocently. "Besides, don't you want to make sure Jaune doesn't take advantage of your teammates?"
"He wouldn't dare…!" Weiss growled, and stormed on in. Blake felt a deep feline sense of satisfaction.
It is nice to have friends. Friends who can be so ridiculous and yet…
Her Scroll vibrated. She checked the caller ID before she unfurled the device and answered the call.
"Hello Perrito? What is it?"
There was silence on the other end for a moment. Then, Perrito spoke. His voice was soft, shaky, and filled with sorrow.
"Hello Blake… I just… I needed to call you about someone… It's Tukson."
He sniffled. Blake's chest tightened in dread, and she heard her heart pound in her ears.
"Perrito? What… What happened?"
Perrito sucked in a deep breath before he answered.
"I'm sorry… He's dead."
Her grip tightened on her Scroll.
"Where are you?" She demanded.
"The Cafe, but-"
Blake immediately took to the rooftops, running towards the Old City. It wasn't too far from here.
"I'll be right there!"
The club was packed. People danced on the wide, open main floor, sat and talked around stylish tables, and threw back drinks at the bar. Yang led Jaune towards the bar itself, and they both sat down on stools right up there. The place had a lot of open space, making the music and lights loud and bright, but not oppressively so. Jaune was honestly glad: He hated tight spaces, after everything he had been through.
The bartender, a tall, older man with black hair and beard, walked up cautiously. He narrowed his eyes at Yang, as he cleaned out a glass with a small towel. Jaune immediately felt a terrible tension falling upon them, and many eyes focusing on the pair.
Shit, shit, shit, who did I piss off? Jaune racked his brains, Did I piss off a guy who works for this guy?! I don't think so, but-HOW WOULD I KNOW?!"
"Hey, Goldielocks," the bartender stated to Yang, "Didn't we have a chat about the last time you showed up here?"
"Aw, come on Junior, I thought we had an understanding?" Yang replied, batting her eyes. Jaune looked over at Yang with a raised eyebrow. He was now filled with a sense of relief and dread.
"What did you do?" He asked slowly.
Yang scoffed.
"Why do you assume it was my fault?"
"Because it was," Junior stated gravely, glaring hard even as he kept cleaning the glass.
Yang tried to look innocent, but failed miserably. She grinned.
"I mean… It kind of was?" Yang shrugged, "But he wouldn't give me information."
"I didn't have information," Junior stated flatly.
"Well I didn't know that!" Yang insisted.
"And so you wrecked up my club?" Junior demanded.
Jaune's eyes flicked back and forth between his date and the irate bartender.
"You have fights every other weekend!" Yang asked, waving a hand, "Mine wasn't that destructive!"
"Tell that to my insurance company!" Junior growled. Yang grinned, her eyes flashing red.
"Maybe I'll add to the damages."
Jaune held in a laugh, though he really shouldn't be feeling this way. He could sense people closing in around them from behind. He reached out and took Yang's hand. She looked over at him as he shook his head.
"Relax, sir," Jaune said, "We're here on a date. Just out for good old fashioned fun. No wrecking up the bar, promise."
Junior glared at him, looking him over.
"You… Alex's nephew?" Junior asked.
Jaune had to hold back his heart from leaping out of his chest. How many freaking people know about that?! Why would you tell him that, Roman?!
Outwardly, he managed a nod. Junior sighed, and gave the scowling Yang the gimlet eye.
"You and your boyfriend behave yourselves," he ordered.
Yang rolled her eyes and huffed.
"Yeah yeah…"
Junior headed off, and the sudden sense of pressure eased off. They still had eyes on them, but the attention was more cautious or curious than aggressive. Jaune let himself relax a little. Yang still stared intently at him. He coughed.
"What?"
"Your Uncle Alex seems to have some pull," she observed, with an odd smile and glint in her eyes Jaune couldn't decipher. Which was strange, given Yang usually wore her emotions on her sleeve. It's what he liked about her.
"Well, uh," Jaune shrugged, "Being a mob boss and an accountant are two different skill sets. Uncle Alex is… More flexible in his ethics when it comes to running numbers. I guess he gets around, since a gangster is a decilien a dozen, but a good accountant is priceless?"
Yang still kept staring at him, but slowly nodded. She leaned in.
"You know, you're easy to read when you lie," she murmured.
Jaune let out a breath. He glanced away.
"Sorry," he murmured, "Not… Not my secret to tell."
Yang shook her head, frowning softly.
"I guess I understand that," she said quietly. She then grinned.
"Hey, buck up! We're here to have fun, right?" She slammed her fist on the table. "Two Strawberry Sunrises!"
Jaune snickered, as Yang shot him a look.
"Something funny?"
"Nothing," Jaune grinned, "Just… The girliest cocktail ever made? Seriously?"
"I like strawberries," Yang pouted, as another bartender set down the crimson drinks. "What, you drink moonshine or something?"
Jaune chuckled as he threw back the cocktail without so much as a flinch. He then smirked at her surprised expression.
"Northern Sanus, we start drinking alcohol with our primary school meals," he said. Yang smirked back.
"Please, I was sneaking drinks when I was eight. You have met Uncle Qrow, right?"
"Sneaking? Impressive," Jaune replied, "To someone who didn't have mugs of wine for breakfast, lunch and dinner." He paused. "Well, until Mom made us stop. When I was twelve."
Yang tilted her head, her smirk sharp as a knife.
"Oh? You're saying you can handle your liquor better than I can? Sounds like you're trying to take advantage of me, Stud."
Jaune chuckled.
"Or you might just be a lightweight who wants the excuse," Jaune shot back, "Wild girl like you, luring in an innocent like me."
"Oh? How innocent are you, really?" Yang asked.
That… Was a splash of cold water to Jaune. Enough for his brain to assess the tactical situation.
She likes it when I fight back, he thought, Oh shit we're flirting… Friend date! Friend date! Friend-!
"Yo!" Yang called to the bartender, "Orochimaru Whiskey! Leave the bottle!" She smirked back at Jaune in a clear challenge. "Unless all that talk is talk?"
Well… Shit… Now what? Jaune thought to himself.
Meet the lady's challenge, Juan! Inner Gato shouted. She has been riling you up from the start! Time to prove your manhood! She likes it when you reveal it!
Phrasing! Jaune thought back. He met Yang's eyes, and nodded slowly.
The shot glasses were poured. He took one, and Yang took the other. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, before they down the shots at the same time.
Jaune held back a wince. Sure, growing up on wine had hardened him, but this stuff tasted like paint thinner. Yang looked a bit grimmer, but still smirked back at him.
"That's one down, Stud," she said, "You gonna keep up? Or am I gonna have to go back to calling you 'Crybaby'?"
Fuck it. He was going to have a good time, whether he liked it or not, it seemed.
Rufus Winchester was not a man given to long silences. He was a man who preferred to be in action, doing something, anything. He still maintained his family weapons at his manse, after all. He had taught his son how to do the same.
He had also taught his son many filthy swears and curse words. Not always on purpose, though Aurelia still gave him the business over it sometimes.
This though? Even his formidable repertoire of blue language seemed inadequate to the state of old Fort Celliwig. Even from the Manwe Aerospace Firefly transport he rode, harnessed in tight, the base seemed more trees and ruins than a fortress to defend mankind.
The Valean-built utility airship could carry about 10 troops, with two pilots up front. The twin engines roared outside, louder than Atlasian Bullheads but faster. This model had been built for private militias, PMCs, and military export-So it did have armor and weapons. The gunner in the port door manned a 50 cal Dust cannon: A single round of which was enough to go right through an Ursa's head.
Flying as escort were a few other Fireflies, and the lighter Tigertail transports that were also serving as light attack and scouts. All were slim, even with their twin engines, and darted about like dragonflies in the light of the broken moon.
Rufus' Firefly headed for the old runway. The cracks in the asphalt were obvious even from this distance, as the utility transport landed a bit unsteadily. It settled, and the moment the khaki uniformed crewman (with a colorful Vacuaon balaclava under his goggles) undid his harness, he stepped out onto the tarmac. His aide, Platina, struggled a bit with her harness but stepped out onto the tarmac with ease after. She'd been sensible enough not to wear heels, and kept her dark hair in a tight bun under a bonnet that clashed with her gray pantsuit.
Lights had been set up everywhere, powered by Dust generators. More men in khaki uniforms and balaclavas managed the aircraft, tending them like the ancient cavalry would have tended their horses.
A green clad man with a scarlet tactical vest and a nearly trimmed beard came out, holding a red beret down on his head against the engine wash. He grinned brightly, bowing as his twin dagger-revolvers rattled from his belt.
"Councilman Winchester! Come, come!"
"Thank you, Sergeant Scarlet," Winchester greeted, reading the stripes on the man's shoulder. Scarlet turned and led Winchester and Platina off towards the largest building, right in the center of Celliwig proper. Trees that had shadowed the paved paths around the base were overgrown, now looking very ominous. Weeds dominated the flower windows were broken in most of the buildings, even those lit up with lights. The stink of Grimm residue permeated the air, and numerous claw marks, craters, and holes were left in everything, left by the Grimm that had taken over when men abandoned the base.
Scarlet led them into the old headquarters. A three story building, built in white and green brick with armored shutters. Numeroussoldiers, clad in nothing common save for green fatigues, carried out trashbags, swept away debris, or stood guard as Scarlet led them up the stairs. The walls were dirty, trash littered the halls. The doors were largely torn up or smashed.
Save for the double doors that guarded the office of the base commander, along with two more green clad troops. They opened the doors, nodding respectfully to Scarlet. He grinned back roguishly, and led them into the office.
The carpet was moldy. The windows were broken. The walls were disgusting, and the foul scent of mold permeated everything. There was a desk, but it had been smashed in half. The windows were fairly large.
In front of these windows stood two men. One was a dirty blond, with tanned skin and a neatly trimmed beard that ended in a point from his chin, with keen blue eyes and an aristocrat's nose. He was slim but built out of muscle, like a lean, hardy fox in his green clothing. Atop his head was a green bycocket, with a bright red feather sticking out of it. It was at odds with his modern tactical gear and compound bow, yet Rufus could not imagine the man without it.
The other was also in green tactical gear, with thinning, curly brown hair and deeply tanned skin. He had bat ears on his head, which twitched slightly. His eyes were covered in dark sunglasses.
Scarlet closed the door, but kept watch on the two guests from behind. His smile was still roguish, but there was a watchful glint in his eyes.
"Rufus Winchester, as I live and breathe!" The man in the bycocket greeted. "Been quite a while, hasn't it?"
"Captain Robert Loxley," Winchester greeted him with a cautious smile. "It has."
Robert shook his head. He looked around the base commander's office, his brows raised.
"You have any pleasant memories of this place? I did… Once."
Rufus Winchester was not fond of small talk. So he did what he did best.
"What General Prince did to you is unforgivable," Rufus said unequivocally. "He paid the price for his crimes."
Robert's smile fell and he became serious. A far more frightening expression on his fox-like face.
"He did," Robert said quietly, "But not soon enough."
Rufus sighed. That General Prince had the VDF start extorting and exploiting smaller towns during the Faunus Revolution was bad enough. That scandal alone was a dark chapter in Vale's history. When Robert had gone rogue when Prince had ordered him to massacre a village of Faunus that hadn't paid up, Robert had been court martialed and nearly executed.
His troops had rescued him, with the help of Robert's future wife, Marian Maid. They had married, and been exonerated thanks in no small part to Winchester and Ozpin's efforts, but… Robert's bitterness had carried him far from Vale proper.
"No," he admitted, "Not soon enough. The VDF paid the price for it, too."
"And now, you want me to re-establish it," Robert said, not so much a question. Rufus nodded.
"I do. I have the papers here, signed by Council Chairman Browning this morning." He held out his hand, and Platina opened her briefcase and passed the papers to him. He held them out to Robert, who took them and looked them over. He raised an eyebrow.
"General?"
"Yes," Rufus said with a nod. "You would follow the Uniform Code of Justice. You would make the VDF more than… Than what it became. Restore its honor. Defend your people… Our people."
Robert breathed out a long sigh through his nostrils.
"Blinken?"
"As usual, he speaks the truth, Master Rob," Blinken said.
"You've seen what we're up against," Rufus further pressed, "What we're trying to accomplish."
Rob stared at the papers. He looked back up at Winchester.
"Responsibility, hm?"
Cardin chuckled.
"That is the price paid for success," he said, "For all of us."
Rob nodded slowly. He looked over at Blinken.
"Blinken? How are things going with the base clean up?"
Blinken hummed and turned towards the window.
"Little John's company is dealing with some Vermin and Beowulves… Ali Baba is-"
The doors opened, and a younger dark skinned man in a red turban, flight goggles, khaki fatigues, and very white boots entered.
"Yo Rob… Rob! Man, these new birds? Kick so much ass! So much better than those damn Atlasian buckets!" Ali laughed. "HA! Ahmed just got a King Taijitu with one of the new Tigertails-Oh." He coughed when he noticed Rufus and Platina. "Sorry. I'm a little new to protocol, Councilman-"
"It's fine, Ali," Rob chuckled, "He's never much cared for protocol."
"Much to his staff's endless despair," Platina sighed.
"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't speak about me as though I'm not here," Rufus grumbled. Rob chuckled, as Platina remained her usual impassive self.
"Is it not you who believes in as unobtrusive of government as possible?" Rob asked.
"Yes, and meeting you all again is making me reconsider that," Rufus sighed. He shook his head. "Regardless, Rob… Ali… Even Jim. You're all needed. Vale… Vale needs you."
He sucked in a deep breath.
"And if you want my selfish motives? My boy just entered Beacon, and my daughter is going out on ever more dangerous missions."
"And you're gonna make a shitton of money selling us guns," Blinken pointed out. Rufus shrugged.
"Yup."
Ali chuckled. Rob snickered. Scarlet hummed. Platina clearly resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Well… I guess I can appreciate that kind of honesty," Ali said. "That might have saved a lot of trouble… For all of us."
A grim mood fell over the office. Then, Rob laughed.
"Well… Marian has grown tired of the nomadic lifestyle, no matter how luxurious I may make it. And, well…" He shrugged. "We ran across a young man. Idealistic. Foolish. Brave."
Rufus snorted.
"We all were like that, once," he said.
"And yet, here we are," Rob said.
The green clad man looked over the papers, stroking his beard as the lights fell over his shadowed face in a dramatic way…
Ali laughed, and shook his head.
"Come on, Rob. Just sign it! You know you wanna go around as General!"
Rob huffed.
"For for that, you'll be a Major."
"What?!" Ali cried. "Major? Come on man, Captain! Captain sounds so much better!"
"It's Major, sorry, them's the rules," Rob chuckled. Ali pouted.
"Why did I have to become an exchange student here?"
"Hot Valean women was your original motivation, as I recall," Rob deadpanned. Ali smirked wryly.
"Guess so."
"Besides," Rob said, as he signed the papers, "This way, Jim won't be able to lord his new 'Admiral' title over us."
"He does love to do that, Master Rob," Blinken observed. Rob handed the papers to Rufus, who handed them to Platina. She tucked the papers away in her briefcase. Rufus extended his hand.
"Welcome to the Valean Defense Force, General Loxley," he said.
Rob stared for a moment longer, before he reached out and shook Rufus's hand.
"It's nice to be home," Rob said softly, "Home at last."
The Just Right Cafe was easy enough to spot, during the day or night. The old fashioned neon signs saw to that, guiding Blake in like she was a moth heading for flames. She dropped down from the rooftops in front of the door, and strode in.
"Perrito? Goldie?" She called out. She found them soon enough: Perrito was sitting at a table in the back, his head in his hands. Goldie was sitting next to him, holding him tightly. She looked up, relief on her face.
"Kitty! Hey," she said, "You didn't have to come-"
"I-I did," Blake said quietly. She walked up to Perrito, yanking a chair up to sit across from him. "What-What happened to Tukson?"
Perrito let out a long, low sigh. He slowly sat up, tears still running down his cheeks from his large eyes. He shook his head slowly.
"He… The police called us," he said, "Said they found him in his bookshop. I was just about to go over, see him, when we got the call." He closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath to regain his calm.
"He was killed," he said softly, "It was… Brutal. Beaten to death…"
Blake shook in horror, holding her hands up to her mouth.
"Oh… Oh Gods, I…"
Perrito sniffled again.
"If I'd been there, I-I might have-"
"Died too," Goldie stated, firm but quiet, "You know that, sweetie."
"The White Fang's tried to take us out before," Perrito countered. Goldie shook her head rapidly.
"To shut us up with intimidation and violence, yeah. But murder? They kept away from it, for the most part… Until now."
"Until now," Blake whispered, tears beading at the corners of her eyes.
Goldie looked up at her, and scowled.
"Now don't you go blaming yourself for this, Kitty," Goldie barked. "It wasn't your fault!"
"I'm-I'm a traitor to the White Fang," Blake whispered, "I-I could have… If they're escalating like this, my leaving-"
"Don't you dare!" Goldie growled, but Perrito held up a hand to his wife. He shook his head, and looked intently into Blake's eyes.
"Didn't make them murder Tukson," Perrito said, as calmly as he could manage. "Right now… Right now I want to blame myself. I'm making a good argument. I do that, I make good arguments for why I should blame myself. It would be nice, in a way, if everything bad that happened to the people I love was my fault, cause that… That would mean I could fix it."
He shook his head slowly.
"But it's not true. I'm not at fault. The bad things do happen… But they're not my fault unless I do them," he stated, "And it's the same with you."
Blake rapidly shook her head, her blood boiling in her veins.
"I-I can't just let this go unanswered-!"
"I know," Perrito said, "I know… It won't."
"Count on it," Goldie growled.
Blake nodded her head slowly, even as her fingernails dug into her knees. This… This wasn't going to go unanswered.
She would deal with this… She would…!
A loud boom rang out, barely muffled by the cafe glass or walls. Perrito and Blake turned to the windows, and saw a red glow coming from behind several buildings. A pillar of smoke began to rise into the air, as sirens began to scream in the distance.
"That's in the direction of the Emerald Manse," Goldie muttered, "What's going on-?"
"I don't know," Blake said firmly, "But I'm going to find out."
Jaune stared at the shot glasses, trying to count them up. Usually, math wasn't a big issue to him, but Yang was leaning against him and whispering things.
"Haaa… Knew you were a lightweight," she snickered, her warm breath tickling his ear. Jaune snickered.
"There are… Twelve shot glasses," he said at last. He looked to the bartender, a nervous looking young man with white hair, "Right?"
"Er, yeah, right sir," he said. "You're tied."
"Tied?!" Yang growled, glaring at her pile of shot glasses right next to Jaune's, "Seriously?! You gotta be cheating!"
"I've been here the whole time!" Jaune laughed, pressing his head against hers affectionately.
"Bet you're using a… A medical technique," Yang mumbled against his ear, while pressing herself against his side, "Some medical… Bullshit!"
"Why would I do that?" Jaune asked. Yang smirked and pursed her lips. She blew into his ear, making him squeak and blush.
"I can think of a few reasons~," Yang murmured sensually. Jaune gulped.
"Y-Yang, hang on, we gotta-"
"Maybe I'll just let them have their turns too," Yang snickered, "Would you like that, Stud?"
"I-!"
"Well. Well. Well."
Yang groaned loudly and looked over her shoulder, eyes narrowed in annoyance. Jaune turned as well and stared at the twin, black haired, green eyed women in Mistralian clothing who stood there. Both were very beautiful, and both looked very annoyed.
"Why don't you go away?" Yang moaned. "I'm not causing any trouble!"
"Uh, hey, I'm Jaune," Jaune said, as politely as he could, "And you are?"
"Melanie," the twin on the left said.
"Militia," the twin on the right returned.
"The Malachite Twins," they said together. Melanie raised an eyebrow at Jaune.
"How'd you land a boytoy, Blondie?"
"We thought you were an angry lesbian, with how much of a brute you are," Militia stated.
Yang was about to get up and start throwing punches, but Jaune wrapped his arm around her waist tightly and held her against himself.
"We're here to have fun, not get in a fight," Jaune stated, firm, calm, but implacable. The twins smirked. Melanie reached out to rest a hand on Jaune's shoulder, caressing it. That made Yang growl.
"Oh? Sure you wouldn't rather have fun with us?" Melanie asked sweetly. Militia also reached out, caressing Jaune's cheek.
"We'd be a lot more fun than her~," she crooned.
Yang's eyes flashed red. Jaune glared.
"I suggest you back off," Jaune stated, still calm but deadly, "I promised we wouldn't wreck the place… But if you're going to provoke us, it'll be on you, not us."
The twins glanced at each other, before they pulled back. Melanie shivered, smirking saucily at him. Yang growled again, but Jaune kept a tight hold on her.
"Shame… I happen to like hard men like you," she said.
"I find them boring," Militia huffed, "They're never any fun."
"Yeah, good point," Melanie admitted with a shrug, "They can't loosen up and enjoy themselves."
Militia sniffed.
"I bet he can't even dance worth a damn."
Jaune twitched. His eyes glowed briefly. Yang looked over at him, now wearing a concerned expression.
"Jaune?"
"Excuse me," Jaune said, slow and deceptively calm, "Did you imply… That I can't dance?"
The twins smirked in unison.
"No, we're saying you can't dance," Militia stated, "Neither can your bimbo girlfriend."
"Not without wrecking up the place, like the wild sow she is," Melanie sniped nastily.
Jaune took a slow, deep breath, even as Yang's eyes burned red. He then let it out, and smirked in a way that made all three women stare intently.
"Dance floor. Two minutes," Jaune ordered. "Yang? Meet me there, please."
"Sure thing," Yang said with a nod, hiding her confusion.
Jaune got up and walked to the DJ booth. It was being manned by a mole faunus man, with thick dark sunglasses as he used his claws to manage the turntables. He handed him some Lien, and made a musical selection. The DJ grunted, but nodded as he pulled out the requested disk and placed it on the turntable.
Jaune turned and walked to the dance floor, the club patrons already on it parting for him like frightened geese. The Malachite Twins were waiting, facing down Yang, in a circle formed by the other club goers. Jaune went and stood alongside Yang, giving her a confident smile.
The DJ started the song, which opened up with a slow bass line. It soon expanded into a hot beat and a dramatic singer.
"Ladies first," Jaune said. The twins smirked, and began to dance in unison, stepping back and forth like they were of one mind. The crowd hooted and cheered appreciatively, as the two ended with perfectly synchronized spins and kicks.
We donʼt shy away from no fight
So donʼt push us now cos baby maybe
We bite
Back it up!
Back it up!
You seem to have quite the bone to pick with all of us
A chip on your shoulder big as a rhinoceros…
Jaune took Yang's hand. He smiled warmly at her, and his Aura flared for a moment. Her red eyes went back to lilac, as she shot back a warm grin. He took her in his arms as the song had a brief bridge before the chorus.
On a crusade~
Get stuck so
Make lemonade~
"Our turn," He murmured, and off they went!
Time to shine in the dark
Tonight Iʼll be the light
Iʼm crusading
Donʼt you even worry
Time for spells in the dark
Tonight, Iʼll bring the fight
I been saving
Donʼt you even worry~!
Jaune led Yang through an aggressive tango, before they switched to open swing dancing with some hip hop jamming. They ended the chorus with Jaune putting Yang into a dramatic dip, before yanking her up to spin her like a top. She came out of it and finished by spinning herself into his embrace, her back to his front as he held her tightly. She smirked at the twins, who fumed as the crowd cheered.
"Damn… It's like you can read my mind," Jaune whispered. Yang smirked back over her shoulder, pushing back against him.
"I'm pretty good at reading body language," she cooed, "And I like what I'm seeing."
She wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully, as Jaune bit back a snort of laughter. They resumed dancing, barely paying any attention to Militia or Melanie. He was getting lost in the music, and in the girl in his arms, as everything else fell away.
Ren would admit, under a lot of duress, that watching Jaune and the soap opera that was his life could be very entertaining. Certainly more fun than dealing with his own issues with Nora.
Yes, he did care for her deeply. Yet… No. Don't focus on that. Distract yourself, distract yourself.
Even while Nora was excitedly bouncing up and down in the chair of their table at the club, grinning through her fake mustache as she watched Jaune and Yang dance on the floor below.
Pyrrha, in her hoodie and sunglasses, was bending and unbending the silverware as she fretted over the blond pair dancing below. Ruby was chewing on a napkin with a bright blush, as Weiss glared down at the two.
"Do-Do we really need to keep watching this-this nonsense? You all decided to date such a-a playboy!"
"He's just… Such a good dancer," Pyrrha murmured. "I suspected it based on his footwork, but… Wow…" She grinned goofily.
"Geez," Ruby mumbled. She looked over at Weiss. "Weiss, you gotta teach me dancing! I-I don't want to step on Jaune's toes on our date!"
Weiss flushed.
"Certainly not! Besides, that's less like dancing and more like…" She made a face, red as it was already, "M-mating!"
"So jelly," Nora taunted.
"I AM NOT!"
"Shhh," Pyrrha hissed, "Don't! We're watching them covertly, don't blow it!"
"Yeah!" Nora said, her fake mustache bouncing, "We're supposed to be incognito!"
"Ugh," Weiss groaned, "Don't we have anything better to do than spy on Arc and Yang? The lout can dance well, so what? He's just using it to manipulate you all into a harem!"
"You think?" Ruby asked, sounding a bit hopeful. Pyrrha flushed deeply, and rapidly shook her head.
"No! No, come on Weiss, he's not like that," Pyrrha said, a fierce glint in her eyes.
"He's carrying on with multiple women at the same time!" Weiss protested.
"But we all know about it and we're okay with it," Pyrrha said with a nod, "As long as he chooses one at the end. We… We will abide by his decision."
"Just one?" Ruby mumbled. Weiss glanced at her in disbelief. Ruby blushed.
"What?"
"Why me?" Weiss sighed. "I'm just glad I have a true gentleman as a boyfriend. Not some lecherous lout like Arc."
"And why aren't you out with him?" Ruby asked. Weiss flushed.
"He-He had to train with his team! He's diligent! We're going out next week!"
Nora snorted. Weiss glared over at her.
"What?" The heiress demanded. Ren rested a hand on Nora's shoulder. He shook his head.
"Nothing," Ren stated calmly. "As to your earlier question, Weiss… No. No, we do not have anything better to do on a Friday night."
"That's pretty sad," Nora said with a nod. She grinned. "But still a lot of fun!"
The energetic pop song soon ended. The next song began to play, announcing itself with a harsh three chords, played on guitar and accompanied by what sounded like a Vacuoan sitar. Pyrrha frowned as she watched the dance floor.
"Hmm," Nora mumbled, "This song is kinda dark and ominous."
"It is a modern arrangement of a classic," Weiss sniffed, "Why it would be playing in a rundown gin joint like this is… Curious…"
Their Scrolls all went off at the same time. Ruby pulled hers out first. Her eyes widened.
"It's Blake! I wondered where she went," she said, "There's a fire nearby! We should go help!"
Pyrrha didn't even hesitate, though her eyes lingered on Jaune and Yang.
"Right. Let's go," she said, leading them towards the exit. Ren allowed himself to be led along, eyes forward as Nora held his hand.
Jaune could take care of himself. They had work to do.
"Jaune?" Yang asked. He had frozen in place as the song washed over the crowd. The Malachite Twins ceased their dancing too, Militia making a face.
"You gonna keep going or what?" Militia demanded. Jaune remained unresponsive, just staring out into space.
There must be some way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief…
Yang grabbed Jaune's shoulder. He started, flinching away, his hand reaching for a sword that was not there. She stared into his eyes: They were wide and wild, as he looked around like a caged animal. Her Scroll was buzzing, but she didn't pay it any mind compared to the potentially dangerous situation right in front of her.
Yang held out her hands, not touching him, as the other club goers began to back away from them.
"Hey," she said softly, "Hey, Jaune? It's me. It's Yang. I'm here. I'm right here. What is it?"
"I…"
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it is worth…
Jaune shook, his Aura flaring around him. There was a cry of fright as the other dancers began to move away. Yang's eyes widened as Jaune's gaze became determined, his eyes began to blaze.
"No reason to get excited"
The thief, he kindly spoke
"There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke…"
Shit…!
She grabbed Jaune and bodily pulled him away, through the startled crowd, past the nervous bouncers, and out into the night. The song was muffled, and outside in the cool night air, Jaune began to calm down. Yang hugged him tightly as he did, and he held on almost desperately as he took deep breaths.
"Hey," Yang murmured, "Hey… You with me? You all right?"
"Y-Yeah," Jaune managed shakily, "Yeah… Yeah, I-I'm… I'm okay…"
He sucked in more deep breaths, as Yang held him tightly. He slowly relaxed.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"It's okay," Yang said softly, "It's okay… What was that?"
Jaune looked to the side.
"I uh… I don't…"
Yang glared at him. This close together, he couldn't look away easily. And Yang wasn't about to let him.
"Jaune," she said, firm and strong, "You've got a lot of shit in your background. I figured that out, all right? We're all pretty messed up, honestly. Hell, Ruby is probably the best adjusted, which is saying something given I helped raise her."
"You're being too hard on yourself-" Jaune tried, but Yang interrupted.
"But you were ten seconds away from violence over a song," she said firmly. "Might be nice to know why? So maybe someone can help you?"
Jaune stared at Yang with a blank expression. He let out a soft sigh.
"So… Blake didn't tell you," he said quietly. Yang blinked.
"Tell me what?"
Jaune shook his head.
"It's… Complicated," he said.
Yang dragged him over to a surprisingly nice bench, and sat them both down under a streetlight. She looked intently at him.
"I'm fine with complicated," she said softly.
Jaune shut his eyes again. He shook his head again, before opening them again.
"A week on my journey out to Beacon… I came across an inn," he said, "I was going to ask to stay in the stable or something if I could work for it. A girl with dark skin, white shimmering hair, and blue eyes was being manhandled by some thugs."
"Help! Help me!" She screamed, as the five greasy brutes pawed her right there in the middle of the dining area. No one else stood up to intervene. The waitress kept her eyes down. The innkeeper busied himself with his ledger.
Jaune stood up, and rested his hand on Crocea Mors' hilt.
"Hey! Back off!" Jaune snarled. The gangsters laughed mockingly, the leader pulling out a shortsword.
"Or what, brat? You gonna stop us?"
Jaune nodded.
"I will," he growled.
The thugs charged. Two minutes later, they were all down on the floor, groaning or unconscious. Jaune rubbed his knuckles. He hadn't needed to draw his weapons at all.
The girl in a purple dress beamed, tears at the corners of her eyes. She ran up and hugged Jaune, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Oh thank you! Thank you so much!" She cried.
"Nothing to it, miss," Jaune said with a grin, "It's what a Huntsman should do!"
"Oh? You're a Huntsman?" She asked. She sat him down, as the thugs, very chastened, slunk out as quickly as they could. Jaune nodded.
"Yeah! Well, sort of. I'm going to go to Beacon to become one!"
"All that way on foot?" The girl winced, and shook her head as the waitress came up and placed some food on the table, "That's very difficult. You must be very strong!"
Jaune flushed modestly, as he dug into the food. The waitress still didn't look his way, shuffling off. She flinched when the girl looked her way, but otherwise did nothing.
"I'm uh… I'm all right," he said. "My name is Jaune. Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!"
The girl giggled.
"We sure do!" She said with a nod. "My name is Iridescent and-Ooh! Turn it up!" She called out to the waitress, who was wandering by the jukebox, "I love this song!"
The waitress nodded, flinching again. Jaune thought that was a little weird, but the music filled the air and Iridescent filled his view with her dazzling smile.
"Jaune. I know it might be a lot to ask… You already endangered yourself for me, but, well…" She looked down out of shame. Jaune frowned.
"What?"
She reached out, hesitating.
"My family owes a local mobster money, those thugs work for him," she said, "A LOT of money. We'll never be safe unless he's dealt with… Oh, I'm so sorry!" She shook her head, holding her hand up to her mouth as she nervously bit on her knuckles, "You-You've done so much already and I-!"
"Hey, hey," Jaune said, reaching out to take her hand, "It's all right. Look… My ancestors were all great heroes. I want to be a great hero, too. What kind of hero wouldn't help out those in need?"
Iridescent looked up, tears in her eyes as she stared in shock.
"You… You will?" She whispered.
Jaune nodded. She grinned, and leaned over to kiss him on the lips. His entire body went warm and fuzzy.
"Mmm… Thank you Jaune!" Iridescent giggled. "Oh… I can't believe this! I'm the luckiest girl in the world! And while my favorite song is playing, too." She sighed happily as the music reached a loud crescendo behind them.
"It's like… It was meant to be… 'All along the watchtower~...'"
Jaune shook his head, scoffing.
"She… She lured me in, put aura suppressing cuffs on me, and… And made me fight death matches against Grimm," Jaune went on, quiet and bitter. "I only escaped because my fellow prisoner, Gato… He trained me. He was my only friend there, my mentor. He taught me how to actually fight, and to never give up. He taught me that Aura technique, Golden Lion's Roar. I had to…"
He paused.
"I had to use it… And when I used it, I-I… I killed people. A lot of people. The mob boss Iridesdent worked for, his henchmen… And after that? We ran. We just… We ran. We got to a cliff overlooking a river. Grimm surrounded us. I was… I was going to fight them off with Gato… He just told me to live my life. To live it well… Then knocked me into the river below."
He looked up at the sky, staring at the stars that still shone through the light pollution.
"... I can't stop thinking it should have been me," Jaune said, "That I should have died. I was such an idiot. Wanting to be a hero… I fell for such a stupid trick, and… And it got Gato killed."
He bowed his head.
"I'm no hero," he muttered bitterly, "I'm not much of a Huntsman. I don't even know why you like me. I-I don't like me…"
He looked up. Yang looked furious, her eyes burning red. He winced, already anticipating a punch as she raised her arms…
And hugged him tightly.
"Then why are you here?" Yang asked softly. "Why didn't you give up? Go home?"
Jaune shut his eyes again.
"... Because... It's still my dream," he muttered. "My stupid, idiotic dream. To... To be a hero. To help people."
"And have you helped people?" Yang pressed.
Jaune slowly nodded.
"Yeah... But-"
"You got tricked," Yang stated, "You got your ass beat. You got humiliated. You had to kill to survive. And your mentor sacrificed himself for you so you'd live. That… That's enough to fuck anyone up."
She looked into his eyes, holding back her own tears.
"That doesn't make you a bad person," she stated, "Just… One who has gone through a lot of shit. That's not weird here, is it? I mean..."
Yang let out a sad little laugh.
"Would sane people want to get a job to fight the Grimm? Would they?"
Jaune stared back at her. She bit her lower lip.
"I... I don't know," Jaune admitted. "I wouldn't know."
"Neither would I," she said. She caressed his cheek.
"Look. We want to help you through that… Because we all care about you. We can't help you with what you don't want to share, and, hell, I get... I get not wanting to share that. There's plenty I don't want to share, but, I mean… Blake heard this. What did she say?
"That… That I should stop beating myself up over it, and do what Gato said," Jaune managed in a tight voice. Yang nodded.
"That's why we're friends, despite everything. I know… I know she did a hell of a lot of bad stuff. Stuff she can't talk about. We've all got our shit… But it doesn't mean you're not worthy of forgiveness, all right? Or anything else. If you're willing to work to get better… And if you're willing to let other people in."
She leaned in and kissed him. Unlike the previous pecks, this was much warmer, almost electrifying. Jaune leaned in, kissing her back.
Ohhh… Geez, geez… What am I gonna do, what am I gonna do…? Ruby, Pyrrha, please forgive me, I'm holding back so hard but he's just…!
Their Scrolls rang. They broke the kiss, panting. Yang recovered first, pulling out her Scroll and opening it.
"Blake? Your timing needs some work-"
"The Emerald Manse building is on fire, get down here," Blake stated loudly. Yang grimaced, but nodded.
"We'll be right there," she said. Jaune got up and nodded back.
"I know the way."
"Then you can navigate," Yang said. She ran over to Bumblebee, and hopped on. She pulled on her helmet. "Hop on!"
With no hesitation, Jaune did so, yanking on Ruby's helmet before wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. She sighed softly at the feel of his warm, strong body against hers.
"Hold on tight," she said.
"Definitely," he said, and her heart fluttered.
Geez… Gotta be the good sport… Gotta be fair… Gotta be fair…!
Yang drove them through traffic into Old Vale, following Jaune's directions. They flew past the Just Right Cafe, and the old City Park to where smoke was billowing up into the night. Holographic cordons surrounded the area, keeping the curious crowds at bay. Yang spotted Ruby, Blake, Ren, Nora, Weiss, and Pyrrha behind one such cordon, near a news van.
All of them looked very serious. Weiss was a bit distressed, gritting her teeth. Yang frowned-What would have caused that? She looked at the building.
The Emerald Manse was smoldering, but the flames were nearly all gone as firefighters sprayed it with water from their trucks and from a few small airships.
"Anyone hurt?" Jaune asked, as they dismounted Bumblebee and walked up to their friends. Blake shook her head.
"No, no one was in the building when it exploded," she said, "I checked first and got out. Nobody saw me."
"Ninja Kitty to the rescue," Nora said with a nod.
"Then why do you all look so grim?" Yang asked, "I mean, aside from the white masks?"
Blake slowly held up her Scroll. Grainy security camera footage played, showing a boring looking government office.
"I managed to get into the security cameras before the firefighters showed up," Blake said quietly.
Yang sucked in a breath as members of the White Fang broke into the office, and began tearing the place apart for records. Computers, file cabinets-Everything was ransacked.
"White Fang?" She murmured. "Why are they robbing a government records building?"
"I don't know," Blake said grimly, "But they also murdered a former member this week. Someone we knew personally. We need to-"
"We need to turn this over to the police, and let them handle it," Jaune said firmly. Blake glared.
"Jaune, they-!"
"This is what we got in trouble over last time," Jaune said, "And while we did stop the bad guy, the cops or actual Hunters would have done a much better job! We can't go and play vigilante on-"
He froze. Yang looked at his face. That same expression in the club came over him, only angrier. Yang looked back at Blake's Scroll screen.
A woman, curvy and beautiful, practically strutted into the office. Long, white hair that shimmered. Blue eyes. Dark skin. Dressed in a purple suit. She boredly walked between two White Fang members, to a wall safe. She reached out and yanked it out of the wall, tossing the wrecked door aside. She then walked away, towards the camera, leaving the White Fang members to rummage through it.
She adjusted her hair… And smiled. She winked, then blew a kiss to the camera.
"Who is that? She's not one of Roman's enforcers, is she?" Weiss asked.
Jaune was silent.
Blake sucked in a breath.
"Listen Jaune. We need to do this. I'll turn over the evidence to the cops if I have to, but I won't stop until Tukson gets justice! If I have to do it on my own-!"
"Okay."
All eyes turned to Jaune. Blake herself looked a bit shocked, which normally Yang would want to get a photo of for teasing material later.
Now though… The intense look on Jaune's face did nothing to set her at ease.
"Okay," he said, "We'll send it in to the cops, anonymously. Then after?"
His eyes narrowed.
"We're going after them… And taking them down."
Well, Yang thought to herself, as Blake nodded back and the rest of their teammates looked deeply concerned…
Shit.
Flashback: Roman, Neo, and Jaune's First Meeting
Roman Torchwick had not risen to the heights of the Valean underworld by playing things safe. At the same time, he hadn't gotten where he was by being an idiot, either. It took experience to see what was a worthwhile gamble that could pay out more than what you'd invested, and what was a bad deal that could lose you everything.
In all honesty, he had lost a lot more than he had won getting where he was today. The difference for him though was that every loss had given him experience and wisdom. It had let him build from those smaller losses to avoid bigger ones, to learn how to navigate the treacherous sea of criminal enterprise. By learning from those early mistakes, by understanding how things worked and not making those same mistakes, he had risen.
Being a ruthless son of a bitch certainly helped, too. As did his adopted daughter, Neo, who was even more ruthless than him.
It made him proud to know she was so feared.
Nevertheless, his experiences didn't allow him to account for every possibility. He wasn't a god, and he didn't allow himself to think he was in any way invincible. There were things out of his control, and always would be.
Like now. He and Neo had come out to some no-name hamlet on the road to Radian to see to a Dust operation. Apparently a rare vein had been found in the area that hadn't been reported to the authorities by Leo Hardin, a former buddy of Roman's who had dropped out of Beacon. He wanted Roman to keep it that way and get rich off of the find. Roman was perfect happy to do so: For a considerable fee, of course.
Hey, he had to make a living, right?
Well... Leo less than thrilled with the payment offer. And it wasn't like Roman was trying to rip him off, honest! Building a good relationship with new customers was a key part of any business, illegal or otherwise! So he'd tried to sweeten the pot a little: Cinder, his new boss, was keen on getting Dust and had given him a lot more latitude in spending lien to get it.
She was scary as fuck and likely to kill him, but hey, he was a man who made use of what he had.
The new customers were still not impressed. A few were former hunters, dropouts, with Aura unlocked. He'd just brought Neo along, because that was usually all he required as backup when it came to such deals. What could a bunch of farmers and Beacon dropouts do to them?
Well... Even experience couldn't cover everything. They'd been smart: Had a pair of snipers hit them with Dust rounds. Not enough to kill them, but it did knock them out. He woke up in a sealed silo, without his weapons and held in Aura repelling cuffs. Neo was the same, though she was definitely a lot angrier about it.
"You think we're stupid, Roman?" A man's voice on the intercom shouted, "We knew you were going to rip us off."
"This is a dangerous game you're playing, Leo," Roman said back, "You always were shortsighted, even back at the academy. Probably why you dropped out-"
"Shove it, Roman," Leo snarled, "Let's see how a few days without food or water makes you feel about the deal. Hell... Maybe I'll just take over things in your stead."
"Good luck with that, buddy," Roman chuckled. He began to work with Neo, carefully, to get at their lockpicks. A grain silo would be a bit tricky, but Roman and Neo had gotten out of worse situations.
They disabled the aura cuffs, but kept them on just in case Leo or his goons were watching, and then set to work. They were both pretty low on power and were keeping it subtle.
Finding the door, that had been a hassle-It was, naturally, buried behind some grain. They'd dug it out, and were working on the door. They'd just managed to get it open, and it was swinging open. Roman and Neo prepared to fight their way out...
Only to see a panicking Leo running towards them along the processing plant's wall.
"AHHH! HE'S CRAZY! HELP! HELP ME!" Leo shouted. Neo moved to end this miserable little doublecrosser... When out of said wall, a fist burning with Aura busted through and hit Leo right in the face.
The former hunter-in-training went bouncing like a rock across a pond, until he slammed into a tractor. It exploded into a fireball.
Roman and Neo slowly looked over at the newcomer. He was tall for a teenager, dressed in rags underneath some old-fashioned plate armor. He held a shield in one hand, his fist clenched on his free hand. His eyes burned blue, his hair was messy and blond, and he wore a ragged, green cloak. A sword hung from his belt, a well used one too.
Through the very large hole in the wall the kid had made, Roman spied several goons all similarly laid out, and a LOT more holes and damage. Also fire.
The kid turned and noticed them, coughing.
"Uh, sorry. I came in to ask if I could sleep in a barn for the night," the kid explained, "But they tried to kill me. So ya know, self defense."
Geez. The Aura off of this kid! Roman was no slouch, of course, but damn if this kid didn't have an edge in raw power. Skill was a different question-He looked fairly new. But being able to punch and bash your way through a platoon of aura wielding fighters was still good for a kid his age.
"You did well, kid," Roman said, adopting a genteel and polite demeanor, "These bastards took me and my lovely daughter hostage. Thanks for rescuing us!"
Neo was looking over the violence the kid had left in his wake. She then looked over the kid himself with some interest. He frowned at the attention but then smiled in a comforting way.
"It was nothing," he said modestly, "But uh, I really gotta get going-"
"On the run?" Roman asked. It was a bit blunt, but he knew where to put the charm.
"Sort of," the kid admitted, "From home and my mom. Trying to get to Hunter School and all."
"Well!" Roman said cheerfully, "Let's reward you properly, huh kid? I've got a room at the inn. We'll just place a call to the Rangers to deal with this mess, huh? No need for us to stick around. Poor Neo here is traumatized. She can't go through a police interrogation!"
The Kid didn't look entirely convinced, but his own situation soon compelled him to go along with it. They went to the inn, calmly eating a fine meal as the local Rangers ran to the grain processing plant outside the window.
"Heading to Beacon, huh?" Roman asked. The Kid nodded, as Neo ate ice cream next to him.
"Yeah... Trying to become a Hunter."
"Why would you want to go and do a thing like that?" Roman asked. "A man with your talents could do well in my business enterprises."
The Kid gave him a deadpan expression.
"And that business would be...?"
Okay, so the Kid wasn't just dumb muscle.
"Perfectly legitimate... Most of the time," Roman said carefully. The Kid rolled his eyes.
"Sure. Look, you don't have to tell me anything. You guys were clearly in there against your will, and you don't want the cops to know. I don't want them to know where I am either. So we'll just be square, all right?"
Roman raised an eyebrow. Neo looked at him with some interest.
"That's a very mature and enlightened view on things, Kid," Roman said approvingly, "I think I'm starting to like you."
"Thanks, I think," the Kid deadpanned. "For what it's worth, thanks for dinner. I probably should get going-"
"We've got a spare room in the inn, kid, Take that, at least," Roman said kindly. The kid frowned.
"I don't know..."
"I did see you were a little winded after that fight," Roman added, "I could throw in some pointers for Aura Control. You want to be a Hunter, right? You should learn how to better manage your energy."
"I guess that makes sense," the Kid said cautiously. The look in his eyes was already distrustful, cynical. He'd been introduced to the hard truth of the world, it seemed.
Not as early as Roman had been, but he approved of how he was looking at things.
"All right," Roman said, "We'll give you some pointers in the morning and-"
"And then I gotta keep going," the Kid said. "Gotta get to Beacon."
"I could give you a lift-"
"No thanks," the Kid said, "Honestly, I do appreciate it, but uh..." He smiled wanly.
"Don't take this the wrong way but I don't have a lot of trust to give out."
Roman nodded.
"Understandable, Kid. Understandable..."
They'd had a good sleep, and gotten up bright and early. Roman and Neo had looked over the Kid's stance and energy usage as he threw around his Aura. It wasn't terrible-The kid at least knew how to throw a punch and kick-But he was pretty raw.
So they trained up a bit for a few hours. The Kid soaked it up like a sponge-It was almost scary, how fast he learned.
Neo actually had some fun fighting him. He wasn't on her level, of course, but he was pretty quick and clever on his feet. He'd gotten a few hits on her, which just encouraged her.
There was one thing that absolutely had to go, though.
"Don't hold back, Kid," Roman said. "Don't try to be cool and collected, don't try to overanalyze things like a computer, don't be polite. In a real fight, you use everything you've got to survive. Rage, hatred, all the nasty shit inside you? It can all be a powerful tool. Don't discard it out of some kind of morality or trying to be a hero. You sort that out after you win. Winning, surviving, is what matters. Don't forget it."
The Kid nodded gratefully.
"I won't... Thanks..."
He headed off, like some old hero of legend. Roman watched him go... And carefully checked through his Scroll.
The 'Missing Persons' records were easy enough to find-And sadly, full of people. But a little sorting through them rewarded the pair with a familiar face, and a name.
"'Jaune Louis Arc', son of the Radian Arcs," Roman said softly. He nodded. "Well damn."
Neo moved to go after him, but Roman held up a hand. Neo frowned and tapped out a question on his scroll.
"Sure, we could grab the kid and hold him hostage," Roman said, "But he knocked out Leo Hardin, and that tickles me a bit. Saved us the trouble of fighting through those bozos."
Neo pouted. Roman chuckled.
"Besides... Having the Arc Heir as a friend and contact inside Beacon? That's got a lot of potential. You'll get to see him again soon, I promise. We should keep an eye on him."
Neo's stare became a LOT more intense as she looked in the direction the Kid had gone. Roman frowned.
Great. Either she was going to murder the Kid for fun, or she'd discovered her hormones.
He wasn't sure which was worse.
Music selections for this chapter:
"Lemonade" by Hiroyki Sawano:
"All Along the Watchtower" as arranged by Bear McCreary: