The Docks, Vale
Nichole's footsteps creaked as she stepped off the wooden ramp. The faint scent of seawater hit her nostrils as she took a deep breath. She finally made it to Vale, and just in time, too. All that boat riding was making her nauseous and bored. At least the captain and his crewmates made the trip worthwhile.
The red huntress scanned her surroundings, wondering where to go next. The next logical step is to get a hotel room and plan her moves from there.
She glanced at the bar across from her and smirked.
But first…
The huntress stepped forward, letting her vices take control, but stopped.
No, you had your fill at Argus. You don't need to drink again.
Yeah, that's right. Nichole doesn't need alcohol all the time. Especially since she just came here. Why would that be on her mind? What truly matters is where she will rest her head for the next few nights.
She pulled out her scroll and typed in her location to find some hotels nearby. The available ones were mainly high-end, and Nichole didn't have that kind of money. That boat ride has put her in a "predicament," to say the least. She has enough to get by for the remaining week, but she's in the red after that.
If Keijo had been here, he would've coaxed her into pickpocketing, but she's above that. You can't pull that Vale and expect to get away with it. Beacon Academy, one of the primary huntsman academies, is located here. Heaven forbid if you steal from one of their students and get your ass kicked. Let alone steal from the headmaster. Now, that would be a nightmare on its own.
Yeah, I don't think the boy wouldn't be able to thrive here.
Nichole found a few more hotels that fit her budget. One was outside the Kingdom, a little too far for her taste. The other was a hole-in-the-wall in the "bad" part of town. From its looks, the place is infested with cockroaches, so it's best not to go there. And finally, there's the hotel that's—oh, it's right here.
Glancing behind her, she spotted a moderately sized building adorned with a vibrant neon sign that declared "HOTEL" on its side.
It seems expensive, but the site claims that it is cheap. She'll have to go in and see if that's true.
Nichole walked across the street and into the hotel. It was too crowded for her taste, perhaps due to the holiday season when many people typically plan vacations.
She strolled up to the counter and ordered one room. Nichole winced as the hotel staff added her balance, hoping it wasn't too much.
And surprise, surprise, it wasn't.
The huntress sighed in relief. For a second there, she thought that she was going to be sleeping on the streets for the night. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Nichole took her hotel key and went to her room. While walking, she couldn't help but look at the cute little ornaments hanging from the ceiling and breathe in the peppermint-scented candles burning on the tables. It gave the building some comfy atmosphere as if she were in a lodge or something similar. And just then, a wave of nostalgia washed over her.
Heh, just like home.
Speaking of which, Nichole wonders how her folks are in that snowy village. She rarely gets the time to talk to them because of her work. But how long has it been since they had a real conversation?
Her footsteps came to a halt when she reached the room.
"Here we go." Nichole muttered, unlocking the door.
As soon as she opened the door, a gentle breeze greeted her, carrying the familiar scent of vanilla. The room was bare. Eggshell white walls, two pieces of furniture, a wooden table, two beds, and a drawer with a TV on top.
Not saying she was expecting something different, but there's nothing wrong with switching up the place. If you want people to come here, you should make the rooms a little decorative.
Then again, what does she know? She's just a traveling huntress.
Nichole threw her bag on the table and plopped down on the bed. She should unpack it, but she'll worry about that later.
Weariness engulfed her, weighing down her eyelids with heaviness. Just as the huntress felt herself slipping into slumber, a *ding* came from her scroll.
Nichole let out a small grunt and turned to the other side. It's probably nothing important. Another problem she will deal with later.
*ding*
*ding*
*ding*
*ding*
*ding*
Nichole jolted out of bed, irritated at the constant notifications. "This better be important." she grumbled, snatching her scroll off the counter.
She swiped it open with the flick of her thumb, and the messages that greeted her were from an unknown number. Nichole would've instinctively disregarded the messages, but the contents inside kept her attention. All the listings were nothing but bounties.
"Now we're talking." Nichole grinned, sitting up.
She swiped through many options, seeing which one caught her eye and had a lot of money behind it. The majority of the bounties were mostly Grimm-related, which is understandable. The recent hordes of those creatures showing up could send anyone into a panic.
Might as well sign up for one of them since they're promoting it.
Other jobs involve capturing criminals and rogue huntsmen.
"Hmmm, that sounds fun. The pay isn't bad either." Nichole commented, favoring the job for future reference.
It's been awhile since she's dealt with a rogue huntsman but she'll take that challenge. Can't fight Grimm all the time.
Nichole's smile vanished as she laid eyes on a displeased bounty. Well, it isn't a bounty but more of a bodyguard job and it wasn't for the Schnee Dust Company, Atlas military, or for any of the academies. Instead, it was for Scrooge Enterprises.
From the get-go, Scrooge Enterprises sounds like a great company that supports its people. Which it is, to an extent at least. They funded the Faunus Rights Revolution, aided the lower-income regions of Remnant affected by the Grimm, and helped various projects with Atlas.
However, Scrooge Enterprises isn't all that "generous" as people make them to be. The company started as a crime family and went by the name Miser's Mob. The Miser's Mob were the most feared gang in the Menagerie area. They even gave Spider, another crime syndicate, a run for their money.
The syndicate obtained wealth from rival gangs and other establishments supporting their "causes." Eventually, Miser's Mob invested enough money and went into "retirement" only to reform as Scrooge Enterprises. They made sure to purge their criminal activity off the face of Remnant, but a record like that doesn't stay hidden forever. An insider found out about their past and leaked the info on the dark web for everyone to see. However, it mysteriously vanished after a couple of weeks.
Nichole isn't going to take it. Working for criminals isn't her thing. Even if the pay is promising, she's not going to betray her moral code. All money ain't good money, and that job listing is a perfect example of that.
The huntress could feel her frustration rise, so she quickly swiped down to see if there was anything else interesting.
"Oh?" Nichole's head raised a little when she eyed one listing. "Search and destroy? I haven't seen any of those jobs in a minute. I wonder what the details are."
The huntress clicked on it and scrolled down to get more info. The mission takes place in an abandoned facility on the outskirts. Apparently, a Grimm nest lies within the facility, which can threaten nearby villages and trade routes. Nichole was hesitant to take the job because of its relation to Grimm. They're a pain to deal with, but at least she isn't alone, as the listing states.
"Eh, I might as well sign up for it. I'd rather take it than be a security guard for a bunch of criminals," Nichole mused. Upon clicking the link, she entered her information and was promptly confirmed for the job.
Afterwards, she placed her scroll back on the counter and grabbed the remote.
"I wonder what's on TV," Nichole mumbled, turning on the television.
"In other news, the invasion of Grim—"
The red huntress immediately changed the channel.
"Come on down to Dale's and buy a—"
"All I want for Chri—"
"Grrr!" Nichole growled in frustration, resisting the urge to throw the remote out of the window.
"Tatsu Fujimura, you will pay for your sins!" A cartoon pirate girl shouted on screen. Tatsu remained silent and drew out her dual ninja swords as the two clashed.
"There we go. This is what I'm talking about." Nichole set the remote by her side and watched the scene play out.
She should be training, but she'll do that later. Everyone needs to rewind once in a while. Television can serve as the perfect mental preparation for anything serious—for Nichole, at least. It may not be the correct way, but it calms her nerves and relaxes her spirit for the upcoming mission. While being prepared for anything can be good, it can hinder you from relaxing and force you to be serious all the time.
Nichole has encountered her fair share of people who were just like that. They were total assholes and always ruined the whole vibe. She can't work with someone who can't relax a little. Although, she was able to make it work with a few of those people. Only because they were tolerable. Speaking of which, she hopes no hardasses are working with her on the bounty. That would be a nightmare.
"A nightmare indeed." she mused, her eyes glued to the tv screen.
"You will never defeat me, Tatsu!"The pirate declared.
"We'll see about that, Azura!" Tatsu growled, slashing at her.
The blade struck Azura's chest, causing a lot of blood to spill, earning a reaction from Nichole, who clutched her chest at the gruesome scene.
"That's going to leave a mark," she muttered.
Looks like I'm not getting any sleep tonight.
Ugh, and I stand corrected.
Nichole rubbed her eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them. That cartoon—can she even call it a cartoon? With all that blood and murder it must've been an adult animation.
That animation has kept her up longer than it should've. It wasn't that she was scared. A little blood can't cause her fear. It was just…hard to look away. Before she knew it, she binge watched the entire series, resulting in her losing hours of sleep.
"At least it wasn't a hangover or I would've been pooped." Nichole mumbled, walking towards her destination.
As she approached the Vale Airship, a guardsman stomped over, gripping his rifle tightly. "Are you authorized to be here?!" the guard asked in a stern tone.
"Yep." Nichole pulled out her huntsman ID for verification. "I'm here for the mission in South Vale."
The guard analyzed the ID while glaring up at her.
This guy couldn't tell his asshole from a hole in the floor.
"Alright, you're good to go." he handed the card back and stepped aside, allowing Nichole to proceed to the aircraft.
Upon entering the airship, Nichole saw a teenage girl sitting in one of the seats. She had bluish white hair and wore a gray bubble coat that concealed the lower half of her face.
What really caught the huntress' attention was the blue reptilian tail wrapped around her waist.
It would be rude of her not to speak so Nichole decided to greet her. "Hello there." she smiled.
The girl gave a small nod and continued to stare into space.
How cold.
Then, the door on the left opened and three more teenagers walked in.
They must be the pilot's kids.
"Ah, looks like another huntress joined us on our conquest to the Southern regions of Vale!" one of the kids announced.
That's when it dawned on Nichole. All of these kids are her teammates.
First a lack of sleep and now this. How can this day get any worse?