I hummed a happy tune, swinging my hips lightly along with the music currently playing from my scroll into my earbuds. I reached my hand into my backpack, pulling out a pair of lockpicks and getting to work on the relatively simple lock in front of me, inserting the picks and looking for the right angle to pop it open.

My good mood was nothing new; I had been on cloud-nine all week, practically skipping around everywhere I went and it was all thanks to Ruby, my girlfriend.

I couldn't help the smile that split my lips at the thought, girlfriend. It was almost too good to be true, the idea that our relationship had evolved in such a beautiful way and just the thought of it sent warmth racing throughout my body

Our date to the Mistralian restaurant had gone spectacularly, even now the memory instilled a fuzzy feeling inside of me as I remembered the way Ruby had blushed at my teasing and laughed at my jokes, even throwing some of her own teasing into the mix to my surprise. It had been a wonderful experience, and I sighed happily as I remembered how it ended.

The slightly chill night air brushed against my cheeks, currently stretched into a slight smile that had seemed perpetual throughout the night. The cold had absolutely no effect on me, barely registering through the warmth inundated my very being, and it was all owed to the girl beside me, fingers locked in my own.

I gave her a glance, eyes softening as I took her in. Like me, her lips were turned slightly upwards in a grin as she practically skipped along beside me. Her nose and cheeks were slightly red, from the wind or a blush I couldn't tell exactly, but either way, she looked radiant. How in the world had I gotten so lucky?

Seemingly noticing my stare, Ruby's eyes turned to me curiously, "What is it?"

I hummed as I stared at her, "Nothing. Just taking in the view." I squeezed her hand, speaking softly, "You look beautiful tonight."

And she did, I had insisted that neither of us dress up too much for this date, not wanting to ruin the easy air that often flowed between us, but we had both done a bit of freshening up so to speak. I myself had actually bothered to brush my unruly hair and had even gone so far as to put on some gentle cologne that wouldn't

To my surprise, Ruby had put on a light amount of makeup. I didn't know jack about makeup myself, but whatever she had done was extremely eye-catching, accentuating her already beautiful features and drawing my eyes even more than usual. I could also smell just a hint of perfume, roses, who would have guessed? It was lovely.

Ruby's cheeks lit up in what was definitely a blush and she looked away. That didn't stop me from seeing the soft grin on her face though, "Thank you Rei. Y-you're pretty too, I like what you did with your hair today." She said quietly.

I gave a sheepish grin, running my hand through my hair, "Do you? I don't usually brush it cause of how short it is, but I've been growing it out a little bit recently so it's longer."

Ruby nodded, "It looks really good when it's like this! It's still a little unruly but that suits your personality and I like the way that it looks against the fur of your jacket."

I raised a teasing eyebrow, "Oh? Unruly am I? I seem to recall a certain redhead making a bit of a ruckus in the restaurant earlier. I think you got that waiter fired."

Ruby's face twisted into an angry pout, "He was being mean to you because of your ears!" She defended loudly, "He tried to spill soup on you on purpose!"

I shrugged, unconcerned "I moved out of the way in time."

She turned her pout on me, "That doesn't matter! He shouldn't have tried to do it in the first place!"

Due to a lack of proper investigation on my part as well as a bit of a lack of foresight, I had completely forgotten about the inherent racism in my part of Vale. The restaurant that had opened sat close to my bakery, near the nicer, less bigoted parts of the city, but it still pulled employees from the bad part.

One such employee was the waiter we had been assigned. He had been all smiles as he approached our table, at least until he glanced upwards at the large lynx ears on top of my head. His demeanor had become decidedly less friendly after that, or at least to me. He had even tried to just take Ruby's order and completely forget about me, walking away until I called him back.

When we received our food, he just happened to have a bowl of soup for another table on his tray as well and just happened to drop it directly on my lap. If it wasn't for my quick reflexes and the fact that I had a feeling he was going to try some shit like that in the first place, I would have likely been burned by the hot scalding soup. As it stood however, I had managed to dodge the deluge of liquid as it splashed harmlessly on the booth beside me, giving the man an extremely unamused look.

Determined to not let it ruin our date, I had been content to simply ignore it after that, marking the man for later just in case he lived nearby and just happened to have some valuables worth selling, but it seemed that my date wasn't willing to let it play out like that.

It was one of the only times I had seen Ruby truly angry. The redhead had shot out of her seat at the waiter's fake apology, face red as her cloak, and had laid into him right then and there. In front of mine and the entire restaurant's shocked eyes, she verbally tore him limb from limb as his face grew red in mortified embarrassment.

Her words caught the attention of the manager that night, and when Ruby had informed him of what had happened, pointing to the large soup stain on my side of the booth, the manager had practically dragged the man off by his ear, coming back a few minutes later and informing us that our meal would be free, and that a new server would be given our table.

There weren't any more incidents after that one, and we both exited the restaurant full and happy to be in each other's company. Still…

"I didn't know you could yell like that." I said casually as I looked at her, "You really weren't happy huh?"

"I don't like meanies and that guy was a stupid jerk." Ruby grouched, looking up at me with passion in her eyes, "Your ears are super cute Rei. I like the way they twitch sometimes or turn to me when I talk, it's adorable."

I blinked, extremely surprised at her sudden barrage of compliments. Warmth flooded my cheeks and I gave Ruby a grin, feeling oddly shy, "Thanks Ruby, that's super nice of you."

She nodded happily, squeezing my hand as she grinned up at me, "Of course!"

Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end. I let out a disappointed sigh as we reached the port for the bullhead that would take her back to Beacon. The ship wasn't currently in the docking area, but judging by the time, it wouldn't be long before it got here.

I turned to Ruby, trying to hide my disappointment as I let go of her hand, "Welp, I guess this is your stop."

Ruby looked just as disappointed as I felt, lips turned downwards in a slight friend, before it returned to her normal smile as she turned to face me fully.

We stood there, face-to-face, and my eyes were drawn to her face, the now-glowing street lights around us casting shadows on her pale features that amplified her beauty in a way that I couldn't look away from.

"I really had fun tonight, Rei. Even after that jerk almost ruined our date." Ruby said softly, staring up at me with earnest silver eyes.

"So does that mean you're open to a repeat performance? I've got a few other places in mind that shouldn't be nearly as bigoted if that interests you." I grinned down at Ruby, heart thumping in my chest as I stared into her eyes.

Instead of answering, Ruby placed her hands on my shoulders as she leaned up on her tip-toes. My eyes widened as her lips brushed against my cheek in a feather-light kiss, lingering there for a moment before retreating.

Stunned by the bold action, I didn't speak as Ruby returned to her original position, grinning up at me at my surprise, "I think I'd like that." She said cheekily, like she hadn't just done what she did.

She suddenly blinked, tilting her head towards me in confusion, "Are… Are you purring!?" She gasped, leaning forward and closing her eyes as she placed her ear near my chest. She gasped again, "You are! I didn't know you could do that!"

My face heated with my blush as I looked away in embarrassment. My chest was indeed rumbling, a growling purr emitting from the bottom of my throat as my body expressed its happiness without my consent. Ruby's eyes practically sparkled as she stared at me in shock as I kept my eyes averted from her.

My Faunus traits had always been a bit stronger than most. It was extremely useful with my sensitive ears, retractable claws and night-vision helping me in my profession, but it also came with a few slightly embarrassing caveats. One of them was the tendency to purr when I was extremely happy, as was the case right now.

At least I didn't have a thing for scratching posts or chasing red lasers. Small mercies I suppose.

Luckily for my embarrassed state, the silence of the night was interrupted by the roar of a bullhead's engines as it docked at the port. The door on the side slid open, a ramp extending downward to allow entry.

Ruby stepped away from me, looking reluctant to do so and gave me a slightly apologetic look, "Looks like I've got to go. Stay safe,Rei!"

"Yeah." I spoke, still a bit stunned and embarrassed by what had just happened, "Will do, Ruby. I'll see you later."

She gave me another wave as she ran to the bullhead, boarding it and disappearing from sight, leaving me alone, stomach full of butterflies as I was lit up by the light of the streetlamp above.

I shook my head fondly at the memory. It had taken me a while to regain my bearings, and afterwards I had to give it to Ruby, I had never been stunned like that before. It was a side of the girl I had never seen before, and now that we were together, I honestly hoped I got to see it much more in the future.

I was shocked from my thoughts as the lock to the box popped open and I blinked in surprise, realizing that I had actually opened the lock without even paying attention to it. That was really bad security.

"Well it isn't like good security would have kept me out either." I muttered as I opened up the box, revealing the treasures inside.

Gerard's contract stated that I had to steal the vials for him, and undergo training with his team. Other than that, there weren't really any rules on what I could do in my free time. So since I basically had free reign to do what I want outside of all that, along with the fact that it had been a little while, I decided to indulge in one of my hobbies.

Namely, thievery, or burglary in this case.

I was currently pilfering through some rich lady's jewelry box, sorting through the admittedly expensive accessories to find something worth selling. I scrunched my face at the extremely tacky bracelet I retrieved, covered in jewels and plated gold in a way that was extremely gaudy, before shrugging; it was definitely worth something and it wasn't like I was ever gonna wear it.

I grinned to myself as I emptied the box into my backpack, happy at the clink of the valuable metals hitting the bottom of the bag. That was a few hundred lien at least, though it wasn't really about the money any more with how much I was making from Gerard.

I was taking my time with this particular heist, not in any rush as I leisurely made my way through the house, pilfering whatever took my fancy. As always, I had spent a few days scoping out the house to find the perfect window for my entry, and boy oh boy did I.

As was usual around this time of day, the house was completely empty, the husband at work and the wife decidedly not. This was a regular occurrence throughout the week; like clockwork, the husband of the house would go to work, and two or three hours later the wife would leave as well, driving just a few houses down the street and staying there for several hours.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was doing down there. I had caught sight of the owner of the house once or twice and despite my disinterest in males, even I could admit he was quite the looker. She was likely cheating on her husband.

Cheaters were worse than scum in my eyes, the idea of betraying someone like that making me physically sick, and so to fuck with the woman I had left a note for her husband to find, detailing her infidelity in full. Not only that, but I put it where the woman would never look, under the toilet seat.

Of course, that didn't mean I was going to stop robbing them blind. I may be a thief with standards, but I was still a thief.

I tossed the now-empty jewelry box back onto the dresser where it came from, before moving to the drawers themselves. I was being much more sloppy than usual, stealing more and leaving behind more traces of my presence, but I already had a prospective buyer for the things I found so I didn't have to worry about the possibility of not being able to sell the stolen goods.

After a moment of rifling through junk, I let out a happy hum as I came across a sturdy-looking pair of fingerless gloves with the tag still on them. It seems that whoever had bought them had simply tossed them inside and forgotten about them, which was a pity because they looked pretty expensive and well-made.

"Oh well, another man's trash and all that…" I muttered to myself as I pulled them apart, breaking the zip tie on them and sliding them on my hands. I clenched my hands, feeling the slightly rough fabric sliding against my palms, before ejecting my claws with the twitch of a muscle. I nodded happily, "Definitely keeping these."

It was a rare occasion that I found something personally useful on these little heists, and gloves like these would definitely help me on future excursions. I had already been thinking of getting a pair to use with my new weapons so this was a happy little coincidence.

I was interrupted from my thievery by the buzz of my scroll in my jacket. Wondering who in the world could be calling me, maybe Misa had news? I pulled the device from my pocket, glancing at the caller id curiously.

Ruby Rose

Well then, that made a bit more sense I suppose. I immediately dropped what I was doing, making my way over to the rather large bed to the side of the room and hopping up on it, laying back comfortably as I brought my scroll up to my ear, "Hey Babe, what's up?"

There was a squeak on the other side, and I immediately knew that I had surprised her, "B-Babe!?" She stuttered out.

I grinned lightly at her surprise, "Yep, unless you don't want me calling you that?"

"Babe is fine!" She said hurriedly. I could almost imagine the blush on her face as she spoke, no doubt embarrassed by the idea of me calling her that, "I'm still getting used to the idea that we're… you know, together." She said softly.

"I guess I'll just have to make a lasting impression next time we're together." The ensuing squeak made me chuckle lightly, "Anyway, what are you calling about? Or did you just want to hear my voice?"

"Oh yeah! Did you hear the news? The Vytal Festival is coming soon!" She said excitedly, forgetting her earlier embarrassment.

I hummed, "That's the tournament right?" I distantly remembered watching it with my grandfather when I was younger, mostly due to all the cool Semblances on display more than the idea of being a huntress myself.

"It's not just a tournament!" Ruby said emphatically, "It's the tournament! It's the biggest tournament, the tournament to end all tournaments!"

I laughed at just how passionate the girl was about this, "Okay okay, I get it, not just a tournament." I tapped my fingers on my thigh as a small satisfied hum entered my ear, "So I assume you and your team are going to compete?

"Of course! Team RWBY has to prove we're the best there is! Weiss is really amped up about it and I think even Blake is excited! Yang is Yang so of course she wants to compete." Ruby giggled.

I was still a little more than shocked that Ruby had one of those Belladonna on her team. Despite her disguise, I could still recognize another feline Faunus when I saw one and more than that, I could recognize who she was aside from that.

What in the world was the daughter of the chieftain of Menagerie doing in Beacon of all places? Not only that, what was she doing on the same team as a Schnee? Weiss didn't seem to have the same bigoted tendencies that her father had, having not said a single non-polite word to me when I had met Ruby's team proper, but she was still a Schnee. Most Faunus wouldn't walk within fifteen feet of her let alone be on the same team for four years. So what was the deal?

Well, whatever it was, Ruby hadn't complained about any infighting in her team, and it wasn't really any of my business besides that. If something happened and Ruby asked for my help, I would, other than that I would just pretend I didn't notice anything.

"Rei?" A voice broke me out of my thoughts. I shook my head, clearing my mind at my girlfriend's concerned tone.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I asked if you were going to come watch us compete? I think you can get in for free if you're advocated for by a student so I could get you seats no problem!" She suggested hopefully.

I laughed, "Of course I'm coming Ruby, there's no way I'd miss the chance to see you in action. I might not be good at fighting, but I love watching you in your element."

"Hey, you're not that bad! You were sort of able to keep up with me during our last spar." She defended.

"Ruby, we both know you were barely trying during that spar." I deadpanned, "I know the moment you actually get serious I don't have a chance in hell of even keeping up with you. I'm nowhere near your level and I'm okay with that. You're kinda nuts when it comes to fighting, Babe."

"I just practice a lot. It's nothing that cool." I could tell the complement made her happy by the inflection in her speech, indicating she was smiling.

"Anyway, I'll be there for every match you guys play. Even if you can't get me a seat, I'm sure I can find some nice and sturdy rafters to sit on or something. Though it'll be a pain to get popcorn." I joked.

"I think the colosseum floats."

"That won't stop me." I said seriously, eliciting a laugh from my girlfriend, one that I joined in on, softly chuckling along with her. I was extremely glad that after our relationship had evolved as it had, our talks came as easy as ever.

Just as I went to say something else, my ears perked up at the sound of tires on concrete just outside the house. It seemed that the lady of the house had returned.

"Hey, sorry to cut this short but I've got to go. Job's calling and all that." I felt bad about lying to her, but I still hadn't been able to talk with Gerard and I didn't want to tell her about what I was doing without being able to tell her all of it. It wouldn't feel fair to pretend to come clean only to hide even more from her.

So for now, I'd keep it hidden. Just for a bit longer.

"Okay Rei, stay safe! I'll check with Miss Goodwitch about the seats." Ruby said happily and I grinned slightly at her cheery attitude as I pulled my backpack on.

"Will do. Have a good day, Babe."

I hung up, tightening the straps of my backpack as a key jingled somewhere near the front door. I looked around the room, taking in the complete mess I had left behind during my looting, before shrugging. It wasn't like they weren't going to realize they'd been robbed anyway.

With that thought, I made my way over to the window I had left open, squinting at a nearby tree as I judged the distance before nodding. I crouched, tensing my legs like coiled springs, before leaping from the window.

My legs cleared the distance between the window and the tree with ease, and as I reached it I unsheathed my claws, clinging to the bark like my namesake. I swiftly climbed up the tree as shouts of dismay emerged from the house I had fled, placing my boots on a thick branch, before spinning off once more, jumping to the ground on the other side of a rather large fence.

I began making my way back into Vale proper, walking casually like I had just taken a walk and didn't currently have a backpack full of stolen goods attached to my back. I gave a small nod to a canine Faunus as I passed him on the street, and he gave me a knowing look, no doubt hearing the shouts coming from behind me. I just feigned an innocent face, adjusting my backpack, and he snorted, shaking his head as he continued on his way.

I chuckled lightly as I went my own way. This wasn't a nice part of Vale, and the word of the day was unconcerned. Good Samaritan? What's that? Everyone kept to themselves and didn't do anything to stand out, staying in their own lane to prevent any trouble. And that worked perfectly for me.

As I walked, my mood soured slightly as mind strayed back to my biggest problem of the last few days, my employer. Or more accurately, his schedule.

I still hadn't been able to talk to Gerard about Ruby. Hell, I hadn't even been able to see the man for at least a week as everytime I attempted to contact him or go to his office I was met with Eina instead. Apparently he was working on something really big, big enough that he had asked not to be disturbed for the time being.

It sucked because the longer I went without seeing him, the longer I had to lie to Ruby, something I hated doing more than nearly anything else.

I sighed, kicking a can that came into my path, "This sucks."

What was I supposed to do in this situation? I wasn't willing to break the contract, I may be a thief but my word was solid and I had promised Gerard to abide by the rules he had set.

"Could really use some of your famous oddly-timed advice Grandpa." I spoke into the air, staring up at the cloudy sky. It was moments like this that I missed him more than anything. He had always been a guiding force in my life, helping me out of whatever rut I had been in with a firm hand on my shoulders and some softly spoken words. Words that I could use more than ever right now, "I'm not sure what to do here…"

Once again, I was interrupted from my thoughts by my scroll buzzing in my pocket. I retrieved it, wondering if Ruby had called me back to tell me something else, only to blink in surprise as I saw Gerard's name as the caller id.

'That's one heck of a coincidence. Maybe grandpa is looking out for me up there.' I thought to myself as I answered the call.

Before I could get a word out, I was interrupted by my boss's slightly tired voice on the other line, "Rei, I need you to return to my estate immediately. It is a matter of utmost importance." He insisted and I raised a brow at his words.

Gerard dIdn't sound good, his voice was raspy and hoarse, a far cry from the deep, richly accented voice that I had come to associate with him. Did this have something to do with his project?

"Is something wrong Gerard? You don't sound too good." I voiced my concern even as I began to change my path to take me to his estate. I nearly tripped over my feet at his answer.

"We've found another one. It is once again time to fulfill your contract."

And as always, a huge thanks to my Patrons!
Next two chapters are posted there if you would like to read it early