"You're warm…" mumbles Blake, who's snuggled up to my chest. It's still Saturday, but I've been asleep for the past several hours. I run a hand through her hair while yawning.
"I'm also hungry… Are you?" I ask, looking down at her. Her gaze meets mine, and she shrugs. She just lays her head back down, and closes her eyes. Not thirty seconds later, her stomach growls, and she looks up at me, embarrassed. "So that's a yes." I say trailing the E, and gently pushing her off of me. I stand up and stretch. I crack my neck and roll my shoulders before pushing open my bedroom door.
"What are you going to make?" she asks, slowly getting up.
"What do you want, Blake?"
"Mmm… guess." she says, now laying where I was and pulling the sheets to herself.
I blink a few times. "What do you mean 'guess?' There's like a thousand things I could try my hand at cooking."
"You'll figure it out, I'm sure." she mumbles.
"Ok, no, screw it. I'm cooking what I want, and unless you tell me otherwise, that's a you problem. As for what I want… pancakes." I say before walking out of the room. I make my way to the kitchen part of my dorm, and turn on the electric stove top. I fill the kettle that was already there with water, and place it on the stove. I then start rummaging through the fridge for eggs, milk, and… wait, no, that's it. I open the cabinet and grab a box of pancake mix, along with a few teabags.
I hear a voice call out from the bedroom, "What if I don't want pancakes?"
I call back, "Then tell me what you want, or starve." I put the eggs, milk, and mix into a bowl. I start beating the batter together, as the kettle starts to spew steam. I pour the boiled water into two mugs, and drop a teabag into each.
"What kind of cruel person would make his girlfriend starve?" is the reply.
"The kind that would love a direct answer, Dear. So do you want pancakes, or do you want me to make something else for you?" I ask, watching her step out of my room.
"Add blueberries."
"Understandable."
The batter continues being beat by me until it's nice and smooth, and only then do I start to add the berries. I walk over to the fridge and grab the carton of blueberries, and walk over to the sink. I wash a handful, which for me is a good amount because y'know, large hands, and then carefully incorporate them into the batter.
"By the way," I start, "one of those is for you. Just add some sugar." I then use my head to gesture to the tea. She grabs the mug that I had set for myself, and drops a spoonful of sugar into it. "Hey, that one's mi-"
"Not anymore. Mine now." she says, before walking over to the sofa and sitting down. She turns on the TV and finds something to keep herself occupied. I continue making breakfast… brunch, what-the-fuck-ever, and grab a pan. I turn on the other burner, and wait for the pan to heat up. I splash a few droplets of water onto the pan, and they instantly sizzle and dissolve. Perfect temperature. I pour out the batter for four pancakes, and start watching, waiting for them to have the air bubbles on top pop. Once they do, I flip them, and grab a plate. Half a minute or so later, the four pancakes have found their way to the plate, and I've buttered them. I set a jar of sap from Forever Fall next to the plate, and whistle.
"Your food's ready." I say, before starting on my own pancakes. I hear footsteps behind me as Blake walks over. She puts a not so healthy amount of syrup on her pancakes, and kisses my cheek in gratitude. She walks to the table and sits down. Soon enough, I'm sitting down across from her and eating my own food.
"So… what's the plan for today?" Blake asks.
"I'm taking Levi and Lukas training for a few hours, and then we're probably going to end up doing something in Vale. Jade went back to the forest to set traps back up, and all that. Jade things. Lukas especially wants to train against Grimm after last night…" I say. I stick a bite into my mouth, and start chewing.
"Hmm. Maybe I'll come watch. I'm curious as to how you do training." she says.
"Lots of yelling, sparing, and Grimm fighting when Port lends me some targets. The usual, I guess."
"Still, I'm sure it's at least a little different from how Ruby trains us." Blake says.
"Maybe so…" I trail off.
…
"Hey! Levi! Heads up!" I shout. Levi looks up and catches a fireball to the face, and goes flying. Blake watches me facepalm, and I walk over to him. Once there, I offer him my hand and pull him to his feet. "C'mon, dude, you gotta be ready." I say, looking at his armor. The bird with an amaranth flower in it's mouth carved into his chest glimmering in the early afternoon sunlight.
"Oh, excuse me for not being ready for the blindsiding orb of death." Levi huffs, brushing some ash off of his body.
"Well, you're doing a bit better than Lukas, at least…" I say, looking over to Lukas. He's currently pinned by a Beowolf and blocking its bites with his baton.
"Get off! Damn thing!" he shouts.
"Figure it out. You have a semblance, try using it." I say. "Creatures of Grimm, as you know, don't have an aura. That makes your semblance extra strong against them, as they have no way to block the hit. Fucking shock it, or something." I say, crossing my bracer clad arms over my chestplate. Lukas pushes the snarling beast backwards, and uses his hand to send electricity into its face. It jumps backwards, injured, and growls at him.
"Now kill it!" Levi shouts, smiling a bit. I lightly elbow him, and he scowls.
"Hey, let me handle it. But, uh, yeah, kill it." I say.
Lukas runs over to where he dropped his knife, and scoops it up. He runs at the monster, electrifies his knife, and stabs it in the head. It convulses for a few seconds before starting to fade away.
I smile and clap. "Much better than usual. You'll probably be up to our speed in a couple weeks at this rate." I say. Lukas glares.
"Listen, I can fight people just fine, but I'm just not used to fighting Grimm." Lukas says.
"I know. That's why you're fighting them, and not us. Now, let me know when to release the next one." I say, messing with the remote that I'm holding. Lukas is currently in front of five cages, four of them empty, and a snarling Beowolf in the fifth. He gives me a thumbs up, and I press the button. The cage opens, and Lukas gets to work. He definitely struggles a bit, don't get me wrong, but he kills it.
"Good shit. That's all the angry puppy dogs that Port would let me borrow, though, so…" I shrug.
"Angry puppy dogs?" Levi, Lukas and Blake ask.
I respond with pure eloquence… "Shut up." Mmm, yes, eloquent and dignified. My specialty.
"Anyways, Levi, mix the shit out of that combat dummy. I'm not going to hit you with any fireballs this time, but I need to see something." I say, resting a hand on my hip. Levi nods, and does exactly that. He hits it with his hammer, uses the momentum and the hammer as a base to kick it, and then charges. He hits it again, knees it, and then hits it with a hammer uppercut. He then jumps into the air, and spikes the dummy into the ground. I nod, and speak, "Nice. I want to bitch at you for something, but I can't. So, uh, wanna head to Vale?"
"Ok, bear with me. Bowling." Lukas says.
"Why do you always have the most wack ass ideas?" I ask.
"Because I was stripped of it as a child. You were too. Now, I didn't hear a no." he says, walking off.
"But I wasn't..." I mumble.
"Hey, wait! We're still in our armor!" Levi calls out.
"Ok? I know you both have comfy armor. We're leaving." Lukas says.
I scowl, and give Blake a quick side hug. I then follow along with Lukas, with Levi following suite.
…
Lukas takes us to a bowling alley near the center of Vale, but still on the low end socioeconomically speaking, but hey, seems chill enough. I walk up to the counter, and ask for a lane for an hour. The man working looks me up and down, probably because of my fucking armor, and asks for my shoe size while I swipe my card.
"Uh, sixteen." I say. He gives a look, and nods. He pulls out a pair of shoes, and lays them on the counter.
"You, blue hoodie. What's ya shoe size?" the man asks.
"A ten." he says. The guy plops down another pair.
He then runs to Levi, "An' you, what's ya shoe size?"
"Also a sixteen." Levi says.
"Damn, so there's a solid chance I'll get past this height. Dope." I say.
"When's the last time you checked?"
Lukas asks.
"A month or two ago. It's probably the same." I reply. I unfasten my boots, and set them aside.
"Nope. Ya gotta give 'em to me. It's policy." the presumed owner says. I hand over my boots, and Levi and Lukas do the same for their boots and sneakers respectively. Actually, you probably knew who the sneakers were for without me saying, but whatever. I slip on my shoes, and start towards lane one. "Nope. You pay in advance. C'mon, 'ave you neva been bowlin'?" He asks us. I shake my head.
"Nope, first time." I say, placing down some coins. Lukas and Levi do the same. We then make our way over to the lane, and pick our balls. Just then, the door opens and a man clad in an amount of armor that can only be described as hefty walks in. There's a helmet covering his face, so I have no clue what he's looking at. "Ahh, Lavender! My favorite customah! How ya been?"
The man speaks, but his voice is slightly muffled by the helmet he's wearing, "I… yeah, yeah, I need a lane. Next… two hours."
"Aight, I can do that. Jus' hand over ya shin guards, ya boots, and ya metal boots." the owner says.
The man, who is apparently named Lavender, sighs. He says, "Why do you need, all three of those, again. I've been coming here the past two years, and I tip good."
"Y'know why. It's policy. Just 'cause ya tip good don't make ya safer than anyone else. And I know all about you, criminal underlord." the owner says, he crooked teeth showing when he smiles.
Oh wow. That's… fun. Lukas nudges me, and speaks, "Check out Tin Can over there…"
I sigh, and pinch the bridge of my nose. "Did you not hear the part about him being a criminal underlord? I'm not trying to burn down a fucking bowling alley, jackass. Don't piss him off so we don't have to fight him."
The supposed underlord continues his conversation with the owner, not hearing us, "Fuck off man. Just… take my money Frank. Take the boots, take the guards, take the shins. Oh, and take your fucking down payment before you say anything."
"Aaah, I knew I liked ya-" the man, Frank, is cut off.
"Yeah, yeah, jackass. Give me my shoes." Lavender says.
"Fine, fine, take ya size fourteens, Bigfoot headass. You're lane three, next to 'em." Frank says.
"Next to them?" the armor-clad man asks.
"Yup."
"You petty bitch..." Lavender trails off.
"I know." Frank says, showing a crooked smile and crossing his arms.
"Whatever, Frank. Thanks for putting in my time and shit. Oh, and uh, is it the barista or the bartender today? I need some espresso shots."
Relatable. Slept horrible last night. That nap this morning balanced everything out, though.
Frank shrugs, "Yeah, she's here. Head ova to the countah."
"Cool, thanks- thanks- thanks, Frank. I… I'm gonna head over there." Lavender stutters. He makes his way over to the bar, and leans against it. With every step he takes, there's a rattling sound.
"Yup. Jus don't flirt with her, yeah?" Frank says, tucking away the money we gave him into two separate boxes. I'm assuming we get our money back for the shoes and such once we're done.
"Can't stop me, Frank! Also, she's… a bit too old for my taste. Not a cougar hunter." the man says, looking at the barista. Their conversation dies down, and I shrug. I watch as the man drops way too much lien for four shots of… something? Probably coffee, based on what he said, but it looks off. Maybe it's alcoholic too? Power to him, I guess. He tilts up his helmet enough to uncover his lips, and downs all four shots. Back, to back, to back, to back. He then flips the helmet back down, and coughs. He shakes a bit, and laughs. "Damn! Is that stronger? I'm glad I tip you good!"
Well, he's generous, at least.
Lavender walks over to the lane, presumably glancing at us. He's singing to himself, "Sunshine beatin' on the good times. Moonlight raisin' from the grave. String bands playing worn-out honky-tonks. Pretty young thing goin' dancin' in the rain…"
Never heard that song. I watch as he hits a strike, and laughs to himself. Suddenly he grabs another bowling ball, weighing it in his hand. He steps back up to the lane, and keeps singing, "High-heeled lady spitten' at the nickajacks. Businessman with a needle and a spoon. Coyote chewin' on a cigarette- pack o'young boys goin' howlin' at the moon." The man hits another strike, and nods along to what I'm assuming is the music. His voice continues to pour out of the helmet, "Hey darlin', sleepin' on the blacktop! Hey darlin', runnin' through the trees, honey! Hey darlin', leavin for the next town- less'n my sense catches up with me. I'm not feelin this song honestly, skip… skip… maybe?- no. Next. Next. Next. Next. BROTHERS DAMN C'MON! Fuck it. Sex with a Ghost, why not?"
I can't help myself from speaking, "Damn, bro, are you alright? Like, fuck…" I then almost clap a hand over my mouth, but stop myself.
The man turns to me, the chainmail under his armor rattling. He speaks, "Listen… my scroll refuses to cooperate with me, and I don't want to pull it out of my pocket."
I nod. Guy didn't shoot me for speaking, so that's nice. "Real." I say, rolling the ball down the lane. Strike. Hell yeah. I look up at the screen, and…
"Fucking wow." I mutter, watching the display. The pins all have faunus traits for no good reason, and get sent flying by a ball in a Great War human's uniform. That's… that's lovely. Never taking Blake or Jade here.
"Yeah… it's uh…" Lavender looks behind him, at the owner, before continuing, "Yeah he's… not the best when it comes to being progressive…"
"I'll say…" Levi says.
"Shoving politics into fucking bowling is a feat all on it's own." I say, as Lukas takes the next shot. He gets nine out of ten. He gets the last pin on his next throw. I look at the screen, and it's completely normal. "Oh. Well… that's good."
"Yeah, they're on a rotation." Lavender says. "Only about ten of them are all fucked and such. Could be worse."
"I… I guess." I say, watching as Levi misses one, and then hits all ten on the next attempt.
"So, random question," I ask Lavender, "Why bowling?"
"Well…" he sighs, "When you run a fight club for thirty… forty hours straight, and several bounties, what better way to unwind than bowling? Don't say massage, or I'll hurt you."
"I mean, fair enough, I guess… Wait, fight club?"
"Oh, yeah, I have a buddy of mine who runs a fight club. Known her since we were kids, she has a sister, and all that. I practically see her as my sister in all but blood, too. I'd honestly recommend you go there, just… be mindful of the contracts." he says. I turn to Lukas and Levi, smiling.
"That sounds fun, don't you think?" I ask. "Go watch a couple fights… Wait, contracts? I thought it was illegal?"
"Oh, it's barely legal. It's interesting what you can get away with if you make someone sign a contract first." Lavender says.
I turn around, and there's this gleam to my eyes.
"Absolutely not." Levi says. "I came here to bowl, and I'm going to bowl."
"Lame. Lukas?" I ask.
"I'm game." Lukas says.
I nod. I then turn to Lavender, and speak, "So, can you give us directions? Or bring us there? Or something?"
"Oh! I can absolutely bring you there." he says.
"Dope." I say. "So, Levi, you sure you want to stay?"
"Yeah. I'll see if anyone's in the area. Yang might be."
Of course.
I shrug. "Well, have fun with that."
I then head over and give the owner back the shoes. I then pull back on my boots, and get the cash I used to rent the shoes. I turn to the others. "Alright, lead the way."
"Wait? Right now? I still got two hours of bowling. Unless you pay me ba-"
"Deal." I say without skipping a beat.
"Wow. Ok, uh… fifty lien." A somewhat surprised sounding Lavender says. I hand him the lien, and he slips them into one of the bags on his hip. He then also grabs his shoes, and takes a solid five minutes to put on all of the armor.
"Ok, so, if you don't mind me asking, why so much armor?" I ask.
"Just a byproduct of my semblance. They teach you guys about aura? You look like students. What year are you guys?"
"First, why?" Lukas asks.
"Ah. Makes sense. So, what I have is categorized scientifically as a passive aura. It's where my aura is in some limbo between active and deactive. That's kinda weird, I know, but let me try to explain it." Lavender takes a deep breath and continues, "Passive aura is um, it's kind of how it sounds, it's in the namesake. Unlike active aura, which shields you, passive aura doesn't shield you, it just makes you a bit more durable. Think of it as the difference between dodging a bullet, or tanking a bullet. It can happen for two reasons. The main one is due to people having a semblance that's… too strong? Like a way for the world to nerf them, and I would go into that, but I can't without sounding like a quack. That's the best you're gonna get. The second reason is if you're consciously able to turn it active and passive at will, because maybe they just don't like the drawbacks of an active aura. You can tune into your active aura and make it passive. Now, be warned, turning it back to active means that you'd have to unlock your aura again. If you don't want to go through the most stressful moment of your life again, or don't have a friend who can do it for you, I really wouldn't recommend it."
Damn. Talk about a fucking info dump. I mean, I had heard a little about passive aura, but I'd never met someone who had it. Kind of neat, but I like my aura, even if it can backfire.
"That sounds like a massive pain in the ass, honestly." I say. By now, we're walking out of the doors. I wince from the sunlight, and rub my eyes. "Of all the days to not have sunglasses…"
"It is, if you're not born with it naturally. You might find some high level hunters who rather their aura passive, but… Yeah, it's a massive pain in the ass. So yeah, that's why I wear the armor, so I don't get shot in the back of the head and die. That would be a lame way to die. And before you ask, I have tested my armor with many calibers. Even the weak points. Like, I could tank a round to the back of the neck and be ok. It would hurt like a bitch, but I'd live." Lavender says.
We continue walking, and eventually come to a sort of even shadier part of town. I find myself peering down each and every alley, despite it being broad daylight. Lavender doesn't seem phased, but I guess he does live here, after all. Lukas is playing a game on his scroll. Seems like a rhythm game of sorts. No clue what kind, seeing as I know jackshit about them. Our little venture continues until we reach what looks like a food joint. The place looks decently inviting enough, but also like the type of place you risk getting stabbed for being in the general vicinity of after ten at night. Lavender coaxes us inside, and… it still looks normal. Lavender than walks up to the counter, and goes, "Yo! I'm here for the fight club!"
Wow. Subtle.
"Yeah, yeah, I know about entrance fees. Here's your lien." he says, slapping some money down. The sound of a button clicking is audible, and a staff only door swings open. "Alright guys, c'mon, we got a fight club to go to. Oh, and uh, do be warned, you have to pay per fight that you watch."
"Makes sense, I guess." I say.
"Yeah, so, that upfront payment goes to a betting pool, so, just pick whoever you think sounds coolest. I mean, I usually do some research first, but fuck me for that, I guess…" Lavender says. We follow him inside, and he walks a solid ten or so feet in front of us.
"So… what now?" I ask Lukas.
"I wanna watch a fight, I don't know about you." he replies.
"No, no, I do too, but li-" I'm suddenly cut off.
"NEEERRRRRGAAAA! I BROUGHT CUSTOMERS!" Lavender shouts.
Well, I guess whoever runs this place is named Nerga.
"GODSFUCKING DAMN IT, AGAIN!?" someone in the distance shouts.
"YES, BITCH! DON'T YOU LIKE MONEY!?" Lavender responds.
Suddenly, all conversation dies down, and I hear a few mutters about, "Did The Tincan just call The Devourer a bitch?"
Lukas turns to me and whispers, "The fucking 'Devourer?'"
I don't say anything, just staying quiet. I'm not trying to get shot, or anything. I stay where I am, as Lavender speaks, "I BROUGHT TWO NEW, PAYING CUSTOMERS, AND THEY MIGHT BRING MORE! ALSO, WHERE ARE YOU!?"
…
…
…
"If I look up and you're in the fucking rafters again…!" Lavender says.
More silence. I can hear the slight scrape of metal as Lavender looks up.
"BROTHERS FUCKING DAMN IT, NERGA!"
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" Nerga replies.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT?' HOW DID YOU EVEN GET UP THERE!?" he shouts in return.
There's a few seconds of silence.
"I climbed…" Nerga responds. I can hear the embarrassment in her tone.
"What do you mean…" Lavender takes a few deep breaths. "What do you, no, fuck that." He suddenly points at her, armor rattling, " WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU CLIMBED?' WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"
"I GOT HOT!" Nerga shouts.
"SO YOU CLIMBED TO THE FUCKING RAFTERS?" Lavender shouts back. He's throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"THE AIR CONDITIONING IS UP HERE!" Nerga yells.
"I…" he takes another breath, and continues, "Where's the rope?"
There's a second of silence.
"It got burnt?" Nerga says. By now I've looked up and can faintly make out a figure clinging to a beam.
Lavender speaks in an eerily calm tone, "What do you mean 'the rope burnt,' Nerga?"
"I gave it to a fighter because they paid extra?" she replies.
The sound of a metal boot slamming into the ground and chainmail rattling can be heard. Lavender is currently trembling with rage that's quite palpable. "Jump down from the fucking ceiling, Nerga. Please." he says, absolutely seething.
"I can't."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU CAN'T!?'"
"I JUST CAN'T!" Nerga yells.
"HOW DID YOU EVEN GET UP THERE!?" Lavender shouts.
"I TOLD YOU, I CLIMBED!" she shouts in response.
"THEN CLIMB BACK DOWN!"
"I CAN'T! I DON'T KNOW HOW I GOT UP HERE!" she yells.
"YOU FUCKING LIZARD! I'm coming up there." Lavender says, looking around for… a way up, I'm guessing.
As silence befalls the room, I can hear someone whisper, "Will The Devourer kill The Tincan over this?"
Someone whispers back, "They're bickering like siblings, he'll be alright."
I can faintly hear Lavender say, "Godsdamn it, I found the claw marks. I'm coming up." I then hear the sounds of rattling, scraping, and swearing. I look up and see Lavender balancing on the support beams. I can hear his voice ring out, "I'm here! Take my fucking hand!"
Nerga replies, and I think I can see her shake her head, "I can't! I'm scared!"
"You've been shot through the liver and lived, but the height scares you? FUCKING LIZARD!"
"You're one too!" she says.
"At least I don't climb to places I can't get down from!" Lavender says. I guess they're both lizard faunus of some kind. That makes the whole bowling alley thing even worse, honestly. "Take my hand, or I'm going to break this fucking support beam with both of us on it, Nerga."
"Fine! Fine! Just don't do that, please…" she pleads.
A minute or so later, they're both on the ground and walking over. The process seemed akin to pulling teeth for Lavender, as his grumbling was audible the entire time. Eventually, though, they get down and walk over to us. "Alright, so these are the customers I brought us."
So, as for what Nerga looks like, she's wearing something that you'd probably see on a pimp? The coat, anyways. She's wearing a sports bra, a knee length skirt, and a large, fluffy, hot pink overcoat. There's some bone spikes poking out of her body, covering her stomach and I think her back. There's also a large amount covering her legs. Nerga's skin pretty dark, and she currently has a hand on her hip. Her hair starts off with white highlights, then to grey, and finally to black as it moves further backwards. Her eyes are dark, almost a black color. She's also sporting a tail that looks lizard-like in nature, covered in spikes. To round off her appearance there's also two black horns on her head with a metallic sheen.
"Did they see-" Nerga starts.
"Yup. Quit climbing the fucking rafters."
Nerga shakes her head, and responds, "No."
"Fine. You do this to yourself." Lavender says, crossing his arms. "So, this one, in the armor is… Wait. What's your fucking names?"
"You brought them here without asking for their names?" Nerga asks, blinking slowly. Lavender shrugs.
"Oh shit, good point. I'm Doge. Hoodie and sneakers is Lukas." I say.
"I didn't even notice his sneakers until you mentioned it. Why did you even call that out? What's wrong with you?" Lavender asks.
"Want a list?" Lukas asks.
I elbow him and speak, "Jackass."
"Ah, so they're either friends or siblings. Perfect. Speaking of, this is Nerga, my-" Lavender is cut off by Nerga.
"Don't you fucking say it." Nerga says through gritted teeth.
"…my sister, Nerga."
"Not actually." Nerga butts in.
"Yeah, whatever, we're close enough." Lavender says. "That being said, Nerga, go ahead and do your business spiel. I'm gonna go sign up for a fight, I need some cash."
"You always need some cash." Nerga says, rolling her eyes.
"Shut up. I don't run a business. I'm a bounty hunter who will probably die alone. We've been over this." Lavender says, walking off.
"Damn." I say.
"Just the truth of it." he says over his shoulder. Soon enough, he's out of sight.
"So, uh, you guys wanna fight?" Nerga asks.
"What?" Lukas asks.
"Oh, no, not me. Not unless you pay good money for that. No, I mean like one of the lower tier fighters." Nerga continues.
Lukas turns to me, smirking. "What do you say, Embers? Want to make a few lien?" he says.
"We don't need the money, Sparky. Well, I don't, but you can knock yourself out. I'd watch it." I say.
"Well aren't you just confident, Tincan Two." Nerga says, gesturing to my armor.
"I don't even wear that much armor!" I say.
"Ya still wear it, and it makes you look weird." she shrugs. "You don't even cover that much of yourself."
"I protect the vitals, and leave the rest open for maneuverability." I say.
"Thats cool and all, but Tincan covers more, and is probably more flexible too." she says.
"Don't doubt it." I say, and shrug back.
"Anyways, that being said…" she clears her throat, and continues, "You guys wanna fight? You'll need to give a down payment of course. There's three, well, four levels. Low, mid, high, and max. They cost more to enter, and you get better rewards for each. Be warned, though, max is expensive, and you'd be fighting against the best of the best. Me, my brother Tincan, or one of the three others we allowed to be in this tier. If they're here, that is."
"Fun. So, Lukas, gonna try?" I ask.
Nerga looks over at Lukas, and her focus deepens.
"No." he says bluntly. "This doesn't seem like something I would come out of alive."
"Aww, c'mooooon... You only die if you don't scream loud enough to surrender..." Nerga whines.
"Yeah, see, that's exactly what I'm talking about." Lukas says.
"C'mon, sign up for a low tier fight! I'll even throw in a discount for the down payment. Fifty percent off!" Nerga pleads. "Oh, quick disclaimer, no weapons. Everything else goes."
Lukas sighs, and shoves a sheathed Solace against my chest. "I trust you with this more than them." He then flips his revolver, and hands that to me too. I holster it, and nod.
"Ha! Fair!" Nerga laughs.
Lukas starts to take the baton out of this hoodie pocket too. He throws it over his shoulder, and I snag it out of the air.
"Terrible throw, jackass." I say, putting the knife on my hip.
"Still caught it." Lukas says.
"Fuck you." I say, slipping the baton into my belt. I watch as Lukas is led to a table, with several papers spread across it. Nerga's arm is around Lukas' shoulder, and she's not so subtly squeezing his shoulder. I snicker as Lukas' fist clenches, and a few sparks fall onto the floor. A buzzing sound can faintly be heard. Nerga looks down in the direction of the humming sound, and lets go. She's still close to him, however.
"Point proven." she says, laughing. "Now, about this discount, you'd have to pay fifty normally, but you only have to pay twenty five due to the on the house discount, you're welcome by the way.
Now, if you want more bang for your buck, you can sign up for a higher level and-"
Lukas cuts her off, "No."
"Aww, c'mon. It's only an extra twenty five lien 'cause I'm cutting it in half for you. You'd be winning five hundred lien, and-" Nerga starts, before Lukas shuts her down again.
"Two hundred is fine, thank you. Low tier is my final answer."
"Alright, alright. I'll respect it, I respect it. This is the only time you're getting the discount, though. So, you want low-low, low-mid, or low-high?"
"Of course there's fucking sub tiers…" Lukas mutters. He then speaks up, "Low-mid."
Nerga then walks over to someone, and after a minute comes back, smiling. "So, you're gonna go to room fourteen. There's gonna be a guy for you to fight, and people will start filling up the stands. Oh, and you need a name. What should I call you?"
"Sparky!" I say, snickering.
"Sparkplug it is!" Nerga exclaims.
Lukas sighs. In the distance, I can hear a faint voice, "That's another win for The Tincan! Don't know what that fucking loser was thinking trying to challenge a max!"
I can then hear Lavender yell, "STOP TRYING TO FLIRT WITH MY SISTER!"
Nerga sighs, and mutters something about "another one." Well, guess he's getting paid. Good for him. Lukas walks away, and Nerga turns to me. "Alright, Tincan Two, since you don't want to fight like a loser, I need to place you in a category arbitrarily. Take off your top."
"I'm fucking sorry?" I ask.
"Take off your top. I have to categorize you." she says.
Lavender turns the corner, and sighs. "Did she say the thing?"
"The thing?" I ask.
"Is she trying to categorize you?" he asks.
"I… uh… I… uh… I-I think?" I stammer.
"Did she ask you to take off your top?" he asks.
"Y-yeah…" I nod while speaking.
"It's just a categorization thing. Do you know your max bench or squat?" he asks.
"No…"
"Fucking Beacon students. Ok, uhh…" He looks around the room. "Yo! Gimme your shield!" he shouts, and yanks a shield from someone. "I'll pay you back if it breaks!" Lavender then turns to me again. "Alright, punch it as hard as you can. No semblances."
"No shit." I say, cracking my knuckles.
"You'd be amazed at what you have to explain to people." he says.
I then punch the shield as hard as I can, as instructed. There's a nice dent in the shield now, and I shake my fist. Lavender looks at the shield, at me, and at Nerga. He then hands it back. "There you go."
"You said you'd pay me back!" the owner of the now damaged shield says.
"Just buff it out, dumbass. It's not broke!" Lavender says.
Nerga looks between me and the shield. "So mid-high to high-low. That guy's a high-mid, and that shield has tanked some stuff before. Damage wasn't excessive, so the rating gets lowered. You'll be fine, though." She claps her hands together, "Aight, let's go watch your brother."
I nod, and follow her to where Lukas is. He's fighting a shirtless guy with a dragon tattoo who looks like he gets into fights over the absolute dumbest shit. All brawn, absolutely no brains. Lukas should have that so long as he doesn't get cocky. Wait…
"Oh no! Tattoos! My only weakness!" Lukas says, laughing to himself.
The guy responds, "Wait? Really?" he starts laughing. "You're dead little man."
"What? No… Yeah. Totally." Lukas says.
"This is why it's low tier." Nerga sighs.
All of a sudden I get a text from… Yang?
…
Five Minutes Earlier
Levi is standing in front of the bowling alley, on the phone with Yang. She's currently shouting at him, "So they went to a fighting club, and you wanted to stay bowling!?"
"Yeah, cause, uh, I wanted to bowl." he says.
"You're so stupid. I… We're going to the fight club. I'm on the way." she says.
"Ok."
"Where are you right now?" she asks.
Levi responds proudly, "The bowling alley."
"Yes. Good job. WHERE? WHERE IS THE BOWLING ALLEY?" she asks.
"Do you want me to send you my location?" Levi asks, looking around.
"Yes. Please." Yang sighs.
"Ok… There."
"Alright. I'm going to figure out where they are, and then I'm coming to get you. If anyone tries to talk to you, say, 'No thank you.' Got it?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Perfect."
…
Lukas has been weaving the fuck out of this guy for the past several minutes. He keeps shocking him, and the guy seems confused. "I thought tattoos were your weakness?" he shouts.
"They sure are. Just keep going, I'm sure they'll start draining me soon enough." Lukas says.
Someone yells at him, "Maybe if you rub one of the tattoos against him he'll fall over and die!" The onlooker loudly laughs.
"That's a good idea!" the dumbass says. He seems to have a newfound determination. He's so fucking stupid. I just slam my head into the railing, and sigh. I fucking hate it here.
All of a sudden there's a commotion of sorts behind me, and I turn to see, I'm sure you guessed it, Yang and Levi walking in. Yang's got this dumbass smile on her face that just screams trouble, and Nerga's eyes widen. "Hey! Wait a fucking second! You're that blonde bitch that Junior warned me about, aren't you?" Nerga asks.
Yang shrugs, and walks over anyway. "I'm just here to watch a few fights. I don't want to blow anything up, I promise. I'm a changed woman!" she explains. I just decide that that situation will sort itself out, and I turn back to the fight. I apparently missed something, as the meat head is laying on the ground, and Lukas is sitting on his chest.
"I almost won, too…" the dazed man mutters.
"Oh, yeah, so close. Truly made me break a sweat, bud." Lukas says. He pats the guy's shoulder and stands up, walking out of the ring. Truly one of, if not the, fights of all time. All the while a remix of "Bubblegum Bitch" is playing in the background. Truly a moment in history. What a place this is, huh?
Oh. Oh wait. Yang, Lukas, and Levi can use this as ammo against me. Probably spin this whole thing on its head, and have Blake get mad at me… Actually, would they really do that? Would they intentionally try to get their friend in trouble with their spouse just for funsies?
…
…
…
Yeah, without a fucking doubt. We're all that breed of asshole. Ok, well, now I have to figure out how to… I own a scroll. I text her before they do, and the blow's softened. The text I send Blake reads as follows: "Hey, Honey! So, one thing led to another, and we ended up watching some fights in a legal fighting club. It's a neat place, the owner's chill. She was kinda hitting on Lukas, which was kinda funny. Just wanted to let you know where I was in case you wanted to know, or whatever. Love you!"
Perfect. I'm now taking accountability for my actions in advance, by ratting on myself. I'm a genius. Foolproof plan. I then get a notification, and check it.
Blake's Text: "You're fucking what?"
Fuck. It was nice knowing you guys.
Sup gamers. So, this chapter has been labeled the "Yapter" by my friends/beta readers. I really hope you're a fan of my dialogue, because that was the majority of this 6.5k word mess.
On the note of messes, uh, I fucked up. Ok, wait, that makes it seem like I did something bad. Well, I did, but not in the actual way. You see, in some sleep deprived manic episode or whatever the fuck, I wrote a whole chapter around something that needed two chapters of filler to make sense. Why? I don't really know. That's Chapter Twelve, so, yeah. This chapter is meaty by my standards, but honestly, I'm going to shoot for higher and higher word counts as time goes on, so you're not waiting a week or two for five minutes of reading. I'm learning what works and what doesn't as I write, and I'm sure anyone who's been here since Chapter One can tell.
That being said, while this chapter is nice and meaty, Chapter Eleven is probably going to be some fluff, and shorter than average. Trust me, though, as Chapter Twelve is looking solid so far, but I'm not letting myself work on it until I write Eleven.
For starters, I've never mentioned anything that happens in the story in these notes, but I feel a bit obligated to do this. Passive Aura is going to be delved into much further past that, and so will the characters who have it. That isn't a one time thing, I promise. It's something one of my friends came up with, and the idea is fascinating to me, so... yeah.
Now, guess what I'm about to say? One to two weeks. You know the drill by now, my adorable little soda cans. Now, there is a chance that it might have to be upped to three weeks if the writing process goes really bad, but I wouldn't worry about that. It's going to just be nice and sweet, and nothing bad will happen.
As always, thanks for reading! I'm going take a nap.