I wanted to release this chapter last week but I got lazy with editing the drafts, which I finished two days after the week was over and could have uploaded it then but I decided to just upload this day instead. That way I could have more time to write the next chapter hehe.
In other news, I've taken up a medical diet for my fatty liver disease. It's a bit harder than I thought but manageable. Though, I'm fucking devastated by the ban on tea, and Green Tea just isn't the same… I'm also worried about how the diet will affect my bodybuilding with the lack of calories, but I need this diet since even months of exercise has barely done shit for my fat gut and I want to lose it in two months before I start college. So, Imma try to be really strict with myself.
… But maybe tea once a day wouldn't hurt…
Chapter 11: Relationships of a Sword
The morning sun began rising as it dyes Remnant in red.
Well, at least in this particular part of the world filled with trees. And one person was using this opportunity to take pictures with her camera.
Velvet Scarlatina, a second-year student of Beacon. She was currently wearing casual clothes and her long hair and eyes were coloured brown. With white skin, she stood at around 5"6' but her height was raised if you counted the brown rabbit ears on top of her head despite having human ears.
"Hmm, not quite it," Velvet mumbled to herself with a frown as she checked her camera. "I reckon a place with better lighting would give it more life, because this is killing me." She giggled, "Fox would have loved that joke."
Velvet started moving while keeping an eye out for a good spot. "A komorebi picture would be nice," She said.
Suddenly, her rabbit ears twitched, "What was that?" Hesitating for only a second, she moved towards the source of the sound. "They never said anything about curiosity killing rabbits. Heh, Fox would have liked that one too."
Seconds later, Velvet saw the sight that she had been searching for. Light pierced through gaps in the tree leaves, lighting the grassy area in orange-red. Perfect for the komorebi picture she wanted.
Although someone was currently occupying the spot which made Velvet hide behind a tree.
She peered to the side to get a look at the person. It was a short boy with light silver hair in a peculiar style, swinging a sword.
He was also shirtless.
A light blush coloured Velvet's cheeks but she couldn't help but keep looking. The guy was certainly muscular but Velvet was a Huntress-in-training so she's seen plenty of muscular people. Heck, she was fairly fit herself.
But the location made him look… beautiful.
Surrounded by nature and illuminated in a reddish hue, the boy danced with his sword. Mesmerising Velvet and making her gulp. She used Aura on her eyes to leer— uh, to get a better look.
Now that Velvet got a good view of him, she vaguely recognised him from the first History class of this year. The first thing she noticed then and now was that he had a pretty girly face, his eyelashes were even longer than hers. Though he had his eyes closed for some reason.
Then Velvet looked a little lower and noted the glistening sweat on his ripped torso.
Velvet turned around so that she was now fully behind the tree with her back against it. With thinned lips and curled rabbit ears, Velvet looked left and right as if she wondered if anyone was watching her. Then she moved out of the tree's cover in a kneeling position and brought her camera up as she started taking pictures.
Hmm, not bad. not bad at all, Velvet thought with her rabbit ears slowly flapping. She had to time her shots for the lapse in the boy's motions - which were oddly few - to get the best images. His movements are quite intense and aggressive, She noted in her mind. When Yatsuhashi swings his sword, he's more slow and deliberate. Maybe it's because of his huge sword but I've seen videos of normal katana users move like him. Their swordplay always seem like some sort of ritual.
The peace and quiet of the area emphasised the singing of the sword as it tore through the air. It was shrill yet oddly pleasant but it came to an abrupt end when the boy released his stance and relaxed himself.
Through the lens of the camera, Velvet saw the boy open his eyes and look directly at her.
"Can I help you?" He asked.
Velvet shrieked and almost dropped her camera. She turned, stood and ran, all in the same motion with the swiftness of a Huntress-in-training.
Why am I running?! Velvet thought frantically. I look so suspicious right now. I mean, I reckon I did take pictures of someone half-naked without their consent, but… Ahhh! What was I thinking?!
Blackout
Velvet shivered as she skidded to a stop.
"Oi," The silver-haired boy suddenly walked out of a tree ahead of her. "At least explain yourself or I'm going to be left thinking you're a pervert. Especially since you've been spying on me." He let his blade lean on his shoulder and a silvery white haori hung on his pocketed arm.
A red-faced Velvet spluttered. "I-I-I… was just taking pictures!" She almost shrieked.
"Of me?" He raised a brow. "Well, I'm not sure how that doesn't make you a pervert. In fact, I believe it does the opposite."
"Ah! No! That's not—! Okay, I was taking pictures of you but, but, but…" Velvet felt like her brain was overheating and going haywire. "It was because of your swordsmanship!"
"Eh?" Red eyes went wide.
"Y-Yeah!" She awkwardly smiled. "Your swordplay was really uh engaging to watch."
"Oh. Really?" He scratched one of his slightly red cheeks.
Velvet nodded frantically. "And the place you were in made you look really amazing so I couldn't help but take some pictures. I knew I should have asked for permission but… I'm sorry..." She said that with a slower tone as her rabbit ears dropped.
"Ah, it's fine. Don't worry about it." He lightly laughed, "I suppose calling you a pervert is kind of hypocritical when I'm the one who's shirtless out here."
Velvet gave an incredibly awkward laugh. "T-There's nothing really perverted with that, I think." Her eyes unconsciously trailed down his front. Then she cupped both of her cheeks with a slap and forced her eyes back up.
The boy laughed. "Yeah, maybe. Still, I should make myself decent." He sheathed his sword on his hip and put his haori on, though it had no buttons to close the front so a bit of his torso was still exposed. "Also, thank you for the compliments on my swordsmanship. I'm Gin Suzume," He introduced himself with a smile and a light bow.
"Um hello, I'm Velvet Scarlatina," She gave a little wave. "So uh. Do you want me to delete the pictures?" She scratched her cheek and looked away.
"No no no," said Gin with a hand wave. "It's perfectly fine. Though, do you mind if I take a look?"
Velvet tried her best to not grimace. "N-No, of course not." She slowly handed him her camera.
Gin took it and went through the pictures taken of him. "Damn… I look good," He said with slightly wide eyes. "You're awesome at this. Do you study Photography or something?"
That seem to have made her smile. "No, not really," Velvet said while clasping her hands in front of her thighs with a shy expression. "It's just a hobby of mine."
"Do you mind if I see your other pictures?" He asked. "I'm just genuinely awed by these."
"O-oh. Uh go ahead, I don't mind."
Gin proceeded to check the other pictures with various impressed expressions.
"Hey uh… do you enjoy Photography too?" Velvet suddenly asked with some hesitation.
"I do, occasionally. I like it because pictures can fit a whole scenery in a small frame. Nice for someone like me who's…" Gin hesitated as he thought, Wait. What if she gets repelled if I bring it up… Wait, when did I ever give a shit about that? Women like that aren't worth it anyway. "Who's legally blind," He finished. "But I can still see with my central vision if I use Aura on it."
"Oh," Velvet seemed surprised. "Is it Retinitis Pigmentosa? Or Glaucoma?"
It was Gin's turn to seem surprised. "The former."
"Ahhh," She nodded, mostly to herself.
Gin chuckled, "Most people usually don't even know blindness is a spectrum, let alone about the different diseases."
She scratched her hair, "Ah, well, one of my teammates is actually blind too. He's completely blind though, from cataracts and he's told me about his condition and blindness in general sometimes."
"Ohhh. I've heard of another blind student here. Fox Alistair, right?"
Velvet's rabbit ears straightened and she smiled widely, "Yeah! We're Team Coffee or CFVY. And hey, another teammate is Mistrali like you too. Yatsuhashi Daichi. He uses a sword, but a giant one."
"That's interesting," Gin stroked his chin. "I wonder what your last teammate's like?"
"Coco Adel. She's our team leader and she's…" Velvet snorted, "Let's just say that she's special."
Gin chuckled and tilted his head, "You're entire team sounds pretty special."
Velvet giggled, "Yeah. I guess we are."
/-/
"What!?" Jaune yelled. "Roman is blackmailing you!?"
"I'm blind, not deaf you dumb dog," said Gin while picking his ears with a displeased expression.
The two friends were currently behind some building. Jaune obviously looked agitated at the news, a contrast to Gin who just leisurely leaned against the wall.
"Are you for real right now? This is fucking serious, man," Jaune ran his hands through his hair.
"Exactly. Which is why we need to be calm about it. Panicking won't provide any good solutions," Gin reasoned.
Jaune pursed his lips and grabbed his face with both hands. "You're right," He let his hands down as he took a deep breath. "Kinda irks me though that I'm getting lectured on calmness by you."
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm always calm and collected."
"Oh really? What about that time you fucking cut Yang just cause she punched you?"
Gin frowned hard, "That is an entirely different thing. Besides, I WAS calm and collected. I was angry, yes. But I didn't let my anger blind me. Heh, pun unintended this time."
Jaune sighed, "Okay whatever. Just… what are we going to do, man?"
"The solution is simple."
Jaune's eyes went wide, "What? Really?"
"Yeah. I just need to kill Roman Torchwick."
The blonde's eyes went wider, "What the fuck is—!?"
"Wait!" Gin held out a hand and interrupted his tirade. "Just listen first."
Jaune didn't look like he wanted to and would rather reprimand the dumb bastard. But he managed to control himself and just rubbed his eyes.
Gin must have taken his silence as agreement because he continued, "Alright. So the solution is simple but the equation is what's hard. Roman has an accomplice, maybe multiple, who apparently have the proof of the forgery too in case something happens to him. Though, I'm worried even without the proof that just an anonymous tip might make Beacon double-check our transcripts or something. So, I might need to kill the accomplices as well. But unfortunately, I don't know who they are so I'll try to flush them out. For now, I'll cooperate with Roman and make him think I can be trusted. Then I'll have my chance to end him."
The intensity at which Jaune rubbed his eyes grew stronger after every word and it was probably painful but it looked like listening to Gin was causing him more suffering. "Are you even listening to yourself right now? I know you think you're too cool to care about shit, but this is actual fucking murder you're talking about, man."
"I know. But it's Roman Torchwick, a criminal lowlife. The world would probably thank me for getting rid of him."
"But still… I don't want you to become a murderer…"
"Thanks, man," said Gin with closed eyes and a smile. "But, becoming murderers is probably inevitable if we're going to be Huntsmen. Think about it, there are bound to be rogue Huntsmen or at least criminal Aura users who normal cops can't contain. We've even met a few. And their kind will exist beyond the cities too. Who do you think will be called to deal with them?"
"… Huntsmen, I guess," Jaune realised. "But there could be some special forces to deal with rogue Huntsmen."
"Hmm. I've never heard of them but you make a good point. But, I still think regular Huntsmen will be called in to deal with them. Plus, there will be some situations in Huntsmen career where life or death fights are unavoidable." Gin looked at him, "I never asked, but I'm certain that Mr Arc has taken some lives himself."
Jaune looked away and scratched his head.
"I'll be honest though," Gin continued. "I'm not actually sure if I can go through with it."
"Huh?" Jaune looked back at him in surprise.
"Well, I'm not stupid or edgy enough to think I can kill someone without a second thought."
"But you ARE stupid and edgy enough to suggest it," Jaune pointed out.
"Shut up. I know what I said and I stand by them," said Gin. "But… there's always the possibility that I might lose the nerve when I'm actually facing the chance to murder someone, even though it'll be someone like Roman."
"Yeah, exactly!" said Jaune. "And like, if you actually did murder them, maybe you'd regret it so much you would feel sick and shit."
"Or worse," said Gin. "I enjoy it."
. . .
Jaune's face scrunched up. "That's…"
"A possibility," Gin interrupted. "It happens to a lot of people like us. Warriors, that is. Pleasure from being the victor in a fight to the death. You've felt that feeling against Grimm too haven't you?"
Jaune's lips twisted.
"I'm not fond of the possibility but I won't care if it becomes reality," Gin declared. "It's not like it will change me. I'm a Swordsman, not a sick serial killer."
"… There has to be another way," Jaune said, almost desperately.
Gin closed his eyes and faced the sky, "I'm afraid I can't think of another one where we won't go to prison."
"Then maybe we should just turn ourselves in?" Jaune suggested. "That way, our sentence will at least be lighter."
"Not an option," Gin denied instantly.
"Gods dammit," Jaune pressed his hands against his face.
. . .
"This is all my fault."
"Huuhh?" Gin's face twisted in sheer disbelief at what Jaune just said.
"... I'm the one who dragged you here to Beacon and made us get forgeries. I'm the reason why you're in this situation," Both sentences were punctuated by the tightening of Jaune's grip on his face.
. . .
Gin got off the wall with a sigh and rubbed his neck.
Aura Realm
Jaune quickly drew Crocea Mors and blocked the Iai-Slash of Steel Seer as the two blades clinched and formed an X.
"What the fuck?!" Jaune yelled while he held against the reverse-gripped katana.
"Did you forget what we told Lizzy when she said it would be her fault if we got into trouble?" Gin asked while pushing against the double-edged sword. "We told her that we are responsible for our own actions. So why the fuck are you trying to take responsibility for mine?" He broke the clinch by twisting Steel Seer's spine into Jaune's right forearm.
But Jaune released his sword and caught it with his left hand. Then his freed right hand potently shoved Gin away but the guy managed to balance himself with footwork.
"Do you think I can't take responsibility for it myself?" Gin pointed his right index at him while still holding his sword. "My faults and mistakes are my own, and yours are yours. So don't get greedy and try to steal mine, you blonde dog." Despite his harsh words, Gin's expression was rather passive and calm.
Jaune stared for a few seconds.
Then he finally released his stiff expression along with a sigh, "Okay… you're right," Jaune admitted.
"But did you have to attack me just to say that?"
"I needed to beat the bitch out of you," Gin claimed while sheathing his sword in his usual fancy manner.
Jaune stared again, this time with an annoyed frown as he considered getting revenge and attacking the little bastard. But he stopped himself with a sigh and sheathed his sword in more a simple manner.
As if following the sigh, Gin let out a big yawn that would have exposed the contents of his mouth if it wasn't for his fist covering it.
"Hey, did you get any sleep last night?" Jaune asked.
"No," Gin moved to lean on the wall again and folded his arms inside the sleeves of his haori. "I got back to my dorm at around three or so. I tried to sleep but I was too pissed so I went out and started my morning routine earlier than usual."
"Is that why you're shirtless? Cause you forgot your shirt in a hurry?"
"Sort of," He shrugged. "Oh, that reminds me, I met this cute girl this morning."
"Uh, okay?" Jaune sounded confused.
"I'm going to try and ask her out," said Gin with a smile.
"For real?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah. I like her. Her assets are average but she has a really cute voice and accent. Along with a pleasant personality and smell. Plus, she doesn't seem to mind that I'm blind. Apparently, her teammate is that other blind guy we heard about."
"Oh, well that's cool." Jaune scratched his head, "But, is this really the time for that? What about Roman?"
Gin stared ahead at nothing in particular. He moved his lips, seemingly contemplating something.
"... Actually, I think you don't have to worry about it," Gin finally said. "I'll deal with it myself."
"Huh?!" This time, it was Jaune whose face twisted in disbelief.
"Yeah," Gin pushed off the wall and rubbed his head. "Roman doesn't want you involved, he told me not to tell you anything but I did it anyway. Besides, we only told him about the healing part of your semblance, which is a good ability but I doubt he'd want you involved just for that. It's for the best, you don't need to be a part of my mess. "
"… Are you fucking with me right now?"
"No, I'm serious. I brought this upon myself so I'll clean it myself." He yawned into his fist again, "Anyway, I'm going to get some sleep. I'll see you later."
"Wait wait, wait," Jaune waved his hand quickly. But Gin started walking off anyway so his hand switched gears and moved to grab Gin's shoulder, "Dude, seriously wait—"
Blackout
His hand grabbed nothing but air as Gin was nowhere to be seen.
"… Son of a bitch."
/-/
"For fuck's sakes," said an exasperated Cardin. "Fix your damn beds already, and do it properly. You guys should always do that when it gets crinkled."
"Fuckin' hell boss, I said I'll do it later," Russel complained.
"You said that yesterday!"
"Why do you even care about OUR beds?" Sky grumbled. "You sound like my damn mom."
"Because it looks ugly and makes the rest of the room look sloppy with it. So fucking do it," Cardin crossed his arms and glared which made the two finally fix their beds.
The door to Team CLGR's dorm room opened to allow a certain individual to walk in.
"Yooo, Gin!" Russel greeted with a raised hand.
"What took you so long?" Cardin asked with raised brows. "You texted that you'll be back late but not this late.
"Your clothes are different from last night," Sky pointed out. "Did you get back when we were asleep?"
"Yeah, I got back at around three," Gin confirmed as he walked towards his bed. "I tried to sleep but couldn't so I went out to swing my sword earlier than usual." He yawned into a fist while letting his weapon lean on the top rail of his bed. "I'm dead tired so I'll be sleeping the whole morning."
"What about breakfast?" Cardin asked.
Gin paused in the middle of taking off his haori. "… I want to say I'll skip it but my stomach will violently disagree." He sighed, "I'll sleep after breakfast then." He put his haori back on. "What time is it?"
"Seven," Sky supplied to which Gin nodded and sat down on his bed. "Are you going to the cafeteria shirtless?" He asked.
"Oh right," Gin realised and moved to put a shirt on.
"Hey Gin," Cardin started. "Did you fix your bed again before you went out in the morning?"
"Well, yeah."
"See, Gin fixes his bed even in the dead of morning," Cardin praised. "It's not that fucking hard."
"Cope and seethe," said Sky.
"Maaan, not that I don't get why you need to sleep mate, but I really wanted us to go out today," said Russel dejectedly.
"You guys can go without me," Gin suggested.
"Naww. It's not fun without the whole mandem," Russel stated as if that was the obvious thing in the world.
Gin just shrugged at that.
"Hey, then why don't we all just go out at night?" Cardin suggested. "We could all go clubbing."
Gin's lips twisted, "I don't want to go anywhere near a club for a while."
"Does it have something to do with last night?" Cardin asked. "You were pretty vague about it in the group chat."
"Yeah. I had to uhh help out at a nightclub. I owe something to some shitheel," he slightly growled the word, "and he's taking advantage of that to make me work for him."
Sky raised a brow. "I thought he was your friend and it was some private business."
"I take back what I said about him being a friend," Gin said flatly. "And it IS private but I guess you shits have wormed your way into my heart. That or I'm just too tired to care right now."
"Ayeee," Russel sent him a wink with a finger gun.
"Wait," said Cardin. "This guy you owe, does it have something to do with gambling?"
Gin shrugged his shoulders, "I guess."
Cardin snorted and laugh, "I figured you were a bit of a gambler but I didn't think you'd have a gambling problem."
"I don't," Gin corrected. "I don't even necessarily like gambling and I'll never bet a large sum of money on anything. Winning is what I really love. It doesn't even have to be gambling and can be pretty much anything."
They laughed at that. Afterwards, Team CLGR went to the cafeteria early to be the first ones there so Gin could sleep as soon as possible.
"Also, I'm trying to avoid Jaune so heads up for that," Gin announced casually while they walked.
"Heh, you had a fight with your boyfriend?" Cardin asked with a smirk.
"Sure, why not."
"Ight, so you want us to keep him away from you or something?" Russel asked.
"No need," said Gin. "Just… don't make a big deal out of it, I suppose."
His team gave their agreements and they decided to leave it at that without prying. A gesture that Gin appreciated.
Fortunately, Gin didn't see Jaune at the cafeteria as he ate as quickly as possible. Allowing him to go back to their dorm and hit the hay. Though, he tried convincing his teammates to go out without him first and he only managed to succeed after a LOT of prodding. And so, he was finally free to sleep for almost all day.
/-/
Some time in the afternoon.
"Oi, asshole," Jaune growled with his arms crossed. "Did you seriously block me?"
"No," Gin denied while doing muscle ups on the pull-up bar of Beacon's Gym.
"Yes, you did." Jaune took out his scroll and showed it to him, "Look!"
"Dude, I'm blind."
"When?"
Gin wrinkled his brows, "The hell do you mean 'when'?"
"When did I ask?"
"… Fuck you."
"Fuck you," Jaune returned. "And have you been avoiding me all day?"
"Of course not," Gin lied.
"Then where were you? I tried knocking on your team's door but no one answered. Someone said your team went out."
"Yeah, I told them to go out without me while I just slept in our room all day."
Jaune was slightly surprised. "That's even longer than when you usually sleep at night…"
Gin shrugged from the top of a muscle up, "Yeah, I guess."
Jaune faced the floor and scratched his head.
He opened his mouth but hesitated as he looked around, at the other people in the gym.
"Hey, so about… you know what," Jaune finally brought it up.
"Yeah, what about it?"
Jaune glared, "You know exactly what I mean."
Gin dropped from the bar after one more rep and rolled his brawny arms.
"Like I said, I'll deal with it myself."
"And you expect me to just sit back and do nothing while you get yourself into more trouble?"
"Yeah."
"Fuck that AND you." Jaune crossed his arms, "The next time Ro—" Jaune stopped himself and looked around again. "The next time he calls for you, I'm coming with you."
. . .
"Ugh, fine," Gin sighed. "I'll take you with me next time."
Jaune seem surprised for a moment. Then his face lit up with a smile that was almost as bright as his blonde hair.
"Thanks, man," He said with an honest look. "I just… I really want to help."
Gin paused for a second before he turned away and rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, I know," He said. "Anyway, the guy said there'll be nothing tonight. Apparently, he can't do the 'thing' consecutively since it's not safe."
"I get it," Jaune nodded.
"I'll let you know when he calls for me."
"Yeah, I'll be ready whenever," said Jaune with a resolute face.
"Well anyway, I still got some sets left and other exercises to do," Gin turned around. "Want to join me?" He asked with a beckoning gesture.
"Hell yeah!"
/-/
The next day.
Team CLGR decided to spend the second holiday of their first term by going out with the entire team this time. So, the 4 of them were currently in some street wearing their casual clothes despite keeping their weapons with them.
"Alright! Let's fuckin' wreck this city!" Russel pumped both fists high up into the air with a grin. He wore a dark green tank top that was loose enough to reveal his toned pecs. His lower half consisted of black sandals and brown cargo pants that only reached his shins. Shortwings were kept in the armpit holsters under his loose tank top.
"Yeh," said Sky less enthusiastically with a fist raised only partially. His outfit was a short-sleeved button shirt that was blue and opened to show the white T-shirt underneath. For pants, he wore a black one and his sneakers were dark blue. He was the only one without his weapon.
"So Gin, you're not from the city right?" Cardin asked while wearing a brown sweater that clung to his buff torso. With dark red jeans and black boots, he was also adorned with extra accessories like a black and gold watch and a silver chain necklace. The Executioner was fastened head-up to his belt.
"Yeah, though I've visited once or twice with my parents," Gin's light-sensitive eyes were more or less protected by the hoodie of his opened black jacket over a red T-shirt. The long sleeves were pushed up and he also donned grey pants and red sneakers while carrying Steel Seer in one hand.
"Alright then," said Cardin. "Today, I'm going to show you the best places in this city to hang and have fun. I brought these two to some good ones yesterday but I saved the best ones for the whole team."
"Sounds too expensive. Something like a bowling alley is fine," Gin said.
"Don't be so boring. Think of today like a celebration for Team Cigar's first trip together," Cardin declared. "Everything will be on me so we can afford to waste a little money."
"Eh? You sure, boss?" Russel asked. "Don't get me wrong, that sounds fun as fuck but I don't wanna make you pay for the entire shit. A bowling alley is fun too—"
"Shhh!" Gin interrupted and roughly grabbed Russel's shoulder. "If our boss wants to be generous, then it'd be rude of us to refuse." He grinned at Cardin, "You have no more complaints from me."
Cardin laughed. "Glad to hear that. Then going to pubs at night is fine too, right?" He teased.
"Sure. I'm not going to drink any alcohol myself though."
"Getting drunk the day before class sounds like a bad idea," Sky remarked. "And not the fun kind."
"Yeah yeah, I was just kidding," Cardin rolled his eyes.
"By the way Cardin," Sky started. "If you're going to be our sugar daddy, then can you buy me some headphones?"
Cardin gave him a flat stare with his lower jaw jutting out.
"He'll suck your cock," Russel offered.
Sky hummed, "Well I guess I could, but then I'm going to ask for a gaming mouse too."
"Oi. Both of you shut the fuck up," Gin scolded. "Rile Cardin up AFTER we use his money."
"Wow. I knew I could count on you partner," Cardin deadpanned.
Gin winked, "Any time, brother."
Hence, the boys spent the rest of the day going to various places.
An arcade for the first spot. In the beginning, they were hesitant to go there because of Gin's condition until he reminded them that there were other games besides the digital. So, 3 of them played things like air hockey, whack-a-mole, holographic chess, etc. Meanwhile, Sky spent his time trying to get high scores on various video games because of his pride as a so-called "pro gamer". Though he took part with the rest of his team in the boxing machine. Gin did something unconventional and flashy by gently placing a palm on it and using his Aura Ripple to get a good score. Although, unsurprisingly Cardin easily beat it and got the highest in the team.
Then they spent some time at a bowling alley where they used their Aura to manipulate the bowling balls to get strikes. Gin had the highest score because he was the one with the best Aura control.
Afterwards, Gin suggested going to a gambling parlour and Cardin reluctantly agreed with the condition that everyone had to use their own money this time. Russel won the most money while Gin didn't win a single time even though that was almost statistically impossible.
In the afternoon around 3 PM, the boys decided to end their trip by eating at a good casual dining restaurant.
"Fuck, this place is packed," Russel commented.
Cardin's gaze travelled around the numerous busy tables until it landed on a particular one occupied by a group of teen guys chatting with each other.
"Yo, I found an empty table," Sky pointed at a spot. "Kinda dark though."
"No need." A smirk grew on Cardin's face, "There's a better one we can use." He leisurely strolled towards a particular direction and his teammates followed after shrugging at each other.
"Hey." A large hand invaded and landed on a table.
The group of teen guys looked up at the owner of that hand with confusion.
"Don't you guys know?" Cardin asked. "This table was already reserved for us."
His teammates looked surprised for a moment before Sky grinned, Gin let out a wry sigh and Russel laughed.
"Huh? Who the fuck are you?" One of the teen guys stood up and squared his shoulders with a glare. He had a shaved head and was the most buffed member of their group almost reaching Cardin's height.
"You better back the fuck off," He warned.
The other customers in the restaurant were now looking in their direction but Cardin was unfazed.
"Language bro, this is a public place," Cardin taunted.
"Are you retarded? I said fuck of—"
"M-Mark, wait!" A brown-haired guy stood up and held out a hand to stop his friend who looked back at him in confusion. "Look at their gear, they're Huntsmen," said the brown-haired guy.
Mark's eyes fell towards the mace on Cardin's hip that he didn't notice before.
Russel whistled and leaned an arm on Cardin's shoulder. "His eyes are up there mate," He pointed at Cardin's face while lifting the arm high enough to reveal his dagger through the sleeve's hole of his tank top.
Mark inched back despite baring his teeth at them in a scowl.
Cardin crossed his arms, Russel grinned and Sky had a smug smile while Gin seemed bored.
"L-Let's just go dude," said the brown-haired guy. "It's not worth it." The rest of the guys in their group looked at the confrontation with tense eyes but they remained sitting.
Mark finally looked away with an even harsher scowl before pocketing his hands and walking away while giving Team CLGR as wide a berth as possible. The rest of the group got up and followe—
"Hey, don't forget your stuff," Cardin gestured at the plates and cups with his chin.
When the group finally left with their things, Team CLGR nonchalantly took their seats.
Other patrons and the servers gave them disapproving looks but none spoke up.
"So that's why you guys brought your weapons?" Gin asked while pulling down his hood and letting Steel Seer lean on his shoulder.
"Duh. Why else do you think I'm carrying this heavy lunk?" Cardin placed The Executioner head-first on the floor like a post. "It sure as shit isn't because it matches my pants."
"True. Not that I can really tell if it matches your pants or not," Gin shrugged.
"For me, I didn't bring Feather's Edge not because it's clunky, but because my mere presence radiates pure alpha male energy," Sky claimed.
"Didn't ya say you were a Sigma male?" Russel teased.
"I am every kind of male."
"Even a beta male?" Cardin asked.
"Did I fucking stutter?"
They laughed at that and gave their orders to a waitress who had come over with a nervous smile. Thus, this flock of friends and comrades spent the rest of their time in the restaurant chatting, bantering and laughing. They even ate and drank in relative peace, sharing each other's orders and causing no further trouble. After all, the intent here was to take their minds off their troubles by enjoying each other's company. Something which made their meals taste even better.
"Oi boss, leave the tipping to the rest of us this time," Russel offered when they were done and about to leave.
"Yeah, it's the least we could do," Sky was already taking out his wallet.
Cardin let out a light laugh, "Okay, sure."
"What the fuck is tipping?" Gin asked.
They stared at him.
And Gin returned it without blinking.
Afterwards, they bought some extra Dusts - with the exception of Gin - at the store before they finally made their way back to Beacon.
"Something wrong, Gin?" Cardin asked.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Gin tilted his head.
"You were acting a little weird in that Dust shop."
. . .
"I guess I was just thinking about how much fun I had with you all," Gin claimed dryly.
"Awww," Russel slung an arm around Gin's shoulder. "Fuck mate, don't say shit like that outta nowhere. What if I get a boner?"
"You're already pitching a tent though," said Sky.
"For real?" Russel looked down. "No, I'm fuckin' not."
"I can't believe you actually looked down to check, dumbass," Sky burst out laughing.
"… Damn, you're right," Russel realised before he started laughing too.
And as usual, Cardin rolled his eyes at their homoerotic antics while Gin just joined in with his own laughter.
/-/
Inside a now familiar nightclub, Roman Torchwick sat on one of the couches of the upper levels. His feet were laid on the glass table and his arms over the couch while he smoked a cigar facing the ceiling.
Despite the numerous people enjoying themselves in this beautiful sanctuary of pleasure, the infamous thief was by his lonesome. His only companions were a glass of wine and a bundle of cloth that lay on one of the couches while music played and lights blared through the club. Roman didn't seem bothered by it from the relaxed expression on his face.
Besides, the solitary atmosphere was soon changed when a new presence appeared.
"Glad to see you made it on time," Roman remarked with a smile as he took the cigar out of his mouth.
"Evening," Gin greeted without bowing. He wore the same outfit when he last met the thief. "Can we get started immediately and be quick about it?"
"Why the hurry? Relax a little and have a drink," said Roman. "I know this place is a little noisy but isn't this the kind of atmosphere you kids like?"
"Maybe. But aren't you too old for this?"
"Old?" Roman sounded mildly offended. "I'm still in my prime, you brat."
"You're thirty-two though."
Roman sent him a dirty look. "So you can even pick up things like that too. Not fully accurate but it's a neat trick to have."
Gin just replied with a hum.
Taking a puff of his smoke, Roman gazed at him with a scrutinising eye. "You're a little different tonight. Well, you're still being a brat but… more polite about it.
"I'm hoping good behaviour will make your heart bleed and stop using a brat for your crimes. Maybe you'll even change your ways and redeemed yourself by becoming a superhero," said Gin with a painfully dry tone and a shoulder shrug.
Roman laughed for a good few seconds.
"Yeah, that sounds like a nice idea. You could even be my sidekick," Roman suggested. "That way, I'll stop using a brat for crimes and instead be using one for good deeds."
"Funny," He replied.
"Also, I'm pretty sure you want my heart to bleed literally," Roman added.
"Psh, nahhh," Gin exaggeratedly denied.
Roman chuckled. "Well anyway, if you're in such a rush, go put on the coat and we'll set off. Same job as before."
Gin paused for a second before he complied and moved towards the bundle on the couch.
"Say kid, what about your blonde friend?
Gin stiffened.
"… What about him?" He asked.
"Because you blabbed off to him, of course."
A hooded head quickly turned in the direction of the thief who smiled at that reaction.
"… I haven't told Jaune anything," said Gin calmly despite silently cursing himself for his obvious reaction.
"Sure you didn't," Roman's smile turned into a smug one.
Gin's lips tightened in displeasure. "Jaune doesn't need to be a part of this."
"Why not?" Roman asked. "I could always use an extra helper. That healing Semblance of his isn't so bad either."
Gin remained deathly still.
The exception was his right hand which twitched rather visibly.
"But eh, I guess I'll pass."
The hand stopped twitching.
"I'd rather not babysit two brats at the same time after all," Roman chuckled. Then he raised a brow at Gin, "What's wrong? I thought you were in a hurry."
. . .
Finally, Gin grabbed the coat and flung onto himself over his hoodie once again.
End of Chapter
Since the original were assholes, I couldn't make Team CLGR too nice now, could I? I already did something a bit cheap with Russel's Semblance last chapter but I had to because I needed that event to fit with my characterization of them. For the scene to show their asshole side, I had other ideas with the basis of 'cannon fodder villains' and how they typically act lol.
I'm sure you guys can already tell what I'm planning with Velvet here, though I'm not confident if I could pull it off well. But at least it'll get Gin to meet with the canonically blind character Fox Alistair, who funnily enough, I didn't even know was blind before making this fanfic. I thought the blank eyes were an animation error or something, lel. I tried reading Team CFVY's spinoff novel so I could understand Fox and his team's personalities better but I didn't really enjoy the novel so I just dropped it and decided to wing it, so yeah.
Until next time, bye-bye.