White Knight Errant
A RWBY fanfic by Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: This is a fan based work of prose. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and WB Animation. Please support the official release.
Breakfast was subdued in the RWBY/JNPR common room. Ren and Jaune both worked to make the food for everyone, and Nora tore into it with her usual enthusiasm, but her expression was almost solemn: A very significant change for the spirited girl. The absence of Weiss and Blake wore on the mood.
The only exception was Pyrrha, who seemed almost giddy... Yet her eyes were filled with pain and apology when she saw Ruby and Yang's downcast looks.
When they were finished, Ruby cleared her throat. When all eyes were on her, she slowly spoke.
"Yang says Blake didn't come back last night," Ruby said, "And I'm worried. My team..."
She paused, but sucked in a breath to push herself to continue.
"We're going to go out to look for her in Vale. I um... If you'd be willing... I'd like your help too, please."
Jaune glanced at his teammates. Pyrrha smiled and nodded. Nora grinned, as Ren bowed his head.
"We'd be glad to help," Jaune said, reaching over to squeeze Ruby's hand. Ruby smiled gratefully at him.
"Great... I'll just go get..."
She stared at the door to her dorm room. Trepidation seemed to radiate out of the small, slender girl. Jaune took a breath, but Yang smiled and leaned over to her little sister.
"I can take care of this. I'm your Executive Officer, right? I can handle junk like this."
"Or I can do it," Jaune volunteered gently, "If you want-"
Ruby shook her head. She gave them both a warm smile.
"Thanks... I-I mean it... But..."
She pushed herself up to her feet and picked up her milk. She downed it in one go, before setting it down. She wiped her mouth off with the back of her forearm, eyes narrowed.
"I have to do this myself."
Yang slowly nodded.
"All right, Sis."
Jaune leaned back.
"Whatever my fellow team leader wants," he spoke quietly. Ruby beamed at him for a moment, before she walked away from the table towards the dormroom entrance. She paused for a moment and took another deep breath. She opened the door, and stepped in.
Weiss was at one of the desks, fully dressed and working on homework. Ruby's gaze lingered on Blake's unslept in bed, before she turned to Weiss. She slowly shut the door behind her.
"Good morning Weiss," she said calmly.
"Good morning Ruby," Weiss returned, cold and mechanical.
"Blake hasn't come back," Ruby said.
Weiss scribbled something down on her notebook, in her usual neat and flowing handwriting.
"I'm aware."
"I want to go and look for her in Vale," Ruby said. "I want... I want all of us to go."
Weiss continued to write.
"All of Team RWBY," Ruby explained, "As in-"
"I know what you meant, Ruby," Weiss stated, the words coming out in a flat, dead tone. "Is this an order from my team leader?"
"No," Ruby said quietly, fidgeting, "It's a request. I just... I really want you to agree, Weiss. Blake might be in trouble, she might need us-"
"I doubt that," Weiss managed tightly.
"I'm not asking you to become best buddies forever or-or anything like that," Ruby said, "I'm not that naïve. I understand-"
"What?" Weiss asked sharply, finally turning and shooting an icy glare at Ruby. "What do you understand, Ruby?"
Ruby held her ground, despite the strong urge to flee.
"I understand that stuff like that isn't something you just get over," she said quietly. "And-And I'm not asking you to do that."
"Then what are you asking me to do, Ruby?" Weiss asked bitterly, "Talk things out with her?"
"Yes."
"Talk things out with a member of a terrorist group? One that's... That's...!" She sucked in a breath through her nostrils and turned back to her homework. Ruby sat down in a wooden chair next to Weiss. The platinum blonde took a few calming breaths, before she spoke again.
"You don't understand anything."
"Then-Then explain it to me," Ruby asked, trying not to sound like she was begging, "Please?"
Weiss shut her eyes tightly. She opened them again, and stared intently at the wall. She opened her mouth, as though to speak, but nothing came out.
"Weiss?"
Weiss sucked in another breath, fortifying herself, before she spoke.
"My... My favorite uncle was named Warden. He worked with my grandfather in the mines from the moment he could pick up a pickaxe. He stayed in the mines even as the rest of the family moved to the board rooms. He was tall, strong, and handsome. He had a bushy beard and so much self-confidence and maturity..." Weiss closed her eyes.
"His smiles and hugs always did more to make me happy than my father's. I-I didn't understand it at the time... But it was because he loved me. More than my father ever did. Even then, he saw my siblings and I as assets, not children," Weiss sneered angrily. "He and Uncle Warden argued all the time about how to run the business after my grandfather died. Father was the CEO, but Uncle Warden had the love and respect of the staff and the workers. I still remember how loud they got, how angry my uncle was, how my mother tried to play peacemaker. No matter how angry he got though, Uncle Warden always showed love and kindness to my siblings and I..."
Weiss sucked in a breath, and her delicate hands tightened into fists.
"One night, when I was seven, I remember being woken up in the middle of the night by Uncle Warden. He said there were bad people in the compound, and we needed to get to the panic room. He led my siblings, my mother, our butler Klein, and myself to the panic room. I remember hearing screaming and gunfire in the distance... Getting closer... Always closer..."
Ruby bit her lower lip. She opened her mouth, but no words came as Weiss continued.
"He got us all into the panic room. Just before he could follow, there was a gunshot just down the hallway. My... Uncle Warden asked Klein to look after us. He told us he loved us... And he stepped out and shut the door."
Weiss's eyes were filled with tears, even as she fought against letting them fall. Her voice was unsteady.
"When my father arrived with the security teams... I asked for Uncle Warden. I tried to get out to look for him. Klein held me back, but at the end of the hall, I... There was so much red... So much blood..."
She shut her eyes tightly and held in a sob that wracked her slender body.
"The funeral... It had to be closed casket," Weiss whispered. "I learned... I learned that it was a group of Faunus radicals who had invaded. They were led by Sienna Khan. She escaped... And later took over White Fang."
"W-Weiss... I'm so sorry," Ruby murmured. She reached out and squeezed Weiss's shoulder comfortingly. Weiss instinctively tried to pull away, before she settled back in her seat. Ruby bit her lower lip.
To be the kind of person who pulled away from touch...
"I know this isn't easy for you, Weiss, and I'm so, so sorry," Ruby murmured, "But... If you were seven at the time, then Blake had nothing to do with that attack."
"She was still White Fang-!"
"Was, Weiss, was," Ruby insisted.
"How do we know that for sure-?!"
"Because she hasn't done anything," Ruby stated, leaning over the desk to look Weiss in the eyes, "If she was here to hurt you, she'd have done it by now! You-You saw how she looked! You saw how hurt she was! How guilty!"
Weiss averted her eyes. Even to someone as socially inexperienced as Ruby, the conflict just seemed to roil inside of the Schnee Heiress.
"I-I just-"
"I'm not asking you to be her best friend or anything like that," Ruby repeated, leaning forward and utilizing her best puppy eyes, "I know. But please... At least hear her out? If she left White Fang, then she disagreed with how they did things. You disagree with how your dad runs things, right? Isn't it possible that-that you two might be able to at least talk? Please?"
Weiss was silent for about a minute, just looking away. Ruby's face fell. She turned, her shoulders slumped. She made for the door.
I... I couldn't do it... I'm just not cut out to-
"Okay."
Ruby spun around.
"You-You will?" She gasped.
Weiss slowly nodded. She stood up, her arms crossed under her breasts.
"I will help look for her," Weiss said, in a tightly controlled voice, "And I will hear her out... But that's all."
Ruby hugged Weiss tightly.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Ruby cried cheerfully. Weiss sighed and patted her on the head.
"It's-It's no big deal, let's not talk about it-"
"It is a big deal! A super big deal and... Ah..." Ruby, upon seeing the look on Weiss's face, coughed and let Weiss go. She smiled and nodded.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Weiss stated coldly, "We still have to find her."
"Right! But I'm sure we will!" Ruby said, with a bit of her old cheer returned to her. She opened the door, smiling brightly at her other comrades.
"We're ready when you are," Yang said with a smile and salute. Ruby beamed.
"All right! Let's go find Blake!"
Blake had to admit that breakfast the next day was fairly nice. Sun had a Lien card from his uncle and was intent on spoiling her and his team, and her cat instincts purred happily at the prospect of being pampered. It had been a long time.
The hotel was five star for a reason: A gorgeous outdoor pool with a beautiful restaurant overlooking it, where they sat at one of the outdoor tables. Polite, capable servers n black and white went in and out of the kitchen doors with army ant-like efficiency. There were a few glares from other patrons at them, but it was something easily ignored-The staff were all very professional. The food was fantastic as well, served up as the sun rose over the horizon and painted the city in warm morning colors.
His team, on the other hand, were a bit more... Mixed.
"Ah, the mai-tai," Neptune said, holding up the orange drink to her with a charming smile, "A perfect sunrise of a drink, only outshone by your beauty, Princess-"
"Knock it off, Neptune," Sun sighed, "For the last time, she's off limits!"
"Surely our gorgeous princess can make her own mind up?" Neptune asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Blake.
"No thank you," she stated coldly. Neptune winced, as Sage and Scarlet snickered on the other side of the table.
"Hey, I don't see you brave enough to hit on a certified princess," he grumbled.
Scarlet, a redheaded young man lounging in white and red buccaneer clothing, looked her up and down and shrugged.
"Eh. Not my type," he said, "No offense."
"None taken," Blake returned.
Sage just shrugged.
"Unlike you, I actually have a girlfriend back in Haven," the dark skinned boy with green hair stated calmly, his arms crossed over his chest as he sat at repose. He sat on a towel over his chair, in a meditative pose. His voice never changed tone, a calm, cool monotone.
"Oh?" Neptune taunted, "And you giving up your bed for her last night wasn't an attempt to get into Her Highness's graces?"
Sage snorted.
"I prefer the floor. My Semblance can activate at random when I sleep, and the last thing I want is to know everything that went on in my hotel room bed," he stated dryly.
"He has a point," Scarlett observed. Neptune rolled his eyes and huffed, sitting back and sipping his mai-tai. He pulled out his Scroll and began to look through headlines.
"I'm just saying, there's always a handsome rogue who flirts with the Princess," Neptune argued, "I don't want to deprive Her Highness of the full runaway princess experience."
"Please, stop calling me that," Blake sighed, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. She felt Sun pat her hand, and she managed to relax a little.
"So," Sage said, "What will you do now, Blake?"
She'd shared some of the story with them. Sun had told her it might make her feel better to not be alone. Besides, if they told anyone, Sun promised to beat them all up. Which had made them agree to secrecy quite willingly.
"I... I don't know," she admitted, "Headmaster Ozpin let me into Beacon to start over. To... To make up for what I've done, but..."
"Shouldn't that be the end of it?" Sun asked gently, leaning forward, "You're not with those creeps anymore."
"They're not creeps! They... They aren't supposed to be," Blake cried, but her voice slipped into a low, depressed tone. "The White Fang used to mean something, something noble. It was supposed to stand up for Faunus rights."
"So what changed?" Scarlet asked, tilting his head curiously.
"My parents wanted to focus on building Menagerie into a real nation, a real kingdom," Blake said, "Because getting civil rights legislation passed in the kingdoms was such a challenge. I... I spent most of my life there. When my dad stepped down, Sienna Khan was voted in as the new head of the White Fang."
"My uncle says that election was rigged," Sun opined, "She was a violent maniac who had her thugs intimidate everyone into giving her power."
Blake's eyes went downward.
"At the time, a lot of Faunus thought that... That progress wasn't happening fast enough," she said, "That there was too much resistance. That the only way to make the kingdoms take us seriously was with force. My parents believed that soft power would be the key to that change... But Khan and others thought that we had to push back hard."
At the looks of the boys, she winced.
"I... I thought that way too," she admitted, "I thought that my parents weren't taking this seriously. That I could do so much more. So we... We liberated SDC slave camps. We put pressure on businesses by attacking their logistics."
She shut her eyes.
"The worst part is that, at first? It worked. We were getting concessions in the governments. Menagerie was making some diplomatic inroads... But only because people feared what we might do. We kept upping the ante, it was never enough, until..."
She bowed her head.
"I couldn't take it anymore," she admitted, "I kept crossing line after line I swore I'd never cross. And now, without me? They're doing even worse things."
Sun squeezed her hand comfortingly. Neptune shook his head. Scarlet bowed his head thoughtfully, while Sage stared at her with an unreadable expression.
"I mean," Neptune shrugged, "Maybe these latest crimes of theirs aren't actually the White Fang?"
Blake looked up, her eyes locking onto Neptune.
"What crimes?"
She'd kept her head down, tried to just ignore what was going on. Ozpin had told her to try and leave her old life behind entirely.
Neptune handed over his scroll, and pointed out some headlines.
"Apparently Roman Torchwick and White Fang have been seen doing Dust heists together," Neptune said, "Mostly outside of Vale proper. That's why it hasn't been as big of news: Roman has a tendency to steal the show around here, from what I've read."
"We are talking about terrorists," Scarlet stated, ignoring Blake's scowl, "Is stealing Dust from the SDC such a massive leap?"
"Maybe... Maybe Torchwick's pushing them into these kinds of actions," Blake tried, "I remember meeting him once. He approached the White Fang a few months before I left, and offered to go into business together. Ad... Our leader sent him packing."
"You mean that scary edgelord guy in all black?" Neptune asked, shuddering, "Wears a blindfold? Red hair and horns? Geez..."
"But I was the one who worked to keep him from going off the deep end," Blake explained. She stared at the headlines intensely. "If I hadn't left..."
I did this... This is my fault... All my fault...
Sun squeezed her hand, and she looked up into his eyes. He shook his head.
"He made his choices, like you did," he said firmly, "This isn't your responsibility-"
"But it is!" Blake insisted. "And I have to fix it."
"How?" Sage asked bluntly. "It's not like we know where they're going to strike next."
Sun coughed. All eyes locked onto him. Blake's gaze could have bored a hole into him.
"Ah... I mean, it's probably nothing," Sun said, forcing his easy going smile.
"Boss...?" Scarlet asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Sun... Please?" Blake pressed, leaning forward. Sun looked heavenward, before he groaned.
"Ugh, fine. When I was looking for you," He nodded to Blake, "I got lost at the dockyards. I ran into a few White Fang goons with guns at... Docking Area 4?"
"Huh," Neptune looked it up, "That's apparently where most of the SDC unloads their Dust shipments for delivery to Valean shops."
At everyone's looks, he scowled.
"What? I can do a Boogle search!"
"Then we need to stake it out," Blake decided, "Try to catch them. Make them back down. They-They might listen to me!"
"Woah woah woah," Sun said, shaking his head, trying to hold her hand again, "We are not going after terrorists!"
"We have to!" Blake pushed back, pulling away from him, "It's my responsibility! And..."
And maybe I can go back to Beacon if I do. If I prove Weiss wrong-That we're not all terrorists. That we're not mad beasts...
That look of fear and rage on Weiss's face... Even if she was a Schnee, it hurt to see that. To her the pain in her voice. Even worse to see the looks on Ruby and Yang's faces. While they hadn't been together long, she couldn't say she hadn't gotten attached to her team.
It was this... Or run away again. Right now, Blake didn't know where she could go.
"And as Princess of Menagerie," she stated, "You're bound to protect and serve me. If I go into a dangerous situation, you have to be there with me, correct?"
Sun grimaced.
"I knew there was a catch," he sighed. "All right..." He looked over at his team. "You guys stay here, we'll-"
"Oh like hell," Scarlet said, shaking his head, "We let you go off on your own, you'll die for sure."
"You have the survival skills of a lemming," Sage stated, "Of course we'll go with you."
Neptune smirked, and bowed.
"What kind of dashing, heroic rogue would I be if I get my leader hog all the showing off for our Princess?" He asked with a wink.
Sun rolled his eyes, but couldn't restrain his smile.
"You guys are the worst team ever," he sighed, "Can't even follow orders!"
"We follow orders that make sense," Sage observed, "Which doesn't happen often from you."
"But makes it all the more precious when it does," Scarlet sighed in a faux dramatic tone.
"See what I have to deal with?" Sun grumbled, though his smile gave his true feelings away.
Blake found it in herself to smile as well.
"Still, it's not much to go on," Sage pointed out.
"That's all right," Blake nodded, "I know someone who can help. Someone who has been in contact with Roman Torchwick recently."
"Who?" Sun asked.
Blake smiled softly.
"Jaune Arc."
"Ugggghhhh..."
As much as it had sucked, Jaune's little journey had definitely toughened him up a LOT. Before, he'd been a gangly noodle of a teenaged boy. Oh sure, he'd kept in physical shape: He was a doctor's son, and his mother didn't want him sitting around getting fat. He had run, he'd taken dance classes, and he'd even played some tennis.
Which had sucked. He could never figure out the damn score!
So he'd been in decent shape for a civilian when he'd set out on his journey. That and having his Aura unlocked had been the only reasons he'd lasted as long as he had before getting captured. Gato's training had let him do the rest.
Twelve hour days of training for at least a month had burned all the noodle out of him. He was lean, muscular, and tough.
That didn't mean he didn't like having to run all over town on his day off to find a runaway catgirl.
Still, Jaune thought, as he held up a printout of Blake's school picture to some pedestrians, I know how I would feel if any of my sisters had run away. If Ruby or Yang were missing... Nora, Ren, Pyrrha... Any of them...
He may have been grouchy, but his feelings were real. He wouldn't be out here otherwise, right? Walking all over town to find Blake.
The pedestrians shook their head: They hadn't seen her, like everyone else he'd talked to. With a sigh, he moved on down the sidewalk. He checked his watch: Shit, it was already late afternoon. He'd burned a lot of time just going through this part of town.
He spied a nearby park-If he recalled correctly, he could cut across it into a section he hadn't tried yet.
He walked up to the crosswalk and waited for the lights to change. Sure, he could probably leap across the street now thanks to his Aura and training with his team, but like most cities, Vale's local cops frowned on Huntsman showing off too much.
That, and this was a marathon, not a sprint.
"Oh, hello young man!"
Jaune turned. His jaw dropped. A cat Faunus stood there, smiling warmly. She looked about middle-aged, if he had to guess-Lines were on her face and white wound its way through her elegantly coiffed hair. Despite all that, she looked gorgeous in her purple dress and jacket, rocking a lean, hourglass figure atop long, strong legs. A catseye broach was on her neck, and she held a small purse in her hand. Intelligent, playful blue eyes scrutinized him.
"Ah, h-hello," he said, "Ma'am."
"Would you be a dear and help an old woman across the street? I want to rest in the park for a time," she said, her voice melodious and sweet as she held out her hand. Jaune blinked.
"Er, but you don't look old, ma'am!"
The woman tittered.
"Aw, you're sweet. I'm old enough to be your grandmother! Please, I'd feel much safer crossing the street with a big, strong knight at my side?"
"Well, uh, sure!" Jaune said, holding out his arm for her to hold. She grasped it, and pressed herself against him with a happy hum.
The light changed, and Jaune slowly escorted the lady across, past the waiting cars. They entered the park slowly, the old woman casually looking around at the flowers and the chirping birds.
"Ah, thank you," she said, her eyes locking onto a bench shaded by a large, old oak tree, "Over there, please?"
"Yes ma'am," Jaune nodded, leading her towards the bench. They walked up to it. Jaune maneuvered the woman around. She sat... And pulled him down to sit next to her with surprising strength.
"Oof!"
"Ah, that's better," she sighed, "Away from prying eyes." She beamed impishly. "Sorry for the deception, Jaune. But I find my fun however I can in my dotage."
"Huh?" Jaune blinked, and scrutinized the woman. Her black hair, her pointy ears, the glint in her eyes... It all seemed familiar, but why? How?
"How do you know my name?" He asked.
"Because," she said gently, "I am Katherine Zapatos. Gato's wife."
Jaune's jaw dropped. His heart stopped beating. He gaped at the warmly smiling woman in shock and horror.
"I-I... You...!"
He tore his eyes away from her, angry tears again threatening. He clenched his fists.
No... No... I-I can't... Why...?!
"Jaune, Jaune!" Katherine cried, squeezing him tightly, "Damnit, I should have brought Perrito-It's all right! It's all right!"
She held him tightly, rubbing soothing circles into his back. His breathing slowed, his heart stopped pounding in his ears...
"I-I..." He bowed his head. "I... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"Sorry for what?" She asked.
Jaune took deep, heaving breaths. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't pull away from her iron grip. He tried to focus, tried to calm himself... Just enough.
Just enough to confess.
"I... It's my fault," he said softly. He forced himself to look her in the eyes. "It's my fault... He's dead... I-I'm so sorry... I should..."
I should have been stronger, I should have been better, I should have... I should have...!
"Jaune," Katherine spoke softly, cupping his cheek, "You didn't do anything wrong."
"How-How can you possibly-?!"
"How could the wife of the greatest outlaw hero in Remnant know what happened to him?" Katherine asked. She let out a small, bitter laugh. "Because I was once the greatest thief in all of Remnant."
She twirled her fingers around, and produced his Lien card. Jaune gaped.
"Wha-?!"
"Force of habit, sorry," She said, slipping it back into his belt, "When Gato went missing, I went to all my old underground contacts. I shook every tree. I learned of the underground death matches. They kept on the move, so tracking them down was difficult. It took me time..."
She sighed and sagged. The proud matron, the confident thief-They faded away, leaving a sad, sorrow-filled old woman.
"Too much time," she admitted. "I got there... Probably half an hour after you two escaped."
Her eyes were dark, so dark. Jaune couldn't imagine what she had found.
"I... I should have-" Jaune tried, but the fierce woman returned as she glared at him.
"Should have what? Died instead of him? Tell me, Jaune... What were my husband's final words?"
"To... To live," Jaune managed, "To live well... And greet Death with a smile."
Katherine nodded, her smile sad and yet proud.
"That is how he lived," Katherine stated, "A hero to the end. If you had not broken out, he would have died in death sport for an audience of monsters. You got him out, and let him die as a hero. As he wanted to. As he should have."
She sighed heavily.
"My heart is broken. My beloved outlaw has gone on ahead," she said softly, "But I know him. I knew him, better than anyone. If it came to dying as a prisoner for the bloodlust of an uncaring world, or dying a hero to save one good person? He would make the latter choice. Every time."
She turned and smiled warmly at him, and squeezed his hand.
"I've watched you these past two days. I see why he trained you. Why he believed in you. And why he sacrificed himself for you. You are worth it. Gato and I would never want you to think otherwise."
Two days... She looks so familiar, how would I-?
"Schwartz," he breathed, "Schwartz is your son..."
Katherine chuckled fondly.
"Yes... We knew all along, Jaune," she said softly, "It is why I made sure Miss Schnee chose our shop. You have good friends."
"That's one word for them," Jaune muttered, but he had a smile despite his tears.
"They see the same thing Gato saw in you," Katherine pressed, poking him in the chest almost painfully hard-Even through his armor. "That I do."
Jaune winced. The tears remained.
"I just... It hurts so much..."
Katherine nodded.
"I know. It does for me, too," she murmured, "And it always will. You still mourn your father, do you not?"
Jaune nodded slowly. Katherine smiled softly.
"I know. But you will live with it. You will not let it destroy you... Not if you remember why they died," she said. "Your father died to save the innocent. Gato died a hero to save a friend. Don't let their sacrifices be twisted by the pain."
She hugged him tightly. Jaune found himself slowly returning it. There was really nothing like it, and it had been a while since he'd gotten one.
A mother's hug...
Katherine sniffled a bit. She pulled back, then retrieved some handkerchiefs from her purse. She wiped her tears so elegantly her makeup didn't smear.
"Are you-?" Jaune asked, but she shook her head.
"I will be," she said softly, "And so will you. I promise."
She smiled warmly, and Jaune's chest felt... Just a bit lighter.
"Also," she said, "I have a gift for you."
She reached behind her back... And pulled out a sheathed dagger. The hilt was bronze, the scabbard was a light green with bronze piping. The pommel of the small blade was shaped like a cathead. She held it out to him with a smile. Jaune blinked, and took the dagger in his hands.
"Thank you..."
"It is called Levigato," she explained, unsheathing the blade, "or 'Smooth Cat' in the tongue of our home province. It was a gift from my husband."
Jaune shook his head, holding up his hand.
"I-I can't-!"
"Yes, you will," Katherine stated firmly. She huffed. "My little brother does not fight, my son and daughter-in-law don't use daggers, and none of my grandchildren want to use them! It's all about mechashift this and mechashift that! Bah! In my day, we didn't need any absurdo mecánico...!"
She muttered and spat in her native tongue angrily for a bit, before she took a breath and was all smiles again.
"Nevertheless, Jaune, a Huntsman must always have a backup weapon," she said, taking the weapon back and clipping it onto his belt, "You are a practical man, are you not?"
"I... Yeah, I guess I am," Jaune nodded.
"Good. Gato was the same," she chuckled. She stood up and planted a kiss on his forehead.
"I must go. I'm seeing to my husband's arrangements," she said softly. Jaune paled.
"I... If there's anything I can do, ma'am-?"
"Thank you Jaune," Katherine said with a smile, "I will let you know. Any time you need something? Just call. Or come down to the shop, mm? You will always be welcome."
Jaune managed a nod, and a smile. She reached out and wiped his tears from his eyes.
At the sight of her ears twitching, the purpose of his trip in Vale hit him like a Dust round.
"Oh! Have you seen a young cat faunus girl my age? Black haired, yellow eyes, name is Blake Belladonna-"
"My my, Jaune," Katherine giggled, "You've complimented a lady cat like me, and now you're after a kitten? You seem to have a type~!"
Jaune choked, his face turning bright red.
"N-No! That's not what I-!"
Katherine smiled gently, and patted his shoulder.
"Don't you worry, Jaune," she said, "She's been watching us for the last few minutes." She glanced up into the tree with a smirk. "He's all yours, young lady. Do treat him well. If not...?"
She slid two daggers out of her sleeves, twirled them about, before vanishing them right back up her sleeves as though they'd been a mirage.
"You'll find out," she stated, a playful smirk on her face, but a deadly glint in her eyes. "Good bye, Jaune. Until next time."
She walked off with the grace and elegance of a runway model. Jaune watched her go. The leaves rustled overhead, and Blake Belladonna dropped down onto the bench next to him. She scowled after Katherine.
"You have a thing for older women, huh?"
"What?! No! She's just-She's a friend-" Jaune shook his head violently. "That's not important! Look, Ruby, Yang-Everyone's worried sick about you-!"
"I'm sorry," Blake said, turning to him, "But it... It's necessary."
"Okay, so... Can we go home now?" Jaune asked.
Blake shook her head.
"No. Not yet. We need to do something first."
"'We'?" Jaune asked, raising an eyebrow. Blake nodded.
"You. Me. Sun's team."
"Who's Sun?"
"Me," A blonde, golden monkey faunus boy announced, leaping up out of the bushes to land on Jaune's other side. He grinned at Jaune's scowl.
"Okay," Jaune said slowly, "And this something we need to do is...?"
Sun looked a bit resigned, but smiled at Blake. She nodded firmly.
"Stopping White Fang from stealing Dust."
Jaune blinked.
"Uhhh... Okay... Why us? Can't we call the cops-?"
"We don't know exactly when they're going to hit," Blake explained, "We just know vaguely where they might... Maybe."
"Wow, that is sooo helpful," Jaune deadpanned.
"We might be able to get better information," Sun said, giving him a skeptical look, "If you help us out."
"How can I help you?" Jaune asked.
"Because allegedly," Blake said, "The White Fang has been working with someone you know." Her eyes narrowed. "Your... Uncle Alex?"
Jaune gulped.
Oh... Shit...
The first thing Roman noticed when he re-entered Thanh 'The Immortal's' little "office" was the smell. The big Komodo dragon faunus always smelled, with that weird zoo scent from a big reptile and (often) the stench of rotting meat. Today this was augmented with the nauseating odor of sewage, and the source was easy to spot.
As Thanh lounged in his chair, a small, mean looking little rat Faunus man in dirty coveralls stood next to him. He was hunched over, his skin rough and almost scaly. His nose was large and pointed like a rat's, his chin weak, and his ears flexed up and down nervously. He kept glancing over at Thanh, wringing his hands, but still shot a smug little smirk Roman and Neo's way.
"Well, I'm here bright and early, Thanh," Roman stated, "We're a few hours out from the job-Any reason you keep dragging me back here? Thought you had it covered?"
"I just wanted to show you something," Thanh hissed, "Something that will change our relationship for the better."
"You're sewing your mouth shut? That would be a nice start," Roman deadpanned, but his instincts were alert. Thanh looked, felt too smug, even for him. Neo looked tense, ready to spring out and start slashing.
"No," Thanh chuckled, as though indulging the human, "My servant Muscan got me some... Very interesting pictures yesterday."
Muscan made a wheezing, nervous little laugh, before he held up a remote and clicked it.
The holoscreen on Thanh's desk activated. Several images appeared in mid-air, of Roman, Neo... And Jaune, sitting at the diner.
Outwardly, Roman shrugged.
"This supposed to mean something to me?" He asked.
Inwardly, he was already preparing the best means of escape out the windows. After putting a hole through Thanh's head, of course.
"You seem close to this young Hunter-in-Training, Roman," Thanh spoke, his yellow eyes narrowing malevolently, "I was unaware you had family."
"That what you think he is?" Roman asked.
"You seem familiar."
Roman rolled his eyes.
"I'm familiar with lots of people. Doesn't make that kid anyone special. He's some nobody, asking for financial help."
"Hmm," Thanh considered, before shrugging.
"Then I suppose you won't mind if I went out hunting sometime," Thanh said, "I can track him by your scent... Go through the sewers... And when he's out, just reach up through a grate and have a feast."
He licked his sharp teeth, making sure they glistened in the dim afternoon light.
"Now... Are you going to tell me the truth, or shall I go hunting for this... Nobody?"
Neo seethed silently and made to step forward. Roman put a strong hand on her shoulder as he thought through things furiously.
Roman knew that Thanh thought he was being clever. He'd had his little rat follow him around, try to find some weakpoint to exploit. The guy really was gunning for his position.
Well... Between telling the truth and feeding the big guy a proper lie to send him off on the wrong trail? Roman knew the play.
"All right, ya caught me," Roman sighed, drooping a bit like he was defeated, "He's my nephew. Not by blood, of course, I just know his mom real well. We go way back."
It was even true, after a fashion. Isabel Arc and her team had gotten involved in one of his early heists. He'd had to throw his partners under the bus to take the heat, but he'd gotten away. How could they blame him? The woman had smashed through a bank vault door with her bare hands!
"I see," Thanh growled, "And now he seeks to be a Huntsman?"
"That's about the size of it, yeah," Roman said with a nod.
"Does he know of your... Felonious activities?" Thanh asked.
Oh, he thinks he's smart using bigger words, Roman thought dryly, still keeping a tight grip on Neo.
"Of course not. He and his mom think I'm just a boring accountant," he said with a shrug. "And I wouldn't be thinking of threatening them if I were you, Big Guy."
Thanh hissed out some laughter.
"If I wanted your little whelp dead, Roman, he already would be. It is enough you know that I know."
Right, so he thinks he's got leverage over me, Roman thought. He hated playing it weak, but he stuffed his pride down. His biggest successes had come from letting the other guy think his hand was weak. And his biggest upsets had come from being overconfident. Let Thanh think he had him over a barrel. It would make Neo turning this asshole into luggage so much sweeter.
"But your loved ones are the least interesting part of all this," Thanh went on. Roman resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Oh really?"
Another set of images appeared, this one of the brunette with the bow and yellow eyes who had stared unnervingly at Roman the whole damn time he'd been near her. Images of her staring at Roman, standing next to Jaune or Little Red, and so on.
"Recognize her?" Thanh hissed.
Roman shrugged.
"Some girl who hangs out with my nephew. A classmate. Kind of weird."
Thanh laughed.
"Muscan got her scent," he growled, "And her name. Blake Belladonna."
Muscan snickered greasily.
Roman raised an eyebrow.
"The little hellcat second in command of the White Fang?" Roman asked. He'd done his homework: He had approached the White Fang for a partnership late last year, on behalf of Cinder. They'd turned him down flat, which had required Cinder to personally intervene.
That 'intervention' went with the rest of his nightmares now entitled "That Bitch I Work For."
His first attempt, he noticed that little brunette hanging around Taurus. He thought she was a groupie or something for the Big Bad Bull Edgelord himself. She was Belladonna?
"She's hiding out at Beacon," Thanh purred, eyeing her like he would a side of beef, "Taurus' main squeeze. He's been looking for her ever since she ran off."
"And that has... What to do with me?" Roman asked.
"Adam wants her back," Thanh chuckled, "I'm willing to give her to him... For a price. And after I've had some time to... Reacquaint her with the White Fang, and how we treat traitors."
He slurped noisily, a nasty grin on his face as his eyes devoured the images. Muscan did the same, snickering like a creep-Until Thanh smacked him. The little rat man slunk away into the corner, looking down at his feet, as Thanh returned his leer to the holograms.
Roman was a worldly man, of course, and no bleeding heart... But everything this monster did really made his skin crawl.
"And...?" Roman prompted again. He was playing the guy who had been outplayed, after all.
"And you're going to use your little nephew to get her here," Thanh hissed. "At midnight."
Roman raised an eyebrow.
"Right when we're running our op?"
"Right when we have all our strongest fighters, yes," Thanh stated, "We'll seize her."
"You really think my nephew can talk her into coming out here, alone, at midnight?" Roman asked dryly. Thanh nodded.
"He'll have some help... One mention of 'White Fang', and she'll come running." His grin widened. "Imply we know what she's been up to... And if she doesn't come, your dear little nephew will have an unfortunate... Accident."
"And what's it in for me?" Roman asked, with a shrug. "All these little favors come with a price."
"Your nephew's life isn't enough?" Thanh asked, amused.
"Never let family get in the way of profit," Roman smirked, "Family motto."
Thanh snorted, and waved his hand as though making a grand gesture.
"You may have half the bounty on her. Me? I care less about money and more about..." His eyes locked onto Blake's image again, "Intangibles."
He smirked one last time, before he looked back at Roman.
"Get it done," he growled.
Roman sighed, and adjusted his tie.
"Well... Let me go and talk him into it," he said. "Neo?"
Neo was grinning death right at Thanh... But reluctantly obeyed. They walked out, not even bothering to slam the door shut. They walked through the warehouse, not stopping until they were outside. Neo activated a white noise generator-Something that cancelled out even a Faunus's sensitive hearing. Roman dialed Jaune's Scroll and held his own up to his ear.
"Yo, Kid," he said, once the connection was made.
"R-Uncle Alex?" Jaune replied, sounding amazed, "I was just about to call you!"
"Well, lucky for me then," Roman said dryly, "What about?"
"Er... I have a friend... Very interested in your activities... Especially with... Your furry little friends?" Jaune tried.
Roman stopped and stared at the Scroll. Even Neo looked shocked.
"This friend of yours happen to be that brunette with the bow?" Roman asked.
"As a matter of fact, yeah," Jaune said, also sounding amazed.
The Gentleman Thief shook his head, and didn't look the gift horse in the mouth. If the dice came down in his favor, he wasn't going to gawk.
"Well, that's great, because I do have some activities involving my furry little friends," Roman said smoothly, "Midnight. Docking Area 4C. There are some old friends dying to meet your friend."
"Oh, that's just great," Jaune sighed sarcastically, "Any more good news, Uncle?"
"Just that I think bringing along your little harem... Your entire little harem... Would make it even more of a funtime for all," Roman stated firmly.
There was silence.
"It's gonna be that big of a blow out, huh?"
"The biggest," Roman said, "I'll explain all the details later. Promise."
If we survive this.
"Well, I guess that's when we'll roll," Jaune sighed. He talked to someone else. "Yes, we're bringing more-We are calling-Ugh! I have to talk her out of some things, Uncle, but uh... We'll be there."
Poor Kid sounded resigned.
"If I could reschedule it, I would," Roman said, letting just a little regret out. The genuine stuff, no sarcasm. "But I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. All right?"
"... All right," Jaune agreed.
"Sides," Roman smirked, "You can't tell me you don't miss running into crazy shit like this."
"I absolutely do not," Jaune growled.
"Right, and those girls ain't your harem."
"They're not-Ugh! Whatever! Just... Have some party favors or a clown or something for us!" Jaune said.
Roman blinked.
"What?"
"I was trying code-Like... Fuck it, see you tonight," Jaune groaned, before he hung up. Roman shook his head, and glanced over at Neo. She beamed and signed a question.
"Yeah, he'll be here," Roman sighed. "Let's hope little Miss 'Invincible' lives up to her name. And that the rest of those kids are as freakish as little Red."
Neo signed another question. Roman rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I'll pay for the currier too. But let's not skin our dragons before they've died, shall we?"
The sun slipped beneath the horizon, and the stars and city lights came out. The air was cooler, and the sounds of night took over the city. In a way, it was comforting to Blake: The night was where she did her best work. It was most familiar to her, like a cloak of protection.
"All right," she said quietly. She looked over the map of the docking area on her Scroll for the fifth time, as she, Team SSSN, and Jaune camped on a rooftop of a building just across the street from the docks, "Sun and I will go in. Everyone else, make sure no one can get out. That's the plan."
"Uh, yeah, question," Jaune said, raising his hand, "Why is that the plan?"
Her ears twitched as she turned an annoyed look on Jaune. Scarlet hid his mouth suspiciously, Neptune scowled, Sage was stoic as ever, and Sun also suspiciously covered his mouth.
"Sun and I are Faunus. We're more likely to talk White Fang down," Blake explained, slowly and calmly.
"Uh, yeah, and the fact my uncle said to bring in everyone? That-I think I said that, didn't I?" Jaune asked, glancing around at the circle, "Didn't I say that's what he said?"
"You did say that," Neptune said, "But come on! We can handle it."
"Two people is not the same as three teams," Jaune stated firmly.
"I know the White Fang," Blake insisted, "We're doing it this way. It has the best chance of success."
"If we're guarding the entrances, we won't be close enough to back you up if things go wrong," Scarlet observed, as Sage nodded. Neptune shrugged.
"Hey, she's a princess, what are the odds of things going wrong?" Neptune asked confidently.
Jaune turned his gaze to Sun, a hint of pleading in his eyes.
Sun shrugged.
"It's her show," he said.
"Yeah, and she's not my princess," Jaune stated firmly, eyes narrowed back at Blake. "Seriously, everyone else is out looking for you. Let me call them and-"
"No," Blake cut him off. Jaune held up his Scroll.
"I can literally have backup in a matter of minutes-"
"No!" Blake insisted. The two stared each other down intensely. Sun stepped between them, hands held up.
"All right, let's chill out," Sun said, "How about you two talk this out? We'll be over here, getting ready." He waved his arm and his team moved off, Neptune still throwing a scowl over his shoulder at Jaune. Jaune scowled back, then turned his eyes to Blake as he stepped closer to her.
"Seriously Blake, when my uncle says that we should bring everyone, we absolutely should bring everyone-"
"Your uncle is Roman Torchwick," Blake hissed back to him, yellow eyes flashing, "How can you trust him?!"
"We're literally trusting him right now!" Jaune whispered back.
"Only enough to get in and figure out what's going on!" Blake insisted in a whisper-yell. "To talk down the White Fang-!"
"Right, which worked out so well for you last time," Jaune said sarcastically. Blake stared in shock, speechless, as Jaune continued.
"Why can't we get backup?" Jaune demanded, quietly angry. "Why do you have to do everything practically by yourself?"
"Because... Because this is my..." She shook her head. "I left, all right? I left White Fang. I couldn't take it anymore. And without me, they've gotten even worse. I... I have to fix this. I have to turn them away. I have to guide them, so that... So that I can prove we're not monsters."
Jaune slowly nodded.
"I see... So it's not about stopping White Fang. It's about you."
Blake pulled back in shock. Jaune narrowed his eyes.
"You," Blake shook her head, "No, I'm not-! This is my mess, and I need to fix it!"
"Your friends are willing to help you, and you're turning it down-"
"They're not my friends! I... I can't trust that they are!" Blake growled. "If you saw Weiss' face... If you heard what she said-!"
"No, I didn't, but you're not helping things by trying to prove something!" Jaune shot back. Blake clenched her fists tightly.
"What do you know about it?! You can't possibly know how I felt! Leaving my parents to join the White Fang to make a difference, only for it to-For them to ignore me and become more violent, no matter what I said or did! Having to leave them, to try to start over-!"
"I take it you broke from your parents, right? Had a big fight? They tell you this was a mistake? That you were throwing your life away?" Jaune asked, eyes bright and focused. Blake stopped short.
"... They... You can't say that-"
"Yes I can. Because I did the same damn thing."
Blake glared, suddenly furious.
"No you didn't! I'm fighting for equality and liberty-!"
"And I wanted to become a legendary hero," Jaune said, soft and filled with anger and shame, "I told my mother she was done controlling my life. That she didn't know anything. That she was a scared old woman who hated our family, and that I didn't want anything to do with her, ever. Then I ran away. I thought I knew everything. I thought I would prove her wrong."
Jaune snorted.
"A week later, I was in an underground death match. I got tricked by some girl playing on my need to be a hero."
"Then why are you still here?!" Blake demanded angrily. "Why are you still trying to become a Huntsman?!"
Jaune sighed and smiled slightly. He rested his hand on the dagger Katherine gave him.
"Because... I still want to be a hero. I just realized I couldn't do it by acting like an idiot," he said. "You're acting like an idiot, Blake. Please don't do that. Look, I don't know what Roman's game is, but if he wants us here with back up? We should have back up. I've already had one friend die on me... I don't want any more."
Blake was silent for a moment, trying to draw on the night to calm herself down. She sucked in a deep breath.
"... Sun?" Blake turned back to the monkey Faunus, who was checking and rechecking his three-part staff in the least convincing way possible. Sun looked up.
"Yes?" He asked.
"... We're all going," she said quietly. "If... If you're willing to go?"
Sun smiled. Neptune spun his trident around with a dramatic spin and flourish and grinned.
"Time for the legendary hero to save the day and win the heart of the princess," he declared.
"Yes, because that will absolutely happen," Scarlet snarked.
"Your grasp on reality is stunning as always," Sage opined.
"Shut up!" Neptune growled.
Blake just glared, as Sun snickered and Jaune shook his head. He rubbed his face in exasperation.
"Oh good," Jaune muttered, "I feel better."
The loud noise of airship engines filled the air. The teens moved to cover, ducking down behind the air conditioning units on the roof. They looked up to see two Bullheads flying overhead. Blake narrowed her eyes as she saw several White Fang members in full uniform in the vehicles, loaded with weapons. The Bullheads circled around in a sweep over the docks, before settling in and descending towards a warehouse at the waterfront.
Blake checked her watch.
"They're early," Blake murmured in alarm. "Over an hour...! We have to go, now."
"Woah woah woah," Jaune said, holding up his hands, "We can't just-"
"Message the others to get here as soon as possible, but we need to get in there, now," Blake ordered.
She took the lead, leaping off the rooftop. Sun followed, with Neptune an eager third. Sage and Scarlet lingered. Blake heard Jaune frantically typing a message on his Scroll.
"You coming?" Scarlet asked.
"Well, she said everyone," Jaune said. Whether or not they got the message in time to help was the big question. Blake decided not to think too hard about that.
"Done?" Sage asked. Jaune nodded.
"Yeah..."
Jaune coughed.
"Also? I'm not confident in my ability to land without causing a lot of noise," he said. "Can I get a lift, Scarlet?"
Scarlet hopped up into the air and used his Semblance to glide over to Jaune. He grabbed the knight by his shoulders, and pushed them both off the roof. Scarlet glided down in a spiral, depositing Jaune on the sidewalk. The blond stumbled, then gave the red haired boy a thumbs up as he glided to a graceful landing nearby.
"Thanks!"
Sage just landed nearby, silent as a cat. Everyone else stared at him, and Jaune shrugged.
"What? I don't do anything stealthy."
They approached one of the side entrances in the wall. Sage took the lead, and pressed his hand against the keypad. His eyes glowed as his Semblance activated.
"Hang on... Lot of memories to sort through," Sage murmured. He then nodded.
"Got it."
He pulled his hands off, and tapped in the entry code. The door opened, and the teens shuffled in.
"We could have just gone over the wall," Sun pouted.
"Too many security cameras," Scarlet pointed out, as they dashed through into the dockyards properly.
"Not the kind of attention we want, I suppose," Neptune sniffed.
They stole through the dockyards, past stacks of cargo containers and silent forklifts. Docking Area 4C soon came into view, the only section with activity. The group took cover behind a stack of crates in front of a crane, covered from both sides. Blake narrowed her eyes as she watched numerous White Fang members at work, unloading crates of Dust onto forklifts, which carried them away to waiting trucks.
"Where's Torchwick? Can you smell him?" Jaune muttered. Blake took some deep sniffs.
"Yes... And..." She frowned. "Someone else... Someone..." She made a face, "Familiar..."
"Bad familiar?" Sun asked. Blake nodded.
"Very." She hissed. She shook her head. "Let's find Torchwick and confront him, first. Then we can talk to the White Fang leader, and make him back down."
"And if he doesn't?" Jaune asked. Blake was silent.
"There," Sun muttered, pointing at a familiar, slickly dressed redhead in a bowler hat. He argued with one of the White Fang members before he shrugged and headed into a large warehouse close to the water. Blake nodded.
"Let's get him," she stated.
"Just don't beat him up too badly," Jaune stated.
"Why are you so concerned about him?" Sun asked, raising an eyebrow.
"My uncle does accounting for him. don't want him to lose his job," Jaune deadpanned. Scarlet shook his head as Neptune winced.
"That's rough, buddy," Neptune said.
"Hm," Scarlet said. Sage said nothing, just stared at everyone intently.
They waited until a truck passed by, and used it as cover. They snuck past, one White Fang member almost spotting them... But turning away at the last minute. Jaune grit his teeth.
"I don't like this," he murmured, as they got to the side door of the warehouse. Sage again used his Semblance to find the passcode. "It feels like a trap."
It had felt like a trap from the beginning. Blake knew Jaune was most likely to say so. In some way, she was glad someone had said it.
"Yeah," Sun said with a grin, "Exciting, isn't it?"
"Come on," Neptune scoffed, as Sage opened the door and they headed into the warehouse, "How likely it is to be a trap?"
The warehouse door slammed shut behind them. The lights went on. Several White Fang members jumped down from the catwalks overhead, and pointed guns at them. The group looked up.
Roman Torchwick stood overhead, Neopolitian next to him. He was forcing a sadistic smirk on his face. Next to them towered a giant, bald Komodo Dragon faunus in shining gold and blue robes, his sharp teeth gleaming in a twisted grin. Flanking him was a twisted little rat Faunus who snickered, and a tall White Fang Sergeant with a large chainsaw-like weapon in his hands.
Blake looked up, eyes widening in horror.
"No," Blake whispered. Because she knew this monster, all too well.
"Welcome, Princess Blake," the dragon Faunus chuckled, his deep voice carrying far, "I am Thanh Qingquong. We've been expecting you."
"Fuck. I hate being right," Jaune sighed.
Oh for fuck's sake, Kid, you had ONE FUCKING JOB! Roman thought angrily as he kept up his smug face on the outside. On the inside, he saw the team of teenagers surrounded by the White Fang. Shit shit shit...
Okay... What are our options? He considered. Can't stab Thanh in the back now... Maybe if he's distracted...
Which sure seemed to be the case, given the monologue that the reptilian creep was delivering.
"How long has it been since you left our happy family?" Thanh asked, rubbing his chin in faux wonder as his yellow eyes locked onto Belladonna, "Not too long ago."
"You were never part of the White Fang when I was there!" Belladonna spat back. "You're a murderer-!"
"Takes one to know one, Princess," Thanh said, gripping the railing of the catwalk with a sly, sadistic grin. "Did you never wonder how you got the intel to make the strike on the Caradras Mining Camp, mm? Did you never wonder where the guards went after you cut their throats?"
"No... No..." Belladonna muttered denials, her eyes wide in horror.
"Blake?" The monkey kid asked quietly. Belladonna's face screwed up in anger.
"You... You were kicked out-!"
"Plausible deniability," Thanh chuckled, "I did wetworks for Sienna, before and after you complained about it. From the start. I was good at it."
"I-I didn't know-It can't be-!"
"Spare me!" Thanh laughed viciously, leaning over the railing. His drool slipped from his jaws. "You knew what you were doing! You weren't just warming Taurus' bed! You got your hands dirty just like the rest of us! You were the only one who whined about it though. How pathetic! The little princess ran away from her rich life to rough it, and couldn't stop whining about how barbaric the rest of us were, the ones doing the real work."
"You killed! You slaughtered!" Belladonna shot back, her voice trembling with emotion, "You're a monster!"
"I'm a real warrior!" Thanh scoffed, "Not your pathetic excuse for freedom fighters! This is a war, and we're going to win! Victory is for us to be on top, and them the slaves! We're the predators, the top of the food chain! We should be in charge, not them! And the only way to do that is with force! That is what the White Fang is for! To seize power! To be monsters! So all that makes you..."
Thanh cackled.
"Is a monster in denial."
"Not... Not like...!" Belladonna again faltered, "No! It can't be-!"
"You cat faunus and your mercurial attitudes," Thanh snorted, "Feh. Don't see why Taurus didn't grab another bimbo. Maybe I'll let him have you back..."
His grin grew wider and more salacious.
"After I'm done with you-"
"Try it and you're dead, you sick fuck!" The monkey growled, holding up his staff. The other teens held up their weapons, Jaune getting in front of Belladonna. It was kind of sweet of the kid to try and protect her, while she struggled to keep from fighting or running. Roman wasn't sure what was going to happen.
"Hahahaha," Thanh cackled, "You're welcome to try, brat! You and your little friends! But I am known as the Immortal... So I'm not too worried about a pack of whelps."
He sniffed the air significantly.
"Yes... Yes... None of you are blooded, save for the little princess... And..."
His eyes locked onto Jaune.
"You," Thanh hissed, "You reek of human blood... And... Gato Zapatos."
Jaune's eyes widened. Thanh grinned.
"Or at least his family... Tell me, how are they taking his death? A pathetic end, for a pathetic excuse for a 'hero'!"
Jaune grit his teeth. He began to breathe hard, and fast. His grip tightened on his weapons as he tensed. Roman stared at him.
No, no, no Kid, don't! Stay calm, let me figure a way out of this for all of us-!
"After I kill and eat you, and have my fun with the little princess," Thanh leered, "Maybe I'll pay them a visit, too. Take my time, send them to join that pitiful little-"
"Shut the fuck up."
Thanh actually stopped talking, and stared down at the speaker.
Jaune's eyes narrowed. He took a deep breath.
"Shut. The fuck. Up. You reject from a petting zoo!" He snarled. "You want to fight or talk us to death?! Yap yap yap, all I'm hearing! You want to fight? Come on down. Take me on."
Roman's jaw fell.
Kid what the FUCK ARE YOU DOING-?!
"Time to create an illusion of an escape, Neo," he signed to his partner frantically. Neo looked at him, smiled... And shook her head. Roman nearly choked on his spit.
"WHAT?!" He signed with shaky hands.
"You're challenging me, boy?" Thanh asked.
"I don't see any other fucking creepy lizards who can't shut the fuck up, do you?!" Jaune demanded. He pointed his sword up at Thanh.
"Come on down. I win? You let everyone go. You win? You get to keep blathering. But I'll be dead, so at least I won't have to hear any more bullshit!"
Thanh's grin widened, even as his eyes narrowed. He reached for his coat, and unbuttoned it, allowing it to fall and reveal his scaly, muscular torso and arms. He then held out his hand.
"Banesaw," he ordered.
His sergeant nodded, and picked up a case nearly as tall as Thanh himself. He opened it. Thanh reached in, and pulled out a large, blue and gold monks spade. The front end possessed a double-edged head, shaped like dragon fangs, with Dust canisters embedded in the mounting behind the blade. The rear end possessed a tube, lined in silver.
"Thanh, buddy, this isn't necessary," Roman said, forcing his calm, "We've got a schedule to keep-"
"Sorry Roman, but your little nephew is no longer useful as leverage," Thanh hissed. He jumped off the railing, and landed in the center of the warehouse floor. He spun his weapon around over his head, the blade becoming a blur before he rammed the rear end into the floor, cracking the concrete.
"Let him forward," Thanh growled, "I may as well reward his foolish courage with a death from Róng."
Jaune moved forward, but Belladonna held him back.
"Jaune, no-"
Jaune held her, as though embracing her. She flushed as he whispered in her ear.
"Just be ready," Jaune muttered back to her, Roman only able to see that thanks to being above the floor.
Oh Gods, he has a plan, Roman thought miserably, he has a plan...
Neo grinned and licked her lips.
Jaune let her go, and marched forward towards Thanh. The guards pulled back, keeping their guns on him and the other intruders.
"Good luck, buddy," the blue haired guy added, "You got this!" He didn't sound very confident, nor did the other guys. Except the monkey kid: He looked at ease as Jaune and Thanh began to circle each other. Almost as at ease as Neo.
Am I missing something?! Because it looks like the Kid is committing suicide! Roman thought.
At least Belladonna looked appropriately scared, even with Jaune's reassurance.
Thanh struck first, swinging Róng in an overhead strike. Jaune dodged out of the way, the blow shattering the concrete where it hit with a loud crack! Jaune charged, shield up, and thrust for Thanh. The big lizard leaped aside, swinging his weapon to bisect Jaune. The Kid ducked underneath that blow, and the follow up, charging in to thrust for Thanh's chest!
"HYAH!"
Jaune stabbed Thanh right in the stomach, the blade sinking in deep. Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
No way, Roman thought, dumbfounded, It... It was that easy?! The Kid-?!
"HAHAHA!" Thanh slammed a punch right into Jaune's face, sending the kid flying.
"UGH!"
Thanh yanked the sword out of his stomach, the blood oozing from it in a torrent. It slowed to a trickle, before stopping entirely. Scar tissue soon covered up the injury, and scales almost immediately after.
What the...?! Roman thought. Oh fuck, fuck, fuck...! He's got a Semblance!
Thanh laughed as Jaune struggled back to his feet, and tossed his sword back to him.
"Did you think I called myself 'Immortal' for no reason?!" Thanh mocked, as Jaune caught his sword. "Go ahead! Do your worst! But it all ends the same way-!"
He swung the rear end of Róng towards Jaune, and pulled a trigger. A stream of Fire Dust flames erupted, and Jaune barely leaped out of the way as a crate of dust exploded from the heat.
"-Your death!" Thanh cackled, sprinting forward to swing his monks' spade down on Jaune. Jaune narrowly evaded, taking a hit to his shield, before he resumed charging, trying to get in close. Thanh was driven back, but his swings were getting harder and harder for Jaune to dodge, or deflect with his shield. Every hit battered Jaune around, and even with his Aura, bruises and blood began to appear on his skin.
Thanh then leaped up over Jaune in a forward flip, firing his flamethrower right at him. Jaune again leaped out of the way, the flames nipping at his cloak. He swung around and tried to parry Thanh's blade, managing it three times before Thanh knocked it right out of Jaune's hand. He thrust, and sent Jaune flying backwards to crash into a crate.
"JAUNE!" Belladonna screamed, as Thanh advanced on the helpless knight. Roman again signed frantically at Neo, but the shortstack didn't budge!
What the hell is wrong with her?! Did I misread her?! Roman thought in desperation.
Thanh thrust the blade of Róng right for Jaune's chest. The knight barely deflected it, meaning it slammed into the crate behind him, cutting a gouge in his side armor. Jaune held onto the polearm, panting desperately, as Thanh laughed and leaned forward.
"What was Gato to you, brat, hm?"
"My mentor," Jaune gritted out. Thanh laughed mockingly, and drove the monks' spade harder against Jaune.
"Then he was a terrible teacher!"
"Well..." Jaune grinned savagely and drew the small dagger from his belt. It began to crackle with Aura energy, "He did teach me one thing...!"
Thanh's eyes widened in horrible realization... Far too late, as Jaune swung the dagger, and a MASSIVE wave of yellow-white Aura energy exploded from Jaune's swing. Thanh was blown right off his feet and blasted like a cannonball into the Dust crates piled up by the wall. The Golden Lion's Roar made contact with the crates of Dust, and exploded, consuming Thanh in a massive fireball that blew out the entire wall of the warehouse.
Neo's grin became rather saucy.
Numerous White Fang goons fell or scattered in the blasts. Belladonna and the other teens gaped in astonishment along with everyone else, Roman included...
But the teens reacted first.
Blake fired Gambol Shroud upwards at Roman, as Scarlet let loose with his pistol. They charged through the distracted White Fang troops, Sun casting his golden yellow clones at enemies as Blake dodged through with her own shadow clones. The one called Bonesaw dropped down in front of them, swinging his massive chain saw at them. Blake flipped right over him, as Sage and Neptune clashed with the aggressive White Fang Sergeant.
"GET JAUNE! WE'LL HOLD HIM OFF!" Neptune shouted, expertly clashing with the beserker-like Faunus. Sage leaped up and struck the man in the shoulder, making him rear back in pain.
Scarlet flew around the flanks of the group, firing his pistol and swinging his sword to try and keep the heat off the others. Sun swung his staff around in three parts, unleashing shotgun blasts in all directions as Blake got to the fallen Jaune.
"Jaune? Jaune!" Blake shouted.
"Y-Yeah," Jaune managed, struggling back up to his feet, "I'm okay... Did you get my-?"
Blake swung Gambol Shroud out, wrapped it around the hilt of Crocea Mors, and pulled it back with a snap. She handed it to Jaune, who sheathed his dagger and smiled.
"Thanks... Geez, how's my Aura?"
Blake checked with his Scroll.
"You're at... Fifty percent?" She muttered. "But last time-!"
"Training with Ren and Pyrrha has really paid off," Jaune managed, shaking his head. "Or... I dunno, maybe the smaller blade? Let's talk about this somewhere else?!"
"But Torchwick-!" Blake shouted, as another Dust explosion went off. Sage and Neptune ran over, leaving a knocked-out Bonesaw in their wake.
"We don't have the time!" Sun shouted. Blake grit her teeth, but nodded. They fled out, fighting through the White Fang soldiers who weren't running from the blasts. They exited out into the night air, flames and smoke billowing up high into the starry sky.
"Neptune?" Sun called, "Think you can use your Semblance to get this fire under control?"
"Well... Let me give it a shot," Neptune said, cracking his knuckles. He focused. Pipes nearby burst with a stream of water, which Neptune directed towards the flames with his hands. "That should help-"
A blast of flames erupted from the smoke. Neptune barely got a shield of water up in front of them in time, but the blast still hit and burst the water into steam. They were all blown off their feet, Blake barely scrambling up back onto hers after recovering. She looked up with Jaune as a hulking mass limped out of the fire. No right arm or leg as he hobbled his way free... But there was no mistaking who it was.
Thanh grinned savagely, the burns on his body healing away, He growled loudly, and screamed as a new leg sprouted from the stump it had become through his burned, ruined white pants. A new arm formed next, with another bellow of pain and almost-esctasy.
"Yessss... That's more like it... A real fight~!" Thanh snarled, pointing Róng right at them, "Don't leave when it was just getting interesting!"
"We weren't planning on it!" A familiar voice shouted. Blake looked back.
Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren stood there, all ready with their weapons. Thanh laughed brutally.
"THE MORE THE MERRIER!" He roared, and the battle was joined!
Omake
Blake wasn't obsessed with fish. She wasn't a stereotype, for Oum's sake. She loved fish, sure, but it wasn't like that's all there was to her!
Just because she perked up at the smell of fresh fish being cooked on an open fire out on the campus did not make her one of those stereotypical cat faunus girls who would do anything for fresh fish.
(That she was very well aware of such sexual fetishes being explored in erotica was immaterial.)
She just liked fish. And fresh fish moreso. So it wasn't unusual for her to follow the scent, walking away from Yang as they walked between the campus buildings.
"Blake? You okay? Blake!" Yang called.
Blake ignored her, jogging lightly towards the source of the scent. There was a well-stocked river that flowed by Beacon proper, though most fishing was further up or downstream.
She froze as she locked onto a familiar blond young man near the river, a few caught fish hanging from a hand-made fishing pole and a few more cooking over a small campfire. He looked up in surprise.
"Oh! Hey Blake, hey Yang," Jaune greeted them, in naught but his pants. His jacket and shirt for his school uniform were carefully folded on a rock nearby.
"Uh, hey Jaune," Yang said, tilting her head, "You do know they serve food here, right? Food you can buy? Precooked?"
"Yeah, but I learned how to fish and cook outside before I set out," Jaune explained, shrugging his bare shoulders, "And I... Kind of got used to it? Want some?"
"N-" Yang began, but Blake shook her head as she sat down with him.
"Yes."
"Sure," Jaune said. He wrapped one fish in a paper towel, and handed it to her, "There you go. Careful, it's hot!"
Blake took a bite... And groaned happily. The seasonings were simple, and maybe it could have used more butter, but the taste of something cooked right outside... Of fresh fish cooked outside... It was heavenly.
"Nyyaaahhhmmm-!" She slapped a hand over her mouth and blushed. Yang shot her a strange look, then realization hit. She smirked at Jaune.
"I'll have what she's having-"
"YANG!" Blake hissed.
Jaune chuckled.
"I could do a lot better... I dunno, I just like cooking outside. After being under my mom's thumb all the time, it just felt... Satisfying, you know?"
Blake nodded. Yang chuckled.
"Careful there Jaune the Barbarian. Don't let freedom go to your head. Next thing you know, you'll be building a log cabin and dragging a female student off after bashing her over the head with a club."
If he cooks like this, Blake thought, gulping down another fish, maybe I wouldn't mind him-
No, none of that! How could she think that, after Adam and White Fang?
It was fish! JUST FISH!
And a hot shirtless blond guy who caught and cooked them just like in some stories she-NO.
Jaune frowned for a moment deeply... Then relaxed again and let out a small laugh.
"Well... Maybe not a club," Jaune said. Yang laughed back, that easy familiarity between them wiping away whatever unease he'd had before.
Though Blake still noticed it. She filed it away with a lot of other little tics and unconscious actions he'd made since he'd arrived.
"MISTER ARC!" Glynda Goodwitch shouted. "WHAT ON REMNANT ARE YOU DOING?!"
All three looked over to see Professor Goodwitch glaring in shock nearby.
"What?!" Jaune called out to the aghast professor, "I'm following the fire code!"
"PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON AND COME HERE THIS INSTANT!" Glydna shouted. Jaune sighed, doused the flames with water, and quickly wrapped up his cooked fish in some foil. He handed it over to Blake, along with the rest of his catch.
"Guess I gotta face the music," he said.
"We'll notify your next of kin," Yang snickered.
"Please, don't," Jaune groaned, pulling on his shirt, jacket, and tie before heading up to the angrily waiting Professor Goodwitch.
Yang shook her head.
"Sheesh, I can't help but think he acts out like this deliberately sometimes," she grumbled, "I'm supposed to be the rulebreaker! Maybe I should step up my fish and game, huh Blake? ... Blake?"
"Mmhm, mmhm, sure," Blake nodded, eating the last cooked fish happily. Yang shot her a sly look. Blake shook her head.
"It's good fish, I don't want it to go to waste," she insisted.
"Sure Blake, I believe you," Yang said with a nod.
Blake waited. Yang said nothing. She held up another chunk of fish to her mouth, opened it... Bit down on the seared deliciousness...
Still she waited for Yang to say something... But nothing came. Blake began to chew, enjoying every bite...
"Though I bet it doesn't taste as good without a shirtless Jaune around."
"PFFFFFT! YANG!"
The blonde cackled.