"That's not my best friend."

"Sir, please-"

"I'm telling you the truth. That. Is. Not. Him."

Josh Kenny liked to think he was a fairly level-headed fellow; a simple sort of guy even. And so, when the police called him up to identify a dead body, apparently belonging to his bro Jay, he'd been horrified. Being led into the morgue was one thing, but staring at the naked corpse with a bullet hole right between the eyes was worse.

However, despite how disgusting the sight made him, Josh knew for a fact he wasn't looking at his roommate and friend.

"Leave him be." An elderly sort of fellow stopped the policewoman from opening her mouth again, and for that, Josh was thankful: he couldn't stand repeating himself again - he'd done enough of that already. The gentleman wore a far too sympathetic look though, and it peeved the boy off a little, but he sucked in his irritation and just nodded. The man was a detective, or so Josh was told, brought in to help solve the murder of one Jay Williams.

And therein lay the problem: the corpse before them wasn't Jay. The lady already explained over and over that the DNA was a perfect match, and that, as Jay's roommate, Josh was one of the first brought in to identify the body, as local word of mouth dubbed the pair close. Sure, some of the girls in their respective classes liked to imagine them in less 'safe for work' scenarios, and jokes about it spread across campus, but the truth of the matter was that Jay just resonated with him on a 'dude-bro' level.

Hell, the only reason he was here first was due to him living so close to Jay: the man's actual relatives lived way out of town... meaning they wouldn't be here for a week or so - not that it mattered, because this wasn't Jay.

Slipping his hands into his jeans, Josh scoffed and turned away.

"Can I go now?"

"Of course, son." At least the old guy was sensible enough to let him go - that was a plus. "We'll let you know if we find out more."

"Yeah." Jay tossed, realizing the geezer was just as clueless as the rest, and honestly, the most annoying part of it all was that he couldn't blame them for it: the face was a one to one replica of his buddy's. Anyone would have believed he was the real Jay; hell, even he himself did too… for a bit anyway.

And then they turned over the body, showing him where the bullet wound left... and subsequently revealing to Josh proof that the corpse didn't belong to his best friend. At first he tried to explain it to them, telling them why he knew it wasn't Jay, but they just kept making excuses. He recalled how they told him where the body was found, and that it was 'robbed of all possessions'... which was a fancy way of saying they found it buck-naked. The first thought to come to mind was sexual assault, but they immediately told him there was no biological evidence to be found anywhere on the body, ruling that idea out altogether.

Josh wouldn't lie though, before finding the 'proof' he'd been disturbed with how damn perfect the corpse copied his friend: right down to the dick size and shape - No, he wasn't weird for knowing this: every other guy in the gym showers knew each other's junk sizes too. However, on the flip-side of the body, just above the tail-bone where his skirt would usually settle, was a particular patch of skin lacking a little something.

Now, to be clear, Josh wasn't the sort of guy to stare at his homie's ass, but just a week ago he'd struck out a deal. See, Josh might have been a stereotypically simple guy, but he had his hobbies, and only a week ago did he get a chance to do what he always wanted to do for years since entering college.

Give someone a tattoo.

Despite his lack of skill in most classes, there was one place he excelled: fine arts, or to be more specific, art in general. He could draw in multiple styles, sculpt a pretty badass clay bust, and even stitch together some pretty fashionable threads. But tattoo work, now that was his jam: he absolutely loved it.

Two nights ago, Josh had wandered into the local tattoo joint, run by one of his other friends, a lanky middle-aged dude who looked like the spitting image of a 90's punk rocker: Daryl. He'd been watching the man work on people for almost a year now, and even shared a few drinks with the guy for multiple weekends since they got to know each other. Walking into the shop that night would be the greatest moment of his life so far, and perhaps the most important for what he'd just learned.

Jay joined him that night, mainly due to his own childish prodding, and once he started introducing his bro to his other bro, Jay offhandedly remarked on how he'd once considered getting a small tattoo before. It was here Daryl turned to Josh with a particularly sly grin. Right then and there, he suggested that Josh himself give the guy what he wanted.

He nearly flipped.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly all that wild, but Josh had been excited nonetheless. Jay was a little apprehensive, but he must have felt something when they locked eyes, because he relented anyway. This was the tale of how he ended up tattooing a broken heart right above his buddy's ass: a tramp stamp if you will. It was a little rough on the shading, but looked to be cracked open like an egg, with black bloody goo leaking out and falling downwards. The monochrome artwork had to be good enough though, because Jay never freaked out or anything; even smiling a little when he saw it in the mirror.

To see it missing on the corpse, well, it told Josh all he needed to know.

This was exactly why he found himself here, now, at the dorm: right inside his 'presumed dead' friend's room, and searching around his stuff. Most people would have tried to avoid anything relating to their deceased companion after learning of their death, as a way to try and avoid grieving. Thing was though, Josh had faith his bud was alive. Downside to that was, however, the lack of faith anyone else had in the idea. The cops from the morgue didn't believe him, probably thinking he was in denial. It didn't matter to Josh: he knew Jay was alive, and he aimed to find him.

The night was supposed to be fun: go to the club and pick up hoes; why did it have to end like this?

"DAMNIT!" Slamming his fists into the top of the dresser, the lad sucked in his breath.

Keep it cool, there's got to be something here. You didn't just up and vanish without a trace; this went doubly so if you had a doppelganger show up dead to seemingly explain away the crime. Oh yes, Josh was certain foul-play was involved: everything was too weird for this to be a normal disappearance.

Shaking his head free of any rogue ideas or worries, he went to work again, moving on to the closet. Inside was nothing but a bunch of what some would assume were women's clothes. In reality, Jay's wardrobe was a product of his cosplay habit, which was a hobby Josh never quite understood: halloween was a good enough time to dress up as Spider-Man for him, and even then it was a hassle getting into the suit; how did people routinely do that shit for every convention?

It never mattered though, not really: it was Jay's thing, not his.

Seeing nothing of significant value, Josh slammed the door shut, now in an even worse mood. Once more he needed to stop and breathe: getting angry would do no good... even if it was becoming harder and harder to hold back his rage. He wasn't angry at anyone in particular, at least not yet, but rather, he was angry at not finding a single thing so far. But every second spent fuming over failure was a second stolen away from finding his boy, and so he moved on to the drawer.

His heart stopped at the sight of the pistol: gleaming in the light of the room, and free of any tarnish.

"What the..." Speaking aloud to yourself was strangely common for most people, but there were usually other people around to hear it. Josh had pretty much addressed himself as he picked up the gun, feeling a shiver go down his spine as he held it. He knew a little about weapons, but never really held a real one outside of the local shooting range - ironically, the same place he and Jay had spent some days during their first summer in school.

Gliding his fingers across it, he checked the safety, and after seeing it on, sighed: thankfully it wasn't intended to be used any time soon. Still though, Josh never recalled Jay ever mention having a gun. Deciding this was strange - because really, it was - he chose to check the magazine. Now, he was no expert on how many bullets these things were supposed to have, but he'd worked with a similar gun during his last range visit, and if he was looking at it correctly, it would have been a full mag...

Had there not been a single round missing.

Bingo!

Shoving the mag back in, he was about to tuck the gun into the inner pocket of his jacket, when he was stopped by this... weird feeling. It was a tiny, almost prickly jab which ran throughout his body, and had the boy frozen to the spot. There was a ringing in his ears even, and he stumbled back as he clutched one side of his head with his free hand.

The feeling shifted, and there was this 'tug' he got inside.

"What the hell?" He looked at the gun, almost dropping it at one point, but steadied himself and focused. By now, he could almost feel what seemed like a 'pull'. He tested this feeling out by moving, and sure enough the irritation grew in strength. Eyeing the thing with a queer expression, he let his thoughts drift aloud. "Oh you've got to be kidding me."

It seemed like something ripped straight from a mystery movie: complete with supernatural nonsense as well.

Josh wasn't a complete dumbass though, and nor was he oblivious either - despite what a few of their professors thought. The first, and it quite literally was the first, thing to come to mind for the man was one simple reaction.

He needed to follow the pull.

It made no sense, none at all, and yet he felt this strong need to go where the pull took him. Realistically, he should have been freaking out, but with the gun in hand, he felt strangely accepting of the situation, as if it were eating his worries away. Bearing a calm expression, Josh held up the weapon, and silently thought to himself.

Okay then, lead the way.

.


.

"Pretty big, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Jay wasn't the type of guy to regularly find himself in a mall unless he absolutely had to. Sure, he'd been there for some conventions before, but in those cases he was so heavily dressed the people attending couldn't recognise him. Add on the fact he never talked during the events and you had the recipe for a perfect little slice of the irregular.

Now normally, he only really attended when he was feeling somewhat tolerant of life, which was rare in its own right, but usually it wouldn't last too long, and he'd be gone as soon as he came. The events were supposed to be reminders that not all was lost, and yet he felt the need to leave it behind, just like everything else. Personally, he never liked crowds knowing who he was, and always felt uncomfortable in situations where they could pin his face to his work or school life.

Here in Vale, however, he wasn't known by anyone... other than probably RWBY, and Junior's crew.

The former - to his knowledge - didn't really visit any malls, or so he recalled, which was a small relief as he really didn't want to see them again any time soon. Yang pretty much told him to piss off, at least he thought she did, and Jay was fully intent on doing that. By now, as he looked out across the crowds of people milling to and fro, he began to wonder if coming with Miltia was a good decision after all.

Feeling her hand around his as she pulled him along somewhat mediated the dread.

"Don't be intimidated by the size: it's pretty cozy once you get used to it."

"Okay." Nothing would be gained from standing still, and he preferred not to be dragged around all day like a pup. He picked up his pace to match hers as they passed through the crowds of day-goers, and soon enough she loosened her grip, and he was able to take back his hand once more. "So what are we doing?"

"I need to get my nails done today, and pick up a few extra carts of dust." It didn't sound so bad... until she looked at him. "Would you like to join me? You don't have to, but you seem to have a sort of style going on, and I feel like my girl can do yours up spectacularly: she's got a ravenous sense for fashion."

Jay felt the tugging of a grimace along his lips, but he fought it off. He'd never really considered doing that before; usually fake nails worked good enough for his outfits. But he did choose to join her on this little adventure; he couldn't just spend the whole time turning her down - it would make him look like an ass. Yes, Miltia wasn't one of the main cast, but that didn't mean he'd just write her off either.

Right now, she was as real to him as everyone else.

"I... I guess I could give it a try."

Feeling her suddenly grasp both his hands had the boy startled for a bit, and she practically shook with barely held back excitement.

"I promise she'll do you up perfectly!"

"Y-yeah." She let go of his hands, and Jay was given just enough time to regain his footing on the world before she hauled him along at double the speed.

Apparently, his plan to observe the mall carefully was thrown out the window as they tore across the path, earning a few disgruntled looks from the people Miltia shoved through. On the other end, there were a few older couples who just smiled as they ran by, and Jay had a feeling they were going on the wrong idea... not that it mattered: going full speed down the trail didn't really give him much time to do anything other than avoid colliding with the masses.

Eventually, after a few minutes or so, they slowed to a standstill.

What stood before them, though, wasn't a particular shop or salon, but a small café, with a dull painted sign labeling it 'Misty's Mug'. Jay turned his head towards his partner for the day, clearly confused and wanting an answer, but she'd taken off without him, and he once again had to play catch-up. Following Miltia into the quaint little place, they ignored the main counter and instead walked along to the back of the shop. Sitting at the last table on the right-most side, alone and sipping what appeared to be either a coffee or a tea, was a woman known to both Jay, and apparently Miltia herself.

Coco Adel merely looked up at the pair, and unfortunately for Jay - although unknown to him - her smile was a by-product of assumed realization.

"So you've finally gotten yourself a little boyfriend." She pulled down her shades, eyeing Jay up and down as he sputtered silently on the spot; cheeks red as roses. With a nod, she hummed. "Not bad; a little girly, but it's a nice change of pace from the norm. I'll say though, he matches you perfectly; a couple of little roses, aren't you?"

"You wish." Miltia rolled her eyes, smirking hard, and holding back giggles as she sat down before her friend. "He's not quite there yet, but I'd be lying if I said he never had a chance."

"Oh?" Slipping a hand on her cheek, Coco crossed her legs and leaned back, setting her cup down. "So he has a chance? That's a first." The woman then leaned in, laying her chin atop her linked fingers as the light glistened off her glasses. "So what did he do to avoid your shit-list?"

Miltia scoffed childishly.

"And what makes you think I have a shit-list?"

"Are you saying you don't?"

"No: I'm asking what gave it away."

Coco's following chuckle was downright maniacal.

"You've never taken smack from anyone, and you're always complaining about one idiot or another: it was fairly obvious after twenty or so times."

"I see, although, I don't remember you ever telling me to stop with those complaints before."

"Why would I?" Coco's smirk would scare any lesser women, but Miltia merely took it as a compliment on her toughness. "Hearing you rip into them is fun, especially when you've beaten some sense into them."

"You know it." Miltia smiled, content with that answer. Coco though, she took a more casual lean back, allowing her smile to turn lazy.

"So: are we here for the usual weekly?"

"Yep."

"Alright." Coco reached out, taking the cup previously laid down during their little chat, and sipped at the beverage once more. She set it down again, only this time she looked up at Jay again, who was doing his best not to buckle under her steely gaze. "And... will your 'not-boyfriend' be looking for a session too, or is he just here for bragging rights?"

"He's down for it."

"Okay~" Coco narrowed her eyes, still holding up that smile, which was becoming more and more unsettling. "So, do you have anything particular in mind, or would you like me to handle everything?"

By now Miltia had taken to staring at him as well, and if Jay were to be completely honest, he was feeling pretty intimidated right about now. It wasn't so much the fact they were looking at him, but rather, the intensity Coco in particular seemed to be holding back some sort of hunger behind her face - a starving obsession just waiting to chow down.

"I... I don't really have anything special that I want. I guess you can just choose whatever you like."

Jay had no idea one could feel so much terror from the simple twitch of a woman, but seeing that sudden shift shoot up the leader of team CFVY planted that fear firmly in his heart. Still though, fear was better than the crushing sense of guilt he shouldered almost every day before coming here. At least in Remnant he didn't have any family or friends to disappoint.

"Good choice." Coco whipped her head towards Miltia. "This one's got brains." And it shot right back to him, or more specifically, his hands. "Yes, I do believe I know exactly what'll work for you~"

Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all.

.


.

"So that's him?"

Mercury took another quick bite of his dwindling sandwich, only taking his eyes off the trio for a second. Even so, Emerald rolled her eyes, barely holding back a huff as she instead set her own sights back on the group.

"Yep."

"Right..." Taking another second to scarf down the rest of his food, the guy gave off a slight groan of pleasure, rolling his neck and leaning back in the chair. The café may have specialized in beverages, but their food was pretty stellar too, even if it was just a bunch of simple dishes.

"You done?"

"Oh yeah." Mercury let a satisfied smile overcome his face, creasing his brows in a taunting manner: knowing full well Emerald found it insufferable. Seeing her just barely keep herself from telling him off, running on the understanding that she couldn't afford to blow their cover, amused him to an almost endless degree. Still, he was more curious than anything, and unlike Emi, he wasn't informed of why they were following the pair. "So, what's the deal with them? I know Cindy told us to keep an eye on 'em, but why?"

"Insurance." Putting it plainly, Emerald let herself relax this time; seeing as Merc was asking questions, it meant he actually gave a rat's ass about the assignment. "Remember when Cinder had me keeping an eye on the club?"

"Yeah: to make sure they weren't slipping out unsolicited rumors, right?" He had to stress that part a little, if only to emphasize he wasn't stupid enough to forget what it meant. Nobody was near their table anyway, and being a ways on the other end of the cafe from the targets gave Mercury the confidence to speak at a casual volume. It wouldn't really matter if people heard them speaking: they'd just assume it was a couple of teens spreading gossip.

They were merely students, after all.

"Naturally."

Emerald's face twisted a tad, and while not really noticeable by anyone else, Mercury could tell how the particular clench of her jaw meant she was thinking, and hard. Seeing a serious Emi wasn't anything special, but when it involved her obsession, he knew not to take any chances: she meant business.

Laying her hand on the table, the young woman continued.

"It was a fairly normal night, and I was just walking out. I turned back to do one last split second check before I took off, like I always do, just to make sure nothing slips by when I'm gone. Low and behold, I spy the big trio carrying the poor sod's body inside without a care in the world."

"Creepy." Mercury knew how Junior worked, and he'd never bother to actually touch someone unless they were important.

"That's just the beginning of it." Emerald laid her arm on the table, letting her head slant as if she were half-asleep; had to keep up the casual act, after all. "As you'd expect, I chose to stay a little and wait to see if anything else went on. It took a while, but I saw him come out again, and this time it wasn't just him being up and ready that seemed strange, but he was walking with her over there. Junior never lends out his precious girls."

"And so you followed them."

"Of course." Emerald sighed after. "But I quickly gave it up once I realized exactly what they were doing."

"What?"

"Collection duty."

"Oh." Mercury knew what that meant: Junior's 'fees' were a staple of his partnerships and such, meaning he had the pair doing the usual rounds. Emerald and him already scoped out Junior's route of influence before, several times as a matter of fact, and so he knew exactly why Emi decided to give it up.

With Junior's girls acting as the threat, nobody ever double-crossed him, meaning nothing ever happened on those rounds; especially since they were taking money from small businesses and nobodies.

"Yeah." Throwing on a smirk of her own, Emerald's tone changed. "So I decided to just snap a pic and report back to Cinder."

"And now she has us keeping tabs on the kid."

"Exactly."

It was a bit of a bummer really; Mercury would much rather be scaring Roman, or executing targets who somehow got in the boss lady's way. But orders were orders, and he wasn't one to step out of line when he had nothing to gain from it.

"How long do we have to follow them?"

"For a bit." Emerald raised a hand, numbering off their tasks with her fingers. "See who he talks to; where he goes; what he does; how he acts; the usual lot."

"So basically, it's another four hour slog."

"Do you ever take anything seriously?" Emerald scowled, and so Mercury began his fun again.

"When it suits me."


Author's note

...

And another one down.

As I said before, I'll be uploading bi-weekly, and here we are. This time we got a look back at the world Jay left behind, and a name drop for the buddy who was only out for a good time. Real one's don't leave their friends behind however, and seeing as Josh has a reason to believe his bestie isn't actually dead, he's naturally out for answers.

Jay is trotting along with Miltia, and she is apparently friends with Coco of all people - and so the web thickens… like oatmeal.

Slip Cinder's crew in the mix, and we have a perfect chemical combo for the dynamite of nonsense soon to come later down the line. Damn, just how many eyes can one guy have on him?

Anyway, feel free to let me know your thoughts, good or bad, and I'll see you next time.