A/N: If you enjoy my work, I have a totally-not-dead Discord server at discord dot gg slash ABfg74C
Corruption
I spent all of Thursday fretting, trying to figure out how I was going to tackle the problem. Matching wits with Watts was a challenge, not just because I knew he was a genius, but because I didn't know how strong he was in a fight. I couldn't stop myself considering what would happen if everything went wrong; in the worst case, I'd have to try to bring him down and avoid killing him, because without him somehow confessing I wasn't sure even Azure would be able to keep me out of jail.
I did manage to decide a few things, though. If I was angling for the bonus objective — which I was, because obviously — then I wouldn't be able to simply run to an authority figure. I was going to have to steal Watts' Scroll, and find some way into it. Not easy, since he wasn't the type I could easily social-engineer a PIN out of, and I wasn't any kind of hacking genius.
And while I certainly wasn't above asking for help, Azure's specialty was in applied chemistry and engineering, not programming. Atlas' expert on that subject was, naturally, Watts himself. Meaning I was going to have to get into it some other way.
After another restless night's sleep, I was ready to put a cunning plan into action Friday morning.
Unfortunately, I still hadn't come up with one, and my flight out was tomorrow, so I had just today to complete the assigned quest.
Glancing at my [Inventory], I considered the empty Scroll, of a different model than my own. I had bought it last night, hoping to make it a decoy so Watts wouldn't notice that I'd stolen his real one, but come the morning I was less confident in that plan. The model was correct, but Watts might have customized his Scroll in subtler ways than just the monogram, in which case the switcheroo gambit was always doomed.
Azure was busy reviewing what we'd tested yesterday, which had been the most in-depth yet despite my distraction, involving the ways different types and grades of Dust interacted with [Elemental Weapon]. Some of the effects were obvious: I already knew that Shock Dust had a chance to stun my targets. Yesterday we had confirmed that Burn Dust set my weapon alight, Freeze coated my target in rime, and Gale added extra knockback. Higher-grade Dust resulted in a better effect, hotter flames, thicker ice, etc., but also made the 'enchantment' last longer. Understanding the skill better, I was definitely going to need to stock up on more Dust.
Given that every time I [Observe]d Azure, she had the Geas Conflict status effect active, I was guessing that all her testing ideas were really her best effort at training me. She never showed any discomfort, however, so hopefully her self-justification was helping blunt the effects.
While she was distracted, I took a moment to activate [Detect Aura]. Now level 25, I could readily sense and distinguish every soul within 300 meters — almost 1000 feet — revealing there were only four other people on our current floor: Azure, Watts, and two others that were nearly overlapping each other.
Frowning, I opened the door and looked in their direction, spotting… a closet. Ah. Well, they're busy, at least.
"Something wrong, Jaune?" Azure asked, glancing up from her workstation.
I grimaced, shutting the door again. "Yes, but I don't have any proof."
"Proof of what?"
Part of me hesitated, but she knew almost all of my Semblance's quirks by now. "I got a quest yesterday. It says Watts is writing a computer worm that can take control of his own security system from anywhere, and I need to steal it so he can't use it."
Azure paused, thinking that through, before she pushed to her feet. "What do you need?"
"Huh?" I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but really? She doesn't ask for any proof?
She seemed to read the disbelief on my face. "Jaune, CLEO takes data security seriously. And to be honest, I've never liked Watts. He thinks he's subtle, but his disdain for everyone around him is incredibly obvious. The threat he could pose is both credible and overwhelming: CRITIAS was built into the architecture of the CCT and the Round Table OS that runs the Atlesian Knights." She pulled a bottle of water off her belt, juggling it impatiently. "Now come on, baby brother, show me the tactical mind that killed Krios the Amalthean. What's the plan?"
Rubbing my eyes, I dropped into a chair and decided to roll with it. "Well, since you brought up Krios, you'll be glad to hear this plan is only almost as threadbare and terrible as that one," I said. "The actual mission objective is just to make sure he can't use the worm. I don't think it's in the system yet, and I don't have time to plan an elaborate heist that will leave him none the wiser, so we're going to have to do this quick and dirty."
"Meaning he's going to know something's up, and he's probably going to suspect us," Azure supplied. "But he'll be arrested, so it doesn't matter."
"Planning for the worst case scenario where he gets away," I muttered. "But yeah. So as long as he doesn't kill us on the spot… Do you have the authority to actually arrest him?"
Azure shook her head, and I bit my lip.
"That could be an issue, then," I sighed. "I can't see his level, so I don't know how strong he is. And without somebody to break into his Scroll, we won't have any proof."
"Dr P can handle any computer," Azure waved that point off. "As for arresting him… Gee, if only we knew a Specialist or two."
"That just brings us back to the lack of proof," I pointed out. "Sienna still isn't due back until tomorrow night, and my Semblance has to stay a secret."
"Jaune…" Azure's tone was almost pitying. "Do you really think Specialists wait for proof in the face of a threat to national security? When delays could lead to Grimm battering down the walls?"
"Aren't we on a floating island?"
She ignored my interjection. "'Innocent until proven guilty' only applies in civilian courts. We're all under the aegis of the military here in Atlas, which means being at minimum detained until proven innocent in the eyes of the court-martial. And if that worm really exists, there is no innocent explanation for it."
I took a minute to consider the flagrant dismissal of due process, before reluctantly deciding that my moral standards from Earth couldn't really apply to a world like Remnant that was constantly under siege from monsters of darkness. "Then we just need to distract him long enough to swipe his Scroll, so he can't delete the evidence," I said, jerking my head toward the wall separating us from Watts.
"His Scroll?" Azure repeated. "Wait, he's working on it here? He brought his personal Scroll in? How did–?" She answered her own question before I could reply. "–Of course he could bring his Scroll in past the detectors, they run on CRITIAS too. Gods, fixing this is going to be a nightmare." She heaved a sigh, then smiled brightly. "Good thing that's not my department! Now, you have your Scroll in your Inventory, right?"
"Yeah," I nodded, pulling it out. "Should I call Bia? What do we do if Watts sees them come in? He's got to be wired into the security system."
"Hmm… Specialists have an override, but he might still get an alert if he's watching for it. We'll have to keep his attention on us instead… Tell Bia to bring backup for a Trousdale-Wise and page me when she arrives," Azure instructed. "Then here's what we'll do…"
Just like yesterday, Azure shouldered her way into Watts' reserved lab, dragging me by the shoulder and already ranting before he could even look up. "One more page on my week off and I'm going to lose it! I swear, Doc, you're the only other competent person around here."
Watts' expression went from annoyed, to resigned, to flattered, to amused as Azure manhandled me into the same seat opposite him. I'd triggered [Cat's Grace] and [Reinforcement] as we came in; cracking 100 effective DEX made it trivial to keep my balance and also make it look like I was stumbling around. I didn't even have to fake the annoyance on my face that a woman almost half a foot shorter than me could yank me around like this while I was buffed. I'm way stronger than a civilian, she should at least look like she's trying. At least Watts doesn't look suspicious. I guess we passed our deception check.
"I mean seriously, why would you even come to me with this?" Azure went on, pulling a canteen from her belt and gesturing with it. "Espionage isn't my freaking job!"
Watts' brow creased as she rambled, and when she paused to drink he opened his mouth to complain.
Whatever he was going to say, he never had a chance, as Azure spit her mouthful of water in his face, before dumping the rest of the canteen's contents into her hand. Rather than splatter and drip, the spat water shimmered and coalesced into a small, bulbous, humanoid figure clinging to Watts' nose.
Watts threw himself backward, knocking over his chair with a crash, and I took the initiative to snatch his Scroll off the table and shove it into my [Inventory] as I vaulted the desk. Pulling out a training sword, I swung it at his head with all my passive strength, only for it to crack ominously as it collided with a hexagonal hard-light shield that sprang up between us. Where the fuck did he get Dust to do that? Or is that his Semblance?
Azure threw more of her water-minions at Watts, but he managed to claw the first one off his face and hissed, "How dare you!"
I didn't dignify him with a reply, swinging again to keep his shield busy as the minions piled onto his legs, weighing him down.
He kicked them off, and with a wave of his left hand, he blew the tiny things into the ceiling, where they splattered. They immediately began flowing back together, but another wave from Watts and the water froze into ice and stopped moving. He blocked my swing yet again, then spun the shield at me edge-on.
I tried to [Parry], but the hard-light sliced through the wood of my practice sword like it wasn't even there, and continued on its path toward my neck. I barely had time to register what was happening, and I knew I would never get out of the way in time, but the expected pain never came.
Instead, a snowflake bloomed into existence in midair, right in front of my throat, stopping the hard-light shield cold. I was already jumping backward, dropping the now-useless stick and reaching for something to use as a new improvised weapon, when an icy voice cracked across the room like a whip.
"Stand down, Arthur Watts, you are under arrest!"
‹?›
LV ?
Winter Schnee
Clad in a white jacket and blue waistcoat, her icy eyes met Watts' challenging glare with one of her own. Four more glyphs sprang into being over her shoulders, rotating menacingly, and unlike the rest of us, she had an actual weapon in her hands. The dueling saber was pointed straight at Watts' heart from across the room, a distance that a trained Huntress could cross in less than a second.
His eyes flicked to the door, but Bia was blocking it, a shotgun with a huge bore also covering him; and then toward the sink in the far wall, where Azure stood, smirking, with her hand under the running faucet. A steady stream of watery minions was clambering up onto the counter and lining up in case he kept resisting. Finally, he looked back at his desk, noticed his scroll was missing, and glared at me with mounting fury. I had to restrain the urge to smirk. Best to keep your attention on your surroundings, eh?
"On what charges?" Watts demanded through gritted teeth.
Winter didn't reply, instead simply showing her Specialist authorization with her left hand. "Specialist Álikos, cuff him."
Since all the attention was on Watts, I flicked my gaze to the popup I'd received upon stealing his Scroll.
[Obtained Watts' Scroll (Unlocked)!] Blank Scroll detected in Inventory. Would you like to synchronize the Owned Scroll with the blank one?]
Why yes, yes I would.
[Scroll Backup function initiated. Copying data files from Watts' Scroll to Blank Scroll… {Ongoing in background}]
Watts was grinding his teeth as Bia wrenched his arms behind his back, still trying to kill me with his gaze. I guessed he knew how screwed he was, because he didn't bother arguing with either of the Specialists.
"Remain here," Winter instructed Azure and me. "I will return for your statements once the prisoner is secured." With an imperious look, she left to escort Bia downstairs. I watched her leave unselfconsciously. Shame her jacket is so long.
"Did you get it?" Azure asked, waving a hand and commanding her minions to jump back into the sink.
"Yeah." I caught one of the minions out of the air. It deformed but stayed in one piece, despite its watery appearance, even when I gave it an experimental squeeze. Curious, I [Observe]d it.
[Name: T̷̶̶͍͓͍͊͑̌e̸̶̸͔͎̹̜͆̃ͅk̵̶̸̘̣̄͛̊͜k̸̶̷̻͎͎̜̑̃̽͜e̸̶̸̲̬͓͈̓̓̈̈͝l̷̶̵͈̳̹͂̈́̈̆̏i̵̶̸̢̹͖͕͂̓ͅl̶̶̸̪̦̥͖̅͑͑͂i̴̶̸̡̬͊̔̓͝ͅ]
[LV 5]
[Title: Madness' Mouth]
[Class: Servitor]
[HP: 400/400]
[Stats: 10 STR, 10 CON, 50 DEX, 0 INT, 0 WIS, 0 CHA]
[Description: A watery construct of protoplasm animated by Azure Arc's Semblance, it is far more dexterous than it appears. Having no solid form, it is able to deform and reintegrate when attacked. It can follow simple tasks without oversight or be directed mentally in concert with fellows, making effective amphibious builders or shock troops.]
[Emotions: None.]
[Relationship: Ally.]
The fuck? Is its name… corrupted? I squinted, but that did nothing to clear it up. Since we were alone at the moment, I even reached out and tapped the screen, which also failed to give any further result. What the shit does that mean? Is that a function of whatever this Servitor thing is, or is this because of me?
"Hmm, that's right, you haven't seen my little buddies since you lost your memories," Azure said. She was making a valiant effort to sound detached, but like Indigo and Olivia, I could tell my lack of recognition was bothering her.
Like a good brother, I changed the subject. "So is Schnee always that intense?" I jabbed a thumb at the door.
"Pretty much." Azure directed the last few minions down the drain before hopping up onto the counter, kicking her legs idly as we waited for the Specialist to return. "I mean, you've spent the week with Bia. Their whole department is always professional, kinda to a fault. But Schnee is a hardass for sure."
"Ah, come on, she's not so bad," said a new voice. Standing framed in the doorway was a tall woman with familiar features. She was an inch or two shorter than me, maybe just shy of six foot.
‹?›
LV ?
Sienna Arc
"Hey Sie," Azure chirped. She pronounced it see-uh. "Weren't you due back tomorrow?"
"Didn't want to miss seeing baby brother," Sienna drawled.
She was wearing a reddish-brown tunic, cinched at the waist by a belt holding two large pouches, over thick white tights, with boots of two different heights — the right came just past her ankle, while the other came almost to her knee. On her hands were similarly-asymmetrical gloves; the left being a fingerless glovelet while the right reached her elbow. Sienna was built like Indigo and Azure, lean and whipcord-thin. Her medium-blonde hair was in a short, messy bob with strawberry highlights, and her icy-blue eyes were crinkled with amusement. Splashed across her chest was an ice-blue triangle, possibly a snowy mountain or iceberg.
I spread my arms and made jazz hands. "Ta-da," I deadpanned.
Sienna smirked. "Well, you've certainly gotten sassier." She shifted her gaze to Azure. "Want to tell me why we just arrested the best computer scientist in the Kingdom?"
"Treason," Azure said simply, already immersed in her tablet again.
Obviously unsatisfied with the one-word answer, our older sister raised an imperious eyebrow at me.
Getting the notification that the copying was done, I pulled Watts' Scroll back out of my [Inventory] and handed it over to her. "I presume you'll need someone to verify it, but he was coding a worm that would give him direct control over every system running his CRITIAS thing."
Sienna whistled. "That'd do it." She fiddled with the Scroll for a moment, then tucked it into one of her belt pouches. "Well, play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I'll get this under the eyes of someone who can make heads or tails of it so they can start overhauling infosec."
"Just keep my name out of it." I ignored my Semblance buzzing at me for the moment. "Is Bia going to be okay bringing him in?" I asked, vaguely worried about her. "Apparently Watts is a tricky bastard."
Sienna's eyebrow rose a little higher, and her lips twitched, but her answer was as cool as before. "Please. If the two of them can't handle one scientist, I'll have to retrain them."
I didn't exactly have the context for that, since everybody involved was so high-level I couldn't see them, but I supposed Schnee had already handed Watts his ass once.
"Relax," Sienna insisted. "I'm fucking good at my job, okay? My cadets are badasses."
The cursing threw me for a second, although I guess it shouldn't have, seeing as she was in the military. Taking a breath, I decided to see what popups I had been ignoring.
[Quest Complete!]
[En Passant]
[You have gained 21,000 EXP and 40,000L! increased closeness with Sienna Arc, increased closeness with Azure Arc, increased closeness with Bia Álikos, increased closeness with Winter Schnee. Increased reputation with Atlesian Specialists. Increased reputation with Atlas.]
[Bonus: You have gained access to Pawn, potential access to Atlesian military intelligence, skill book "Introduction to Computing Fundamentals".]
[Level up! Your level has increased by 1! Your level has increased by 1!]
[By recognizing when to ask for help, your WIS has increased by 1!]
[Enlightened has increased by 1!]
And yet again, my Semblance finds a way to insult me with a simple popup. This thing is the definition of backhanded. At least the EXP bonus from [Enlightened] is working.
Still, the access to military intelligence could also be useful, depending on what Atlas actually knew…
Wait, that potential access is going to start closing as soon as they launch their investigation, because I gave them the original, I realized belatedly. Two-thirds of that bonus reward is worthless! Maybe I could use it to get hold of Penny, but I have no idea how to use Pawn in the first place, or how to cover my tracks, because it would be obvious it was me. Plus, stealing her would make an enemy of her father, and Atlas in the process.
My very soul twinged, and I winced as I realized that going that route was impossible anyway. It would violate my oath.
I heaved a sigh. I couldn't bring myself to regret the oath, but it sure put a dent in my pragmatism. But then, that was the point. To be better.
Maybe with the new skill I can at least make heads or tails of the worm, I thought, withdrawing the book from my [Inventory] with a thought.
"Whatcha got there?" Azure asked, glancing up. She was used to me pulling things out of nowhere, having tested my personal pocket-space thoroughly on Tuesday.
"Skill book," I replied. "Got it from the quest. This is a real book, right?"
She snatched it from my hand and marched out of the room, back to the lab she and I had been using. Sienna huffed a laugh and followed.
By the time I closed the door behind me, Azure had pulled up a digital copy of the book and was comparing the two. "Looks the same. You said this is a skill book? As in you'll learn to code in… what language is this?" She flipped to the index. "Apparently there's basics from five different types of programming languages, actually."
"It'll probably be broader than that, based on my other INT-related skills," I guessed, though I was distracted by something else I spotted. Since Azure was sitting down, it put her head lower than normal, so the name over her head — which I'd mostly tuned out since it was blank — was directly in my field of view.
‹The Devouring Sea›
LV 69
Azure Arc
"I can see your information now," I blurted out, surprised.
"Huh?" She looked at me, then tried to follow my eye-line to the empty space over her head. "Oh, really? What's it say?"
I recited her title, then added, "Apparently you're level sixty-nine?"
"Ha, nice," Sienna deadpanned, and both my eyebrows shot up. She scoffed at my reaction. "Please, I dealt with Shani more than anyone."
Having already hurt Azure's feelings with my ignorance today, I decided to avoid pointing out that I had no idea how Shani behaved. Apparently she makes sex jokes, though. Something tells me I'll have to brace for teasing.
"So you're at least level nineteen. Did you level up from the quest?" Azure guessed correctly.
I nodded. "Twice, actually. I'm level twenty; about halfway to twenty-one."
"And you said the low twenties are average for Academy freshmen," Azure was nose-down in her tablet again. "Not counting how you can increase your stats. But what do the levels mean for other people…?"
"I've been taking it as an estimate of raw combat ability," I shrugged. "I'm shooting in the dark here, but based on your Semblance I'm guessing you're more of a minion-master than a direct fighter." A quick [Observe] showed me her stats were now visible. "Yeah, your INT is like double your other stats. You're definitely in the right line of work."
Azure laughed. "Thanks for the reassurance."
Leaning forward, I laid a hand on the book, giving Azure a second to grab her tricorder.
[Would you like to learn the skill [Computers]?]
[Y/N]
Reading the prompt aloud and getting a nod from my sister, I accepted.
[You learned the skill [Computers]! Importing Outsider save data… Save data loaded successfully!]
[Computers (Passive) LV 5 EXP: 0.00%]
[A talent with electronics. Mortal society advanced their civilization still further through computerization. Grants an increased understanding of electronic systems, and improves chances to successfully program or hack computers.]
[Improves learning rate for programming languages by 10%.]
[5% decrease in failure rate when attempting to bypass electronic locks.]
[Increases typing speed by 60%.]
I read this out too, skipping the bit about my save data. That was something I wasn't planning to bring up to anybody on Remnant.
"Dammit, we didn't measure your typing speed before," Azure complained.
"We've got plenty of data points," I reassured her. "Even you have to be convinced the numbers are accurate by now."
"All right, enough of the nerd shit," Sienna cut in. "It's Friday night; let's grab the girls and hit the town."
'The girls' turned out to be Bia and Winter, who smiled and scowled respectively at Sienna's announcement that I would be joining them for the evening.
"Put on something nice," Sienna insisted.
I raised an eyebrow. "I came here to do research," I pointed out. "I didn't bring anything nicer than this." I gestured at my default outfit.
She clicked her tongue. "You can't go clubbing in that, you'll look like a square."
"We could not go clubbing," I suggested, already knowing I would be ignored. All of my sisters seemed to have the same force of personality as… well, me. They decided on something and went for it, and minor complaints weren't enough to dissuade them.
Sure enough, I was herded into a monorail and out again at an upscale clothing store, and told to pick something off the rack. Sienna planted herself by the door with her arms folded, making it clear I wasn't getting out of here without a new outfit. Seeing as my Semblance would resize it, I focused on style. Black slacks and low, square-toed leather shoes were the easy part; sighing, I started rifling through the shirts until I found something that somewhat matched my current color choices. A thin white button-down with filigree that, based on the price, might well be literal gold. I grimaced at the total, and stared Sienna down until she rolled her eyes and paid for it.
"Cheapskate," she teased good-naturedly as we headed back to her place.
"I'm seventeen and unemployed," I shot back, assigning the outfit to a new armor set I named Nice. "Thirty-five hundred for an outfit I'm gonna wear one night? If you think tagging Creeps and Beowolves pays that much, you've been out of the field too long."
Sienna snorted. "I'm a Specialist, not a desk jockey. I guarantee the whole family Hunts more than you, except maybe Azure." She hooked an arm around my shoulder and drilled her knuckles into my skull. "It's good that you're not helpless, but don't go thinking you're hot shit just because you killed one big Grimm."
I shoved her off, and she let me go, smirking. "So I gotta do it again to get any respect?" I joked.
Sienna laughed as we entered her apartment. "Sure, you kill another Named Grimm and I'll even apologize."
Azure managed to make herself scarce when it was time to set out, but since I was staying with both Sienna and Bia, I wasn't so lucky.
Then again, seeing Bia in a backless club dress… Dem shoulders. Maybe my luck isn't so bad. It was a deep red halter-neck with scooped sides that showed hints of her abs, and I had to concentrate all my DEX on not tripping. Winter's dress was a bit more conservative, but no less fetching. A light periwinkle sheath that came to her knees, with a high slit to allow free movement; I suspected it had probably been purchased with cocktail parties in mind. At least my new Formal armor set was fitted as well as if it were freshly tailored, or I had a feeling Winter's mild distaste would have turned even icier.
I did my best to make small talk, which Bia answered easily and Winter coolly, until Sienna emerged wearing what could only be described as a Little Black Dress and began chivvying us out the door.
We stopped to eat — I would've called it Italian, but I still hadn't figured out what Remnant calls various cuisines — and I scrupulously avoided red sauces, not wanting to tempt fate with a white shirt. The food was okay, but…
"I could've made this better," I said under my breath, but between Bia's polite chuckle, Sienna's disbelieving snort, and Winter's raised eyebrow, it looked like everyone heard me.
"I'll believe it when I see it, baby brother," Sienna smirked.
Bia stuck up for me. "Jaune's been cooking every day since he's been staying with me, he's very good."
I preened, and Sienna just shook her head. "Whatever you say. Come on, let's get some dancing in before it gets too late."
Despite my fears, the club wasn't some dim, dingy, packed room with too-loud music. It was a fairly well-lit, clean, packed room with too-loud music, but I'd take the wins where they came.
I didn't recognize a single song in the first hour we were there, despite my Semblance dutifully identifying them, but then, I was never one to frequent nightclubs on Earth either. Frankly, I wished I'd stayed at home to look over the data I'd ripped from Watts' scroll. Still, the night wasn't a total loss.
[Importing Outsider save data… Save data loaded successfully!]
[You have remembered the skill [Dancing]!]
[Dancing (Passive) LV5 EXP: 0.00%]
[A skill that represents your ability to move your body with rhythm. Music recommended, but not required.]
[Passively increases DEX by 5%.]
[Reduces chance of losing your balance by 5%]
Does that imply that if I prestige this skill I literally can't slip? Does that include slipping on ice? Does it protect me from vertigo?
Shaking off that train of thought, and promising myself to go over the cloned Scroll on my flight tomorrow, I tried to have some fun. Even if Sienna won't get me a drink. Fuck me, being a teenager again is annoying.
Winter and Bia danced together most of the night, taking turns boxing out men who tried to approach them, and Sienna had ditched us fairly early in favor of working her way through as many men as were willing to approach her. Huh, should I expect to sleep on the couch tonight?
For myself, while I stuck somewhat nearby, I let the beat carry me and danced with a few pretty girls that looked at least a little older than me, meaning they were somewhat closer to my mental age, even if that felt lower than it once had.
For me, the peak of the night came when Winter retired to a table, and Bia pulled me away from my latest partner. Not that I needed much convincing; she wasn't very coordinated, had stepped on my toes twice, and… it was Bia.
I did attempt to keep it respectful, but considering the first thing she did was pull my hand around her waist and back her hips into mine, I decided to go with the flow. Winter might kill me — I could feel her frosty glare on the back of my head, enough that I was surprised I didn't get a danger sensing skill out of it — but what the hell, I was leaving town tomorrow and could afford to indulge this crush a little.
My shirt was so thin I could feel the warmth of her bare back, and she kept her fingers laced through mine against her stomach for the duration of a song, before turning around as a slower one started, and pressing her forehead against mine. As we were the same height, it wasn't a strain on either of our necks, but I was pretty sure I was blushing. Sienna's smirk over the head of her current partner, which I spotted out of the corner of my eye, made me wonder if maybe I wasn't as subtle about my crush as I thought, but she'd have found something to tease me over regardless, so I put it out of my mind and gazed back into Bia's emerald eyes.
That only lasted until the end of the song before Winter returned and cut in, pulling Bia away by the hand. I squeezed Bia's hand as I stepped away, and she squeezed back before letting go.
I… need a drink after that.
Heading over to the bar, I flagged the bartender down and slapped a 100 Lien card on the counter. "Whiskey sour, keep the change," I ordered, before remembering I was seventeen.
The card vanished and was replaced with a glass almost before I could blink, and I decided not to question my fortune. I reached for it, but someone snatched it up. I turned a glare on the culprit, and found Sienna wagging a finger at me.
Rolling my eyes, I stalked back to our table. She joined me a moment later, passing me a glass of cola that was definitely virgin.
"Pretty sure you're still seventeen, last I checked," she smirked.
"Eat me," I shot back with a glare. "I'm old enough to kill Grimm and I can't even have a drink on vacation?"
"That's the law, kiddo."
"You're not my fucking mother, woman." Rather than continue to sulk, I drained my cola and headed back to the dance floor.
I still hadn't forgiven Sienna come morning — not least because she kept drinking and I'd had to carry her home on the train — but I still gave her a hug before boarding the plane.
I woke up without too much trouble thanks to my Semblance. Ten minutes of meditation and a cup of coffee got me going, in time for Azure to announce that my flight was in fact going to Mistral rather than Vale, so I could visit our grandmother and Violet.
"And you were planning to mention this, when?" I asked waspishly.
Azure blinked at me innocently. "I mentioned it just now, silly!"
"Is this my fault for not booking it myself?" I had to wonder, hugging Azure in turn and resisting the urge to smack her. Not that I'd be likely to get away with it; even if I could see her level now, she was still almost fifty higher than me.
Finally it was Bia's turn, and she surprised me by ignoring my attempted handshake and pulling me into a hug as well. I returned it, trying not to seem too eager.
"Keep in touch, Jaune; I want to know how your lifting goes," she said with her usual smile.
"Definitely; I'll be working hard to catch up to you." I grinned at Bia, ignoring Sienna and Azure exchanging smirks. "Long days and pleasant nights, you guys," I said, to include them all.
"Good hunting," they replied, as I headed for the boarding gates.
A glance back showed Sienna had thrown an arm over Bia's shoulders, yanking her close. Azure had also turned to face the Specialists, gesticulating energetically. Bia was shaking her head and waving her hands, her face a little red. Going by what I've learned of their personalities, I'm not sure how she survived training with Sienna. She seems far too reserved to be at peace with how pushy our whole family is.
Mistral was about as far from Atlas as Vale, the three cities forming a more or less equilateral triangle. Crossing another three time zones put me at six hours behind Vale time now, and just like the flight to Atlas meant a morning flight was going to be landing in late afternoon. I spent the time, as I'd decided the previous night, looking through some of the data ripped from Watts' Scroll. Say what you want about the design aesthetic, the memory capacity of these things blows cell phones out of the water. There was the expected data about Pawn, but also some coded communications between codenames that had to refer to Salem's group. Not to mention a Dr Merlot, who was performing 'mutagenic' experiments on Grimm.
There was also plenty of classified Atlesian military data, which would probably get me shot if anyone knew I had it, and which I would definitely require way more time to dig through. Need to look back through this and see if anything about Penny is on here. With the [Computers] skill and the source code available, I should be able to inoculate her against Pawn.
The flight seemed much the same as the previous one, if a little more crowded since it was Friday. And why are the days of the week the same as Earth? I thought, pausing in my perusal of the cloned Scroll. They're mostly named for Norse gods. Did that faith exist on Remnant? Is this really a post-post-apocalyptic Earth? But then how did that survive and so many other things didn't?
Shaking that off, I glanced out the window and spotted what a quick check of the map told me was the Animan continent's massive lake; the so-called Sea of Monsters. I should look up what kinds of Grimm there are to Hunt around here, especially if I'm going to be stuck in Mistral for a while.
A quick vibration from my Semblance indicated my Scroll had just reconnected to the CCT network, so we must have been getting close to the Greek/Japanese city-state. I put the cloned Scroll away and prodded at the display built into my seat, trying to pull up the time remaining in the flight, but the screen flickered and fuzzed out. I tapped it, but nothing happened.
Hearing complaints start to filter through my headphones, I slid them off and around my neck. Looking around, it appeared it wasn't only my seat's screen that crashed, but all of them.
The flight attendants, looking harried, were trying to calm down the angry passengers. Don't envy them. Say what you will about Hunting, at least I don't have to deal with customers as much, I thought. Honestly, people make such a big deal out of a minor technical issue.
Sure enough, the screens flickered again, then again, before coming back to life all at once; all of them displayed a large, ornate, cursive W.
And then the engines died.
Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 20 (Next: 61.07%)
Title: Initiate
Race: Human
Age: 17
Job: Tyro Huntsman
Class: Paladin
Semblance: The Gamer
HP: 1707/1707
MP: 1300/1300
STR: 57.1 (51)
CON: 58 (50)
DEX: 70 (50)
INT: 41.0 (39)
WIS: 54.1 (51)
CHA: 35.6 (26)
Points: 33
Money: 3698L
Status: Cursed – Yellow Death [High]
A/N: I was definitely planning on a lot more plotting and intrigue, like probably another whole chapter's worth, but it looks like that's just not Jaune's strong point.
Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale were animation directors at Disney through the 90s. The specific reference here is to Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and specifically the treachery of Commander Rourke after putting on a reliable and pleasant façade. Apparently this has happened enough for the Specialists to have a code word for it, although I suppose it really only needs to happen once.
10 Lien to the dollar means that outfit was around $350 with tax — Jaune could have afforded it, but been broke afterward.
Everything after Sienna's arrival stalled this chapter for… so damn long. Dead end into writer's block. I need a lot of practice at writing downtime, I guess.