"What are you doing?"
Every inch of hair on the back of her neck shot up, and after fumbling around in a brief panic, Yang clamped her fingers around the edge of the archway. Her heartbeat having taken on the spray along the level of a machine gun might have earned the bow-wearing instigator some... less than positive words.
"What the dust, Blake?!" Huffing and puffing, Yang stared through a recovering glare. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"Hypocrite." Blake murmured, giving her a halfway look as she leaned on one side. "You're a huntress. I shouldn't even be able to spook you."
"Yeah, well..." Yang, now knowing Blake was Blake, and not some grimm or monster or whatever, returned to her - in all honesty, probably a tad pushy - observation of the pair sitting inside the cafeteria. "I usually don't expect to be jumped here at school… not outside of combat class anyway."
"Benefits of being human, I guess." That would have been a low blow had Blake still been obsessed with her anger at the injustices of society, but she seemed to have caught on to the fact that the only real active racist here in Beacon was Cardin. With how easily they could kick his ass - not to mention how he keeps getting his butt walloped every other combat class - Blake began to realize that the school, at least, wasn't as unbearable as she'd once thought. Leaning over, Blake obscured herself against the edge of the passageway between the hall to the cafeteria. "So, what are we looking for?"
"Nothing you'll care about." Yang said, hoping the vagueness of her response would bore Blake enough to leave. Unfortunately, the covert cat-girl wasn't so easily dissuaded.
"If it's got you stalking instead of acting, it must be something worthwhile."
Crap. For once, Yang was regretting her habit of picking a fight with anyone who genuinely challenged her. Damn you, abrasive nature.
While Yang was internally berating her habits, Blake ended up spying both Ruby and that goth chick who'd recently begun creeping around her. To tell the truth, it wasn't really creepy when the target herself agreed to every outing, but it was still unsettling how trusting Ruby was to the person she'd been so confounded by that she'd chased her to the gardens a few days ago. But Blake just chalked that up to the girl's strange habit of making friends in the most abnormal of ways.
"Is that why?" She asked, squinting to get a better view of what they may or may not have been doing. "Ruby's hanging out with her again."
"No." Yang asserted far too fast, causing Blake to smirk a little, which Yang caught from a quick glance and proceeded to scowl at. "I'm just..."
"You might as well admit it." Blake informed, stretching her grin wider. "You'll only look worse if you throw out a poor excuse."
Yang huffed. "Fine." And settled back into spying on her little sister. "But come on, just look at them getting all chummy over there."
"She's found another friend, so what?"
"Something's off, that's what." Yang said, as if that were a perfectly normal response.
"You're starting to sound a bit paranoid. You know that, don't you?" This got another quick glare from her teammate before both aimed their reticles back on Ruby again.
"And you clearly don't have the slightest clue how hard it is for Rubes to make actual friends."
"Now you're just being mean."
"I'm serious!" Yang doubled down, probably glaring harder at the pair and hoping the one sitting across from her sister and listening with a playful smile would spontaneously combust. "Ruby's not the sort of girl who can just say, 'hi, wanna be pals,' and get away with it. It takes time - and accidents, many, many accidents - for her to even come close."
"Still sounding like a jerk." Blake knew she wasn't helping the situation, but from her small talk with Ruby a few days ago - before her leader left to find her new friend - she couldn't really find anything to overtly worry over. Yeah, the goth's first interaction with them was far from normal, but that didn't make her bad.
Weiss wasn't all that friendly at first either, but she grew on them; why shouldn't they give this new woman a chance? Especially since Ruby looked to be genuinely enjoying their little chat over at their team's regular table.
"Blake, how many times have you seen Ruby do something on her own without one of us?"
Wow... You really thought you had something there, didn't you? After thinking this, Blake made a mental note not to eavesdrop on anything Nora recited during lunch; A random thought for sure, but it at least reminded her why Yang was wrong in whatever judgment she'd just passed onto her sister.
"Literally three days ago, when we met Mint for the first time." Subsequently, they'd found Ruby cackling outside like a maniac a little later, which Yang then proceeded to tease her over for around twenty minutes. When prodded - and after Yang got scolded by Weiss - they were given both the name of the girl, and the reasoning behind her bizarre behavior.
Apparently, Mint wasn't great at making friends on her own either, and had the same tactics of 'fake it 'till you make it' that Jaune used when trying to woo Weiss - which still remained unsuccessful, by the way. At her core, Mint was just as socially awkward as Ruby. This straightforward answer only served to frustrate Yang further.
"No no, I mean besides the one we're talking about."
"Then what about the night she spent over at JNPR's." Not a super common occurrence, sure, but it was regular enough that they could attribute every other Saturday to the affair. Once more, Yang silently fumed.
"Friends don't count - especially ones who predate you yourself."
"You're demanding a lot of stipulations here. With an answer that specific, it's starting to sound like you don't really want one." Blake let a curious expression glow, prodding her partner further. "You were never this pushy when it came to Jaune. What makes Mint any different?"
"Jaune is a goofball." After realizing - far too late - how bad that sounded, Yang hastily tried to save face. "In a good way."
"Right... In a good way."
"You know what I mean." The blonde growled - and people considered her kind animals. Yang simmered down somewhat, and explained in a far more direct fashion the root of her concern; as in, she used real words instead of half-baked insults and jokes. "Jaune's friendly, silly, somewhat naïve, and overall a complete nerd. He's the perfect friend for Ruby because I know for a fact he'd never want to hurt her. And even if he did, he's too weak to stand a chance against her… or me, for that matter."
"He's not a threat." Blake finished for her, simplifying and summarizing in a single swipe.
"Exactly!" An unnatural excitement sprung up in her partner's tone, and Blake wondered if maybe Yang needed some therapy. Sure, siblings could be close at times - or so she'd heard and read - but this seemed a little closer than usual. If anything, it kind of felt like her partner was playing 'mother hen' when it came to her younger sibling. These thoughts went unheard as Yang proceeded to start up a tangent. "But now there's this girl."
"And what's so wrong with her? Aside from acting weird for a second; which Ruby already explained the reason for, remember?" Blake immediately interrupted, preferring to get something sensible from her partner over whatever wash of complaints she had at the ready.
"I know that." Yang spat, crooking her head a little closer to the edge. "But that's not my problem here. Sure, Mint is a little like Rubes with making poor first impressions, but unlike sis who's usually all shy and reserved, Mint just waltzed right in. She's straightforward and blunt."
"That just makes her easier to talk to." Blake informed, neglecting to explain just how vulnerable Mint makes herself when hopping into those situations. All it would take to hurt her, if Ruby was to be believed, would be to call her a creep and tell her to shove off. If anything, Mint's approach to making friends was more dangerous than Ruby's; at least their leader wouldn't be seen as a weirdo and dangerous...
Drat. And now, Blake was beginning to see why her partner became so worried for Ruby.
"You're seriously not at all creeped out by just how pushy Mint is?" Blake briefly cringed, letting Yang go off. "Think about it like this: if Mint is this pushy when she's nervous, then how brash would she be when she isn't?"
"I get your point." Blake admitted, settling into the act of continuing to spy on her leader. "But still, doesn't this seem a bit freaky as well? I mean, we're spying on your little sister, and from what I can see here, she doesn't seem to be in any danger."
The duo ahead hadn't changed in the least, with Ruby continuing to talk about stuff and Mind occasionally flashing her scroll to respond - Mint was mute so far as both Ruby and them knew, and again this info was based on info from their leader inside. Ruby continued her animated tale of whatever it was she was talking about, and Mint laid her head in her hands, calmly listening with a grin, and at points getting excited herself. It was... an oddly peaceful affair, compared to what their team usually ran themselves into.
"For now." Okay, Yang was getting far too over the top with this, and that slightly unnerving response needed to be questioned.
"You're sounding crazy again."
"Look." Yang put her foot down; well, she actually huffed, but it had the same effect as such. "Just give me this for a bit. I'm getting some weird vibes from her, okay? I just want to make sure my little sister isn't getting involved with a crazy weirdo. You remember how she acted when Mint first showed up."
Blake couldn't really refute that. Ruby had put on a little show, asking if anyone saw Mint split in two. A pretty out there response, and even paired with the girl's odd behavior it came off as strange. Although, that did open up an oddity with Yang's current behavior; her behavior too seemed to have changed as of late.
"Yeah, but I distinctly recall you not caring as much back then. From what I remember, Weiss was the one sticking up for Ruby's personal space; you just said Ruby would do something if she was actually uncomfortable. What changed there?"
"It was a one time greeting." Yang defended with a hint of... was that nervousness in her voice? "And besides, I thought she was one of Ruby's friends, like Jaune."
"Okay, but you didn't seem to mind when she started going off to see Mint two days ago, or even yesterday." Upon reciting the events in her mind, Blake began to pick up on some curious quirks in her partner's behavior. "Actually, you did look a little uneasy yesterday."
"T-that was just because she started going out so often." Yang's defense not only contained a noticeable stutter, but also presented an underlying issue. Yang herself looked to catch it too, and went about patching that mistake up, which only made it sound worse. "I mean, usually she's always sticking with us, you know? And even when she goes out on her own, like with Jaune, she always asks if I- we want to go along."
The brawler was swearing on the inside, this Blake could tell without even having to ask, because Yang had just told on herself pretty hard, and Blake wasn't about to let that go.
"You're jealous, aren't you? Jealous that she's going out on her own, and not asking you to accompany her. You're not used to her hitting off so hard, and leaving on her own every day." Paired with Mint's unfortunately strange entrance into their lives, and all of a sudden the concern made a bunch more sense.
"No." Great response, terrible tone, and Blake grew a grin far too bright for her usual demeanor.
"It's okay." She began, practically able to feel Yang sizzling beneath her. "I understand, kind of."
Lacking a sibling had Blake basing her ideas around what she'd seen and read; not that it mattered now. This became the catalyst for a small battle, one of back and forth excuses situated in the archway corner, which drew in the eyes of everyone heading to and from the cafeteria. While weird, nobody felt the need to intervene in the display, instead clicking a picture or two to chuckle over.
This lasted two minutes before Weiss found them there, and proceeded to pull them back to their room to work out their issues like adults, all the while Ruby and Neo were left to continue their 'girl talk' - Ruby's name for it - in peace.
.
.
"And we didn't even get detention!" Ruby slipped on a cheeky grin. "The headmaster came by and shut that idea down himself."
Neo wouldn't lie, that was a pretty wacky image; the big bad headmaster walking in on the worst mess imaginable and just going 'eh, shit happens.' Granted, he probably didn't say that specifically, but that was how Neo chose to interpret it. Honestly, this whole 'friendship' thing wasn't turning out too bad. Ruby made good on each of their encounters, either throwing out interesting tales or gushing over weaponry she spied in the hands of other students.
As of yet, they hadn't brought up the topic of her semblance, which Neo was thankful for as she wasn't quite ready to open that can of worms.
Undoubtedly, though, the best part for her was that Cinder never complained when Ruby dropped by to 'pick her up' over these last few days. Roman's worst nightmare - for the past several months, despite the girl only intervening a handful of times - had very quickly become her greatest boon. Of course, such a benefit and swell of luck couldn't last forever, as right when Ruby paused to take a breather, who should show up other than one of her 'teammates.'
On the bright side, at least it was Mercury, and not the kiss-ass.
"Hey there, ladies." His purposeful attempts to look like a try-hard idiot were put on full display when he did that stupid little lean that pretty-boys so often relied on. Normally, it was a misguided attempt to swoon whoever sat in the eyes of the guy, but in Mercury's case, it did a pretty fine job of adding to his necessarily unassuming image. "Sorry to rain on your little tea party, but I kind of need to borrow my buddy back."
He actually gave Neo a wink here, and as she so often practiced on the goons back home when the occasion called for it, she rolled her eyes. Ruby blinked a couple of times before slowly leaning over - not letting the guy out of her sight. Right as the crowds around them started to pick up in volume, the girl took her chance and whispered.
"Should I distract him so you can run?"
While that would be the preferable option, Neo knew that if Mercury was putting on his acting gloves to see her, then Cinder wanted a word. Shaking her head, Neo gave Ruby a wink and grin - her way of telling Little Red that things would be fine. Sliding from her seat, Neo started towards her teammate, but rather than stop by his side, she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him along quite comically.
"Was it something I said?" Mercury tossed out loud enough for anyone to pick out, but not too much as to be a yell. Ruby would find that silly enough not to fret over, so there were no issues on Neo's end - even if it was just the pawn's way of obscuring their scene to outsiders.
Out in the hall she dropped him, and he effortlessly transitioned to a relaxed posture and joined in her stroll back to their room.
"Well, that was fun." Readjusting his collar, Mercury soon settled his hands into his pockets. "Cindy 'll probably be pleased to know you're blending in pretty good... although..."
And here we go. Neo thought herself ready for anything, but Mercury surprisingly had something partially useful to add this time.
"She'd probably have a thing or two to say in regards to your rep with the kid's team." Neo perked up, curious, and Mercury - not even needing to look to know he struck gold - went on to tell. "I saw two of 'em bickering around the corner back there: the babe, and Adam's cat. But the Schnee ended up dragging them away before I got to the turn, so I just watched as they vanished around the corner over yonder before coming to get you."
Back to their room, no doubt to be scolded by Weiss. Ruby's descriptions of her team were mostly glowing, but even with her playful and mostly childish way of idolizing them, she still had some less positive things to say on occasion. Blake, the 'cat' as Mercury put it, had a bad habit of doing things on her own, to the point of wearing herself into a husk. Yang, the blonde one and Ruby's older half sister - a story for another time, Neo supposed - was far too pushy when it came to their friends; she also had a knack for throwing out terrible puns and dad jokes, and Neo could imagine this guy getting along with Roman swimmingly if they got drinking together. Lastly there was Weiss, whose prissy attitude matched perfectly with her bossy demands over anything related to schoolwork.
Overall, a pretty stacked team; entertaining like a cartoon, and one Neo was vastly interested in watching if she got the chance. And, apparently, that chance would come; if she was a concern to Ruby's team, then that made her suspicious, and such concerns couldn't stand. Surely with a few well placed drinks, gifts, and even chatter, Neo would have them in her skirt just as she had Ruby.
"But hey." Mercury smirked, chuckling a bit as he wrapped his arms behind his head. "I won't tell if you won't."
So this was just a warning; good to know.
Stepping into their shared bedroom, Neo pranced over to her space and flopped her butt down. Cinder wasn't here, for some reason, and so Emerald was the one to slide over and begin the whining.
"You're late." Feisty words for someone whose success rate owed itself to her silver-haired partner. Neo felt no intimidation towards Emerald. Not because she believed she could kick the girl's ass - she totally could, just for the record - but because Emmi stood as nothing more than a lapdog with little in the way of aspirations of her own. Emerald didn't have any big goals or desires; she just wanted to get down and sweaty in Cinder's bedsheets.
"Back off a little." Mercury spoke, just as cocky as usual. He made for the chair sitting in front of their shared desk, pulling it out and kicking back with his heels planted firmly on the surface, balancing himself on the back legs. "Mint was just out chilling with her best pal; making friends and whatnot."
"Was she now?" And so it began. Puckering up and putting on her least 'fuck off' mask, Neo threw her attention over to Cinder, who just stepped in. Aside from some ruffled bangs, she looked none the worse for wear. Knowing Cindy usually took trips off of school property, to deal with the White Fang and other elements to her so-called 'master plan,' it came as no surprise to Neo when she started giving orders. "That's nice to hear, but unfortunately, we'll need to put a pin in her playdates for a little bit."
Strolling on over, Neo spied a layer of light sweat; Cinder had been doing more than barking orders or playing hard to get. The lack of scratches and dust meant that she hadn't been in a fight, so she must have either lost track of her own schedule, or decided to run a marathon for some reason. With how meticulous Cinder treated her time blocks, Neo was placing her bets on the latter.
Now, what were you running from? Neo kept that thought to herself as the team leader slapped her backside on the bed across from her. Finally appearing to relax, albeit with a discrete peek around before doing so, Cinder laid out the details - at least, the coded set.
"Our dear Mint has family awaiting her. They came all the way to Vale in hopes of visiting their little girl." She was being assigned to Roman's side; okay, but for what? Cinder's gaze fell upon her directly, steadfast, but awfully calm. "You don't mind taking a couple of days off, do you? While I know training for the tournament is important, family is just as vital."
Neo rolled her eyes - she was doing that a lot recently - and nodded. Fighting with Cinder over anything was a losing battle, so it wasn't even worth trying; at least, not until she'd reached the time and place where the prick would bite the dust for good.
"Excellent." Cinder clapped, pretending to care. "They're waiting down at the bus stop right beside the Crow Bar. Best to get going right away. You don't want to keep them waiting, do you?"
Orders like that pissed her off: the kind where someone like Cinder thought they were tough shit. That look in the eye, screaming 'just try me' never ceased to irk Neo on a deeper level. But those were born of personal issues, and she could deal with them later. As for those final instructions: they were mostly full of crap. Roman wasn't at the bus stop, but they would be meeting at the Crow Bar later. Last she knew, that place remained disconnected from both the underworld and the White Fang. From the former to keep a space of total neutrality, for the sake of potential discussions outside of immediate threats and violence. From the latter due to the fact that the bar had yet to become unfriendly to faunus.
Neo propped herself up on her feet again and began her escape. On the bright side, she'd be free of Cinder for a few days, and she'd get a chance to pick up something personally important from home. Truthfully, she felt idiotic for forgetting it in the first place, but hey, at least she could distract herself during the day with Ruby and her countless stories of why Beacon wasn't exactly cracked up to the prestige often associated with it in rumors.
But the nights were starting to drag, and the nightmares were returning.
Author's note
...
Okay, so not much here other than a quick scuffle between Blake and Yang; with black being curious, and yellow grumpy.
We had a short bit with Ruby too, and she seems to be pelting Neo with stories of her misadventures. Cinder, being Cinder, just has to jump in though, because for as much as I want to play around this time, there's still a plot to play out, and I'll be damned if it becomes anywhere near as long as my other ones - except L&K, that one was perfect.
Anyway, it looks like a trip back to Roman is in order, and what is it Neo wants to grab anyway? Chances are, some of you can guess it right off the top of your head, but let's just pretend it's some grand mystery, okay?
That's it for this one.
Until next time.