Chapter 13: The Price of Passivity

Vale's commercial district was not known to have colorful streets. Most of its buildings were shaded between dull gray and monotone white. The most modest splash of color was the occasional tree or park, making the people stand out like droplets of paint on a canvas.

Among those streets, Ruby and Blake wandered around a busy area within a large shopping hub. Dressed in casual wear with their weapons secured, the two chatted amiably about the supplies they'd need for the upcoming trip.

"Can't forget marshmallows," Ruby said, typing a list up on her scroll.

"Will that fit in the budget?" Blake asked, looking over the same list on her own device.

"I'll make it fit," Ruby said with a grin. She paused, then looked at the allotment of lien their teacher had assigned them listed at the top of her scroll. "It would be easier if we'd done better on that last paper. The whole grade-equals-budget thing is a real bummer."

"I guess Weiss won't have to worry," Blake said. "Being rich and all."

"Let's not talk about her," Ruby stopped her. "Let's just… focus on our stuff." Blake drew her mouth into a line, but nodded.

"We should be able to get backpacks, a tent, sleeping bags, utensils, and canteens at the Huntsman's Lookout," Blake said, making a few notes on her scroll. "Any foodstuffs you want we can pick up at the nearest All-Mart. Anything else?"

"Flashlights," Ruby added. "We'll need those too."

"...Right."

"You think we could get a small generator?" Ruby asked, causing Blake to side-eye her. "Then, we could play video games in the woods!" She smiled excitedly while her friend did so wryly.

"I don't think we can afford it," Blake said. She noticed a particular store ahead of them, then suggested, "Why don't we pick up some books to read instead?"

"Great idea Blake!" Ruby said, running up to the door of a store named Tukson's Booktrade. "I hope they have the latest Huntsman Hunter book. I would have gotten it when it came out, but school was starting, and I had to switch at the last minute, 'nd it was a big mess." Ruby rambled as she and Blake entered the store.

Tukson's Booktrade was a cozy store, with small displays of books scattered around the place and a few cubbies formed from taller bookshelves. Each shelf was stuffed full of books; even the counter seemed to overflow with tomes. Along the wall, the phrase 'Home to every book under the sun' was written in stylized font, and beyond the counter were a set of double doors.

"That series isn't exactly kid friendly," Blake said warily, looking around the empty store.

"I'd hope not," Ruby said, picking through a rack of books. "It's not a fairytale, after all." She gave Blake a mischievous grin.

"Fair enough," Blake said. She perked and spun as the door behind the counter opened, revealing a man with black hair and mutton chops carrying a box of books.

He noticed Blake, then tilted his head and wiggled his eyebrows. Blake gave him a nod and two winks, one with each eye, and the man nodded in return.

"Are you ladies finding everything you need?" the man's voice startled Ruby from her search.

She spun, seeing him, and said, "Uh, not quite. Do you have the latest volume of the Huntsman Hunter?"

"Sure do," the shopkeeper said, patting the box he set on the counter. "Ordered a box of them last month. Sold like hotcakes, but I always keep a few copies of new releases in the back." He opened the box and placed a book on the counter. Ruby's eyes sparkled as she saw it.

"Hardcover," Blake noted. "Might be outside our budget."

"I wasn't going to use our camping money to get books, Blake," Ruby said, digging out her wallet. "How much for it?"

"Three and five hundred," the shopkeeper said, then he asked, "You're going camping? Where to?"

"Forever Fall," Ruby said, placing three different lien cards on the counter, each marked with a unique color, and taking the book. "Just picking up some entertainment for the trip."

The man shot a glance at Blake, who said, "It's for a class field trip."

He nodded, asking Ruby if she wanted a receipt. When she declined, he turned to Blake. "Anything you're looking for, young lady?"

"Not particularly," she said, "Maybe something… moody."

The man nodded, heading into the back room again as Ruby asked, "What makes a book moody?"

"A lot of things, I guess," Blake said, looking at Ruby hugging her new book. "It's weird that you like a series about huntsmen fighting huntsmen."

"It's not just about that!" Ruby defended. "The plot is super compelling, and the characters are all so memorable!"

"I just thought you'd find it too mature," Blake said. "It's a great series, but it can get kinda dark."

"Yeah," Ruby admitted. "I guess it's not the sort of thing I would've liked when I was younger. Like, when I would look up the old stories Yang read to me, I found the originals, not the modern versions. I think that really opened my eyes about how scary the world can be.

"I did a reading project in middle school about how those stories changed with time," Ruby continued to muse. "Like how they take the scary stuff in them and change them into something fun for the younger readers. My thesis was 'Our world is plagued by monsters, and huntsmen are the light that will make them go away so everyone can have fun!'"

She and Blake giggled as she finished.

"That's surprisingly grown-up, Ruby," Blake said. "Is that what you were hoping happened with Weiss? That the problems between you two would fade in time?"

Ruby sighed, looking down. "I never thought the process would be easy; but, I guess Weiss is just the first sign that I can't make everything work."

Blake nodded silently. "Why don't you go ahead to the Huntsman Lookout? I'll catch up after I get my book."

"Sounds good!" Ruby said, heading for the door. "Keep your scroll on so I can call you if I find more stuff to get."

"You mean when you find more stuff to get?"

Ruby smiled sheepishly as she left. Blake shook her head with a warm smile as the shopkeeper returned with another book.

"So, Blake," he began, his tone serious. "How's school going?"

"It's alright," she said, falling into a relaxed posture. "Better than expected, in some ways."

"And you're heading to Forever Fall?" the man asked. "I heard some terrorists were attacking trains out that way."

"I know, Tukson," Blake said. She glanced at the book he was holding. "How much for it?"

"No charge," Tukson said, handing it over with a knowing look. "Just remember to bring it back when you're done."

Yang shot awake after someone- probably Ruby -splashed cold water on her face.

She wasn't at the club, or even in her dorm room. Instead, she was in a small room, surrounded by team CFVY.

As soon as she turned to them, Coco smacked her across the face.

"Ow! What was that for!?"

"What do you think, blondie?" Coco chided. "Your team's struggling to stay together, and you're out past midnight getting drunk off your ass!"

Yang looked at her bewildered as Velvet said, "We found you outside your dorm room after our morning jog; so, Coco- I mean, we dragged you to our dorm."

"Guess I lost my keys," Yang tried to excuse herself.

"There's a couch in the commons," Fox countered. "It's not the best, but it's better than the floor."

Still hungover, Yang tried to get up and push past them, but she faltered, and then Coco shoved her back onto the bed.

"We're not done yet," she said to Yang. "We're your mentor team, and if you guys break apart-" she shivered. "I don't want to find out what Ozpin'll do to us if that happens." She straightened up, facing Yang.

"How about we start slowly," Yatsuhashi said. "Tell us why you're getting home late and… intoxicated."

Yang looked between them with a long sigh.

"I'm just sick of it all," she said, "I hate all the drama going through my team and our friends. I'm worried that if I try to stop it, I'll just make everything worse. Without anything to do, I just… tried to forget." She looked down at her hands.

Yatsuhashi was about to speak when Coco slapped Yang in the face again.

"Ow! Why do you-"

"You need to quit wallowing and keep your wits about you!" Coco interrupted Yang's complaint. "Sure, if you jump in at the wrong time, you'll make things messier; but if you time it right and jump in precisely when you're needed-" She emphasized by smacking her hands together perpendicularly, "-you could fix everything!"

"It's not easy getting that timing right," Yang tried to dismiss her. "I can't be everywhere at once. What if something changes, and then I make a fool of myself?"

"Like you're not making a fool of yourself already by getting drunk?"

"That's easy to say when your team's never had any problems!"

"We've had loads of problems!" Coco said, balling a hand she was about to slap Yang with. "Why do you think we were chosen to mentor you, huh?! We've been where you are!"

Yang blinked, reappraising Coco and her team. A silence followed as Coco huffed from her shouting. With a sigh, Yang stood, looking down at Coco, remorseful.

"I'll… think about what you said." She stumbled out of the room and into the impromptu hall of team CFVY's dorm room.

"Guess I'll need to get Weiss to open the door for me," Yang realized aloud.

"I'll go with you," Velvet said, supporting Yang by her arm. The first year smiled and nodded, accepting the help.

"Oh, Pyrrha, hey!" Ruby shouted to the lower level of the large, warehouse-like store she was browsing in. Pyrrha looked up from where she was perusing sets of camping utensils to see Ruby and a ginger girl waving at her. She smiled and waved back, prompting them to both run down the stairs to meet her.

"You're shopping for the trip too?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Pyrrha said, "I was with Jaune, but I lost him recently."

"Oh. Do you need help looking for him?"

"Is this your friend, Ruby?" the ginger girl interrupted.

"Oh, I haven't introduced you guys yet," Ruby realized. "Pyrrha, this is Penny Polendina. Penny, this is Pyrrha Nikos."

"Hello!" Pyrrha waved awkwardly.

"Sal-u-tations!" Penny gave her a happy salute.

"So anyway," Ruby said. "Do you want help looking for Jaune? We could all finish shopping and get dinner together!"

"That sounds lovely!" Pyrrha said. "I would message him, but he turned his scroll off."

"That means he must want privacy," Penny said. She looked confused for a moment, then asked, "Is it ok to look for someone when they don't want to be found?"

"Of course it is," Ruby said. "Jaune's our friend; he'd want us looking for him. Besides, the police hunt for criminals all the time, and they don't want to be found."

"Oh. Is your friend a criminal then?"

"No!" Pyrrha said, waving her hands in denial. "He's not at all!"

Ruby snorted. "Jaune? A criminal? Please."

"Then that is not him out there," Penny pointed out the window smiling, and the other girls looked.

Running past the store front was a familiar blonde boy in a black hoodie holding a brown box under his arm being chased by two policemen.

Ruby stared after the runners, her face twisting in confusion.

"Yes," Pyrrha said, forcing a smile to try and hide the worry in her voice. "That's not him."

Jaune found that his aura could help him do a large number of things. It helped him lift heavy loads, land from longer falls, and even cushion his muscles as he ran from the police.

Admittedly, he should have seen this coming: 'Meet at this place, leave the payment, and take the box.' Cardin's note could have mentioned there had been a stakeout nearby; but then again, Jaune had skipped step two. Thirty-thousand lien was way outside his budget.

The emptier streets of the commercial district did not help Jaune throw his pursuer's off, but he was gaining ground. Maybe he could duck into an alleyway, but which one? He was more likely to get cornered than-

He spotted a figure ahead: Blake, strolling down the street with a book in hand. Jaune ran up to her, begging in a hushed voice, "Blake, I need your help."

She stopped, then noticed the policemen behind him. "I think I should-"

"It's about Cardin," he insisted. Her eyebrow perked. "I can get him to stop, but I need-"

"With me," Blake said tersely, taking his arm and leading him into an alleyway at a hurried pace. The two of them fell into a sprint, then Blake drew out her sleek black sword and folded it into its sickle form. She hurled it up at the building just ahead of them, then manipulated the ribbon to make it veer sharply over the building without firing the gun. The blade bit into the roof with minimal noise.

Blake put her other arm around Jaune, instructing him to "Hang on!"

She created a shadow of both of them using her semblance, pushing off the non-material substance while jumping. Gripping her ribbon, she and Jaune swung up, reaching the second story easily. Jaune tossed his box and Blake's book onto the roof and grabbed the edge, pulling Blake up ahead of him.

They both scrambled over the lip just as the policemen arrived at the mouth of the alleyway. The two men saw the frozen statues of their quarry suddenly vanish as Blake dismissed her semblance. She and Jaune remained silent as the men searched the area.

They eventually gave up, leaving the students in peace.

Jaune let out a massive sigh of relief, turning to Blake. "Thanks for the save!"

She turned to him, asking, "Why were they chasing you?"

"Oh," Jaune jumped up, walking over to retrieve his box. "It's about these things." Blake could hear a dull buzzing emanating from his package.

"And they are?"

"Rapier wasps."

"Excuse me?!" Blake stepped away from him. "Aren't those venomous? And illegal?!"

"Well, yeah, but Cardin wanted them for something, and-"

"So you're his stooge then?" Blake said, folding her arms indignantly. "I thought you were going to stop him!"

"I am!" Jaune said, setting the box down and producing a set of papers from beneath his hoodie. "I made these to try and black mail him into leaving me alone." He handed the papers to Blake.

She took the papers, reading over them. They were a set of combat academy transcripts, filled in with Cardin's name, abilities, and other information about the boy. Blake froze, realizing what she was holding. "It's a forgery."

"Yeah, well, I still need to replace the real ones," Jaune said, sitting down. "I'm not sure how to yet; but once that's done, he'll be fairly toothless against me." He looked at her, and they locked eyes.

"You in?"

"I'm in."