AN: And we're back! Time for another chapter. I'm sure things won't keep getting more nightmare-fuel laden like they were last chapter. Well, let's find out.
Chapter 70: Evil in Plain Sight
Reggie was a very happy man. He had a good job, a nice place to live, and he was getting married to the sweet girl who ran the sweets shop in town. Life was good. He had absolutely nothing to complain about. He ended his day like he always did while the sun went down. He waved hello to all his neighbors and then entered his house. He sighed with relief as he put his stuff down before making his way to his living room. Reggie was immediately drawn to the scent of soot. He turned to see his fireplace actually had soot all over the place in front of it.
"Hmm…looks like something got in my house…a rodent or vermin perhaps?" He wondered before sighing. "Ah damn, looks like I owe my exterminator a call."
Reggie took a seat on his couch and took out his scroll. He then smiled, his mood returning to perky like before.
"Hmm, perhaps I should give Emi a call first. I haven't heard from her all day." He noted. "I hope she hasn't worked herself too hard. I keep telling her she can leave everything to me after we're married. Then again, I do love how hardworking she is."
Reggie dialed Emi's number. It rang briefly, only to immediately go to voicemail. Reggie frowned slightly at how quickly it had gone to voicemail.
"I hope I didn't make her angry." Reggie leaned into his chair. "Emi never misses a call from me. Then again…she might've worked herself a bit too hard for a change and is too tired to pick up her scroll."
As Reggie wondered of his fiancé's whereabouts, a transparent figure suddenly took shape behind him. It was lizard-like in appearance: lean with a tail that could curl like a finger. Most importantly though, its body was pitch black and white, like that of a Grimm. Its eyes rotated around before training on Reggie.
"I guess I'll try her again after I call my exterminator about whatever came down the chimney." Reggie mused to himself as the creature's jaw unhinged and opened widely before bearing down on him. The last words of poor Reggie were as follows: "I won't let this bring me down. I'm getting married after all. Why would I ever be unhappy?"
Early the next day, at the Thimble Huntsmen Bureau, Gardenia LeSouhait had fully healed from surviving an entire section of the sewers collapsing on top of her. She was now sitting across from the Director of the Bureau, fellow B-Class Huntsman Baza Doom. Baza was a big, dark-skinned man with a broad chest with three different animals tattooed on his body. On his right arm: a snake. On his left arm: a crocodile. And finally, on his chest, which was visible, courtesy of a barely buttoned up shirt: a dog.
"It's good to have you back at work, Gardenia." Baza said to her. "First part of the sewers collapse on you, then you spend the rest of yesterday trying to pick up your opponent's trail…unsuccessfully might I add."
"If you're trying to gloat about my failures, sir, I don't appreciate it." Gardenia sighed.
"Nonsense, nothing like that." Baza promised. "It's the first time I've seen you so obsessive. You usually just put in a full eight hours of work on your shift and then go home for the day. This new enemy of ours must be quite the quarry."
"You know," Gardenia gave her superior a deadpan expression, "I'd appreciate it if you would acknowledge the gravity of this situation. My report should have given you some kind of worry for once."
"I'll have you know I'm taking this quite seriously." Baza assured her. "I've already put out the report of a man in black wearing a plague mask stalking Thimble."
"That's hardly going to attract people capable of helping our situation." Gardenia noted.
"Which is also why I'm adding his ability to call forth 'mysterious beasts' as his Semblance. Something like that should attract Huntsmen of quality who will understand the full gravity of our situation" Baza added, making Gardenia frown.
"Lying on official Huntsmen forums is grounds for having your license suspended, Director Doom." Gardenia reminded the man.
"Well, if I have to face an inquiry for the matter, I'll just tell them there was no way in hell they'd believe what you've told me in your report. And in my defense, Gardenia…if I didn't see the results of the autopsy myself, I wouldn't believe it. But we both know what we saw. A Grimm-like creature with human organs."
"It tracks with the uptick of missing persons reports we've gotten lately." Gardenia reminded Baza. "Tourists, a few fellow citizens. Honestly, it's messed up that life goes on like nothing's wrong…but I guess that's just what you have to do when you're a tourist trap. Pretend everything's hunky-dory so that people keep spending money."
"They just want to pretend things are peaceful in spite of everything, I don't blame them." Baza sighed. "People go missing all the time on Remnant due to the monsters we fight to defend them from. In a way, we're conditioned to accept such horrors as normal. Vacuo was the same way."
"Considering you're Vacuan, I had honestly believed a part of you would be thrilled to have a challenging issue for once." Gardenia admitted, making Baza laugh boisterously.
"For all intents and purposes, I'm basically retired from the challenging hunts." Baza admitted. "I came to Thimble for something quiet, compared to Vacuo. Though I suppose there is some truth to what you said. You can take the man out of Vacuo, but not the Vacuo out of the man. If we do get some outside help…I do hope I get first crack at this fellow. It has been a long time since I partook in a truly dangerous hunt…and I do owe this man some pain for what he has done to the people of Thimble."
"Am I supposed to be glad you care enough to remember that the people are our first priority?" Gardenia folded her arms, making Baza smile.
"Do you know why you're only the Vice Director, Gardenia?" Baza asked.
"Plenty on the DustNet would say it's because of outdated gender roles." Gardenia replied, making Baza laugh, knowing that was her attempt at making a joke.
"It's because for as good an administrator as you are, you forget that as Huntsmen, our first duty is to make sure people are reassured that everything is going to be okay." Baza reminded her. "If you're calm and optimistic, they'll be calm and optimistic. If you carry yourself like the world is ending, that's how they'll go about their days. That's no way to live."
"I would argue this is a perfect time to show a bit of panic." Gardenia frowned, making Baza smile at her.
"That's why you're only the Vice Director." He told her. "You're a fantastic administrator, Gardenia, and irreplaceable to the team. However, the boss needs to rally not just the troops…but also the people he needs to protect. And we both know you're a bit too rigid for that."
"I suppose I can't argue with that." Gardenia acknowledged. "Just be honest with me…do you honestly think we can capture this man?"
"That depends entirely on us." Baza admitted. "The ball's in our court. We know what he looks like, and we know, to some degree, what he's capable of. So, it's on us to use the clues we have to either find more clues, or the bastard himself. Until then, chin up. We've got people who are counting on us to reassure them that the situation is still under control."
"If those are your orders, Director Doom." Gardenia conceded.
"Don't sound so glum about following my orders for a change." Baza said to her. "I mean, I went to a lot of trouble to cover up the major details of that section of the sewers collapsing on you. Thanks to me, as far as the rest of Thimble is concerned, a part of the sewers collapsed as a side effect of exterminating some Grimm."
"And I'm very grateful, sir." Gardenia promised. Baza had to resist laughing. In spite of her statement, Gardenia did not sound grateful. He always found her perpetual disinterest in most things to be rather endearing and humorous. Though he never dared saying it out loud. Before Baza could be tempted further to break his vow of silence regarding what he found endearing about Gardenia, an excited voice caught both their attention.
"Wow! So this is the inside of a Huntsmen Bureau?" Gardenia's eyes widened.
"That voice…" she trailed off.
A few moments earlier, there was a burst of rose petals at the entrance as Ruby Rose sped inside of the bureau. She gasped in glee as she took in the sights around her. It looked to be a mixture of professional and casual. Huntsmen talking business at a variety of tables, but also a bar to take the edge off. It looked like something straight out of a fantasy RPG video game.
"Wow! So this is the inside of a Huntsmen Bureau?" Ruby wondered out loud. At that moment, Taiyang and Yang caught up to Ruby.
"Come on, Rubes, don't just barge in." Taiyang said to her. "You don't even know if it's okay to just enter like that."
"Ah, I'm sure it's fine, Dad." Yang shrugged the matter off. "I mean, if it was an issue, someone would've stopped us."
"Good morning," a polite female voice caught the attention of a family of three. The trio turned to see a smiling, dark-skinned girl with black hair that had light blue highlights, "my name is Cianne Doom, I'm the receptionist here. It's very nice to meet you all. Did you come here with a job request? I must admit, someone coming in person is unheard of these days."
"Oh no, nothing like that, Ms. Cianne." Taiyang said politely. "I'm sorry, it's just…my daughter is a Huntress in training and she has wanted to see the inside of a bureau for a while."
"Oh, a Huntress in training, how wonderful?" Cianne smiled. "It's a slow day, so I'm more than happy to give a tour…"
"And I've reminded you a million times, Cianne, that just because it's a slow day doesn't mean you can abandon your duties. What if someone contacts us?" Ruby smiled at the familiar voice and turned to see Gardenia approaching her alongside a big man she did not recognize. Gardenia looked at Ruby in surprise. "Why are you here, Ruby? Don't you have a vacation to enjoy?"
"She really wanted to see the inside of the bureau, Gardenia. Sorry if she's interrupting anything." Taiyang noticed that a crowd was starting to gaze at them all. Baza laughed boisterously.
"Ruby eh? So this is the famous little girl that took out the strange Beringel the other day, huh?" He grinned. "Baza Doom, Director of the Thimble Bureau, at your service, little lady."
"Whoa, you're the director?" Ruby looked at Baza in amazement. Baza then turned to Cianne.
"We'll take it from here, sweetie. Go back to your desk." He ordered.
"Got it, Dad." Cianne smiled sweetly before returning to work. Ruby's eyes darted around excitedly.
"This is so cool! So cool! A real bureau!" She squealed. Baza laughed heartily.
"Oh, I like her!" He exclaimed. "She's so adorable and eager. She reminds me of Cianne when she was a little girl."
"Please don't encourage her so much, Director." Gardenia sighed.
"So," Baza ignored Gardenia to continue talking to Ruby, "would you and your family like to spend time just…enjoying the full experience a Huntsmen Bureau has to offer. Bureau food, bureau drinks, bureau conversation."
"Strawberry Sunrise!" Yang immediately brightened at the mention of drinks.
"Yang!" Taiyang exclaimed before looking at Baza with a completely different expression on his face. "Do you have whiskey?"
Gods, you are such a hypocrite. Gardenia looked at Taiyang in disgust. With that, Taiyang and Yang both found themselves drinking alongside the Thimble Huntsmen Bureau in utter delight. Ruby was no drinker, considering she was underaged. But she did enjoy laughing at the antics her father and sister got up to. Gardenia and Baza sat next to Ruby as
"This is nice," Ruby said, drinking juice, "I used to think social stuff like this was a total waste but…"
Ruby trailed off. Her mind briefly flashed to all the moments she nearly lost people she loved to evil. It was at that moment, she realized: this was why Huntsmen did not fight alone. This was why most Huntsmen had such social lives. Because it could all end in seconds.
"However long our lives are, we live to the fullest." Baza grinned, mug in hand. "That's what it means to even BE alive."
"Or we could try to extend our lives by being smart and careful." Gardenia pointed out. "Dying means not helping anymore either."
"But death comes for all of us eventually." Baza sagely pointed out. "So, we might as well make the most of the time we have, no matter how long it is."
Baza then looked out at all of the partying Huntsmen. He smiled fondly at all of them.
"These Huntsmen of mine, they could all die today, and they would not have any tragic regrets. Sure, some have families they will be sad to leave behind, and some do have dreams they'd love to achieve…but it's hard to have such regrets when you make every moment of your life count."
"It's no wonder Yang gets along so well with your guys then." Ruby chuckled.
"Ms. Ruby!" A few of the Huntsmen ran up to her. "Come join us!"
"Oi!" Gardenia said flatly. "No alcohol you morons."
"We're just gonna sing a drinking song, Ms. Gardenia!" One of the women in the crowd promised her.
"I SAID NO ALCOHOL!" Gardenia snapped at her subordinates as Ruby laughed and sang along to the sight of everyone else partying way harder than her. Gardenia sighed and looked at Baza. "Is it really okay to be…making merry like this with that man in the trenchcoat running around?"
"We've got enough of our guys on patrol for when he makes a move again. Besides, we are trying to keep it under wraps so as not to cause a panic." Baza reminded her. "As for the rest of us, there's nothing wrong with taking time out of our day to make a nice young girl happy, especially when that girl is the future of our profession."
"You're way too carefree, Director." Gardenia sighed.
"And you're way too uptight, it's why we work so well together. We've got people on patrol, Gardenia. Don't worry so much." Baza smiled reassuringly. Gardenia gazed out at the celebrating bunch. She could not help but smile just a little.
"Well, I guess if we don't have moments like these, we'll go crazy…" She muttered. Meanwhile, for her part, Ruby found herself pulled into singing along with the bureau happily. She soon found herself learning about many of the members.
Nava, the seemingly stoic member of the bureau who was almost always the first to belly-laugh at a joke, no matter how bad. Slater, the father of three who constantly pushed pictures of his kids into the faces of others. Onyx, a guy who just got some new shoes and absolutely loved talking about them. Sangria, the flirtatious girl with a taste for older men, much to Taiyang's half-interest-half-horror. Elise, a newlywed trying for her first child with her husband.
For Ruby, these moments were a reminder that Huntsmen were people too. Wonderful, wonderful people with lives, hopes and dreams of their own. It filled her heart with joy. If her dad had hoped this vacation would help her unwind after all the stress of school life and the dangers of Huntsman work…Ruby was beginning to think Taiyang's idea would succeed.
Meanwhile, in his phony office, Ray Stein hummed to himself, casually sipping some tea, wondering if his latest test subject had gone for the intended target. Before he could ponder the matter further, his monitor was drawn to a video call with a familiar ID.
Ray answers the video call. He immediately smirks when he notices his superior looked irritated. More irritated than usual.
"Bad day, Doctor?" Ray smirked at his superior.
"I don't want to talk about it, and don't call me that when we're on calls like this." Jack of Clubs snarled at his subordinate. "These calls may be encrypted, but you can never be too careful."
"Fine, fine, but you seem to be a bit irritable today, Jack." Ray noted.
"I DON'T want to talk about it." Jack of Clubs snarled again. "I saw your notes on your research in Thimble. Based on your experiments, it seems my theory-"
"Our theory," Ray corrected.
"-My theory," Jack of Clubs insisted, "was correct. If Grimm truly are creatures of negative emotion, the test subjects must be filled with negative emotion. Your last subject in particular was very promising. You filled her head with the idea that her fiance could not stand the sight of her, hated her and wanted nothing to do with her. I must admit though, I'm shocked at how fragile she was, emotionally."
"Why do you think I went after her specifically? Happy as she is, poor, poor Emi was insecure and nervous about her wedding like most." Ray smiled smugly. "The ones filled with negativity are ALWAYS the ones close to what should be their happiest moments."
"Agreed, we are a few more tests away from mass-producing an army of hybrid Grimm under our command." Jack of Club revealed. That, however, did not sit well with Ray.
"A few more tests, Jack?" Ray narrowed his eyes. "Emi was a success."
"You claim she understands instructions, but I haven't received word your little monster is bringing the Silver-Eyed girl to us." Jack of Clubs pointed out.
"I can't just snatch up the girl in plain sight," Ray scoffed, "I mean, Baza and Gardenia, the Director and Vice Director of the local Bureau aren't exactly weak."
"You're not paid to make excuses, Dr. Stein." Jack reminded him. "And an army of soldiers that obey without issue is useless if they aren't focused on their orders."
"She's more beast than human now," Ray insisted, "she's hunting…"
"All the more reason to run more tests. We're not creating a beast or a human, we're creating monsters, Dr. Stein." Jack of Clubs reminded him. "You're going in the right direction. However, until I know the girl is being brought to Gray Jackal, I will not call your research a success."
That made Ray growl in frustration. Jack of Clubs was a perfectionist and an egotist. It was the worst possible combination of personality traits a person could actually have.
"Don't you dare get angry at me, Dr. Stein." Jack of Clubs calmly told him. "If your newest monster fails, you clearly have more tests to run. That's fine. That's your job as my top researcher in the Clubs Division."
"I may have to relocate soon." Ray admitted.
"That will be arranged." Jack of Clubs promised. "But first, I would like to bring this to your attention. I've been reviewing all the research data you've sent me since this began."
"And?" Ray raised an eyebrow.
"Based on all your research, I've a new hypothesis. It's true that those filled with negativity are prime subjects…but for this particular formula we've developed, it seems adult subjects still fall into becoming mindless beasts. In particular, you turned a professional Huntsman into one of your monsters…and it almost destroyed your previous facility."
"Indeed." Ray nodded in remembrance.
"Based on this and other bits of information I've managed to connect from all your data, I want you to consider the possibility that older subjects with developed Aura nodes will not yield good results." Jack of Clubs told him.
"What kind of theory is that?" Ray demanded.
"A theory worth examining. I don't know if this is true or not, but based on the failure that was that Huntsman, along with not having a good test subject until that Emi girl, it may be worth examining what would happen if younger subjects with underdeveloped Aura nodes will make for better subjects." Jack explained. "Science is all about testing new avenues constantly, trying to find new avenues worth pursuing."
"Agreed…but you better give me my dues once I present genuine, usable soldiers created from this new strain." Ray glared at Jack of Clubs.
"Of course, you will get what's coming to you as my top researcher, Dr. Stein." Jack of Clubs promised.
"I am not just your researcher, I'm a man of science just like you." Ray insisted.
"Nothing like me, Dr. Stein." Jack of Clubs countered, making Ray red with anger. "Just show a bit more patience and diligence. We've almost completed the new strain. The previous was…far too selective. But this…we'll have an army of Grimm soldiers that will make us as strong as any kingdom."
"If your theory that younger subjects respond better is true, the army might not be as effective as you think." Ray pointed out.
"When has that stopped you from doing something as twisted as targeting children?" In spite of his dislike for his superior, that comment made Ray laugh. "If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. If I'm right, we can go back to the drawing board and adjust the strain to make it more effective for adults. But I am confident that for this to be mass produced, the subjects can't be people who have unlocked their Aura. That much I'm certain of."
"I'll meet with my contact to see if I can narrow down a few more subjects." Ray promised.
"Very good, anyway, if you don't mind, I think someone is coming to my door. I've got my own work to do." Jack of Clubs told him. "I'm hanging up."
"I'll give you more updates soon." Ray promised before Jack of Clubs hung up. Ray immediately rolled his eyes, growling under his breath. "I really hate that man."
Meanwhile, back at the bureau, Ruby found herself speaking with Baza and Gardenia once more. A great idea had just come to her. She could not resist proposing it, a bit unreasonable as it may sound.
"Director Doom, Ms. Gardenia…do you think it'd be okay if the orphans at the local orphanage got to visit the bureau tomorrow?" She asked sweetly. Baza laughed heartily at her rather sudden, audacious but pure and sweet request.
"What a wonderful idea!" Baza said to her. "If you're able to make the arrangements with the orphanage matriarch I'd be more than happy to let them say hello."
"You're being way too lenient, Sir. This is a place of business, not a daycare." Gardenia pointed out.
"Oh, it's fine, just think of it as an educational field trip." Baza said to her. "If you can make the arrangements, Ruby, we're more than happy to do it tomorrow."
"Thanks a ton, Director!" Ruby said happily. "Oh, and thanks for this as well! It's been a great day so far."
"You're the future of our profession, Ruby." Baza said kindly. "So if this gives you even greater resolve to become a wonderful Huntress…then I consider this a day well spent."
Ruby bows respectfully. She smiled even brighter at Baza for his reasonable nature.
"Thank you, Mr. Doom. I'm going to go tell Dad that I'm going to take a quick trip to the orphanage to propose the idea to Ms. Gosling." Ruby bounded off to inform her dad.
"You're too soft, Director." Gardenia told him. "And it's like I said, we should be focused on finding the one with the plague doctor mask."
"We can do both." Baza insisted. "I've faith in my boys, you should too. Just because we've got something important to do, doesn't mean we're above also doing something as small as making little children happy. On a more irritating note, the town council wouldn't forgive us for scaring off tourists with a noticeable Huntsman presence."
"Ugh, that is true…" Gardenia groaned, knowing that up until recently, the only thing stressful about working in Thimble was dealing with obstructive councilors who wanted to maintain the perfect image of their tourist trap.
"We'll figure it out…besides, it's not like we have any leads and someone we can just arrest, so for now, let's focus on what we can do." Baza told her.
Meanwhile, in a residential area in Thimble, two Huntsmen found themselves being called to the home of Reggie.
"So…why are we here again?" The taller one asked his partner.
"Apparently, Reggie never came into work today." The shorter one replied. "And his neighbors haven't even seen him emerge from his house today."
"And THIS requires us to investigate?" The tall Huntsman asked.
"Dude, with that creep Ms. Gardenia fought against the other day still running around and the disappearances happening, we can't be too careful." The short Huntsman reminded him. "Anything out of the ordinary is worth investigating."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." The tall Huntsman sighed. The two reach the door and knock.
"Reggie?" The shorter Huntsman called out, hoping Reggie would hear his voice on the other side. When Reggie did not answer the door, the two looked at each other.
"I mean…we've got every right to break down the door." The tall Huntsman noted.
"We do…but we should buy him a new door." The short Huntsman added. "Go dutch?"
"Go dutch." The tall Huntsman nodded in agreement before kicking down the door in one blow. As soon as they did so, they were immediately assailed by a foul scent. The tall Huntsman was the first to react. "Ugh…what the fuck…smells like blood."
"Ugh…alright, stay sharp." The short Huntsman stepped into Reggie's house. "Reggie?"
The taller Huntsman followed and the two slowly walked through Reggie's house, both gasping when they saw broken objects all over the place. The taller Huntsman was flabbergasted by this.
"There was no sign of breaking and entering so far…"
"No sign at all, we'd have gotten called in about it if there was." The shorter Huntsman reminded his partner. The two make their way deeper into the house, guns at the ready. Then they entered the living room and saw it. Flies were already buzzing around it. The ripped up couch was covered in blood. Surrounding said couch was overturned furniture, as though it had been flipped about in a rage. The shorter Huntsman went pale in fright as he took in the sight of a pair of legs with no upper body attached, as though it had been chewed right off. "Oh Gods…"
"Holy shit…what the hell?" The taller Huntsman went pale as well. "Is that…"
"It's Reggie." The shorter Huntsman said grimly. "We better call it in."
Meanwhile, Citrine Gosling hummed casually as she entered the clinic of Dr. Ray Stein. She smiled as she was greeted with a casual wave from Dr. Stein.
"Good day, Ms. Gosling." Stein said with a smile. Citrine's expression immediately changed to one of exhaustion.
"Cut the shit, 2, and get me a damn cigarette." She said to her fellow Gray Jackal agent. These words made Stein laugh in amusement as he grabbed a cigarette and a lighter.
"Rough day," he said teasingly, handing the cigarette and lighter to Citrine. Citrine hissed in irritation as she lit the cigarette and took a long drag.
"Who's the genius that thought I'd be good with kids?" She demanded.
"You have a natural maternal look, don't blame the higher ups…Mother Goose." Stein grinned at Gray Jackal agent, Citrine Gosling, known by her codename, Mother Goose.
"Fuck off," Citrine growled, "I hate dealing with those brats. You have no idea how badly I wanted to celebrate when those brats who 'disappeared' got munched by one of your freakshow science experiments."
Stein chuckled. The orphans who "disappeared" had actually been victims of a few of his experiments. They were meant to test if the creatures would hesitate to kill a victim who is naturally viewed as innocent by a normal being.
"Well, you'll be happy to know that you won't be having to deal with those children much longer." Stein promised. "The Jack of Clubs wants me to test the strain on children now. He wants to see if test subjects with underdeveloped Aura nodes won't resist the alterations from the strain."
If Citrine Gosling were as good a woman as she portrayed herself as, she would have been horrified and disgusted. Even amongst some criminals, targeting children was low and frowned upon. Law enforcement officers and lawyers alike had stories of inmates guilty of harming children who would then have horrible things done to them by their fellow inmates. However, Citrine Gosling was an awful person, but a damn good actor. Precisely why she was recruited as an agent of Gray Jackal, in spite of her lack of combat abilities.
"Good," she spat, "I can't take another minute of those kids, especially that whiny little shit, Cedric. Always acting out, making my life difficult."
Citrine took a long drag of her cigarette. She then gave Stein a hard glance.
"So, what happens now?" She asked, audibly eager to know. "The kids get turned into your latest science experiment, then what?"
"That ultimately depends on what my last experiment ends up doing." Stein admitted. "That girl with the silver eyes that's been hanging around. The higher ups want her."
"She's been playing with Cedric and the others quite a bit." Citrine pointed out. "I could see if I can drug her next time she drops by."
"My my, you're not one to volunteer for things, Mother Goose." Stein chuckled.
"When it comes to dealing with kids, I'll do anything pro bono." Citrine promised. "All I ask in return is you put in a good word with Jack of Clubs and Queen of Hearts to next time put me on a job that DOESN'T involve kids."
"Of course, of course," Stein promised, "I'll make sure of it."
"Good, I'd like my next job to give me LESS gray hairs, thank you very much." Citrine took another drag of her cigarette. "Looks don't last forever, you know. And it's kinda hard to play the 'actress' the organization wants me to be when I'm not attractive on the outside."
"Too true, especially if people knew how rotten you were on the inside." Stein joked with her.
"Fuck off," Citrine scoffed, "I've seen your rapsheet, you've got no room to talk. If anything, you're worse than me…by a longshot."
"Only because you seem to think you're above getting your hands dirty, my dear." Stein reminded her. "I just have one request besides drugging the girl."
"What?" Citrine raised an eyebrow.
"See if you can subtly make those kids a bit more…negative when you bring them to me." Stein replied. "I find test subjects respond to the strain better when they're in despair."
"You mean I can actually take a bit of vengeance on those kids for making my life so miserable? Shit, you spoil me, 2." Citrine grinned.
"Be subtle about it!" Stein said sharply. "Kids may be naive, but they're not stupid. If you're acting out of the ordinary compared to how you 'usually' are, they will be less miserable and more confused and suspicious."
"Might I remind you that our organization didn't hire me for my fighting ability…or my winning personality." Citrine reminded him. "I was brought on board for my ability to act. And act I shall."
"Good girl," Stein nodded, "as for me, once this is over, I'm going to have to relocate as well. Ray Stein will have to go bye-bye. Guess that means I've gotta reopen my little black of names."
Stein then went to his liquor cabinet and poured two glasses of bourbon. He then handed one of the glasses to Citrine. He then raised the glass in the air.
"A toast to leaving this annoying as hell tourist trap." He said.
"Agreed," Citrine clinked her glass against Stein.
Meanwhile, when Ruby Rose arrived at the orphanage, she was surprised to be greeted by Cedric instead of Ms. Gosling. Cedric pouted at Ruby visiting once more, but let her in all the same.
"Why are you here now?" Cedric asked, feigning annoyance as Ruby was swarmed and embraced by the other children.
"Well, I came here with a great idea. How would you kids, tomorrow, like to come and take a tour of the local Huntsmen Bureau, meet actual genuine Huntsmen?" That got a cheer from the other kids. Even Cedric's eyes went wide with interest at this.
"No fooling?" Cedric asked. "You're serious?"
"Yep, I've become pretty friendly with the people who work there." Ruby smiled. "As long as Ms. Gosling says it's okay, I'm gonna take you all there so you can see what it's like."
That got a cheer out of the other children. Ruby then looked around.
"Where is Ms. Gosling, anyway?" Ruby asked.
"She left for an appointment with Dr. Stein." Raj replied. Ruby sweat-dropped slightly.
"And…she left you all home alone?" Ruby was surprised.
"She does it sometimes. As long as we don't leave the building or go anywhere near the kitchen, we're fine." Cedric explained. Ruby raised an eyebrow.
Dad sometimes left us home alone…but even he admitted that wasn't the right thing to do in hindsight. Well, for all his faults, Cedric is very responsible…and he is the oldest here. Ruby noted.
"That's all I came by to say," Ruby said with a smile, "I've got to go back to my family."
"Leaving already?" The kids all pouted.
"Give her some space, you brats." Cedric frowned. "Go back and play with your toys or something."
The kids all said their goodbyes and vanished into the building. Ruby looked at Cedric, who appeared to be in no hurry to leave. She grinned teasingly.
"What? Miss me already?" She said to him, "I haven't even left yet."
"Don't flatter yourself." Cedric shot back. His expression then softened. "Hey, Ruby…is being a Huntsman…fun?"
That question caught Ruby off guard. She looked at Cedric in surprise.
"Is being a Huntsman…fun?" She repeated. Cedric nodded nervously. Ruby thought it over. Was the profession fun? If she had been asked that when school first started, she would've said it was fun, without hesitation.
But the Vytal Festival, the fights in Neverland Gorge, the craziness in Atlas, and the Ever After Forest incident too. Nothing about that was fun. Four times I was close to death for one reason or another. But even so…
Ruby could not help but smile, remembering all the fun times that were sprinkled in. The times she got with Weiss, Blake and Yang. Making friends with Team JNPR and Team CFVY. Getting to know the kids at Atlas. Befriending the members of the Thimble Huntsmen Bureau was great too. Even getting to know her hard-ass combat professor and realizing he was a big teddy bear deep down. Yeah, the life of a Huntsman was scary and dangerous…but it was beautiful too, filled with awesome people.
"It's dangerous," Ruby admitted, "I mean, fighting bad guys and scary monsters is dangerous."
"Oh," Cedric looked disappointed. Ruby then smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"I mean, that's what being a Huntsman is, fighting dangerous stuff. But…you also meet wonderful people too and get to go to great places." She added. "What I do is dangerous, Cedric. But there are fun things about it too."
"Oh," that made Cedric brighten up a little.
"Cedric," Ruby continued, "do you want to be a Huntsman?"
"As if!" Cedric exclaimed, playing it off. "Why would I want to do something that's clearly so easy a stupid girl like you could do it."
Ruby giggled. She had gotten used to Cedric's behavior. It had gotten to the point where she honestly found it kind of endearing.
"Well, if you ever change your mind and think it's not beneath a little brat like you, I'd be more than happy to leave my contact info." Ruby said to him, ruffling his hair.
"Whatever," Cedric pouted.
"Give my best to the others, I should get back to my family." Ruby said to him before leaving the building. She was, however, greeted by another familiar face. She smiled brightly. "Oh, hi Ms. Gosling."
Outwardly, Citrine was smiling politely at her. Inwardly, it was a completely different story.
Shit. Fuck. Goddammit! Citrine cursed inwardly in sheer frustration. Why is she here? Why? Why? Why? I don't have time to prepare anything to drug her with! Fuck those shitty brats! Why did they just let her in? Did they not listen when I told them not to let anyone in besides me?!
"What brings you here?" Citrine asked.
"Oh, well I was just wondering if you'd be willing to let the kids take a tour of the Huntsmen Bureau tomorrow. They seemed very excited by the thought." Ruby said to her.
"O-oh, well if Director Doom is okay with it, I'm sure there's no problem." Citrine promised. "That'd make them very happy. They could certainly use it after their appointment with Dr. Stein later today."
That was what Citrine was saying on the outside. On the inside, however…
Like it fucking matters, those brats will be gone soon…for good!
"I better get back to my dad and sister." Ruby said to Citrine suddenly, cutting her from her thoughts.
"Oh, can't I convince you to stay for a drink or something?" Citrine asked.
Something that I can slip something in to put you to sleep and bring you to 2. Citrine frantically added in her head.
"That's kind of you, but I really can't stay." Ruby smiled, oblivious to the danger she was seemingly in, as far as Citrine was concerned.
I can't fight and force this girl into submission. I'm no fighter! Citrine snarled inwardly in frustration. She took a deep breath. Well, she'll come by to get the kids…yeah, I'll make my move then. I've still got this. We just have to move fast and be thorough. We'll only have one shot at this.
"That's fine," Citrine gave her best fake smile to Ruby, "you can drop by tomorrow to pick the children up."
"I'll see you tomorrow then, Ms. Gosling!" Ruby said before jogging away.
"Yes, see you tomorrow, Ruby." Citrine smiled and waved.
Oh, I fucking better! Citrine added inwardly as she watched Ruby jog away happily. As Ruby jogged away, however, something already had her in its sights. It was moving through the trees, a single engagement ring practically fused into one of its camouflaged fingers, and the taste of a young man named Reggie still in its mouth.
Meanwhile, in the skies aboard an airship, Hansel Kobalt sat calmly as he waited for the airship to land at its final destination.
I hope I don't end up regretting this…and I hope you both can find it in your hearts to forgive me. He thought to himself, resigned to the fact this would very likely end poorly for him.
AN: The players are beginning to gather, and darkness is continuing to encroach. Indeed, the nightmare fuel is growing. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you all next time.