Chapter Fifteen: Impromptu Lynch Mob
October 3rd, 8:30am
Blake was mopping when Velvet walked in.
She gave a faint smile. "Hello again, Velvet. Here alone today?"
Velvet nodded, taking a seat at the counter. "Yeah, Coco had to work early today. So, it's just me. Is Jaune not here?"
Blake shook her head, resting her elbow on the end of her mop. "Not yet. He had to take Rogue to school this morning. He'll be back soon."
Velvet nodded, turning back to the counter. It looked strangely…lonely, without Jaune behind it. Fixing food, reading customer's auras, making people smile and forget their problems, just for a little bit. Or, sometimes, preparing them for problems they would have to deal with later.
It was twenty minutes later when Blake started to get worried. He should be back by now. Customers are starting to come in, what happens if he's not back in time?
Some of the customers seemed to notice this as well, one elderly woman turning to Blake as she walked in. "Excuse me, but is your chef alright? I don't see him behind the counter like he always is."
"He's fine, ma'am. He's just dropping off his daughter at school."
Blake wasn't sure who she was trying to convince.
…
From across the street, a figure looked in.
Her eyes flicked to Blake, a faint smirk on her face as she licked her lips. She held up her hand, whispering as if speaking into an invisible microphone. "Freak the Freak Out: filthy faunus."
She leaned back, waiting for the fireworks to start.
…
Blake frowned as she felt a strange, high-pitched whirring in her ears.
She cleaned them out with her finger, brow furrowing as the noise didn't go away. Though, before she could do anything about it, her eyes were drawn to an irate-looking customer. "What's the hold-up? He's never been late before!"
Blake turned to the man, a neutral smile on her face. "I'm sorry, sir, but Jaune had to take his daughter to school today. He'll be a bit later than usual."
That seemed to placate the man, who sat down with a faint grumble. Blake grit her teeth as she heard him mutter 'stupid faunus' beneath his breath, but fought down her rage with practiced ease. Just another bigot, just another day. Nothing to make a scene over.
It was ten minutes later when that same man stood up, walking to the front of the store. He slapped his hand next to Velvet, leaning over the counter. "Seriously? Not one other employee that can cook? I'm just here for a damn sandwich!"
His eyes flicked back to Blake, pointing at her with an accusatory finger. "Hey, waitress! Why don't you just head back and make it for me, huh? Ease up the old boy's workload when he gets in."
Blake forced herself not to roll her eyes. "Sir, I'm just the waitress. Food I make won't adhere to the Curative Cuisine taste."
He rolled his eyes, groaning as he walked back to his chair. "What's the matter? Can the dumb faunus not make a sandwich?"
Blake grit her teeth, but didn't say anything. Just don't engage with him, Blake. Getting into a shouting match will only make things worse. Just let him cool down and wait for Jaune.
The man glared at her, a few other people looking at him nervously, yet expectantly. "Hey, you got double the ears, don't ya? Why ain't you hearing me? Huh?"
Never heard THAT one before.
She yelped as the man grabbed her shoulder, pulling her forward. "Hey, dumbass! I'm talking to you, freakshow! Go in the back and make my damn sandwich!"
Blake couldn't help but glare at the man, pushing back off him. "Sir, please have a seat."
A few other people stood and walked out, likely tired of waiting. The man Blake was engaged with simply glared at her, taking a step forward and holding out his arms. "Or what? Are you gonna call the cops? Tell them I asked a simple question to a dumb bitch of a freak that couldn't understand it? Huh?"
Blake stared at him. "If you do not take a seat, I will contact the authorities."
A woman stood up, walking over and glaring at Blake. "Hey! My husband asked you one simple thing! You ain't calling the cops on him!"
Velvet turned around in her seat, walking over to Blake. She whispered into her ear. "It's not worth it, Blake. The cops won't believe us."
Blake forced herself to calm down, still glaring at the man before turning away. "I can get you some water, sir. But I cannot make you a sandwich."
The man glared at her, only for his eyes to suddenly flick to Velvet. "Hey, you, Bunny girl? Know your way around a kitchen?"
Velvet blinked twice. "I…don't work here."
"That's not what I asked."
Velvet took a step back, Blake standing tall between the two as the man approached. "Bunny, how about you step behind the counter, huh? Make all of us happy."
Velvet blinked twice, staring the man down with wide, doe eyes. "Um…I don't—I can't—"
Blake's eyes widened as the man pushed past her, grabbing Velvet's shirt. "Come on, you know how to cook, don't ya? You've got that Beacon sweater on, surely you've had to fix meals for yourself? How's doing it for us any different?"
Velvet was on the verge of tears as she looked away. "P-Please put me down, sir."
The man smirked, lifting her higher.
Blake glared at the man, From Shadows emerging from her back. Without a word she dashed forward, From Shadows pushing the man back as she grabbed Velvet, maneuvering her behind her.
A few people stood, glaring at Blake as the man staggered into his wife. "Hey! You can't do that to me, freak!"
"I just did."
More people stood, glaring at the two as Velvet moved back toward the kitchen. "Blake, this is bad!"
"You think I don't know that?"
The instigator walked forward, grabbing his waistband before producing his belt. "There's only one cure for filthy faunus like you!" he turned to the crowd, raising his belt. "Know what it is, folks!"
"Get rid of 'em!"
"Toss 'em out!"
"Leave 'em to rot!"
The man pulled his belt around his neck, a vindictive smirk on his face as he stared them down. "A nice rope-tie affair. Come on! Who's with me!"
To Blake and Velvet's shock, almost everyone in the store roared in approval.
The crowd surged forward, From Shadows dashing forward and punching into it. Even though two people fell, the rest kept coming, their arms wrapping around Blake and Velvet's arms and torsos as they were pulled toward the middle of the room. Blake struggled against their grip, eyes wide as she saw someone standing on a chair, holding a belt shaped like a noose.
She redoubled her efforts, but even with From Shadows there were too many to fight off at once. Their rage had turned them into a single-minded organism, pulsing with fury and hatred toward her and Velvet. "Velvet! Do something!"
Just as the noose was slipped around Blake's neck, Velvet called out I May Fall. She focused, it taking the shape of Fabulous and dashing around Blake. When Blake fell, her eyes widened as she found herself easily able to breathe.
What the? How did she…?
Blake looked down, unable to see strands of thin wires making a harness around her chest. The wires linked back to her neck, taking all the force from the would-be noose and distributing it around her chest, leaving the neck intact.
Velvet closed her eyes, focusing as her ears began to twitch. "You heard it too, didn't you Blake? That high-pitched humming? I think I know what it is now."
She turned to the left, eyes narrowing as her stand shifted into September. "There was a study conducted a few years ago by Beacon over the effects of certain noises. High-pitched frequencies with hidden messages inside them. Played over and over again, they can suggest a course of action to the person hearing them. They're called White Noise Suggestions."
I May Fall grabbed the belt from Blake's neck, twirling it between its fingers before throwing it to the corner. "I think that's what our enemy is using to turn these people into a mob!"
Velvet focused, IMF emerging from the belt as September and looking around. There, following the noise, she saw it. A tiny, dark-yellow figure maybe the size of an insect. Its entire body was covered in tiny speakers, projecting out in every direction. All of them were emitting that high-pitched hum she'd been hearing, the locust-like thing stationary.
"ARA!"
"GAAAAH!"
The two looked outside just in time to see a large, burly woman screaming—her hand covered in blood with a line straight down her middle finger to her elbow. Velvet didn't let her get away, grabbing her stand and yanking it back toward them—pulling the woman forward.
Bitch! Bitch! I'll get her for this, I'll—
Her eyes widened as she saw a truck heading for her.
Shit.
CRASH!
Blake watched with sick satisfaction as the truck slammed into the woman, knocking her into a roll across the asphalt. The customers stopped what they were doing, looking around for a moment before slowly going back to what they were doing—as if released from a kind of trance.
Blake let out a faint sigh. "Thanks, Velvet."
"Don't mention it."
…
Stand Name: Freak the Freak Out
Stand User: Dandel "Lion" Dorin
Stats:
Power: B
Speed: C
Range: B
Persistence: C
Precision: E
Potential: C
…
Dandel tried to stand, only to fall onto her back.
"Stupid…bunny…"
Her head fell back, eyes rolling back in her head.
Dandel "Lion" Dorin. Wounded Beyond Recovery.