Yang was shown speeding along a long, lonely road. Sweat struck her hands and head as the afternoon sun rained down on her, bathing her in its rays. Were it not for aura, she surely would have been sunburnt.
The sun is relentless… I should take a break, if only for a while.
She looked at her motorcycle dashboard and heard a few small beeps.
Low on gas. Oh boy, where's the nearest fueling station?
A few hundred feet in front of her she saw a moderate-two story building painted mostly in white and orange.
Up ahead was a sign that read, "Just Rite".
Thankfully luck hasn't abandoned me completely. Not yet anyway.
She parked Bumblebee at one of the fuel pumps. She set it up to fill after inserting (and afterwards putting away) a credit card, and entered the bar.
The bartender was cleaning a glass as she walked in. "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"
Yang Xiao Long took off her aviator sunglasses.
"A water." she requested. "It's hot out."
"Ohhh. Sure."
He went below the counter and laughter came from a drunk man a few seats down from Yang.
"Are you telling me you're too young to drink?" the man asked. "You look like a regular Huntress. And a beauty at that."
"I could, but I'm good, thanks."
Shay, undeterred, approached the blonde brawlers. "Seriously. Not too bulky. Not too lean. You're…"
"Just right. Like I said, I'm good."
The mook put his hand on the countertop next to Yang with a soft moan before reaching out with his other one.
"And your hair…"
Sensing his intentions, Yang grabbed his wrist before he could touch her hair. Turning to face him with her eyes glowing red, he soon realized his mistake.
"Huh?!"
He barely glanced at her direction before Yang's metal fist slammed into the side of his face, sending him flying. Falling backward with a tooth knocked out of his mouth, the man hit the floor and continued to bounce floor-to-ceiling toward the exit like a pinball before disappearing through the doors. As the doors closed behind him, the "Open" sign flipped around to "Closed".
The bartender set the bottle on the counter. "This one's on the house. He's been driving me crazy. Don't know much about him; all I've gathered is that he's called Shade or Shay D."
Yang reached for it with her left hand, but it trembled and didn't move. Her metal hand grabbed and steadied her grip.
Not again… did he see that?
She gives a long, shaky sigh before picking up the bottle and guzzling the water down.
"So, what brings you around these parts?" he asked.
Yang held up a finger, guzzling until the water was gone. "Thanks. And I'm… looking for someone."
He chuckled. "Not too many people come out here. Too far from the Kingdoms. Only person worth notin' around here is... well..."
The brawler cut him off. "Raven Branwen." She retrieved her shades and sat up. "Thanks again."
The bartender became apprehensive. "N-now, missy! You don't want to go messin' with bandits! They're a world of trouble!"
Yang tried not to look back as she responded, "So I've heard."
Outside, the Shady Man was barely standing and holding his face, but he called out to Yang as she straddled Bumblebee.
Shady called out, "Hey, girlie!"
Yang looked annoyed. "Seriously? This isn't over?"
"I heard you're... looking for someone. Heh."
Shay gave her a wry smile.
Meanwhile, Tawny Lemongrass stood within a hotel room in Athena's Fortress. Her hair, normally held loose, was now twisted into pigtails held by bright pink scrunchies. She folded a pair of beige pants into her suitcase, along with some shirts.
Athena is truly counting on me to infiltrate the army. Part of me wishes I didn't have to do this, but I know it's not just her relying on my success.
The braver cat girl shut her suitcase and clicked it down.
I remember working with Blake, but that was years ago. She was only twelve when I first met her, and by that point, I was days away from my 30th birthday. Considering she spent most of her time with Adam, Ilia and sometimes others like Ares, she probably has no memory of my face. But she could remember the name. Therefore, I've been able to come up with another one.
Through a mirror's reflection, she looked at her cat ears. She was wearing the same civilian outfit she had previously; her dark blue jeans, lime green top, forest green vest and black boots.
Hopefully, Blake doesn't recognize me at all. It's not likely she will. Maybe I should put on some cute accessories to further sell the role of a smart but shy bookworm.
She put on a pink peace charm necklace around her neck along with some rose-bud stud-shaped earrings. From there, the courageous catgirl put a few items into a green backpack, including a dagger and a gun. Glancing out the window, she noticed dark storm clouds gathering in the sky.
Tawny shoved a collapsed gray umbrella into her backpack and smirked.
The scene switched to her in the library, examining the bookshelves. The books appeared to be sorted by category; fiction vs nonfiction, the specific genre, the last name of the author, and if a book was part of a series, in chronological order.
If this is a quote unquote book club, I should at least look like I read. (Even if I do so rarely...)
Tawny groaned as she scanned shelf after shelf; there had to have been hundreds, maybe even thousands of books in here!
But which ones should I pick?
She soon realized she was wasting time staring at shelves.
Just grit your teeth and get right to it!
She picked up a few books at random;
The Nature of Witches
The Eternity Key
The Familiars
The Humans
The String of Fate
She placed the first four books into her backpack and held the fifth one in her hands as she left the library with a smirk.
Not long thereafter, Tawny was shown outside the entrance to Athena's Fortress, her suitcase on wheels. In her hands was the fifth book she had chosen for herself. Above her head was a sign showing the name of the building; Edith Memorial Hotel
"You're really leaving?" Aoi asked. "This soon? I thought you had three more days."
The braver cat eared faunus nodded in affirmation. "I am. High Leader Taurus is getting antsy, and ordered me to leave as soon as possible. He and his allies, mostly Lady Bruna, want this to be as low profile as possible, so you can only tell the inner circle members."
The fish scaled faunus spoke calmly, "I see. And I suppose this means we won't be able to contact you for a while." She nodded again, and Aoi, despite her dislike of people, seemed to be saddened by the prospect of the cat faunus's departure. "Be careful, okay?"
"That I can do." She smirked. "Until we meet again, Aoi."
"Goodbye Tawny, and good luck."
With her backpack over her back, suitcase rolling along and her civilian disguise adorned, Tawny set out to do what had been asked of her.
The scene switched to her now in the backseat of a cab. As the taxi went along the road, Tawny was briefly shown reading the book in her hands before putting a purple bookmark in. With a few chapters finished, she looked out the window, left to her own thoughts.
I will admit, I never thought I'd be infiltrating another place and being the imposter again.
You know what's on the line. This whole thing's on borrowed time.
Smile like you mean it. Risk it all so we can seize it.
Eventually, the cab stopped a few feet from the hotel as it began raining. Getting out her umbrella from earlier, she opened the car door and unfurled the umbrella, standing up as it covered her head.
She retrieved her book, her suitcase and checked to make sure she didn't forget anything.
"Thank you for the ride. Have a good day!"
Tawny closed the door and the taxi drove off.
She looked at the guards outside the hotel, put on her best smile and went forward. She stepped by the guards as she rolled her luggage, neither one batting an eye. The braver catgirl went through the doors until she stood before the hotel's receptionist, who was asleep on the job.
With this, she collapsed her umbrella and let the raindrops fall to the floor.
Perfect.
The cat faunus rang the bell on the desk, startling the receptionist. He screamed as he fell to the floor, hitting his head on the underside of his desk as he tried getting up.
"OW! Oh, not again..." He got up from the floor, rubbing his head awkwardly. "Can I help you?"
"Apologies for the rude awakening, but I need your assistance. I need to speak to Ms. Belladonna. It's about the 'Book Club'."
"Alright. Give me a moment." He got a landline phone resting on the desk and dialed a number. "Hello? Ms. Belladonna? We have a recruit willing to join the BookWorm Army."
Sometime later, Blake, Sun, Kali and Ghira were all shown in a gym, with multiple recruits practicing their combat skills. They looked at the recruit and the possessions she had.
"So who exactly are you?" Ghira asked.
"My name is Coco. Coco Cocoa." the spy introduced herself.
Really? Her first and last name sound way too similar… Sun silently thought.
Blake smiled upon hearing the girl's 'name'. "Coco. Reminds me of one of my former classmates."
Pretending to take interest, 'Coco' asked, "And who might that be?"
"Coco Adel, leader of second year team CFVY (Coffee). She was a pretty cool fashionista. I can't say for certain what has become of her and the team she led during her time at Beacon, but I've heard that they're all still alive. By now they've probably retreated to Shade Academy or somewhere else to continue their training."
"Team CFVY. Now that you mention it, I think I've heard of them. They were in the Vytal Festival Tournament. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Coco and Velvet fight against Mercury and Emerald of team CMSN (Crimson) in the second round?"
"Coco and Yatsuhashi actually. You were close. Sadly they lost that duel, but that's old history nearly forgotten with the Grimm and the White Fang attacking Beacon."
Sun raised an eyebrow towards 'Coco', but she didn't notice.
"Yes, that's it. There were so many names and teams there, it's hard to remember them all."
"Wait a minute," Ghira began. "Weren't you in the audience for one of our book gatherings not too long ago?"
"Yes, I was. I said I needed some time to think, and I have, and I am willing to help you defeat Adam Taurus."
He smiled. "Glad to see that you have decided to join us. Now, give us a brief summary of your skills."
She only thought about her decision for two days. Sun realized. What made her change her mind so quickly?
"My skills in combat are… limited to say the least." the secret White Fang agent looked down in shame. "I don't have my aura unlocked, and I only had one self defense class. And that was years ago..."
"I see. And if there's no aura, then there is also no semblance." Ghira surmised.
'Coco' wordlessly confirmed his statement.
"You also don't have any weapons, do you?"
She nodded, her hair swaying wildly. "I do not have any weapons." She sheepishly looked down, placing her hand on her elbow. "I thought they would be provided."
"They are." Kali answered.
"What about general abilities, any hobbies that you think might help?" Ghira inquired.
"Well I'm great at problem solving and quick thinking. I like puzzles, books and mind games." she said semi-truthfully. "And I used to be a viola player in the past as well as a member of the chess team in high school."
"Hmm. Perhaps with the right tools and skill set, you can think of a strategy on the fly." Blake commented.
"I'm sure you'll fit right in." Kali welcomed her.
Sun's stomach rolled around like a rock. I have a bad feeling about this...
"And what is that book you're reading?" Blake asked.
"The String of Fate," Coco answered. "A more obscure novel but still worthy of attention."
Embracing the dark as though I know it… she thought. I've got em fooled, hook, line and sinker.
"Hmm… Perhaps we could use it as the cover book for our next recruitment session." Kali suggested.
Blake, with a note and pen in hand, remarked, "Already on it."
As Ghira and the new recruit went along, Blake and Kali left to prepare for the next 'book discussion', leaving a worried Sun by himself.
Why do I have a bad feeling we've made a big mistake?
A clap of thunder was heard as the scene transitioned to rain pouring outside the city of Mistral.
Qrow Branwen opened up a sliding door leading into a small, Japanese style restaurant. In the corner a man slept at his table, snoring with empty bottles of sake. The Ramen Shop Owner stood behind the counter sharpening a kitchen knife on a wood block. Qrow took a look at his broken arm before going up to the owner, paying little attention to the person he presumed was a customer.
"Regular? Or the Special?"
"I'm actually looking for someone, goes by the name Shiro Wan. Ever heard of him? I heard he's a regular around here."
The owner glared at him. "Who's asking?"
"Hey, I'm not some cop if that's what you mean. I need Shiro for a gig. We go way back."
The Ramen Shop Owner nodded. "Way back, huh?" He looked at Qrow. "So, he's a friend of yours."
"Uh… more of an acquaintance than a friend."
"Well, if you're looking for him, I'm afraid we're both outta luck. The man's dead! Confirmed by a first-class messenger. What's worse is that he owes me 16,000 Lien too!"
"Oh…" Qrow wanted to ask what Shiro had done to owe him that much money, but figured it wasn't his place to ask. "My apologies for wasting your time then."
Qrow exited the restaurant, closing the sliding door. He quickly turned around, leaning against it. He takes a drink from his flask before pulling out his scroll, which had a list of contacts with the following names, listed as follows:
Wan, Shiro
Griffin, Blanka
Griffin, Carmina
Beshair, Maza
Umbra, Ayress
Raine, Boyd
Kreiss, Amethyst
Altham, Ivy
Rivas, Aoi
Vaccaro, Farrow
Lunsford, Harkin
Qrow crossed off Shiro's name.
The unfortunate huntsman gave a sarcastic sigh. "Great start."
Qrow then walked up to several people asking if they knew any of the Huntsmen on his list; first, a pair of two men standing on the rainy street. Next, to a one-eyed, blonde blacksmith selling her wares. Then, he sought the help of a beat-up man filled with bruises, resting while two other men were currently fighting in a match. After every person he asked, Qrow's expression and body language grew more and more aggravated, each time the number of Huntsmen he crossed off the list increasing all the while.
Finally, he went up to a small house with boarded-up windows. He looked at his Scroll for his two remaining contacts, the first of which had been crossed out.
Fiorenza, Shani
Shields, Heather
"Heather Shields." he spoke to himself.
If she's not here, I'll be damned…
He knocked on the door. A group of small children were seen near the house under a canopy, shielding them from the elements as they played cards. Qrow turned around from looking at them. With no response, he banged on it loudly with the side of his fist. As he's about to bang on the door again, a man opened up the door.
"Oh, uh, hey there. I'm looking for Heather Shields?" The man just stared back at him, not saying a word. "Look, pal, I've had a rough day. Do you know where she is or not?"
"Daddy?" a small girl called out. "Does he know where Mommy is?"
Having realized that Heather was missing in action, or possibly dead, Qrow immediately regretted his actions and choice of words.
"I um... I'm sorry to bother you."
The man and his daughter went back into their house, shutting the door behind them.
Qrow went back out into the rain. He removed his flask from his shirt and considered taking another drink from it, but decided not to.
Damn it…
He looked at the obituaries and statuses of huntsmen and huntresses, some printed and some digital, listed in no particular order;
CUBB (Cubeb); Carmina Griffin, Auress Umbra, Blanka Griffin, Maza Beshair (all killed by unknown assassin)
Slate de Sena (missing in action, presumed dead)
Dove Cowen (killed by unknown assassin)
Rory Andrews (died of unknown illness)
Fuschia Lin (missing in action, presumed dead)
Terra Hunt (killed by unknown assassin)
Aurora Castillo (killed by unknown assassin)
Lali Choi (missing in action, presumed dead)
Wyatt Forest (believed to have gone rogue, presently missing)
Onyx Thurmon (believed to have gone rogue, presently missing)
Daisy Hughes (killed by unknown assassin)
Roux Forhan (killed by unknown assassin)
Mauve Erdos (killed by unknown assassin)
Zach Hyacinth (killed by unknown assassin)
Lucero Hawthorne (missing in action, presumed dead)
Boyd Raine (believed to have gone rogue, missing in action, presumed dead)
Ivy Altham (killed by unknown assassin)
Viola Varga (touring Mistral as musician, status unknown, presumably living)
Lotus Yu (killed by unknown assassin)
Inigo Nash (killed by unknown assassin)
Jay Hawkins (missing in action, presumed dead)
Cyan Kratz (missing in action, presumed dead)
Caroline Teale (missing in action, presumed dead)
Azura Durham (killed by unknown assassin)
Cascade Rhodes (missing in action, presumed dead)
Aoi Rivas (missing in action)
Urdina Morris (status unknown, may have left Mistral)
Orion Page (killed by unknown assassin)
Mae Levine (missing in action, presumed dead)
Li Modori (killed by unknown assassin)
Dee Diem (missing in action, presumed dead)
Dudley Duff (missing in action, presumed dead)
Farrow Vaccaro (killed by unknown assassin)
Flann Lucero (killed by unknown)
Shiro Wan (missing in action, recently confirmed to be dead)
Star Rivera (confirmed dead, killed by unknown)
Team SOLR (Sura Ayrun, Orville Odur, Apollo Legolas, Atum Ra- working in Vale or nearby territories, unconfirmed rumors that Orville is deceased)
Aurelio Sterling (currently comatose)
Crimson Arc (believed to have gone rogue, rumors are unconfirmed as to whether or not she is imprisoned)
Uriel Aaron (believed to have gone rogue, status unknown)
Phoenix Nikos (killed by Alva Parker and Kiaran Barrow, both criminals defeated)
After looking at the boards, he crossed off several names on his Scroll and gave a look of defeat.
Qrow sighed and took a seat on a nearby bench, the rain pouring down, realizing the futile efforts of his mission.
Too tired to say anything, the cursed huntsman let his thoughts wander as he was dunked on by rainfall.
Man, I knew it was bad from the Matalihutl brothers being the only other huntsmen I know are still alive and active, but this… this is far worse than I thought. How could so many huntsmen and huntresses be dead? Or missing?
Are there any left?